Raw Vegan Energy Balls

When I tried this recipe for Raw Vegan Energy Balls by Rachel Schwartzman ND a few weeks ago I immediately knew I needed to share it. They're such a simple, healthy & tasty little treat that the whole family will love. 

I made a double batch so I could take some to share with my Prenatal Class and decided to substitute all natural peanut better for the tahini, because that's what we had, and I didn't want to make a trip to the store. They were amazing!! Everyone who tried them loved them. Even the kids! (As you can tell by this pic of them grabbing for seconds before I could even take a photo!) 

Since then my prenatal class students have been begging me for the recipe, and my kids have been begging me for more. So today I fulfill both of those wishes. Here is Rachel's delicious recipe for everyone to try, and I'm off to make up a quick batch for the kids. A perfect pick me up snack for a grey day like today. 

Enjoy!

- Care

*Rachel is a Naturopathic Doctor & Birth Doula with The West End Doulas. If you would like any information about her services feel free to check out her website, send her an email or give her a call at 416.371.3422. You can also follow Rachel on her beautiful Instagram feed.

Simple, Healthy & Delicious Family Breakfast Recipe - Overnight Oats With Apple Chia Jam

Mornings are hard. Period. At least for most of us parents they are. So much to do to get ready for the day and so many demands from our little people. Keeping breakfast as simple as possible helps me survive, but recently I was feeling bad about offering up the same old greek yogurt with fruit, nut butter on whole grains, scrambled eggs, or leftovers from dinner (because seriously, kids don't care if they eat chicken for breakfast).

I decided to check out some new recipes online and turned to one of my new favourite food blogs Oh She Glows. What I found was the perfect healthy warm winter breakfast: Sugar-Free Apple Pie Chia Seed Jam + Breakfast Parfait. The recipe is so simple and quick to make and can be prepped in advance which I love. 

I didn't bother layering the oats & apple jam into a fancy parfait, 'cause this is real life people, but no one seemed to care. Lucy gobbled hers up in mere minutes and then screamed for more. Always a good sign. Plus mommy enjoyed it too. Win Win!

Can't wait to try out some new fruit combos on these overnight oats. I'd love to hear if you make any great ones! Tweet or Facebook me your ideas. Hope you enjoy this healthy recipe as much as we do. 

- Care

Super Simple, Healthy & Delicious Treats! (Baby, Toddler, Preschooler & Adult Approved!)

When I find a recipe I love, that's also super simple and healthy, I tend to make it over and over and over again. Well that's exactly what happened with these AMAZING Banana Bread Muffin Tops from Oh She Glows that I was introduced to last week by my good friend Kate (Thanks Kate!). I'm not embarrassed to admit that I have made 5 batches of these in the last week and a half. Everyone who has tried them has loved them. My son even asked for them instead of cake for his birthday this summer. That's definitely a sure sign of yumminess! 

The best part about these homemade treats is that they're made out of simple ingredients that many of us have in our pantry and have no refined sugar added! I absolutely love these as a little power packed after school treat (or nap time treat for mommy). Plus they're nut free which is always helpful. 

If you haven't checked out Oh She Glows I highly encourage you to do so. The beautiful award winning Canadian food blog is full of delicious healthy recipes and everything I've tried has been amazing!

Hope you and your family love these little treats as much as we do!

Warmly,

Care

The Groaning Cake - Spiced Apple Cake

At this time of year when delicious local apples are in abundance the Groaning cake is the perfect dessert. This spiced apple cake is a traditional "birth" cake, hence the name. 

The customs surrounding the history of the Groaning cake are different around the world. In some cultures the Groaning cake was baked by women in early labour to pass the time. In other areas the cake was made by friends and family and brought to the woman as a gift. Either way the cake is intended to provide the postpartum mother with a delicious treat that has some good sources of energy, healthy fats, iron, fibre & immune boosters.

The combination of honey, coconut oil, molasses, whole grains, fruit & spices is really incredible. You can leave the cake bare (more like a loaf) or you can add a simple vanilla glaze, cream cheese frosting, or dust with powdered sugar. As an avid hater of cream cheese frosting, I refuse to ruin this beautiful cake with it, but others assure me it's a great combo. My husband is a cream cheese frosting lover and says I ruin it for everyone. Good thing I'm the baker in the house ;)

I make this cake for the final class in my 4-week prenatal class series as a little graduation treat and the parents always love it. If you've got some apples laying around give this one a try. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Also a great gift for a new family in their early days postpartum. 

