Lettuce Wrap “Tacos”

 

lettucewraps2I think we can agree that most of us enjoy a little mexican inspired fiesta once in awhile! Tonight I was craving something along the lines of tacos and came up with this healthier version!

What you will need:
450g lean ground chicken
1 head of lettuce — make sure it has large enough leaves to be used as wraps
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
1/2 orange pepper, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1 tomato, minced
1 large onion (1/2 sliced for sautéing & 1/2 minced for salsa)
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 large avocado
2 tsp lime juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Pepper & salt
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions:
1. Put 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
2. Add in thawed ground chicken with 2 tsp of chili powder. Cook until done (no sign of pink through the chicken). Add a pinch of ground sea salt and pepper.
3. Remove chicken from the heat.
4. Add 1 tbsp olive to the skillet and sauté vegetables for ~8 minutes on med-high heat (yellow pepper, red pepper, orange pepper, 1/2 onion) and add 1 clove crushed garlic.
5. While these are sautéing prepare your ‘salsa’. Mince the onion, tomato, frozen corn, and avocado and combine in a bowl with 2 tsp lime juice and 1 clove of crushed garlic. Add a pinch of ground sea salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the cooked ground chicken back into the skillet with the mixed vegetables and cook for another 3 minutes on low-medium heat.
7. FINITO!
8. Add your sautéed vegetables, salsa, and chicken to your lettuce wrap and enjoy 🙂
Lettuce wrap

Greek Yogurt Dill Dip

So many veggie dips on the shelves are packed with added sugars, preservatives and other unidentifiable ingredients. I have come up with my own veggie dip so that you know exactly what you’re putting into your body and not losing the benefits of eating veggies!

Greek yogurt is high in protein and will satisfy your hunger. This is a great dip to pack with veggies, pita bread, and much more for your lunch.

Dill Dip

Combine and mix:
1 cup plain/nature Greek yogurt (0% m.f.)
1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
1 fresh garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp kale, finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp lime juice

 

Tadaa! It’s as easy as that… Just dip and enjoy 🙂
The yogurt will soak up more flavour when stored overnight in the fridge too.

Find out about Flax!

FlaxFlax contains many healthy benefits including it’s protein, fibre (soluble and insoluble fibres) and omega-3 fatty acid content (usually found in fish sources). Therefore, it is a great idea to incorporate flax into your diet. There are three different forms of flax for consumption: seeds, ground flax, or flaxseed oil.

Flax seeds can be added to smoothies, granola, cereals, baked goods etc. Flax meal can be used in baking to add flavour and nutrient content. Flax can also come in the form of flaxseed oil, generally used to make salad dressings. It is not wise to cook with flaxseed oil as the nutrient content is diminished under high heat.

So what type of flax would be most beneficial to add into your daily routine? 
Ground flax! aka flax meal

Why is ground flax the best form? 
Ground flax is made from the grinding of flax seeds which allows for easier absorption of nutrients throughout the body. It provides the body with a great source of fibre therefore, helping to maintain regular bowel-movements and keep a healthy digestive system. Incorporating even a tablespoon of flax into your regular muffins, breads, and cookies recipes will add nutrients and many health benefits.

Ground Flax Nutrient Content (per 1 tbsp):
Calories: ~36 cals
Protein: 2g
Fibre: 3g
Omega-3 Fats: 2.46g ALA (alpha-linoleic acid)

Flaxseed oil is great to use in making salad dressings as the omega-3 fatty acid content greatly increases in the oil form (2.59g ALA per 1 tsp!).

To refresh your memory on the importance of ALA in the diet check out my Food Fact of the Day on Chia Seeds

 

Oatmeal Almond Cran Coconut Energy Bites

These energy balls are a perfect bite-size snack to boost your energy and tie over your hunger until dinner!

Combine and mix (serves 15):
3/4 cup Almond Butter
1 1/4 cup Hilray Gluten-Free oats
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tsp chia seeds
3 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp raw whole almonds or 1 tbsp sliced almonds

Roll into 15 small bite-sized balls. Store in the refrigerator. Eat cold 🙂

I would like to thank Hilray Whole Grains for their generous donation of gluten-free oats to me!! Their facility is completely wheat free and they guarantee uncontaminated oats for all of you who are gluten-conscious/celiac! Hilray is strongly committed to their no risk ‘pure oat oath’, providing a trustworthy and pure product for all of their consumers.
AND the best yet…their company began right in my home town of Thorndale, ON!
Farm to table..Home grown pride 🙂

Check out their webpage here: Hilray Whole Grains

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Bean Fiesta Salad

Looking for a fresh and filling salad? This salad is perfect to make for parties or to take for lunches throughout the work week. The flavour only gets better with storage! It is a family fav in my household.

