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.
Stuffing your face with coconut chips is 100% happifying. Happifying; to make yourself happy, aint nobody else gonna do it. Snacks are a common frustration in our house, J goes on cracker binges, I pretend the big bag of dried mango is for baby Mav, covertly popping slice after chewy slice into my mouth. Fact is, middle of the afternoon hits and we all want just a little something. Well, these sweet and salty coconut chips hit the spot, how else do 2 people destroy 4 cups of coconut in one afternoon…yeah…that good.
Shredded coconut is wicked high in fibre and very satiating, after our chow sesh we didn’t eat all day, not even mango slices. If you’ve seen those blue monkey coconut chips that are way overpriced, these are their easy to make super cheap equivalent. Also, I know this is a touch weird, but I think if one were really fond of that junky cereal corn flakes, that these coconut flakes with some almond milk would be stellar.
Combine maple syrup or honey, oil and salt and mix in thoroughly with the coconut.
Spread the coconut thinly on 2 baking trays and pop in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and stir, turn the oven off and return the trays for another 30 minutes.
I grew up eating massive amounts of cereal. Cinnamon toast crunch was one of the top choices (after reese puffs of course). This evening when I sat down to try my new creation, my jaw dropped. I have created a healthy version of my childhood favourite. The base is brazil nuts, which was an experiment that came out better than expected. With a creamy banana coconut frosting which somehow doesn’t taste very banana like, maybe because I used super ripe bananas. The combination of everything just works. A nice paleo, raw, enzyme rich dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth. (more…)
Today I’ll tell you a little story. Once upon a time I was a devout vegetarian. Once upon that time I went to Jamaica and while my family went the famous Scotchies to dabble in world class jerk chicken, I passed. It was hard, but I was devoted, even amidst the smoky aromas. But I’ll tell you a secret, I may have tasted just the sauce. It planted a seed in my vegetarian heart and I haven’t forgotten now that I eat meat, that I have been craving jerk chicken since that very moment. One day I vow to go back to Jamaica and try (gorge myself on) the real deal. Until then, I have no qualms making it at home, but it’s never the same is it? I certainly don’t have an allspice tree in my backyard. (more…)
Here’s the low down: I have fully acknowledge my sugar addiction, it’s there, no more denying it. Partially I blame pregnancy and all the cravings that you easily say yes to because well, obviously, it’s what baby wants! Right? Hm. Well when hormones are all awhirl it’s just hard to say no. Now the lingering sugar addiction is no longer serving us (me and Mavarek hub) – so I’ve decided to do the WHOLE30 and i’m bringing mister “organic gummy bear” junkie aka my partner Jake along for the ride. Not that he’s super stoked about that but I’m the cook and I won’t be catering to his/my forbidden desires during this experiment. C’est la vie, oui?
Ok so for anyone who isn’t familiar with the whole30 dealio here goes. Basically for 30 days we cut out all potential triggers for ill health. That means no sugar (not even honey), no dairy (this will be tricky since we <3 our raw milk), no grains and of course nothing processed full of junky junks. Sounds awesome right?! Just plenty of good quality free-range meats, local organic vegetables, fruits and some nuts, seeds and healthy fats. A chance to quash those addictions that give us the belly gurgles, knix the habits that cause insomnia, and enlighten our minds to see where our attachments lie. That last point being the biggest one. Since we all need to eat to live, there’s a lot of emotions that come along with our nourishment. Comforts, attachments, delights, regrets, it all ties in with our food choices. Practicing a whole foods, clean approach, that really is as close to an ancestral diet as we get in modern times, and can help shed some light on us.
Putting it out there people : Join us if you will on this Whole 30 challenge, you can do it! We can all support each other and I will be posting a whole30 friendly recipe everyday. Starting June 1 lets learn a few things about our whole beings and feel really REALLY good.
Greetings from my the muffin section of my brain, a part that I never knew existed. Until these babies popped into my head, all part of my ploy to coax Jake into eating less goodies. And myself too, though I’ve never been a fan of ‘the muffin’ typically leaving you to feel like a muffin, nor am I a fan of muffin as a term of endearment, nope I’ll stick to buttercup, or sweetikins thanks. However, things are changing, these actually give you energy! They are light yet high in protein and nice and moist. Probably kudos to our fatty friend the avocado. If you want something sweeter you could add a bit more coconut sugar or honey but I think these are just right.
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.
