Gluten Intolerance – Are you affected and don’t even know it?

An estimated 15% of the US population is affected by gluten intolerance. 1 of every 133 has celiac disease, a disease with over 300 symptoms. 97% of those effected with celiac don’t even know they are. There are 0 drugs to treat celiac. The only way to treat this disease is to know what exactly you allow in your body.

Simple to make and delicious – Shrimp Ceviche

Wow it’s been a long time since my last post! Time flies when you’re having fun and living life.

Over the summer I learned how to make an amazingly tasty and simple shrimp ceviche dish. My brother’s girlfriend came to visit from San Diego and made us this delicious and refreshing dish for pool side eats. I’ve been meaning to share this recipe because it really is so simple and makes for a great snack or when you are entertaining.

Ingredients List

1 (1lb) Bag of Frozen Shrimp (already cooked)
1 Bunch of Cilantro
4 Tomatoes (more if you really like tomatoes)
1- 1 1/2 cucumbers
1 Med Onion (white or yellow, it doesn’t make a difference)
1 bunch of radishes (optional)
Lemons or limes (a bunch, it depends on what sizes they are & either one or both is fine. I used 2 – 3 each. It all depends on how much citrus you like)
Salt
Pepper
Avocado
Tostadas
Hot sauce

DIRECTIONS: Dice all the veggies & shrimp into little pieces, except for the avocado. The smaller the pieces the better. Once everything is diced up finely in the bowl add salt, pepper and squeeze the lemons/limes to taste. I encourage you to taste as you go. You may decide you want more cilantro, citrus or tomato etc. It’s best served chilled so cover and let it marinate in the natural flavours and juices for about 30 minutes to an hour. Once your ready to eat take your tostadas and scoop as much ceviche as you want onto it. Then apply slice avocado and hot sauce. Now you’re ready for a taste explosion! Sometimes I put the avocado on the bottom of the tostadas because it stays on easier.

If you are entertaining it may be easier to use the Tostitos Multigrain Scoops. They are a bit cleaner 😉

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.

The Perfect Summer Meal

Turkey Burger & Green Bean Salad

One of the things I love the most about summer is the ability to BBQ when I want. There really isn’t anything that can compare. I think most people can agree. This summer I came across one of Rachel Ray’s recipes for what I consider an amazingly delicious turkey burger. As for toppings I have found that virtually anything goes. If you have something that you always have to have on your burger chances are it will go with these flavours.

However there are a few things that I do different from the recipe that I’ve decided I prefer over time:

• I usually forego the cilantro sour cream sauce (even though I have tried it and really enjoyed it).
• I don’t add cheddar cheese chunks to my burger mix. I find it’s hard to mix and stay together. You could try shredded cheese because that could hold. I usually just put a slice on top.

Here is what I typically use for toppings:

• Curry Mayo (mix curry powder with mayo – as much or as little depending on your preference of curry)
• BBQ organic yellow squash (thinly sliced and marinated in salt, cracked pepper and oregano)
• Fresh organic hass avocado
• Organic spinach
• Slice of cheese (pick your favourite)
• Organic heirloom tomato slice (I don’t put this on but my husband does)
• Slice of sweet pickle

Now for the green bean salad – I got this recipe from one of my best friends back in Toronto. It is so easy to make and great for potluck dinners. Here is her recipe below:

Sarah’s Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• Two handfuls of green beans
• Two handfuls of yellow beans
• Can of chickpeas
• 3 shallots
• 3/4 cup of red wine vinegar
• Olive oil (as much or as little but usually around 1/2 cup)
• Fresh basil (6 – 10 leaves)

Trim the ends of the beans and then blanch them. The beans should be cooked but still crunchy. Sometimes the yellow and the green take different amounts of time so you may want to do them separately or just one type of bean like I did. Dice the shallots as small as you can. Cut up the basil. Once you have prepped all ingredients put them all in a bowl together and mix well. Finally add salt and pepper to taste and then let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

I hope you enjoy!

Did you know?……

Photo: SweetOnVeg/Flickr

Kale has more iron than beef per calorie.

Photo: SweetOnVeg/Flickr

1 cup of cooked quinoa gives you 20% of your daily value of fibre (5 grams) and contains all 8 essential amino acids.

There is almost twice the amount of the antioxidant, alpha-carotene in iceberg lettuce than either romaine lettuce or spinach.

Photo: Steenburgs/flickr

Matcha tea has the potential to fight against cancer, HIV and fat.

Kale saute, moroccan lentil salad and sweet potato

With all the health and nutrition reading I’ve been up to I decided to try my hand at meatless Monday. Guess what?? I survived and I didn’t even crave any meat! Not only that I felt content. My meal combined a recipe from one of my favorite sites and my own concoction.

HEALTH TIPS

• Use coconut water as a substitute to oil or butter for sautéing because it will cut the fat significantly in your recipes. It will also add a pleasant flavour and more nutrients. 
• For your starch go with a sweet potato or yam. Both are gluten-free and healthier than any other potato.

Kale Saute 

Ingredients

• 1 handful of cut up kale
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 broccoli crown
• 1 portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 a thinly sliced carrot
• 1/4 cup of coconut water
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot
• 1 tsp of soya sauce
• cayenne pepper to taste
• ground pepper to taste
• ground coriander to taste

Instructions

In a frying pan pour 1/2 the amount of coconut water into the pan and add shallots, garlic, carrots and broccoli. Saute about 5 minutes and the then add kale, spinach and portobello mushrooms. Add soya sauce and more coconut water if required. Then simmer on low heat and cover until kale and spinach have wilted. Saute until coconut water is gone. Add spices as you wish and mix evenly.

