Fizzy Raspberry Purree with White Wine

Here is yet another recipe for wine in combination with fruit. (Apparently I really like white wine this summer!?)

This one is a winner because the raspberry fruit is pureed with lime, orange juice and sugar, and is therefore completely incorporated into your beverage. Sweet eh?

The fizz adds just a little sparkle.

The recipe is loosely measured, so play around with your ingredients depending on how many drinks you are preparing. Any leftover puree you can save in the fridge to pour over hot waffles or pancakes. Mmmm...delicious!

Ingredients:

1 box fresh raspberries (or any other berry that you would prefer)
1 lime (zest and juice)
1/4 c orange juice
1/8 c sugar
*clear soda (sprite, spritz up, etc.)
*white wine

* amts. are according to your own discretion, depending on the size of the cup. I would use a ratio of 2 wine: 1 soda.


Directions:

1. Puree raspberries, lime zest and juice, orange juice, and sugar with a hand held immersion blender. Pour about 1/8 cup into the bottom of each glass and top with white wine and soda.

The Verdict on Irish Cuisine

I am happy to announce that the verdict is in on Irish cusine, and...it's lookin' good for the Guinness lovin' folk!

It is a different world over there in Ireland. Full of rolling green hills, sheep grazing, cows walking on the roads, castles, right side driving (so weird!), photo opps, cliffs with beautiful ocean views, and as I was delighted to discover...delicious food!

My family and friends and I (6 people all together), didn't have one bad meal the entire time we were there!

We had anything from meat and potatoes to salmon with a white wine and butter sauce because the cuisine was so varied all over the island. And it was all seriously good.

But don't just take my word for it. For the past 8 days I have been that loser (connaseur?) at the restaurant who takes pictures of all of her food. Just because I know that a picture speaks a thousand words, and I really wanted to give some great recommendations just in case you ever find yourself in Ireland.

Something important to note, is that most of the places we ate in, received either high recommendations in travel books or through word of mouth. This is the best way to guarantee good bang for your buck. And when you are traveling on a budget (especially when the exchange rate is really brutal), you need to think ahead. At least most of the time! There is always room for impulse when it comes to eating out :)

One of my favourite eats was not all that expensive. In the heart of Belfast was a little cafe called DeanesDeli.

I had a local roast chicken sandwich with sun blushed tomato, baby leaves, and sweet paprika mayo. Just the name makes my mouth water.

I may or may not bring out a recipe that imitates this delightful sammich :)

And I had tomato soup with wheaten bread. (Wheaten is pretty much whole wheat, but it kinda tastes like savory banana bread.)

Along with the really yummy entrees, Deanes had some really appealing deserts. I had an apple cinnamon scone which tasted like a cross between a scone and a danish-- so delightful.


I thought this was really cute:

It's a clock that tells you which meal you can indulge in, according to that time of day.

The restaurant Nirvana was our first official stop.


I had something called pan fried 'John Dory.' I had no idea what it was when I saw it on the menu, but the waiter explained that it was dish featuring white fish. After dinner we saw a store called 'John Dory,' and then saw the name appear on quite a few more menus throughout Ireland. Turns out John Dory was a pretty important guy!

But either way, it was really yummy. The fish, we guessed, was cod, and it was served with braised fennel, crushed potato, and butter sauce. The potatoes in Ireland were out of this world. They had a subtle sweetness that we don't have over here in Canada. I was tempted to bring a bag home in my suit case, but I didn't have room :(

Continuing on in true Canadian fashion, I ordered more seafood the next night (at the Malin Hotel)! Salmon this time, with a white wine sauce. (I'm sorry that this photo does not do the dish justice! I left my good camera at home in the hopes that a little point and shoot would be good enough. Oh bother.)

Here I am at the same restaurant enjoying water out of a huge wine glass. Why not, I said!

Desert was banoffee. We had guesses as to what in the world it might turn out looking like, but in the end:

It was banana and toffee. Not to worry, this is 1/2 of a serving (the other half I shared with my dad), the Irish are not that stingy. Not at all in fact. The meal was only 20 euros and that included appetizers, a main, and desert. Not half bad at all!

My final restaurant of note for this post, which could be so much longer if I went into enormous depth, is Nick's Warehouse in Dublin. They use only fresh, seasonal ingredients, so you can guarantee a great meal here.

We started out with a bread basket which had fresh baked bread (made on site), and muffins. Along with the bread came 3 oils for dipping.

