Woman in Real Life

Sometimes I just feel too tired (lazy?) to go grocery shopping. And then it becomes slim pickings for meals and snacks around here. Especially through six solid months of winter. Fortunately with the arrival of spring comes renewed energy, and I have been hitting up the grocery store regularly to replenish our stock of fruits and veggies. Having lots of fresh produce in the kitchen means a much healthier week for me and my family. It always reminds me of the advice that raw chef Pedja once gave me for adding more raw foods to our diets - add healthier choices to your diet and they will naturally begin to replace the unhealthy foods by sheer volume. And, surround yourself with fresh fruits and veggies. Simple and powerful.

Mmmm...banana chocolate chip muffins. There's nothing better on a cold morning than a warm baked banana muffin and a hot cup of tea. Let the wind bluster outside and take a moment to enjoy a homemade, tasty, nurturing baked good before starting your busy day. No time? Bake a batch of banana muffins on the weekend and freeze them individually. Then grab a homemade banana muffin to take to work for your mid-morning coffee break! Once I started making homemade muffins, I couldn't stand the fluffy, cake-like ones from the stores anymore.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? So why do we pay it the least attention? Well, maybe you don't. But I do. Besides on the weekends, I don't really want to put a lot of time into preparing breakfast. It has to be quick and tasty.

Inspired by my children, I had a bagel topped with peanut butter and banana for breakfast today. The banana slices are certainly healthier than the jam I usually choose to sweeten up my peanut butter.

Okay, I'll admit, "Spelt Banana Chocolate Coconut Muffins" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. The thing is, there are so many versions of banana muffins that I had some trouble distinguishing my latest favourite from all the others.

This version calls for light spelt flour, which I use often. It's gentler on some tummies (like mine) than regular all purpose. "Wheat Belly" author Dr. William Davis says spelt, kamut, oats, amaranth and buckwheat are "evolutionary older forms of wheat." He believes that the most harmful glutens are the recent types created by geneticists. He says ancient wheat forms like spelt contain "less destructive" forms of gluten. While he recommends no gluten at all, I think some of us aren't quite ready for that yet.

Nasoya sent me a couple of bottles of their vegan sandwich spreads recently. I tried the new NayoWhipped on my veggie burger and found it added a nice, tangy taste. Overall, though, we tend to use vegan mayonnaise more in the summer months, when I like to make potato salad for gatherings.

In the meantime, Nasoya pointed me to the recipes on their website for ideas as to how to use my new sandwich spreads. I am a big fan of muffins, so I was immediately drawn to the recipe for vegan banana muffins. I already have a favourite banana muffin recipe, but I thought perhaps I should be a bit adventurous and try another recipe.

This What I Ate Wednesday, I am looking at all of the food I consumed on Tuesday.

Let's start with breakfast. I just went grocery shopping on Monday, which means there was still fresh fruit in the house. I enjoyed some Nature's Path pumpkin flax granola with peach slices, raspberries and soy milk. I also had water with Emergen-C in it. I have had a crackle in my throat for a few days, so I am trying to ward off any illness. I added a clementine for good measure.

In search of better health and wellness, I continue with my gentle cleansing routine.

My breakfast is still mainly quick quinoa flakes or quick cooking steel cut oats with fresh blueberries, sliced banana, 1 tbsp ground flax and vanilla almond milk.

Because, as we know, one of life’s essential pleasures is food, I am still enjoying little treats along the way:














By the way, I did throw in a couple of rum and ginger ales on Sunday. Apparently that’s a gluten-free combo!



First, I want to say I don’t think there is anything particularly “skinny” about the recipes. But they are healthy, and they use mainly whole foods that are already on my shopping list. (I don’t know if almond milk is on your shopping list, buy hey, give it a try if it isn’t! ) I hate nothing more than a long list of hard-to-find (and expensive ) ingredients.

Butternut Squash Soup with Poppy Seeds

Barnouin’s Banana and Cinnamon Muffins offer a new and delicious twist on the vegan banana muffin, with a crunchy topping that makes them look nice for company. Next time I’m going to make sure there is some company around when I make them, because they are best eaten the first day. The Coconut Banana French Toast was sweet and tasty, and my son said it tasted like “deep fried banana tempura.” He also liked the Coconut- and Almond-Crusted Tofu, which he called a “treat.” I have also made the Pumpkin Pecan Banana Bread (pictured at top). It was so yummy, I made it again (minus the pecans, so the kids could take some to school).

Coconut- and Almond-Crusted Tofu with mango salsa

While I'm not a huge fan of cooking (and having to get together a healthy, satisfying meal for a family of four on a daily basis), I do love to bake. Probably because I love to eat sweets. Especially homemade vegan baked goods. I like to know what is in my food, and what isn't in my food, like all kinds of chemicals with names I can't pronounce. And baked goods also make nice snacks to send in the kids' lunches or to grab for a quick mid-morning or afternoon snack.