I made these paleo raw protein bars for my brothers birthday. He’s an avid cross fitter and thus devours huge quantities of protein at any given chance. I thought he’d enjoy these nourishing bars more than a fancy cake. He also got a gallon of my homemade bone broth to keep his joints limber and free from strain. These bars are yummy and really easy to throw together with ingredients you’ll likely have in your cupboard. You can switch up the toppings with whatever you have around, bee pollen, dried goji berries, hemp seeds,sunflower seeds, cacao nibs, coconut…the list goes on and on. You could also add a Tbs or 2 of cacao powder for chocolate protein bars. Ditch the cliff bars and try these on your next hiking adventure!
If you’re into re-wilding, paleo lifestyle,indigenous cultures and sustainability, check out this new documentary Origins. It’s free until November 22nd and definitely worth watching, you can tell a lot of work went into creating this film.
½ C date paste or around 6 whole dates, soaked in warm water to soften for a few minutes
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp sea salt
3 Tbs coconut oil, melted over a double boiler
¼ C pumpkin seeds
¼ C sesame seeds
¼ C chocolate chips
Instructions
In a food processor or high powered blender add cashews, dates, coconut oil, vanilla and salt and blend until a smooth paste is formed.
Line a square baking dish with parchment and evenly spread the mixture,sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and chocolate chip gently pushing them into the mixture.
Place in the fridge or freezer and allow to set for at least an hour before cutting into squares
I know these look like yam fries, they are stained orange from the paprika. I think I can safely say they’re even better than yam fries, more of an earthy robust taste that just doesn’t compare. The lime aioli is also spiked with garlic and begs you to drench every fry in it. Recently we ordered our bulk organic vegetables to store for the winter. Being relatively unfamiliar with parsnips, I only ordered 5 lbs. Now that I’ve tasted these I think I’ll be ordering more, the parsnip is a noble vegetable, it may look like a carrot but the texture and taste differ in a palate pleasing way.
We actually enjoyed these for breakfast with sunny side up pastured eggs, a great fuel for a productive happy day. It reminded me of being in some hipster cafe that charges fifteen bucks a plate. Parsnips, in reality are mighty affordable and wholly underrated. I can see the sign outside the bistro right now, “parsnip fries are the new yam fries” I wouldn’t contest.
Now if you want to make your own mayo, which I strongly recommend, check out this post on the easiest most foolproof way to do it. Also, feel free to switch up the aioli, I know not everyone in the world likes cilantro so even a simple garlic aioli would be stunning with these fries, they really are the star of the show.
3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into ¼ inch strips
1 Tbs smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp sea salt
2 Tbs coconut oil, melted or preferred cooking fat
½ C mayonnaise
¼ C cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbs lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F
Using a large bowl or ziploc bag, add oil, paprika, cayenne and salt. Add the parsnip strips, cover the bowl and shake until all the fries are evenly coated with spices and oil.
On a large baking sheet lined with parchment, spread an even layer of fries and bake for 30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes turn the oven to broil for extra crispy fries, just watch them closely.
Combine mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice and garlic in a jar and shake well.
Serve the mayo drizzle over the fries or on the side.
I’m suddenly obsessed with chia seeds, I’ve made this pudding 3 times this week and even J said it’s the best he’s ever had. Much to my surprise he gobbled up nearly all of it the first time. I’ve never taken him to be a superfood kinda guy, though he is my superman…swoon. The things I love about these little seeds is the satisfying pop they provide which is hard to come by elsewhere. The kiwi gives an addition textural orgasm and together, the berries, the coconut, all that goodness just makes you feel like a million bucks. I was so inspired by these dainty seeds that I researched the heck out of ’em and wrote a post devoted solely to their benefits, check it out here.
Mix in coconut milk, chia seeds and coconut flakes
Let the seeds soak and expand for minimum 30 minutes
Serve with sliced kiwi, coconut flakes and bee pollen
3.2.2802
I’ve been writing a lot for different websites surrounding health and nutrition. It’s really fun and I learn at least twenty new things every day. It inspires me to know that people are thirsty for knowledge in this realm. I think it’s safe to say the majority of people are becoming disillusioned by big pharma’s shortcomings. We’re only now seeing the implications of massive scale agriculture, pesticide use and commercial meat production. I’m still blown away by the fact that the first ‘supermarket’ only arrived on the scene in 1950.
