The Farmer's Market

Every Thursday there is a small, but wonderful, farmer's market in Lunenburg. It is held in a gym-type space and during it's high season, is over flowing with vendors of all sorts. 

When you first arrive, you are greeted by the aroma of Laughing Whale coffee brewing and the visual of bright and fresh veggies and sprouts from a local farmer. Don't risk looking to the right though. If you do, you will come head on with some of the most incredible baked goods. I am guessing the baker is Parisian...but I haven't found out his story yet. He makes breads, croissants, brioche and so much more. Today I let down my guard and bought a brioche to share with my baby girl. It was perfect.

If you continue on, you quickly encounter another incredible spread of baked goods. 'Baked goods' doesn't do these creations justice. The bread is twisted and shaped in a way that can only be called 'art'. This stand also has quiche and something like a croissant with custard and chocolate inside. They are almost too pretty to eat....almost. 

There is a seafood stand, of course, a butcher of sorts, beeswax candles, beautifully dyed yarn and one of my favourite vendors-the lovely man who makes apple cider. His containers aren't labelled,so I can't even tell you his business name...but his cider is incredible. We buy the low to no sugar added cider and it is delicious. If you return his container to him, he gives you 25 cents back and seems so pleased that you would think to save the container for him. Sometimes it's the little things.

Another neat thing about this market is that it's located right next door to the primary (also known as kindergarten) to grade 9 school, Bluenose Academy. One particular teacher, who happens to be my husband, brings his French class to experience the market every week. What a wonderful thing to show these kids, some of whom would have never gone otherwise. Most of them bring a few dollars and get a brioche or a small bottle of cider and then wander around until it's time to head back to class.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around why the market is held on a Thursday morning. Despite it being a workday for many, the market is bustling. I'm sure there is a story there that I will come to learn in time. 

I can't help but think I should be involved with this market in some way. I used to have a stand at the Moncton Market, where I sold things like children's hair clips, headbands and felt finger puppets. If I have an ingenious idea, I look more into it.

If you haven't checked out your local market, make a point to. There is something for everyone and by shopping there, you are helping to support the people in your community. 

Cooking with Cauliflower-Part 2

I'm too amazed with the results to wait until tomorrow to tell you about it! Cauliflower, as a replacement for fried rice, is incredible! It tasted exactly like fried rice, with minimally different texture, and had the added bonus of tasting fresh and delicious! I highly recommend it!

To start, I grated the head of cauliflower on a cheese grater (I wasn't convinced that my blender/food processor would do the trick). I then heated the oil in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes and added the onion for an additional 5 minutes, before adding in the cauliflower. The cauliflower took a solid 10 minutes to soften.

Tomorrow I will try making the cauliflower pizza crust. Now that I know what cauliflower is capable of, I have full faith that the crust will be amazing!

If you missed it in my previous post, here is the recipe (www.damyhealth.com) I followed. Note: I did not end up using the salt and it didn't need it at all. The onion and olive oil provided ample flavour.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 Head Cauliflower, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• ¼ Tsp Sea Salt

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion over medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft.
3. Meanwhile, place cauliflower in a food processor with the “S” blade and process until the texture of rice. (TIP: if you do not have a food processor do not fret, you can simply use a cheese grater to grate the cauliflower into rice. Works awesome!!
4. Add cauliflower to skillet, cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until soft, then add salt.

Do you have a cauliflower recipe to share? If so, please share in the comments. 

Happy cooking!

PS-I also tried making (with my husband) Quinoa PIzza Bites from www.missbefit.tv. They taste great, but could use some tweaking to help them stay together better. I'll work on them later this week and post more once I've perfected them. 

Cooking with Cauliflower-Part 1

One of many current trends is to use cauliflower in place of things like rice, mashed potatoes and even pizza crust. So, over the next week, I am going to try using cauliflower in these different ways and let you know how it works out. Tonight, I'll start simple and use cauliflower in place of rice in a stir fry.

Here's the recipe (from www.damyhealth.com) I'll be trying:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 Head Cauliflower, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• ¼ Tsp Sea Salt

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion over medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft.
3. Meanwhile, place cauliflower in a food processor with the “S” blade and process until the texture of rice. (TIP: if you do not have a food processor do not fret, you can simply use a cheese grater to grate the cauliflower into rice. Works awesome!!
4. Add cauliflower to skillet, cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until soft, then add salt.
5. Enjoy this “rice” in soups, as a side for supper in place of rice, or in a casserole. Serve as your “rice” side dish with chicken, or fish, veggies and a side salad for a complete meal!

I'm most interested in trying the pizza crust recipe, as pizza is my favourite guilty pleasure. What do you use for a crust replacement?

Homemade Donairs

Yesterday, after a week of extremely clean eating, my husband and I were craving pizza or a donair. Nova Scotia happens to produce the best donairs and we live around the corner from a great little pizza/donair restaurant called J3. It seemed to be calling our name, but in an effort to stay strong, we decided to compromise. What if we made it all from scratch? That way we would have control over all of the ingredients.

So, after a little research I found a recipe (mmmisformommy.com) to make donair meat, which I altered, of course.

Donair Meat

• 3.5 to 4 lbs pounds lean ground beef
• 2 tsp spelt flour
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 4.5 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients, either in a food processor or by kneading and smashing it on a clean surface. Separate mixture in half and form two chunky logs of meat. Bake on a cooling rack (this works great because all of the fat drains off), on top of a foil-covered cookie sheet at 325F for 1.5 hours. Once cooked, you can either slice and eat it as is (slices will be thicker) or let it cool completely first. This will make it significantly easier to have thin slices. Note: This recipes yields roughly 12 medium donairs.

