As a part of my gluten free experiment, I decided I was going to try my delicious carrot cake recipe without wheat! Stephen and I made this and took it to my parents house for Mother’s Day on the weekend. It was really awesome…even my dad enjoyed it!

Carrot Cake (vegan without icing)

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup buckwheat flour

2/3 cup flax/chia meal blend (or half and half separate if you can’t find it)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup agave

1 cup agave (to replace sugar and brown sugar)

3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (instead of oil)

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup drained crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped pecans (for the top)

Now as for the icing… I was never a really big fan of cream cheese icing… so I had mine served with plain greek yogurt (healthier choice). But for those who prefer the traditional icing (and don’t mind the calories).. go for it!

1 pkg  cream cheese, softened (250g)

1/4 cup butter or butter substitute ( I use Earth Balance Spread)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup icing sugar (you probably won’t find this organic)

Directions:

Mix all the wet ingredients into one bowl and the dry into another then gently fold them together and place in a square pan (greased with Coconut Oil (instead of butter)) and bake at 350 for 45 mins or until a tester comes out clean.

Top with whatever your heart desires!! I love berries, nuts and apple butter, but there really is no limit here 

Share/Bookmark/Email

I have been following a gluten free lifestyle for one full week now! Avoiding gluten, that sneaky devil, has proven to be quite an adventure. It truly requires your full attention at all times when it comes to eating, those with sensitivities have to be mindful of each and every bite they put in their mouth. After just one week, I have a pretty good idea of how much effort it really takes to remove gluten and still eat a well balanced diet… its not easy!

Mindful eats

As previously mentioned, during the week, have been filling up on my delicious Green Zebra delivery meals, but come the weekend I am left to fend or myself.

On Friday I had a wonderful dinner with Hayleigh at Fresh. This is the perfect place to venture for someone who has a lot of dietary specifics. They even have a secondary gluten free menu and lots of ways to customize your meals in order to meet your dietary needs, whatever they may be. I wasn’t able to order many of my regular items from their menu, but of course like everything at Fresh it was amazing and it was good to try new things! Being Friday, Hayl and I decided to indulge a little and ordered some sweet potato fries (cooked in the same fryer as gluten, which may be problematic for those who are severely sensitive,) this was fine until I went to go for the ketchup and had to stop myself to really think about what is in ketchup. I could recall all of the major ingredients like tomatoes, liquid sugar etc, but I wasn’t certain it was gluten free. Condiments are one of the major things you have to look out for, gluten, makes its way into a lot of sauces, marinades and the like, so always read your labels! We were very curious so we pulled out our phones and pulled it up on Google, turns out Heinz ketchup is gluten free, which I was happy about because the sweet potatoes just wouldn’t have been the same without.

Hayl mentioned that there is a gluten free app for iphones which would be a great resource for those just starting off.

Saturday I ventured out of the city for a little escape with some friends, I had tried my best to plan ahead by packing snacks and gluten free choices, because I knew my choices would be pretty limited. Since there wasn’t too much in the fridge when we arrived, we decided to head into town to get lunch and groceries for the rest of the weekend. Being with a group of guys, they decided to go to Montana’s because there weren’t too many other options. Knowing my fate before even setting foot in the door, I went in to peruse their menu a little. Reading between the lines it read: GLUTEN, MEAT and more GLUTEN ha! I had a good laugh and ended up ordering a rather bland iceberg lettuce (nutritionally void) salad. Oh well, I guess I cannot expect a steak house chain to even begin to cater to gluten free, vegetarians… it is kind of a oxymoron. I went home and made myself a little quinoa salad to make up for what my Montana’s experience was lacking.

Broiled Bananas

We really stepped our game up with dinner however… it was pretty impressive. Josh and Christine who had been following my posts and blog, were kind enough to bring up some gluten free appetizers- Beanitos and dip- delicious, I must say! Busy in the kitchen, we cooked up lots of goodies such as fiddleheads, asparagus, broccoli, tomato, avocado, quinoa and scallops (for those who chose to eat them). For dessert they also brought bananas so that we could make my Broiled Banana recipe- This made me so very happy! It was SO delicious and SO nutritious and… oh yeah, gluten free!

Overall, I am really enjoying this experiment so far and I am learning lots even about my own diet patterns. When eating out of the house, I have noticed that I eat bread when I don’t really need it, but simply eat it because it is there.  In the future, I will be more mindful of this habit and I will try to replace it with a healthier choice. Eating gluten free is great because it really limits the amount of processed foods that you eat. While there are delicious gluten free goodies available at select restaurants and health food outlets, they come around a lot less often depending on where you dine. Having a restricted diet also makes you really appreciate the healthy alternatives to conventional snacks and treats even more. I was so pleasantly surprised by the thoughtfulness of my friends, they were very encouraging and respected my gluten free commitment. It sure did make it easier.

 Follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

Share/Bookmark/Email

Day 3…So far so good!

I have been eating gluten free now for the past few days as a part of my gluten free experiment. But I will attribute most of my ease to  my food delivery from my new favourite, Green Zebra Kitchen. Dan and Gregg the owners of Green Zebra in Toronto provide super tasty, organic,  gluten free, vegan and locally sourced meals, weekly. This is my second week trying their delivery system and I LOVE IT! It is by far the healthiest, most sustainable and wholesome option for me at this stage in my life. Before Green Zebra, I was going out to all the restaurants around my work everyday for lunch and spending at least 15$ on one of the very few nutritious and vegetarian options (which got very monotonous after a while). Not only is it some of the healthiest food that is available with delivery, it is SO affordable! I would much rather spend my money on the food, knowing it is simply the best! Work and yoga keep me super busy so it is hard to find the time to cook every night, so it is very nice to not have to worry about cooking or sourcing out the foods my body deserves!

I love that it gets delivered every Monday evening in cute little dishes for the week ahead. Before work everyday I just portion some out in a glass tupperware and I am out the door. Makes it so easy to eat properly with such a busy schedule, in fact, I don’t know what I did without it! They deliver everywhere in the downtown area so it is super handy.

All of their meals are wholesome, nutritious and delicious! You can pick and choose which meal choices you want, the quantity and they also have a wide variety of sides and treats. Make sure you try the Red Pepper, Pomegranate & Walnut Dip, it is to die for! The menu changes every week and I am already looking forward to seeing whats up for next week…

Check out their website and menu for next week… be sure to get your order in my Friday nights at 5pm! www.greenzebrakitchen.com

Green Zebra Kitchen Delivery

Share/Bookmark/Email

Whenever I get a chance, I love to bake!! I got busy in the kitchen with Stephen a few nights ago, baking up a storm! We decided on Carrot Cake, a delicious treat… made healthy! I posted the picture below on my Facebook and Twitter and I got many requests for the recipe… so here it is!

Please note that all of the ingredients used are ORGANIC.  In my opinion, buying organic is one of the most important steps you can take to a healthier you. It does cost a little more, but think of it as an investment in your health. GMO and conventional products are just too risky for me! Keep your eyes out for my new article on To Go Organic or Not?

 Carrot Cake (vegan without icing)

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup flax meal

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup agave

1 cup agave (to replace sugar and brown sugar)

3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (instead of oil)

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup drained crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped pecans (for the top)

Now as for the icing… I was never a really big fan of cream cheese icing… so I had mine served with plain greek yogurt (healthier choice). But for those who prefer the traditional icing (and don’t mind the calories).. go for it!

1 pkg  cream cheese, softened (250g)

1/4 cup butter or butter substitute ( I use Earth Balance Spread)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup icing sugar (you probably won’t find this organic)

Directions:

Mix all the wet ingredients into one bowl and the dry into another then gently fold them together and place in a square pan (greased with Coconut Oil (instead of butter)) and bake at 350 for 40 mins.

Top with whatever your heart desires!! I love berries, nuts and apple butter, but there really is no limit here

Share/Bookmark/Email

I was on the treadmill a few days ago and it struck me like a lightening bolt- I need to try a gluten free diet! So starting Tuesday, May 1st, I will eat gluten free foods for an entire month! Why would I do this if I am not sensitive to gluten? The food industry puts gluten in just about everything these days as a filler. The over abundance of gluten in our diets is slowly but surely affecting the masses. So many of us are diagnosed with celiac disease everyday and are left stunned, looking around like “now what?”. It is a massive lifestyle adjustment and we need to arm ourselves with knowledge about the foods we eat (or in this case, can’t eat).  Personally, I want to get a better feel for it and this experiment will deepen my understanding of the challenges that people with celiac disease and gluten intolerances encounter on a daily basis. By doing this, it will allow me to better connect with my clients who require strict gluten free diets, blogging through my journey will provide me the opportunity to do what I do best, share and create awareness!

I just went to my favourite health food store around the corner from my work and stocked up on lots of gluten free snacks! Unknowingly, I already eat lots of gluten free products, the only thing that I regularly indulge on that isn’t appropriate for this diet is spelt or kamut bread (yum, for those who can tolerate it)!

