Tag: holistic nutrition

Hot Chia Oats

Published on by soreiyaLeave a comment

I often motivate myself to get out of bed in the mornings with plans about what I am going to eat for breakfast.  While I don’t often have a lot of time in the AM, I have developed an arsenal of quick breakfast recipes that are quick, delicious and easy.

Oatmeal has been one of my favourite breakfast foods for a number of years.  It is delicious, healthy and filling – a total winner in my book.  Recently though I decided to up my oatmeal game.  Combined with one of my favourite superfoods chia seeds, lightly sweetened  with some raw honey and topped with fruit (blueberries are my favourite) and a drizzle of almond butter,  it may be super simple but hot chia oats is my new breakfast obsession.

You can make this recipe two ways – you can combine the ingredients in a jar or bowl the night before and store it in the refrigerator as a ready to eat cold breakfast the next morning, but my favourite way is to make it hot.  There is something comforting and nourishing about a hot breakfast (especially oatmeal) in the morning and this hot chia oats dish tastes indulgent but is filled with nourishing and nutritious ingredients.  Love!  Love!  Love!

Hot Chia Oats (serves 1)

1/4 cup of oats

1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds

1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk (or whichever type of milk you prefer)

1 teaspoon of raw honey or maple syrup (you can adjust the sweetness to your own taste)

pinch of cinnamon

Directions

Combine everything but the honey in a small pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally

Once the chia oat mixture starts to boil, remove from heat and stir in the raw honey (if using maple syrup, you can add it in while the oatmeal is still on the heat)

Top with fruit and your favourite nut butter

Enjoy!!!!!

I hope that you have a beautiful day!  XXS

 

4 Reasons Why Chia Seeds Should Be A Staple In Your Diet

Published on by soreiyaLeave a comment

Hi Everyone!

There are a handful of foods and spices that I consider staples in my diet.  They support my  health and nutritional goals and keep me looking and feeling great.  One food that I have loved from the first time that I tried it was chia seeds.  These little tiny seeds deliver many health and beauty benefits, so I am often surprised how few people actually eat them on a regular basis.

Native to Mexico, chia seeds was commonly eaten by the Aztecs and the Mayans to help support them through long journeys and during battles.  This tiny little seed is a food powerhouse that provides many vitamins and minerals along with energy, which is much needed to power through long and challenging days.  Here are my top four favourite reasons why you should regularly include chia seeds in your diet:

  1. It’s no secret that I love foods that help me to look good and chia seeds is one of my beautifying favourites.  Chia seeds are incredibly high in antioxidants which helps to repair free radical damage from the inside out along with helping to prevent premature aging of the skin.
  2. Bowel movements are not the pleasant topics to discuss but let’s face it – it is important and completely necessary to good health.  Chia seeds are high in dietary fibre (2 tbsp = 11g of fibre), which helps to promote regularity and a healthy stool.
  3. Chia seeds help to support dietary and weight loss goals as they are filling without a lot of calories.  This will keep you from overindulging later on and avoid any post binge guilt that you may feel.
  4. Chia seeds are a good source of Omega-3 which helps to tame any inflammation that you may have in your body.  The western diet is filled with many pro-inflammatory so any food that can help to combat this is something that you want to include in your diet.

Please note that chia seeds should not be consumed dry as it can be hazardous and potentially cause choking.  When mixed with a liquid it expands and becomes a gel similar to tapioca.  It makes a great binder as a replacement for eggs in baking and it is a wonderful addition to smoothies.  For a refreshing energy boost I like to stir a tablespoon of chia seeds into a glass of coconut water and drink it (once the seeds have gelled).

What is your favourite way to include chia seeds in your diet?

I hope that you have a fabulous day!  XXS

Cashew Butter Blondies

Published on by soreiya4 Comments

This recipe for cashew butter blondies came to me as an epiphany of sorts.  I love blondies and my favourite recipe in the past was curtesy of the Barefoot Contessa.  Rich, buttery and completely indulgent, those blondies were fun to eat but not so great for my health goals.  So with this year’s baking challenge I decided to include a lightened up blondie recipe.

I thought that cashew butter would be a great addition to blondies and I spent a lot time Googling recipes trying to figure out how to achieve my blondie dreams.  I tried a few recipes that I found, and while they were good they didn’t feel like the decadent treat that I was searching for.  Then I came across a recipe for grain free brownies that was simple and sounded delicious.  I decided to use that recipe as a base and adapt it into the blondie recipe I had been dreaming of.

This recipe is simple but delicious.  These blondies are flourless and can be refined sugar free if you omit the chocolate chips.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 500g jar cashew butter

1 cup (250ml) golden maple syrup

2 organic eggs

4 Madjool dates, pitted and mashed

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Pinch of Himalayan pink salt (or sea salt)

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp Baking soda

What to do:

Preheat oven to 320 degrees

Blend the dates and maple syrup until creamy

Mix in the cashew butter until completely integrated

Slowly stir in the eggs (one at a time)

Stir in the salt, cinnamon and baking soda

Gently fold in chocolate chips until just combined

Pour batter into a 8 X 8 pan lined with parchment paper

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until golden brown

Let cool before cutting into squares

img_1924

I hope that you have a beautiful day!  XXS

Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Brownies

Published on by soreiya1 Comment

Happy December Everyone!

