Tag Archives: healthy eating

Dark Chocolate Granola

Leave a reply

Happy New Year ! My first post of 2019 ! Do you have any new year resolution ? I am sure eating healthier is on everyone’s list, especially after the holiday indulgence…..but wait…..I still like my chocolates ?! So……let’s start with a recipe that has chocolate but also healthy and good for you ! How about granola ? It is easy to make and you can pretty much put whatever you like in there, nuts, seeds, dried fruits…..and yes, CHOCOLATES ! Use darker chocolate if you don’t mind the bitterness as it’s healthier. I used 85%, but if that’s too dark, you can use 60-70 %. Normally, I weigh all the ingredients in my recipe, but granola is very flexible, you can easily adjust the amount to your taste. 

I hope everyone is off to a good start this year ! Stay healthy and be happy !    

Makes about 2 cups     

  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 50 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used 85 %) 
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil 
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
  1. Preheat oven to 300ºF
  2. Mix together all dry ingredients 
  3. Add maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract, mix well
  4. Place a thin and even layer on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
  5. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring once
  6. Cool and store in air-tight container for up to 2 weeks

 

 

Advertisement

Date Energy Balls

6 Replies

Except my sweet tooth, I think I have a fairly healthy lifestyle. I exercise regularly, I eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, drink a lot of water. I try to avoid eating too much carbs and fat. And about a month ago, I started doing kickboxing classes ! Yes, isn’t that crazy ?! It is a pretty strenuous workout, but it’s a lot of fun ! And what a great way to release my stresses…..you know, I can just imagine I am punching my “enemies” …. LOL ! And after all the hard punching and kicking, I made these energy balls to treat myself ! They are delicious, nutritious and super easy to make ! Loaded with vitamins and minerals, they sure can give me a kick of energy before or after my class ! Medjool dates and nuts are however, fairly high in calories, so just keep in mind not to indulge yourself too much….even though they are so tasty and healthy !  

Makes about 12 balls

  • 90 g blanched almonds (or other nuts)
  • 250 g medjool dates (about 13-14 pitted dates)
  • 10 g chia seeds 
  • 15 g hemp protein powder 
  • 25 g cocoa powder 
  • 15 mL coconut oil 

  1. Put dates into a food processor and pulse until they are in small pieces 
  2. Add all other ingredients and blend until well combined
  3. Roll into one-inch balls
  4. Keep in refrigerator 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats 

4 Replies

Happy New Year ! This is my very first post of 2018 ! Hope you all had a good winter break. So, what are your New Year’s resolutions ? I bet eating healthier is one of them. For someone who loves sweets like myself, it can be a little tricky. I don’t want to refrain myself from sugar totally, but yet feel guilty at times having too much sugar. Everything in moderation I guess…..I do cook and bake at home as much as I can, trying to avoid the unnecessary additives. Luckily my kids, especially my daughter, also enjoy cooking. One day during her winter break, her friend came over and they made lunch together ! Not just a simple sandwich, but some impressive cheeseburgers, fettuccine Alfredo and Caesar salad from scratch ! And they didn’t need much of my help, I was just the cleaning lady ! The food tasted fantastic and the girls had so much fun. That’s a way better activity than playing video games ! 

Getting back to my “trying to be healthy” recipe…..Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats ! It’s yummy and super easy to make ! See this picture……..

That’s all you need ! So enjoy ! (BTW, my daughter and I were so excited when we found out how to do this illustrative picture ! We learned something new again !)  

Makes 1 serving 

  • 1/4 cup quick oats
  • 2 teaspoons chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 
  • 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter 
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup 
  • 1/2 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
  • 1/2 banana
  1. Mix all ingredients, except banana, in a mason jar
  2. Refrigerate overnight 
  3. Place banana pieces on top just before serving 

Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

2 Replies

I haven’t been blogging actively. It’s been such a busy summer and we were on vacation last week. I make this zucchini loaf all the time and I have been hoping to share it since May ! Somehow just never got around to it. Last week, the mom of my daughter’s best friend gave me a few gigantic zucchini fresh from her garden ! So I made this again and finally put the post together. It’s one of those sneaky recipes in which you can hide the vegetables ! My son doesn’t like sweets nor zucchini, but he would come back for more of this. I guess that means it tastes pretty good ! If you prefer, you can put them in muffin tins instead, just remember to adjust the baking time to about 20-25 minutes. 

