~ real food, balanced living ~
You don’t have to have a sore throat or a cough to fall in love with this aromatic cough and throat soothing tea but if you do, you may find it especially helpful. In this post, I show you how to make it at home.
Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need:…
What do you mean you’ve never had a beetroot latte?
But seriously, to the two of you who clicked on this post, welcome. I hope you love this recipe! …
Well friends, the days are getting shorter, the heating pad’s been dusted off and I’ll soon be digging into the Christmas box for the fairy lights (I especially like them on those dark mornings when we’re up before the sun – I hang them on the fireplace mantel for a little twinkle and cheer).
Inching our way closer to the season of cozy with this warm cup of homespun tea by our sides. It’s incredibly simple, beautifully aromatic and a great way to use up those apple peels (and cores) that would otherwise get discarded this time of year making sauces, preserves and pies, etc. …
When the fog rolls in and the rains come, they can settle over us for weeks at a time. And while it’s not cold in relative terms, it does have a way of penetrating right to the bone not to mention the bleakness of it all (errr, wistfulness). I crave warmth in my hands, on my lap and in my belly. I also fight the urge to retire at 7 pm with a heating pad (you too?). The mid-day darkness has a powerful effect on our internal clocks and the idea of hibernating has never made so much sense to me (except for the small difference that I have full and abundant access to food so the energy conservation thing doesn’t work quite so well). Got to keep things moving, the energy going and the chi flowing.
Along the way, this warm and comforting sip has been a bright spot. …
Sometimes a blender can be a girl’s best friend.
Particularly during those phases we all occasionally encounter when time is tight, sleep is short and days are spent mostly running. Funny enough, it’s precisely during these hectic times that our nutrient needs are at their highest while our ability to tend to them is often at its lowest. …
I don’t normally take my dietary cues from Starbucks but when the temperature climbed upwards of 100F earlier this week, I was reminded of a little discovery I made last year.
It was a glorious late spring day when I found myself out and about (that’s oot and aboot for my American friends — see how much I’ve learned in the short time that I’ve been living here? Who knew that the way I would pronounce these two small words would be akin to having a maple leaf stamped on my forehead. I do feel compelled to note for the record however that I’ve never actually heard a Canadian say oot or aboot – not even a Maritimer – but I get that there is a slight difference in emphasis and I’m happy to go along with the chuckle. Canadians can be kind that way, wink)….
I did something completely different on the culinary front for Christmas this year.
I invited the family to vote on Christmas dinner. I went about it by creating a menu with three categories: appetizer, main dish and dessert and listed three food options within each category. The menu was circulated electronically and the boys were asked to vote quietly on their top food choice in each category (they would only find out on Christmas day which selections won). In the event of a three-way tie in any category, mom would get the deciding vote, otherwise, majority rule. …
Moderate Intensity Exercise of Less than One Hour
Every individual is unique but as a general rule, if you are working out at moderate intensity levels for less than a one hour period, water should be your primary hydration source (no need to flood your body with sugar and electrolytes it doesn’t need at this stage).
If you are engaging in high intensity exercise of over one hour in duration, you can sip on a combination of coconut water with a pinch of sea salt and some orange juice and/or honey.
You can experiment with what works best for you but here’s an idea of what a homemade sports drink might look like: 3 cups coconut water, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 cup orange juice and 1 Tbsp honey.
Serves 1
Nutrition Notes:
Directions:
~~~~~~
Makes about 4 cups of creamy green smoothie mixture
Notes:
Because this green smoothie ice “cream” does not actually contain cream (nor commercial stabilizers/emulsifiers), if you freeze it for more than 1 or 2 hours (depending on the temperature of your freezer), it will freeze like ice and become hard and crystallized and you will be disappointed. To avoid this situation, you can either enjoy it as a soft serve ice cream directly from the blender or freeze the mixture for a shorter duration, until desired consistency is achieved.
Directions:
Place pistachio in a coffee grinder or small blender and grind until well broken down. (I have to do this because my blender is not effective at this task. If you have a powerful blender/food processor, you can skip this step).
Place ground pistachio in a blender or food processor along with all other ingredients and blend/process until smooth.
Enjoy directly from the blender/food processor as a soft serve ice cream (my favourite) or transfer mixture to a container and freeze for approximate 1 hour or so – testing for desired texture.
