Raw Vegan Peanut Butter & Jam Cheesecake

This raw vegan cheesecake is my most beautiful vegan cheesecake I have created to date. The colour combinations as well as the peanut butter and jam drizzle make this creation look like a piece of art.



This "cheesecake" is both vegan and gluten free and uses only healthy ingredients. No unnecessary fats or sugars are used in this recipe. That is probably one of my favourite things about vegan desserts is that they are not low calorie by any means but the calories you are consuming are all clean and good for your body.



I am personally not a vegan but love to create desserts following vegan standards. They look beautiful and taste beautiful, my family and I both enjoyed this "cheesecakes" and I hope you will too.



Ingredients:

Crust:

1 c. almonds

2/3 cups oats

5 dates

1/3 cup coconut oil

1-2 tbsp. honey

Filling:

1 1/2 cups coconut cream

1 1/4 cups cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours

1 cup raw peanuts, soaked for at least 4 hours

approx. half a cup water

1/3 cup coconut sugar

2-3 tbsp. honey or maple syrup

1 tso. vanilla

1/2 cup strawberries

approx. 1/4 cup jam of your choice

approx. 1/4 cup all natural peanut butter

1. First combine all crust ingredients in a food processor, process until a crumb like texture is reached. Press into the bottom of a 7inch spring form pan.

2. Combine all filling ingredients together in a food processor, except the strawberries. Process until smooth. Remove half the filling (peanut butter filling) and place in a bowl. Add the strawberries to the remaining filling and blend until fully incorporated.

3. Alternate between the peanut butter filling and the strawberry filling, placing it on top of your crust one tablespoon at a time to create a swirl effect. Continue with this process until all filling is used up.

4. Swirl 1/4 cup of jam and 1/4 cup of peanut butter on top of your "cheesecake", place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours, then enjoy!

My Favourite Healthy Foods!

For today's post I thought I would just share some of my favourite healthy foods. These are foods I eat basically on a daily basis or at least every few days. Eating primarily healthy does not have to be plain or boring, I do plenty of baking and dessert making while still keeping it clean and healthy, so here are some of my favourite healthy foods!

Peanut Butter/ Nut Butters- This is at the top of my list because I literally eat it every single day. Typically I eat it with yogurt, in my oatmeal or with some type of fruit but once in a while i cant help but take a big spoon full! Peanut Butter is also good for cardiovascular health, blood sugar control, anti- aging and cancer prevention.

Yogurt ( regular and greek)- A great versatile food, that i like to enjoy in my smoothies, in oatmeal, with granola and fruit, I highly recommend eating a yogurt a day, it will be beneficial to your body.

Oatmeal- This is my everyday breakfast. It is full of fibre so it keeps you full all morning and allows for creativity every morning. I like to mix mine with fruit, maybe some peanut butter, maybe some yogurt, jams, all natural maple syrup, nuts... the combinations are endless.

Bananas- MMM bananas are one of my favourite fruits. They are potassium packed, vitamin C, vitamin B-6 and fibre. I love bananas in smoothies (they work as a natural sweetener), on oats, with peanut butter, and on there own, they are a quick healthy snack!

Mangos- Another favourite fruit of mine, at my grocery store you can buy them by the crate full and thats exactly what I do. I like to eat my mangos on their own, they have such a nice flavour and texture I wouldn't want to miss it.

Sweet Potato- I am a huge fan of vegetables but this is probably my favourite of them all. They are packed with nutrients and taste great prepared the simple way, grilled on the BBQ, then topped with some salt and pepper!

Tomatoes- I have always loved tomatoes, they are a juicy vegetable that I like to enjoy on there own, in pasta sauce or on a sandwich.

Quinoa- This is an ancient naturally gluten free grain that is a staple in my home. It is high in protein,  fibre, iron, and magnesium. Typically I prepare it fairly plain, with 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa, I add a chicken bouillon cube to the boiling water and thats it, thats all the added flavour this super food needs.

Chicken Breast- Another staple in my home, my family and I eat chicken breast basically everyday. Wether it just be with some vegetables, on a salad, in a stir fry ect. It is a tasty lean protein that I highly recommend over beef.

