Golden Rules

About a year ago I tried my first golden berry, also known as Incan berry. If you haven't yet tried this sweet 'n sour super-fruit I  highly recommend it. Nutrient dense, they offer many amazing health benefits and have a delicious and refreshing quality about them.
They are a bit larger in size than a raisin and are a beautiful orange colour.

It is more common to buy them dried but some stores also sell them fresh.

I took a stab at growing some in my garden this year. The plants were small and the berries grow within a papery skin. They took awhile to ripen, but next year I'll give them some more room and love and see what happens. I actually remember thinking this was a weed and pulling it out only to immediately realize what type of plant this was and quickly returned it to the soil.
Planted in May, by July they looked like:

Most of them were ready to eat by September, but I didn't attempt to dry them.

Golden berries are superfoods due to these benefits:
• High in fibre (supporting gastrointestinal health and cardiovascular health)
• Maintains blood sugar levels and lowers blood pressure
• High in Vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12
• Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine, antiviral
• Adaptagens meaning they help the body to reduce stress

Make it a sweet day!

Bean Trio Salad

This is the second time this month I've made this bean salad and we're only 6 days into March...I think this recipe's a keeper.

Sprouted mung and adzuki  beans, green lentils, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, parsley, dill, sea/rock salt, black pepper, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. And anything else your heart desires.

It's quick to make and convenient to pack for dinner at school. It's a win win for me and tastes delicious :)

Have a sweet day!

Back at it

Days like today remind me to take a moment to stop and take a deep breath, enjoy life, be aware of your surroundings and allow yourself to feel blessed and alive and reflect on the journey, because getting to your destination is so much sweeter when you enjoy the ride.

 

 My blog has been static for awhile as I've adjusted to part-time school, full-time work and juggling relationships with family, friends and personal wellness. Although I've continue to read blogs over the past few months I honestly haven't had the time or energy to assemble my thoughts or piece together postings. With our so-called winter ending, I no longer feel like hibernating and will be back with recipes, and some nutritional information from my current education in Holistic Nutrition.

This morning I enjoyed a yogurt bonanza, so delicious plain coconut yogurt (the only yogurt worth eating) topped with Skinny B (chia seeds, buckwheat, hemp seeds), lecithin, wheat germ, flax seeds, shredded coconut, blueberries and strawberries. Tada!

 

>> Side note on Skinny B, I received a sample from Rob months ago when he was in the GTA and I promised I would try it and give an honest review. I have yet to do a post on it but it is coming, given that I'm aiming to lose a few pounds in the next couple of months I just picked up another bag of it and will be letting you know how it works for me.

As I devoured the yogurt bonanza, I contemplated how to spend my day. An afternoon movie was sounding like a good idea but after putting in 30 mins to finish up a research assignment (due tonight), the sun came out so I threw on some jogging pants and sneakers and went for a 8km walk. Vitamin D, fresh air and nature. I saw some birds and 4 deers out looking for lunch. Bliss.

hope your day was filled with something sweet :)

New Friends

Today was a great day. I made a lot of new friends. Jack, Johnny, Annabelle, Stewart, Peter, Justin, Patrick, Joey, Dakota and many more.

About 2 hours east of Toronto is the Primrose Donkey Sanctuary, where I spent the day falling in love with these kind souls.

I learnt so much about donkeys and I loved getting to know them and hearing their rescue stories.
Primrose Donkey Sanctuary currently cares for approx 30 cats, 20 donkeys, 4 pigs, a sheep, a goat, miniature horses, and a dog and they are taking more in all the time. They rely on some awesome volunteers to help out with caring for the animals. It wont be long before I'm back visiting these new friends. They welcome the public to visit Thursdays and Sundays from 1pm-4pm year round.

Heading home we had dinner at Fresh. BBQ Burgers were craved and devoured.

To sum it up, it was an amazing day.
Have a sweet one!

Cherry Chia Tartlets

This week I've been studying hard, the final exam for my first course is next week and I've been busy learning about vitamins and minerals, while reviewing digestion, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils. I've learnt a lot in the last 8 weeks and am trying to apply the information to my day to day life. So far I've increased the quality and amount of supplements I take daily and have added some new foods to my regular grocery list such as; amaranth, tempeh, and wheat germ.

I particularly like wheat germ because I can throw it into a smoothie or on top of my (coconut milk) yogurt. And it's a good source of:
• B Vitamins - B1, B3, Folic Acid and B12
• Calcium and Magnesium
• Iron
• Vitamin E
• Zinc
• Potassium
• Fiber
• Omega 3


To motivate myself to study a bit harder I splurged today and had the last Cherry Chia tartlet.

I threw this recipe together by grabbing a bowl and mixing some rolled oats, wheat germ, shredded coconut, cinnamon, maple syrup, coconut milk and chia "egg" until it was a consistency that stuck together slightly. I patted it down in the tart pans (greased with coconut oil) and baked them at 350° for 5 mins, before filling them with organic sugar-free cherry jam and finally sprinkled some of the oat mixture on top. Back into the oven they went for about 15 mins then I removed from the oven and waited about 5 mins for them to cool on the counter, then I dug in. Sweet, tart-y deliciousness.

Have a sweet day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was Thanksgiving here in Canada and I was so relieved to have the day off work.
It is a day to take the time to be thankful for all the things we are blessed to have in our lives and although I strive to be thankful everyday, today I truly appreciated how lucky I am. Surrounded by great family and supportive friends, an opportunity to learn, a job I enjoy going to, and overall good health.

My boyfriend and I had planned to have a picnic in the park because the weather's been so nice here this week. Instead I woke up this morning with a sore throat that unfortunately is the first sign that I'm coming down with a cold. So I headed to bed where I slept most of the day and took some vitamins and immune boosters to no avail.
I had really been looking forward to our picnic, feasting on sweet potato salad, roasted veggies and stuffing, but ended up throwing together a thanksgiving-ish dinner for one anyway.

Stuffing with veggie gravy and mac and cheeze.

It was good and festive but I had my eye on dessert the entire time...Pumpkin Pie Cupcake was calling my name.

Hope you had a sweet thanksgiving, what are you thankful for?

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

This week I made Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes. These guys are so delicious, nutritious and festive that I had to make two batches - Everyone liked them!

I couldn't find a recipe I liked so I combined a few to make the one below and I think it's prefect although I'd like to make it healthier next time. These are topped with a simple maple frosting and chopped walnuts, but the second time around I made a cinnamon swirl and I prefer that one.

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
Mix above dry ingredients together, and pre-heat oven to 350° and line a cupcake pan with liners

In  a separate bowl combine these wet ingredients and stir until smooth:
1 cup sugar (brown or cane)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin pie filling
1/3 cup oil
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Add dry mix to wet and stir until combined. Scoop into pan and bake for 15-18 minutes. remove when tooth pick inserted comes out clean.  Allow to cool on a cooling rack then when cooled down ice with any topping you like.

Have a sweet day!