I had free-range chicken with pomegranate cous cous. De-lish!


AND for desert, white chocolate mouse with raspberry puree. Sigh. I would go back to Ireland just to have it again!

Ireland is famous for their whiskey from Bushmills Distillery:

I tried it, and it wasn't half bad! Felt like I had fire in my mouth but...yeah not bad.

And the tea is not half bad either.

But what post on Irish cuisine would be complete without mentioning Guinness? So here you go:

Your welcome:)

P.S. Don't tell, but I actually didn't like it very much. However I am no judge because I don't like beer.

So there you have it! The highlights of my week in Ireland, featuring the most delectable part of the my trip. I would definitely encourage you to see this beautiful island if you ever get the chance. It is full of culture and despite my first assumption, yummy food!

Barbequed Potato and Onion Parcels

Crisis has been averted; tonight could have been a boring dinner! I came this close to making regular boiled potatoes, but thankfully Leah was present to save the day. (My regular boiled potatoes apparently don't make the cut anymore.)

Well excuse me! Apparently I missed the memo when they went out of style.

Leah insisted that these potatoes were the way to go, and you know what? She was absolutely right.

I'm just jokin' a bit, I didn't really need any convincing on this one. I just wasn't creative enough at the time to think of it.

Why not make exciting, flavorful potatoes if you can?

Students, if you don't have an accessible barbecue you can still make this side dish in the oven. My oven saved my bacon this year because I made almost everything in it. And it was so nice to just pop food into it and walk away. Mmmm...lazy cooking. You can also try this out in the oven during the winter. (Anywhere but the microwave!)

We packaged sliced potatoes, onions, and chives into cute little tinfoil parcels and popped them onto the barbecue for about 20 minutes.

The parcels that were not as jammed full seemed to caramelize the best. There was more room in the tinfoil for the onions to reach direct heat and they got nice and sweet.



Ingredients:

3 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced
1 med size vadilla onion (or a white cooking onion is fine), sliced
handful of chives, chopped
2 Tbsp. canola oil
good pinch of salt and pepper

large sheet of aluminum foil

Directions:

1. Slice potatoes and onions into 1/2 cm slices and toss in canola oil, chives, salt and pepper.

2. Put a good handful or two of the potatoes into the center of a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap up into a parcel.

3. Place on the barbecue for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked.

The Hungry Student

Calling all those who have to eat Mr. Noodle instead of a balanced meal.

All those who have ever eaten frozen perogies and frozen meatballs because there was absolutely nothing else in your freezer.

All those who stock up on rice, pasta, cereal, peanut butter, soy milk (because it doesn't go bad until you open the carton), soup, and canned tuna (if you're lucky).

All those who bum off your parents whenever possible and have a fridge filled of goodness for about 4 days.

All those who have gone without because you simply forgot.

All those who have to eat at the kitchen table while studying for your finals, trying desperately not to spill your cafeteria fries all over the pages of your 150 dollar text book.

All those who bring their lunches to class and feel really proud to do so.

All those who carry change for caffeine.

And finally, all those who have run out of ideas for decent dorm food ideas, look no further!

I have these problems and more, which has inspired me to create a section of my blog that is completely dedicated to tips and recipes for you hungry students! It is called "Dorm Food Ideas," and you can find the tab on the right side of this page. Or click here.

I have lived in residence for 2 years so far and am really annoyed with the food system we have at my school. There are barely any healthy options around campus, and many things are way over priced. It's convenient, yes. But you can only have a vegi taco so many times until you need some variety.

Last year I decided to opt out of the meal plan option and go completely home cooked. Well, dorm cooked. I did it in the hopes that I would spend less money and avoid potential weight gain brought on by cafeteria food. It was a success! I avoided the cafeteria for the most part and saved over 500 dollars.

I want to bring you that same success by offering you tips, and recipes that can make the eating part of university a little bit simpler. I like to use good ingredients, so you won't often find me cooking things that come from a box. But of course there are days where that is necessary, so I will help you navigate through the world of pre-packaged food in the hopes of finding the best quality wise, and nutritionally.

There are so many ways to eat well in your dorm and really have fun with it! I hope you enjoy learning and cooking along with me (as I am still in University too)! I'm still struggling with the finances, and sometimes (not often, thank goodness) find myself eating Mr. Noodle. But I have a passion for food and nutrition that I hope will be contagious.

