Yummy Vegan Alfredo Sauce

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I found this easy and very quick pasta sauce that you can make in 5 minutes. It’s dairy and gluten-free so it’s great for the Elimination Diet. My whole family loves it! Here is a picture of last night’s dinner.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

INGREDIENTS [YIELDS 12 OZ. SAUCE]

1 c. coconut milk [the canned kind] 1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1 medium clove of garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Mince the garlic and add all of the ingredients to a blender. Blend until the consistency is smooth and creamy – you know, like alfredo sauce. Pour it over any pasta you’d like and warm quickly with the rest of your hot pasta and other toppings.

This week, I added broccoli to my boiling pasta and cooked diced chicken at the very end. My pasta choice is a rice and quinoa pasta I found at Costco. I suppose the whole meal isn’t vegan but the sauce is so enjoy!

 

The link to the original source is here at The Fitchen.com

 

 

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May Detox – What Goes In?

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Many people decide to do a detox during the spring months but focusing on what’s going in your body is just as important as what’s going out of your body.

During a spring detox, you will most likely be looking at foods or herbs to help you with your detox. What about the other things that you intake? How about the air you breathe, the liquid you drink, and what you put on your skin?

spring detox

Quality of Air

Everything that comes into our body we must use or shuttle back out. During a detox (and really all the time) it’s another great opportunity to lessen your exposure to toxic chemicals and freshen your air naturally. We are exposed to many chemicals in our regular environment. Try starting at home by eliminating artificial air fresheners and chemical based cleaners. Try essential oils, home cooking, or good old baking soda to help freshen your air. There are also a multitude of green home cleaning suggestions and recipes you can find online.

More research is being conducted that shows us the connection between air pollution and conditions such as asthma, allergies, and even autism. Invest in a high quality air purifier for your home like Blue Air or IQ Air.

Quality of Liquid

During a detox you should still to liquids such as:

  • Purified water (not in small pastic bottles)
  • 100% fruit or vegetable juice
  • Herbal teas

We know that too much pop and sugary drinks are not very nutritious or good for our health. Give your body a break from the junk and drink clean, pure liquids your body knows how to deal with.

The quality of your water is important too. There are different opinions on which type of water is best.

City Water Thoroughly tested and treated however contains things like bromine and chlorine which can cause some issues for some sensitive people. Buy a chlorine shower filter for your shower head.
Reverse Osmosis Nothing is left in the water. Very pure, clean tasting. However, some believe the water is “dead” as nothing is left in it.
Bottled water – 500ml etc Quality of water is questionable as they don’t have as strict standards. Plastic leaching into the water is a toxin for your body – drink water in glass, ceramic or stainless steel.
Alkaline water All toxins have been removed and then it is remineralized for your benefit. Some suggest starting slowly to incorporate this into your diet.

 

During your detox I would recommend you stick to reverse osmosis water or alkaline water. See your local water suppliers like Aquamart.

Quality of Food

Eat real food – this is a great mantra for your spring detox. Eat things that have one ingredient in the label. For example: carrots, quinoa, chicken. Avoid things in a box or can or prepared with preservatives or other chemicals. You can season your own food and start from scratch.

Should I go organic?

Every year the Environmental Working Group analyzes the fruits and vegetables available in the grocery store. They rank them from the most contaminated with pesticides to the least contaminated. Here are the top 12 aka “The Dirty Dozen of 2014.”

  1. Apples
  2. Strawberries
  3. Grapes
  4. Celery
  5. Peaches
  6. Spinach
  7. Sweet Bell Peppers
  8. Nectarines
  9. Cucumbers
  10. Cherry Tomatoes
  11. Snap Peas
  12. Potatoes

Quality of Skin Care

Your skin absorbs the things you put on it. For a true detox, try to limit the products you use on a daily basis. Look at your moisturizers, makeup, shaving cream etc. Women put a multitude of products on our skin, hair, face and nails every day. Take an inventory of the number of products you use and you might be surprised the actual number and the ingredient lists on those containers.

For your detox try to limit what you normally use. Try coconut oil in your hair as a smooth finisher after blow-drying. How about olive oil, coconut oil or almond oil on your skin? If you can eat it, you can also put it on your skin. My personal favourite moisturizer is by Kiss My Face, which you can find at the health food store or in the health food section at big grocery stores.

So, when does your detox start?

Watch for more great tips here on our blog!

