Oskar's Second Birthday: Introducing Chocolate Chips in Zucchini Cake

3 medium free-range non-medicated eggs: beat until lemon coloured
Mix together and beat:
1.5 cups unrefined sugar
1 cup unrefined canola oil or organic melted butter

Add to mix:
5 Tbsp. cocoa w/ 2 tbsp organic melted butter
Add 1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini (be sure to drain the juice well after grating and before adding to the mix or else it will be too runny)
In another bowl combine:
2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp. unrefined salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. non-aluminum baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine both bowls together and add 1 cup chocolate chips
Alternative: almonds or walnuts and orange or lemon zest w/ cream cheese icing instead of chocolate chips.
Add to 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
Check with toothpick and remove from oven when toothpick comes out moist but not gooey in the middle of the loaf.
Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pans.

Healthy Carrot Cake: A Recipe

1 cup Oil (unrefined canola oil) or melted organic butter
1.5 cups unrefined sugar (Panela)
Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time until fluffy

Mix all the following ingredients together and gradually add to above
2 cups spelt flour
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. non-aluminum baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. unrefined salt

Then add 3 cups grated carrots (approx. 3 med.-large ones)
And 1 cup walnuts
Bake at 325 degrees in a 9x12 pan for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out fairly clean (it can still be a bit moist just not gooey)

Icing:
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp organic butter or ½ cup organic whipping cream, whipped.
½ tsp. vanilla
Add 2 cups sifted maple sugar or maple syrup (note: the icing will be a bit runnier with the syrup

Playing with Perogies

Recently I prepared perogies from scratch for the first time. It was a daunting thought at first but I decided I was up for the challenge.

My husband’s mother is Polish and we always have a huge traditional feast every Christmas eve complete with borscht, uszkas, perogies, fresh bread, kucia (a dessert) and even pickled herring. To make things even more interesting, my husband’s father, who is from India, often prepares a traditional Indian dish as well. It is a foodie’s dream, really.

I wanted to contribute this year as I had some free hands (last year I was baby-minding) and was eager to learn the art of making traditional perogies. Being the holistic foodie that I am though, I had to find a way around the white flour dilemma, so I decided to make them with half spelt flour. My mother-in-law gave me her blessing.

I wanted to involve my little Oskar in the process, partly to introduce a family tradition and also to encourage his support in the kitchen. I hope that this will develop a healthy love of food including its preparation.

I strongly encourage all parents to involve your kids in the kitchen, from a young age, and especially if they are finicky eaters. It has shown to significantly improve their eating habits and it is a wonderful way to bond with your child, especially if you create a loving and patient environment to practice in. When involving little ones, be prepared to spend more time and make more mess…but also a LOT more fun!

NOTE: If you’re making your own perogie recipe I’d suggest using the above 50:50 flour ratio first and experimenting with other ratios after you see what this one is like. Be extra diligent about not letting them stick together (ie: flour the counter well and use some olive oil in the water when boiling them). Also, be sure to boil them after putting them together if you plan to refrigerate or freeze them before serving as they get increasingly sticky in storage (I learned that the hard way.)

The stuffing (mushrooms, caramelized onion

& sauerkraut w/ carrot…and lots of organic butter!)

Frittata: An Ode to the Egg

The egg is a wonderful thing. Its oval form and yellow yolk are visually pleasing, and, what’s more the egg provides hard-to-find nutrients, such as:

Lutein: for healthy eyes
Choline: regulates the brain, nervous system and cardiovascular system.
Vitamin D: one of the few foods that provides it in a naturally occurring form, easily absorbed by the body
Omega 3: found only in grass-fed, free-range eggs

We’ve become so health conscious about fat consumption that we’re consuming more and more unhealthy (modified saturated and trans fats found in packaged foods, and reduced fats) and less and less healthy fats (omega 3 and whole fat) found in fish and nut oils, butters, eggs and whole milk. Babies and children require healthy, whole fats to develop their brains, but adults need it as well.

You can boil eggs and carry them around in their shell for a quick and healthy protein snack for your little one. Or you can make frittatas…one of my favorite lunches to give Ilan. Whisk an egg or two, add some goat yogurt or whole goat milk, and toss in tomatoes, organic spinach, goat cheese and garlic. There are so many options for toppings and frittatas are great when you have little time to spare to make a fresh breakfast, lunch or dinner. I cut Ilan’s frittata into chunks for a great finger food and make enough for both of us to share.

