Mentors and role models are crucial to our kids’ development. I am lucky that my kids are growing up in a community where they are influenced and guided by their elders, and are learning to mentor younger kids themselves.
This beach-ready buttermilk fried chicken was fun to make and completely delicious.
After eating these at a baby shower, I dubbed them the world’s best crabcakes. I quickly pulled out my cell phone to write down the ingredients as the baby’s grandmother named ingredients. I had to figure out the recipe myself……
We’ve all been there: unloading the backpack at the end of the day and throwing away half-eaten sandwiches and mushy bananas.
You’ll have no dessert guilt after indulging in these flourless sugar free chocolate brownies!
Ingredients:
· 1 (14 oz) can of
black beans, rinsed and drained
· 2 large eggs
· ½ cup cocoa powder
· ¾ cup Xyla
· ½ teaspoon oil
· 1 tablespoon milk
· 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
· ½ teaspoon baking powder
· ½ teaspoon baking soda
· ½ teaspoon of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee
· ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (xylitol chocolate to make them completely sugar free, or omit chocolate and use all walnuts)
· ½ cup walnuts (or any nuts of your choice
Directions:
– Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
– Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, Xyla ® xylitol, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl. You can also do this all by hand if you don’t have a blender. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts at the end. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. You can also sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top.
– Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.
This may sound easy and intuitive to some and overwhelming and foreign to others, but regardless, we all want to feel our best. So if you already practice these, make these 10 Simple ways To Nourish Your Body a mainstay in your everyday. If you are new to these, then start incorporating them one at a time into your day. I promise your body will reap the benefits. It’s the small but daily decisions in your life that lead to the biggest transformations.
Here’s my top 10 hit list on how to Nourish Your Body.
1) Drink warm lemon water upon rising.
This quick flush and detox alkalizes your body and sets your digestion up for the rest of the day.
2) Eat more greens
Incorporate greens into every meal. Salads, green juices, stews, pastas, eggs, soups. Throw in the kale, chard, spinach, arugula, watercress. The greener the better. Just eat more.
3) An avocado a day keeps the doctor away
Avocados are my god. They are loaded in vitamins, minerals and fiber and contain the healthy fats our bodies thrive on. This is the fat we so need. This is the fat that speeds up our metabolism; the fat that lowers the bad cholesterol; the fat that keeps us satiated so we don’t cave at 4 pm and eat whatever is in front of us.
4) Make dinner your lightest meal (An Avocado Will do)
This allows the body to actually refresh, rejuvenate and repair during sleep. Most the time we wake up tired because our body didn’t rest, digestion takes up so much energy. Try at first eating half of what you normally do. Never eat until you are full. You have eaten to much.
5) Exercise
Move your body. Movement heals everything. If you are tired, it invigorates; if you are upset, cranky, endorphins help you overcome that mood; if you are confused, it helps gain clarity.
Do yoga, run, bike, take a class, whatever it is, it will heal.
6) Body Brush.
Everyday before jumping in the shower or upon rising, dry brush your body in swift circular motions. This flushes toxins, gets lymphs moving and is a great skin smoother.
7) Cook
When you cook your own food, you know exactly what’s in your food. You have the control of how sweet/salty it is. Once you get in the habit of cooking, you won’t go back to eating out every meal. Pack lunches; have breakfast at home. Make restaurants the occasion.
8) Notice Habits
Become aware of the little things you do everyday. Are they helping you? Are the just habitual? If they are, then break the habit and see how liberating it is.
9) Omega 3’s
Get more Omega 3’s into your diet. Their anti inflammatory properties help you now and prevent future degeneration issues. Eat salmon, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, oil supplements.
10) Take Pleasure, be Passionate
Do what you love. If you don’t know, make it a priority to discover your inner smile. Ignite and feel your spirit in your every step.
Alyssa Bauman is a holistic nutritionist, health consultant, speaker and writer who is on the crusade to empower healthy eating. The more you eat well, the more you want to eat well.
Foods Alyssa can’t live with out: Coconut Oil, Raw Cacao, Her Green Go-Go Juice, Avocado and lemons.
Check out www.nourished.ca for easy, yummy, healthy recipes that will nourish your soul and your body. Sign up for monthly nourished newsletters for transformative advice and nutrition tips.
OK, so many of us have found the idea of a dinner table more of an idealistic one; many dining room tables in many homes all over North America are covered in mail, discarded items and unfinished homework, rather than serving as a gathering place for the family to eat. Too many people take their meals at the TV or on the go that table manners seem to be a lost art. Perhaps it’s too late to salvage everything your grandparents insisted on, but there is definitely room for a modern-day reboot. Sweep the crud off that dining room table and start the process today!
Lay Down the Rules. Perhaps you can’t be like grandma and say no elbows on the table, but set some basic rules: no reaching across people or the table, no eating with fingers (except in certain cases), no burping at the table, etc. Simple stuff. If you must, make a chart and keep it up. Think of how proud and relieved you will be when you someday send your child off to college, knowing his table manners…well, perhaps later then, once he’s married. Maybe.
Practice. Sure, why not? Tea parties are perfect for boys and girls to teach table manners and etiquette. Have fun.
