by hello@healthfullyheather.com | Jul 4, 2019 | Recipes
Today, when you walk around the produce section of a grocery store, you often have no concept anymore of the four seasons. A wide variety of fruit and vegetables are stocked throughout the year and so we have slowly gotten away from cooking and eating with the seasons.
Summer is upon us and with it comes some of the most amazing produce! This is a time of abundance in the garden and at the market, so take advantage of it. You might be preferring raw fruits and veg to cooked. Lean into these cravings and indulge in everything the summer season has to offer!
Eating seasonally has many benefits. Choosing in-season produce means you likely are getting fruits and veggies that are more nutrient dense, since they have been grown in their optimal environment and are freshly harvested. They’ll also probably be more flavourful than their off-season neighbours in the produce section!
The best way to do this is to head to your local farmer’s market where you can support local growers and see with your own eyes what has been freshly harvested.
But whether you’re going to the market or just to your local grocery store, I got you! Click below to download my easy guide to seasonal produce. Pin this up in your kitchen for an easy resource when you’re planning your weekly grocery haul!
See some things on the list you don’t recognize? I challenge you this season to try 2-3 new fruits or veggies! It will help keep meal times interesting, foster creativity in your cooking, and eating a wider range of food usually means a wider range of vitamins and minerals as well!
Let me know what new fruits or veggies you’re going to try in the comments!
Happy shopping!
by hello@healthfullyheather.com | Jul 2, 2019 | Recipes
It’s officially summer! And here in Belgium the temperatures have definitely been reflecting that.
Hydration during the summer is so. freaking. important. Yes, every nutritionist bangs on about this, but it’s for a good reason. You can read more about how much you really need to drink over here.
I just recently spent several weeks travelling in Thailand and Myanmar, and one thing I was really loving were the abundant, fresh fruit juices on every menu. Both my boyfriend and I, along with everyone else we were travelling with, quickly became obsessed with lime juice!
When I wasn’t feeling the lime juice and wanted something a bit sweeter I would grab watermelon instead. Over the course of our three weeks away, I definitely had one of the two every single day.
The best thing about making these at home is that you can control the ingredients and any added sugar. They are super simple and easy to whip up just for yourself or a group.
Let me know which one is your favourite!
Lime Juice
Ingredients:
In a large glass combine all ingredients and mix well until sugar is dissolved. Adjust juice to taste by adding more sugar or lime juice. Enjoy!
Serves two
Watermelon Juice
Ingredients:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into two glasses and garnish with extra watermelon and mint if desired. Enjoy!
Serves two
by hello@healthfullyheather.com | Jun 27, 2019 | Recipes
Peaches are my absolute favourite summer fruit. Once they start showing up in the markets and the grocery store it’s a sure sign that summer is here!
This past weekend I picked up my first basket, and while I usually like to just eat them on their own, I couldn’t resist throwing them in a smoothie! The temperatures here this week are sneaking up above thirty, so this was a great summery breakfast smoothie to kick the day off with.
I find peach a very delicate flavour to work with, so in smoothies I would always recommend using fresh, very ripe peaches. You could make this with frozen peaches, but I’m not sure the flavour would come through strongly enough.
The addition of the oats and cinnamon give you all the flavours of a peach cobbler, but in an easy grab and go smoothie!
Peach Cobbler Smoothie
Ingredients:
-
2 fresh, ripe peaches, chopped and pits removed
-
1 cup (250mL) coconut milk
-
¼ cup (60mL) oats
-
1 tbsp (15mL) almond butter
-
½ tsp (2mL) vanilla extract
-
¼ tsp (1mL) cinnamon
-
1 scoop (±60mL) protein powder
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy!
Serves One
by hello@healthfullyheather.com | Jun 18, 2019 | Recipes
Last autumn my boyfriend and I spent a couple weeks driving around Italy in the region of Umbria (central Italy, a bit south of Tuscany / Florence). One of our favourite things to do when travelling is to experience the local flavours, and where better to do that than in Italy, right?
In order to be able to better bring those flavours back home we decided to spend a day following a cooking workshop. We spent several hours learning how to make different types of fresh pasta and ravioli as well as my boyfriend’s favourite dessert, panna cotta.
During a break in our cooking we spent a bit of time sitting out on the terrace, sipping some proper Italian red wine, and enjoying our teacher’s homemade bruschetta.
We didn’t get to make bruschetta ourselves as our teacher insisted it needed to rest overnight to allow the flavours to come together. However, I did pick up some valuable tips for this seemingly simple dish that has allowed me to recreate it at home!