If you have any tips of your own, feel free to leave a comment and we can work together in making university/college dorm food a little less hectic and a little more yummy!

Find my tips and recipies here!

Enhancing Performance with Breakfast

I don't think many people can say that they haven't heard about the benefits of breakfast. Why? Because it is proven. And because teachers, scientists, doctors, and parents have seen the results and will attest to it's ability to strengthen a student's performance at school.

Sending yourself to work or your child to school without breakfast is like trying to use a cordless power tool without ever recharging the battery. If you don't refuel your child's body in the morning after an overnight fast, the child has to draw fuel from its own energy stores until lunchtime. The stress hormones necessary to mobilize these energy reserves may leave the child feeling irritable, tired, and unable to learn or behave well.

I can attest to this! In grade 9 I decided that I would rather add a few minutes of sleep to my morning and skip the breakfast routine. My stomach doesn't hurt that much, I would think. I found that around 10:30 I really started to feel the pain, but I tried to ignore it by encouraging myself that it was probably helping me to stay thin.

Boy was I wrong. I felt groggy so many days that the extra sleep wasn't ever worth it, and I actually gained weight! When you eat breakfast, you are ending the over night fast. This helps your metabolism to rise and stay up for the duration of the morning. If you don't have breakfast, it will not have the proper effectiveness throughout the rest of the day. My lunch would then spike the metabolism, but not keep it steady enough to burn calories and fat throughout my day.

A smart nutritious breakfast comes from a combination of the 4 food groups with an emphasis on complex carbohydrates and protein. Think grains, plus dairy, plus fruits. (Carb lover, you can enjoy more carbs at breakfast because you will be burning them off all day!)

Complex carbohydrates and proteins act like biochemical partners for enhancing learning and behavior. This biochemical principle is called "synergy," meaning that the combination of two nutrients works better than each one singly, sort of like 1 + 1 = 3.

Studies have shown...

• Breakfast eaters are likely to achieve higher grades, pay closer attention, participate more in class discussions, and manage more complex academic problems than breakfast skippers.
• Breakfast skippers are more likely to be inattentive, sluggish, and make lower grades.
• Breakfast skippers are more likely to show erratic eating patterns throughout the day, eat less nutritious foods, and give into junk-food cravings. They may crave a mid- morning sugar fix because they can't make it all the way to lunchtime on an empty fuel tank.
• Some children are more vulnerable to the effects of missing breakfast than others. The effects on behavior and learning as a result of missing breakfast or eating a breakfast that is not very nutritious vary from child to child.
• Whether or not children eat breakfast affects their learning, but so does what they eat. Children who eat a breakfast containing both complex carbohydrates and proteins in equivalent amounts of calories tend to show better learning and performance than children who eat primarily a high protein or a high carbohydrate breakfast. Breakfasts high in carbohydrates with little protein seem to sedate children rather than stimulate their brain to learn.
• Children eating high calcium foods for breakfast (e.g., dairy products) showed enhanced behavior and learning.
• Morning stress increases the levels of stress hormones in the bloodstream. This can affect behavior and learning in two ways. First, stress hormones themselves can bother the brain. Secondly, stress hormones such as cortisol increase carbohydrate craving throughout the day. The food choices that result may affect behavior and learning in children who are sensitive to the ups and downs of blood sugar levels. Try to send your child off to school with a calm attitude, as well as a good breakfast.
• Breakfast sets the pattern for nutritious eating throughout the rest of the day. When children miss breakfast to save time or to cut calories, they set themselves up for erratic binging and possibly overeating the rest of the day.

Foods that build and foods that drain the brain:

BRAIN BUILDERS	BRAIN DRAINERS
Avocados Bananas Beef, lean Brewer's yeast Broccoli Brown rice Brussel sprouts Cantaloupe Cheese Chicken Collard greens Eggs Flaxseed oil Legumes Milk Oatmeal Oranges Peanut butter Peas Potatoes Romaine lettuce Salmon Soybeans Spinach Tuna Turkey Wheat germ Yogurt	Alcohol Artificial food colorings Artificial sweeteners Colas Corn syrup Frostings High-sugar "drinks" Hydrogenated fats Junk sugars Nicotine Overeating White bread

Try out any of these nutritious breakfasts:

• granola cereal, yogurt, a sliced apple
• scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice
• veggie omelet, bran muffin, fruit with yogurt
• whole-grain pancakes or waffles topped with berries and/or yogurt, milk
• whole-wheat zucchini pancakes topped with fruit, milk
• french toast topped with fruit, orange juice or milk
• low-fat cheese melted on toast with a piece of fruit
• low-fat cream cheese on a whole-grain bagel, orange juice
• peanut butter and banana slices on an english muffin, milk
• smoothie

In a hurry? Try a breakfast on-the-run!

