by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
Granola is one of my favorite improvised kitchen experiments. It’s very simple as long as you follow a basic formula: dry ingredients + wet ingredients. So simple! The dry ingredients can be any combination of nuts, seeds, grains, spices and dried fruit. The wet ingredients usually consist of an oil (I like coconut) and a sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave, banana). I tend to use what I have lying around, unless I’m using a specific recipe.
Here’s what I did, but feel free to add, remove, adjust the ingredients to your liking. The more you experiment without using a recipe, the better you’ll get.
Dry ingredients:
1 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Wet ingredients:
1/4 c tbsp coconut oil melted
2-3 tbsp honey
1 banana mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine dry ingredients in a bowl
- In a small saucepan heat up coconut oil and honey until melted
- Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl until evenly mixed
- Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients
- Stir so incorporate all the way through.
- Spoon the mixture into a baking dish or lined cookie sheet
- Bake under a for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until it is as toasted as you want it
Some granola is crunchier than others, depending on the wet ingredients and the baking time. You can make thi crunServe over yogurt, ice cream or milk of your choice. Or if you’re like me eat it alone right off the baking sheet because you simply can’t wait!
by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
This is my favorite dish right now! The perfect fall breakfast, snack or dessert. It’s simple, but that’s why I make it almost every day. I’ve seen similar recipes that use maple syrup, sugar, and molasses to sweeten it, but it’s not necessary. The natural sweetness of the apples is more than enough. If you can’t make this, then I don’t know what to tell you. You will not regret this one, I promise!
- Peel and cut the apple into bite size pieces. (If you want to get creative you can shred it, or use the apple peeler on the entire thing to make very thin slivers, but I personally like it in chunks.)
- Put the apple pieces in a pan over medium heat with a bit of coconut oil (about a teaspoon will do) and as much cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice as you like. Cover with a lid to keep the moisture in.
- Wait about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The apple will release its juice and natural sugars, so no need to add sugar to this one. It tastes like apple pie without the crust. ENJOY!
by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Self Care, Wellness
I love Autumn. There’s something so refreshing about fall colors, the smell of leaves, and getting out the sweaters and boots. I especially love fall inspired cooking; winter squash, pumpkin and apple flavors, and roasting everything! Despite all of its wonderful qualities, many people (myself included) find that for the change in season may bring on negative emotions.
Feeling uprooted and lacking stability with all the change going on is very common. Do you sometimes feel unmotivated, or lacking energy and your usual zest for life? This prompted me to look toward natural ways to combat this and make the most of this time of year.
Celebrate the good things the season has to offer. This may sound extremely “DUH!” but it’s easy to forget this when you’re in a rut. The sunlight can be incredible with its warm yellow golden hues, unlike any other time of year. Go for a walk in a park, a hike in the woods and view the foliage, or go pumpkin/apple picking. Even when it’s chilly outside, bundle up in a cute sweater and scarf and spend a little time in nature.
Make fall inspired foods. While in the summer we tend to eat more salads and raw veggies, this time of the year is great for roasting. Try some winter squash, they come in so many interesting colors and shapes, it’s hard not to be inspired to cook with them. One of my favorite dishes to make right now is roasted apple slices with some cinnamon.
Get cozy. It’s natural crave stillness and warmth this time of year. As nature is preparing for the long rest of winter, or bodies will want to sync with that energy and need to feel rested and grounded. With all the movement in the air, temperature changes and windy days, we must balance that by finding stillness and stability. Allow yourself some quality couch or bath time. Change up your usual power yoga workout for a more slow-flow/grounding practice. Whatver you choose, know that you’re not being lazy, sometimes it’s just what you need to feel balanced and restored.
What are some of your favorite ways to infuse a little happiness into the changing seasons? Share your ideas in the comment section.
by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
Mindful eating is all well and good until it’s time to join the rest of society and go out to eat at an actual restaurant (that is assuming you have a social life, which you should, it’s good). Reading menus at many restaurants can make you realize how uptight you have been about what you eat. At least that’s how I feel when there’s nothing that appeals to me and I can’t enjoy a nice meal out without having a moment like this: “Excuse me is that wild Alaskan salmon? Um, is there cream in that sauce? Do you have any grass-fed beef?” You do the same thing too? Ok then I’m not the only one. Great.
That brings me to a wonderful experience I just had to share with the rest of the health concious people out there. Westville is a restaurant in New York that has locations in Chelsea, East Village, West Village and a location in Hudson too. I had the fortunate experience of dining there with my dearest girlfriends who also appreciate a healthy lifestyle. Westville’s philosophy is simple, fresh and seasonal foods.The atmosphere itself is very cozy and unpretentious.
It’s really all about the food. The menu consisted of chicken, fish and veggie entres as well as salads and market plates.OH MY GOD THE MARKET PLATES!!!! You pick four choices from an extensive list including artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, beets, zucchini, and butternut squash. If I could eat this food every day I could be a vegetarian and not miss out on anything. As far as entries go the crispy vegan quinoa & artichoke burger with avocado, chopped kale, alfalfa sprouts & sriracha coconut ranch dressing served w/ an arugula and marinated red onion salad was absolutely heavenly.
With great food and even better friends, it was my idea of the perfect dining experience. I’m definitely going back!
by Caroline | Jul 5, 2015 | Recipes
While I love fresh pressed juice, smoothies seem to be more filling and can carry you longer throughout the day without getting hungry. Smoothies can be a little intimidating because there are endless combinations and you want to make sure the flavors go well together.
To simplify the process here is the basic outline that I follow:
1. Start with a leafy green. Spinach is my favorite because it doesn’t have flavor and it’s not as fibrous as kale so it blends up nicely. It’s always great just to have on hand because it’s a super quick dinner option too, if you don’t have enough time to make a gourmet meal.
2. Add a liquid. This can be your choice! I like to use almond milk or coconut milk because it gives the smoothie a nice creamy texture. If you need to hydrate coconut water is also a good option. If water or plain milk is your thing than do that. No rules, just add a liquid. I generally don’t measure but a cup or so should do it.
3. Get fruity. Add whatever fruit you have! Again no rules. Apples, bananas, berries, pineapple, kiwi. Just beware that strawberries and spinach make a brownish colored smoothie. So If color is important to you either go for spinach and neutral colored fruits to make a green smoothie, or skip the greens and make something red or purple with lots of berries. Is an avocado a fruit? Because that is one of my favorites to throw in too!
4. Accessorize! After you put on an outfit it’s fun to dress it up a bit with jewelry, shoes, a hat or purse. Well this is the same thing! Raid your pantry and see what else you can throw in there to pack a nutritional punch. My favorite accessories are great pantry staples and always on hand. Chia seeds, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, almond butter, greek yogurt (plain is preferred as to not throw off the taste), vanilla extract, and cacao nibs (especially good for a mint chocolate chip smoothie) are some of my staples.
Another tip: Keep your bender on the counter where you can use it. Most people have toasters on their counter. I have a juicer and a blender on my counter instead. Accessibility is key! You won’t use it if it’s buried in the cabinet.
Keep it Simple. Use what you have. Don’t go crazy looking at recipes and buying ingredients you’ll use once. Chances are if you have the staples (fruit, liquid, greens) and keep some accessories in your pantry, you can have a healthy start to your day. And for all those commuters out there, it’s easily portable, yay!
