a packed hot chocolate

aidan has been complaining of a sore throat. my kids are great taking certain supplements, such as vtm D, fish oil, vtm C and acidophilus. but when it comes to some herbals they can be a bit reluctant.

this is when i break out the "hot chocolate" for all. 

almond milk or organic cow milk

organic cacao

organic honey

some added GH protein powder (why not!)

viriditas cough syrup that we made in my herb class (marshmallow, rosehips, oregano, plantain, anise, hyssop, thyme, coltsfoot, elecampene, osha, mullein, grape and wild cherry syrup).

say cheese!

banana bread, re-visited

i've shared this banana bread recipe several times in my so called blogging life. it's my favourite and super simple. it's sugar free, egg free, vegan, can easily be gluten free, and it's healthy with ground flax and now boosted with genuine health's vanilla whey protein powder.

in one bowl mix:
1 cup flour (any kind you wish)
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

in separate bowl mix:
4 mashed bananas (mine were small to mdm. if using large bananas 3 will do)
1/4 cup oil
1/4 of freshly squeezed lemon

mix wet ingredients into dry and then i mix in chocolate chips.

bake at 350F for about 40 min. until golden brown.

watch them devour it.

 thumbs up!!

 being silly while discussing the day

A week with protein, starting with granola bars.

i had a moment last week, when i realized aidan basically does not eat protein. he'll eat most fruits and vegetables; brussel sprouts, cabbage, mango and pomegranate but give him chicken, red meat and most recently salmon or tofu and "bleh" he says as he spits it out. he scrutinizes the protein, assessing any imperfection or what he percieves to be "fatty".

in all fairness, he likely has my type A blood, making him a lover of all things vegetarian. he does best with vegetarian sources of protein; almond butter by the tablespoon (but not the bottom chunky parts), hummus (brand dependent), beans a few times per week (black or kidney), chicken soup (only the broth, no chunks), eggs (over easy) and cheddar cheese (no other dairy). can we say picky? ahhhh.

i use genuine health proteins + and am re-vamping my kids favourite delights with this whey protein powder. sneaky and perfect. whey is the most bioavailable form of protein and this brand is clean and GMO free. so i thought i would share today's re-creation. 

Granola Bars
4 cups of oats (gluten free)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup of GH vanilla protein powder (it's about 60 grams of protein)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional. what kid does not love this ingredient?)

in a separate bowl i whip;
1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup maple syrup (i use the grade C syrup from noah's natural foods. love it.) and 1 tsp vanilla. add this mixture to the oats and mix.

preheat oven to 325F. i place the mixture in a dish lined with parchment paper. bake for 35 min. (my oven runs hot). when it cools remove from dish and cut up into pieces. enjoy.

he likes it!

Hannunkah 2013

we had a week of full on celebrations both with family and friends for hannukah this year. we went thru a bag and a half of potatoes and a lot of oil, i think i made 4 batches of latkes. here are some pictures from the week. hope you all had some extra light in your life this week.