The main tip was to not include any fresh garlic in your bruschetta mixture as it can easily overpower the other flavours. Instead, slice a clove of garlic in half and rub the cut side on your toasted bread before loading up on the bruschetta topping. It was a total game changer and I definitely recommend trying it yourself!
Bruschetta
Ingredients:
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3 medium tomatos, diced
-
1 red onion, diced
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1 tbsp (15mL) fresh basil, chopped
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1 tbsp (15mL) olive oil
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1 tsp (5 mL) apple cider vinegar
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pinch each of sea salt & pepper
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2 garlic cloves, halved
-
bread
In a medium sized bowl combine all ingredients except the garlic cloves and mix well.
Allow to sit for several hours or overnight for the flavours to develop (you can use right away if you want, of course!).
On a slice of freshly toasted bread, rub all over with the cut side of the garlic clove.
Load up your bread with the tomato mixture.
Enjoy!
Serves 4
by hello@healthfullyheather.com | May 28, 2019 | Recipes
The name might make this dish sound a bit fancy and complex, but actually it’s incredibly simple!
En papillote refers to the way the fish is cooked, in a package made from parchment paper. The package locks in all the moisture, allowing you to get a beautifully moist filet of cod and bok choy with the lemony flavour throughout.
This is a simple dinner that you can easy prepare in advance, package up and store in the fridge for a day, and then just slide into the oven when you’re ready for dinner. The tomatoes cook alongside the fish so it’s a one pan and done kind of meal. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
It’s also still tasty as leftovers, so I like to double the portion so that my lunch the next day is already prepared in advance.
Lemon Cod en Papillote with Bok Choy and Tomatoes
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
- 400 g cod filets
- 2 heads bok choy
- 16-20 vine tomatoes
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil (garlic infused for low-FODMAP)
- garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste (skip garlic for low-FODMAP)
Pre-heat oven to 180C / 360F.
In a square of parchment paper lay out the leaves of one half of a head of bok choy.
On top of the bok choy, lay one cod filet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. Top the cod filet with two slices of lemon.
Fold over the parchment paper on the short ends of the cod. Bring the paper on the long sides together and crunch together and down to seal the package.
Repeat for remaining bok choy and cod filets. Place individual packages side-by-side on a baking tray.
On a second, parchment paper lined baking tray, lay out the vine tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.
Place both baking trays in the oven and bake for 18 minutes. Cod is cooked through when meat is white and opaque. Be careful when opening the packages as the hot steam will escape.
Use garlic-infused olive oil and skip the garlic powder for a low-FODMAP / IBS-friendly version.
Keyword Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegetables
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by hello@healthfullyheather.com | May 21, 2019 | Recipes
Growing up, it was the ultimate indulgence when I would go into Toronto (the “big city”) on the train with my dad and we would pick up a massive cinnamon bun from the Cinnabon in the train station.
Actually, my love affair with cinnamon buns runs pretty deep – one of my very first email address when I was probably only 11 years old was definitely something ridiculous like “cinnamon_bun_8”!
Even now, I can be pretty heavy handed when it comes to adding cinnamon to any recipe. That’s why I love this oatmeal recipe, it reminds me of those trips on the train, getting sticky frosting all over my hands.
Except of course I’ve made it even easier to indulge in now, adding in some sneaky zucchini to boost the nutrition profile!
Never tried zucchini in your oats before? It will serious change and up level your breakfast game! It works so well with the texture of porridge, and if you peel the zucchini there is really nothing there that give you the impression you’re having veggies for before. I challenge you to give it a try!
Cinnamon Bun Z’Oats
Ingredients:
-
½ zucchini, peeled & grated
-
250mL (1 cup) water
-
250mL (1 cup) almond milk
-
160mL (⅔ cup) oats
-
45mL (3 tbsp) maple syrup
-
10mL (2 tsp) cinnamon
-
5mL (1 tsp) vanilla
-
2mL (½ tsp) cardamom
-
1mL (¼ tsp) sea salt
-
1 scoop protein powder
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the grated zucchini, oats, water, and almond milk. Bring to just a simmer then reduce heat. Allow to cook until soft, around 15 minutes. If necessary add additional liquid if everything is absorbed.
While there is still a bit of liquid left, add in the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.
Serve immediately with your desired toppings; add more almond milk if you prefer it on the runny side, and adjust sweetness with maple syrup as needed.
Serves 2
