Paleo Bread….Say What?!?

Good morning world! I am watching the sunrise from my little room downtown Toronto and I can’t help but be slightly creeped out by the reddish colour that has engulfed the whole sky. It’s going to be a stormy day, I know this based on the saying my late grandfather taught me, “red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning.” I’ve never actually looked into the science behind it but its usually accurate and that work for me.

Ok, so I hate putting labels on diets. Stating someone is Paleo, Primal, specific carbohydrate, anti-candida, flexitarian or any of those in between. I personally have been following the same diet since grade 12 and I knew about none of those. When I meet new people and explain to them my intolerances and food restrictions, they usually look at me as if I have an extra eye on my forehand. But as soon as I say I follow a modified Paleo diet, they understand right away. Why have we become a society that requires us to label our diets? Personally, everyone should follow their own diet, eating what makes them feel good. No point trying to squeeze yourself into a box that was mass produced based off 1 person.

Bread time! Yay! This was a discovery I made this past summer by combining multiple recipes together. It is easy to tolerate, light and fluffy. Non gluten-free friend and family approved.

Fav Paleo Fluffy Bread

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup tapioca flour
• 1 cup ground flaxseed
• 10 egg whites (1 ¼ cup)
• 4 Tbsp canola or other vegetable oil (not extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vinegar of course (not white vinegar, try balsamic, cider or red wine vinegar)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and the oil & vinegar in a small bowl off to the side.

3. Pour egg whites into a large bowl and beat until soft peaks form with a mixer.

4. Carefully fold dry ingredients and oil mixture into egg whites in 2 batches. Mix gently until combined with a spatula.

5. Line your loaf pan or spray down with the oil. Carefully pour bread batter into pan.

6. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Be careful not to over beat your egg whites or you might end up with a monster loaf (pictured below). Still tastes just as delicious though!

Moderation & My Favourite Things

As a nutrition student, my brain is ingrained with the saying “everything in moderation”. And this is something I strongly live by and pass onto others. Starting in my undergrad I remember going out for dinner with my friends or hanging out with them somewhere and they bought something that is labeled as ‘junk food’ by today’s society. Every time my friends would look at me and tell me not to look at them or judge them for their choices. In my response I always told them I didn’t care, telling them they should have what they wanted in moderation, not depriving themselves. I am guilty of sometimes eating chips (though can only tolerate vegetable chips or plaintain chips) and other seemingly unhealthy foods, I’M HUMAN! If you are desperately craving something, have it, just not too much. That’s how it should always be! I challenge you to throw away those labels society has put on food and just enjoy life, it’s way to short to be stressing over the most necessary of things for our body to function. 80% healthy, 20% whatever is the rule I hold, and you can make that 80% healthy still pretty damn delicious. Here are some ideas for you:

• swap fast food french fries for baked potato wedges or sweet potato fries
• love pulled pork, make pulled chicken in a crock pot using boneless skinless chicken breasts
• can eat pasta all day? use less pasta, try whole grain or quinoa pasta which is more nutrient dense, and add roasted veggies & meat to bulk it up
• got any other seemingly unhealthy favourite foods? Post it in the comments and I would love to help you come up with a healthier alternative so that you can include it into the 80% healthy portion of your diet (more room for indulgence)

Now that that is out of the way, I am going to discuss some of my favourite things that I may be slightly addicted to. Please don’t judge because some of these things seem like stereotypical nutrition healthy food, but you have to remember that with my restrictions I am limited to what I can eat.

1. Sweet Potato Fries (pictured above) – if we are out to a pub and my stomach is growling, you better bet I’m ordering a big plate. I don’t care if they are deep fried, they are delicious. At home I bake them myself.
2. Roasted Vegetables – add a little drizzle of EVOO + balsamic vinegar and pop it in the oven…mmmmmm

3.  Caffeine – I love coffee more than words itself, I also love tea….and possibly even energy drinks…yes I know they are bad for me, but only every now and then. My coffee mug explains all (hold about 3 cups of coffee in it if not more)

 

4. Barbecue – We have already established my love of pulled pork, but that extends to all barbecue items. Ribs, brisket, chicken, you name it. I make it a yearly thing to go to Ribfest to load up, and you can find me searching out all barbecue joints in the area. I have recently started using a slow cooker to make my own pulled chicken & pork, recipes to follow soon.

