Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberries are in season ;o)!! This is one of my favourite times of year! The weather is great and one of my favourite fruits is available from the local farmers market! In Stouffville, where I live, there is this great organic strawberry farm that I look forward to going to every year and stocking up. I hull the strawberries and freeze many of them for smoothies and sorbet. Organic is always best when it comes to strawberries. Strawberries are on the dirty dozen list, meaning it contains high levels of pesticides. For more information on the dirty dozen, please go to www.ewg.org. Strawberries are superstars when it comes to nutrition and taste. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. They are also a very good source of dietary fiber and iodine. Strawberries are also a great source of the phytonutrient ellagic acid that is known for its anti-cancer potential!! With only 43 calories (without the additional toppings) for this whole recipe, this is a great dessert idea when you are trying to lose or maintain your weight!

o 1 cup frozen organic strawberries
o 1 packet of Stevia (natural no-calorie sweetener, optional)
o ¼ tsp pure vanilla bean (optional)


Place ingredients in your food processor and blend for 2 minutes or until smooth.


Optional toppings
o 70-80% dark chocolate shavings or choc
o Cocoa nibs
o Chopped nuts
o Coconut flakes

These are my organic strawberries that i picked up yesterday! Don't they look amazing?? They taste amazing too!!

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know about an exciting event this weekend. My good friends at Natural Life Health Market in Thornhill (by the Prominade Mall) are celebrating 10 years in business.
This Saturday and Sunday they are celebrating!! Everything in the store is 10-50% off and there will be a ton of product samples.
For more information please go to www.naturallifehealthmarket.com

Have a great weekend ;o)

Took a trip to tea heaven yesterday! For all of you tea lovers out there you have to visit David's Tea. The closet one to me is in the Prominade mall but there are many in the Toronto area and I am told more to come. Check out the website below for all of the details.



I tried the
Coco Chai Rooibos (very sweet and rich tasting)
Spring Break (green tea with coconut, amazing!)
And if you like almonds I have found the tea for you...Forever nuts combines almond, apple, cinnamon and beetroot. The tea turns a beautiful color from the beetroot and is very rich almond flavor!


Very exciting for my tea loving self!!


http://www.davidstea.com/
 
Have a great Thursday everyone ;o)

ASPARAGUS

Interesting Facts

 • Asparagus is a perennial (meaning it comes up every year without having to re-plant)

• Member of the lily family

• The spears we get at our local grocery store, or even better farms market, are actually shoots from an underground crown

• It takes up to 3 years for the crowns to develop enough to produce the shoots that we eat but once they do, they can produce for up to 20 years

• The unusual smell our urine takes on after eating asparagus is from the amino acid asparagine

• Aparagine is where asparagus got its name from

  

Nutritional benefits
• Folate (also known as folic acid) – 1 cup of asparagus contains 263 mcg folate. If you are trying to get pregnant.....EAT YOUR ASPARAGUS AND OTHER GREENS! Without folate, the fetus’ nervous system cells do not divide properly leading to many neural tube defects! (should also be taken in supplement form before and during pregnancy to be sure you have adequate levels of folic acid)

 • High in potassium and low in sodium.

• Amino acid asparagine is a natural diuretic

• High in a fibre called inulin – promotes healthy bacteria in the gut (Did you know that 80% of your immune system is in your gut? Want a healthy immune system? Start with the bacteria in your gut)

Roasted Asparagus!

This is my favourite way to enjoy asparagus! Quick, easy and delish!!

• 1 bunch of washed asparagus
• 1 tbsp of cold pressed olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt + freshly cracked black pepper

Cut off woody ends of asparagus. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes!

Enjoy!

Other ways to enjoy asparagus

• Grill on the BBQ

• Add to your next omelette or egg bake

• Chop into one inch pieces and add to a stir-fry

• With a vegetable peeler, go down the asparagus, making long thin strands. Add the strands to your salad

• Enjoy raw with some healthy veggie dip

Mushroom Sushi

Shiitake mushrooms contain a powerful active compound called lentinan. One of lentinan’s important healing benefits is its ability to boost the immune system by strengthening its power to fight infection and disease. Nori, like all sea vegetables, offers the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all the minerals found in the ocean – the same minerals that are found in the human body. Sea vegetables also contain good amounts of lignans; a plant compound with cancer protective properties. Avocados are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and a great source of vitamin E! Enjoy this tasty recipe and reap the health rewards!

2 cups, fresh shitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 avocado, + optional to add more flavour mashed with a tsp of fresh lemon juice + cilantro
2 sheets of nori
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, grated
1-2 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp olive oil
water as needed

• Heat the oil in a skillet, add the ginger and sauté lightly
• Throw in the mushrooms and tamari, as water as needed so mushrooms will cook without sticking to the pan
• Once mushrooms shrink up a bit and get slightly dark, you know their ready, remove from heat.
• Lay out your seaweed on a cutting board
• Spread avocado either in slices or mashed up, along edge of sushi paper
• Top with a row of mushrooms
• Roll, slice, and eat. Yum!


Adapted from: http://meghantelpnerblog.com/recipes/

Tempeh Burgers or Balls!

Although not a common item in most households in North America, tempeh, with its distinctively nutty taste and nougat-like texture, is increasing in popularity. It is a highly nutritious fermented food made from soybeans and its high protein content makes it a wonderful substitute for meat. This is a great way to incorporate tempeh into your diet. Serve with tomato sauce and whole grain pasta or enjoy them with a salad and hummus!

1 package of tempeh

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp almond butter

1 Tbsp flaxseeds, ground, + 1/4 cup of water (mixed thoroughly as egg replacement)

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp arrowroot flour
1 Tbsp water (or as needed to make batter stick)

• Process tempeh in a food processor or chop finely to resemble a ground meat like thing

• Mix in with all other ingredients

• Roll in to balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. To make burgers press down on them to make them flat.

• Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until browned on top

• Allow to cool

• To reheat – heat on your stove top with ½ tsp of coconut oil

These can be frozen for a quick meal on a busy day!

Source: http://meghantelpnerblog.com/recipes/

This is an amazing website with create and healthy recipes to make eating nutritious foods fun!! What a concept?

WATER! WATER! WATER!

Water is essential for of all life and that includes your body. Your muscles that allow you to move your body are 75% water; your blood that transports nutrients to your trillions of cells is 82% water; your lungs that provide your oxygen are 90% water; your brain that is the control center of your body is 76% water; even your bones are 25% water. Have I convinced to drink your water yet?? I hope so, because it is truly essential for your health and wellbeing. Our health is truly dependent on the quality and quantity of the water we drink. We need to replenish our water with pure sources on a daily basis.

The great news is that we can make it fun!!! This morning I thought I would add a little pizzazz to my water!

I got some fresh mint from my garden (you could also purchase from the produce section), added some fresh cucumber slices and a few pomegranate seeds!! I stored it my glass water bottle and let me tell you, IT LOOKS SO PRETTY AND TASTES GOOD TO!!

Other options to add pizzazz to your water;

 Fresh lemon or lime juice

 2 strawberries sliced

 Mint flavoured chlorophyll

 Peach slices

 I slice oranges or grapefruit

 Lemon and 1 packet or a few drops of stevia for an all natural lemonade!

The options are endless! Have fun with your water!