Top 10 Signs That You Might be a Nutrition Nerd

May 21, 2013 by Sara

nerd-girl You try to eat more veggies. You avoid trans fats. You’ve even switched to whole wheat pasta.

But how do you know when you’ve crossed a line?

How do you know when you’ve become…a Nutrition Nerd?

Here are some excellent indicators that you might have a problem:

1. You can say definitively whether you are Team Blendtec or Team Vitamix.

2. You own a copy of The China Study.

3. You have to buy your chia/hemp/flax seeds at Costco.

4. You have a position on soy.

5. You’ve eaten bee pollen, phytoplankton, or a goji berry…on purpose.

6. Your children have argued with a teacher about the validity of the food pyramid.

7. You’ve massaged kale.

8. You’ve signed a petition or shared something on social media that had something to do with Monsanto.

9. You consider algae to be an excellent source of protein.

10. You’ve fermented something on purpose.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

May 16, 2013 by Sara

As dinner started approaching last night I realized that I’d pretty much exhausted my usual repetoire of kid-friendly recipes. So I decided to try something new.

Well, not new really. I’ve made Pad Thai before but the flavours have never quite hit the spot for me the way the stuff you get a great Thai restaurant does.

But, come on, Pad Thai is gluten-free and covered in peanuts, it’s like someone in Thailand knew my kids when they created it! I couldn’t give up that easily.

So, I checked out a bunch of different recipes for Pad Thai online and then came up with something of my own.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

And it was a hit!

Mostly…

I decided to start by cooking the tofu so I dried it a bit and then cut it into cubes. You could also use chicken here if you didn’t want to go the vegetarian route.

Tofu

I also chopped up some green onions so they’d be ready to add in just for the last minute of cooking so they wouldn’t get overcooked and soggy.

tofu and onions

Due to the chronic lack of fish sauce in my house (is that just me?), and the fact that I live in Whitby, Ontario and no one within a 20 mile radius acutally sells tamarind, I made my own sauce substituting things I had on hand (totato paste, tamari, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and garlie) for these two typical Pad Thai ingredients.

Tamarind

While I was making the sauce I started the noodles boiling. I use these rick stick noodles. They’re available everywhere, gluten-free and easy to cook.

Pad Thai Noodles

I cooked up the tofu and some strips of red pepper, added the sauce, then added the cooked noodles, then the bean sprouts and green onion. I served it into big bowls and topped with crushed, roasted peanuts and, voila!

Vegetarian Pad Thai

It was a big hit with me and my daughter.

My son…not so much.

Peanut Butter

Ah well, you can’t win ‘em all.

I thought it was really good and I’d definitely make it again. I was very proud of myself for coming up with a recipe that tasted like the real thing and was made with ingredients I typically have at home. Grace loved it so much that she even wanted the leftovers in her lunch today!

pad thai lunch

Serious Mom Points!

…until my 11-year-old daughter had to remind me that the stuff was full of peanuts and she goes to a peanut-free school.

Bah!

Deduct 10 Mom Points.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

by Sara Best

Keywords: entree gluten-free vegetarian vegan tofu Thai

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the Noodles

3/4 package rice stick noodles
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly
1 cup organic med firm or firm tofu, cubed
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped
1 tsp Sriracha (Southeast Asia chile sauce) – optional if you like heat

For the Sauce

1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Cook noodles according to instructions on package, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients and set aside.

3. In a large flat pan heat oil.

4. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes – do not let it get too brown.

5. Add tofu and cook for a few minutes.

6. Add tamari or soy sauce and then add red pepper. Cook for a few minutes until peppers soften.

7. Add sauce and stir to heat through.

8. Add noodles and stir to heat through.

9. Add bean sprouts and green onions and cook for a few minutes, just until bean sprouts soften slightly. Do not over cook bean sprouts and onions.

10. Remove from heat and serve.

11. Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve.

Mother’s Day

May 13, 2013 by Sara

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. It was colder here than one would like for a May weekend and we even enjoyed some hail, but I got to spend some fun one-on-one time with the kids so who cares about a little ice falling from the sky?

