Sunshine and Spice

Butternut squash provides about one-third of the Daily Value of vitamin C in every cup and has outstanding antioxidant benefits. The color signals an abundance of nutrients known as carotenoids, shown to protect against heart disease. 

Below: Butternut squash soup made with homemade happy chicken broth, organic shallots and organic garlic, sprinkled with organic cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg for spice! Easy to make and perfect for a rainy day.

‘When gardeners garden, it is not just plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves’

Quote by Ken Druse.

Today marks the 5th day since we have started our tomatoes in our mini indoor garden. The tomato seeds have sprouted and we have 12 newborns that are vibrating with life. We have them sitting under some indoor grow lights and we can see a few more that want to reach out of the soil. Very exciting! Today we will be planting some Urban Harvest basil seeds that we ordered from our organic home delivery service. Can’t wait.

Butterflies, Ice-cream and Strawberries

Today was the first warm day in a little while. It’s been a chilly Spring here in Toronto. We wasted no time to celebrate and take in some sun at the local park. Below: Butterflies, Home made Coconut Pistachio Ice-cream sprinkled with fresh cinnamon and Homemade Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (it’s not really yogurt but it tastes like yogurt). Both recipes are sugar-free, dairy-free and enzyme activated! We love ice-cream and yogurt and wanted to experiment with dairy-free treats. It was a success thanks to our key ingredients, bananas and coconut milk! Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are used in modern medicine to kill viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and to kill bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia and other diseases!

Peanut Butter Pistachio Cookies

Mmmmm… Steve’s tasty peanut butter pistachio cookies are made with gluten-free flour, organic black chia seed powder, happy free-range chicken eggs, crunchy organic peanut butter, raw honey and raw organic pre-soaked pistachio nuts! No sugar, no dairy and healthy flour that can be easily digested. You can still enjoy some cookies with a nice glass of coconut milk! Coconut milk tastes better and is healthier than any type of animal milk. We made our coconut milk from scratch!

We never met a fish we didn’t like

Trout is an excellent source of vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids and protein. It provides a good amount of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, selenium and iron. Kolapore Springs’ fish farm is home to about 120,000 trout. Their unique system consists of water that comes off the hillside and runs throughout the forest floor, which picks up a lot of nutrients. It is full of ferry (freshwater) shrimps. The ferry shrimps are harvested and used as supplements for the fish they farm.

Below: Tasty speckled trout, from Kolapore Springs, on a bed of organic short grain brown rice with organic yam, organic leeks and organic shiitake mushrooms. Very tasty and healthy!

Sweet Strawberry Smoothie

We love our daily potassium, protein, fiber, iodine and vitamin C intake! Ingredients: organic mango, organic orange and organic strawberries. So yummy.

Veggie Stuffed Red Peppers with Lentils

Red bell peppers are packed with antioxidants and are an excellent source of vitamin C – they provide 117 milligrams per cup, which is more than twice the amount of vitamin C found in an orange. They are also a great source of vitamin B6 and magnesium and are high in vitamin A, which helps to support healthy eyesight. Lentils are a great source of B vitamins, most notably folate and niacin (B3). B vitamins are important for the healthy functioning of the nervous, digestive and immune systems. They contain high levels of folate and magnesium which aid in protecting the heart. Lentils are also loaded with iron and packed with protein! 

Veggie Stuffed Red Peppers with Lentils Recipe 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 organic red bell peppers

1 cup of organic lentils

2 organic garlic cloves

1 organic red onion (small) 

1 organic celery stalk

1 organic carrot

1 happy free-range chicken egg

3-4 organic white button mushrooms

5-6 organic oyster mushrooms

Organic Italian parsley

Organic extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt 

Organic pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Boil water, add lentils and cook for about 20-30 minutes. 

3. Chop garlic and onions and let sit for 5 minutes. 

4. Chop celery, carrots and mushrooms. Set aside.

5. Heat a frying pan at medium- low heat and add extra virgin olive oil. 

6. Throw onions and garlic and fry for about 2 minutes

7. Add the celery, carrots and mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes. Set aside. 

8. Cut out the top part of the red peppers and discard of the stems. 

9. Clean out the inside, removing all the seeds. 

10. Drain the lentils (once lentils are softened) and throw them in a mixing bowl. 

11. Add the remaining ingredients in mixing bowl and mix them together, adding salt and pepper. 

12. In a small bowl, blend the egg.

13. Add egg to the mixing bowl and continue mixing all ingredients. 

14. Scoop out the mix and stuff the red peppers, all the way to the top. 

15. Place in oven rack for 20-30 minutes, depending on how roasted you like the peppers. 

16. Remove from oven, add fresh Italian parsley on top.

17. Serve and enjoy!

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Planting the Seeds

We are starting our mini indoor garden today, where we will be growing some herbs and cherry tomatoes! We purchased our cherry tomatoes seeds at The Green Living Show in Toronto, from Urban Harvest. These tomatoes are said to come from Hidalgo, in Eastern Mexico – a region where these domesticated tomatoes grow wild. Tomatoes are known for their outstanding antioxidant content. They provide an excellent amount of vitamin C and beta-carotene; a very good amount of the mineral manganese; and a good amount of vitamin E. They aid in bone and heart health. Can’t wait to try them!

Coconut Apple Cinnamon Muffins… Yummy

Coconut flour is naturally gluten-free, wheat-free and high in fiber. Apples decrease oxidation of cell membrane fats which is important because oxidation of fat in the membranes of cells is a primary risk factor for clogging of the arteries. Cinnamon has antifungal, antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, controls blood sugar levels and is an excellent source of manganese, dietary fiber, iron and calcium. Coconut Apple Cinnamon Muffins are healthy and tasty!

Recipe

Makes 8 mini muffins

Ingredients:

1 organic apple

3 happy free-range chicken eggs

3 tsp organic coconut oil (melted)

3 tsp of raw organic honey

1/2 cup of natural coconut flour

1/4 cup of organic black chia seed powder

1/2 tsp of organic baking powder

a pinch of sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 325 degrees.
2. Mix coconut flour, black chia seed powder, organic baking powder and sea salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Chop apple into small pieces and then add to mixing bowl.
4. Whisk eggs, melted coconut oil and organic honey in a separate bowl.
5. Then add to the dry mix.
6. Mix everything up until you get a texture like dough.
7. Using a spoon, scoop out the dough and fill in muffin tray.
8. Place muffin tray in oven rack and bake for 10- 15 minutes.
9. Remove from oven.
10. Sprinkle fresh cinnamon on top and let cool.
11.Serve and Enjoy before they’re all gone!

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Parsley – It’s Not Just a Pretty Face

Parsley is the world’s most popular herb used as a table garnish, but it’s not just good for decorating a plate. Parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene). It has been shown to function as an antioxidant and helps prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. Parsley is also a good source of folic acid – a critical nutrient for proper cell division. Read more about the benefits parsley here.