Green food is good food. It’s a rule I stick to, and trust me I don’t stick to many rules.
Matcha is a delightfully antioxidant rich green tea powder, it has an earthy taste that is akin to pure freshness and it isn’t overpowering. There’s something about matcha, it tastes like youth, it tastes clean and it transports you to a far off land, unless you live in Japan, then it’s probably more nostalgic.
You may have seen fancy matcha lattes at your local cafe, the craze is catching on- even my mom drinks matcha. She mixes hers with cacao powder though and I just can’t get on board, sorry Ma. But matcha paired alongside creamy cashews and delicate coconut, shazzam that is a flavour combo my friends. These little treats should grace your St.Patties day table, or just any days table. They’re the perfect little mid day boost alongside a nice cuppa tea.
I drank it when I was pregnant as I was trying to limit my caffeine consumption. Matcha has some caffeine but its energizing component lies mostly in its abundance of L-theanine, an amino acid that helps increase focus. Buddhist monks drink matcha to help with meditation.
Now that I am a sleep deprived mama I’ve switched back to coffee and matcha has been allocated to the treat category. It gives a nice energy boost to things like these matcha cashew coconut energy balls and my matcha cupcakes.
Ok so lately I’ve been listening to Esther and Jerry Hicks and boy are they trippers. Law of attraction is the name of the game and I swear if they taught this stuff in school the world would change. Again and again my lesson is gratitude, when I embody gratitude everything in my life unfolds so perfectly. It’s so easy to take simple things for granted, hot water and warm socks, strong legs to hike up mountains and an garden to grow food. I’m really grateful to have this space and to be able to share my small little world with yours. Even if just for a moment in time it’s pretty cool. Glad I’m not the only one who loves good food 😉
I used to be a vegetarian, I lived on soy- fake burgers, hot dogs, tofu, tofurkey, fake cheese, you name it, I pretended to like it. It took me awhile to come to the understing that the path to health will never be found through consuming processed foods. I commend the conscious choice to be meat free, there’s a whole bevy of great reasons why a person wouldn’t want to eat meat. But I plead for health and sanities sake, processed food is processed food whether it’s soy or bologna.
Many people are still under the impression that soy is a health food. While there are traditional ways to prepare soy so that’s it’s nutrients are unlocked, these methods aren’t commonly utilized today. Miso, tempeh,edamame (whole soy bean) and tamari = real food. Tofurkey, boca burgers and riblets = processed fake food.
Modern day soy production is nasty. Imagine an edamame bean, the whole food form of soy, and then picture a brick of tofu. Now what did that little bean have to go through to become a squidgy white blob of blandness? It went through the ringer to put it lightly. In order for the soy bean to transform into that smooth creamy milk alternative, or those zesty too good to be true fake sausages, it undergoes a drastic transformation. Acid washing, left to sit in aluminium tanks and high temperature treatments result in a pretty bland, lifeless substance. Often meat alternatives are loaded with flavour enhancers and MSG to make up for the extreme processing they’ve undergone.
It really isn’t the plants fault, we know that any food when its processed to death is going to lose its benefits. Soy in it’s whole food, organic form (which is becoming incredibly rare) is a health food. The danger lies when we try and exploit any food to make it as cheap and accessible as possible.
Soy is an ancient food and while we witness many cultures who’ve thrived on soy, they used traditional methods of preparation and GMO’s didn’t exist. Nowadays nearly all soy is genetically modified and that’s no exaggeration. It’s also one of the most heavily pesticide sprayed crops.
Today soy is recommended for women during menopause, claiming reduced hot flashes and prevention of osteoporosis. These statements are false and rooted in the benefits of industry. As little as 30 grams or two tablespoons of soy daily causes a significant increase in thyroid stimulating hormone (1). Women who took soy vs. placebo had the same levels of reduction in hot flashes and soy actually inhibits calcium absorption.
There’s an interesting story about parrots and soy. Male tropical birds develop vibrant colourful feathers usually around two years old. When bird breeders Richard and Valerie James of New Zealand switched to soy feed they noticed the male birds were colouring up much faster. Industry cited this as a benefit of feeding the birds soy, some were showing colours as early as 11 weeks old. Over time though, the birds started to become infertile, suffering bone deformities, immune deficiencies and aggressive behaviour.
