So what has been going on these last three months? Well as you may or may not know I’ve completed my certification in plant based nutrition from Cornell via the T. Colin Campbell foundation. Hooray! That’s right, yours truly is even more plant based nutrition savvy! Through the courses I learned not only about the science and benefits of a plant based diet but also about the common misconceptions most people have about what is healthy food. I myself was in the same position a few years ago. Thinking that low fat yogurt and 100 calorie packs of crackers were leading me to optimal health. I had fallen prey to the marketing and advertising seen on packaged foods, on TV, and countless ads in magazines. When I was consuming nothing but highly processed low fat snacks, I was actually at my unhealthiest. Big surprise. What I was missing was whole foods. Plant based, unprocessed whole foods.

With this in mind I started exploring what my own ideas were, and what a whole foods plant based diet means to me. Sort of my philosophy and what I will be sharing with my future clients and the world. What it boils down to is 5 words: Be Real, Because You Are.

What does Real mean?

• Real means fresh
• Real means grown without chemicals
• Real means no GMO’s
• Real means nourishing
• Real means honest
• Real means transparent
• Real means fun
• Real means pure
• Real means connected
• Real means grown, not made

Why should you Be Real?

• Because you deserve it
• Because you owe it to yourself
• Because you are your best advocate
• Because life is short
• Because every moment counts
• Because making one small change today can change the future

• Check out the ultimate gift giving guide from eco-superstar Lisa Borden. I love it! This handy guide features plenty of ideas for every person in your life from the fitness freak to the music maven.

• Shop Ethical Ocean. Ethical Ocean rocks. It’s full of good for the planet and good for the animals gifts. Bonus, they have an Elf to help you! Simply put in who you are buying for and their interests and presto! Another bonus, easy online shopping. I actually did more than half of my christmas shopping on Ethical Ocean relaxing in my PJ’s and eating frozen banana “soft serve”. WIN!

I got my mom an apron, my sister some of Meghan Telpner’s edible body butter, some bath salts for friends and for the man in my life..well he reads my blog so I will tell you after the 25th!

What are you doing to have a happy ethical Christmas?

Teff Pre-harvest

• Teff is a Gluten free ancient grain used mostly to make an Ethiopian flat bread known as Injera.
• 1/4 cup of Teff has 20% of your RDA for Iron
•  In addition to Iron, Teff is a rich in “copper, aluminum, barium and thiamin, and is a good source of protein, amino acids (especially lysine), and fibre” (source here)
  

  Teff Grain

Teff is terrific! After reading the porridge recipe I decided to try my hand at making some yummy Teff breakfast porridge. I am on a pumpkin kick so I decided to go with it!

Pumpkin Spiced Teff Breakfast Goodness:

*FYI: The ratio for cooking Teff is 1:2, one cup of Teff to one cup of liquid*

1/2 Cup of Teff (Whole Grain. Not flour)

1 Cup water

1 Whole Banana

1/4 Cup dairy alternative (I used Almond Mylk)

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

*Optional*

1/2 Tablespoon Coconut Butter (flesh, not oil)

1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the Teff and reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Once the Teff is finished, transfer to a food processor or blender. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until desire porridge consitency. Viola!

Best part about this breakfast is it can be stored in the fridge and reheated to ensure you have a complete whole foods breakfast on those busy mornings

Be Well!

First step is to roast the pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Be sure to rinse the pumpkin first under some warm water and remove and dirt or debris. Then cut the pumpkin in half and using a metal spoon, scoop out the ‘guts’. Save the guts! Well, save the seeds for roasting. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of iron! Next lay the pumpkin face down in a glass baking dish filled with about 1/4 inch of water. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes until the flesh is tender. Allow the pumpkin to cool. Once it has cooled remove skin and place the flesh into a food processor. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water. Process until it reaches the consistency of baby food. Viola! Pumpkin puree! Now for the goods.

Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Ginger Cookies:

1 1/2 cups Almond flour

1 1/2 cups Brown Rice flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp ground Ginger

1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

1 cup Pumpkin puree (which you’ve lovingly made ahead of time. If you haven’t, a can of organic pumpkin puree will do.)

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

2 tbsp. good quality Agave nectar

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized Ginger or 1 tablespoon freshly grated Ginger

Preheat the oven at 375F.

Place the flours, spices, and baking powder into a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, coconut oil, agave , and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add the crystallized Ginger, or freshly grated Ginger, to the mixture. The dough should be wet but not sticky. If it’s too dry add a bit of Almond Mylk.

Using your hands, roll the dough into 1-2 inch balls, flatten, then place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool before you try to eat them so you don’t burn your mouth ( like I did ).

With the combination of the pumpkin and all the warm cozy spices, these cookies have fall baked right into them!

Be well!

“Cripple Effect What goes around comes around is not a new insight. It is something most of us intuitively know but easily forget, as we attempt to hold on to most things which come to us. What we don’t realise is the ripple effect can easily become the cripple effect. Everything we think and do not only ripples out into the world, it also creates an impression on our own consciousness inside. If one day you decide to get really angry (very unrelaxing) at someone, then you create a memory of your irritation and carve a kind of scar or groove on your consciousness (non-physical of course). Within this scar or groove is a recording of the image of the person as you have decided to perceive them, and the energy of your anger surrounding that image. Remember, you put it there, not them. Two days later you see the same person and that triggers the image and the anger which you have already recorded within. The emotional turbulence inside your consciousness makes it very hard for you to remain positive, connect and communicate effectively, positively and harmoniously with them. In effect you are crippled and clouded by your own emotion. Most of us experience this, sometimes many times a day, but refuse to see that we cripple ourselves, preferring to blame the other person. Which is why we can stay crippled for a long time and not even realise it.”

When you feel negative emotions arise, become conscious of them and turn them around! You are in control of your thoughts. Instead of getting angry take a deep breath, exhale loud, smile, laugh, and enjoy your life. Our time on this planet is way to short to spend it in negative grooves!

Be Well!

In our diet we should strive to eat foods with Omega 6:3 ratios in the 4:1 – 1:1 range. This means keeping those Omega-6 fats low. Sadly, most of our diets are in the 15:1 – 24:1 range due to eating highly processed foods and high Omega-6 content oils such as Safflower, Soy, Corn, and yes Peanut. Our body treats Omega-6 fats in these oils JUST like the pro-inflammatory fats the body naturally produces when we are injured. Peanut Butter, sadly, has 4,000 milligrams of Omega-6 but only 1 milligram of Omega-3. Not good.

The problems with my darling P.B. doesn’t stop there. Mycotoxins. Yes, that it’s as scary as it sounds. Mycotoxins are metabolites that are produced by member of the Fungi Kingdom. As the name implies, they are toxic. How toxic? Studies are done to show the effect of diet on liver cancer. Sadly, the liver cancer is induced in animals. By what you ask? The potent Mycotoxin found on Peanuts, Aflatoxin. Yikes!

I see you Aflatoxin!

So as you can imagine, I was pretty deflated after all of this.  But really, eating P.B. is just not worth the drama! Sorry Jiffy, our affair is over! But don’t despair, there are many other beneficial nut/seed butters you can enjoy! My current favorite is Pumpkin Seed Butter for it’s high iron content! Also pumpkin seeds contain ALA (Omega-3) which our bodies convert to DHA and EPA.

So think twice before you pick up the Peanut Butter!

Be Well!

Why Amaranth? Why not?! Amaranth is not a grain but actually a seed. A small but very mighty seed! Amaranth seeds are 15-18% protein and unlike true grains they are abundant in the much sought after amino acids methionine and lysine. The protein in Amaranth is also highly digestible and 1/4 cup contains 21% of our daily iron intake. Not too shabby for something the size of a pinhead! Amaranth is low on the Glycemic Index and has also been shown to lower cholesterol by stimulating our liver enzymes that are responsible for breaking down cholesterol.

So how can we get these powerhouses into our diet?! The traditional cooking method is 1 cup of grains to 2.5/3 cups of liquid. Combine and simmer for 20-25 mins. This will yield 2.5 cups of cooked Amaranth. There is also popping! Be warned popping Amaranth is intense. Once popped you can add it to anything; salads, smoothies, cereal, coconut mylk yogurt, or Amaranth Crispy Treats!

Amaranth Crispy Treats:

3 cups of popped Amaranth

**To pop: Heat a skillet or large pot, with a tight fitting lid over high heat. To test the readiness, place a seed or two into the pan. It should pop immediately. If it does not, the pan is not hot enough. Once the pan is ready place 1/4 of a cup of Amaranth in the pan, or enough to cover the bottom. Put the lid on quickly, remove from heat, and shake with lightening speed! It pops fast so be ready! Once the popping has stopped, place the Amaranth in a bowl and set aside. Don’t feel bad if it take you a bit to get this step. I burnt three batches before I got it. Learn from me, do a few practice runs.

Popped!

1/3 Cup Agave or Coconut Sugar

1/3 Cup Almond Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Line an 8 x 8 or 11 x 7 inch pan with parchment. Heat the sweetener, nut butter, vanilla and cinnamon over low heat, stirring constantly, until blended. While the mixture is gooey, slowly fold in the Amaranth. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and press into the corners. Place the pan in the refrigerator and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. When they are cool simply lift them out by carefully pulling the parchment paper out of the pan. Cut to your desired length.

Viola! A tasty and nutritious snack perfect for your busy life.

Be Well!

These are the words my mother has repeated to me the countless times I’ve come to her over the years in a frenzy. She knows my M.O.; I am a worrier. I suffer from anxiety. I get afraid. Given any situation I can, and will, postulate every possible outcome good or bad. Over the years I have heard her say this to me a million times. Now I can appreciate it but I can tell you when I was 21 and having a panic attack about what to do with my life I wanted to throw my hands up in exasperation and say to her “just tell me what to do!” Obviously, she couldn’t tell me I had to learn it for myself. It wasn’t until recently, say the last two or three years, these words started to sink in. After getting my diet on track and instilling a strong yoga practice in my life, my mind is more clear and I get what she is saying. Being afraid is not having the faith that you will be ok, and not trusting that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. Being afraid stops you dead in your tracks and keeps you from getting what you want. Fear is a negative self fulfilling prophecy. The good news is fear is not a disease and anxiety can be treated without medication. Here is what I’ve learned from my own personal experience with dealing with anxiety:

•  Breathe: When you are anxious or afraid you live “in your head”. Physiologically your brain is readying your body for a fight (or flight) that may or may not take place. Your mind races, your breathing gets shallow, and you tense up. How to stop this? Breathe. Sounds almost too simple right? You’d be surprised what breathing can do. Taking conscious deep breaths brings your head out of the clouds and brings you back to being “in your body”. It grounds you. The breath is one of the automatic functions of the body we can control. Getting control of the breath can control our heart rate, which in turns calms the body and stops the stress response. Simple as that. Sense your mind spiraling out of control? Stop. Take 5-10 mindful, deep breaths, and refocus.

• See the big picture: Anxiety puts the blinders on, big time. When you are anxious or having a full anxiety attack you don’t see the big picture. You concentrate solely on the source of your anxiety and nothing else. Stop. Breath. See the big picture. Worried you won’t get a job or that your bills won’t get paid, your partner is going to leave, your cat will get sick? Pause. Take a step back and look at the big picture. Even if you don’t get that job another will come. If your partner leaves it wasn’t meant to be. If your cat gets sick you deal with it. You’ve managed to survive up until this point of your life and life is not going to let you fall off now. You will be ok. Trust that statement with all your heart.

• Nourish yourself: This is probably one of the most important ways to combat anxiety. When I say nourish I don’t just mean with food. Nourish your body, mind, soul, and spirit. At the peak of my anxiety I was anorexic, in a unhealthy relationship, and following a career I didn’t want. Now, I radiate. What changed is that now I surround myself with loving and positive people. I indulge in my favorite hobbies. I practice yoga, exercise, and eat well. I stay up late and watch scary movies and eat a bowl of coconut mylk ice cream. I laugh out loud and allow myself to be free. I have faith and I follow what I love.

As I said before fear is a negative self fulfilling prophecy. Think your partner is going to leave you and it’s all you will focus on. Your insecurities will overcome you and what you feared will manifest. If you want love, give love. I saw an amazing and inspirational print from the wonderful Karen Salmansohn that sparked this post and summed up how I feel perfectly. On it simply stated: “Chase what you love. Don’t follow your fears”

Be well!

Candice

P.S. I also wrote a blog about fear, anxiety, nutrition, and yoga for Toronto Body Mind

What is Bioflavia?

• Bioflavia is the dried and ground skins left over from organic red grapes after they are pressed for wine. I know what your thinking, just skins right? Wrong! A 10g serving of Bioflavia provides 11,000 ORAC Units. ORAC units measure of a food’s ability to neutralize free radicals found in the body.

To give you an idea of how potent Bioflavia is here are some values for other common superfoods:

Blueberries – 100grams 4,669

Garlic – 100grams 5,708

Pomegranate – 1 raw 4,479

At 11,000 units, Bioflavia is not too shabby!

And why do I need all these antioxidants anyway?

• Antioxidants are molecules that are capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation reactions produce free radicals in the body. In turn, these radicals start chain reactions within the cells. This chain reaction can can cause damage to the cell or cell death. Antioxidants stop these chain reactions by removing free radicals, and inhibiting other oxidation reactions.

There are antioxidants of varying amounts in virtually all foods we consume. Logically the more you consume, the more protected you are! So back to snacking. I decided to grab my Bioflavia and one of my other favorite superfoods, raw cacao, and hit the kitchen to make a tasty, portable, superfood snack.

Superfood Bites:

• 1/2 Cup Walnuts
• 2 tsp Raw Cacao
• 2 tsp Bioflavia
• 8 Medjool Dates, soaked and pitted

These bites pack a serious antioxidant punch. If you add up the ORAC scores for the dates, cacao, Bioflavia, and walnuts you get 111,822 ORAC units. And bonus, they taste amazing!

What are you waiting for? Get ta snackin!

You may be thinking to yourself, but I don’t have any Bioflavia! Fear not. You can buy Bioflavia at any of these stores also, I have some to give away. You can enter to win your very own canister of Bioflavia by doing any of the following:

Where I got my info:

Murray, Michael ND. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. New York, NY: Atria Books, 2005.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20072922 (if you can, read the whole article it’s very interesting!)

http://www.oracvalues.com/

http://www.essentiallivingfoods.com/raw-cacao/index.html

This recipe contains one of my favorite sources of healthy fats, avocados. Avocados are an amazing source of Vitamin E and a great source of glutathione. Glutathione is a small protein that is one of the most potent molecules in detoxification, anti-aging, and antioxidant activity. Glutathione works by ‘grabbing’ and removing fat soluble toxins from the body such as pesticides and heavy metals. The more toxins you are exposed to the faster your body will use glutathione. Adding more to your diet helps you get rid of nasty toxins! Also, without glutathione protecting them cells die at a faster rate, aka aging faster. (Ladies, toss our your $50 a bottle skin cream. It’s what’s inside that counts!)

Avocados are a great addition to any salad, smoothie, sandwich, etc. You can even make raw french fries out of them! Personally, I like sweets so I whipped up this gem

Note – I didn’t want to make a whole pie (because if I had a whole pie in my fridge I would eat it all). To make in an 8 inch pie pan, double ingredient amounts.

Crust:

1/2 Cup Almond Flour

1/4 Cup packed Dates (soaked and pitted)

1/4 Cup Raw Walnuts

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Sea Salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until well combined. If you’ve made a full pie press into an 8 inch pie pan. If you used the above amounts you can form the crust into any vessel you like a bowl, muffin cups, ramekins, etc. Chill the crust until firm.

Filling:

1 Large Avocado

1/4 Cup melted Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1/8 Cup Raw Agave

2 teaspoons of Mint Extract or to taste

1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice

Place all ingredients into food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Pour filling into pie crust and allow to set.

Ganache:

1/4 Cup Cacao Powder

2 Tablespoons Raw Agave or to taste

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon of filtered water

pinch of Sea Salt

Place all ingredients in a clean bowl and combine until smooth. Pour over filling in a thin layer. Chill until set.

This pie is full of nutrients and will definitely satisfy any chocomint craving!

Enjoy!