Mar17

Gluten-Free No-Bake Protein Balls

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Turns out making a baby takes a whole lotta protein! Pregnant women need about 75 grams of protein per day, and a non-pregnant woman requires about 45 grams of protein per day. That means that when pregnant, you not only have to get used to all the weird changes to your body, but you also have to make HUGE adjustments to your diet.

I’m adjusting… My car console, purse, gym bag, and work bag all have stashes of easy to eat, high calorie, high nutrition content foods. This treat is a new one I’ll be adding to the mix.

Here are some protein balls I made with gluten-free Vega protein powder. I’ve tried having protein shakes, but they make the two of us gag (I imagine baby is gagging in utero as much as I…). With these no-bake protein balls, you can get a little something sweet, and a whole lot of nutrients in. Namely: protein, fibre, and omega fate — building blocks for a healthy body (and baby!).

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NOTE: to make a lighter version, roll the balls in cocoa powder instead of dipping in the chocolate sauce. Be sure to do this before the balls have chilled so the cocoa sticks a bit better.

Ingredients

1 cup Protein Powder (I used Vega brand, as I know it’s gluten-free)

1 cup Gluten-Free Oats

1 cup Honey

1 cup Peanut Butter (I prefer the all natural, no sugar or preservative added PB)

3/4 cup Shredded Coconut

1/2 cup Flax Seeds

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Shortening

Directions

Put all the ingredients, other than the chocolate chips and shortening, into a large bowl. Mix. If it’s too tough to mix, microwave for about a minute.

Next, roll the mixture into small balls, and place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Put the balls in the fridge to harden. If making the lighter version with no chocolate sauce, roll the balls in cocoa powder before placing in the fridge to set.

After at least 15-20 minutes, melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave (takes about 60-90 seconds).

With a fork, dip each ball into the chocolate sauce, cover fully, and place back on the covered baking sheet.

Put the balls back in the fridge to set.

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Mar10

Gluten-Free Kale Caesar Salad

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DSC_0040 2Yeaaaa, I know, I know… it’s been a while. It would have been hard to blog about cheese and the assortment of gluten-free crackers that were the cornerstone of my diet for the first few months with a baby on board.

Now that I’m able to stomach anything and everything again (and a whole lot of it!), I’ve been making a concerted effort to include nutrient-rich foods in my diet on a daily basis.

Having a balanced gluten-free diet is hard enough when eating for just one. But, when you have a whole list of extra nutrients to squeeze into your prenatal diet, as well as the occasional wonky cravings, you’ve got quite the job on your hands. As if making a human wasn’t hard enough!

I’m finding iron to be the hardest nutrient to get into my diet right now. Pregnant women require 27 milligrams of iron per day, compared to the 18 milligrams for non-pregnant women.

There are lots of iron-enriched grains on the shelves of the grocery store, but most of them aren’t gluten-free. Some iron-rich foods that I’ve been focussing on are: beef, dark leafy greens (spinach, kale), beans, lentils, edamame, and chick peas.

I’ve been getting my fair share of spinach, so to switch it up, I’ve been having some fun with Kale. Here’s a recipe that gives baby and I some of the iron we need, and satisfies my endless cravings for cheese :-) The inspiration comes from the caesar salad at Una Pizza & Wine in Calgary

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Gluten-Free Kale Caesar Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch of Kale

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions

Roughly tear the kale in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and fresh ground pepper.

Toss the kale and dressing together and serve!

Optional add on: If having this as a main, add some protein by boiling an egg and slice it on top of the salad.

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Oct27

Gluten-Free Thumbprint Pumpkin & Cream Cheese Cookies

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It’s Halloween time. And let me tell you, costumes are not my ‘thing’. As a child, I chose to be a witch most years for Halloween because then I wouldn’t feel so silly if I took the hat off as soon as I was out the door. A kid in a black cape doesn’t have the same creep factor as an old man or 20-something living in mom’s basement…

Our family is having a pumpkin carving contest tonight. Not wanting to show up empty handed, I thought I’d make some Halloween themed cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 1/2 cup Cream Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Honey
  • 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 3 Tbsp. Milk (or milk substitute)
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour
  • 1 Tbsp. Xanthan Gum
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon + garnish Cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream 3/4 cup cream cheese and sugar. Next, add the honey, pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla, and combine. Add the eggs and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients. 1/2 cup at a time, to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined and all lumps are gone.

