Sweet & Savoury Coleslaw

 

 

Hello beautiful people,

I woke up this morning to the perfect Fall morning. The sun wasn’t up yet (I wake up at 5am), but I could see it starting to pierce through the dark sky, the air was cool and crisp and it was a mere 12°C (53°F). Glorious! I went for a short walk with our puppy and I could tell even he was happy we were done with the crazy heat wave we’ve been having.

I went back inside, poured myself a hot cup of black coffee (I kicked the sugar/creamer addiction a little over a year ago), checked the monitor to see if my baby was still asleep (luckily he was), laced up my running shoes and headed back outside for my morning workout.

Now as much as I love going to the gym and lift really heavy things, the reality is, I just can’t make it there most days. So I go when I can, and take it like a “treat” where I get to work on my favourite muscles…or those I feel need the most stimulation like my shoulders and of course, my booty (I’m no JLo, I can always use more booty!) But going to the gym 4-5 times a week is just not happening yet doesn’t mean I’m giving up on my fitness goals. I just adapt them to my reality. Being adaptable, that’s a lesson I’ve had to learn as a new mom. So maybe I’ll make it to the gym twice a week but in order for me to feel my best, I need to get my body moving at least 6 days a week. And because time is always of the essence, most of my workouts are short, under 30 minutes, and work my entire body and especially my core, which I find is still weak, 13 months after my pregnancy. And I always stretch. I never skimp out on the stretching. Because I know that if I don’t do it, I’ll end up really sore and stiff the next day.

You can say these little morning workouts are my “me” time… A little time to do something good for myself.

So what do my morning workouts look like… Here’s what I did this morning:

Warm-up:

  1. 25 air squats
  2. 25 jumping jacks
  3. 50 high knees
  4. 50 butt kicks
  5. 1 minute rope skipping (or you can jog in place)

Circuit: Repeat 3-5 times

  1. 24 walking lunges
  2. 30 toe taps on the patio stairs
  3. 15 push-ups
  4. 30 mountain climbers
  5. 20 yards (60 feet) bear crawl
  6. 20 sit-up to standing

Cool down: stretching

Do not be fooled by the simplicity of the bear crawl. It’s brutal! I had never really done it properly before going to the park with my husband for a workout and he had the brilliant idea for us to try an old football training of his. But that’s for another post… But yes, bear crawl, when done properly, is very hard!

If you’re unsure on how to do any of these exercises, please watch a quick instructional video. Youtube has loads of them like this one for bear crawl. It’s worth the extra minutes so you don’t injure yourself and get the most out of the exercise. Also, know when you are breaking form and take a break. Again, it’s not worth you injuring yourself.

After a workout such as this, you can bet I’m hungry. I’ll usually remain hungry for the following few hours. And there’s no such thing as starving myself. This girl’s gotta eat! Feeding myself highly nutritious meals is so important to me. I spend vary valuable time in the morning to workout, I don’t want all my efforts to go to waste.

This is where a salad like this, comes in handy. I packed this for my lunch, knowing I would be very hungry and need something satisfying, delicious and nutritious. This salad is made of nutrient and protein packed red and green cabbage, hemp hearts, shredded apples and cilantro. The dressing is freshly pressed apple juice and apple cider vinegar. I usually add olive oil to my dressings but this time, I wanted to keep it light and crisp…and I wanted to indulge in a little dessert later on!

This salad also makes the perfect accompaniment to your bean burgers, veggie dogs or open faced sandwiches.

I hope you enjoy it and leave me a comment to let me know if you’ve tried my workout!

 

xx

 

Sweet & Savoury Coleslaw
Recipe Type: Salad
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3 portions
This salad is crunchy and refreshing. I usually like to mix two types of cabbage in my coleslaw but if you have or the other, just add more of the same one. A
Ingredients
  • 3 Cups red cabbage, sliced very thinly (i use a mandoline)
  • 3 Cups green cabbage, sliced very thinly
  • 1/2 Cup hemp hearts
  • 1/2 Cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 Cup apple juice
  • 3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Using a mandoline, or a sharp knife, thinly slice the cabbage.
  2. Add the sliced cabbage, the hemp hearts and the cilantro in a mixing bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, add the remaining ingredients and whisk together.
  4. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and stir to combine.
  5. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, for the flavours to combine.