Coconut- I LOVE coconut! The taste, the smell, everything coconut I love. I get my unsweetened shredded coconut from my local bulk food store and use it in smoothies, on oatmeal, in yogurt, on top of fruit, in desserts and sometimes I just eat it right off the spoon. It contains plenty of healthy fats, fibre and magnesium.

Asparagus- These vegetables are also at the top of my list for favourite veggie. They contain an abundant amount of vitamins A,C,E and K , are a great antioxidant, heart health, and potassium, so eat your asparagus everyone!

Spaghetti Squash- During the summer time my mom and I eat this vegetable probably about three times a week as it grows fresh in our garden! We bake it in the oven then eat it with salt and pepper or even use it as a substitute for regular pasta noodles.

I have many more healthy foods that I eat frequently and love but these are just some of the more popular ones that came to mind.

Banana Maple Oatmeal

Here's another one of my breakfast oatmeal creations, I call this one Banana Maple Oatmeal! It is just 1/3 cooked oats, a generous amount of almond milk, topped with some pureed banana, a tbsp. 100% natural maple syrup and some cinnamon. 

This combination is so delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. Enjoy!

Mini Summer Road Trip Eats

Over the past weekend my family and I went on a mini road trip to Duluth Minnesota, so I decided to somewhat document my travels and the foods I ate along the way. 

To begin our trip we stopped at a gas station and picked up some snacks to nibble on for the drive, I chose my favourite candy, black licorise and a little pack of almonds. When on road trips I try to limit the junk food I eat and eat nuts and fruit instead, although I do allow myself to eat more junk food then normal since I am on vacation. Just a warning licorise does contain wheat so if you are celiac I would stay away from it, for me if I limit the amount I eat it does not hurt my stomach but just be careful. 

Once we arrived we decided it was time to go grab some lunch so as a group we decided on a restaurant we had never been to The Duluth Grill. This restaurant was featured on the television show Diners, Drive- Ins, Dives with Guy Fieri. The menu is great at providing many options for people with gluten allergies as well as vegetarians & vegans. The menu also has a wide range of food, from breakfast options and burgers, to fresh salads and smoothies. As for my mini review, the menu is great but I wouldn't kill to go back. The food was okay, nothing fabulous, and the environment was not my style, it was diner style. Overall I would say try it out but it was not for me. 

That was my meal, I believe it was called the big veggie salad, it was good but definitely something I could of made myself. 

For dinner we went to one of my favourite restaurants of all time, The Olive Garden. It always provides tasty, good quality Italian food for a good price. I order the gluten free penne pomodoro every single time. 

The next day we were driving and I spotted a Whole Food grocery store, this was probably one of my favourite things about the trip. We don't have a Whole Foods in my home town so having the opportunity to go in one was exciting. Me, my sister and my boyfriend all agreed that we should try the Chunks of Energy 100% Raw Cacao Goji and they were excellent, a clean, healthy afternoon snack. I highly recommend them!

Continuing on with our day we did some more shopping then went for a nice lunch in Canal Park. We stopped at a little restaurant called Amazing Grace Cafe, which is also a new restaurant for me and I was very impressed. Me and my boyfriend chose to do the "create your own sandwich" option, you choose your bread, a base ( we both chose turkey), 4 veggies and a sauce, then they create your sandwich for you. They had a gluten free bread option which was great, I wasn't expecting them to, the quality of the turkey, and veggies was great and the sandwiches were huge! They also had an outdoor seating area which is ideal in the summer! This is a lunch restaurant that I highly recommend :)

Shortly after my sister, boyfriend and I decided to get gelato for dessert, I got the cherry cheesecake flavour!

For dinner that night we went on over to The Red Lobster for some fish. I got the Maui Maui and it was great!

The next day our little weekend  getaway came to a close, before leaving we stopped at Subway and grabbed some lunch. The best part is that the subway in Duluth offers a gluten free bread so I can enjoy a sub too! I got the turkey sub with some veggies and yellow mustard, I love subway because it is clean fast food that you do not have to feel guilty about.

