granola bars

matt and i are big into hiking and backcountry camping. one of the things we have learned through our experience is that LIGHTER is BETTER. when you're hiking 10, 12 km to a campsite, you want to cut back on the weight in your pack as much as possible. but, that being said, it's also really important to bring enough food - you burn a lot of calories doing trips like that, and it's important to eat enough to keep up your strength (never know when you'll have to fight a bear!! okay, that doesn't happen... yet?) 

things like trail mix and granola bars (and holy shit, chocolate covered pretzels - why did nobody ever tell me how amazing they are???) are great nutrient-dense, easy trail foods. 

since i'm slightly obsessive about making things myself, and because i feel a heck of a lot better about eating things when i can pronounce all of the ingredients, i have been making my own granola bars!

they are really easy to make, keep well, and are such a great on-the-go snack. you can wrap them in plastic wrap or tinfoil (or better yet, reusable plastic bags!) to grab in a pinch. 

like many of my recipes, this one is suited to my tastes, but very adaptable. don't like pecans? use something else! the key is to make sure they are moist enough, and i find dates are awesome for that. they add a hint of sweetness, and stick everything together like little champions. huzzah for dates!!

kale chips

mmmm kale chips. 

you can buy them for a zillion dollars at a fancy health food store, or you can make them yourself, they are so CHEAP and EASY!

kale chips are healthy, tasty, allergy-friendly, pretty much perfect as a snack food, is what i'm trying to say!!

make some!

mexican shepherd's pie!!

i recently made my vegetarian shepherd's pie mexican-style. i used mashed yam instead of mashed potato, replaced the beans with yves veggie ground round (although black beans work very well also) and added a few tablespoons of taco spice to the beans! soo tasty! 

it's awesome served with salsa and avocado.

there are many variations on shepherd's pie, but i think this is my favourite!

potato leek soup

when my parents were here visiting at christmas, my dad made a soup similar to this, and i told him he should have done a guest-post on my blog! 

well, i am currently on the other side of the country visiting my family, and in honour of that, here's a tasty potato leek soup recipe, inspired by his!

eggplant parmesan

this is one of matt's favourite meals. if you know someone who thinks they don't like eggplant, this is probably the dish to feed them! i have changed many a mind about this misunderstood vegetable with a helping of eggplant parmesan! 

it's not the very healthiest recipe (lots of oil), but it is almost all veggies, and that's not so bad! i like to bring it to a potluck, or serve it with salad and garlic bread. 

banana oatmeal muffins

 this recipe is based on my old faithful banana muffin recipe which is amazing. i was trying to think of creative ways to make it a little healthier, and i am also somewhat in the middle of a love affair with oatmeal (weird, right?)... so this is what was born. 

they are tasty, just as tasty as the original version, but a fair bit healthier. i have removed the butter, replaced sugar with agave syrup, and added some oats in the place of flour. they still come out chewy and rich and just plain fabulous. give them a try!

 

i have not tried making them gluten free, as i don't have any gluten-free oats around, but generally throwing bananas at anything gluten free works well, so feel free to try!

roasted vegetable quinoa and teryaki chicken

i have been experimenting with quinoa a lot lately. it's really tasty, and goes very well in the place of rice. it's also super-easy to make, and it's good to mix up the grains in your diet a bit! wheat and rice are good, but variety is the spice of life!

 
*please note, only the veggie and quinoa portion of this is gluten free!!*

chocolate energy balls

many years ago, i worked at an organic sprout farm in toronto. most of the people who worked there, and most of the customers were raw foodists. while i am certainly not a raw foodist, and feel that the "science" behind it is sketchy at best, those raw foodists made a mean dessert. 

as someone who isn't big on straight up SUGAR, their desserts (made mostly of figs, dates, nuts, fruit, etc) were very appealing to me. i still peruse raw food blogs looking for dessert recipes. 

while i wouldn't exactly call them a dessert, these energy balls are SO TASTY. they are chocolatey and rich, but not crazy-sweet. matt really likes them, and calls them "healthy timbits". they are also not made with all-raw ingredients, but the inspiration came from raw desserts.

chocolate peanut ice cream

so, this ice cream maker situation is going very well! it's really easy to make such awesome cool treats. also, not that bad for you, when you're using almond milk!!

a note on xanthan gum. i tried making ice cream both with and without it, and i certainly recommend using it. it's a thickener, and i really find it makes a difference - the texture is much smoother and creamier with it. it can be found at most health food stores, and is key in gluten free baking as well!

this recipe makes about 4 half-cup servings.

peasant bread

so, first of all, this recipe was inspired by this recipe which is REALLY GOOD. seriously. make it! 

i made it, and i really liked it! but, i like a bread with a little more heft. some oats, some seeds, some more whole-wheatiness. i used that recipe as my starting point, and tweaked it. honestly i think this is some of the best bread i have ever made... it's not as decadent as a creamy white bread, but ever since i first made it, it's been my everyday bread recipe. i make a batch at a time, and freeze 2 of the 3 loaves (i'm not a huge bread eater). 

it freezes really well, and makes a kickass sandwich. you should really go make it now.