Isn’t it interesting that the incidence of thyroid disorders grows alongside our over consumption of soy products. Estimations are that 1 in 8 women will develop a thyroid problem in their lifetime. Some studies even show that 50% of those diagnosed with depression actually have a thyroid disorder (2).
The use of soy in infant formulas is frightening. Seriously this is going to freak you out so be prepared. The average infant fed exclusively soy based formula receives the estrogenic equivalent to at least five birth control pills per day. (3) Could their be a correlation between increased incidence of learning disorders and infants being fed soy formula? All signs point to yes. Little girls are hitting puberty a whole lot earlier, some showing signs of maturation as early as three years old (4).
The further we go down the soy rabbit hole, the freakier things get. The final frontier of the disadvantages of soy is its irreversible environmental impact. Not only is it heavily sprayed and genetically modified, rainforests are destroyed to grow soy crops. The expansion of the soy industry has less to do with tofu than animal feed. Today most animals are largely fed soy and 4 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually to make way for the booming industry (5).
Being conscious about where our meat comes from and what it’s fed is not only important for our own health, but the planets as well.
Hello all, today is the full moon, It’s shining in through my window as we speak.
Hard to believe another month has already passed, is it just me or is time speeding up?
We’re busy preparing for spring over here in western canada land. Getting the garden ready, building some new growing spaces and greenhouses. The more food we can grow the better, not only is homegrown the tastiest but its also brimming with love.
If you’re wanting to start growing some of your own food, even if its just a few pots on a balcony- I’ve put together a little resources page on how to start a garden and compost.
My friend brought me a squash, it was really a sweet offering. I haven’t got any winter squashes left and baby Mav lurves them so much. Since he’s my spicy little guy I upped the ante with ginger,cumin and some garlic and we just went to town. Squash is so nourishing and really the perfect winter food. This is a really simply recipe thats perfect for a side dish or accompaniment to a salad. It also goes really well with my lemony tahini sauce.
Hey it’s Sunday so I’m going to include a little playlist with my favourite jams lately. Perhaps the sweet sounds will inspire you to try these super simple addictingly delicious chocolate bars.
If your anything like me Sundays are a day for enjoying life’s sumptuous indulgements. Like loud music and luxuriating in the kitchen, lilting around in the sun and day dreaming about what’s to come. My dad got mad at me this morning for talking to him about work “I’m trying to enjoy my Sunday why are you talking to me about work?”…Ooops sorry pops, my bad.
Too bad we live so far away or I’d give him some of these yummy chocolate bars too make up for it. Holy you guys, these are too good-literally I was thinking it would be economical to make my own raw chocolate bars but these are not going to last long. There’s always something about making your own chocolate, even if its as simple a recipe as this is. You could also just smash it all up and you’ll have chocolate bark if your feeling frisky.
With all the amazing benefits of coconut oil, raw cacao and raw honey this is some seriously nutrient dense chocolate. I read lately that they did a study comparing theobromine, a component in chocolate, to fluoride in repairing tooth enamel. Theobromine is actually more effective in rebuilding enamel than fluoride! Hopefully in the future our water supply will be spiked with theobromine instead of toxic fluoride.
My giant 110 lb pooch is laying on me as I write this. He’s the sweetest bubba, biggest cuddle bug, and most loyal wolf companion. I think I’ll have to invent some special dog treats to share the recipe testing duties with Ranger.
Today I longed for summer, I pined for the warm water and even the mosquitos, the dragonflies, the bees. My feet are itching for the warm earth. The celebrations of true love filled with toasts and endless dancing. The thick mist that rolls through the mountains early in the morning while I weed the garden and sip strong coffee.
Are you pining for summer yet?
I was thinking also about strawberries, the sweet little ones, freshly picked just hours before they would lose their prime, still warm from the red hot sun. You know the kind right? You squeeze them gently between your fingers and they become instant jam. Impossible to compare summers strawberries to those shipped from California barely ripe. I always aim to freeze ample amounts every summer. It never happens because they are too good, but I did have a little stash of berries in the freezer.
A humble amount of strawberries will do in this recipe. It’s delightfully summery, with the crisp red stalks of swiss chard and fresh sprouts locally procured. This strawberry balsamic vinaigrette will definitely be happening in bulk quantities as soon as those bright red berries come into my life again. I hope you’ll try this dressing with whatever salad variation you fancy and feel like summers right around the corner.
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
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this is some seriously nutrient dense chocolate. I read lately that they did a 