Overall the trip went great. Did some good shopping, and had some good food. Even when travelling I like to do my best to continue eating clean and healthy but I do not forget to allow myself to have a few extra treats. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Melon & Chia Seed Smoothie

A delicious and nutritious smoothie, filled with vitamins and nutrients!

What You’ll Need:

1 banana

approximately 1/2 cup cantaloupe/ 6 large pieces

1/2 watermelon/ 6 large pieces

2 100g melon flavoured yogurts

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 tbsp. chia seed + a pinch to sprinkle on top at the end



- Combine all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth, pour into a glass, and top with a pinch of chia seed!

My thoughts on PB2

So today, I tried PB2 for the first time. For those of you who do not know what this it, it is a peanut butter product, made by bell plantation, and basically it is a lower calorie, lower fat version of peanut butter. It comes in a powder form and you add 2 tbsp. PB2 to 1 tbsp. water , mix it together and you have your peanut butter. 

My thoughts on this product? Well it was okay. The texture was great, it was smooth and creamy, I expected it to be gritty which it wasn’t so that was nice. But the taste is kinda funny, it doesn’t really taste like peanut butter and it leaves a gross after taste in your mouth. It’s not so bad that I cannot eat it but I for sure prefer normal peanut butter. I can see myself using the PB2 as a substitute once in a while but I will still continue to use regular peanut butter the majority of the time. 

If you buy the product off the bell plantation web site it is quiet expensive ($ 15) for the little jar. But I did my research and found a website where you can purchase it for much cheaper, this website is called tfsupplements and I will include a link for it below. 

http://www.tfsupplements.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=4077

 

 

 

Gluten Free Vegan Bread

I made this bread earlier this week and wow is it delicious! It is gluten free, vegan and super healthy, the teff flour as well as the all purpose gluten free flour is full of fibre and protein, and the added chia + pumpkins seeds give it an extra health boost. My family and I both love this bread recipe, for its healthy benefits, good taste, and to make it even better, it was really easy to make! I hope you try it out and enjoy it just as much as I did. 

What You'll Need

1 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1 cup gluten free teff flour

1 tsp. exanthan gum

3 tbsp. ground flaxseed

dash of sea salt

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups unsweetened original almond milk

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp. lemon juice

4 tbsp. seeds ( I used pumpkin seeds + chia seeds)

- Preheat oven to 325 F

- Combine flour, flaxseed, salt, baking soda, mix well. 

- Combine maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice and almond milk is a separate bowl, mix well. 

- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients, mix lightly with your fingers ( it will be fairly sticky), mix for approx. 5 mins. 

- Place dough onto a greased baking sheet ( I used Pam) and form into one large loaf

- Cut a small cross over the top of the bread

- Brush the top with a little extra almond milk, sprinkle with seeds and press them in lightly

- Bake for 50 minutes, then reduce heat to 285 F and bake for another 17-20 mins. until cooked through. 

* The only thing I would change when I make this bread again would be to put the dough in a loaf pan instead of on a baking sheet. That way it would be easier to cut and use for sandwiches ect.

Tropical Colada Parfait

A healthy snack idea: Parfait

- coconut greek non-fat yogurt, topped with a layer of fruit, in my case pineapple, kiwi and grapes and a layer of gluten free granola

- one more layer of coconut greek non-fat yogurt, again topped with fruit and a light sprinkle of gluten granola on top!

This is a healthy, clean snack, one of my favourite things about it is the unlimited combination you can make, so great creative and enjoy!

Gluten Free Turkey Wrap

Quick dinner idea, wraps, which are another food item that I throughly enjoy. There are endless combinations you could throw together to make a health, clean wrap, which is one of the main reasons I enjoy them so much!

In my wrap I put some romaine lettuce, cherry tomato's, turkey deli meat, red peppers, chick peas, and some feta. I also included a light layer of spicy hummus on my Gluten Free tortilla. 

