Category Archives: Food

Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade

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I decided to try this recipe because I wanted to get rid of some frozen strawberries and rhubarb I had been left over in my freezer from last summer. Turned out, it was a hit and everyone in the family loved it! The strawberries gave it a natural sweetness and the rhubarb was slightly tart so it was a nice combo. (We added a bit of honey at the end to taste). It was very simple and hardly took anytime to make. Here is the recipe, hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen strawberries
2 cups frozen rhubarb
8 cups of water
1 lemon, sliced
Maple sugar or honey to sweeten

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Instructions:
In a large saucepan bring strawberries, rhubarb and water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Strain the juice into a pitcher making sure that no chunks of strawberry or rhubarb get into the pitcher. Cut up the lemon and add to the pitcher, add honey or maple sugar to sweeten. Put in the fridge and chill for 4 hours. If it is too concentrated just add more water and if it is too bland use less water next time. Enjoy!!!

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Cashew Almond Butter

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In the past, I have made almond butter which I enjoyed but sometimes found it rather dry and bland. I haven’t been able to stomach peanut butter lately because of my pregnancy but I have been craving toast with some kind of spread. So I decided to try something different this time, made almond butter with raw cashews! It was simple, quick and more cost effective than buying it in the store. It is amazing on homemade bread or toast, I actually could eat it by the spoonful;)

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Ingredients:
1 cup Raw Cashews
2 cups Raw Almonds
Water

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Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Lay out the cashews and almonds on a baking sheet.

3. Bake for 15 minutes. Be sure to stir once or twice so that they do not burn.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

5. Place in the food processor and blend for 6-8 minutes or until they turn into butter. If you want it to be more liquidy you could add some water.

6. Label and place in a mason jar and store in the fridge.

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Enjoy!!

Leek and Potato Soup

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One of my favorite things on a cool rainy day is a warm bowl soup. This recipe is amazing, it is meat free and dairy free but the consitency is very creamy. It is simple and quick to prep. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do:)

Ingredients:
1 lbs leeks, choppped (3 medium leek)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb baking potatoes, peeled and chopped in cubes
4 cups homemade veggie stock
tsp sea salt

Directions:
In a sauce pan combine the olive oil and leeks. Cook on low heat until the leeks are browned. (Make sure when you chop up the leeks to include even the dark green parts at the ends – they add more flavor). Once the leeks are cooked, add the potatoes and allow to cook with the lid on for a few minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Use an immersion blender and blend the soup until smooth. You can add more or less broth depending on how thick you like your soup. Add sea salt to taste and serve warm!!

Enjoy!

Mango Freezing!

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Around this time of year, mangos are on sale and rather than buying a box and trying to eat them before they go bad here is another idea…

Mangos are among the most popular fruits to add to smoothies. They add amazing flavour and texture. I bought a huge box this year and cut them up and froze them. It was cost effective, didn’t take much time and now we have frozen mangos for the next couple months to add to our smoothies. Personally I prefer yellow mangos (they are sweetest) but they are all sorts of mangos available these days.

Hopefully to enjoy them as much as we do!

If you need instruction on how to cut a mango to maximize the amount of fruit you get, watch this little youtube:

Here is my favorite mango breakfast smoothie recipe:
1 handful of frozen mango pieces
1 banana, peeled
1/2 cup frozen peaches or 1/2 cup cut up pineapple
1 cup of coconut milk or coconut water
tsp flax seeds
3 ice cubes

Blend for 1 minute and drink immediately!!

Have a blessed day!

Cleaning Fruits and Veggies

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I have had a number of requests from readers asking: “do you buy all organic fruit and veggies and if not, how do I clean them?” Well I do not buy ALL organic fruits and veggies, especially in the winter months when they are SO expensive!

During the summer we recieve a CSA share which is locally grown veggies and I try to buy most other fruit and veggies at the local farmers market but in the winter I simply buy them at the grocery store and eat berries that have been frozen from the summer.

I used to buy special fruit and veggie spray, but after researching some of the chemicals they put in the sprays I decided to wash the old fashion way with vinegar and water.

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I fill our sink up and add a small amount of vinegar, I put in the fruit or veggies and allow to sit for 10-20 minutes depending on the items (strawberries, cucumber and other things that have soft outside I let sit longer to ensure that they get cleaned) All the other hard fruit I let sit for 10 minutes. Then I scrub them and rinse thoroughly. I place them on a tea towel and dry them off and then put them back in the fridge.

Whether you buy organic or non-organic fruits and veggies, the fact is that it is all dirty from chemicals and being handled by several people between the orchard and your fridge. It ALL NEEDS thorough cleaning!!