Provide Opportunities to Shine. When you go out to eat, don’t always automatically choose someplace silly and kid-oriented that needs no silverware, much less table manners. Kids older than age 7 can (should) be trustworthy enough to eat like people rather than pigs. Let them order something and help them to use their manner. When they succeed, praise them and let them know how proud you are. Plus, you get a meal that doesn’t automatically come with fries!
Some Basics:
- No open-mouthed eating
- No eating with fingers (unless it’s finger food, like fried chicken, pizza, etc.)
- Napkins in laps
- No reaching across the table or across other people
- Ask before taking a serving
- Say please and thank you
- USE the napkin
- Don’t chew or talk with open mouths
- Don’t talk about rude things at the table
- No burping
- If you’re a guest, eat what is served and don’t complain, unless you have a genuine dietary problem…which should have been advised of before dinner was served
- Keep elbows off the table
Good luck and God Speed!!
Kids love to create, and so by extension they love to cook. Cooking is both science and magic, producing edible wonders. Cooking for kids should be age-appropriate and easy to do. Here are some of the best kid’s cookbooks for sharing fun time in the kitchen with your brood.
Best All-Purpose Cookbooks
The Everything Kid’s Cookbook: From Mac’n Cheese to Double Chocolate Chip Cookies-All You Need to Have Some Finger Lickin’ Fun, by Sandra K. Nissenberg. This cookbook is packed with easy recipes of every kind, from snack and appetizers to main courses and desserts, as well as fun activities like puzzles, cooking tips, and even trivia. The language is very simple and direct, and is ideal for younger children. The recipes are generally healthy and low-fat, with nutrition facts and calorie counts for each one.
It’s harvest time. So take advantage of fall’s bounty and fill your plate with the season’s freshest flavours and you’ll actually be doing yourself a favour. You needn’t compromise taste or tradition to stay on track this Thanksgiving season.
Some of the season’s most traditional foods are packed with health. Here’s a taste:
Brussel Sprouts: Are a huge source of fiber, containing four grams of equal parts soluble and insoluble fiber. And they are touted for their cancer-fighting properties.
Zucchini: Perhaps best known for its vitamin C content, is also a good source of vitamin A and lutein, which is important for eye health, as well as folate and potassium.
Pumpkin: It’s an antioxidant powerhouse, filled with beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, potassium, and a hefty dose of veggie fiber. The seeds offer a wallop of protein, fiber, iron and potassium. Canned purree is good too, just watch for sugar.
Sweet potato: Coined as a superfood, it is an excellent source of beta-carotene, a very good source of vitamin C, B6, manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, potassium and iron. It is an antioxidant food that works in the body to eliminate free radicals and is also a natural anti-inflammatory.
Turkey: It’s a very good source of zinc, vitamins B6, B12, protein, selenium, niacin, and the amino acid tryptothan. Roasted skinless, white meat has less total fat, and less saturated fat and cholesterol than chicken, pork or beef. So make sure to go skinless.
- Don’t go hungry. Just because it’s Thanksgiving, make sure to eat a whole grain filled breakfast and lunch. Don’t look at the meal as an endless buffet you are saving up for. Stop the madness of piling the plate. Remember you are celebrating Thanksgiving. So give thanks to your body by not over eating.
- Watch portion size: Go for smaller portions. This way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.
- Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items: Remember try to eat vegetables as close to their whole, natural state as possible. Traditional dishes—like fried and creamy dishes as well as cheese or sugar-filled casseroles—are where the high fat lurks. If you cannot control the ingredients that go into a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Again moderation is the key.
- Skip the gravy boat: The gravy is where all the saturated fat lurks. Instead, opt for the cranberry sauce. Cranberries are huge source of antioxidants and promote gastrointestinal and oral health. So skip the boat.
- Keep to the special stuff: No need to graze on the chips, cheese, and other assorted treats scattered around. Wait for the main event.
- Don’t give in to the tryptophan: Go for a walk instead with family or friends and walk some of the calories.
- Don’t cut your favorites out completely: If you indulge occasional, you will be less likely to binge. So go for it, but again, moderation is key.
- Be Mindful how good that first bite is: No other bite will taste as good. You’ll be getting more calories but not necessarily more pleasure. For dessert, leave behind the pie crusts. Ever notice how seconds are nearly as pleasurable?
- Help clear the table: Rather than sitting and picking at leftovers.
The Season’s Best Bets: Skinless white turkey, roasted sweet potatoes, plain vegetables, defatted gravy or cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, wine spritzers.
We work with busy women who are starved for time, hungry for balance and crave more energy. We help them develop and instill individual lifestyle solutions so they feel fabulous while they maximize their time doing what they love. The modern woman can do it all. Nourished will show you how. Alyssa-Schottland Bauman received her training to practice Health Counseling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school integrating all the different dietary theories—combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA food pyramid, the glycemic index, the Zone and raw foods. www.nourished.ca
Do you hit the grocery store at 4pm with screaming kids and gray hairs emerging by the minute? Try our new Family Meal Planner. With days of the week across the top and even a space to plan snacks, you can make it part of your weekly routine, and even incorporate some of our fab family recipes. Family Meal Planner. Bon Appetit!