Gluten Free Chicken Stir Fry

What You'll Need:

Veggies: red peppers, broccoli, carrot, purple cabbage, soya beans

Cook chicken breast

2 cloves garlic

Gluten Free Rice Noodles

Sauce: Black Bean

1 cup chicken stock

3 tbsp. black bean sauce

1 tbsp. corn starch

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

( Combine all ingredients and mix well) 

- Cook your noodles, put to the side, prepare your veggies and chicken , place them to the side as well.

- Add a drizzle of peanut oil to your wok, cook chicken & garlic for 3-5 mins

- Remove chicken from wok, place to the side. Add hardest veggies to wok first, as they will need more time to cook ( carrots, purple cabbage,broccoli). Cook for 10- 12 mins, then add softer veggies ( red peppers, soya beans).

- Add half a cup of your black bean sauce, allow to cook and thicken for 7-10 mins. 

- Pour remaining 1/2 sauce into a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 2 mins. 

- On a plate place, rice noodles, topped with veggies & chicken, drizzle with desired amount of sauce. 

Chicken Salad w/ Walnuts & Pumpkin Seeds

My lovely dinner from lastnight. I always enjoy a healthy, clean salad, it is fast and obviously easy to put together. 

For my salad I seasoned my chicken breast with some spices and garlic, then grilled it on the BBQ until tender. I then combined it with romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, cucumbers, red peppers, cherry tomato’s, broccoli, red onion and shredded carrots. 

I topped it with walnuts, pumpkin seeds, alfalfa sprouts, feta cheese and finally a drizzle of Kraft huile d’ olive oil greek feta salad dressing. 

Feeding the Body & Feeding the Soul

In order to lead a healthy, well balanced lifestyle it is important to not only feed your body the nutritious healthy foods it needs but to also feed your soul. By that I mean giving into those sweet tooth cravings once in a while and eating that piece of cake after dinner, one piece of cake or a bowl of chips will not make you unhealthy. It is finding the balance between health foods and "cheat foods" that makes a clean eating lifestyle doable. 

For me personally, I know that if I totally cut out all junk food, I would end up binging on it in the end. So for my lifestyle to be as healthy and clean as possible I created a balance. Everyones balance between healthy food and junk food will be different but thats how it should be, we are all different so obviously our bodies wants and needs will be different too. Using me as an example I, eat healthy 85- 90 % of the time, the other 10-15% of the time I allow myself a treat. This could be an ice cream, a piece of cheese cake or my favourite candies, liquorice allsorts. I am careful to monitor how much of this stuff I eat and tend to only eat this type of stuff once every week or so, of course that is not always the case, so it is important to realize if you do eat more "unhealthy" foods then you intended to that week, don't stress there are many weeks in a year so plenty of time to continue eating healthy. 

Internal guide lines I tend to live by are pretty simple, and self made, they work for me and my body. I am a firm believer that everyone needs to create a type of "plan" that works for them. I limit my dessert to once or twice a week, also I will swap out the more unhealthy version, like a vanilla soft ice cream, for the more healthy version a greek yogurt smoothie bar, which contains less calories and more protein. By doing this I feel basically guilt free but still get my sugar fix. Another guide line for myself is if I eat junk food one day, I will eat completely clean the next. My biggest guide line I follow is to listen to my bodies needs, if it is screaming for a piece of candy, I will give it what it needs, one little treat will not ruin all your progress and healthy ways. All my daily meals ( breakfast,lunch,supper) are healthy and clean so indulging once in a while is good for me, and good for you too :) Feed your body & don't forget about feeding your soul.

Quinoa & Veggie Bowl with Chick Peas & feta

My quinoa and veggie bowl with feta and chick peas is a quick, healthy lunch recipe I love to make for myself. It has tones of vitamins and nutrients from the vegetables, and protein from the chick peas and quinoa, plus quinoa is a super food so it is extra good for you! 

What you’ll need: 

1 cup quinoa

1/2 cup chick peas

Feta Cheese

Vegetables , in this case I used broccoli, red peppers,onions and cherry tomato’s

1. Cook your quinoa, it is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Make sure you rinse your quinoa first then add it to the water once it is boiling.

