Full Fat Dairy

We recently made the switch to full fat dairy around here. It started because our fridge is small and I didn’t want to have to buy two kinds of milk anymore (Anneliese drinks whole milk). I don’t drink milk, but my husband does. I use it on cereal, in cooking, and in my coffee. Anneliese also eats yogurt we make in our yogurt machine, but I’m not a big yogurt fan. I do also eat cheese (of course!) and sour cream.

For most of my life, I’ve been eating low or no fat dairy- after all, haven’t we all been told how much healthier it is? Turns out, that’s actually not the case. And after you go whole, you won’t go back. What I’m saying is that fat-free sour cream is gross and if my great-great grandmother was serving perogies she wouldn’t want that crap on them.

In a perfect world, we’d all eat fresh dairy products straight from our local farmer in moderate quantities. Unfortunately this is not the case. However, here’s a few reasons why, if you eat dairy, you may want to consider switching to whole products.

In a 2010 analysis, scientists said:

“…There is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of [coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease].”
What’s more, according to dLife:

“If only half of dairy fat is the saturated kind, what kind is the rest? Dairy fat contains lots of oleic acid (the stuff that makes olive oil so healthy), along with a type of fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that may help with weight loss. Recent studies strongly suggest that something — possibly the CLA — in dairy fat does indeed help with weight management.”

This is the same type of thinking that has villified eggs for the past 40-50 years. Study after study has shown definitively that saturated fat alone is not a sole contributer to heart disease.

Saturated fats provide the building blocks for your cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances that are essential to your health, and saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (such as meat, dairy, certain oils, and tropical plants like coconut) provide a concentrated source of energy in your diet.

When you eat fats as part of your meal, they slow down absorption so that you can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are also needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes.

Saturated fats are also:
•The preferred fuel for your heart, and also used as a source of fuel during energy expenditure
•Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid)
•Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti-fungal agent (lauric acid)
•Useful to actually lower cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids)
•Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid)
(source: Dr. Mercola)

I know there are many proponents of raw dairy who are on with my thinking on whole milk products, however I can’t get on board with that. Pasturization has been one of the great inventions of the modern age and has saved many a life.

So maybe go ahead, and have some whole milk on your cereal… or some full fat yogurt with your breakfast…you may find yourself more satisfied, and surely enjoy the great taste!!

Real Food Protein Bars

So I’ve been eating protein bars for lunch as of late. Pretty much the cardinal sin of trying to eat real, fresh food. However, they are portable, non-perishable and I can eat one while driving.
Suffice to say that this lunch situation pretty much sums up my life currently.

In the interest of saving money, and my endocrine system (what is IN those protein bars, they taste like petrochemicals) I came up with a recipe to make my own. This is totally customizable, based on your ingredient preference and texture.

- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup coconut butter (not oil, butter)
- 1/3 cup oats
- 4 scoops beneprotein (or your protein powder of choice) I like beneprotein because it doesn’t have anything other than pure whey protein
- 1/4 cup crushed almonds
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- drizzle agave to taste
- couple handfuls of chocolate chips

mix it all up, and press into a square pan, lined with plastic wrap. If you don’t line it with plastic wrap, you will hate yourself. Put the pan in the freezer to set. When it’s set, cut into bars and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Store in the freezer.

Plate Share

Please click below to check out an amazing new idea by a fellow blogger, to help end hunger in a creative way.

http://www.sweettaterblog.com/2013/01/24/your-plate-could-end-hunger/

Training Update

Just wanted to pop in with a motivational update on my double half marathon/ 30k race training.
Yesterday was supposed to be my long run. I was supposed to run 14k.
I ran 5.
Don’t be like me.
It’s not all bad. I’ve had hit and miss weeks, but my training group starts again this week and I know that this will motivate me to be more organized with my training. Being back at work makes hitting every single run totally impossible, but I’ve really learned that perfection in training does not necessarily guarantee a great race.

Time to re-commit to dark early morning treadmill dates. Excitingly, I have a new tool coming to me soon!!!

It’s an indoor trainer for my bike! Poor Shelly (that’s my bike’s name) has been shivering and lonely in my Dad’s shed since Thanksgiving. But soon she’ll be home with me and ready to go all cozy in front of the TV (preferably with an episode of Downton Abbey)
Once I have everything set up, I may do a review of the actual trainer and climbing block. I thought it would be a fun way to get some cross training in this winter, since I’d rather do 20 hours of cardio in than lift any sort of weight. I know this is wrong, wrong, wrong, and I need to build muscle, etc. etc.