5. Any nutty – I love nut butter, I love nut cookies, I love trail mix….I have a problem. When I was trying to gain back weight I started increasing my intake, now they are apart of my daily life. I’m very thankful I am not allergic. I stay away from peanuts because I get awful digestive symptoms, but all others are amazing. I have a particular weakness for cashews, I blame genetics as my dad is obsessed with them to.

6. Frozen yogurt & non-dairy ice cream – Last but not least, as a kid my favourite food was ice cream, not much has changed. I hold of for months on real froyo just so I can tolerate it better, and it’s worth it. In the states, I discovered no sugar added coconut ice cream…funny story…I buy a pint and its gone approximately 2-4 minutes later. My family now times me, ugh.

Nothing Like Good Ol’ Sushi

What a week! Thank goodness I’m done and now it’s weekend time. Yes I get Fridays off, be mad if you want but it is essential to the sanity of people in my program.

Anyways…so today I bring you another food adventure. Just a quick note, when I will be writing restaurant posts from now on I will give the restaurant a rating for food quality and stating the price range to bring it to your awareness. You will find it at the end of my posts. Moving on, I bring you my adventure I had last week with my two lovelies you have already met, Lauren & Natasha (friend that went to Lou Dawg’s with me). On a regular we go out to sushi places, however, when we were in Guelph there wasn’t much in line of options. Now in the big city, we are overwhelmed with sushi on what seems like every corner. I love searching restaurants online, checking out the price, menu and location. After a recommendation one day in class from my professor when she saw me searching sushi place (oops she wasn’t supposed to see that), we headed towards Bloor St to check out New Generations.

The place was very cool inside with wooden detailing on the walls and a intimate setup. We were surprised as it didn’t look like much from outside. We arrived at the perfect time as it wasn’t busy at all.

As nutrition students we were quite impressed by low sodium soy sauce. No many sushi places offer it. Of course we did All-You-Can-Eat, that’s the best way to do sushi. Especially if you are like me and have a lot of dietary restrictions and get a variety of really random things. This place was slightly different than other sushi places we had been to where the waitress actually comes and takes your orders individually instead of filling out an order sheet for the table. I much preferred this method as I was able to articulate my restrictions and ensure I got what I ordered. The waitress was also very aware of gluten-free which made my life of ordering much easier.

We started with classics starters for the table, miso soup, seaweed salad and edamame. Then we split up from there.

I got various salads and sashimi which was fresh and clean tasting. I also order the salmon tobiko which was basically a salmon roll without the rice. Perfect for me.

The girls got various rolls including the mango fusion and the rainbow roll. I think they enjoyed it because it was gone fast!

Also ordered was some handrolls and tempura. There was more but unfortunately I not very good at taking photos. The food comes out and I just want to eat.

The meal was concluded with ice cream of course. With our bellies full we paid our bill and parted ways to go get homework done. Aren’t we just a party!

Check out the menu here: http://www.newgenerationsushi.com/restaurant/

I give it 4.5/ 5 stars, Cost = $$

$ = $0-10                  $$ = $10-20                    $$$ = $20-30

Protein Cookies Gone Nuts

I’m finally back in the kitchen baking. It’s been a while, but as soon as I started putting some ingredients together everything felt so natural. This could all be made possible as a result of one of my closest friends Lauren. We did our undergrad together and bonded over our love of reading blogs. Overtime, we started hanging out to experiment with recipes we found on blogs, making it a ritual. She’s definitely been a major motivator getting me going with this blog. So I extend my thanks not only to you as the reader, but also to her, for friends make life so much better!

We are like two mad scientists in the kitchen

Today’s recipe comes from my experimentation of baking with protein powder. Having a quick protein fix post-workout is essential for me as it is usually a few hours before I can get a meal in, and I’m not a big protein shake person besides having one for my breakfast in the morning. These cookies are great to have in your bag for on the go, and freeze really well, so you can make a double or triple batch at once.