Makes 2 mini loaves (dimensions of pan: 5.75 x 3.25 x 2.25 inches)

  • 120 g shredded zucchini
  • 180 g all-purpose flour
  • 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1.5 g baking powder
  • 1.5 g baking soda
  • 2 g salt
  • 50 g brown sugar
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 180 mL buttermilk
  • 30 mL vegetable oil
  • 2.5 mL pure vanilla extract
  • 60 g semi-sweet chocolate chips 
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F
    2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt
    3. Add both sugars
    4. In another bowl, mix together egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla
    5. Add wet ingredients into flour mixture, stir until just blended
    6. Fold in chocolate chips and zucchini (batter will be slightly runny)
    7. Pour into lightly greased and floured loaf pans
    8. Bake for about 40-45 minutes 

Tools that I used 

Chicago Metallic 59440 Commercial II Non-Stick Mini Loaf Pans, Set of 4

You can get the mini loaf pans through the Amazon website by clicking the above link. I will receive a small compensation if you purchase the item. 

Carrot Spelt Muffins with Maple Roasted Pecans (Vegan)

9 Replies

I guess by now everyone knows I love to bake.  Not only do I like to eat sweets, but I also get intrigued by how different ingredients work or not work together and the Science behind it. Yes, baking is an edible Science experiment ! And I have so much fun with these “Science projects” !  Vegan baking is even more interesting ! You don’t have your eggs to bind things together, you don’t have your dairy nor butter for nice creamy texture and rich flavours.  But there are actually many great alternatives and I realize I have a lot more to learn. This is the first time I bake with spelt flour. It can be used instead of whole wheat flour. It has a finer texture and a milder taste which I like.  For the roasted pecans, you won’t need the whole batch for the muffins, save the rest for a healthy snack !

Makes about 12 muffins

For the roasted pecans 

  • 100 g pecans
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup 
  • 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Pinch of salt 
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Coat pecans with rest of ingredients 
  3. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring once in between Maple Roasted Pecans

For the muffins

  • 225 g spelt flour
  • 1+1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • 60 g demerara or brown sugar 
  • 150 g unsweetened apple sauce 
  • 120 mL vegetable oil 
  • 60 mL unsweetened almond milk 
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup 
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
  • 200 g grated carrots 
  • 30 g maple roasted pecans, crushed 
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon 
  3. Mix in sugar 
  4. Stir in other wet ingredients
  5. Stir in grated carrots 
  6. Spoon into lightly greased paper or silicone muffin cups (you can fill them up a little fuller, as they don’t rise as much)
  7. Sprinkle crushed maple pecans on top 
  8. Bake in muffin tins for 25-30 minutes Carrot Spelt Muffins with Maple Roasted Pecans (Vegan)

Bran Frozen Yoghurt Cups

6 Replies

During the summer, when my kids are at home, they are always hungry, especially my son. I feel like I am feeding him constantly ! So, I like healthy snacks that are easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time. This recipe is really simple, even the kids can do it ! You probably already have all the ingredients at home and what I’ve made is very basic. You can choose your cereal, yoghurt and fruits. I am sure the kids would enjoy making and eating them ! I eat them after my workouts too !

Makes about 12 mini cups 

  • 50 g bran flakes 
  • 1 tablespoon honey (depends how sweet your cereal is)
  • 1+1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil 
  • 250 g vanilla-flavoured Greek yoghurt 
  • 50-100 g fresh or frozen fruits (I used fresh strawberries, blueberries and kiwi)
  1. Crush bran flakes into small pieces 
  2. Mix in honey and coconut oil 
  3. Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons into each small silicone cup and press down firmly to form base 
  4. Place in freezer for about 20 minutes to harden
  5. Spoon in yoghurt, then top with fresh fruits
  6. Freeze until set

 

 

Strawberry Banana Quinoa Smoothie (Vegan)

7 Replies

Quinoa (pronounced as “keenwah”) is a seed that is harvested from the goosefoot plant. It is a great source of protein, fibre and many vitamins and minerals. You can eat it like a grain, use it in salads, stuffing, burger patties, or in this recipe, a smoothie! You have to first cook it, but it’s very easy to do.  

To cook quinoa

Makes about 2 cups

  1. Rinse 1/2 cup of quinoa under water (to remove bitter taste)
  2. Add 1 cup of water, cook on medium heat over stove
  3. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to low, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes
  4. Remove cover, let sit for about 10 minutes
  5. Fluff with a spatula, let cool

To make smoothie

Makes about 2-3 servings

  • 2 ripe frozen bananas (cut in chunks and freeze)
  • 200 g fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup sweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk

Blend all ingredients together until smooth,serve immediately. Enjoy !

Homemade Granola

1 Reply

Granola is so easy to make, even my eight year old daughter can almost do it all by herself (except using the oven) ! You can make it as simple as ours, or you can add more of your favourites. Eat it with milk, yoghurt and fresh fruits as a healthy breakfast or snack.

Makes about 2 cups
Total time = 30 minutes

  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 2 tablespoons demerara or brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup blanched almond slices
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F
  2. Mix together oats, sugar, raisins and almonds
  3. Add oil, maple syrup and vanilla, mix well
  4. Place a thin and even layer on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
  5. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden, stirring once
  6. Cool and store in air-tight container for up to 2 weeks