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 😉
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.
Oh how I love snacks, zesty, salty and savoury treats that just help get you through the day are the best. Even better when they aren’t loaded with weird additives, MSG and its pseudonyms. Piri piri is the swahili word for pepper pepper, the hot sauce is made from piri piri peppers also known as african birds eye chilis and a combination of spices, garlic and lemon peel. If you never tried it you’re in for a treat, there’s something about the spiciness paired with lemon that just hits the spot.
This paleo snack mix can easily be made milder by omitting the hot sauce and using smoked paprika instead. You’ll still get the richness and flavour without the spice. Perfect for the wee ones to munch, even though I have a theory that if you start them young on the hot peppers they’ll build up a good taste for them.
They do this in Thailand and places where they traditionally eat a lot of spicy foods. They’ll start with one thai chili and increase for every year, or so I hear. I’ve got my baby on mild spices, he loves curry, he absolutely devoured this kale and chicken curry I made one night. I’m sure it has a lot to do with how I ate when I was pregnant, and I certainly didn’t shy away from hot curries and the like. After all, at the time I was cooking in a restaurant for Thai night every week. I created some gorgeously spicy Thai creations that I taste tested until I was full. Get the babes started on immune strengthening foods early and they’re set for life, I’m still trying to coax him into gobbling up sauerkraut. He’s not quite there yet, to be honest it took me awhile to get there too, sauerkraut is intense!
I really didn’t know what to name this snack mix, so munchie mix it is because lets face it, everybody gets the munchies whether you live in Colorado or not.
Excuse me for being obsessed with chocolate this week, you see I was without my beloved cacao for some time and I’ve finally replenished my stocks. Raw cacao is the ultimate in magnesium density, in other words, it relieves stress and helps release happy hormones, yay!
The chocolate week isn’t over yet, in the next few days you are going to witness a marvel of brownies- the lentil brownie.
But not today. Today is reserved for this luscious, creamy, caffeinated pudding loaded with chia goodness. Coconut mocha chia pudding may just be your new favourite breakfast or mid-day pick me up. I’m pretty much in love with the coffee, chocolate combination– nothing beats it.
Chia seeds are nutrient dense, high in omega-3’s and they can turn any liquid into a pudding, so what’s not to love. Well they aren’t easy to clean up when you leave a spoonful on the table and your little baby reaches up and pulls it down.
If you are in search of foods that will give you more energy and focus, this pudding is for you. There’s definitely a certain time of the month for me where my energy starts to go down the drain and I just want to eat chocolate…ladies, ya feel me?
Yesterday I wallowed while watching the hollywood version of Anna Karenina, which by the way, is pretty terrible. You know when you have tons of work to do, but you just don’t want to do it…yeah netflix is an instigator.
But the cure for all wallowing lies in chocolate, so I will continue to share with you loves my fave choco-freak recipes to inspire your inner energy to shine~ !!!
You, me, four ingredients (!) and a bottle of wine, sound like a good date?
In honour of love, post valentines day love, I challenge YOU to make these for someone just.because.
Yeah, I’m a bit of a rebel…
I’m also a little sugar addict, yes I try and make healthy-er treats, but I know a sugar is a sugar is a sugar. Time for a little spring cleaning here soon folks. Whole 3o time? Perhaps I’ll wait it out see if it snows one last time, I’m guess it will, and I’m guessing cupcakes will be in order to quell those winter-almost-spring doldrums. Any plans for spring cleansing? Is it even spring yet?
These little truffles of love are absolutely the creamiest most closest thing to eating pure nutella out of the jar that you can get. Except that I didn’t actually use nutella, as it’s filled with a whole bunch of questionable ingredients.
Instead I started with making a butter from roasted hazelnuts and when it got really smooth and creamy I added melted dark chocolate and some coconut cream, a little bit of raw honey to sweeten the deal. Easy right? You could make this post valentines treat for your lover, your neighbour, your cat…okay maybe not your cat, in about 30 minutes. Ta da!
Oh and if you want something a little more involved but still reminiscent of eating nutella out of the jar, check out my homemade ferrero rochers, or better yet my homemade nutella!
2 C roasted hazelnuts, ½ C crushed and reserved for coating the truffles
¾ C dark chocolate, melted over a double boiler
3 Tbs coconut cream or milk
1 Tbs raw honey
Instructions
In a high powered blender or food processor, blend the hazelnuts until smooth and creamy, you may have to scrape the sides throughout.
Add coconut cream and honey to melted chocolate and incorporate.
In a large bowl combine hazelnut butter with chocolate mixture and pop in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
When the mixture is workable but not too soft, scoop 1 Tbs onto a piece of parchment and roll into a ball, coat with extra crushed hazelnuts and repeat.
Let the truffles set in the fridge for an hour or so before indulging.
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 