Although it looks like a chocolate cookie, the hemp protein gives it that interesting greenish-brown shade and it tastes vanilla-y

Vanilla-Nut Protein Cookies

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unflavoured hemp protein powder
• ¼ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• ¼ cup sweetener of choice (I used Truvia, but have used Splenda before)
• ¼ cup coconut oil, butter or shortening, softened
• ¼ cup almond or other nut butter
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F and grease or line a cookie sheet. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

If the dough seems too runny, add more hemp protein powder, 1 tbsp at a time. If the dough seems too thick/ dry, add more almond butter.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls, slightly flattening when placed on pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Let them sit to cool when you remove from oven to let them set and harden to a point where you can pick them up. They will melt in your mouth

A Student Restaurant Affair: PJ’s Restaurant in the Atrium

For those of you that hear student run restaurant and want to flee in the other direction, I urge you to stop and hear me out. From my experience, some of the best dishes I have ever had have been at a student run establishment, an affair called PJ’s in the Atrium.

PJ’s is a teaching restaurant on the University of Guelph campus serving lunch Tuesday-Friday 11:30-1pm, and fine dining dinners on Thursday evenings. It is actually a course where students get to make up their own theme, build their own menu, advertise, design décor, staff their day and run a fully functional kitchen. After rigorous food safety training and recipe practice runs, the show gets put on the road for up to 100 guests.

Entree special of a taco salad from a Mexican Fiesta themed restaurant day

Students’ dessert creation, homemade coconut ice cream and a deep fried banana spring roll

Sound like a lot of work? That’s an understatement. On top of prepping our food, students have to work extra hard to acquire reservations to reach their goal. But having accomplished running a restaurant, anything seems possible. I highly recommend checking it out for yourself, the service and food won’t let you down.

Baked calzones fresh from the oven on a comfort meal themed day

Personal favourite standard menu item, cashew-sweet potato curry. A blend of sweet, spicy and salty that warms you on the coldest day.

Each lunch has a preset standard menu formulated by the professor plus the special menu the students design themselves.

A twist on traditional hummus for a standard appetizer choice

New contender standard menu item, arugula & prosciutto pizza

Above is the Ploughman’s platter, an unexpectedly delicious assortment of pickles, meats and cheeses to get your taste buds tingling.

Head over to the website for the themes this semester and take a peak at the standard menu: https://www.uoguelph.ca/pjs

Lou Dawg’s at Ryerson

Calling all barbecue lovers! Have I ever got a treat for you guys today.

As soon as I moved to Toronto, the first thing I did was start researching restaurants of all kinds. Looking up places that had gluten-free friendly menus or kitchen, the best barbecue place, the most recommended cheap eat, all you can eat sushi with the biggest variety….you get the picture. For me however, the priority fell upon the barbecue. I unfortunately moved the weekend of ribfest in Toronto and missed it. Feeling disappointed and deprived, I decided to take matters into my own hands and find a place to get my fix (wow I sound like an addict or something)…

After some searching, Lou Dawg’s popped up in Google. It was conveniently located within walking distance from my place, and was right on Ryerson’s campus. It also had gluten-free options marked on the menu. I was sold, bring on the pulled pork please and thank you!

The first time I went was very impromptu when my mom came down one afternoon while heading towards the airport to pick up my grandmother. It was a day my insides were very unhappy, making my desire to take photos nil. I still enjoyed myself regardless and made it a mission to go back.

Fast forward 1 week. My friend came down and she was on a hunt to find a place she could go to when her boyfriend visited. So I ventured again to Lou Dawg’s. Barbecue restaurant during the day, campus bar by night.

The atmosphere is really relaxed inside. We sat on the patio in the back which was delightful as it was such a nice day.

We waited quite a while for a waitress, but when they came we were ready to order drinks. I was disappointed by a lack of a drink menu, but the waitress was eager to make suggestions. My friend got the PB&J (PBR beer + a shot of Jager) and I got a Jack Daniel’s whiskey sour. Within moments of them arriving, our glasses were empty. Never order alcohol if you are really thirsty…oops! 2 waters followed quickly.