 

 

 

 

Spiced apple crumble

 

 

Hello beautiful people,

Yesterday was such an amazing day. It was the first time we were bringing our son Adriano apple picking. Well not only was the sun shining and the weather nice and warm, but the farm was holding its annual Fall Festival with live music, tractor rides and my favourite, a corn roast. But the best part of the day was watching Adriano climb the trees with his dad and wanting to bite into every apple he would get his hands on. This child definitely inherited his love of food from both his dad and I.

 

After climbing trees all morning and running around the farm chasing Adriano (my husband and I definitely got a good workout in, unintentionally! loll), we sat down to eat some of the juiciest and sweetest corn I’ve had all summer. It was pure delight… I could also smell the freshly baked apple desserts but none were vegan so I promised my family that when we got home, I’d make us my famous apple crumble. And so as soon as we got home, Adriano crashed in his crib for a well deserved nap and I headed to the kitchen to start peeling the apples for my crumble.

Luckily, the apples that are ready for picking at this time of the season are McIntosh, Cortland and Lobo. As far as baking goes, Cortland and Lobo apples are your best pick as they are firm and will keep their shape while baking. McIntosh apples are also good but they do get a little “mushier” when baked so I prefer to use them for apple sauce. Some recipes call for Granny Smith apple, which is also a nice firm apple but it is a little too sour for my taste for a crumble. That being said, if you enjoy the more sour taste of the Granny Smith apple, you can definitely add some to this recipe. Since this recipe calls for about 8 cups of diced apples, or 5 large apples, you can easily swap 2 of those apples for Granny Smith.

Now that the type of apples for baking is taken care of, let’s talk about spices. If you read my previous post, you already know that I love my spices. To me, it’s what makes the dish. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t until I started traveling on my own and exploring beyond the usual touristic path, that I developed my love for spices. Until my late teens, I didn’t know much about spices other then the ones my mom used, which were mainly from the French cuisine repertoire. But then I travelled to Jamaica, Bermuda, Nassau, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Belize and discovered the incredible taste of Caribbean and South American cuisine which is so rich in flavour and spices like nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, all-spice, cayenne pepper and cumin. I was hooked. Later on, I travelled extensively to Europe and the Middle-East and discovered spices like paprika in Hungary, saffron in Spain, caraway seeds in Poland, Sumac in Jordan and cardamom in Egypt.

From then on, my cooking took on an international flair and my dishes were now spiced with flavours from all around the world. This apple crumble is no exception. While it does include the usual cinnamon, it also includes nutmeg and cardamom.

Nutmeg has a sweet but bitter taste and according to the people at Organic Facts, Nutmeg has a long list of associated health benefits, including its ability to relieve pain, soothe indigestion, strengthen cognitive function, detoxify the body, boost skin health, alleviate oral conditions, reduce insomnia, increase immune system function, and prevent leukemia, and improve blood circulation. Not bad for a spice!

Cardamom has more of a pungent taste and according to the folks at The Epicentre, the ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds as a tooth cleaner. It also has many health benefits including treating mouth ulcers, helping with digestive problems and even depression.

So your apple crumble will not only taste amazing, have an international flair, but it will also bring you added health benefits. Not bad for a dessert, no?

I hope you guys enjoy this dessert and let me know in the comments what you like to bake after a day of apple picking.

xx

Spiced apple crumble
Recipe Type: Dessert
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8 portions
This apple crumble uses Cortland apple, which hold their shape well while baking. Lobo are another great option as is Granny Smith, if you enjoy a more sour taste.
Ingredients
  • 8 Cups diced apples, (about 5 apples)
  • 1/4 Cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cardamom (cardamom has a very bold flavour so use sparingly)
  • 1 1/4 Cup white spelt flour (or gluten-free flour for a GF dessert – Bob’s Red Mill Baking GF flour works great)
  • 1 1/2 Cup rolled oats (I don’t recommend using instant oatmeal but you can use GF rolled oats)
  • 1/2 Cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 8 Tbs cold vegan butter, diced small (I use salted vegan butter by Earth Balance)
  • Coconut oil for greasing
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with coconut oil.
  3. Core and peel the apples.
  4. Place the chopped apples in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, sugar and spices. Mix with a wooden spoon until the apples are coated and pour into the baking dish and spread evenly.
  5. Set aside.
  6. In another bowl, mix the flour, rolled oats, sugar and cinnamon. Combine with your wooden spoon.
  7. Add the butter to the mixing bowl and with your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it forms little clumps.
  8. Top apples with the rolled oats mixture and bake in the oven until the crumble is starting to brown and the apples are bubbling through the sides.
  9. Enjoy