Note: If you have a history of egg allergies in your family, avoid introducing eggs before age one. If not, eggs yolks can be introduced at 9 months without the egg white (egg whites contain the most allergens), and the entire egg can be enjoyed from age one. Choose free-range, non-medicated eggs for optimal nutrients and fewer toxins.

When to Choose Organic Food

Many people do not know the full benefits of choosing certified, organically grown food. I should clarify that we should not necessarily be striving to eat organic food all the time.

It is very difficult and expensive to have a 100% organic diet, especially when trying to eat locally as much as possible.

We recommend avoiding non-organic produce that tends to be most sprayed and prioritizing your organic shopping list with this in mind. For more info go to Food News.

I’d add animal products to your list of priority organic foods (or animal products that are free-range/grass-fed, non-medicated) as they are higher on the ‘food chain’ and bio-accumulate more toxicity during its lifetime. Also they are more likely to contain antibiotics, hormones, and beyond. My husband and I have become ‘part-time vegetarians’ for economical and environmental reasons.

Organic Farming:

• Doesn’t use synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicide, fertilisers or anything chemical. Also no GMO’s. Nothing synthetic or unnatural used in the growing of the food.
• Promotes biodiversity by planting several varieties of the same plant as well as heirloom (old, nearly lost) varieties.
• Uses natural pest and weed management,
• Focuses on building soil and nurturing beneficial bacteria, fungi, earthworms found within. Bacteria decompose plant material, making the nutrients (minerals) available for roots. Fungi fight off soil pathogens and earthworms aerate the soil (and these are just a few of their tasks).
• Supports biodiversity of crops, as well as poly-cropping
• Encourages crop rotation so as not to deplete soil of a particular nutrient
• Recycles substances back into the land e.g. plant and food stuffs composted into soil
• Encourages beneficial insects by planting flowers
• Plans for the long term and farming sustainably

Not all local farmers can afford organic certification but still grow great food, with honour and integrity. Supporting farmer’s markets is a great way to get much of your food straight from the farmer. So, always ask to know the source and growing methods of your food as much as possible.

To find a farmer’s market in BC: Eat Local
For the US: Local Harvest

Whole Food Snacks on the Run

Making sense of packaged foods can be time consuming and misleading, particularly when you only focus on the ingredients. I was obsessed with giving my son brown rice cakes, as they were great for teething, an easy finger food, fun to play with and only made with organic whole brown rice, right?

I thought these were an alternative to the highly processed cheerios and other cereals and crackers that were common baby food snacks among my friends. When talking with Lisa-Marie, Weemunch Holistic Nutritionist, I learned that simply reading the ingredients on packages isn’t always enough…one has to look further at how packaged foods are made. It turned out that the process of puffing and shaping rice cakes (a method called ‘extrusion’) and other grains, denatures their nutritional integrity, including proteins, and makes them difficult to digest for infants, toddlers and adults. This may very well be why grain allergies are at an all-time high.

This week is devoted to finding good, whole foods that come out of packages…and make for quick, easy snacks when you are on the go. This is our list…tell us about yours.

Snacks

Peas (6 months +) great alternative to cereals, iron content and a fun finger food
Brown rice crackers (6 months +) one of the easiest grains for digestion. See soaking article on phytic acid. Note: these are not perfect but better than most.
Goat Yogurt (7 months +) organic, whole fat is best
Organic raw cheese (8 months +) some brands: L’Ancetre, Bio Bio, Little Qualicum, Earth’s Best
Sprouted Wheat Bread (8 months +) great with chevre, sprouted wheat is always easier to digest than whole wheat and white flour breads
Organic Raisins and other dried fruit (9 months plus, high in iron, choose non-sulphered)
Mandarin Oranges (9 months +), packed with Vitamin C, great finger food)
Goat Chevre ( 9 months +)
Edamame (9 months +) these are immature soy beans and therefore have not yet built up any phytic acid (other non-fermented/sprouted soy products are loaded with it!)
Avocado (9 months +)
Parmesan Crisps (9 months +) can be expensive, but a better alternative to white flour crackers
Suzie’s Flatbreads (9 months +) made from whole spelt or kamut flour and some seeds *not the easiest to digest but ok for an occasional snack on the go
Lara Bars (12 months + if nuts are not an issue) a very simple yummy ‘energy bar’ with only nuts and dates
Halvah Bars (12 months +) made from sesame seeds, with nuts and brown rice syrup for sweetener.

Drinks

Kombucha (12 months +)
Gerolsteiner (12 months +) a naturally carbonated spring water