Food Friday

Food Friday: Overnight Oats

Tastes better than it looks once its all mixed together :)

Tastes better than it looks once its all mixed together :)

I never seem to have the time or the craving for hot porridge in the summer. Enter…overnight oats. This is a great option for those days you are on the go quickly in the morning but still want to make sure you get a nutritious breaky to start your day. The great thing about overnight oats is that you can mix it up to your liking, adding any summer berries, nuts, seeds and other flavours you like. Like my oatmeal I always make sure to add some sort of protein and fat to ensure my blood sugar is balanced and it keeps me full for a few hours. We want to avoid sugary cereals with milk for that purpose. There are many recipes for overnight oats on the web, this is just how I like to do it :) 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup almond milk, other other nut milk
  • 1/4 cup regular rolled oats (not steel cut or quick oats)
  • 1-2 tbsp buckwheat groats (optional - I find mine at Bulk barn)
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds 
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or sprinkle to your liking)
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
  • 1/2-1 scoop Sproos Collagen powder (optional)
  • 2 tbsp chopped walnuts (or other nuts or seeds you prefer)

Optional toppings - blueberries, strawberries, shredded apple, apricots, shredded coconut, cardamom, hemp hearts, ground flax seed, goji berries - you name it! 

Directions:

  1. Add almond milk, oats, buckwheat groats, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon in a jar. Close the lid and shake, shake, shake. Place jar in the fridge overnight. 
  2. In the morning grab your jar and add any toppings you wish. I make sure to mix in collagen powder and lately I have been adding walnuts, hemp hearts and any berries or fruit I have.

That's it. Easy as 1, 2...nope that's really it. :)

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen

 

Food Friday: Curried Chicken Wraps *Cleanse Sneak Peak*

I like simple yet delicious meals and this one is a go-to for me. You can make it grain-free/low carb by simply throwing the flavourful chicken in lettuce wraps. Although I love the look and taste of Boston lettuce, the leaves are NEVER big enough and everything ends up falling out. My go to therefore are romaine lettuce leaves. Not as exciting but much more effective and more useful for other meals - i.e. vegan kale caesar salad, green smoothies. This is an anything goes type of dish so feel free to throw in any veggies that draw you in. :)

Food Friday: Colourful Broccoli Salad

broccoli salad.jpg

Why buy pre-made "salads" coated in calories when you can made your own with delicious ingredients that are oh so good for you and that is very easy to make! I love this salad for lunch as a side dish with salmon salad, roast chicken or really anything. I aim to get at least one serving of greens a day and this easily covers me. Try mixing up the recipe to your liking with different nuts like roasted cashews, shallots instead of red onion or even a little shredded cheese if your stomach permits. However, even my broccoli hating guy was pleasantly surprised how good this version was. 

Broccoli is chalk full of nutrients with so many health benefits! This is a powerful cruciferous vegetable, meaning it contains I3C which aids in liver detoxification. It is anti-inflammatory from its sulphoraphanes and omega 3s and has shown in studies to decrease the blood inflammatory market CRP. It is an antioxidant with the plethora of vitamins, nutrients and phytonutrients. With all that in mind, broccoli is a unique food in terms of cancer prevention, with a recommendation of 1/2 cup a day. Finally, with a high fibre content broccoli is helpful for most digestive concerns. What's not to love! So what are you waiting for? Get mixing :)

Ingredients:

  • 1 Head broccoli, chopped in bite sized pieces 
  • Handful of shredded carrots (I prefer pre-shredded in this recipe as they can be thicker strands)
  • 1-2 tbsp raisins
  • 1/4 or so diced red onion 
  • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
  • 1.5 tbsp avocado mayo (more if needed for desired consistency) 
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp or so of honey (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Directions:

Pretty simple! Just mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Add more mayo or olive oil to create consistency you like. Enjoy!

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen