Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

I went overboard grocery shopping last week and bought too much vegetables. I hate throwing food out so I came up with this brilliant idea of chili. I thought, maybe I can just toss all these vegetables in a slow cooker and I won't feel bad about tossing anything out. I used textured vegetable protein chunks but you can omit it all together. I seasoned it with Alton Brown's diy taco seasoning. I love my slow cooker and I just clap with glee whenever I get to use it. You can use any combinations of vegetables for this chili.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

4 zucchinis
2 carrots
1 onion
2 tbsp. garlic
1/2 cup TVP
2 bay leaves
2 tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1/2 cup canned kidney beans

Alton Brown's Taco seasoning

2 tablespoons  chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Directions

1)Cut all vegetables. Place in crockpot and add crushed tomatoes,stock,kidney beans.

2)Combine all taco seasoning ingredients. Add seasoning to vegetables in crockpot.

3)Slow cook on low for 6 hrs or high on 4.

 

 

Sweet Potato Salmon Burger

This recipe came about because I had some extra sweet potato mash and a can of salmon. The salmon can easily be substituted with tuna. I like mine extra spicy so season according to your taste. You don't even need to pan fry the burger, you can create the mixture and eat it in a bun or on top of salad. It is economical and a great way to eat fish.

Sweet Potato Salmon Burger

Ingredients
1 cup of sweet potato mash
1 can of salmon or tuna
1/4 of an onion
1 tsp garlic
5 chili leaves
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp coconut oil

Directions
1)Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a pan and add onions,garlic and all spices. Mix for 1 minute.
2)Combine sweet potato mash and salmon. Add onion mixture.
3)Mix all ingredients together and form into burgers.
4)Heat another teaspoon of coconut oil. Gently place burgers on pan. Heat and brown both sides. Enjoy with some Sriracha "mayo" by mixing  1tbsp Sriracha hot sauce and 3tbsp greek yogurt.

Makes 4 delicious burgers.

Turmeric Egg Salad Spread Recipe

I created this spread so that I can keep it in the fridge for those days where we are in a rush in the morning and we want to eat eggs. Eating breakfast in the morning is so important and I really like eating eggs because it can keep me full until my morning snack comes around. I make this spread with a little bit of mayonnaise to bind it together and I add a dash of turmeric. Turmeric is a yellow spice often use in Chinese and Indian cooking. It is a powerful antioxidant said to fight cancer causing radicals in your body. It has a slightly curry flavor and it just adds little bit of extra flavour to this spread. This recipe can be kept in a tight container in the fridge for one week, if it lasts that long.

Turmeric Egg Salad Spread

Ingredients
7 eggs
1 tbsp. baking soda
3 cups of water
1 tbsp. fat free mayonnaise
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1)Place the eggs with baking soda and water in pot and heat to boil. When water reaches boiling point, continue for 4 minutes.
2)Turn off heat but keep eggs in the water.
3)When cooled off, remove eggs from water and peel shell off. The baking soda helps the shell come off easily.
4)Using a grater, grate all the eggs.
5)Add mayo,turmeric,salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients
6)Place in a container with lid and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Coconut Flour Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

In my baking adventure today, I tried using coconut flour for the first time.  It is a nice alternative for wheat flour and it is high in fibre and low in carbs.  Since I had no idea how this was going to turn out, I searched for a recipe that didn't require too much ingredients and had chocolate. This recipe is a combination of Detoxinista's Recipe for Coconut flour chocolate chip cookie and Ditchthewheat's recipe. I didn't add any other sugars to the recipe and it was sweet enough for me. The cookie is grainy and crumbly. Next batch I am going to use less coconut flour and see if it's more of a crispy cookie but I still like how this one turned out.

Coconut Flour Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

1 ripe mashed banana 

1 large egg

3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted

3 tbsp. melted coconut oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

1)Mash banana
2)Add beaten egg to banana
3)Combine rest of ingredients except for chocolate chips.
4)Add banana mixture
5)Add chocolate chips and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
6)Remove cookie dough and form into 1/2 inch balls, place on cookie sheet. Press down with fork and bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. **
7)Keep on cookie sheet for 10 minutes and let cool on a rack completely . Keep in tight container or fridge for 1 week.

**Oven times vary and you might have to keep cookies in the oven longer depending on how you like them.
Makes 18 mini cookies.

Preschool Shape and Color Recognition activity

Teaching the toddlers and preschoolers colors and shapes is not a daunting task. Their little minds are like sponges. So take every chance you get to teach them colors and shapes through activities and daily tasks. For instance, I point out things and ask, "What color is that?" or "Can you bring me a red car?" They might not know how to say their shapes and colors but the first step is recognition. Today's shape and color recognition activity was such a success I am giving myself a pat on the back. It was so simple to set up and it turned into multiple opportunities to learn.

First I got some bristle board and cut out different shapes. I used square, circle, triangle, rectangle and star. I got the kids to color the shapes in with different colors. That was activity #1. Then I proceeded to cut out the shapes. At the back, I wrote in French the shape and color of the cutout. My daughter is learning French so why not let her in on the fun. Woot for activity #2.

 

 

 



Then I used masking tape and made different shapes on our floor. I yelled out a shape and they had to stand on the shape. Activity #3 was a lot of fun. When my daughter gets home from school, I'll yell it out in francais.

 

 

After we used the colored in shapes to ask the kids where each shape goes, "Where does this yellow circle go" and they proceeded to place it on the floor where the circle is. Activity #4 was so successful. Rectangles and squares can be confusing but in time they will recognize the difference.



 

 

And finally, I got some colored blocks and lined them up and handed out the cutouts so they can place it with the proper colored block. Activity#5 was another fun color activity.

 

 

 

 

 

Now that we have these little cutouts, we can play everyday and learn at the same time. Have fun kids!

 

 

 

 

 



Hainanese Steamed Chicken and Broccoli Rice

You wouldn't believe that I thought of this meal because I was too lazy to do too much cooking. Most of this meal is prep work and very simple ingredients. Steamed chicken by itself is tasty but with ginger scallion sauce, it is mouth watering. These are the ingredients I used, it might not be authentic Singaporean Hainanese chicken but it tastes fantastic.

Hainanese Steamed Chicken
1 1/2 lbs of chicken cleaned and dried *
1/3 cup sliced ginger
1/3 cup green onions
3 tbsp Shaoxing Chinese cooking wine **
salt and pepper to taste

*you can use any part of the chicken, with or without bone
**if you don't have this, it can be omitted

1)Rub salt and pepper to clean dried chicken.
2)Pour Shaoxing cooking wine over chicken pieces.
3)Add ginger and garlic on top of chicken.
4)Cover and steam for 1 hr on high until juices run clear.

Enjoy with Ginger Scallion Sauce

Ginger Scallion Sauce Recipe

1 cups thinly sliced scallions (green and whites)
1/4 cup finely minced fresh ginger
 3tbsp  corn oil  or other neutral oil
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or Himalayan sea salt, more to taste

1)Heat oil with ginger and scallions for 5 minutes until aromatic.
2)Add salt
3)Use on steamed chicken or store in tight container for 1 week and can be used on rice,noodles,vegetables and meat.

Broccoli Rice

2 cups parboiled or brown rice
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup broccoli pieces
1tsp each of garlic and ginger minced

1)Rinse rice over cold water. Add water and place in rice cooker.
2)Add broccoli,garlic,and ginger to rice.
3)Add salt to taste.Turn on and cook
4)Fluff rice when done.

Parsley Coconut Salad

My mother makes this delicious simple salad and I always ask her to make it. It's a very light and flavourful salad that goes well with chicken, fish and pork. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. The only hard part is grating your coconut. And I mean buy the real coconut, crack shell, pour juice out and grate the flesh. You can't use frozen grated coconut because it's too watery and you can't use dried coconut that is usually for baking because the texture and flavor won't be the same. It's the extra work but so worth it for this salad.

Parsley Coconut Salad

1 bunch curly parsley
1 cup grated fresh coconut
1/2 diced red onion
1 juice of a lime

1)Finely chop your parsley
2)Add your grated coconut, diced onion and lime juice.
3)Stir and refrigerate.


Here I'm enjoying my jerk chicken legs with some rice and parsley coconut salad. Yum indeed!

Costco Mini Haul

I go to Costco at the most maybe once a month. I try to avoid it as much as possible because I always leave with a few measly items and end up spending a ton. However, after this weekend's shopping trip, I might just be dropping by more often. I buy certain organic items from the Bulk Barn or Healthy Planet in small quantities. However, I 've noticed that I've been buying it more often and it's costing me more. So after much calculations and if the items are on sale, then it is worth the trip to Costco.

So on top is a picture of the items I purchased yesterday. Prices are good for this week for sale items.

First the Organic Cold pressed Coconut Oil, $17.99 - $4 =$13.99! I've never seen it this cheap. I cook with coconut oil so this was a great deal. I bought 2 and it doesn't expire til 2015. Some coconut oil benefits listed but it's really up to you if you want to make the switch. I hardly ever fry but I don't use coconut oil for that, I end up using canola oil. Plus, I use coconut oil as a moisturizer and as a deep hair conditioner treatment.

I also got some Oakrun Whole grain English muffins at $3.49 for a pack of 3. English muffins for the week y'all! I eat this for breakfast a lot with egg and avocado. It freezes well and you can keep your bread in the fridge to make it last longer. Since I toast the English muffin when I eat it, the texture and taste is not lost on me.

Clothing wise, I scored some tank tops for $13.79 for a pack of 3. Great for workouts and layering. I also saw this 2 pack of reversible sports bra for $24.99. I like it a lot. I live in sports bras so it was a good deal.

I went around and noticed that Chia seeds were indeed cheaper from Costco but I didn't buy any this time. I did however got myself some Hemp hearts. It is an awesome plant based protein. I intend to benefit from all its glory. And hemp recipes will follow. It cost $14.89 for an almost 2 lb bag. I saw smaller 1 lb bags for $9 at other places.

And lastly, some pecan nuts. I love love love nuts. I am nuts for nuts. Thank goodness my kids have no nut allergies cause I would totally kick them out, ok maybe not but thankfully we all can enjoy the goodness of nuts. I bought this large bag of pecans for $12.99! No more mini bags of 100 grams that cost $3 or waiting for bulk barn coupons. Costco does sell nuts cheaper. I intend to roast these nuts. I will post my love for nuts another time.

So it was a pricey little trip and I can not fathom how some families do majority of their shopping at Costco. However, these items I hope will last for awhile and great bargains all around! So yay!

Thai Inspired Rice Noodles Recipe

My daughter loves these steamed Chinese rice noodles. She forced me to buy them the other day but now she doesn't want to eat them any more. I do not like to waste food so I came up with this Thai inspired recipe. The sauce is so good and it even goes well with tofu,pork or just some vegetables.

Thai Inspired Rice Noodles
1 1/2 cups of steamed rice noodles or rolls
2 medium zucchinis chopped
1/2 a carrot chopped
1 small onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp coconut or olive oil
some green onions,sesame seeds and roasted cashew or peanut pieces for garnish

Thai sauce
1 tbsp soft peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
sriracha hot sauce (optional)

1)Heat oil. Add onion and garlic. Mix for 1 minute on medium high heat.
2)Add vegetables. Stirfry for 2 minutes
3)Add cut up rice noodle rolls. Mix with vegetables.
4)In a bowl, whisk Thai sauce ingredients. Add to noodles and vegetables.
5)Toss everything for 3 minutes. If mixture appears dry and a sprinkling of hot water.
6)Remove from heat and add extra toppings of green onions, sesame seeds and nuts.

Makes 2 servings.

Parsley and Quinoa Salad Recipe

Another great quinoa recipe from my friend Sunny. You can add anything but I think the dressing is a real winner here. Easy to prepare and low calorie.

Parsley and Quinoa Salad Recipe
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup tomato or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup cucumber
1 cup flat leaf parsley
1 medium avocado

Dressing
1 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp honey or agave nectar
salt and pepper

Optional Toppings
dried cranberries
roasted walnuts
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
dried apricots
raisins

1)Place all salad ingredients and quinoa in a bowl.
2)Wisk dressing. You can add more lemon juice or no honey at all.
3)Pour dressing unto salad and add additional toppings. Toss gently.
4)Enjoy or keep in fridge for 2 hours for extra flavor.

Makes 2 servings.

Deconstructed Sushi Bowl Recipe

I love sushi. It is probably one of my biggest cravings. Making it at home is easy but you have to do a lot of prep and assembly. This deconstructed sushi has the same great taste and takes about a quarter of the time. You can pretty much add anything you like but nori (sea weed sheets) is needed to get that sushi taste.

Deconstructed Sushi Bowl Recipe
1/4 of a cucumber cut into sticks
1/2 a carrot cut into sticks
1/2 avocado sliced
1 sheet of nori sheet
1/2 cup of rice vinegar seasoned rice or plain rice of choice
meat of choice (raw or cooked salmon, tuna,crab meat,chicken,tofu,egg)
sesame seeds
optional 2 tsp soy sauce and wasabi mix

1)Assemble bowl by placing rice on the bottom
2)Add veggies and meat
3)Season with soy sauce and wasabi paste mixture.
4)Top with sliced nori and sesame seed
5)Toss before eating.

Quinoa Vegetable Stirfry Recipe

Happy Hump day. Early in the wee hours this morning I came across my little baggy of red quinoa. I decided, the next couple of meals that I will have some keen-wa. I love quinoa, it is gluten free and easy to prepare. It contains more protein than any grain. I am going to attempt to share with you my recipe but I am one of those cooks that don't measure so I'll do my best.