All I can say is that training through this winter, it’s much harder to get motivated than I’ve ever felt! Maybe because I’ve got so much more on my plate- but I think it really has to do with me not being a night-time exerciser. That is when I have time nowawdays, but it’s not my natural inclination.
Any suggestions for getting motivated this winter?

Restaurant Review- Radius

We’re new parents. Nice dinners out have been few and far between for the past year. I really didn’t notice, or miss them for the first 8-or-so months…we were too busy!!
Now that I’m back at work, and we’ve got a totally awesome babysitter, we decided to start date night once a month. Having moved around quite a bit over the past 10 years, something we’ve loved to do is sample the local restaurant culture. Living in Hamilton for 6 months, we’re just getting started!

So, my last day of work before Christmas vacation we decided to treat ourselves- a dinner out was our gift to each other this year. We decided to try Radius (151 James St. S, Hamilton). Located at James South and Augusta in a newly restored (circa 1874) building, items made, where possible, with locally grown foods and all prepared on site by Chef Walter. The dining room was recently opened adding to the existing cafe serving freshly brewed coffee and tea and treats.

Since I didn’t think to blog about this at the time, I didn’t take many photos…oops.
We started with wine and beer, and the selections were explained wonderfully by our friendly server. The atmosphere in the restaurant is really great- a mix of historical and modern. We chose crab cakes as our appetizer. I thought they were good, but I prefer my cakes a little more bready.
Moving on to main courses, I chose the Fettucine Carbonara, and Hubby chose the steak with wasabi mashed potatoes. Both entrees were AMAZING. The pasta was cooked perfectly ( I am a carb connaisseur) and his steak was exactly to his liking (he’s a meat connaisseur). I also tried some of his mashed and really enjoyed it.

We were sitting next to a group of 4 (two couples) and chatted with them. This is a total tangent, but another reason why I love Hamilton- people are for-real friendly. I can’t say that about the other places we’ve recently lived.

We decided to order dessert after watching a few come out of the kitchen. We chose a belgian chocolate cake to share. It was gone in 3 seconds flat. This after finishing a generous portion of pasta- hey we were celebrating!

All in all, we had a great evening. Considering the dining area at Radius has been open a couple months, I think they are doing good things. We definitely have plans to return. I love the local concept of this restaurant and I’m excited to see where the menu goes.

January Pickins’

This morning I had nothing better to do, so I packed up my little one and went down to the farmer’s market. We have a great year-round, local only market not too far away. I wasn’t sure what I’d find- I figured some onions, stored carrots and potatoes, eggs would be available.
I was pleasantly surprised. We didn’t need much, but I did buy eggs, local honey, broccoli, green onions and brussels sprouts (kind of a green day).

What’s that you say? A real, non-instagrammed picture? The luxuries of the weekend.

If I were the type to strictly adhere to a local-only diet (I do my best, but I’m no purist), I’d be eating well this winter.
Available at the market today:
-Kale
-Leeks
-Carrots
-Onions
-Cabbage
-Countless varieties of apples, buckets of them! (benefit of living near Niagara)
-local beef and pork
-cider
-many varieties and sizes of potatoes
-Squash, many types
-mushrooms

The list goes on, I’m sure I’m forgetting some things. As winter drags on, I often forget to trek down to the market and build my meals around seasonal items. Sure, there are times when nothing but a banana will do (especially for Anneliese, who says banana more than she says mama or dada). But really, eating a watery, sour tomato in the dead of winter is depressing, when there are so many better things we could be eating.

Depending on where you live, the list could vary. I’m sure if I searched hard enough, I would find hothouse tomatoes and peppers grown in my region as well.
The benefits are countless- the carbon footprint of broccoli grown within 100km is minimal, and doesn’t that make you feel good? You’re supporting your local economy- go you! You’re a hero. Secretly, the best benefit? Tasty, vibrant food that didn’t ripen on a truck, boat or train from the southern hemisphere. Yum.
I won’t tell anyone you’re doing it for your tastebuds.

Brownies

I decided awhile ago that I would eat whatever I wanted, the caveat being- I had to cook it myself, from scratch. This has kept a whole lot of garbage out of the house (ahem chips). I’m sure I’ll figure out how to make mostly everything I want- but half the time I’m just too lazy, and that’s when I know I didnt really need it anyway.

But last night, I needed brownies.

