Category: Recipe

May 14, 2020

Keep Calm & Get Your Grill On Menu

I was inspired to create this menu during last Saturday’s Skype-fest/Transatlantic Brunch-Dinner Party with family in the UK. My brother was BBQing and was running a bit late so aimed his camera at the BBQ while he finished things up. It was sunny and 24 degrees Celsius there. Here in Toronto it was snowing. My husband joked that it was like watching that video Relaxing Fireplace with Crackling Fire Sounds that mimics the experience of sitting beside a roaring fire. Only this time we were immersing ourselves in Summer Grilling in a British Garden while our so-called-spring weather outside was more like winter.

Take heart that warmer sunny days will soon be upon us! In the meantime, in the British spirit of Keep Calm & Carry On, I have created this BBQ menu for Victoria Day long weekend. It’s a fun and easy menu that imports flavours from sunny places to warm our hearts. No grill? No worries. Everything can be done in the oven as well. I hope you enjoy it! And while you may not be able to share this food at the same table with family and friends this weekend, you are welcome to share the recipes!

So Keep Calm & Get Your Grill On! Sign up here to receive the recipes. I recommend a dry and fruity rosé wine with this menu as we could all benefit from seeing the world through rosé-coloured glasses right now. And I wish you a healthy and happy May long weekend!

Keep Calm & Get Your Grill On Menu

Appetizer: Pineapple Coconut Shrimp (these grill up super fast and are much healthier than the deep fried coconut shrimp you see everywhere – read on about the benefits of pineapple, below)

Veggie Main (& yummy side): Cauliflower Tacos with Lime Crema (do toast up the tortillas on the grill and you can also roast the cauliflower on the grill with a veggie grilling basket if you wish)

Main: Chili Lime Chicken Drumsticks with Zucchini (note that this requires some marinating time for best flavour so plan accordingly)

Dessert: Blood Orange & Pistachio Chia Pudding (chia seeds…not just for breakfast anymore – this one also needs to be prepped in advance so it thickens, but it comes together in minutes and makes a refreshing and summery pudding for dessert)

Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s menu today (as well as each month to come)! And read on for some nutritional tidbits about a few foods featured in the recipes…

April 18, 2020

Pantry Raid Menu

So how’s life in “lockdown”? I imagine many of you are cooking a lot more than ever before and looking for quick and easy meals to make from all that food you stockpiled in your pantry, no? So I thought I’d offer up a Pantry Raid Menu this month. But first, a story…

You all know how I like to pun. Well, one of my puns actually made it into print, as the title of a cookbook no less. Back in 2002, a friend was telling me that his friend, Dana McCauley, was writing a cookbook. It was about cooking from the pantry so I joked that she should call it Pantry Raid. As it turned out, she thought it was pretty funny and asked me if she could use it as the title.

Just so you know I am not making this up, I have attached a photo of both the book cover and the section of the Acknowledgments page where Dana kindly credits me.

So I’m hoping Dana won’t mind me borrowing the title back.

Now let’s serve up this month’s menu. My Pantry Raid Menu makes liberal use of pantry (and frozen) staples, is leftover-friendly and embraces both simplicity and the beauty of the one-pot meal. While these are not Dana’s recipes, they are similar in spirit. And I recommend you check out her book for further inspiration as well.

Sign up here to receive the recipes. I hope you enjoy this month’s Pantry Raid Menu and share it with your family and friends!

Pantry Raid Menu

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Breakfast Quinoa (if you are finding oats in short supply, consider quinoa for breakfast – it is higher in protein and super delicious – top with bananas and crumbled bacon if you want the Elvis-approved version)

Lunch: Spring Salad (use frozen peas here, feel free to swap in soon-to-be-in-season asparagus for the snap peas or canned wild salmon in place of tuna and don’t hesitate to use any leafy green in place of spinach)

Afternoon Pick-Me-Up: Cinnamon Ginger Energy Balls (awesome with a cup of tea, the cinnamon helps with blood sugar metabolism and ginger does wonders for digestion)

Dinner: One Pot Taco Pasta (taco night was a blast when I was a kid, and still is, especially when margaritas are involved – this is a much healthier take on it which works better for leftovers)

January 4, 2020

Dry January Dinners

Dry January, a one month alcohol-abstinence campaign which started in the UK in 2013 with 4,000 people, has officially become a thing. By 2018, four million people participated in dry January. And this year Whole Foods Market has named “zero-proof drinks” as one of its Top 10 Food Trends for 2020.