• Watermelon Blueberry Protein Smoothie (click here)
• Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie (click here)
• Power House Smoothie:

3 cups milk or soy beverage
11/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1-2 servings Juice Plus+® Complete or similar multinutrient supplement
one banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup each of your favorite fruit, frozen (e.g., organic strawberries, papaya, mango)
2 tbsp. flax oil or 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
4 ounces tofu
2 tbsp. peanut butter (optional)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 avocado

This family-size recipe makes four 16-ounce servings (approximately 550 calories per serving). Adjust the recipe to the desired taste and volume. Besides being tasty, it's nutritionally balanced, with each serving containing approximately 25 to 30 grams of protein, 55 to 60 grams of carbohydrates, 8 to 16 grams of fat (mostly healthy omega 3's), and 5 to 10 grams of fiber.

• Fruity Smoothie:

2 cups of milk or soy or rice beverage, or 1 cup milk and 1 cup yogurt
1 serving Juice Plus+® Complete
2 tsp. flax oil
1 small frozen banana, cut up
1/2 cup each of your favorite fruit, frozen (e.g., blueberries strawberries, papaya)
2 ice cubes if fruit is not frozen or if you want a lighter taste

Makes one 20-ounce serving. (approximately 550 calories).

Photo is courtesty of http://www.healthline.com/blogs/diet_nutrition/uploaded_images/breakfast2-735821.jpg

Copper Pots: A Review of Julie and Julia

The movie Julie and Julia has been out for a few weeks now, and there I was not watching it; apparently too consumed with more important matters. (Family Vacation to Ireland).

Priorities!

I promise I will be more on top of things the next time a movie like this one comes out, okay?

What more can I say about the film now besides, I absolutely loved it! Not a shocker there really... you probably could have stuck me in front of a video of people making cake batter and I would have enjoyed it. (Is that sad.......???)

So this film which is full of copper pots, fully stocked kitchens, local grocers, a 2 floor walk-up, Parisian scenery , blogs, cooking schools, and food you can almost taste, was pretty much a food lovers dream movie.

It was based on two true stories. First is the one of a kind Julia Child, who's husband has just been transferred to Paris, and who begins to pursue her love for food at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. And then we meet Julie Powell, a writer struggling to stay afloat and motivated from New York City, who decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cook book in 365 days and blog about her progress.

Mainly, I was so encouraged by the movie. I got to see two really cool women take their passion for food and just run with it. For me, food isn't about trying to get rich and "make it." It is really about discovering my full potential and passion. I want to see how much I can do, and if my talent turns out to take me as far as Julie and Julia, then great! If not, then I had so much fun doing what I love to do. Even if no one knows about me. I thought that both Julie and Julia were kind of like that too. They had a desire for success, yes. But they were fueled by their desire to make the world a better place, and to have fun while doing it.


We can all take a lesson from the amazing attitude that Julia displays throughout the film. She is such a tough girl, eh? (If you have seen the film then you know what I mean.) Tough, yet kind and so sweet. Meryl Streep did a fantastic job playing her. I'm sure Julia would have laughed with delight at Streep's portrayal.

If you haven't seen it yet, please do. And I hope that inspires you in the same way that it did me. Or maybe it will just make you want to invest in some really nice copper pots, as it also did me.

Bon Appetit!

Ireland

Sooooo, I'm off on a little adventure starting Monday. It's not all that grand, it's just a little trip across the ocean to Ireland!!

Ok yeah, I'm excited. Wouldn't you be? Well maybe not if you are from Ireland or surrounding countries, but I most certainly am excited!

The closest I have come to that part of Europe was England back in grade 12. Since then I have had a hunger to go back.

I plan on meeting an Irish boy with an accent, so if you are indeed from surrounding areas leave a comment. ;) That is actually a joke, I don't think I could make a long distance relationship work from North America. It would be just to dang difficult.

Shame though.

Anyway, my family and I will be discovering the Northern parts of Ireland (starting in Galway and then moving towards Donegal.) I heard that you can do horseback riding along the coast line and I am soooo all over that.