Enjoy!

- Carolyn 

The Groaning Cake

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups peeled grated apple
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1/4 cup black strap molasses
• 1 cup honey or alternative sweetener
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dried fruit or chopped nuts optional
• Cream cheese or vanilla icing optional or dust with powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 with rack in middle of oven
2. Lightly grease pan (bundt pan, two 9x5 loaf pans or two standard size muffin pans)
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon & ground cloves in a large bowl. Stir in grated apple (and any dried fruit or nuts) and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl lightly beat the eggs & add oil, orange juice, orange zest, molasses, honey & vanilla.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients & mix well.
6. Scrape into prepared pan & bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean ~20-25 mins for muffins, ~30-40 mins for loaves & ~40-50 mins for bundt cake.
7. Cool in pan for 10-15 mins, then invert onto wire rack & cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze to enjoy later. 

Family Meal Time - Part 1

There are some crazy emotions that come with being a parent. I have experienced many of them first hand this past year with my little 11 month old daughter.  A major one I would like to discuss is WORRY.  Parents worry that their child is not warm enough, dressed well enough, sleeping properly, eating or drinking enough, eating or drinking too much... and on and on the list goes!

When it comes to food, I know as a parent I just want my little girl to grow the way she was meant to grow, to be healthy.  I want her to eat enough, but not too much.  And trying to find this balance can lead parents to dictate how much little ones should eat.  The issue with this approach is that we don’t know how much our little ones need.  Everyone has a different metabolism.  Also, if I dictate how much my preschooler needs to eat, she will never learn to listen to her body.  What will she do when she is older and I’m not there to tell her how much to eat?  On top of that, every meal (and I mean EVERY MEAL) will be a battle between parent and child over how much to eat, what to eat, finishing vegetables before dessert, etc.  NO FUN!  This is not a table of which I would like to be in attendance meal after meal, day after day!  Especially when food intake is the one thing over which a preschooler has control!!!

So how can we raise our children to be competent eaters without fighting about it at every meal?  How can we make meal times pleasant and enjoyable, a time for relationship building rather than arguments over broccoli.

First, let’s define a COMPETENT EATER... That means that a child listens to his body and stops when he has eaten enough, when he is full. According to Internationally renowned Pediatric Dietitian Ellyn Satter, there is a division of responsibility between parents and infants/children/teenagers when it comes to feeding and meal times. Ellyn Satter Institute

Here is the general premise: 

When your child is fed regularly and predictably (with no grazing in between meals/snacks), she will be able to determine for herself how much she needs to eat.  Your child will also eat better when she eats with family (family meal is defined as at least one parent and at least one child eating together).  Research has found that family meals are associated with better eating (quality of meals) and good eating patterns and may positively influence such things as disordered eating behaviours, mental health and substance abuse substance abuse.

Division of Responsibility

PARENTS are responsible for:

• WHAT is offered: family foods.  You as mom and dad get to pick what your child will be offered each meal.   Be sure to include at least one thing that everyone at the table will eat (e.g. yogurt, or bread, or salad).
• WHERE children eat: at the table.  TV/video games/Ipad/Ipod/ etc OFF.  Homework away.  No distractions.
• WHEN they are fed: every 2-3 hours.  Yes, that’s right.  2-3 hours.  Sounds like a lot, but children have tiny tummies and need to be fed regularly.  In between meals, only water.  No juice or milk or cookies, or candies, etc.

CHILDREN are responsible for:

• IF THEY WILL EAT.  Sometimes they choose not to. DO NOT FORCE OR ENCOURAGE your child to eat more of a specific food.  Let them explore it and slowly grow to like a food.
• HOW MUCH they will eat.  Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. NEVER force a child to eat, and NEVER NEVER NEVER force food into a child’s mouth.

You might be a little bit skeptical about this approach.  I have used this approach in my paediatric clinics with my kiddies who are picky eaters, my kiddies who need to gain more weight, my kiddies who are bigger.  It works for EVERYONE in the family.  Follow the division of responsibility and stop worrying about who ate their veggies.

Stay Tuned for Part 2...  Putting it all together...

Come meet Eliana & hear her speak about Feeding Your Family, this Wednesday March 19th at 10am. A few spots are still available in this workshop. Please Register Online or contact us via phone: 416.972.9367 or email: info@fifty-seven.ca