My friend ordered the 3 slider sampler

 

It came with the coleslaw & potato salad. She was quite satisfied.

I ordered the 3 meat sampler with a double garden salad.

I had tried there pulled chicken & pork before and enjoyed it immensely, and was ready to take on the brisket. Awwwwwee so good! Melt in your mouth perfect ratio of meat to sauce.

Other gluten-free options include: Slow Smoked Wings, Lou’s Chicken and Cheese Chili, Chopped Chicken Salad (ask for it without crispy onions), Sweet Potato Mash, Potato Salad, Garden Salad, Coleslaw and Black Bean Corn Salad, Big Dawg Salad (ask for it without crispy onions)

The staff is very nice and relaxed, I suggest telling them you are gluten-free to ensure your meal is not only delicious, but safe.

With our stomachs full we flagged down the bill and got ready for a night on the town. Only disappointment was that the back patio allows smoking which is detracting for myself.

Check out the menu here: http://www.loudawgs.com/flash.html

Change

Change is scary. Change is good. It is enlightening, exciting, and nerve-wreaking. However you see it is accompanied by the unknown of something different. It requires you to adapt and morph to meet the new of the future. The reality of it is that you may need to take a leap of faith to get the ball rolling.

Why is she writing about change you may ask? Isn’t this a food blog, where are the recipes??? Well I’m getting to that. First I owe you as my reader an apology. I disappeared for the last few months without a trace. Where you last met me I was still living in Guelph, stuck in a rut of job struggles and wasting my summer days away until I started my masters. But then I took that leap I was talking about.

New city, new jobs, new roommates, friends and place. That’s right, I made the decision to move to Toronto and uproot my whole life. But I’m not looking back now. It’s been a rough transition, leaving my friend circle and security of Guelph for the fast-paced Toronto life. 3 jobs later and a starting at a new school, I have come back to you. And I’m here to stay.

I have met some other bloggers in Toronto and they have motivated me. I am going to resume posting recipes, plus I will be starting doing restaurant and product reviews, survival guides, nutrition snipits and possibly even workout stuff. Get ready, because I’m good to go!

 

Cheating

Once a cheater, always a cheater, right?

At least it feels that way.

Nutritionists claim that the best way to ensure success with your diet is to live life in moderation. Easier said than done.

I was at the bar the other night with some friends. I was a good girl and ate a gluten-free and lactose-free meal beforehand, was drinking cider, and ordered no deep-fried and delicious food (as I normally do). All was going well until a friend ordered Irish Nachos. These things are dangerous. They are delicious cross-track fries with nacho toppings and absolutely covered with shredded marble cheese.

At first, they remained at a distance. Everyone else was chowing down like pigs at a trough, but not I, as I am lactose free…

But then the pigs began to slow in their inhaling of delicious, greasy food. As they slowed, my eyes could not lift, completely fixed upon the pile of beef, cheese, salsa, peppers, onions and cross-track fries.

Just one can’t hurt. I reached over and took a fry covered in cheese with a pepper or two clinging to it. The taste was indescribable. If there were ever a time bells chimed in my head, that would be it.

Then another. Who can have just one.

And another.

Then I finished the whole plate as my friend kept shoving it towards me to eat so they wouldn’t go to waste (a plate of these things could be used for weights for newbies).

By the end of the night my stomach was toiling and churning, but I sat there satisfied and delighted, the taste still swirling around in my mind.

The next day was a different story. Hurt, just plain hurt.

But so worth it 🙂

Like, LOOK AT THEM!

Let this be a lesson for all of you working on severely restricting your diet due to intolerances (or even just dieting!). There are always going to be times you cheat. You just have to make sure you are ready to deal with the repercussions. Being intolerant is easier than having something that actually causes damage to your insides, like celiac disease. For us intolerant folks, we just experience side-effects of some sort (for me, restricting pain in my stomach and bloat to 5 months pregnant), but when you can damage your intestines?… that is definitely a cause to be far more strict.

Once a cheater, always a cheater? Do you believe in that? Let me know!