•1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
•1/4 cup whole wheat flour
•1/2 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
•1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
•1/4 teaspoon baking powder
•pinch of baking soda
•1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
•1 cup evaporated cane juice
•1/2 tablespoon agave
•2 large eggs, room temperature
•1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
•1 cup dark chocolate chips

~~~ Directions ~~~
1.Preheat the oven to 350° F degrees and place rack in the middle of oven. Butter or spray a 8×8 square baking dish
2.In a bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt
3.In a saucepan melt the butter. Remove from heat and add sugar, whisking until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture and whisk until blended together.
4.Fold in chips.
5.Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan
6.Bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

June Cleaver Has Left the Building

I’m living a weekend life right now.. trying to pack in the duties and fun of real life into two days each week. The other 5 days consist of work, work, picking up, dropping off, eating previously prepared meals (if eating at all), and sleep. I’m sure it will calm down. But it makes me really think about our society. I am a big believer in getting back to roots. When trying to get through those crazy newborn days, I often thought “what did my great-grandmothers do?” They didnt have fancy baby monitors, or indoor plumbing for goodness sake. It was a way to bring myself back to earth, to stop the incessant Dr. Googling, and worrying over every milestone.

What has really inspired this post is a paragraph from a book I just finished- “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver.

“Now what? Most of us, male or female, work at full-time jobs that seem organized around a presumption that some wifely person is at home picking up the slack- filling the gap between school and workday’s end. Doing errands only possible during business hours, meeting the expectation that we are hungry when we get home. But in fact June Cleaver has left the premises. Her income was needed to voer the mortgage and health insurance. Didnt the workplace organizers notice? In fact, that gal Friday is us, both moms and dads running on overdrive, smashing caretaking duties into small spaces between job and carpool and bedtime. Eating preprocessed or fast food can look like salvation in the short run, until we start losing what real mealtimes give to a family: civility, economy, and health. A lot of us are wishing for a way back home, to the place where care-and feeding isnt a zookeeper’s duty but something happier and more creative.”

Do I have the answer, or a solution? Wish I did. But I truly believe, for our culture to survive, there needs to be a time when everyone realizes that we are disconnected from our own lives. I’m doing my best to stay connected. Yes, I broke and hired a maid every other week. But in my opinion, I’d rather spend the time I might have spend cleaning, with my daughter, or cooking for my family, to ensure we DON’T eat garbage the rest of the week.

While Anneliese napped yesterday, I decided to bake some cupcakes to send to daycare with her, in celebration of her birthday on Tuesday. I went to go get a (organic, as if it matters) cake mix from the pantry, but then realized I had used it on a failed cake experiment a month ago. So out came my trusty antique cookbook.

Making a cake from scatch is actual as fast as using a mix, provided you have all the ingredients handy.

They taste a million times better than anything from a box. (Maybe the whole milk we now have in the house helped a little)

Real Food English Muffins

We eat a lot of english muffins over here. Don’t ask me why. We never buy bread. Only english muffins. I like to eat them with my poached eggs in the morning and Quinton eats them with anything.
Since this is such a major staple for us, I figured it would be worth it to try to make my own. I found the recipe on pinterest, so I’ll just link straight to it and add my commentary.

http://myfairbaking.blogspot.ca/2012/12/homemade-english-muffins.html

The dough was straight forward- word to the wise: if your house is cold like mine, make sure you put the circles somewhere warm to rise. I covered them and left them on the counter….and…. nothing. So I turned on the oven and put them on top of it and sure enough, they doubled. Live and learn, my friends.
I did like the fact that the recipe used honey and not refined sugar. After tasting them I think I’d cut the honey in half next time.

I think next time I would use a larger circle, this time I used a water glass, which was ok, but I like the muffin to be wide enough to hold an egg and these are a tad small.

Ensure you do keep the skillet on medium low heat- otherwise they’ll brown up too fast and not cook on the inside.

Toddler approved!!!!

Real Food Habitant Split Pea Soup

Confession: I love canned soup. I know it’s disgusting and not very classy, but it’s tasty. Especially with a ton of soda crackers in it. I also know that most canned processed soups are full of a ton of ingredients I can’t pronounce, let alone identify. So processed, canned soups, you gotta go.
Luckily, it was easy for me to replicate one of my favourites- Habitant Split Pea. My American friends probably don’t know what this is, but Canadians do: its the one in the big yellow can!
Easy Peasy! (pun intended)

Ingredients:
-1/2 bag dried green split peas
- 1400ml stock (homemade or store bought) I used half chicken half veg
-3 finely diced large carrots
-6 1 inch slices turkey kielbasa, finely diced
-finely diced small onion

Dump it in the slow cooker. Set to low and come back in 6-8 hours.
When it’s done, it will require a good stir and won’t be as thick as you remember split pea. Never fear. In the fridge over night it will thicken up A LOT.
Serve with whole wheat soda crackers. I couldn’t wait to put mine in, thats why this picture looks like sludge. Trust me, it tastes better than it looks.

>