3. Pan fry your veggies until tender.

4. Add approximately half the quinoa to your veggies once it is cooked as well as 1/2 cup chick peas, and 2 tbsp kraft balsamic vinaigrette. Allow for all combined ingredients to cook together for 3-5 mins. Top with feta cheese

5. Plate, serve and enjoy!

* I tend to make extra quinoa so I have left overs to eat throughout the week. If you want to make just enough for this dish then the measurements would be 1/2 quinoa to 1 cup water. 

Gluten Free Chicken Burgers

This is what I made for dinner last night, it is a really simple recipe but tastes so good. I never buy pre-made burgers, it is easy and much more healthy to make them yourself :)

What You'll Need: 

1 package ground chicken breast

1/2 onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic ( finely chopped) 

1 tbsp. burger spice

1 tbsp. weber Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning

salt & pepper 

- Combine all ingredients in a bowl & mix well. Form into 3-4 equal sized patties.

- Grill on the barbecue at medium heat for 15-20min, then serve and enjoy! 

This is how I plated mine, I served my chicken burger topped with grilled veggies ( red peppers, zucchini & onions) beside a garden salad, which contained romaine lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, cherry tomato's, topped with feta cheese and Kraft huile d' olive oil greek feta salad dressing. I also had half a sweet potato as well. I like to incorporate as many different vegetables as I can with my dinner. 

 

Summer Coslaw

What You'll Need: 

1 green pepper (thinly sliced)

3 medium carrots (shredded)

half green cabbage ( thinly sliced)

1/4 purple cabbage ( thinly sliced)

garlic, salt & pepper ( to taste)

1/4 white sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

3/4 canola oil

1. Bring wet ingredients to a boil in a pot, add to sliced cabbage, peppers, and carrots. Let sit for about an hour to soften. 

 

Martini Fruit Cup

This is a quick snack idea, that is clean, healthy and nutritious. I cut up some banana, watermelon, mango and blueberries, and put them in a martini glass for presentation. 

Chicken Mango Skewers

What You’ll Need: 

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 ripe mangos

1/2 tsp. chilli powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

salt & pepper

skewer sticks

1. Cut your chicken breast into 3/4 inch strips

2. Dice mangos into tiny pieces, put in a blender/ food processor and blend until smooth, mix in chilli powder, garlic powder, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper

3. Marinade chicken in mango sauce for 30 mins to 8 hours, put some sauce to the side as it will be used later on the chicken

4. Once chicken is finished marinading put 2-3 pieces on each skewer and grill for 7-12 minutes

5. With the mango sauce remaining on the side, put in a pot, bring to a boil and drizzle on top your chicken skewers before eating

* make sure to soak your skewer sticks in water so they do not burn on the grill

Chickpea & Spinach Salad

This is a lunch time salad I like to make for myself. It is quick & simple but healthy, filled with protein and lots of vitamins and nutrients. 

I combined spinach, tomato, chickpeas, cracked pepper and topped it with Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing. Simple but satisfying!

Grilled Vegetables

This is my favourite way to prepare vegetables in the summer. I just chop up some peppers, onions and zucchini ( you could use whatever veggies you wanted of course) add them to a pie pan, drizzle with olive oil and allow them to grill on the bbq for 15-20 mins. 

They are clean, simple, and healthy and have a lovely summer vibe :)

Gluten Free Healthy Pizza

For dinner last night my mom and I made ourselves a healthy, gluten free pizza. I either buy the dough for the crust from my local gluten free bakery then roll it out and bake it myself or I buy the gluten free pizza crust mix from The Bulk Barn and follow the instructions on the label to make it.

For toppings I like onions, tomato’s, diced chicken breast, swiss chard/spinach, red peppers, a tiny bit of cheese and some basil. Then I bake it in the oven at 350 F for about 20-25 mins, then let it cool and enjoy :) 

* To make regular pizza crust I use 1 package Fleischmann's Instant yeast ( quick rise) , add one cup hot water , stir with a fork and let sit for about 10 mins. Then I add 2- 2.5 cups all purpose flour, some garlic and basil, mix it up, roll it into a ball, drizzle with olive oil and let sit for at least an hour. 

* You can make any pizza healthy, just limit the amount of cheese you use and add a lot of veggies and lean proteins :)