Start with rinsing your quinoa for 3 minutes. Cook 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. I use chicken or vegetable stock. Fluff with a fork. Here I used red quinoa. There's no taste difference to me.

Quinoa Vegetable Stirfy Recipe
1 medium zucchini
1 small white onion
1/2 cup of white button mushrooms
1 tbsp. of minced garlic (more is better)
1 tbsp. of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa
1/4 of a lemon wedge
a pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

1)In a pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Toss in zucchini and mushrooms. Stir for 5 minutes until tender. Add salt,pepper,dried oregano.
2)Add cooked quinoa and squeeze some lemon juice. Season more according to taste.
3)Stir vegetables and quinoa. Enjoy.

Makes 2 servings. It keeps well in the fridge and can be eaten cold with lots of hot sauce.

Grocery Shopping the better way.

I am not going to lie, I absolutely love grocery shopping and buying food. I look forward to it every week. Maybe it's the idea that I have 1 1/2 hours of peace and quiet where it is just me and the store. It's like a mini vacation. Ok stop laughing!

Grocery shopping can be fun. It is important that you stock your fridge and pantry with good and healthy foods for the week.  My job as a mom is to ensure that I come up with a menu for the week but at the same time, think about our budget. Did I forget to say that I also coupon and price match. I take grocery shopping seriously! I am a savvy shopper and I am quite aware on how much things should cost and I am frugal to say the least.

My weekly shopping trips hasn't changed too much but I added even more fruits and vegetables and try to limit buying processed foods.

So here is a quick shopping guide in aiding you to better grocery shopping.

I start by looking at Flyers. Here in Toronto, flyers are distributed on Thursdays. I usually lay out the flyers and make a list of what is on sale and where. Did you know that the best deals are usually on the front and back pages. I gather all my coupons and see where the best place to use them in are. I would have to have another post on couponing cause that is another entirely exciting thing. But back to grocery shopping now...then I aim to do my shopping on the Friday or early Saturday. I find these days the best since all the items are usually in stock and produce is fresh. And then I head out...

 
 
 
 
 

Most of my grocery shopping is done at No Frills. My No Frills is awesome. It is clean and usually has all the items that are on sale. I usually buy the grocery essentials here like bread,milk,eggs.  It is also the cheapest place to get pantry essentials like canned foods and baking supplies.


What I buy at No Frills

-Whole grain bread. Forget white and whole wheat. First ingredient should say whole grain. If you're making the transition, then whole wheat can work. Look for breads that are less than 100 calories per slice. English muffins and rye bread taste good and are filling. I usually buy this as well as regular bread for the kids.

-Packaged baby spinach and mixed greens. Romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce is good and you can cut it up and thoroughly wash and dry it and then put it in a container in the fridge. The problem I find is that you have to eat it within 3 days or else it gets bad. I really like baby spinach because its great in salads, stirfrys and soups. It cost more but it last longer.

-Seasonal fruits. Bananas are so good and compact that every household should have it in stock. It is cheap and we go through at least 3 a day. You have to look at the flyers and see what's on sale. Like this week, $1 pineapples. It doesn't get cheaper than that so I bought some for the kids snacks and myself.

-Eggs. Omega 3 eggs is ideal when I can get my hands on coupons or it's on sale. It's perfect for breakfast either hard boiled or scrambled with your favorite filling.

-Milk. There was a time when my fridge was stocked with 3 different types of milk. Skim for myself, 2% for Kaya and Almond milk for Austin. If you drink a lot of milk then skim milk has the least amount of calories but I don't drink a lot and for space saving issues in our fridge, I only buy 2% milk  nowadays. Almond milk is really good choice for shakes because it is relatively low cal and high in protein.

-Meat. Whatever is on sale is our meat of the week. But I've made the choice to cut back on pork so we eat a lot of chicken and beef. I really like ground beef because it can be transformed to many things. I buy and stock pile meat in the freezer.


Bulk Barn is said to be Canada's largest bulk food store. I love being able to buy a teaspoon of something for baking or trying a new ingredient before buying a whole bag of it. They carry a lot of gluten free items, organic products as well as a whole lot of new health food items. Bulk Barn is not the cheapest store to buy things but I come here to buy certain products. Plus their monthly coupons are awesome.








What I buy at Bulk Barn

-Chia Seeds. These amazing little seeds contain healthy omega 3 fatty acids. I add it in my yogurt primarily. It expands when you mix it with any liquid so supposedly it expands in your stomach keeping you full. I don't know how true this is but I like the omega 3 fatty acids part. All you need is a tablespoon of it. Chia seeds are quite expensive at $15/lb! When it is on sale at the Bulk Barn as well as using the coupon, it is the cheapest place to buy it.