Gluten Free Goodies

Follow my gluten free experiment on Facebook & Twitter, stay tuned for lots more tips on how to life a healthy, happy, gluten free life!

Share/Bookmark/Email

Sunday Funday was spent my good friends Irina and Ray…so nice to all spend time together as it had been a while. Our friend Bianka had mentioned these yummy vegan brownies she made one day and I asked for the recipe! So here it is (with my little twist of course)!!


1/2 apple sauce


1 tbsp melted coconut oil


3/4 cup agave nectar  (or to your desired sweetness)

note: You can add organic brown sugar to this as well to add to the sweetness if agave doesn’t cut it, I didn’t but that is just me


1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup  ground flax and chia blend

1 1/2 tsp baking soda


1 tsp salt


2 cups finely grated zucchini (drain excess water if there is any)

2 handfuls of chopped walnuts

Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix all of the wet ingredients in one bowl

Ideally, mix all of the dry ingredients in another (we forgot this step, but it all worked out fine! )

Spread it out into a brownie pan that you have coated the inside with more coconut oil

Sprinkle the top with the chopped pecans… as many as you would like! Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean!

You can top your brownies with whatever you like! Ray and Irina had  Organic Coconut Ice Cream (organic,vegan, gluten-free, lactose/dairy free-found at Whole foods) on the side and I had mine with a side of Greek yogourt, apple butter and berries. The options are endless so get creative!!

Irina took some home and tried it with this as a frosting…. YUM!! 

Follow YOGABOOTY’s healthy living adventures on Facebook and Twitter!!

Share/Bookmark/Email

On my days off I love to bake and play around in the kitchen. But what I love even more is deconstructing recipes, finding areas where there is room for improvement (nutritionally speaking) and recreating a healthier, more complete version. See my entry on Substitutions for great tips on how to make your cooking and baking a little more nutritionally sound.

This week I tried baking this same Banana Bread twice, the first attempt was with the lovely Irina Andreea and the second Miss Hayleigh Clark. Made a few tweaks to the recipe and I have to say, we really nailed it the second time! The perfect combination of both flavour and nutrition!

Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients:

Dry

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup oats

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ cup cacao nibs

 ½ cup wheat bran

½ cup ground flaxseeds

Wet

2 Large over ripe bananas

½ cup Greek yogurt

½ cup raw organic agave

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

+

1 ripe banana for slices on the top

1 handful of sliced almonds for the top

Topping:

-Banana slices.

-Crushed or chopped nuts of your choice! Walnuts, pecans or almonds are awesome choices.

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

3-In a separate bowl, mush the bananas with the back of a fork and begin mixing in all the wet ingredients.

4- Slowly begin mixing the two together.

5- Place in a lightly greased loaf baking tin. For a little added banana burst, put half in the dish and then make a banana layer in the middle. Then dress the top with whatever your heart desires!

6- Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7-Serve with a scoop of low fat Greek yogurt, apple butter and berries. Enjoy! Soooo delicious!!

Share/Bookmark/Email

What better to spend a dreary Labour Day Monday then baking with a friend! Irina Andreea and I set out to create a the perfect treat, that is yummy and guilt-free here is what we came up with! Enjoy!

Apple Crisp Delight

3 Small Royal Gala Apples

Handful of Blueberries

1 cup of Organic Oats

1 Scoop TrueStrength (vanilla protein powder)

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup water

1 tbsp Organic Agave Nectar

Healthy additions (optional):

-ground flax

-1 tbsp Hemp Oil

-Apple Sauce

-Apple Butter

-Frozen Yogurt

-Greek Yogurt

-Pumpkin Seeds

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 375 C

2-Start by washing and thinly slicing your apples. Keep the skin on for a little extra fibre. Sprinkle them with a pinch of flour, ensuring an even coating. Top with the handful of blueberries.

3-In a bowl begin to mix together the oats, protein powder, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Here you can add in the ground flax seeds, ground salba and or wheat germ if you would like.

4-Begin slowly adding the water to the dry mixture, you want to create a dough texture. Add more if needed!

5-Layer the apples in a square baking dish and thinly spread the wet mixture on top, using the back of a spoon.

6-Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with agave. Place on the middle rack in the oven.

7-Leave in the oven for about 25-30 mins at 375 C. The top should harden and become a little crispy.

8-Serve warm topped with low-fat  frozen or greek yogurt, apple butter and nuts or seeds!

This treat is packed with protein, fibre and antioxidants! SO delicious, SO easy and SO good for you!

Share/Bookmark/Email