This was a homemade recipe so measurements are approximate. Use your taste-buds to follow you through the cooking. For an ad hoc recipe I was really impressed with the flavor!

Moroccan Lentil Salad

This recipe was extremely tasty! I definitely recommend to use dry lentils over the canned. They have so much more flavour. I also decided to roast the grape tomatoes instead of adding them raw.

To finish it off I added half of a baked sweet potato. Make sure to eat the skins because that’s where most of the nutrients are.

Happy veggy eating!

Ch – Ch – Ch – Chia Seeds and More!

Since being in California I’ve upped my weekly gym visits to 4 days a week. I’ve started eating way cleaner and leaner foods and I’ve been doing a ton of research on various health foods like Kombucha, chia seeds, and super greens. I’m still on the fence about the true health benefits of Kombucha. However, with personal experience and my research I feel strongly that there are real benefits within chia seeds and super greens.

When it comes to chia seeds an added bonus is that they are extremely easy to consume. They are really tiny seeds with little to no taste and because they are so small you don’t feel them when you eat them. Unlike flax seeds you can still get all the nutrients and benefits of chia seeds by eating them whole. Below are some of the claimed health benefits of this “super” seed.

Chia Seed Benefits*

• Increases energy levels
• Increases endurance levels
• Helps with weight loss
• Normalizes blood sugar levels
• Cleanses the colon
• Gets rid of the toxins
• Prolongs hydration
• Reduce inflammation
• Helps tone muscles
• Helps to lower the blood pressure
• Improves mental performance
• Improves night rest and mood
• Lowers the risk of heart diseases
• Improves overall health
• Lowers cholesterol
• Absorbs extra acid, helping to get rid of acid reflux
• Helps thyroid conditions
• Helps IBS
• Helps celiac disease

There are many varieties of super greens out there and the one that I am using is produced by Amazing Grass. Below are some of the claimed health benefits you will enjoy by incorporating this drink powder into your diet.

Super Greens Benefits**

• Strengthened immune system
• Improvement in mental focus and clarity
• Increase in energy
• Improvement in digestion
• Healthier, softer skin
• Stabilization of blood sugar level and blood pressure
• Reduction of and sometimes complete recovery from food-related and seasonal allergies
• Detoxification of heavy metals, pesticides, and other toxins that have accumulated over time
• Helpful in addressing chronic health conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, headaches, degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and even heart disease.

Now, you’re probably wondering how to consistently incorporate these two ‘super’ foods into your diet. Below are some ways that I have tried that work and taste great. Like I said above, chia seeds have no taste and the texture isn’t intrusive so it’s easy to incorporate them into your baking or cooking.

• Chia Seed Drink
  • 4 oz. Coconut Water
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp of Chia Seeds
  • 8g scoop of Super Greens
  • Stir for 1 – 2 minutes and drink quickly because chia seeds will turn jelly like when in water. As well, when wet, chia seeds will expand 9 – 10 times their size.

• Half Peanut Butter, Honey and Chia Sandwich
  • 1 piece whole wheat bread
  • 1 – 2 tbsp of organic peanut butter
  • Organic honey to taste (even though it’s organic you don’t want to overdo it on the sugar)
  • 1/2 Tbsp of chia seeds sprinkled over the bread

• Sprinkle chia seeds on salad, into homemade salad dressings or into stir-fry’s.

With my diet turned around and the level of physical activity I’ve kept up with over the past 6 weeks I feel the best I’ve felt in a long time and I have more energy throughout the day. I can’t say that all of my health and physical success is contributed to these two ‘super’ foods but I will say that they are helping with my improvements. I’m not a trained expert in the field of fitness and nutrition but I certainly do my research to know how to treat my body so it works the best for me. Please take this advice for what it is – knowledge based on my personal experiences and research. After all knowledge is power!

SOURCES
*Chia seed benefits are as stated on http://chiaseedshealth.org
**http://drbenkim.com/greens.html  

Food for thought…..do you know what you are really eating?

I used to live on a US/Canada border back on the east so growing up we purchased US food all the time. It was only as a young adult that I started to learn the differences between our food standards and then tried to get my parents to stop buying certain products such as dairy in the US. Now that I am permanently living in the US this is something I have to take into consideration when grocery shopping. So far living here the only real difference I have experienced is the food (taste, price point, quality, and brands). In Robyn O’Brien’s TEDx Talk she explains the differences between the food we eat in the US (such as milk, corn and soy) vs. other major markets that have rejected the same patented scientifically engineered food products. If you can spare 20 minutes it’s definitely worth your while to watch this video and start thinking about what you are ingesting.

If you are like most people buying organic can be pretty costly. However, after watching this video I am going to make a better effort to buy local organic produce and dairy because I see it as an investment in my health and future. I may not be filling my fridge and cupboards with all organic anytime soon but I will when I can.

Feast from the east – Homemade Lobster Pasta Recipe

Lobster Pasta with Homemade Mornay Sauce

Earlier this year my generous mother flew to Toronto for a short visit and brought my sister and I 8 lobster from New Brunswick! This was probably the most amazing surprise ever. Living in central Canada fresh seafood isn’t always so fresh. After indulging on lobster that evening we still had 3 left over cooked lobster. I never thought I would say this but I just couldn’t eat it the traditional way with garlic butter anymore and needed a new way. So I surfed the net and found a Mornay Sauce that was extremely tasty!

Here is the recipe I found. The link below will give you the nutritional detail.

Recipe yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 pound lobster meat, diced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

via Lobster Mornay Sauce Recipe – Allrecipes.com