For a first effort, the meat turned out really great! I should have let it cool longer, but it tasted perfect! To improve some of the other components of the meal, I replaced doughy, white pitas with thin whole wheat pita. I also replaced cow cheese with a sprinkling of goat cheese and used lots of cut up tomatoes and onions. You could also add a variety of lettuce, mushrooms or peppers. The one part, and actually the worst, where I stayed true to a "real" donair was the sauce. It is incredibly high in sugar, but the donair seemed dry without it. If you use the sauce, use it sparingly. The recipe I used was simply to combine a 300 ml can of condensed milk, 1.3 cup white vinegar and a tsp of garlic powder and refrigerate while the meat cooks. The sauce should be enough for all of the meat in the above recipe.

Sometimes it's better to give in to a craving. If you're anything like me, you'll end up eating all kinds of things while trying to avoid the craving, which usually ends up being worse than the thing you actually wanted. 

Best of luck turning your unhealthy cravings into something a little healthier. I encourage you to share your ideas below!

Chia Pudding-Tastes like Rice Pudding!

Every now and then, it's nice to feel like you can have a treat. Who says it needs to be an unhealthy one? If you like rice pudding, you will LOVE this!

Chia Pudding:

2 cups unsweetened almond milk
4 tbsp chia seeds
1 healthy shake of cinnamon

Pour almond milk into a jar, add chia seeds and cinnamon. Cover jar and shake well. Place in fridge overnight and the next morning.....TA DA! You have chia pudding. It's simple, quick and delicious...not to mention significantly healthier than traditional rice pudding.

Enjoy!

Healthy Living One Day at a TIme

Why is it that I am far more inspired to lead a healthy life in Nova Scotia than I ever was in New Brunswick? I guess in a way, I always looked at New Brunswick as a pit stop, on the way back to Nova Scotia...but somehow that stop turned into seven years.

Not only am I eating healthy at every meal, I'm planning ahead to make sure I do. Last night, my husband mixed chia seeds and almond milk to have for our smoothy this morning and I cooked down spinach and froze it into ice cubes, also for our smoothy.

Smoothy Recipe: (I'm not one for recipe following...so these measurements are approximate) 

1 tbsp chia seeds in 1/3 c unsweetened almond milk (left covered in fridge overnight)
2 ice cubes of cooked spinach
1/2c frozen berries
1 banana

*add additional almond milk for desired consistency

During the day today, while my kids are at school and my husband is teaching, my baby girl and I will walk to the post office, walk to the local grocery store and plan a healthy supper for our family. We'll take time to smell the roses and appreciate the simple things in life. Life felt so chaotic and uncertain before, but now everything seems clear. All of the struggles lead us to this better quality of life.

So, for now, I'm keeping it simple and working on becoming a  healthier, happier version of myself. I`m not doing this because I want to be a better mom or better wife, but because I`m finally doing something for me. This is 7.5 years in the making and if I`m happier with myself, everyone around me will be happier too.

Life in Lunenburg

Good morning, world! This will be my first official post from Lunenburg, NS. Before I get into the nutrition portion of this post, I want to give you a little background on my new home.

Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The downtown centre is full of character and old wooden buildings that have remained virtually unchanged since the 18th century. What is of  even more interest, in the world of health and wellness, is that Lunenburg is almost considered a "Blue Zone", due to the high number of centenarians (a person who lives to be over 100 years) in the area. The exact scientific explanation for this is unknown, but I'm sure it is a combination of things, such as the inclines on the streets walked, the year round access to fresh fish, less stressful environment, strong sense of community and most importantly the fresh air. It also doesn't hurt, with the exception of Subway, that there aren't any fast food restaurants in a 20 km radius.

Despite having full-time employment, the towns people come out in great number to attend the Thursday morning market,where you become acutely aware of  the high number of health conscious people in the area. Fresh sprouts, farm-fresh vegetables, homemade granola, fresh-pressed apple cider, beeswax candles, organic teas and hearty baked breads are among the many tempting items available. Knit items are a plenty, both on the shoppers and for purchase. Babies, as new as one week old, are worn in slings by the market vendors. The importance of family is clear at the market.

Since moving here, almost three weeks ago, the desire to get back into shape, both mentally and physically, has been strong. I start my day by walking our family dog along the beautiful waterfront. I return home and make a healthy breakfast (this morning I had an omelette of two eggs, spinach, mushrooms, sprouts and a sprinkle of goat cheese). I then unpack, or yesterday I shoveled snow for an hour, and make lunch (arugula salad with apple, almonds, sprouts, a sprinkle of goat cheese, a few dried cranberries and homemade dressing of olive oil, balsamic and garlic). I sometimes have another walk, either with our dog, or with my kids to the one of many great little shops. For supper, we might have lentil soup or salmon, veggies and a delicious treat of baked potato. It's a much more simple life here, but it's a great one.

Someday, I will return to the workforce, but for now, I am lucky enough to spend the mornings with my baby girl and the afternoon and evenings with my two older children and my husband. For those of you who have read my posts in the past, you will know that my husband moved here four months before us, while we waited for our home to sell in New Brunswick. I stayed behind with our three kids and really let go of my eating and physical activity, partly by unconscious choice and partly because I was raising my kids alone and simply had limited time to myself.

So here's to new beginnings! May 2014 bring your peace, health and happiness!