Flowfit

People often assume that we as a family don’t eat any junk.  They think my kids are deprived and that I have the willpower of a saint.

False.

All of it.

The past few weeks in particular have been what I call junky.  Some days have been markedly worse than others – some downright shamefull.  Yesterday was one of those days.  We had fried eggs on toast for breakfast, tuna and cheese in a tortilla for lunch with a side of kettle cooked salt and vinegar potato chips.  A few hours later, at the movie theatre it was popcorn (with REAL butter) and peanut m&m’s washed down with iced tea (fruitopia for the kids  gasp!).

When dinnertime rolled around, my body just wanted something clean….this stew is what came of that…

Pressure Cooker Vegetable Stew:

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 head of cabbage, chopped
• 3 large carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into chunky pieces
• 1/2 container of kale pesto (see below)
• 1 bunch kale, washed and finely chopped
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 and 1/2 cartons vegetable stock
• 1 tsp Tom Yum Soup mix (or seasoning of choice)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste (I didn’t need it with the soy)

First, have everything chopped and ready at hand.  Preheat pressure cooker and saute onions in the coconut oil and sesame oil.  Add cabbage, rice, carrots, Tom Yum and broth and bring to a boil.  Cover.  Once pressure is reached, time 5 minutes.  Release pressure and add kale, cauliflower, pesto and soy sauce.  Return lid, bring back up to pressure and time another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and release pressure immediately.  Serve as is in a bowl.

YUM!

After thoughts – this would have also been great with the addition of lentils or barley as a substitute for the rice.  No rules here… just use what you have and remember to cook the harder vegetables first so the softer ones don’t turn to mush…. no one likes mushy vegetables (unless you’re under 2 or over 90).

We all gobbled this up.  Some of us even had seconds… ;o)

Kale and Oregano Pesto from Sunflower Kitchen -

http://www.sunflowerkitchen.com/

Sunflower Kitchen produces an incredibly delicious line of vegan dips, spreads and hummus.  I’ve tried them all and they are all incredible.  I am inspired by their clean big flavours and will have many recipes come from their delicious products.  What they don’t contain is equally as important as what the do…. you will not find:

• Preservatives or additives
• nitrates
• nuts (they use sesame and sunflower seeds)
• gluten
• GMO ingredients
• Transfats
• Colours/dies
• Dairy

What you will find are nutritious ingredients with lots of flavour.  Simple but simply delicious! They also have a selection of ready made soups.  I have yet to try them, but am sure they are delicious!

Today is the start of week six of the renovation.

We would be in and using our kitchen, however, we ran into a little snag with the marble… ah the marble… the inspiration for the entire kitchen.  Let’s just say it was WAY more of an investment than originally planned and it took us a week (with all else on hold) to decide or digest the new number.  So, my island sits, marbleless waiting to wear it’s hat.  In a few days our new doors will be installed, leaving the final piece… the marble.  Soon… soon…. soon…. I await you my lovely.

Thankfully, the beverage (ah-hem – beer) fridge has not had any snags and sits happily watching and waiting for the rest to be done.   A little trim and mouldings, some new plate covers, the counters and back splash are all that remain.

Do people mourn the completion of their rennovation and the loss of the people in and out of their house?

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Guess not!

Everyone knows chicken soup soothes the soul, but it also soothes what ails you.  Well, thanks to Alicia Silverstone, I’ve discovered that you don’t need chicken fat to create an equally delicious, nutritious and literally healing soup.  This soup was inspired by Alicia’s “Magical Healing Soup” from her book, The Kind Diet.  For me, this soup is never the same thing twice – if I have broccoli I add that, bok choy – awesome!  Just take a look and add whatever veggies you have on hand, keeping some colours in mind as you go.  Remember, each wonderful colour of vegetable has a different variety of minerals and nutrients!

Healing Soup:

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 potatoes, chopped (I like to leave the peels on for extra texture)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup chopped cabbage
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 cartons vegetable broth (or 6-8 cups broth of choice)
• 1 good sized piece of ginger (about 1 inch by 2 inches, cut into 3 pieces)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Heat oils in heavy bottomed soup pot.  Add onions, celery and carrots and saute on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add remainder of vegetables (except spinach) and enough broth to completely cover vegetables.  Stir and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, add parsley, cilantro and ginger.  Simmer uncovered for 30 – 45 minutes.  I like my vegetables to still have a good firmness to them, but if you prefer them softer, cook a little longer.

