Hello Hello!!

Just a quick blog today (at work) updating everyone on one of my business and partnering ventures!
For those of you that live in Toronto, feel free to pop by McEwan Foods and book your consultation w/ me (also available over skype)!! 

Here's the link;


http://mcewan.mcewangroup.ca/news/display.php?pid=51

Now that were approaching the Holiday season, its the time of year for cooking and entertaining...so why not make delicious, clean food that is also a winner in the nutritional department!

Then in January, lets detox and start the year renewed and energized!  I'm developing several different detoxification options, depending on whether its your first time or you're well versed in the world of detox!


Be back soon, happy weekend everyone!
xox

Banana, Honey and Olive Oil Muffins

Happy Friday :)

Hope everyone is excited for their weekend!  I'm happy because ours will actually include some sunshine and mild weather!  Yay.

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I love bananas!  So much in fact, that sometimes I'm guilty of buying too many for the week.  Thankfully, just before they rot I make sure to toss them into the freezer for a rainy day muffin bake session.  Tuesday afternoon upon closer inspection, I found my downstairs freezer had been taken over by frozen, ripe bananas.  Time to bake.  I updated my old muffin recipe and this is what I came up with!

Banana, Honey and Olive Oil Muffins

Golden Brown Deliciousness

1 ¾ c. organic whole wheat flour        1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt                                            2 tbsp ground flax seeds

½ c. chopped walnuts or pecans        2 large free-range eggs (beaten)

1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil                   ½ c. organic raw honey

 3 mashed ripe bananas                     3 tbsp hot water

In a medium sized bowl, mix together dry ingredients (minus nuts).  In a large mixing bowl, beat oil and honey together thoroughly, add eggs and mix together.  Next add banana mash and beat to combine.  Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with one tbsp of hot water; mix well after each addition.  Spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups or muffin liners (approx ¾ way).  Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and do the toothpick test (if done, dough will not stick to tp).  Allow muffins to cool in tray or on rack.  Freeze or keep fresh up to 5 days at room temp.  Enjoy!

.a little info on our main ingredients.

.bananas for bananas. 

Great source of Potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.  By incorporating bananas into your weekday smoothies or snacks, could help prevent high blood pressure and heart disease.

.olive oil. 

A healthy and miraculous fat!  Just some of the many benefits include; improves cardiovascular health, anti-inflammatory properties, aids in digestion and anti-cancer due to the polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil.  *Always look for organic, cold pressed.

.honey. 
Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral.  This power food is best raw and organic, to preserve all the friendly bacteria.  Also know to help upper respiratory infection in kiddies!

Thats all for now!

Enjoy the weekend xxooxox
 

Happy happy Friday!!

Happy Friday Friends and Loyal Followers!  

  

Sorry for the delay, it has been a crazy few weeks.  In fact, so crazy I had to come up with a MORNING ENERGY SMOOTHIE, just to keep me going!  Plus its pinkish and purple in honour of OCTOBER being BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH!

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  Very Berry Morning Smoothie Deliciousness

 What you will need:

  

 

 ½ c. frozen organic berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc)

1-2 c fresh berries

½ tsp dehydrated bee pollen (vitality, energy and health)

1-2 tsp freshly ground flax seeds

5-10 walnuts (almonds)

1 tsp organic coconut oil

2-3 oz liquid to blend (coconut milk, almond milk, water)

1 tbsp of whole fat yogurt (optional

Whey protein powder (optional-great for meal replacement)

 

Throw everything into your Vitamix or blender and add enough liquid, to enable contents to blend smoothly!  This yields one 1 smoothie or 2 small smoothies. Enjoy xo

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In honour of  BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, here are some great foods to help prevention and stay strong and healthy!

Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale contain many anti-cancer substances, such as isothiocyanates.

Tomatoes: Lycopene is a very strong anti-oxidant, which may prevent various types of cancer.  Aim for at least 3 servings/week.

Berries: Especially blueberries, which deliver a high concentration of antioxidants that help prevent cell damage that occurs naturally with age. Slowing age-related cell damage helps prevents cancer and other diseases.

Onion family: This includes- garlic, leeks, scallions and shallots, will deliver multiple compounds shown to have anti-cancer qualities.

Eating with Colour: Adding servings of red, yellow, orange, white or purple vegetables to the usual greens maximizes a person's chance of getting all the micronutrients that could potentially help fight off cancer.

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Happy Friday Everyone and I'll be back to Blog Soon! 

 Also any nutrition questions or consultation appointments are welcomed at foodie.bies.1980@gmail.com!  Would love to hear from you!  

 

 

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!!

Gobble gobble! 

That's right, it is almost Canadian Thanksgiving!! 

 
I love to include a beautiful and nutritious soup to my Thanksgiving Menu and this year I'm PUMPKIN crazy!  I've developed an easy and delicious soup - for all of you to try.  If by chance you're unable to get your hands on a PUMPKIN, feel free to use butternut squash instead!