Drop spoonfuls of cookie batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Using a teaspoon or your thump, put an indent in the top of each cookie. Drop a teaspoon of the remaining 3/4 cup of cream cheese into the indents. Sprinkle cinnamon on top for garnish.

Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Oct19

Gluten-Free No-Bake Brownie Bites

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Nothing like a random just-before-bed craving for something sweet. Given the fact I was off to bed, I wasn’t about to whip something up that had to then bake and cool for what would seem like hours. No, little miss impatient grabbed the food processor and whatever was on hand. The result, yummy no-bake brownies, topped with a chocolate nut butter fudge. I’m happy to report that this treat hit the spot :-)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Mixed Nuts
  • 1 cup Dates
  • 1 cup Raisins
  • 1/2 cup Hemp Seeds
  • 3/4 cup Coconut
  • 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
  • 1/4 cup Honey
  • 1 cup Nut Butter (I used almond butter)
  • 1 cup Chocolate Chips

Instructions
Prep mini and/or regular size muffin tins with paper cups.

Pulse the mixed nuts, dates, raisins, hemp seeds, and coconut in a food processor until well combined. Add the cocoa powder and honey to the processor, and pulse until combined.

Press the mix into the prepped muffin pans.

Melt the chocolate chips and nut butter in the microwave, stopping often to stir (approx. 3 minutes). Pour the nutty chocolate sauce over the brownie base.

Pop these lil’ treats in the fridge or freezer to let them set. For the like-minded impatient folks like me, I popped them in the freezer for 10 mins before devouring!

With this batch, I made 24 mini cups and 12 regular cups. It could make 48 mini cups and 24 regular size cups if you didn’t want different sizes.

Oct18

Gluten-Free Whipped Green Potatoes

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It all started with a craving for mashed potatoes and eggs (an odd craving that comes now and then). But, I don’t find a plate with mounds of beige foods to be very appetizing. I like to jazz it up a bit :-)

I had plenty of fresh dill, parsley, and basil, as well as garlic from a recent farm pickup. To to solve the beige plate conundrum, I whipped up the fresh herbs with roasted garlic, olive oil, and milk in a food processor, then mixed with mashed potatoes. And voila, whipped green potatoes!

A quick note. But an important one, so don’t skip ahead to the pictures! I never peel my potatoes (or most veggies and fruit, from kiwis to zucchini). Why you ask? For health reasons, of course. Potato skin contains B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, calcium, potassium, and other nutrients. Potato skin is also full of fibre. Given all you’ve just learned, you can shut out all those little voices in your head saying potatoes are evil, full of carbs, starches, etc.

Ingredients

  • 6-10 Potatoes
  • Water, enough to cover potatoes in the pot
  • 1 Head of Garlic (raw or roasted with olive oil, wrapped in tinfoil, for 1 hour at 325 F)
  • 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 1/2 cup Fresh Herbs, roughly chopped
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup Milk, Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, or Yogurt (depending on what consistency you prefer, and what’s in the fridge!)

Directions

Boil the potatoes until tender.

Drain the water from the pot. Mash the potatoes with a handheld masher.

With the blade on the food processor, add the roast garlic, olive oil, herbs, salt, and preferred dairy product. Pulse for 1-2 minutes until similar to a pesto consistency.

Now add the herb garlic mix from the food processor to the pot of potatoes. With a hand mixer on medium high, whip the potatoes until silky smooth.

Oct17

Gluten-Free Roast Kohlrabi, Cauliflower & Beets

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I recently joined a CSA in Calgary, and am loving trying new veggies! While they pose a challenge… like when I pull the veggie out of the bag, put it on the counter, and do a google search of images to try and figure out what the heck kind of veggie I have before me… I do like challenges!