I’m not a big breakfast in bed kind of gal so I asked the kids to please wait unitl Mommy got up to feed me. When I got up there was a menu waiting:

I thought the selection was pretty impressive (even ambitious) for a restaurant run by an 8 and 10 year old:

I decided to go for the Super Dooper Breakfast Supreme. First, because it sounded like all kinds of awesome, and second because it was just eggs, toast and fruit which was what I’d wanted in the first place.

The wait staff were eager and enthusiastic…

Waiters

…and breakfast was actually delicious. Sorry, no pics, too hungry.

I told the kids that I wanted to spend some one-on-one time with each of them on Mother’s Day so after breakfast Gavin and I loaded up the dog and headed out to the Harmony Dog Park not too far from our home. It was cold but everything was still lush and green and all three of us had fun hiking through the woods:

Gavin and B in woods

Gavin and B in water

Sara dog park

Gavin even tried some yoga: tree pose on a tree.

Tree on a tree

After about an hour we were cold and the skies had started to open up so it was time to head home and hose down a very dirty and tired dog.

When I got in there were tulips waiting for me – I love tulips! – thanks honey.

Tulips

After lunch it was Grace’s turn and we headed off for mother-daughter yoga at Balanced Life Yoga in Ajax. Grace made a new friend:

Grace yoga 1

And learned how to do a handstand:

Grace handstand

After yoga we decided to embrace the sterotype and stopped by Starbucks for soy milk hot chocolate and lattes:

Grace Starbucks

While at Starbucks/Chapters I also picked up a copy of T. Colin Campbell’s new book, Whole, which I have been dying to read (a little Mother’s Day gift for myself – shhhhh).

Whole book

Brad finished off the day with fajitas for the family and I watched some TV and then curled up with my new book.

All in all a really perfect Mother’s Day.

Virtual Vegan Potluck!

May 11, 2013 by Sara

I’m so excited today to be participating in my first Virtual Vegan Potluck!

It’s always a little nerve wracking attending a party that you’ve never been to before with a bunch of people you don’t know.

I had no idea what to bring. Or what to wear.

And I had to promise myself to go easy on the peach schnapps lest there be some awkward Facebook photos cropping up tomorrow morning.

The first part turned out to be pretty easy. I decided to bring soup (stew actually)!

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and this sweet, rich, spicy and delicious recipe is courtesy of my mother – everything I know about cooking I learned from her. Make it on a chilly day and watch the snow or rain fall outside.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil (olive or coconut)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 to 2 tsp Asian-style hot chili paste/sauce
3 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups Spanish onion chopped into big chunks (approx 1 large onion)
1/2 cup water
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with juices
3 cups sweet potatoes chopped into big chunks (approx sweet potatoes)
1 and 1/2 cups celery chopped into big chunks (approx 2 – 3 stalks)
2 cups carrots chopped into big chunks (approx 4 -5 carrots)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup coconut milk (not light)
1 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
handful frozen peas or fresh greens (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for a minute or less just to warm through.
Add curry powder, cinnamon, ground cardamom, allspice and salt and heat through.
Add water and stir, let heat through for a minute or so.
Add garlic, ginger, carrots, sweet potatoes, celery. Stir well.
Add canned tomatoes, coconut milk, mustard and sesame oil. Stir some more.
Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Allow to cook for 30 minutes or so until vegetables are cooked (soft when pierced with a fork).

Enjoy!

Now that you’ve seen my recipe, have some fun checking out the others in the potluck!

Before me was Fitting Into Vegan

And after me comes Soup and Such

To start the potluck from the beginning, visit Vegan Bloggers Unite

Now, off you go and enjoy the rest of the potluck…

…I still have no idea what to wear and I can’t make any promises about the peach schnapps.

Morning Smoothie

May 9, 2013 by Sara

About four days a week I get my day started with a huge smoothie.

It’s filling, I can pack tonnes of healthy stuff in there without having to think about it, it’s yummy and it totally grosses my family out, which is a huge bonus.

People often ask me what I put in my morning smoothie so today I thought I’d run you through it. I wouldn’t call this a “recipe” per se because I don’t ever measure anything I just grab things from the fridge and pantry and chuck them in and then add enough water until my blender stops seizing up. But I’ll do my best here to give you some approximate amounts in case you want to try this at home.

