Popsicles

We went to the Evergreen Brickworks on Saturday for the market. We had a wonderful time. Surrounded by nature, great food, the kids were thrilled. We got these ice pops that were coconut pineapple flavoured and I decided to re-create something similar at home. A healthy and delicious popsicle treat.

1/2 pineapple, cut into chunks
1/4 cup unsweetened organic shredded coconut
2 scoops of GH proteins + (I use the whey, but they have a vegan protein as well). A simple way to get some extra protein into my kiddies.
I put all of the above in a blender and topped with a almost a whole can of coconut water.
Coconut water is rich in electrolytes (and a much better option than gatorade).

 drinking the leftovers. makes a great smoothie too!

 couple of pranksters making bunny ears over their little brother. it's only just begun.

Granola Bars

These are simple, super quick to make and delicious.

We also break them into small pieces and eat as granola.

Most store bought granola bars are filled with excess sugars, glucose-fructose (another word for high fructose corn syrup), perservatives (ie. BHT) and food coloring. Bleh.

an action shot of my helper mixing.
 

finished! so pretty.

4 cups of rolled oats

1/4 cup flour (your choice)

1/4 cup brown sugar

add in whatever ingredients you want (more likely have!) ie. cinnamon, unsweetened coconut, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, almond slivers, dried cranberries, chocolate chips.

in a separate bowl mix 1/2 cup of olive oil with 1/2 cup maple syrup.

mix the wet into the dry.

bake on parchment paper for 35 min. at 375F

cut into pieces once cooled. 

enjoy!

modified milk ingredients.

 

we had a big outdoor family dinner tonight at my parents, which of course included some ice cream for dessert. a well known brand, on sale, what can be better, right? 

so i read the ingredients for all. i stop at the first one. modified milk ingredients. it has the word milk in it, so it must be alright? wrong. i am always the (food) buzz kill. 

 by definition. 

“modified milk ingredients: any of the following in liquid, concentrated, dry, frozen or reconstituted form, namely; calcium-reduced skim milk, casein, caseinates, cultured milk products, milk serum proteins, ultrafiltered milk, whey, whey butter, whey cream and any other component of milk the chemical state of which has been altered from that in which it is found in milk.” Food and Drug Regulations.

huh?

Basically, they are chemically tampered components (hence modified) of milk that have been altered from their natural state and contain a blend of dairy by-products ie. whey mixed with skim milk powder. This allows the manufacturer to use a generic description for milk and change formulations at a later date, depending on the supply without re-doing the label.

you will find modified milk ingredients in dairy products such as ice cream, cheddar cheese, cream cheese etc. to maintain the texture of the dairy at a reduced price.
unless you only buy organic or higher end items, chances are pretty good you have this in your fridge right now.
go take a look....
what to do? consume real milk and cream. support local and organic. buy the higher end items that use real dairy and not the modified kind. it's simple to spot. read the label and make sure it does not say modified milk ingredients. 

pancakes. again.

i think i blog about pancakes, alot. 

we used to make fresh toast on challah, alot. so easy.

then bella tested with a food sensitivity to eggs, and bye bye delicious challah encrusted french toast. 

so i have had to master the eggless pancake. and it ain't been easy.

this batch just might have done it. 

they were protein enriched too, which scores extra points. 

1 cup spelt flour (can use gluten free)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 scoop genuine health whey proteins+ (they also have a vegan one)

mix all the dry ingredients together.
2 tbsp ground flax mixed with a little water (the egg replacement)
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Mix the flax seeds with almond milk and then mix the wet into the dry. and done!

 I added vegan chocolate chips and sprinkled with hemp hearts (rich in omega 3's)

drizzled with grade C maple syrup with a side of raspberries. 

they lick their plates clean (literally.)

Cold Rolls

I love these. I make them all the time. They are easy, but do take a few minutes to roll. I like things to be snappy in the kitchen but these are so delicious that I take the time to quickly roll them :-)

I cut up all the ingredients and put them into sections on a cutting board. ie. avocado, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro (If you know me you know I have a serious obsession with this herb), mango, pineapple etc... The other day I had leftover wild salmon and rolled those up too. Anything goes. Take the leftovers from your fridge and roll them up. Last weekend I was in NYC and there was a food booth making these with lentils, beets, basil and goat cheese.
When I am all set to roll them I use a big pan and fill with warm water. The warmer the water the quicker the rice papers soften. While I roll one the next is soaking, and I become a solo assembling machine. Hmmm, think I should get the kids helping on this one.....
Dipping sauce here is peanut, but I also like a sweet chili.
Enjoy!

weird skin rash??

Aidan woke up with this all over his torso yesterday morning. 

back was mostly clear. little on the groin and armpit area. 

no fever. not itchy. mild cough. happy. energetic. eating. 

i was thinking viral or allergic. all three kids are a bit snotty with mild coughs.

he also has bad seasonal allergies.

 

i went to the pediatrican, for an assessment. she had no idea. 

i gave him our usual regime; vtm D, fish oils, acidophilus. i added some honey garlic syrup for the cough and he enjoyed some peppermint tea with buckwheat honey to help cool his skin. he ate bowls of chicken soup.

at 5 pm this started on his back.

 7:30pm after an hour in the park

and it progressively got worse. 8:30 pm

also on his upper legs, groin, torso, armpits, face, scalp

he is super restless and itchy (you can see the scratch marks now)

gave him some remedies. not any better.

 9 pm. a trip to shoppers for our first ever purchase of benadryl. 

yes, even ND's can use drugs when need be.

he was restless til 2 am. and then slept well. 

he woke up this morning mostly clear but got really itchy around lunch again. 

i'm thinking allergic, but if you have any ideas, your input is much appreciated.....

30 x 30 challenge.....and beyond

As soon as the weather gets warmer and the sun is shining, I just want to be outdoors. Me and the kiddies spend our time at parks, walking to school and around the neighbourhood. There is lots of research on the benefit of being outdoors. I don't really think we need research to tell us it's good for us, but here it is from Harvard and this has interesting facts from the National Wildlife Federation. Being outdoors makes us happy, increases focus and concentration, boosts our immune system, gives us a healthy dose of vtm. D and keeps us healthy and fit. Accordinng to the American Academy of Pedatrics, the recommendation is for kids to spend 1 hour outside, everyday.
David Suzuki foundation for the month of May has a 30x30 challenge. 30 minutes outdoors for 30 days in a row. Piece of cake in May. Let's try that in January.....
So here are a bunch of Iphone pictures taken so far this month. (I have been using instagram and you can follow me there at rachelsnd)

on the toronto island

wychwood barns

 on a stroll through wychwood park

 walking to school

working in papa's backyard

 dancing

 ball hockey at hillcrest park

 planting pea seeds

 smelling the sweet blossoms

mini skateboarder

not sure if you have been foloowing this challenge, but it's never too late to get on board.