This is interesting in the year that also marks the 100th anniversary of Prohibition. Then, the prospect of an alcohol-free existence was met with a more sober/less enthusiastic response. And also a less sober one – it backfired greatly and drove drinking under the table. Apparently Mary Pickford’s mother bought up the stock of an entire liquor store before the sale of alcohol became illegal to seize upon a loophole allowing folks to consume alcohol already in their homes. Talk about proactive!

December 27, 2019

New Year’s Eve Nosh

Congratulations to us! We’ve made it through December and all the holiday parties! Just one more to go. I find that by New Year’s Eve, however, I just want to relax and “be” at home.

I do like to make a special dinner to give thanks for all the gifts of the past year and offer a toast in excitement and anticipation for the year to come. But I want it to be super colourful and flavourful with minimal work required, much of which can be done in advance. And this menu fits the bill.

So ring in 2020 in smooth and stylish fashion with these succulent cinnamon and orange infused braised lamb shanks in the starring role.

New Year’s Eve Nosh

Salad: Fennel, Radicchio & Grapefruit Salad (you may substitute orange for grapefruit if you wish – clementines are fantastic this time of year)

Main: Braised Lamb Shanks (this slow braised dish will perfume your house with festive scents of orange and cinnamon and requires very little last minute attention)

Side: Cauliflower Mash (feel free to use frozen cauliflower here to save time – read on to find out why it is especially good to eat on New Year’s Eve)

Dessert: Chocolate Nutty Baked Pears (a little like fondue-on-a-plate, these pears can be baked well in advance and rewarmed; when ready to serve, just garnish with pomegranate seeds and drizzle with chocolate)

December 6, 2019

Feast Festively without Piling on the Pounds (regifted)

This post proved so popular last season that I’m re-gifting it, along with some extra tips and an all-new collection of healthy holiday recipes that will expand your festive repertoire, not your waistline.

Did you know that the average North American gains 7 to 10 pounds during the holidays? Fear not – you can feast festively without piling on the pounds!

Click here to join The Nutritional Reset community and I will email you Healthy Holiday Eating, a selection of festive recipes which show that you can eat meals that are both healthy and delicious – not only at the holidays but all year round!

Read on for a few healthy eating strategies to make this holiday season your sveltest yet…

November 8, 2019

Winter Warm Up Menu

As renowned UK foodie Nigel Slater says in the introduction to his new book, Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter, “winter is nature’s way of making us eat carbohydrates”. I agree. Nothing makes me crave carbs more than cold weather. And while winter doesn’t officially arrive until December 21st, it feels like it is already here as I write this, especially with the snow that greeted me this morning. So November’s menu is both a warm up for winter and to help you warm up in winter! It is chock full of warming spices and starchy carbs, but the healthy kind.

Carbs have been unfairly demonized of late. Yet people often forget that vegetables and fruits are carbs. And about the only thing everyone agrees on is that veggies and fruits are uber-good for you. But it is true that consuming refined and processed carbs (think white rice, white bread, instant oats and the like) are pretty much the equivalent of eating sugar, given how quickly they are metabolized into sugar in the bloodstream.

But the whole grains and legumes that star in this menu are full of healthy fibre (this menu provides 45 grams, in fact), something most of us don’t get enough of. They also deliver many important vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and iron. And these unrefined carbs won’t spike your blood sugar, especially when combined with protein and healthy fats as in these recipes.

So tuck into these steamy, bubbling bowls of goodness without guilt! I hope you enjoy this menu and share it with your family and friends! Sign up here to receive the recipes and stay warm!

