Quick and Flavourful Balsamic Vinaigrette

The better part of our vacation last month was spent visiting family. We were lucky enough to visit Ottawa, Montréal, Sussex (NB), and Halifax and have all sorts of wonderful home cooked meals. To make matters even tastier, my husband's family owns a Bavarian Restaurant just outside of Sussex, New Brunswick.  The restaurant is German comfort food at its ABSOLUTE best. Since home, I have either practiced recipes taught to me. Or, I have tried almost tirelessly to figure out, first, how they made it and, then, how to make the best tasting healthiest version possible. The past few nights, much to my husband's dismay (I cook, he does the dishes), the kitchen has been olive oil, batter and flour splattered. But I am determined to get a few items on lock down! Of the recipes I acquired, this one is the easiest... more to come :)

Quick and Flavourful Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Sprinkle of raw sugar

Pinch of sea salt

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs. balsamic vinegar

3 raw garlic cloves crushed or diced

Juice of 1 squeezed lime wedge

I use a head of leaf (red or green) or butter lettuce, a quarter of sliced cucumber, a couple of vine ripened tomatoes, ½ a yellow or red pepper cut into cubes, ½ a grated carrot and some times I throw in pecans to give it a little extra somethin’!

Instructions

Once salad is made, sprinkle with a small amount of raw sugar. Lightly cover salad with a pinch of salt. Whisk the last four ingredients together, toss salad in dressing and serve!!

Make it a Meal!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 cup Quinoa

1 cup water

20 jumbo prawns

Cajun Spice (to taste)

1/4 lime wedge

pinch sea salt

3 cloves garlic crushed or diced

1 tsp. non-hydrogentated margarine

Bring Quinoa in 1 cup of water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 mins. (Prep salad and dressing while quinoa is cooking). After 15 mins, set aside. Toss raw prawns in Cajun Spice, lime juice, pinch of sea salt and garlic. On medium heat (or slightly lower) melt margarine. Sauté prawns until pink. Toss salad with dressing, top with 1/2 quinoa, and prawns.

If you try this, please let me know what you think! 

How to Cope with the Convenience Food Conundrum

Sorry for the long sabbatical. My family and I went on a month long trip through Eastern Canada. In prepping for, going on, and organizing since the trip, there has been little room for blogging. 

Fortunately, our travels allowed me to practice some dietary and exercise principles; and I also was able to learn from some pitfalls and other experience. Here is the first of a few I will share!

About to leave on our trip, I found myself in a very common “food situation”: there was nothing to eat. In an effort to avoid waste, we essentially stopped grocery shopping days in advance and tried to eat our way through our perishable food. The morning we were leaving for the airport, there was nothing left to eat that wouldn’t take a certain amount of imagination and a lot of cooking time. In an attempt to get our home clean, bills paid in advance, packing done, baby supplies organized, I forgot to buy healthy on-the-go snacks like I typically do. So, I arrived at the airport unfed, famished, and knowing I would need a good amount of food to hold me over until we landed six hours later. Worst of all, I was faced with convenience store and fast food as my only options. Once we landed, we were on the road quite a bit and I was faced with similar options.

Here is what I Found and Where…

Starbucks: Tall Non-Fat Latte, Venti Water, Perfect Oatmeal (threw out: the sugar)

Convenience Store: Danone Activia Raspberry Yogurt, sliced veggies (threw out: the dip), freeze dried apple crisps, and unsalted almonds

Booster Juice: Veggie Panini on Whole Grain Flatbread

 

McDonald's: Cashew Teriyaki Salad (asked for it without: processed chicken or Teriyaki). Comes with edamame (lean source of protein, high in plant fiber), carrots, mixed greens, onions, and cashews.

Sobeys/ Whole Foods: Rebar Energy Bar, it doesn't taste fabulous, but it contains apple, carrot, spinach, alfalfa, cabbage, broccoli, kale, celery, rosehip, parsley, cauliflower, cucumber, beets, bell pepper, collards, watercress, bok choy, tomato, garlic and natural flavours. Need I say more? :)

In order to make healthful choices without resorting to dieting, it is crucial to follow

Guidelines to Help Make the Healthiest Decision:

Go All Natural – typically convenience food is far from holistic, but when you can, choose whole foods (i.e. nuts, fruit, veggies). When choosing manufactured foods, read the labels to see if it is all natural. All-natural... foods are more likely to contain whole food sources of beneficial nutrients such as fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals (Hall, 2011, Livestrong.com). In order to avoid dieting, it is crucial to follow certain

Choose Whole Grains – processed and refined carbohydrates cause your insulin to surge and crash, leaving you hungry fast. Whole grains keep you fuller, longer.

Go Low Sodium or No Sodium – We don’t need extra salt.

Drink PLENTY of Water

Fill up on Fruits and Vegetables - I could write an essay on why we should get 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies each and every day. This article covers does an amazing job of covering why. Fruits & Vegetables: Get Plenty Every Day. 

NB – These options were the best I could find, but should not be consumed regularly. Starbucks Oatmeal, McDonald's salad dressing and the Activia Yogurt are not all natural. And, the veggie Panini had cream cheese (likely not natural either). These were just the best options I could get my hands on!

More to come soon! 

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