The Wellness Garage is having a Plant-Based Cooking Workshop on Thursday, February 20th from 6pm to 8pm. We welcome you to learn all about eating a whole food diet.
Category: Vegetarian
Top 5 Superfoods you can’t live without this Winter
What could they be? Do you know all 5 Superfoods? Let’s see if you do. If you don’t know one of the 5 Superfoods, try it out and see if it fits into your lifestyle. Yass, indulge yourself! I’m not kidding just look at how delicious these Superfoods look. Not only do these look gorgeous but they’re really good for you too! Most are chock full of antioxidants, minerals and other goodies. Your body will thank you.
For fun, I love trying new food and smoothies. Yes, it is my job but I love it! You know, I was drinking green smoothies and making kombucha before it was a thing and everybody thought I was the weirdo. But now everybody and their grandmother is doing it! So without further ado…Here are the supers!
The 1st Superfood is my favourite, Matcha Green Tea.
Matcha Green Tea
Matcha Green Tea
In Japan, we have the world’s longest living people. The city Okinawa is known as “The Island of Immortals.” How cool is that?! I wonder what Canada is called. Oh yes, of course. Google says it’s “The Land of Maple Syrup.” It can’t be anymore Canadian than that. Anyway, back to Japan and Matcha Green Tea. Could Matcha Green Tea be helping Okinawans live longer? Can’t hurt to try, can it? I’d love to live to the ripe age of 100. Hello, Okinawa!
The 2nd Superfood is Chia Seeds.
Blueberry Kiwi Chia Pudding
Chia Seed Pudding
How incredible does this pudding look? Surprisingly, it’s super easy to make the night before and enjoy in the morning. All you do, is soak chia seeds in coconut milk and they expand 12 times their own size creating a gelatinous consistency perfect for pudding. They contain many bone supporting minerals and omega 3’s. What’s not to like?
The 3rd Superfood is Quinoa.
Quinoa
Quinoa Mason Jar Meal
This plant food in mason jar meals? How fun and appetizing! You can use it as a nutrient-rich rice substitute. Most importantly, this seed is a complete protein with all nine amino acids and it is gluten-free, so everyone can eat it. It is also known to the Inca’s as the “mother of all grains.” Doesn’t that sound a-mazing?! They knew it all along.
The 4th Superfood is Garlic.
Garlic
Purple Garlic
Mmm, just look at all the possibilities with these purple garlic cloves. You could whip up some zoodles and throw in a couple of garlic cloves. How delicious does that sound! On top of that, garlic is perfect for keeping up your immunity in the cold winter months.
The 5th Superfood is Ginger.
Ginger
Ginger
What, that pink stuff beside your sushi? Yasss, that’s what I’m talking about! It will warm you up, keep your food down, help with digestion and support your immune system. You can add some ginger to your lemon tea if you are not feeling well and feel the effects of it. Ginger is an age old traditional Superfood worthy of this title.
Enjoy this coming winter and stay healthy with all these Supers! Let me know which Super is your favourite?
Share this:
Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!!! Now, bite its head off!
Jk, jk…I thought you’d like that! Unfortunately, the cute lil chia pet from the 80s is not edible.
Ch-ch-ch-chia!
Your chia pet might not be edible but these chia babies sure are!
Amazingly, these little chia seeds are packed with punch… from healthy omegas to protein to fibre.
Chia Pudding Breakfast in a Snap
This breakfast is easy peasy to prep the night before. I usually make 6 of these on Sunday and 6 more on Wednesday. Breakfast for the week is taken care of. No running around looking for kid’s socks or burning toast. Just hand the kiddies a yummy pudding and they will devour it! Be sure to use your mommy sense or daddy sense and transfer it into a unbreakable bowl.
Free Recipe: peanut-butter-jam-overnight-oats
Peanut Butter & Jam Overnight Oats
6 ingredients · 8 hours · 4 servings
Ingredients
2/3 cup All Natural Peanut Butter (divided)
1/3 cup Maple Syrup (divided)
2 1/2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
2 cups Oats (quick)
2 tbsps Chia Seeds
4 cups Strawberries (finely chopped)
Directions
1. Add half of the peanut butter and half of the maple syrup to a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in almond milk until combined.
2. Stir in the oats and chia seeds until combined. Cover and let sit for at least 3 hours or overnight.
3. To prepare the strawberries, add chopped strawberries to a bowl with remaining maple syrup. Stir to coat the strawberries in the syrup then cover and let rest in the fridge until oats are ready.
4. To serve, divide the peanut butter oats between two jars and top with equal amounts of the sweetened strawberries (and their juices) and remaining peanut butter. Enjoy!
Nutrition Label
Calories 570 Cholesterol 0mg
Fat 27g Sodium 115mg
Carbs 71g Vitamin A 330IU
Fiber 11g Vitamin C 89mg
Sugar 30g Calcium 410mg
Protein 17g Iron 4mg
Storage
Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days.
No Peanut Butter
Use almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter instead.
Share this:
We eat pig tonight! How I say No to meat.
I can say No to meat without hesitating.
Growing up on traditional food
Guess what? I am a vegetarian again. Haha, most people think I’ve always been one. Yes, I’ve grown up on an Indian diet which is mostly vegetarian meals. Meatless Monday at my house was the norm before it was a thing. We had Meatless Tuesday, Meatless Wednesday, Meatless Thursday and so on. We usually just ate meat on Saturday and my dad would make a pot of goat curry, ‘wiener daal‘ or ‘egg daal’…lol. I have a feeling the last two were Canadian inspired creations! Should I patent them? Nah! I used to pick out the meat and get in trouble from my parents. Old habits, die hard.
Always leaning toward Vegetarianism
I had been a vegetarian for years in my 20’s and 30’s. A few months ago, I felt a pull in that direction again. A lot of my friends and family are vegetarian and vegan. The next step might be veganism. Who knows?
It’s almost been 5 months since I’ve had meat. I don’t miss it at all. Actually, I’ve made a little discovery and it’s helping me stay vegetarian. Yay me!
Caution ahead.
Let me warn you. What I’m about to say may sound harsh. I had nightmares. Just kidding. But I’m not going to lie, it did make me gag on bacon. Hence, I’m a vegetarian now.
Okay, so here’s my big secret.
Drum roll…
I’ve started to call meat by its name at the dinner table!
Meh, what’s the big deal? I know what I’m eating.
Trust me. Say it! Say the animal’s name.
This really works!!! I call meat exactly what it is. No pork chops or ham…just straight up pig. Do you want a pig for dinner? It sounds so savage! My first thought is I can’t eat a pig! Now, that faceless slab of meat has a face. I see the pig, cow or sheep. That simple thought, helps me choose a dish I won’t feel guilty about eating later.
Here’s another thought. Don’t eat it, if you can’t kill it.
I’m the type of person who wouldn’t even hurt a fly. My *nuni taught me to take spiders outside instead of flushing them.
Just imagine…if I had to go to the farm and shoot a cow for my roast beef sandwich, I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it.
Don’t forget, I’d also have to skin it, behead it, cut it in half, take out the guts, chop it and slice it. To be honest, I don’t know the first thing about slaughtering animals and I don’t want to learn.
I could never shoot him for a measly roast beef sandwich. Avocado toast looks pretty damn delicious right about now!
Reconnect to the family farm
How can I love and protect a dog but turn around and kill a cow? The thought of killing the family pet, Shadow or Turbo, for a meal sounds insane. Wouldn’t I go to jail for animal cruelty? What’s the difference between them and other animals? I have definitely lost touch with the family farm and I grew up in the country side! These days, the main place I see farm animals is on a plate and that’s a shame.
So, now what?
Am I chopping up and eating one of the cows above or this cute little lamb below?
My choice is neither.
The two powerful questions, I ask myself:
“What farm animal am I actually eating?”
“Can I go out and kill this animal with my own hands?”
If I can’t stomach any of it, I show mercy and think before I eat.
Please like or comment if you gagged on bacon…haha. My little gift to you.
Namaste.
*nuni – maternal grandma
*Side Note – I am aware most conventional farms do not look like organic family farms. We bought from organic family farms so that is what I am talking about.