-Flax Seeds. To be honest I am allergic to flax seeds. I am slowly trying to incorporate it into my diet but my swollen tongue can not take it for too long. But my kids aren't so I add flax to their oatmeal, yogurt and shakes. Here are just some of the benefits of flax seeds. And guess what, it is super cheap. I buy the ground flax so you can get all the essential nutrients from it easily.

-Salad toppings. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and raisins to name a few. Buy in small batches to ensure freshness.

-Nut butters. Peanut butter, almond butter and cashew butter that is 100% all natural and you can decide how much to buy. What's not to like about that. I like that there is no added sugar in the butters.

 

A trip to Costco that is less than $50 is a miracle so eventhough we have membership, I only buy sale items and these items mentioned below.

What I buy at Costco

-Coconut Oil. I've made the switch to Coconut oil for my cooking. Costco sells organic coconut oil that is large enough to last me for awhile. We also use it as a moisturizer, make up remover and hair conditioner. I have yet to find a cheaper place that sells coconut oil.

-Cereals. When it is on sale, their yummy granolas and large bags of oatmeal is hard to beat. If you have the space, then it is worth stocking up on quick cooking oatmeal. It can be used for baking as well.

Chinese Grocery stores are all over Toronto. They offer produce prices that is usually unbeatable and their meat prices are the cheapest anywhere. Eventhough I stopped buying our meat from here, I still come to stock up on certain items.

What I buy at Chinese Grocery stores

-Green Tea. A box of fifty 100% Chinese Green Tea for less than $3! Love my green tea and this is the best place to get it from and there are atleast 15 different brands to choose  from.

-Vegetables. Although my local grocery store carries more and more varieties of vegetables, the prices are not comparable. Sweet potato at $.49/lb versus $1.29/lb at No Frills. If I have the chance to get into a Chinese store, then I buy my vegetables from here. Other vegetables that I like to buy that is really versatile in cooking are squash, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. You can practically create a hundred different things with just these vegetables.

Preparation! That is all it takes to eat healthy. Plan your meals according to what is available in the stores seasonally. Not only is it better this way but it will be more cost effective.





Meal Routine-How I Ate my Meals

Happy New Year! I hope this first week is full of hope and motivation. We had a tough start as our whole family is recovering from all sorts of sickness. But things are looking up and now we are all back on track.  Here is a quick post about how I ate my meals. Am I really going to tell you how to eat, absolutely not but take into consideration the bad habits that you've formed and maybe you'll realize that what I'm suggesting makes sense. Having kids usually means rushed meals and almost always means feeding yourself last. So even if you don't get a chance to enjoy your meal in peace and quiet, at least be aware on the other things that you may be able to change.

How I Ate my Meals

1) Use smaller plates. The bigger the plate the more tempted you are to fill it with food. It's kind of like an illusion. Your brain thinks, this big plate needs to be filled up. Well, if you have a smaller plate and it fills up, there was less space on the plate to begin with.

2) Measure your food. When my nutritionist insisted that I measure how much rice I ate, I kinda rolled my eyes. I know how much a cup of rice looks like. Well apparently my gestational diabetes thought my measuring skills sucks. So, take your measuring cups and have them accessible as you measure the right amount of food unto your plate. Nowadays, half my plate is vegetables, about 1/4 is carbohydrates and protein is 1/3- 1/2 cup. I always tell myself, if I'm still hungry I can come back for more.

3) Cut off is 2 hours before bed time. I don't eat anything 2 hours before I sleep. Your food needs to digest and you must give yourself ample amounts of time before bedtime and that is the 2hr mark. On a really good day, we are all done eating by 7pm and before I even have the cravings for a midnight snack, I brush my teeth. It really does work, cause who wants to brush their teeth again just for a snack.

4) Pay attention. When you eat, you must try and focus on the eating. No watching television, no phone and no reading. It should be a simple task but a lot of people get distracted and are not paying attention to the food they are shoveling into their mouths. So look at your food and enjoy it.

5) Eat slowly. This goes with the pay attention rule. You have to give your mind time to catch up on your stomach's hunger cue or in this case the "I'm full" cue. Chew your food and savor it.

6) Don't forget your tea. My meals come with tea and/or water. I always get mad at my kids who drink all their milk or juice before eating, "Don't fill your tummy with that, you have to eat your food". In my case, I did the opposite and filled up with the tea.

So I hope my suggestions can help you. Next post, grocery shopping for weight loss.