Highly Addictive Nut Butter Cookies

Before I give you readers the recipe the recipe for my favourite cookies, I give you this warning: I cannot guarantee that these will not cause you to become horribly addicted and eat the whole batch in a matter of a few hours. I know I cannot help but scoop out big spoonfuls of the batter while I am mixing it. I am a horrible daughter who goes to visit my parents for a day at the house I grew up in and will make a double batch…then just leave it there. Usually within an hour after I leave I get a phone call asking me why I made them, how I made them so addicting and why are they already gone!

Yes I understand they don’t look like much, but the possibilities of this cookie are endless. Today’s recipe is more of a lesson, teaching you how to modify and manipulate the cookie to your preference. Like Reese’s? Use PB in the base and add your favourite chocolate chips. Like Baby Ruth or Snickers Chocolate Bars? Use PB as the base, add chopped peanuts & chocolate chips to the batter, then top with caramel sauce after cooking

Dad’s Favourite PB Cookies:

– 1 cup Peanut Butter, for the original use Jiffy or Kraft Smooth

– 3/4 cup brown sugar

– 1 egg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth in a medium bowl. I suggest mixing by hand to ensure that the batter does not get over mixed. Roll batter into ball and place onto baking sheet. Flatten with the back of a fork. Bake for around 10 minutes or until set. Better when they are still a bit gewy and soft in the middle.

Modification Time:

-Peanut Butter: use any natural or commercial nut butter of your liking, I’ve love cashew or almond butter; also work with seed butters or nut butter substitutes if nut allergy exists

-Brown sugar: use equal parts of white sugar or 1/2 cup icing sugar, can mix and match sugars together; or use 1/2 cup honey, maple syrup or agave; or for sugar-free/ low-carb use equal part Splenda (granulate sucralose) or half the amount of granulated Stevia; for the sweetener portion I suggest tasting the batter to adjust sweetness

-Egg: 1/4 cup egg white or egg substitute

-Add-ins: get creative! Chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, toffee bits, M&M, shredded coconut, sliced/chopped nuts, marshmallows, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, drizzled melted chocolate or caramel on top

These ones are made with almond butter, Splenda, egg whites, cocoa nibs and coconut flakes.

Dig in!

 

 

1st Recipe Excitment: Grain-Free Dessert Pizza

Isn’t it beautiful? I love fruit, but really who doesn’t? Well besides Julia that is… The first few months of summer when berries are in season is a time I look forward to all year long since berries are something I can tolerate. You know you’re a foodie when…

Here’s a super easy and delicious recipe for you to try after picking some fresh berries yourself or grabbing them at the store. It’s highly customizable, so have fun and be creative with it!

Grain-free Dessert Pizza

(Serves 4)

Pizza

• 3/4 garbanzo bean flour (or spelt flour, but that’s not gluten-free)
• 6 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3-4 tbsp granulated sucralose or 2 tbsp honey/ maple syrup
• 1 cup almond milk
• 5 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 tsp salt

Topping

• Frosting (1 of the recipes below)
• Assorted fruit
• Optional: cinnamon sprinkled, melted chocolate

Combine all dry pizza ingredients in a medium bowl and add wet to dry ingredients. Grease a pizza pan or other baking sheet or line with parchment paper (comes to personal preference). Cook in an UNpreheated oven at 420F for 14-15 minutes. Leave out 10 minutes before cutting around the sides and then transferring to a plate. Add toppings of choice. My favourite is the coconut frosting with assorted berries and drizzled melted chocolate on top.

Choco-nut Frosting 

• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice
• 4 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice or 2-3 tsp pure maple syrup or honey or agave
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 4 tsp milk of choice (or more for thinner frosting)
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Blend everything in a small food processor or Magic Bullet. If you have a bigger processor, it might be best to double the recipe so everything blends more smoothly. Best to store uneaten frosting covered in the fridge.

 

Coconut  Frosting

• 1/2 cups coconut butter, aka coconut manna
• 3-4 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice or 1-2 tbsp agave or maple syrup or honey
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tbsp water

In a blender or food processor, combine coconut butter, agave or maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend on high speed until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until icing achieves your desired consistency. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.