As a young girl I was given full freedom to experiment and have fun in the kitchen. I remember once combining raw rice, strawberry jello powder and flour resulting in a horrid red goo and a nightmarish dish to clean. My best friend growing up would always join in and together our cooking antics messed both our mothers kitchens daily. Our most memorable kitchen nightmare were the famous salsa sandwiches, we thought they were genius at the age of 9. Pitas stuffed with tortilla chips, salsa and cheddar. We’ve both come a long way, she’s an amazing chef at an accomplished Edmonton eatery and I write about my creations on this wee little blog. We all start somewhere, you can’t expect to not make mistakes in the kitchen. The key to finding your cooking mojo is to just have fun. Cooking is an art form and this quote rings true for me, you don’t hold back when you’re in love. You can’t. You can’t hold back when you make art of any type, or it will lack the essence of expression which has no boundaries or rules. So open your fridge, rip apart your cupboards, forget the rules, blend,mash,chop, throw together what inspires you. Okay there are basic boundaries an artist stands by, you want your paint to stay on the canvas, you want your food to taste amazing. Here’s my equation for creative success in the kitchen… Balance the sweet, salty, bitter, spicy, umami aspects and the rest is cake. If I’m making a salad for example this mandarin (sweet) kale (bitter) ginger (spicy) sunshine sauce (umami) lime roasted cashews (salty) I can use whatever I have on hand and create something delicious by following this simple guideline. Look closely at your favourite recipes and you will likely see this pattern.
Combine kale, mandarins and onion in a large bowl and set aside.
In a blender combine the sunflower seeds, lime, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil, ginger, garlic, salt and coconut sugar until smooth and creamy.
Coat the kale with ginger sunshine sauce and toss with cashews or additional sunflower seeds and sliced red chile (optional)
My mind is all over the place lately. I’m a daydreamer, it’s my superpower, I could do it all day and be quite content. I especially love people watching and daydreaming in conjunction, imagining what the lives of others are made of. Today I nearly walked into a pole, which may have something to do with the smell of pulled pork wafting out of Nelsons bbq joint. By some space cadet miracle I was able to pull it together this morning and bring everything we needed to town as well as making these delicious thai lime and chili cashews. These are a great snack and super easy to make, I know I’m a sure sucker for all those fancy nut mixes at the health food store. They’re usually pretty expensive and you don’t really get much, so I’ve opted to just make my own for a fraction of the price. Because I am nuts about nuts! I like to add additional little goodies like coconut flakes and sesame seeds but you can totally leave those out if you want.
Trader Joe’s makes a thai chili lime cashew mix that people love. Although theirs tastes artificial and overtly fake, this one is the real deal and tastes way better! If you shop at TJ’s I’d say stick to the whole foods, their pre packaged stuff tends to have a lot of added garbage.
In a medium sized bowl combine sesame oil, hot sauce,honey, lime, tamari and mix well.
Add sesame seeds, coconut and cashews and toss to coat evenly in the sauce.
Spread a thin layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 7 minutes, take out and stir, bake for another 7-10 minutes depending on the strength of your oven, check often to make sure they turn perfectly golden but don't burn.
I have breaking news, regular nutella isn’t nearly as healthy as they claim it to be! Shocker right? What should be a wholesome organic spread with emphasis on 2 amazing natural ingredients somehow got lost along the way. No fear, my feller cohorts and I have resurrected what nutella should be, no weird hydrogenated oils or refined sugar, just real food. It is 10:30 at night and I’m eating this stuff out the jar. I know you’re meant to spread it on stuff but I just can’t help myself. But why am I indulging in a bowl of this nutella at such a late hour? My inner night owl has not been tamed by motherhood. Though it is always just as difficult waking up at the crack of dawn to a hair pulling little ball of energy, I still can’t help but stay up late, creating, writing, laughing. What is this extraneous creature that dwells within me only to enliven after nine. She has always been there, when I was a young lass I would wait until everyone went to bed and have meetings with all my teddy bears arranged in a circle. We’d talk for hours. Or those slumber parties with all your best girlfriends, prank calling sexy phone lines in the wee hours of the night. I can see myself as an old woman, still staying up late to read, write, create, laugh, cry. Do you any have night owl tendencies? It’s interesting that my partner is what some would call a ‘morning person’ though to me he’s more of an ‘afternoon person’. How important is it to have similar sleep schedules in a relationship? Is it a little more difficult to find balance when one person eats nutella at night from a bowl and one spreads it on toast in the morning? Perhaps it matters more that both people love nutella, there’s a special bond there. Which reminds me of a quote…
Too true isn’t it? You certainly can’t please everyone. I know I’m guilty of trying to make everyone happy, but hey, it never works. There are even people out there who don’t like nutella (I’ve met them).
In a high powered blender or food processor, add hazelnuts and process until they start to form a smooth nut butter, you can add a bit of water here to get things moving.
Use a double boiler method to melt the coconut oil and cacao paste, stir in the honey and add this liquid to the hazelnuts.
Add salt,blend everything together until super smooth, adding water as you go to achieve desired consistency.
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.