I start with unsweetened almond milk as my base. I’d say about 3/4 of a cup.

Next comes greens. I cram in about three big handfuls of whatever I have on hand. This is usually spinach and kale but sometimes (like today) I had some swiss chard so I’ll throw that in too.

After that comes fruit. I try to go easy on the fruit so that I’m not waking my pancreas up with a big, sugary slap in the face. I always keep some bananas in the freezer so I’ll use half a banana and usually some frozen berries (blueberries, stawberries, blackberries, etc.). If I’m feeling fancy I’ll add in some frozen mango or pineapple but those are high sugar fruits so I use them rarely and only a few pieces.

Next we bring out the heavy artillery. This is your super food add ins that take your smoothie from healthy to KAPOW!

First comes hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are full of protein, fibre and omega 3 essential fatty acids. I add about 3 tbsp which gives me about 10 grams of protein. I can tell you’re impressed already.

Next comes flax seeds which bring some more fibre to the table and more omega 3s. I buy whole flax seeds and let my blender grind them as opposed to buying ground flax. It stays fresher that way and retains more of its nutrients until I’m ready to eat them. Cheaper too. I use a heaping tablespoon.

Next I love to add goji berries. These little gems are packed with antioxidants and offer more vitamin C than most oranges! They’re sweet and delicious too – kind of like a raisan. I use about a tablespoon and a half.

And finally I like to finish off my smoothie mix with some chocolate. Yup, you read that right. No, I’m not talking about ripping open a Mars bar and tossing that in, I’m talking about real, raw cacao. It’s sugar free and packed with magnesium and more antioxidants. It makes my smoothie all chocolatey and delicious and who doesn’t want to have chocolate for breakfast? I use a heaping tablespoon.

And that’s it! We’re done. I usually top it off with some ice and a bit more water.

And blend!

This is when my kids and husband start gagging and running from the room and, okay, maybe doesn’t look that great.

I blame the blueberries.

But it’s cold and refreshing and it tastes amazing. It’s absolutely filled with all the vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients my body needs to get through a busy day, and it keeps me full until way past lunch time.

What do you put in your smoothie?

Black Bean Soup and Cookbook Giveaway!

April 30, 2013 by Sara

Today I’m thrilled to be sharing with you a sneak peek from the amazing new e-cookbook from Dreena Burton of Plant Powered Kitchen called Plant-Powered 15.

Dreena is an amazing writer and recipe creator. Her previous cookbooks are all available at Chapters and include, Everyday Vegan (a staple in my kitchen); Eat, Drink and Be Vegan; and Let Them Eat Vegan.

This beautiful new e-book she’s created offers 15 simple, healthy and delicious plant-powered recipes that anyone would love – even the meat eaters in your life! Think Almond Zen Granola, Coconut “Pillows,” Green Goddess Dressing, and Sun-Dried Tomato and Almond Burgers.

Yum!

In order to make your mouth water and give you a small taste of what you’ll find in the book, Dreena has allowed me to share her recipe for Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes which is included in the book and is deliciously sweet, hearty and packed with protein, fibre and vitamin A.

Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes

1-2 tbsp water

1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups chopped onions (one large onion)

1 1/2 cups combination of chopped red peppers and green peppers

1 1/4 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste (generous is good)

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/4 tsp allspice (rounded)

1/4 tsp (or less/more, to taste) red pepper flakes

4 medium-large cloves garlic, minced or grated

4 1/2 – 5 cups black beans (reserve 1 cup; this is three 14 or 15 oz cans)

3 cups water

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 – 1 tsp pure maple syrup

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups cubed (in small chunks, about 1/2”) yellow sweet potato (or can substitute white potato)

Chopped cilantro for serving

Extra lime wedges for serving

Chopped avocado tossed with lemon juice and dash of salt, for serving

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add water, onions, red and green peppers, salt and pepper, cumin seeds, oregano, allspice, and red pepper flakes.
Let cook for 5-7 minutes until onions and peppers start to soften. Add garlic. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and let cook another few minutes to soften garlic – if sticking/burning, add another splash of water.
After a few minutes of cooking, add 3 1/2 cups beans (reserving one cup of beans), water, tomato paste, vinegar, lime juice, and maple syrup (start with 1/2 tsp). Using an immersion blender, puree soup until fairly smooth. Increase heat to bring to boil, add bay leaf and diced sweet potatoes, then once at boil reduce and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Add remaining cup of black beans and extra maple syrup if desired (taste test). Stir through, let simmer for another few minutes, then serve, topping with cilantro if desired and with lime wedges.
Also delicious to top soup with some chopped seasoned avocado or a simple guacamole.
Serves 4-5 as main course.