Bean Fiesta

Combine (serves 10):
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1.5 tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Optional: a dash of hot sauce

Store in the refrigerator and serve cold. Enjoy 🙂

Nutrients per serving (serves ~10):
Calories: 310kcal/serving
Protein: 11g/serving
Carbohydrate: 41.1g/serving
Fat: 12.2g/serving
Fibre: 10g

Banana Oatmeal Muffins (Gluten-Free)

bananaoatmealmuffins

Looking for a quick snack to grab on the go? Try making my banana oatmeal walnut and cacao muffins! They are even gluten free! Keep in mind that gluten-free recipes tend to be more dense and these muffins include ingredients with a high satiety value (leave you feeling full). For example, almond meal/flour (ground almonds) is higher in protein versus regular flour and tends to be more dense. Spoilage may be faster in this type of muffin…if you won’t be eating them within 2 days I recommend storing them in the freezer or refrigerator.

What you will need (serves 12):

  • 3 small bananas, mashed
  • 2 cups oats
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup greek yogurt (0% m.f. plain)
  • 3 tbsp almond meal
  • 1 tbsp flax meal
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp walnuts, crushed
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • optional: add in raw cacao nibs
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Mash 3 small bananas
  3. Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix
  4. Bake at 350F for ~20 minutes
  5. Remove from oven and sprinkle the tops with coconut sugar
  6. Enjoy 🙂

How should you keep hydrated during exercise?

When should you hydrate with a sports drink versus water? A common misconception is that consuming a sports drink will always improve your performance. This is not always the case. A sports drink may actually impact your performance negatively if you are consuming them unnecessarily. For the general, moderately-active population, water will do just fine.

So when should you be consuming a sports drink?

  • If you are exercising vigorously for greater than 60 minutes a sports drink is recommended.Sports drinks will provide you with an electrolyte replacement to replenish those lost in fluids (e.g. in sweat).
  • If you are a heavy sweater (>1L/day) you will have greater fluid losses and benefit more from consuming a sports drink.
  • Participating in exercise in hot humid conditions (e.g. hot yoga)
  • If your exercise involves wearing sports equipment (e.g. hockey equipment/football gear). Heavy equipment can lead to higher sweat losses and decreased ability for the body to cool down.

So… If you are one of those who needs to consume a sports drink, what should you look for? 

  • When reading the ingredient label, water should be the first ingredient.
  • The sports drink should contain between 460-690 mg Na/L. Sodium (Salt) is an electrolyte that is lost in your perspiration/with fluid during exercise.
  • Ensure it contains carbohydrates (sugars). A sports drink should contain less than 80g/CHO/L. This amount will maintain blood glucose (blood sugar) levels at normal and prevent it from dropping (hypoglycemia). A drop in blood sugars (hypoglycemia) leads to feelings of fatigue and will not allow you to optimally perform during your exercise. Try to look for sports drinks with natural sugars (e.g. avoid high fructose corn syrup).

In 240mL (~1 cup) of a Sports Drinks, you should look for: 

  • 14-15g of carbohydrates
  • 110 mg of Sodium (Na)
  • 30 mg Potassium (K) – another electrolyte that is lost in fluids.

I generally recommend that if you are looking to loose weight to choose water as a hydrating source versus a sports drink.

 

Hydrate Right!

 

For Additional Information visit: dietitiansofcanada.ca and eatrightontario.ca

Crunchy Quinoa PB Bars

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! 🙂

I created this recipe because my family and I are very grab and go. These bars/squares are perfect to grab when you are on the run. The peanut butter, almonds, and chia seeds also pack in the protein so they keep your hunger satisfied!

Puffed Quinoa Bars

Combine Ingredients (serves 16):

  • 2 cups Puffed Quinoa (cereal)
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 3 tbsp sliced almonds
  • 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips (>70% cacao)
  • 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Spread into a baking pan with parchment paper – sprinkle the top with raw cacao nibs

Bake until golden at 350F (approximately 15-20 minutes) and enjoy 🙂

Nutrients Per Serving (serves ~16 squares):
Calories: 164 kcal
Fat: 9.8g
Protein: 4.65g
Carbohydrate: 15g

Crazy for Kale

Kale is a green leafy vegetable that is a part of the cabbage, brussel sprouts and broccoli family. It is sometimes referred to as the “queen of greens” due to its many health benefits.

Kale is high in many nutrients such as…

Vitamin C: which plays a role in bone health, preventing cell damage (as an antioxidant) and helps with wound healing
Vitamin K: which helps with wound healing, plays a role in bone health, and maintaining healthy blood vessels
Vitamin A: which plays a role in eye health/may prevent vision problems (e.g. reduce risk of night-blindness) and helps maintain a healthy immune system.

Kale also contains calcium.

This green leafy vegetable is a great addition to smoothies, soups, salads, stir frys and even your morning omlette. You can also bake kale into chips! It does not have a strong flavour but, it is packed with benefits. Try it out!

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Maple Cinnamon Granola

This granola is a great addition to your morning yogurt 🙂

Maple Cinnamon Granola

Combine:

2 cups oats
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tsp chia seeds
2 tsp flax seeds
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp sliced almonds

Bake at 350F – toss occasionally until golden brown (approx. 15 mins)

Add 1/3 cup dried cranberries sweetened with blueberry juice or dried blueberries after baking.

enjoy!