Today was a busy day that started really early with a butt-kicking Booty Camp workout at 6 am. Around 3 this afternoon I started to crash a little and rather than reaching for coffee, I revved up my amazing Hurom juicer and made this refreshing, invigorating green lemonade.
Green Apple Lemonade
½ cucumber
1 Granny Smith apple
½ lemon with peel
1 inch piece of ginger root
2-3 kale leaves
1 cup water
Run all ingredients through the juicer and enjoy!
Turmeric, a spice frequently used in Indian cuisine, offers amazing health benefits. This bright yellow spice has long been used in Chinese and Indian traditional medicine and is a powerful anti-inflammatory. In fact, studies have shown it to be comparable to pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories, like hydrocortisone and ibuprofen (i.e. Motrin, Advil), without the negative side effects.
Turmeric has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Turmeric protects the gastrointestinal tract lining. Its protective effect comes from both its antioxidant activities and its ability to inhibit inflammatory agents.
The powerful antioxidant properties of turmeric protect the cells from damage caused by free radicals. This is particularly useful in the treatment of arthritis where free radicals are often the cause of painful joint inflammation. Turmeric has been found to reduce the duration of morning stiffness, increase comfortable walking time and reduce joint swelling in those with arthritic pain.
Turmeric supports liver function by increasing liver detoxification efficiency. The combination of anti-oxidant action and enhanced liver detoxification mitigates the effects of several dietary carcinogens.
Turmeric is also an incredibly potent anti-cancer agent; its powerful antioxidant capacity protects cells from damage and genetic mutations that precede cancer. Curcumin, the active constituent of turmeric, also aids the body in the destruction of cancerous cells while sparing healthy cells. Turmeric is also beneficial in the prevention of metastasis, the spreading of cancer from one site to another, by regulating the genes involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells.
Turmeric is available in many forms including the cooking spice, capsules and liquids but one of my favorite ways to enjoy it is in a spicy, warming latte. This latte has a number of other spices and health-promoting ingredients as well as a good dose of turmeric.
Turmeric Latte (inspired by Meghan Telpner’s Turmeric Tea)
½ cup almond milk or milk substitute of choice
2 tsp turmeric (or more if you want)
1 ½ tsp hemp hearts/seeds
½ tsp maca powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp cloves
Sprinkle of nutmeg
½ tsp vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract
1 tsp local raw honey
1 tbsp vanilla Sunwarrior protein powder
1 tsp coconut oil
1 ½ – 2 cups hot water
These were supposed to be zucchini muffins but I realized that I forgot to buy a zucchini after I began mixing the dry ingredients together so I had to change my plan on the fly. This became a happy accident and I was really happy with the results after swapping carrot for the zucchini.
Ingredients:
3 cups almond oat flour (I made this by grinding raw almonds and gluten-free certified oats in my blender)
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup maple syrup (vegan) or local raw honey
4 carrots, grated (I am betting that doing ½ the carrots and some chopped pineapple would be amazing too)
3 chia eggs (3 chia eggs = 3 tbsp ground chia mixed with 1 cup hot water and allowed to sit until gel forms)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
• Preheat oven to 350°
• Mix almond-oat flour, coconut oil, honey and carrot
• Add chia eggs, cinnamon, baking soda and sea salt
• Mix well
• Bake in muffin tin lined with unbleached muffin/cupcake liners for
about 20 minutes
I recently tried my hand at a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe courtesy of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef. It was their version of David Leite’s chocolate chip cookies and I cannot put into words how delicious these cookies were.
The most challenging part about this recipe is that after you prepare the cookie dough, you have to store it in the refrigerator untouched for 36 hour. This tested every ounce of patience and will power I have. As soon as the dough was mixed, I desperately wanted to put a pan of cookies in the oven for immediate gratification; the very idea that I had to wait 36 hours seemed like a cruel form of punishment. I managed to cover the cookie-dough filled bowl and hide it in the depth of my refrigerator behind my least favorite condiments to reduce any temptation to either stuff myself full of raw cookie dough or to bake a pan of warm gooey cookies before that tortuous 36 hour wait was over.
This morning, when the 36th hour had passed and I couldn’t wait any longer, I rolled the dough into balls as quickly as I could and thrust the first pan into the oven. These cookies are the epitome of a perfect chocolate chip cookie and rival even their gluten-filled counterparts…crispy and cracked on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle.
I will confess to making a few minor modifications to the recipe:
There has been a jar of Thompsons Wild Blueberry Maple Syrup sitting on a shelf in my cupboard since the last time my parents visited from Nova Scotia. This morning I was inspired to try it out on a single serving batch of gluten-free vegan pancakes. It was definitely a risk since the last few times I have attempted to make pancakes I have ended up with gummy, dense, rubbery, inedible discs and I didn’t want to waste this beautiful sauce that reminds me of home. In August and September, the fields near my family cottage turn to great expanses of blue indicating that the blueberry pickers will soon be out raking up the little gems.
Pancakes for One
½ cup gluten free flour blend (any all purpose flour blend will do)
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp stevia or sweetener of choice (optional)
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
½ tsp vanilla
½ tbsp oil (I used coconut oil)
Optional: any mix-ins you like (eg. blueberries, chocolate chips, diced apples, etc)
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and sweetener. Stir in the almond milk, vanilla and oil. If you are adding any mix-ins to your pancakes fold them in gently. Pour ¼-1/2 cup scoops of batter into a heated frying pan or griddle and allow to cook until golden brown on each side. Stack on a plate and enjoy!
I topped mine with Thompson’s Wild Blueberry Maple Syrup but fresh fruit would also be amazing on these or plain maple syrup.
It was such a beautiful summer day today that there was no denying a smoothie was going to be a necessity. Not just any smoothie would do, I had a craving for something pink, slightly chocolaty and loaded with antioxidants to help protect my skin from sun damage. Cherries have an abundance of anthocyanins, which help to reduce oxidative stress. Studies have also shown that the anthocyanins in cherries may help to prevent muscle pain related to intense exercise.
Super Antioxidant Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
½ -1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ frozen banana
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used Natural Factors Whey Factors)
1 cup frozen cherries
1 tsp dark cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground flax seed
Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy.
Even Edison wanted some of this smoothie.