Be blessed!!

Kale Chips

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I tried something new yesterday and although I was skeptical, they actually turned out really well. I made kale chips, it simple and quick. All you need is fresh kale, 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.

1. Wash the kale and dry completely.

2. Break off small pieces of kale leaves and place them in a large ziplock bag. Do not use any of the steams, they are really bitter tasting. Once you have a desired amount of kale, add 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, zip up the bag and shake.

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3. Remove the kale from the bag and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 30-40minutes at 350F. If you like the chips more crispy you may need to leave them in a bit longer.

4. Once they are done, remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool and then eat! They make a great festive snack with some cut up red apple:)

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Beet Hummus

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I heard about this idea from a friend so I tried it and it was definitely worth posting!!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!!

I used steamed beats to make this purple hummus which was extremely simple. All you need is a regular hummus recipe (below) and at the end take two beets and throw them into the food processor. You can add as many beets as you like, I didn’t find that they changed the taste very much. It is simple and looks amazing! It’s a perfect holiday appetizer served with garlic toast or crackers.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic (or more if you really like a garlic taste)

19 oz of chickpeas (you can soak your own for 24hrs in water and drain or used the canned chickpeas, drained)

4 tbps fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp homemade tahini (if you used store bought use 2 tbsps, the homemade has a much strong taste)

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Mince the garlic into the food processor. Add chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil and salt. Blend until it is creamy and well mixed. If you want to thin the mixture, add a small amount water until you get your desired consistency. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Homemade Rice Milk

Since I am on a kick with making everything from scratch, I decided to try rice milk as well. We go through a lot of rice milk because we do not drink cows milk. A 900mL container of brown rice milk costs $1.87 and I made about 4 times that amount for only $2.00. My husband and I don’t really drink it by the cup, although our kids do, but I find that I consume most of it through baking, cooking, and on cold and warm cereals. I may still purchase some for the kids to drink but will definitely use the homemade stuff in everything else.

The homemade rice milk definitely has a thicker texture to it and you can taste the rice a bit more but I found straining it several times really helped to remove the rice taste. I used brown rice, but you can use whatever kind you like. Again I think that the brown rice adds a stronger taste but it has more protein and fibre than the white rice does so that is why I chose it.  I’d love to hear feedback from anyone who tries it, let me know how it works out for you. Here is how it’s done!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked rice (anykind)

2 cups water

1/2 tbsp maple sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a high powered blender (I use the Blendtec), secure the lid and select the whole juice cycle. Remove lid and strain through a strainer several times or you can use cheesecloth for a more thorough strain. Transfer into a jug and refrigerate. I usually quadruple the recipe and make a large batch at once. Sometimes some of the rice particle sink to the bottom, I just leave them and try not to shake the jug so that they stay on the bottom, again helps with the taste and texture.

Enjoy!

May you be refreashed and invigorated in your spirit today. May the love of the Father compel you to love yourself, honor your husband and bless your family!!!

Homemade Tahini

I decided to tackle the art of making tahini. I came to find that it is very simple to make and much cheaper than buying it at the grocery store. Best of all, it only requires two ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 cups Sesame Seeds

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

In a bowl coat the sesame seeds with the olive oil. Spread out the oil coated sesame seeds on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 8 mins. Bake just until they begin to brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Put the baked sesame seeds in the food processor and blend until they are smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Tahini is great to use in any hummus recipe.

Have a blessed day!

Homemade Hummus

I don’t know about you, but I have been noticing that the price of hummus has gone up in the past few month!! A few weeks ago I bought a medium sized container and it cost almost $8 with tax!!! I brought it home and it was gone in 3 days! Our family eats a lot of hummus; we use it on sandwiches, as dip for our veggies, on crackers and we mix it with homemade salsa as a dip for nachos. It is delicious and it is high in protein which is important to us because our family doesn’t eat meat. I decided that I didn’t want to be spending that much money on hummus. ($20 a week on hummus is a bit steep) SO….I set out to make my own. It has taken me a few tries to get it the way we like it but I was able to make some and it only cost $1 and it made twice as much as the $8 one I had purchased in the grocery store.

Here is the recipe; thankfully, it is simple and quick.

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic (or more if you really like a garlic taste)

19 oz of chickpeas (you can soak your own for 24hrs in water and drain or used the canned chickpeas, drained)

4 tbps fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp homemade tahini (if you used store bought use 2 tbsps, the homemade has a much strong taste)

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Mince the garlic into the food processor. Add chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil and salt. Blend until it is creamy and well mixed. If you want to thin the mixture, add a small amount water until you get your desired consistency. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!