If you’re interested in this organic CSA, which has year long weekly or biweekly pickups in two locations in Calgary, visit Eagle Creek Farms website. CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is an innovative relationship between producers and consumers where the financial risk and production risk is shared. In return, share families pay a small amount for access to fresh, local, tasty produce made without any synthetic chemicals.

Here’s a dish to warm your insides and boost your nutrients while the weather cools outside. I made this as one of the side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a hit. This dish has kohlrabi, cauliflower, and beets.

Ingredients

  • 1 Kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
  • 1 head of Cauliflower, chopped
  • 3 medium Beets, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Trim and dice the kohlrabi, chop the cauliflower, and slice the beets.

Toss the prepped veggies with olive oil, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl.

Spread the veggies evenly on a prepared baking sheet and put into oven.

Roast for 35 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir the veggies every five minutes.

If you have condiment balsamic or reduced balsamic, drizzle over the cooked veggies and serve.

Oct13

Gluten-Free Halloween Treat

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I’m one who’ll always opt for whole foods — not food in the form of bars and shakes. But life gets busy. It’s not always logical to eat a salad en route to or from work, gym, yoga, coffee dates, lunches, dinners, and so forth. I came to this conclusion last Friday when I had a moment that I would not classify as one of my finest.

In a 15 minute slot between yoga practice and a haircut, I sat in my car, poured dressing and shook my tupperware of salad, and started chowing down. My arm was like a windmill. Then, right as I looked up with a not-so-baby-size spinach leaf hanging out of my mouth, I saw a couple looking in at me while they passed. I couldn’t figure out if it was disgust or pity on their face. I didn’t stick around to find out. My foot was on gas before you could utter the word ‘spin’.

So what’s my point with this shameful tale? Why, this would have been a time for a shake or bar if there ever were one!

Not all bars and shakes are created equal. My husband and many of the 2110 Fitness gym patrons have tried this brand and that brand. The general consensus is that Vega brand products are superior to the chemical concoctions that seemed to have overwhelmed the supplement market. Vega makes protein, recovery, energizing, and meal replacement shakes and smoothies, electrolyte replacement drinks, as well as bars, saviseed snacks, and supplements like chlorella, maca, and omega oil. The products are intended to support a  raw, whole food, alkaline, and plant-based diet. Best of all, all Vega products are gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free! Oh, and it’s Canadian.

This isn’t meant to be a sales pitch. I really like the product, and am not being paid to say so! I am entering this treat in a Vega Halloween recipe contest. I used raw and organic ingredients where possible. And instead of using artificial orange food colouring, I took used orange rind to add a pop of Halloween colour to the balls. The orange really compliments the cocoa flavour, making these treats irresistible!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Mixed Nuts (i.e., Cashews, Almonds, Pecans, Macadamia)
  • 3 cups Dates, whole & pitted
  • 1 cup Dried Cherries
  • 1/2 cup Cocoa
  • 1 tsp. Sea Salt
  • 1 Tbsp. Water
  • Rind of 2 medium-size Oranges (about 2 Tbsp.)
  • 1 cup Coconut, shredded

Directions

Put the nuts in a food processor and process until fine, for about 2 minutes.

Add the dates and cherries. Process on the pulse setting until the mixture is crumbly, but not yet coming together.

Next, add the cocoa, salt, and water. Pulse until the mixture comes together, for another 30 seconds. The mixture should be sticky.

Prepare a baking sheet or surface lined with wax or parchment paper.

Remove the mixture from the processor, a spoonful at a time, and roll into a ball with the palms of your hands. Set each completed ball on the wax or parchment paper.

Grate the orange rind into a bowl. Add the coconut, and use a spoon to mix the coconut with the orange rind. The coconut should take on some of the natural orange colour as the orange oil is released from the rind.

Roll each ball in the orange-coconut mix. Then roll the balls between the palms of your hands again so that the coating sticks on.

These treats are great for a get together, or for an on-the-go snack. I wrap each one in a small piece of plastic wrap. If you aren’t eating them right away, wrap each in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. Pull out the balls as needed. They last a few weeks in the freezer, and are still as tasty as ever!

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