Winter Warm Up Menu

Breakfast: Caramelized Banana & Almond Steel Cut Oats (this stick-to-your-ribs porridge keeps you going all morning & you can make it ahead of time)

Lunch: Cozy Slow Cooker Split Pea & Kale Stew (a hug in a mug…if you like it meatier, leftover ham or bacon adds a subtly smoky flavour)

Dinner: Moroccan Chicken & Chickpea Stew (easy peasy but worthy to serve to guests – I love it with a side of garlicky sautéed rapini or simply stir in handfuls of leafy greens like kale, spinach or Swiss chard)

Winter Warmer: Golden Turmeric Hot Chocolate (this spicy rich hot chocolate will warm you up & boost your mood on the coldest of days)

October 3, 2019

Give Thanks for Good Health Menu

Wow, October already! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, with Halloween creeping closely behind (I’ve already seen stores selling decorations – spooky indeed)! Fall also heralds the cold and flu season and holiday gatherings mean more opportunities for these scary viruses to spread.

Parties can tempt us to jump off the (harvest) wagon and bury our healthy way of eating. They can also layer on stress, which makes our immune systems work even harder. So the recipes here are easy and provide nutritional support along with festive fall flavours! After all, if there is one thing I have learned to give thanks for, it is good health!

Rather than a day’s menu, this is a collection of dishes designed to round out your turkey at Thanksgiving or, for Halloween, perhaps you are serving blood sausage or liver, as nothing says “boo” like blood and guts. Featured here is pumpkin, which works well for both Thanksgiving and Halloween themes, and Brussels sprouts. These are traditional at Thanksgiving and, as I will be giving thanks in Belgium on the day, it seemed even more appropriate. Both are nutritional powerhouses, as you will see below!

Sign up here to receive the recipes and Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Sharing good food spreads love so I hope you enjoy this month’s recipes and share them with your family and friends! And, if it’s not “witchful” thinking, try to keep a lid on the sugar at Halloween. 😉

Give Thanks for Good Health Menu

Hor(ror)s d’œuvre: Olive Tapenade with Crackers (any olives will do for Thanksgiving but the darkest, blackest olives you can find will make for nefarious noshing at Halloween)

Soup: Spider Web Pumpkin Soup (omit the spider web if serving on Thanksgiving; scroll down to find out more about pumpkin’s immune boosting power)

Side: Maple Mustard Brussels Sprouts (this is so delicious, I guarantee non-lovers of Brussels sprouts will be converted)

Dessert: Black Bean Brownies (don’t be spooked by the black beans in these rich, dark chocolate brownies – they are a great alternative at Thanksgiving for those not into pie and everyone will “dig” them as a Halloween treat)

September 17, 2019

Rest & Digest Menu

This is the companion menu for my previous blog post, What Happens in Vagus Doesn’t Stay in Vagus. In it, I discussed how the vagus nerve sends its “rest & digest” and anti-inflammatory signals using a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. As you might have gathered from the name, choline is a major component. The body cannot produce choline, so it must come from your diet. The “acetyl” part comes from acetyl coenzyme A. This is produced when we metabolize dietary fats and sugars. Keeping this metabolic pathway humming along requires carnitine (found primarily in animal foods), vitamins B1, B2, B3, chromium, lipoic acid and Co-Q-10.

So I designed this menu to feature choline-rich foods such as eggs, chicken, peanuts, cod and broccoli. Frankly, if you want a megadose of choline, beef liver is your best bet but I know that it isn’t in everyone’s top 10, or even top 40, so I didn’t feature it here. I would be remiss, however, if I did not mention that beef liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods out there so you might want to consider developing a taste for it (and always buy organic when it comes to liver). I also designed the menu so that it meets the daily requirements for vitamins B1, B2 and B3 (in fact, it has double the B3) and to include foods containing the other nutrients mentioned.

Below, I shine the nutritional spotlight on eggs and broccoli. But the key is to eat a variety of quality, whole foods with a rainbow of vegetables. Or, as Dr. Navaz Habib said in his book, eat “green, clean and lean”!

And do as the man pictured above does! Okay, maybe the hand mudra is a bit much but the best way to get into “rest & digest” mode is to take some time to breathe deeply and be present while you are eating!

Sign up here to receive the recipes for this month’s menu. I hope you enjoy them and share them with your family and friends!

