Quinoa Carrot Muffins

I first stumbled upon this recipe here:

http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2011/09/20/quinoa-carrot-spice-muffins-gluten-free/

So far I've only made it once and only slightly changed it but am certainly putting this one aside as a keeper, you know when the kid devours one and asks for another that it was a hit!

Quinoa Carrot Muffins
1 1/3 cup quinoa flour (now, I screwed up and dumped in Kamut flour - next time will use the Quinoa since I love the stuff, but the Kamut was equally pleasing!)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup soaked raisins (to plump them back up - soak for 10-20 minutes and then pour off the water before using)
(at this point I also added a few things of my own: 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/3 cup sesame seeds)
Mix all of the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl mix:
2 eggs (or 2 tsp chia with 6 tbsp water - let sit for 5 minutes to gel)
2/3 cup coconut sugar (next time I may slightly decrease this amount)
2/3 c plain yogurt or 1/2 cup of almond milk (I used 1/2 cup rice milk since it was open)
2 1/4 cup grated carrot

Mix the dry and the liquid ingredients together and pour into greased muffin tins (makes 12-15 muffins)
Bake at 350 for approximately 20-24 minutes

Enjoy!

Being kid approved means I just scored one more item that I can put into her lunchbox and know that she will eat it.

Ooey gooey fudge balls!

Well, after almost 3 weeks on this elimination diet and my “issues” are still doing much better but I have had a few flare ups, so either there is still something in my diet that is causing the issue or the change in weather has prompted its return, the verdict is still out.

I am still continuing on the clean eating (meaning better than the clean eating I was doing, just kicked it up a notch, or two) however decided that I needed something ooey, gooey and delicious! So, I decided to make some Fudge Balls, also known as Fudge Babies, Energy Bites, Date Balls, really you can call them whatever you like, I call them YUMMY and so does Ab's, which makes them that much better.

Who doesn't love a healthier treat! The only problem with these is having self-control, I don’t make them very often because I find I certainly can’t stop at just one and have a hard time limiting the consumption at all!

These can be made a billion different ways, as you know I love options and tend to use whatever is available in the house at the time. I have made these without nuts and used coconut, I've used raw almond butter, raw peanut butter, raw cashews, raw walnuts, seeds, no seeds, really whatever you want! I've even made them without cocoa, all in all they are fantastic and fudgy just like a brownie!

You can shape these into balls, bars, bites, and cookies, whatever you wish.

Today’s version was:
Ingredients (makes approximately 20 balls)

½  c dates

½ c almonds

2 tbp sunflower seeds

1 scoop chia seeds

2-3 tbsp cocoa powder (or cacao if you have it instead)

1-2 tbsp water (if needed)

Process all in a food processor

Roll into balls

Consume this totally awesome yumminess!

A few nutritional tidbits on Dates:

They are an excellent source of soluble fibre, they contain minerals, antioxidants and are an easily digested form of carbohydrates. Do keep in mind that they are naturally high in sugar content, with most varieties containing glucose or fructose, however they are a natural sugar so if you're going to eat sugar you are far better to consume the natural form.

This little treat is not weighed down with flours and flavorings, sugars and butter, they are chock full of natural whole ingredients so when you're looking for a sweet treat, these are far better than anything you're going to pick up at the store.

Enjoy!

Chia Seeds - Chia Pudding, who would have thought?

Ok, so I’ve had a fascination with these little seeds now for quite a long time. I typically love them on a bowl of fruit or mixed in a bowl of oatmeal and love them in the Pumpkin Chia Muffin recipe that I have posted on this blog too. Since I can’t eat oatmeal right now and have been trying to find some new breakfast ideas (as that’s my only real complaint so far about this current diet plan I’m on) I decided to try something totally different, pudding!

So, not your average pudding, but chia seeds gel when you put them in liquid and seeing that I used some leftover canned coconut milk this was super thick and creamy!

Chia seeds are a total superfood, you know the one, chchchch chia from the commercial, well those little seeds pack a powerful punch:

-          High in antioxidants

-          High in fibre

-          High in omega 3’s

-          Great source of calcium

-          Great source of protein

-          Great source of magnesium

-          ….the list goes on!

  Chia Pudding (typically serves 2)

·         3 scoops Chia seeds (some recipes call for 1/4 cup chia to 1 cup milk of choice - so this is still in experimental stage)

·         1 cup coconut milk (or use non dairy milk of preference)

·         1 tsp pure vanilla (or vanilla bean) – optional

·         A few dashes of cinnamon - optional

·         1 small or ½ large banana smashed – optional

Mix the above together and refrigerate overnight (or if you don’t have that kind of time, mix thoroughly and let sit 15 minutes, stir again and should be ready)

In the morning top with a1-2 tbsp of hemp seeds (again, optional)

Fresh fruit of choice (I used blueberries)

 You can mix and match this however you wish.

(Apple and almonds, nut butter and banana, berries and cinnamon, unsweetened coconut, as always the options are endless)

You can add some raw cacao to make it chocolaty, you can use a teaspoon of honey or pure maple syrup to make it sweet, again the options are endless!

I'm totally seeing a healthy chocolate version of this on the horizon, will be sure to take pics and post an update. Totally hoping the kids like this one.

Chia Apple Pumpkin Muffins

I was perusing the internet this morning and stumbled upon a recipe for Chia Pumpkin Muffins. Since I still had some leftover pumpkin in the fridge I thought I would adapt this recipe to what I had on hand, since following someone’s else’s instructions doesn’t always work for me!

These muffins are not only gluten free but they are a good protein and fibre source and are moist and delicious!

Apple Pumpkin Chia Seed Muffins

• 1 cup pureed pumpkin (canned organic works, just be sure its pure pumpkin)
• 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened), I had some homemade in the freezer
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds (ground in the coffee grinder)
• ½ cup brown rice flour
• ½ cup quinoa flour
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs (or substitute)
• ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
• ½ cup pure maple syrup (may decrease to ¼ cup next time)
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped nuts are optional (since I plan on sending these to school, I had to sadly omit the nuts)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Mix all ingredients together
• Spoon into lined muffin cups
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done (when toothpick inserted comes out clean)

I just baked these and all I can say is heaven on a Sunday morning! Yummy!

Nutritional highlights:

• Quinoa – not only is this gluten free, it also has a high protein content as it contains all of the essential amino acids. It is an excellent source of fibre and magnesium as well as a good source of minerals. It has a slight nutty flavor, which pairs well in this recipe.
• Chia seeds – a whole food that is an excellent source of essential fatty acids, high in fibre and contains protein too! It is better known as a “super food”
• Pure maple syrup and honey are used as sweeteners in this recipe as they are a natural sweetener, better for you than processed white sugars.

Apples and pumpkin spices have fall written all over it, paired with a cup of tea these muffins would have a perfect match.