Archive for January 2013

Coconut Flour Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

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Since trying the Paleo Diet, I have been looking for alternative ways to have something sweet. I’ve been experimenting with coconut flour and I have to say it’s my new favourite thing! Coconut flour is definitely a delicious alternative to wheat and has many health benefits.

Health Facts on Coconut Flour
*   High in dietary fiber and protein
*  Gluten Free and Hypoallergenic
*   Contains lauric acid - helping the immune system fight off fungus, bacteria, and viruses
*   Contains manganese – essential to protect the thyroid gland
*   Easy to digest

My very good friend Kiran made me lemon poppy seed muffins while I was living with her in NYC and I was craving them again so I thought I would share this recipe I found on Pinterest using coconut flour! They turned out really delicious and moist. Everyone enjoyed themJ

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp baking soda
3 eggs
¼ cup honey
¼ cup oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp poppy seeds

1. In a small bowl combine dry ingredients, coconut flour, salt and baking soda.
2. In a large bowl, blend together eggs, honey, oil and lemon zest with hand mixer.
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet ingredients with hand mixer.
4. Fold in poppy seeds with spoon.
5. Spoon in 3 tablespoons into each muffin liner. (My batter made about 8 cupcakes)
6. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Cool and Serve!



Sources:
http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/cooking_with_coconut_flour
http://www.whatkatiesbaking.com/2012/01/06/lemon-poppy-seed-muffins-made-with-coconut-flour-gluten-free/

Cha Cha Cha Chia!

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I absolutely love breakfast. It is my favourite meal of the day! With going back to school I had to find a quick and easy breakfast. For Christmas I was very lucky to receive a Magic Bullet from Tom and I knew that it would be exactly what I need in the mornings to make some smoothies!

Many people lately have been talking about chia seeds so I thought I would try them out in my smoothies. They are the MOST concentrated food source of omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds have more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon (ounce for ounce)!

Chia seeds are known to be "super" as they are loaded with lots of nutrients with minimal amount of calories. Some nutrients include:

  • Fiber 
  • Calcium (2X more than milk)
  • Antioxidants (3X more than blueberries)
  • Iron (3X more than spinach)
  • Potassium (2X more than bananas)
  • Protein 
Health benefits include:

  • increases energy levels 
  • helps keep you fuller longer 
  • normalizes blood sugar
  • gets rid of toxins 
  • promotes hydration
  • helps to lower blood pressure
  • lowers cholesterol 
  • improves overall health

So try out chia seeds and let me know what you think.
You can also add chia to yogurt, make a pudding or add them to your granola!

Here is one of my favourite recipes:


1 Banana
Handful Blueberries
6-7 Strawberries
5 tbsp Almond Milk
2 tbsp Ground Flax Seeds (make sure to buy flax seeds and grind them yourself in a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder, as store bought ground flax may not contain the beneficial essential oils)
1 tsp Chia Seeds
1 tbsp Growing Naturals Rice Protein Vanilla
1/2 tsp ginger 
4 Ice Cubes




Sources:
http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/lindsey-duncan-nd-cn/chia-ancient-super-secret
http://www.thegardenbasket.ca/nourishing-news/the-amazing-health-benefits-of-chia-seeds/

IGNITE the FLAME

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The first week of school was truly an inspiring and exhilarating experience. The first day of school was on my birthday, which I was really excited about. It was an amazing day filled with meeting my new classmates and listening to speeches by the president of the school and naturopathic doctors (Dr. Andrea and Maxim and Dr. Raza Shah).  We then had the opportunity to participate in the Unity Summit at Teen Ranch in Orangeville as orientation to get to know our classmates.

Unity Summit was a lot of fun. I got to know many of my classmates, go horseback riding, listen to a couple more NDs talk about their experience at the school and working life and eat lots of great food! The theme of our class is IGNITE, symbolizing unity, perseverance, etc. My favourite part was listening to the NDs talk about their experiences. Just listening to some of their stories gave me goosebumps as I am truly excited to one day, be given the ability to positively impact the lives of other individuals through naturopathic medicine. Lots of emotions run through your mind when first starting something new such as anticipation, fear, excitement and happiness. I know that January 7, 2013 was the start of the rest of my life and I am immensely excited to IGNITE the FLAME with the Class of 2016. 





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