Rest & Digest Menu

Breakfast: Spinach & Goat Cheese Omelette (enjoy an orange on the side and it will contribute vitamins B1, B2 and B3)

Lunch: Chicken, Broccoli & Apple Slaw with Peanut Sauce (whip this up in no time using PC Organics Broccoli Slaw – leftovers store well for 3 days)

Dinner: Coconut Cod Tacos with Mexican Black Bean Salad (this dinner alone has 22 grams of fibre to feed the good bacteria in your gut)

August 16, 2019

Ice Cream Parlour Menu

August has been hot, hot, hot! And nothing cools down a hot body like ice cream. But if you want to keep your bod hot, you might want to try these healthier alternatives. These have no sweeteners other than natural whole fruit (oops, I lie, there is a tablespoon of maple syrup in the Raspberry Avocado Ice Cream). And they are all dairy-free for those who may have issues in this area (aloha, Alora)!

They are also super simple and quick to whip up. And I mean that literally. You just need a high speed blender or food processor. I use my mini food processor for double scoops in a snap. The first recipe has 5 ingredients and the others have 3 or fewer (okay, the Pina Colada Ice Cream technically has 4 if you add the optional rum). And the best part is you actually know what the ingredients are!

By contrast, here is the ingredient list for PC Chocolate Ice Cream: Cream, modified milk ingredients, sugar, glucose solids, cocoa, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gum, guar gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan. At least it starts with cream, which is more than you can say for many brands. I invite you to mosey on over to the Baskin Robbins website and download the nutrition facts. The ingredient list for their Berry Cookies ‘n Cream Frozen Yogurt (the first in the PDF) is 15 lines long (not 15 ingredients, 15 lines)! It is much healthier to make your own.

I like the ice creams best served immediately as the consistency is just perfect. If you prefer to make them ahead and freeze, it’s a good idea to let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving to temper them. Otherwise scooping them out can do double-duty as your strength training workout.

Sign up here to receive the recipes. I hope you enjoy these healthy frozen treats. As always, I invite you to share these recipes with your family and friends! After all, I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Ice Cream Parlour Menu

Raspberry Avocado Ice Cream (this may sound weird but, trust me, it is super rich and creamy – scroll down for more on the awesome avocado)

Pina Colada Ice Cream (if my primer on pineapple, below, isn’t enough to persuade you, it is fabulous topped with rum … for adults only) 😉

Peach Ice Cream (perfect for peach season; if you can’t find macadamia nut butter for this recipe and don’t wish to make it, try hazelnut butter)

Cherry Blueberry Coconut Popsicles (fancy popsicle moulds not necessary, these mini-pops are summer on a stick!)

July 19, 2019

Stress Less Menu

This is the companion menu for my previous blog post, Stress Less This Summer. As promised, it focuses on foods that have been shown in studies to reduce anxiety and/or promote relaxation. These include salmon, yogurt, poultry, turmeric, green tea, dark chocolate and bananas. I will discuss the first two below.

It also is stress-free to prepare. The breakfast salad is pretty much a quick assembly job of readily purchased ingredients. For lunch, make the soup on the weekend and portion it into grab-and-go mason jars for a quick reheat and eat meal. And dinner is also a salad where the components may be prepared in advance at your leisure. So all you need to do when you get home is toss it all together. No cooking! This is a mercy in this heat. To keep you well hydrated, I’ve included a green tea lemonade you can sip on all day long. And to keep you cool, I’ve finished the day with a frozen treat.

Sign up here to receive the recipes. I hope you enjoy my Stress Less Menu and please do share these recipes with your family and friends!

Stress Less Menu

Breakfast: Smoked Salmon Avocado Yogurt Bowls (the only stress-trigger here is finding yourself without a ripe avocado, so plan in advance)

Lunch: Lentil Masala Soup (an appetizing, aromatic, all-in-one meal with loads of satiating protein and fibre)

Dinner: Thai Chopped Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce (to make this even simpler, you can use a prepared fresh slaw mix…I like to blend two or more of PC Kale, Broccoli or Beet Slaws….and feel free to use thawed frozen mango chunks to reduce prep time even further)

Hydrate in the heat: Iced Green Tea Lemonade (add a pinch of Himalayan or sea salt to replenish electrolytes; also, green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid studied for positive effects it may have on brain health and anxiety reduction )

Cooldown Dessert: Chocolate Banana Ice Cream (this is truly a revelation – frozen bananas and cacao powder whipped up into a creamy, cool, tasty treat)