Spiced PUMPKIN Soup

What you'll need:

 

1 small pumpkin (peeled, seeded and cut into 1”cubes) ½ chili pepper (chopped) 3 carrots (organic, chopped) 2 small onions (chopped) 1 tsp- cayenne (opt.), cumin, fenugreek seeds & turmeric 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 5-6 c. chicken/vegetable stock 100 ml evap. milk or fresh cream

 

 

Directions:

 

Sweat onions and carrots for 6 mins in EVOO.  Add cubes PUMPKIN and sauté for 15 minutes.  Add spices, cover w/ stock, roughly 1” over ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cover partially, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Puree with immersion blender (or food processor).

Finish your lovely PUMPKIN soup with PUMPKIN seed oil and roasted seeds OR yogurt and green onions. 

 

Bon Appetite xoxo

 

 

Health Properties of Pumpkin:

 

Fiber: 1/2 cup serving of pumpkin contains 5 grams of fiber. Fiber helps reduce bad cholesterol levels, protect the body against heart disease, control blood sugar levels, promote healthy digestion, and plays a role in weight loss.

Vitamin C: boosts immunity, reduces the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, and regulates cholesterol levels.

Vitamin E: promotes healthy skin by protecting the body from sun damage and may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and certain cancers.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

 

Quick TIP for fall!

Happy Thursday Everyone!!!

I'd like to share with you a quick tip!  I love fresh herbs, from the garden or the farmers market...what I dislike is when you buy a bunch and it goes to waste!  Why not use those extra ice trays (we all have them) and chop up your herbs and put them in tray, cover them with olive oil and freeze!  Label with a permanent marker and VOILA!  Herbs in any season, ready to cook with!!

Blog again soon!  Bye for now! xoxo

GET YOUR SOUP ON!!!!

One of my favorite past times, especially in the autumn is to experiment and make wonderful and fragrant and delicious and yummy SOUPS!!! 

I started a bit early this summer and began testing a few new ones that I thought would would work!  Thank goodness I was right he he!  

Spiced Carrot and Corn Soup

What you'll need:

3 cups- chopped carrots (food processor works well)

2 med. onions- chopped

2 cobs of corn (raw)- cut off cob

3 cloves garlic- chopped

2 tsp. ginger- grated

1/2 tsp. of each: coriander seeds, turmeric, anise seeds- crushed

1 1/4 (1125 ml)- organic chicken/vegetable stock (homemade is great!)

1/4 habanero pepper (or jalapeno=less spice)

2 tbsp- extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

salt and pepper to season

~ Large pot, wooden spoon ~

Directions:

Saute onions in EVOO until soft and translucent.  Add ginger, garlic and spice mixture, let cook for 2 mins to release the oils and fragrance.  Add carrots and corn.  Add enough stock (1125 ml) to cover vegetable by 1 inch.  Bring to a full boil and then lower temp to simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Puree in blender, food processor or with immersion blender.  I like to serve mine with a dollop of Greek yogurt, fresh dill/spring onions or some grated carrots!  Try a new spin with edible flowers, beet chips or some chopped chili peppers if you want to spice up your life!

Bon Appetite xox

 

***Not only is this soup yummers, its also quite nutritionally sound;  

Corn: Promotes antioxidant protection and lung health, increases energy production and is a source of vitamin C (free radical scavenging and immune health) and manganese and phosphorus (bone-builders).

Carrots: Also promote lung health and heart health too!  Great source of vitamins K (bone-building), vitamin B1 (energy), molybdenum (detoxifying) and fiber to help keep you full!

Onions/Garlic: Great for lowering cholesterol, preventing heart disease and great for digestive health!!!

*All these benefits from a little bowl of homemade soup!  How easy and rewarding is that!*

Until we meet again, GET YOUR SOUP ON!!!!

xoxo
The Healthy Bies

School is Out!

Hello everyone!  I hope this post finds you well and that everyone has been having an enjoyable summer!  

What's new with me?  Well, school is finished and just waiting on the last few grades to come in...I am now a Holistic Nutritionist and CNP, yay me!  New adventures in store and back to blogging.  I've realized discipline is where I'm lacking, so I'd like to commit to at least 2 days a week for an hour to blog.  New recipes, nutritional guidance and great links to other sources of wonderful information.  

I've been back into the kitchen and I am excited to post some new recipes that are nutritious and delicious for your tummy and wellness.

I will return this weekend with a great new soup recipe, that not only is simple but high in beta carotene (great for eyes) and vitamin C!  

BiesTip:

Fall is in the air (yipee), so for those fellow Ontarians you may want to grab and can (pickle, preserves, soups) the following before they are gone until next summer;

Currants, Gooseberries, Radicchio and Apricots are only available for 2 Weeks!

Blueberries, Peaches, Raspberries, Grapes, Snow Peas and Watermelons are around for another 1.5 months so gobble them up!!!

Blog again soon xoxox

Ps.  Happy Longggggg Weekend!