I will of course sample the cuisine, and post about it later. I hope that the food experience will be better than that I had in England. (Completely carbs and protein). I'm thinking that since the countries national colour is green, the food miiiight follow suit. But probably not.

See you when I return! Bon Voyage :)

Photo courtesy of http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/images/photos/photo_lg_ireland.jpg

Flax Seed Oil

I have this new idea...that everyone should rush out and buy Flax Seed Oil!

No? Not sold? Well then you clearly haven't heard the news that F.S oil is packed with nature's goodness.

I tell yeh, I have heard more about this stuff in the last 6 months than I ever have in my entire life. One blog that I read quite often (everyday), has inspired the health fanatic in me to add it to whatever I can. 1 - 2 Tbsp. per day is all you need and you are doing your body good.

Let's explore it, shall we?

Flax Seed Oil is a blue flowering plant that is grown on the Western Canadian Prairies for its oil rich seeds. This natural oil (also known as Linseed Oil) is highly recommended for the general well being and whole body nutrition and is considered to be nature's richest source of omega-3 fatty acids that are required for the health of almost all body systems.

Flax Seed Oil contains omega-6 and omega-9 essential fatty acids, B vitamins, potassium, lecithin, magnesium, fiber, protein, and zinc and also provides approximately 50% more omega-3 oils than what you could get from taking fish oil, minus that horrible "fishy" after taste.

How can it help you?

- Research shows low incidence of breast cancer and colon cancer in populations that have high amounts of lignan in their diet. Flax is 100 times richer in lignan than most whole grains.

- Studies show that Omega-3 fatty acids help lower cholesterol and blood triglycerides, and prevent clots in arteries, which may result in strokes, heart attacks and thromboses.

- Helps protect the body against high blood pressure, inflammation, water retention, sticky platelets and lowered immune function.

- Shortens recovery time for fatigued muscles after exertion.

- Increases the body's production of energy and also increases stamina.

- Accelerates the healing of sprains and bruises.

- Eases weight loss in people afflicted with obesity.

- Stimulates brown fat cells and increases the metabolic rate making it easier to burn off fat.

- Improves the absorption of Calcium.

- Strengthens finger and toenails.

- Can improve eyesight and perception of colors.

- Can often improve the function of the liver.

- Can relieve the side effects and stop development of many forms of cancer.

- Can relieve some cases of Asthma.

- Helpful in the treatment of Eczema, Psoriasis, and Dandruff.

- Can relieve the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. It can relieve the symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus.

- Can alleviate some allergies.

- Helps prevent Atherosclerosis (the accumulation of fatty deposits inside the blood vessels, especially the large and medium-sized arteries, that many people experience during the aging process).

- Lowers high blood pressure in Hypertension sufferers.

- Has been scientifically proven to treat some cases of depression.

- Can improve the mental function of many old age pensioners.

- Can help in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.

- Has been proven to improve the behavior of Schizophrenics.

- Can relieve some cases of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) in females.

- And more...!

How much do I take a day?

The recommended daily dose for most people is at least 1,000 mg taken one to three times daily. Even better is adding flax seeds into your diet in breads, muffins or on salads. Scientific studies have used up to 30 grams of flax seeds a day safely and without side effects.

What do I look for when buying Flax Seed Oil?

It's important to buy high-quality flax seed oil as it is prone to rancidity. Light and oxygen will slowly breakdown the essential fatty acids. Look for flax seed oil capsules (dark coated soft gels) or oil that is bottled in amber-brown bottles, as these are more resistant to the light and oxygen. Make sure you refrigerate your flax seed oil to help extend its shelf life.

The bottle I bought was about 9 dollars and I got it at a higher end grocery store.

Flax seed oil takes a bit of time to be absorbed into the body before the full beneficial effects begin, ranging anywhere from a few days to as many as six weeks, depending on your overall well-being.

So to conclude, if you have made it this far, there is really no harm in giving flax seed oil a try. I did, and so far I have really enjoyed it. The taste is slightly nutty, and it's so simple to add to my food. In my opinion, it's worth the money, and the trip out to buy it ;)

http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisflaxsee_pfy.htm

Photos courtesy of http://www.gojiking.co.uk/shop/images/omega-flaxseed-oil.jpg and http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/flax_seed.jpg

Reminder: Julie & Julia

Just for those of you who may have fallen asleep and/or didn't count down days on your calender,

Julie & Julia is now playing!!

Look foreword to a review in the near future...