Ever wonder how that delicious, addictive Sriracha hot sauce is made? If you are like me, you relish in the knowledge of knowing how food is actually made and the history behind it. Here's a short video of the CEO explaining the process and the history of the Huy Fong Food company, very cool!
TK Ranch
What a great 4 minute video to show how animals in Alberta can be ethically raised, pasture raised and in harmony with the environment. Find the TRUTH for yourself!
Adrenal Fatigue Solution
What is your time worth? That is a good question to ask yourself, especially when you have adrenal fatigue and you are exhausted and constantly running around trying to do everything. I am not a mom, but many of my clients are, and it seems as though every mom I meet these days is trying to do it all and some. If they're not super mom it's like they are looked down upon by society and their family members. This makes me mad and I feel I have to represent my female humans. Saying no and doing things for yourself makes you a stronger and more powerful woman.
Woman have exhausted themselves so much these days that they have physically drained their adrenal glands. Our adrenal glands produce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that are released when we are feeling stressed out physically and mentally. The problem with not taking action when you have adrenal fatigue is that if our adrenal glands are constantly producing cortisol due to stress, it also impairs the adrenal glands ability to balance other hormones in the body such as; estrogen and progesterone. Which can lead to many other health issues.
How do you know you have adrenal fatigue?
Have a hard time getting up in the morning
Are you always tired
Not interested in having sex
Need coffee for energy
Weight changes
Food cravings
Foggy mind, can't think properly
Want to cry all the time
Lose your temper quickly, irritated
Those are just some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, I recommend reading up on adrenal fatigue if you feel you have many of the above symptoms. The hardest part about healing from adrenal fatigue is that there is no magic pill. It takes time and dedication to bring your body back to homeostasis. Nourishing one self, rest, taking time for yourself and realizing that you need a little help in everyday life is what you need.
Part of my job relieves stress for moms in the kitchen department, but I never realized all of the other benefits I was giving to my clients. My services nourishes their family with healthy whole foods and allows them to do other things that they enjoy; like playing with their children, going to get a massage, focusing on their husbands needs and their own, and just doing things that brings them joy. This leads me to the whole point of this post, Sonya Tonhauser can be part of your healing regime. She is the closest to that magic pill (behind me:))
She can relieve that daily stress by doing anything you need her to do that will help relieve some stress.Grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, organizing your home, decorating for Christmas, going to the post office, waiting in lines that you don't have time for, pick up gifts for clients or friends, plan a party. Seriously, the list goes on. The next time you think you want to be super mom, ask yourself, is it worth it? What is this showing my kids? How is it impacting my relationship with my husband and kids? Do I need to do it all or can I get a little help?
Here is Sonya's link to her website Custom Concierge Services. If you live in the Calgary area, I hope you allow yourself to use her services to help heal your body and become less stressed and a happier person for yourself and your family.
Raw Garlic and It's Healing Powers
Whole Foods- Raw Garlic
Lets talk about garlic and it’s healing properties for the body. Garlic is a member of the lily family and it’s cousins; onion, leek and chives all have powerful healing properties for the body as well.
It is one of the oldest cultivated plants dating back as much as 5000 years ago, so you know it has to be legit.
Garlic’s most powerful healing properties thus far; come from...... Click the picture to read more.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Whole Food- Stuffed Sweet PotatoesFinally, I have settled into my new home and next chapter of my life. Thank you for your patience, you must be hungry!
Alright, these cute little delicious morsels are a perfect thing to make ahead of time when you have a busy week. I decided to make them with no meat, but you could always add some cooked organic sausage to the top of them as well. There are so many ways you can make these stuffed sweet potatoes your own, so just think outside the box and stuff them with what you like.
Sweet potatoes are a wonderful source of beta-carotene; vitamin A is needed for good vision, healthy immune system and proper cell growth. The phytonutrients in sweet potatoes have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, and they are a great source of fiber.
In this recipe, the method may look long, but I teach you how to properly sautée mushrooms. That may sound ridiculous to you, but most people boil their mushrooms in a pan. Instead I want to help instuct you on how to achieve that beautiful brown color you could get if you use the right cooking technique.
Bon Appétit!
Detox Fresh Herb and Red Cabbage Salad
Whole Foods- Detox Fresh Herb and Red Cabbage SaladI can't say enough about this salad, it's one of the most nutrient dense salads you can eat on a regular basis.