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Do This, Not That – Spring Tips

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We are exposed to so many chemicals in our modern society so the small things you can do to reduce your exposure will go a long way to keeping you and your family as healthy as possible. Here’s a little list of things you can slowly do or change at home for a healthier environment.

Do This Not That
Wear slippers or have indoor shoes Avoid wearing your shoes indoors – they pick up lots of chemicals, pesticides, and germs from outside
Air your dry-leaning out in your garage or car trunk for a week Don’t bring your dry-cleaning into the house right away
Use essential oils, soy or beeswax candles, use baking soda to deodorize Avoid using air fresheners or most commercial scented candles
Use plain soap and water for cleaning when possible, use watered-down vinegar instead of anti-microbial products Avoid scented cleaning supplies and laundry detergent
Use zero- or low-VOC paints Avoid paint that isn’t labeled zero- or low-VOC
Heat food on the stove in a stainless steel or glass pot or cast-iron pan Avoid Teflon-coated pans or re-heating food in plastic in the microwave

 

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Why Oysters Might Not Be a Sexy Food

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When people talk about the aphrodisiac foods, they talk about chocolate and oysters as the two biggest foods to get us in the mood. This may be the case, but you might want your man to avoid oysters and get him going in other ways.

Oysters are one of the foods that accumulates cadmium a toxic heavy metal, which is associated with increased immobile sperm. A study was published in the journal of Environmental Health in January 2011. They found that the presence of lead and cadmium in the reproductive tract of men was associated with increased percentage of immotile sperms. So, there was a correlation between high levels of heavy metals and men’s little swimmers that stopped swimming.

According to the World Health Organization, human exposure to cadmium occurs mainly from consuming contaminated foods, active and passive inhalation of tobacco smoke and inhalation by workers in the metal industry; mining, smelting, refining and fossil fuel combustion.

How can your man reduce his exposure to cadmium?

  • Limit or avoid oysters, scallops, mussels and crustaceans which accumulate cadmium
  • Quit smoking or avoid inhaling it around his friends. The tobacco plant accumulates cadmium in its leaves

Resources:

  1.  Environ Health. 2011 Jan 19;10(1):6. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-10-6. Relationships between heavy metal concentrations in three different body fluids and male reproductive parameters: a pilot study
  2. http://www.who.int/ipcs/features/cadmium.pdf

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Apricot Breakfast Bars

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Delicious gluten-free and dairy-free protein packed bar.
Delicious gluten-free and dairy-free protein packed bar.

 

Steve has been off on paternity leave since June taking care of our little Jillian but he’s heading back to work this week. This is going to make my life a little more chaotic especially for mornings. I needed a quick breakfast to eat because I won’t have him with me helping to get myself and her out the door on time.

I found this recipe in Elana’s Pantry and made it last night. The house smelled amazing as it was baking! It tastes like a nutty cake with apricot flavour. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly and delicious. This morning I had a pie-slice of it with half a banana and felt full until lunch.

  • 1 cup dried apricots
  • 2 cups pecans
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chocolate chips of your choice, or none whatsoever
  1. Place apricots and pecans in a food processor and pulse until the texture of coarse gravel
  2. Pulse in eggs, salt and vanilla, until mixture forms a ball
  3. Remove mixture from food processor and work in chocolate chips
  4. Place mixture in a greased 8×8 baking dish or pie plate
  5. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°
  6. Cool and serve

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Curried Butternut Squash & Pear Soup

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My great friend Amy shared this recipe with me. It was titled “Lindsay’s Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup” so I can’t give full credit to the original author. It was easy to make and has great flavours. I’ve added in my notes for you throughout.

Roasted butternut squash
Roasted butternut squash

This is a perfect soup for a cold winter day!

squash soup2

Ingredients:

  • 1 (2lb) butternut squash
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter (could use coconut oil)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3)
  • 2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 4 cups chicken broth (I used my homemade chicken broth – so easy from scratch!)
  • 2 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch dice
  • 1/2 cup half & half (I didn’t add any milk, you could add coconut or almond milk to make Dairy-free)

 

The finished product! Made about 4 good servings - Perfect for lunch!
The finished product! Made about 4 good servings – Perfect for lunch!

Directions:

  1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven until veyr soft, about 45 minutes. Scoop the pulp from the peel, and reserve.
  3. Melt the butter (coconut oil) in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the pears and the reserved squash, and simmer until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.
  4. Pour the soup into a blender or use an immersion blender to blend. Stir in the milk or milk substitute and serve warm.

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