Remove from heat, toss in spinach and lemon juice, stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Time to go fishing!!

Remove parsley and cilantro with tongs.  Fish out ginger – biting into that wouldn’t be too nice.

Serve up steaming hot.  It’ll do ya good.

And it’ll also cure a hangover ;o)  Honest…

YUM!

Looking at what I put into this lunch box, I realized 90% of it was fresh raw fruits and veggies. Although I try to include some of each into every lunch, this one literally had them as shining stars!  Funny thing is…. the bread and cheese came back home.  Go figure!

in the raw

If you haven’t heard about the RAW food movement, you will soon.  There are many who believe most of our foods should be eaten raw in their natural state in order to preserve and consume all the enzymes and nutrients that are destroyed during the cooking process. Scientists also say that cooking your fruits and vegetables creates a chemical change that removes healthy nutrients and creates free-radicals and poisons that can actually harm your health.

Good thing we like raw fruits and veggies!  WHEW!   Honestly though, it can get kinda boring after a while, yes?  Well, as much as I LOVE eating locally, I do like to introduce my kids to foods from around the world.  This includes adding some funky fruits and vegetables that aren’t typically seen….

The pale colour you see peeking out from under the blueberries is pieces from a pomelo. It’s the worlds largest citrus fruit and comes from warm climets.  My husband has travelled to China recently and he returned home with stories of how wonderful their fruit is!  One of the ones he remembered particularily fondly was the pomelo.  Needless to say his next visit to downtown Toronto had him in China Town and bringing home three of these beauties!!

They are a little tricky to peel.  You can’t just rip through the rind like an orange.  We cut the pomelo in half, then proceed to peel off the rind in chunks.  Next is the membraine… you know, the casing that holds each segment?  Take that off too, it’s too tough.  But inside all those layers are perfect little “carpels” (cells) that hold a mild sweet juice.  It won’t be all messy and sticky like an orange would –  the cells are stronger and holds the juice in quite nicely.

I know local is best, but it’s nice to treat ourselves with something different once in a while. PLUS!  It’s always good to continually introduce your kids to new tastes.  It creates an excitement and wonder about food.  As my 8 year old says, “don’t say you don’t like something until you’ve tried it… you never know when you’ll find your next favorite thing”!

Ah to be 8 and oh so wise… )

Quick nutrition facts – Pomelo’s nutritional value is high!  Great for digestion, fighting off colds, ability to decrease blood sugar and aids in weight loss, and clear skin. Accelerates wound healing and gives a glow to your skin.

YAY and YUM!

Sometimes the best of intentions go awry.   With Halloween just past, I figured a good dose of vitamins and nutrients in the form of a healthy snack would be just what the doctor ordered.  A good idea?  Yes.   A well received idea?  Not so much.

This weeks snack was red and yellow peppers, cucumber slices, mini cauliflower flowerettes and hummus to dip.  GREAT snack, right?

For the grades 6-8, I have to be honest, it was not a hit!  It is interesting, because I chose this snack not only for the health benefits, but because in the past it has been one of the most popular!  The peppers especially.  The draw of bright colours has always been a hit with the kids, and yellow peppers aren’t something they all see very often.  This time though, we got snubbed!  Literally… huffs and puffs walking by the table.  At first I was shocked, then I took a step back and looked around….. I saw a lot of colourful foods – bags of chips, candy bars and lolly pops….not ‘food’ exactly, but it sure was colourful!  I guess my idea of colour didn’t compare to the brightly coloured wrappers of all their left over Halloween treats.  Sigh…..

On a positive note though, the kindergarden classes devoured theirs, and were begging for more – even the cauliflower was a huge hit!!  They needed twice the amount of hummus provided and were frowning when it was all gone.  Grades 1 – 5 had a positive reception for the most part with most trays coming back nearly empty.

Lesson learned?  Maybe.  Truthfully, although there were loads of leftovers from the older grades, the little ones and their eagerness was totally worth it.  Next time though, maybe I’ll do the super healthy snack BEFORE Halloween… not right after ;o)

Veggies and Hummus are still a great snack choice in my book!  Fear not – some things take time.  Repeated attempts are needed for new lessons to sink in…. remember the toddler years?  We didn’t give up so easily back then, so why should it be any different now?

I WILL serve this snack again, and it WILL be different…. you’ll see…..

YUM!