Dreena has also generously offered to give one of my readers a free copy of Plant-Powered 15. You can enter by doing one or all of the following:

1. “Like” my Facebook page and then come back and leave a comment below letting me know that you did that.

2. Follow me on Twitter and then come back and leave a comment below letting me know you did that.

3. Leave a comment below letting me know what your favourite plant-powered meal is.

You can do one, or all three for more chances to win!

The contest ends Tuesday, May 7 when a winner will be picked at random.

Good luck!

Gluten Free Garage

April 29, 2013 by Sara

Yesterday Grace and I had a girls day out – just the two of us – and headed to the Gluten Free Garage event in Toronto (yes, this is what constitutes a fun day out when your passion is nutrition – don’t judge).

Grace was excited. “Mommy, I’ll be able to just eat stuff. We won’t have to ask to see a special menu or talk to anyone about what has gluten in it!”

The event began last year and has already become a huge hit. The place was absolutely packed yesterday and it took me about 20 minutes just to find parking!

We arrived at the venue – the Artscape Wychwood Barns near St. Clair and Bathurst – at about 11:30 and we were ready to eat!

We paid our admission ($10 for me and free for Grace because she was under 12) and immediately headed outside to the Hero Burger truck which was serving up gluten-free burgers on gluten-free buns. Grace got a burger and fries with gluten-free gravy and just about died of happiness as we sat outside in the sunshine and ate.

It was hot – yay! – so we also stopped as soon as we saw the Tonica Kombucha table and got two bottles of our favourite beverage. If you haven’t tried Tonica yet, I highly recommend it. Delicious and good for you! My kids think they’re getting pop

I had a kale and arugula salad (sorry, no pic – too hungry) from the Gourmet Bitches truck also parked outside, and an order of fries from Hero – delish!

Once our bellies were full and our thirst was quenched it was time to walk around and begin looking and sampling. The place was packed so sometimes it was difficult to get to all the tables but I’m pretty sure Grace still managed to eat one or more of every single sample going.

We made sure to stop by the Bunner’s table. Bunner’s is a 100% vegan, gluten-free bakery in Toronto which is just to die for. We picked up a carrot ginger muffin that was heaven in a muffin cup and some cupcakes to take home for the rest of the family.

Once we were tired of walking around and eating everything in sight we decided to check out a couple of the speakers. First we saw Ricki Heller from the amazing blog Diet, Dessert and Dogs. She gave a great talk on living with multiple food sensitivites (hello my house) which was very informative and gave me some great ideas that I’m excited to try and share more about here later.

I was so happy to also get the chance to hear my friend, and fellow CSNN student, Maggie Savage of another great food blog – She Let Them Eat Cake - give her talk on raising healthy, gluten-free kids. She also offered some excellent advice and ideas and even brought us chocolate cupcake samples!

After the talks wrapped up it was time for one more walk around – to see if we’d missed any samples – we hadn’t.

All day we’d been saving one big treat for the end of the day – coconut chocolate ice cream in a gluten-free waffle bowl from Bix Bakery! It was almost time to go so we made our way over and ordered two.

Amazing!

All in all it was a great event and a fun day for the two of us.

Can’t wait until next year!

“Natural” Means Nothing

April 26, 2013 by Sara

An important thing to remember when you’re walking the aisles of your grocery store is that the term “Natural” or “All-Natural” on a package of food means nothing.

It is purely a marketing term. There are no regulations or standards behind the claim of “natural” for food products in Canada or the US.

A new study from the Cornucopia Institute shows that many of the products labelled as “natural” such as Kashi cereals and crackers contained very high levels of pesticides and GMOs.

“Natural” foods can also still be filled with lots of other crap like high fructose corn syrup, chemical flavourings, and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Nothing “natural” about any of that.

