Tuesday, November 25, 2008

ENERGY BARS

Tired of processed food and looking for a quick fix?  
Most energy bars are loaded with simple sugars and additives so why not make your own?
The following recipes are quick, easy and fun to make.  All you need is a food processor.

POWER BAR  I
7 prunes
6 medjool dates
1/8 cup goji berries
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp walnuts

POWER BAR  II
1/4 cup 7 grain cereal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 cup goji berries
1/8 cup slivered almonds
1/8 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp agave syrup


To make either power bar:
Combine the  ingredients in a food processor and chop until mixed and the contents clump.
With damp hands mold the paste into balls or press and flatten the mix in a baking dish, then cut into squares.
Wrap the power bars in a sealed container and refrigerate.
Makes 10 bars

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

THE RIGHT WAY TO EAT

The right way to eat ...
Is there a right and wrong way?
At some point we have all had the experience of eating with guilt.
For some of us it is rare, for others it can be constant.
Yet we all share that experience with food.

How about some guidelines?
We use them in all aspects of our lives although not always consciously from how clean our living spaces 'should' be to how much we spend. So how about some guidelines for one of our most basic relationship? What we eat!

Love the food you eat! That's right! What good is your favourite ice cream if guilt is involved?

What is the sense of eating if you do not enjoy it? Certainly do not over do it, but appreciate the food you eat.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

More on our relationship to food....

We can all agree that food is essential to our survival.
What differs from one person to the next is their own relationship to food.
For most eating is a battle whether it is with our bodies or our minds.

Does it really have to be so difficult?
There must be a simpler way of being with food!

Guidelines for a healthy relationship with food can be simple.
A simple and powerful tool to be guided by is ...

Eat food as close to it's natural state as possible

Think about this for a moment. The next time you go grocery shopping keep this in mind and notice how it can affect your food choices!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

How do you shop for food?



What is your relationship to food?
Is it heated and flamboyant?
Are you passionate and committed or dull and conservative?

The flamboyant shopper buys food with reckless abandon allowing cravings to direct the adventure through the market. Shopping this way can be fun and easy but also costly. There is a danger of being manipulated if not by your palate then definitely by creative marketing and advertising ploys. More often than not this type of
 shopping ends up in over indulging and wastefulness.

The passionate and committed shopper can be passionate about food and committed to a budget. One shops with an anticipation, excited and motivated by what is fresh, local and on special. The passion is in the meals to come and the commitment is to the list. A grocery list helps you stay on your budget and keep you focused while shopping. The creativity can come from planning a menu with a list of foods to buy.

To the dull and conservative shopper buying food can be a chore.You sigh, grab a pen and mark down all the items you need to replace because that is what you have eaten, do eat and will always eat never questioning why. The experience can be even more painful to those that shop because of the need to fill a hole. When at the store you try to remember what you need and buy food because you just need to eat to survive

The way I shop for food varies.  In spring and summer especially, I am inspired by the fresh and local produce.  By fall and winter I tend to plan my meals as I shop, usually taking advantage of the specials of the week.
Regardless of how I shop for the foods we eat, I like to practice the following guidelines:


  • Have a plan before going to the store
  • Always eat before shopping 
  • Shop the outside aisles first
  • Have a list and a purpose for visitng the inside aisles
  • Choose food as close to it's natural state as possible