Start the Day with an Experiment

One of the most fun things about eating healthily is trying new and unusual fruits and vegetables. Yesterday we were shopping and spotted a granadilla, a semi-tropical, round, orange, shiny fruit. But what to do with it?

We made a use-it-up fruit salad that included a banana, chopped pear, chopped apple, a few walnuts (cleaning up the pantry) and a cup of fat-free plain yogurt. The fruit provided the sweetness. Spooning this mixture into bowls after stirring so the yogurt coated everything, we cut into the mystery fruit and scooped its seedy interior on top. The insides are reminiscent of passion fruit or pomegranate, with crunchy, gel-encased seeds. It makes a berry-ish, crunchy-sweet topping and a delicious way to start the day. Was it worth a buck-ninety-nine? As an everyday addition to the grocery budget, perhaps not, but layering that with the fun factor of discovering a new taste, I’d say it was great value.

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Fuel Up Fast!

Nearly an hour on the rowing machine and a long day’s work ahead calls for some serious energy. My grandmother used to start us off on cold winter days with a bowl of oatmeal, and she was right. But we don’t need instant oats or the long, slow cooking of her day. Large flake, old fashioned (or steel-cut) oats will cook nicely in the microwave in under 10 minutes.

We dressed ours up with some extra protein (walnuts), dried cranberries and cinnamon, and topped it with half a banana. And we’re off to race through another day!

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What to Eat When your Plow Guy Quits and you Shovel for Three Hours

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After the apple walnut oatmeal, you go to work like nothing happened out of the ordinary. I love Canada.

When Friday is Tired-Day

When you’ve had a long week, finishing off with a busy Friday at work, it can be easy to sink into the couch with a glass of wine and let your fingers do the walking to something fatty and not-so-healthy. We had that kind of Friday this week, but we took some time-tested steps to be sure our 2014 plan to stay healthy and happy kept on track.

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First of all, a tall glass of sparkling water with lemon to rehydrate and rejuvenate. Sometimes that rundown feeling is a simple lack of water. Then we put our favourite oven-baked fish and chips on to cook, and turned on an engaging movie that would help put our minds on something else. (In our case it was Dallas Buyers Club – a great movie for reminding ourselves about the difference between our problems and real problems). Before we knew it dinner was ready and we were rebuilding our spirits to face another day.

Get Rich Quick!

Apparently we are in for a wet weekend. So we wanted a quick breakfast that would let us get out on the trail before the rain arrives. Eggs Benedict may not seem like the obvious choice, but this quick Prosciutto Benny with Blender Hollandaise is just the ticket!

For two:

3 large eggs
2 slices prosciutto
1 multigrain English muffin, split
1/4c / 60ml butter
1t /5ml lemon juice
1/2t / 2ml dry mustard
Dash Tabasco
White vinegar
Lemon pepper
1 large tomato, sliced

Split the muffin and toast or warm for a few seconds in the microwave.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil.

Meanwhile separate one egg and put the yolk in the blender with the Tabasco, lemon juice, and dry mustard.

Put the prosciutto in a nonstick pan on low, just to warm it a little.

Heat the butter in the microwave just until boiling. Turn blender on and pour the butter in slowly – it will cook the egg yolk.

To assemble, stack muffin, prosciutto, poached egg. Drizzle with hollandaise and sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Serve with tomato, and go!

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How Can We Use this for Lunch?

January is a time of renewal in our family – and frugality of a multitude of sorts. Most of us who aren’t already abstainers (shout out to the in-laws) give up “the drink”. We also usually get back on the horse (or treadmill, bike, road, pool, or trail) if we have been lax of late. In our house we’ve decided to take a tip from our old East Lynn Danforth friends and try not to spend money on non-essentials as well. We were inspired when the Daughter and Son and their loves showed up with a plethora of handmade and homemade things at Christmas.

It calls to mind an old poem, really words to live by in this consumerist age:

Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without

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On that note, our lunch quest was, “what have we got in the house to eat that doesn’t require going out for supplies?”

We made this awesomely delicious pasta:

For two:

Cook 1c/250ml multicolour veg pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, dice 2 very ripe tomatoes (ok, ours were VERY ripe) and 1/2 head of broccoli, stems and florets (or either)

Drain a can of salmon.

Chop up a hot pickled pepper languishing alone in its jar (clean and save jar for next year’s canning).

Dig out that 30g/1oz end of herbed goat cheese from the fridge.

Chop a couple of anchovies.

When the pasta is done, strain it. Put the pot back on the stove and dump in the other ingredients except salmon. Stir until the cheese melts in, then add the pasta and the salmon, quickly mixing to coat.

Give thanks for leftovers and good things hiding in the fridge!

Get your Fill(ing)!

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Hand-rolled pasta may sound like a Herculean task for a weeknight, but last Thursday we made these ravioli to take advantage of some leftover spicy roast squash. (Other leftover mashed vegetables will work equally well). Check the recipe pages for the hand-rolled pasta. We rolled it out and used a small biscuit cutter to cut rounds – as many as we could get from the batch of dough. On each round, we placed about 10ml/2tsp of filling, then wet the circle, topped with another round of dough, and crimped the edges carefully (so as not to pierce) with a fork.

We cooked the pasta for about 10 minutes, and in the meantime made sauce:

Heat 30ml/2T butter w 15ml/1T flour. Stir in 125ml/1/2 c 1% milk and continue stirring until thick. Grate in 30-60ml 1-2 oz smoked Gouda and add a dash of nutmeg. Serve over ravioli and enjoy!

Start to finish, including making the pasta from scratch, about 45 minutes.

Spice Up Your Salad!

La princessa and her parents left this morning and now the house is eerily quiet. We’re so grateful to have had them with us for a few days, and glad they enjoyed our city by the sea.

Today is also the day we get our diet and exercise routine back on track – so here’s an easy meal to kick things off, for two:

Leftover grilled steak, about 250ml/1c, sliced thin

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 5 ml each butter and olive oil, and cook, covered, just til tender:

1 sliced onion
2 sliced mushrooms
1 sliced green pepper

Add steak slices and a sprinkling of chipotle powder or a minced Jalapeño.

Serve over 500ml/2c mixed greens.

We’re fortunate to have greens from our own garden, but use a variety to make it more interesting.

Enjoy!

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A Smooth Sendoff…with a Kick!

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One of the best ways to up your personal productivity is to get the day off to a good start, and that means eating breakfast. I know, that seems easier said than done, but here is a great smoothie for two that takes almost no time, and will put a little spice in your step:

500ml/2c frozen berries
500ml/2c plain no fat organic yogurt
250ml/1c 1% milk
30ml/2T Justus Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate mix

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Thanks to the folks at Justus coffee for getting us off and running!
http://www.justuscoffee.com/

Just Poachy!

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It looks like spring but feels like winter this morning. What a glorious burst of sun. So what better way to start the day than with a breakfast stack like this one: whole wheat English muffin, Rowe Farms ham, fresh yellow Ontario hothouse tomato, all topped with a fresh poached egg.