The term on the outside of the package that does have some regulatory weight behind it is “organic” or “certified organic.”

For products made in Canada, look for this symbol:

And for products made in the US, look for this:

These designations mean that the foods inside have not been directly sprayed with pesticides, have not been grown with chemical fertilizers, do not include genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and have not been processed using irradiation or chemical food additives.

They mean that the food inside is sort of “natural.”

These designations still aren’t perfect for a whole host of reasons that we can get into another day, but they’re the best you’re going to find.

To learn more, watch Cornucopia’s video on what they found in their study.

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

April 17, 2013 by Sara

I find breakfast tricky.

I am a breakfast eater – don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those people who hates breakfast. I love breakfast. Breakfast and I are tight. I just struggle with WHAT to eat for breakfast.

This is what my brain does when I think of breakfast. Are you ready?

Toast and almond/peanut butter…processed carbs and gluten, very little fibre.

Cereal…processed carbs, not enough protein, potentially too much sugar.

Fruit…too much sugar, not enough protein.

Oatmeal…not enough protein.

Eggs, toast and bacon…seriously?

Green smoothie…awesome, but don’t want it every day of my life.

Aren’t you glad you’re not me?

Anyway, this recipe for Peanut Butter Overnight Oats satisfies most of the nutritionist voices in my head. It offers a good supply of protein with the hemp seeds and nut butter, it’s high in fibre and calcium and reasonably low in sugar, it even brings lots of healthy omega 3 fats to the table. And it’s absolutely delicious!

You just have to remember to make it before you go to bed or it’s boring toast again.

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

by Sara Best

Keywords: raw breakfast gluten-free soy-free vegan vegetarian oats

Ingredients

Night Before Ingredients

1/3 cup rolled oats
3 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (I use almond but pretty much any would work)

Morning Ingredients

1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

Before you go to bed at night mix the oats, hemp seeds, chia seeds and milk in a large bowl and mix well for a minute or two until the chia seeds are well combined.

Place mixture in the fridge and enjoy your sleep.

In the morning, remove the mixture from the fridge and stir.

Add the peanut butter and maple syrup.

Warm in the microwave for approx 1 min.

Stir and enjoy!

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

April 10, 2013 by Sara

They say that April showers bring May flowers. I’m trying to remember that as as I wrap myself in another sweater and watch the rain pour down outside my window.

Well, if we can’t be somewhere warm and sunny, we can at least pretend. And comfort food is the first step.

This sweet and spicy stew is warm and comforting for a cold rainy day. Serve it with a margarita and it’s practically like you’re in Antigua.

Don’t be deterred by the long list of ingredients. I promise the layers of flavour at the end will be worth it.

Besides, what else are you doing on a rainy Wednesday?

Enjoy!

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

by Sara Best

Keywords: soup/stew vegetarian vegan soy-free nut-free gluten-free Caribbean fall winter

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 to 2 tsp Asian-style hot chili paste/sauce
3 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups white onion chopped into big chunks (approx 1 large onion)
1/2 cup water
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with juices
3 cups sweet potatoes chopped into big chunks (approx 4 sweet potatoes)
1 and 1/2 cups celery chopped into big chunks (approx 2 – 3 stalks)
2 cups carrots chopped into big chunks (approx 4 -5 carrots)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup coconut milk (not light)
1 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
handful frozen peas or fresh greens (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for a minute or less just to warm through.

Add curry powder, cinnamon, ground cardamom, allspice and salt and heat through.

Add water and stir, let heat through for a minute or so.

Add garlic, ginger, carrots, sweet potatoes, celery. Stir well.

Add canned tomatoes, coconut milk, mustard and sesame oil. Stir some more.

Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Allow to cook for 30 minutes or so until vegetables are cooked (soft when pierced with a fork).

Add chickpeas. Stir and leave a few minutes to warm through.

Before serving you can add a handful of frozen green peas or greens of your choice. Just add a few minutes before serving to heat through but don’t overcook or you’ll have grey greens in your stew.

Serve over brown rice and freeze* the leftovers.

*Don’t add greens to the part you’re freezing as they won’t freeze well. Just add those when you defrost and heat up again.