I associate the holiday season with rich chocolate desserts more then anything else.  So while others have visions of sugar plums dancing I tend to dream of chocolate waltzing.  Bad joke?  Alright, I’ll stop before I hurt myself.

At the beginning of November I decided to challenge myself and create a few delicious dessert recipes that were decadent yet still moderately healthy treats. Eating well is a lifestyle not a diet which includes clean high quality foods that support your body without leaving you feeling deprived or overwhelmed.  To me, this includes desserts.  You don’t need to have an all or nothing approach when it comes to eating.  Simple swaps and little adjustments can make a big difference in your health and how you look and feel overall.  I created these recipes for my clients and for you, to give you options during the holiday season and beyond. For those of you who are intimidated by baking please note that I am not a baker by any means, I just really like to eat.  It’s also important to me to know what is in my food. These recipes are simple, easy and require minimal skill, ingredients or effort.  My kitchen is literally in a closet and I have zero counter space, yet these recipes still came together beautifully – if I can do it, I have faith that you can too.

First up: Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Brownies

These dark chocolate chunk brownies are the most perfect dessert that I have ever baked.  Rich, dense, moist and oh so good.  Did I mention that they are gluten free and refined sugar free?!?!

Cue happy dance

This amazing recipe has officially become my go to dessert recipe when I need a sweet treat.

Please note: All of the ingredients that I used when making these little bites of heaven were organic, but I understand that buying organic that can be a little pricey, so just try to keep your ingredients as clean and as high quality as your budget will allow.

Ingredients:

4 madjool dates (pitted and mashed)

1 cup of pure dark maple syrup

1 365g jar of creamy almond butter

2 medium organic eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1 heaping tablespoon of chunky almond butter

pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt (or regular sea salt)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup of organic dark chocolate chunks (minimum 70%) plus some more for the top

What to do:

Pre-heat oven to 320

Line 8 X 8 pan with parchment paper

Beat the maple syrup and dates until creamy (I used a blender for this part to ensure that the dates were completely integrated)

Mix in the creamy almond butter, this will make the mixture extremely thick so slowly add in the almond milk to loosen up the batter and make it easier to mix

Slowly add the eggs

Add raw cacao, baking soda and salt and mix well until fully incorporated

Stir in the chunky almond butter and the chocolate chunks

Pour the batter into pan and top with extra chocolate chunks

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes

If you can resist eating some straight out of the pan before the brownies have cooled you are officially my new hero.  I on the other hand burned the inside of my mouth – it was totally worth it.

Enjoy! XXS

img_9993

A Simple Detox Ritual To Start Your Day

Published on by soreiyaLeave a comment

Starting your day with hot water and lemon has often been suggested on every wellness blog and detox blog that I have ever read or perused.  I began to include hot water with honey and lemon into my morning ritual about 10 years ago after reading about the metabolism and immunity boosting benefits that it provided.  I began this ritual when I was in fashion school full time and working full time – I couldn’t afford to get sick. I truly believe that this simple ritual helped to keep me healthy.  Over the years I have adjusted this drink, at times I omitted the honey and included a pinch of turmeric and black pepper or a few drops of turmeric oil for an anti-inflammatory boost.  But drinking a mug of hot water with fresh lemon has remained a constant to my morning ritual over the years.

Because I often read about the benefits of drinking this simple warming drink, I just assumed that it is something that everyone does. But after working with clients and speaking with friends and family over the past few years, I have learned that I was wrong.  Despite the plethora of evidence supporting this simple detox ritual, many people have yet to get on board.  If you are one of those people – don’t feel bad, but I would like to encourage you to include this simple drink into your morning routine.

Reasons to begin this detox ritual:

  1. It helps to rehydrate your body by replacing fluids you may have lost during the night while sleeping
  2. Aids digestion as the lemon juice helps to flush out unwanted toxins and waste from the body
  3. Boosts your immune system, lemons are a great source of vitamin C and honey is anti-bacterial.
  4. Helps to balance your body’s PH level. Disease thrives in an acidic environment within the body and lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods (once metabolized), so they are superstars when it comes to re-balancing your body’s PH to a healthier level.
  5. Helps to keep you skin clear.  Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant which combats free radicals, this in turn helps to decrease wrinkles and blemishes and boosts your glow factor.
  6. Aids in weight loss.  The pectin fibre in lemons helps to squash hunger cravings and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

What to do:

  • It’s a good idea to use spring or filtered water as you want to keep it as clean as possible
  • Use warm – hot (not boiling) water
  • Squeeze the juice of half of a fresh lemon into a mug
  • Pour in the hot water
  • Optional additions to your lemon water: half a teaspoon of raw or Manuka honey, a pinch of turmeric powder/a few slivers or raw turmeric/3 -4 drops of turmeric oil with a bit of black pepper

Some people may feel that including a mug of hot lemon water to their mornings may be time consuming and that they just don’t have the time for it as they rush to start their day.  I would suggest that if you are one of those people, then try to include this ritual into your mornings a few times a week when you are not so rushed (weekends perhaps?).  Another option is to fill your travel mug with hot lemon water to sip on your way to work and have your first coffee when you arrive at work.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Do you have any detox rituals that you swear by?  Let me know in the comments below!

I hope that you have a wonderful day!  XXS