About Me

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I support people on their journey to wellness through nutrition and lifestyle coaching! I am passionate about teaching people how lifestyle choices can be fun, inspiring and positively affect all aspects of their lives. I love guiding people to wellness one meal at a time!! I am also a passionate mama, a yogi and I love to cook!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Super Easy Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies

So, last post I promised to share my delicious cookie recipe that I made with my nephew on the weekend. Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter (organic of course) Cookies. Let me be the first to tell ya, they were delish and super easy to make. My nephew was a huge fan.
I don't often have my nephew over for sleepovers, so when I do I like to get cooking with him. It is so much fun to get his little hands involved. And the best part is that he really enjoys it.
These cookies are the easiest cookies I have ever made. Here is the super easy recipe;

1 cup of Maranatha Organic Peanut Butter
1 cup of organic coconut sugar (can now be found at the Bulk Barn, I purchased mine from the health food store)
1 organic or free range omega 3 egg 
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1 dark chocolate bar with 80% cacao

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place first four ingredients into a bowl. Mix well......or get your 5 year old nephew to mix well :O)
Then mix in the chopped up chocolate
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a tbsp measurement, place the cookie dough on the cookie sheet. I used a fork to press down...totally optional, just makes them look the way I always remember peanut butter cookies. 
Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes until done. 
Let cool and enjoy with a nice cup of tea, almond milk or any other milk you like to enjoy!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Sneaky tomato sauce with organic chicken meatballs

This weekend I had my five year old nephew over. It was supposed to be only Friday night but we were having so much fun that it ended up being 2 nights.

My first nights dinner was not much of a hit for the little guy. I made shish kebabs with a homemade teriyaki sauce served with roasted sweet potato. He was not a big fan but still eat it....it just took a really long time.

Before I knew it we were getting close to dinner #2 and I wanted it to be something that he enjoyed but was also packed full of good nutrition. So I made homemade organic meatballs in a veggie rich tomato sauce with kamut pasta. As we were eating he let me know that he like this meal better than the night before :O)

When we were finished dinner we decided to bake some cookies (something we do together almost every time he stays over). Our baking that we do is always made with the healthiest ingredients of course. One of his favourites is my Flourless Brownies but I decided to try something a bit different this time so we made super easy chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies made with 80% chocolate.


Sneaky tomato sauce

2 grated broccoli stalks (remove the fibrous outer part before grating)
1 large grated carrot
1 zucchini, chopped finely
½ red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 bottle of high quality organic tomato sauce (or homemade is always great….just had some time restraints as we were really busy playing :)

Saute all the vegetables in olive oil over medium-low heat, except garlic (I always add in the last minute to avoid burning it) for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add garlic for another minute.
Place vegetables in a blender and add tomato sauce. Blend until you cannot tell that the sauce is so veggielicious!
Pour back into the pot and simmer for about 20-30 minutes on low heat!




Organic Chicken Meatballs

2 tsp olive oil
½ red onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 carrot grated
2-3 garlic cloves
½ cup of crushed brown rice crackers (or any other whole grain cracker)
1 package of organic ground chicken

Saute onions, celery and carrots in olive oil on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two
Let this mixture cool.
Place ground crackers and chicken in a large bowl. Add vegetable mixture and mix together with your hands.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll meat mixture into balls.
Bake in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or until done. It will depend on the size of your meatballs.

Kamut (or other whole grain) Pasta
Cook according to package directions.

Place the cooked kamut pasta in a bowl, top with tomato sauce and add a few meatballs.
Enjoy!!
I served this with some cut up red peppers on the side!

Please stay tuned for the Chunky Chocolate Peanut butter Cookies!

SHARE WITH ME!! Do you have any tips or tricks to get more veggies into your kids or grandchildren or nieces and nephews?? Or just any ol’ kid in your life.

Would love to hear from you!


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Cleansing Greens...

Happy New Year to all of my lovely blog readers! Hope you all enjoyed a lovely holiday season with your friends and family!! I know I did. I am looking forward to getting back on track with my blog and bringing you a wealth of healthy information!!


I don’t know about you...but I might have had a few indulgences over the holidays. Yes, nutritionists indulge sometimes. I think the difference between my indulgences now and before I became a nutritionist is that now my treats tend to be on the healthy side. For example, my holiday treat is 80% dark chocolate which is jam packed full of antioxidants and a great source of magnesium. I love it. It is a staple in my diet but I have to say that this holiday season I might have had a few extra pieces and maybe an extra helping of sweet potatoes ;O)

So now that the holidays are past I am looking for lighter food that are cleansing. Greens are a great way to go. I made this recipe for my family over the holidays and I made them lovers of dark leafy greens when they thought they didn’t like greens. I can’t get enough of this recipe I have been making it at least a couple times per week.

Dark leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses. These low calorie vegetables are jam packed with an assortment of nutrients including vitamin A, C, E, K, folate (really important for women of child bearing years), calcium, magnesium and antioxidants, to name a few. Add them to your diet and you will reap the health benefits. Trust me! Types of leafy green vegetables include watercress, arugula, dandelion greens, kale, spinach, collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, broccoli raab, bok choy, and swiss chard. My favorites are dinosaur kale, beet greens and swiss chard.

Here is the simple and tasty way to get those dark green veggies into your diet


2 shallots, diced
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 bunch of kale or collards or beet greens or chard
1 garlic clove, diced finely as possible
½ juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt to taste

Sauté shallots in olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium/low heat until slightly caramelized.
Add garlic and greens to the pan. Cover and let cook for about 2-3 minutes until greens are softened.
Finish with ½ juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed and sea salt to taste.
Enjoy!!

These greens are so yummy; I am known to eat the whole batch. I dare you to try!

Share with me....What did you indulge in this holiday season??