I could have added many ingredients to this salad but I wanted to keep it simple and easy.
The raw enzymes help increase chemical reactions in the body and there is purpose behind every other whole foods ingredient, so lets start with the vinaigrette.
The vinaigrette contains apple cider vinegar. Besides it's alkalizing properties, it also helps increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach; thus helping break down your food so that nutrients can be properly absorbed into the body.
The fresh lemon juice also helps with digestive health, but it also helps alkalize the body; the body should be more alkalized in general than acidic. Disease grows in an acidic environment.
The organic extra virgin olive oil contains healthy fats that our bodies need in order to digest the fat soluble vitamins contained in this beautiful salad.
Fresh herbs in general taste delicious, but they also contain large amounts of chlorophyll which help detoxify toxins from your body. The cabbage contains specific sulfur compounds that increase glutathione activity; glutathione is needed by the liver to detoxify toxins. Our liver is our detox organ, we must keep our liver as clean and as healthy as possible in order to bring homeostasis back to our bodies.
The carrots contain a wonderful amount of vitamin A; needed for healthy eye sight and a strong immune system. The kale and other vegetables of course, contain fiber which is needed for proper elimination of toxins through the bowel.
With all of that said, I think you get my point that this is really, really good for you. Let's not forget that it actually tastes delicious, and as always, it's very simple to make. Great way to practice your knife skills!
Orange and Oatmeal Smoothie
This is a great whole foods dessert for people that don't want cake or cookies. It's gluten free as well!
Yes, it is higher in natural sugars and sugar is sugar after all, but I think this is better than a gluten laden cake with bad trans fats. But, if you are watching your insulin levels I would recommend choosing another option for a dessert.
The LOVE definitely comes from the orange zest and cinnamon.
Bon Appétit!
Wild Rice with Cilantro and Lemon
Whole Food- Wild Rice with Cilantro and LemonI made this up one night with the leftovers in my fridge and it turned out so delicious that I decided to make a recipe from it.
This is a super versatile dish, it can be served as a side dish, for breakfast with a fried egg on top or as a main dish with a stuffed portobello mushroom or grilled fish.
Wild rice is an annual water grass seed, not a rice. The grain is found mostly in fresh water lakes in Canada and the colder parts of the United States of America. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and it's chewy texture gives a satisfying balance to the cashews and butternut squash in this recipe.
Wild rice contains a great amount of protein and B-vitamins which are key nutrients for blood sugar balance. The cilantro contains chemical compounds that help detox heavy metals from your body and the butternut squash conatins vitamin A and fiber.
So, I guess what i'm saying is that this dish is delicious, satisfying, "whole" and nutritious.
Bon Appétit!
Cacao
Thank you once again Perennial Plate for showing us where our whole foods comes from. Check out this 5 minute video and learn about the beautiful cacao tree.
Lemon and Cranberry Stuffed Wild Salmon
Whole Foods- Lemon and Cranberry Stuffed Wild Salmon
Oh my goodness! This recipe is one of my favorites for a yummy, comforting Sunday dinner. It's soooooo easy, you would think it would take all day to make but it doesn't. This fish recipe is sweet and savory; the cranberries give it a wonderful texture and sweetness, and the lemon zest definitely brings the LOVE to this dish.
At the moment you cannot find fresh wild salmon because it is winter, but I have froze some from the summer months for winter time. We all need good quality omega 3 oils in order for our bodies to thrive, and I think this recipe is a great way to get those essential oils into your body.
Omega 3 oils reduce inflammation in the body; which can cause disease, they increase healthy skin and hair, and did you know that every single cell in our body is coated with fat? So why not coat those little suckers in yummy Omega 3 fat!
Kale Caesar Salad
Whole Foods- Kale Caesar Salad
I know, everybody has their own version of this very trendy Caesar salad. I don't usually like to give into the trends, but I have to say, this salad is worth it. It's F-ing delicious, straight up. My beautiful friend Nadia (AKA Croissant) has been on me to get this recipe up on my site for a while now, so I finally did it and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. There is something special about making your own Caesar dressing, it feels like quite an accomplishment after you have succeeded in combining the egg and oils together to create a beautiful thick and creamy dressing.
Kale has a huge amount of delicious, absorbable calcium and vitamin K. The splash of lemon brings everything together in this salad and the crispy panko makes you fall in LOVE. If you or someone you know doesn't like kale please try this, I'm pretty sure you'll like kale after eating this salad; the trick is to slice the kale very thin. Good luck and may we all hail to kale once in our lives, or every single day.
Muhammara
Whole Food- Muhammara
This is one of my most favourite dips! Muhammara is originally from Syria but can be found in many Middle Eastern countries. They typically eat it with warm pita bread, but I tend to eat it with everything!
The combination of the pomegranate molasses, cumin and chili flakes gives this gluten free dip a very unique flavour. Kids love this dip with celery sticks, and what they don't know is that it is filled with omega 3 fatty acids from the walnuts; to help their growing brain. Tell them it's the smarty pants dip!
The LOVE in this whole foods recipe is the pomegranate molasses, it can be hard to find sometimes but it seems like more and more common groceries stores are carrying it. Look in your specialty food stores or find a local Middle Eastern store, they will definitely have it.
Some TLC
I will be home soon to start creating more delicious whole food recipes, but first I must do nothing for a little while longer:)
Zucchini Pizza "Crust"
Whole Foods- Zucchini Pizza "Crust"
Alright, I'm so excited to share this recipe with all of you but I need to point out a couple of things first. You will notice that the title has quotation marks around the word "Crust", that is because it really isn't a crust. A crust is a hard, crispy covering or surface, usually made from bread.
This alternative pizza "crust" is not crispy or hard, so I don't believe it is appropriate to call it a crust. It is delicious in it's own way, trust me, but I do not want to deceive you. It drives me crazy when people give you gluten free alternative recipes and they say "Oh it tastes just like the real thing." I call Bull S^#@.
To achieve a much more crispy "crust like" texture, you could always cook these zucchini pizza "crusts" at a much higher heat (425-550 degrees Fahrenheit) like every other recipe, but then it would denature the nutrients in the delicious zucchini and any other vegetables that you add to your pizza. Really high heat (anything higher than 375 degrees F) kills many more nutrients in your food and gives more chance of turning oils rancid. Rancid oils can cause free radical damage in our bodies. You feel me?
By paying attention to the temperatures at which you cook your food, can make your whole foods dishes that much more nutrient dense. With all of that said, I hope that you enjoy making your own gluten free zucchini "crust" pizzas.
Christmas Whole Food Gift Bags SOLD OUT!
This Holiday Season, Give The Gift Of Homemade Whole Food!
They’re here! Let me be the first to wish everyone happy holidays, I know we still have a month and a half left until Christmas but I wanted to share my whole foods Christmas gift bags with all of you ahead of time.
I decided last year that it was time for me to create healthy, homemade, whole food gift bags that taste delicious, have many purposes in the kitchen and contain only the best ingredients.
Gift bags always feel so un-authentic, impersonal and pointless to me. Remember? You receive that huge basket wrapped in a large amount of cellophane with a whole bunch of crunched up paper in the bottom of the basket to make it look bigger than it is. The contents are usually highly processed foods that contain refined sugar, a lot of salt and hydrogenated oils. Hmmmmmm, want one? Not really right?
I wanted to be able to create a product with a purpose.
So here they are; a cute little reusable cloth bag, inside you will find a reusable mason jar filled with either a delicious homemade tomato chilli jam with gluten free, organic cheddar cheese crackers or local, raw vanilla infused honey and organic, raw vanilla infused sugar. Each bag also contains “Cook Outside the Box” cards; which will help people look outside the box and realize how diverse the tomato chili jam or the sweetener duo gift bags really are in the kitchen.
I have to admit, this was not my vision at first, but this is how they turned out and I am quite proud of them. They are much smaller than I expected, but trust me, good things come in little packages.
Each bag is $16.00 cash only. Made to order.
Delivery is extra, price varies depending on where you are in the city.
How to order:
- Go to the contact tab on my site and email me the following:
- Which gift bag you would like, Crackers and Jam or Vanilla Sweetener Duo.
- How many
- Date you will be picking them up or address for drop off (extra charge for drop off)
- Phone number
After I have received your email I will contact you by phone (old school) with my address and the cost of your order.
$1 from each gift will be going to charity.
Only sold in Calgary, Alberta for now
Last pick up date or drop off will be December 19th.
*Tomato chili jam contains fish sauce
* The organic cheddar cheese crackers should be consumed within a week of purchase
There is a limited amount of gift bags this year. After all, I am only one miniature person:)