Self love can be hard to practice when you’ve got a whole lot of other people to love and take care of. Often our priorities contort and we put ourselves dead last. I think the paleo and primal lifestyles need to entail reflective processes that awaken our softer sides. Our hunter gatherer ancestors didn’t work as hard as many people think, the average “work week” was around 15-20 hours(1). This left plenty of free time to explore, have fun, make art, music, dance and just ponder the profundity of existence and what it means to be alive. I strongly wish our culture could return to its ancestral roots in this way, these acts of pleasure not only strengthen the self but also the community as a whole. We’ve been lead to believe that if we aren’t working and we aren’t consuming, then we are useless and bound to the confines of laziness. In whatever little ways we can, it’s important to reconnect to our roots, to take the time to create or to just bask in stillness, a rare creature nowadays. Personally I feel really happy and connected when I can get my dance on, not in da club or whatever but just in my living room or an empty field. What activities do you feel liberate you from the confines of the work and consume cultural dogma we live in?
Most don’t grow up in a way that teaches us how to listen to our bodies and know when we’ve pushed to hard and gone too far. So sit down, relax, have a piece of ridiculously healthy cheesecake, those hunter gatherers would’ve died for this luscious energy filled goodness. This recipe is fairly involved but the results are stunning and well worth it. I would normally make something like this for a celebration but this time I really just wanted a luxurious rich snack without any reason or logic- why not?
1 C date paste or around 8 whole pitted dates, soaked in warm water for ½ hour
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs cacao powder
½ C fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
½ tsp sea salt
½ C cacao paste (unprocessed cacao not yet separated into powder and butter)
½ C coconut oil
½ C maple syrup
½ tsp flaky sea salt or himalayan rock salt
1 mandarin orange, peeled and sectioned (optional)
Instructions
For the crust, prepare a springform pan 7 or 9 inches and place a piece of parchment on the base with the edges underneath (this is just to help remove the cheesecake from the base)
In a food processor or high powered blender add almonds and hazelnuts, strained and rinsed, add dates and about 1 Tbs of their soaking water, blend until you reach a smooth and uniform consistency.
Add vanilla extract, salt and cacao powder and blend together, you may need to add a few Tbs of water or almond milk to get things moving and fully incorporated.
Press this mixture into the base of your pan and set aside in the fridge or freezer.
For the filling, heat a pot of water and place a heat proof glass or metal bowl over top. Add cacao paste, coconut oil and maple syrup to the bowl and allow it to slowly melt, stirring every now and then.
In a food processor or blender add soaked, rinsed cashews, orange zest and orange juice and blend until smooth. When everything in the bowl is melted add ¾ of the cacao mixture to the cashews, blend until super smooth and creamy.
Spread filling evenly on top of the crust and swirl remaining chocolate sauce on top, optionally you can also coat the mandarin pieces in chocolate and sprinkle some rock salt on top for serving.
Allow the cheesecake a few hours in the fridge to set, you could also put it in the freezer if you're in a hurry, just allow it to thaw out a bit before serving.
Oh my how lovely to be able to sit and write without distraction. My little baby has just started pulling himself up to standing and I can’t take my eyes off him for 30 seconds. Luckily his papa gets him all snuggled up to go for walks in the morning. So somewhere between watching Mav crawl and climb all over the place I fit in good food. I gave the baby a bucket of onions to play with and set to work making these sticky honey garlic spare ribs from a local farm. Eating local can be really expensive sometimes but there are certain things that remain affordable. Buying cheaper cuts that need a little more lovin’ is a good way to save a buck. These rich, meaty ribs go really well with kimchi, you can buy it or make your own but it’s high probiotic zing pairs oh so nicely.
The days have become dark and short all of a sudden, sometimes I feel like I’m living in a cloud this high up in the mountains. There are rare days when it clears and you see the snow capped beauty in full shine, I love those days. I received this gentle reminder the other day that winter is all about going within, that our ancestors before electricity would’ve been sleeping for 12 hours at this time of year. Remembering to take it easy is so important. I get really hard on myself about not.doing.enough. when really I know that I do what I can, the time and space will come, but for now, it is what it is!
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
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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)
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.
