Tag Archives: food

A Look Inside My Fridge

How often do you go to the grocery store? I remember a time where it seemed like we were there every day, but now I consider it a good week if I only have to go twice. A typical mid-week grocery restock:

Spinach, arugula, romaine, broccoli slaw, cauliflower x 2, broccoli, sweet potatoes, red onions, asparagus, Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, pink grapefruit, strawberries, pineapple, ginger, frozen berries, plain yogurt, blue cheese, goat mozza, veggie broth.

I think we get enough plants in our diet? Since we go through produce in no time, I do most of my shopping at Superstore, Costco and Save On. My dollars definitely stretch further at Superstore and Costco, though.

Our fridge is basically a shrine to produce, olives, hot sauce and goat cheese!

Aside from produce…

Flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp protein, Vega, miso, bbq sauce, pickled beans, coconut milk, flax oil, wine, sparkling water, coffee beans. Plus a bunch of random condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayo, jam, etc.

Court’s favorite part is the freezer… where all the meat, ice cream and frozen fruit resides.

I stock up on meat when it’s on sale, but our freezer is usually stocked with a whole chicken, chicken thighs and drumsticks, ground turkey, ground bison, bison steaks, ground beef, wild salmon, mahi mahi, elk sausages and most recently… bacon! We stopped eating pork a long time ago, but recently found a local/ethical farm to support, so we’re giving it another go. Berries, mango, bananas, falafel, frozen peas and tortillas are hiding in there somewhere too.

I also store a bunch of the ice packs from past Chobani shipments – man are those things awesome for hiking trips.

I’ll leave you with this delicious yet unexpected mahi mahi dish. Normally, I’ll do citrus infused mahi mahi – for fish tacos or an almond meal crust.

The nice thing about mahi mahi is it’s versatility – it’s thick, meaty and not the slightest bit ‘fishy’ tasting. (FYI- fish isn’t supposed to smell or taste ‘fishy’ – if it does, it’s not fresh/don’t eat it!) If you’re on the fence about fish, give this a try.

Into a casserole dish went:

4 ‘individual’ portion mahi mahi fillets
a can of diced (drained) tomatoes
sliced jumbo olives
fresh spinach
chopped fresh basil
Italian seasoning
salt & pepper

Baked at 375F for about 20-25 minutes. I forgot to write down the measurements. Sorry. (Not really) But that’s ok – you can just eyeball the ingredients.

Serving suggestion:

Paired with a mixed green salad…

Or pasta.

Tell me…

What are some of your fridge staples? Do you start getting antsy if you’re getting low on certain things? For me, that would be eggs, avocados, cheese and almonds.

How often do you go to the grocery store to restock? Where do you do most of your shopping?

Turkish Delights & Jayme Stone

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Do you ever feel like your date-night routine has become too comfortable? Court and I haven’t done anything interesting in a while and we’ve been itching to plan a proper date night that doesn’t involve take out sushi and sweatpants. Opportunity came knockin’ this past weekend when we had the chance to see Juno award winner Jayme Stone perform at the historic Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod.

When we realized Jayme Stone is a banjoist we weren’t sure what to expect. To be honest, I was a little worried – I had visions of Old McDonald and Fred Penner. Tumbleweeds. Cowboy boots. Lots and lots of cowboy boots. To put it into perspective, the concerts I’ve previously attended are as follows: Elton John, Lady Gaga, De La Soul, Vans Warped Tour, Snoop Dogg, Nickelback, etc. (I know, I’m embarrassed about the Nickelback mishap. I’d take it back if I could!)

However, the more I read about Jayme Stone’s style and influence, I became intrigued…

From the Empress Theatre site:

“Two-time Juno Award Winning banjoist Jayme Stone brings his around-the-world inspired music to the Empress Theatre; take a musical trip around the world with Jayme’s latest album Room of Wonders and his amazing music inspired by Norway, Sweden, Bulgaria, Brazil, Italy and North America.”

From Jayme Stone’s site:

“Stone thrives on unexpected inspiration: Japanese poetry, Brazilian literature, instruments he found while traveling in remote Malian villages. He finds it with influences as diverse as Anouar Brahem, Bill Frisell, and Toumani Diabaté. His Juno Award-winning albums, most notably Africa to Appalachia, both defy and honor the banjo’s long role in the world’s music, turning historical connections into compelling music.”

My first thought was, ‘Wait. This isn’t going to be hay stacks and fiddles?’ followed by, “I LOVE world music! This is going to be so awesome.”

Before the show, Court and I had dinner at Mocha Cabana, one of our favorite local restaurants. They use seasonal, locally produced ingredients in many of their dishes and on weekends, a three course meal is prepared by Lethbridge Community College trained apprentice chefs.

We both ordered the Turkish inspired special.

To taste:

Lamb kebobs and Turkish salad: local tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and feta

To feast:

Beef kofta, bulgur, cacik (turkish yogurt sauce), asparagus and green beans

To indulge:

Lavender vanilla bean Turkish delight and mixed nut Baklava

I was too full to finish my dessert, so I took it to-go… along with a slice of Reeses cheesecake.

I have no words. When it comes to dessert, there’s no messing around! I’m never eating again.

Next stop: Fort Macleod!

The Empress theatre has been functioning as a performing arts centre since 1912 – how cool is that?

The show began with the familiar Bulgarian tune, Krasavaska Ruchenitsa. We were immediately captivated and mentally transported to Bulgaria. It was unreal. Comedian, Steve Martin summed it up perfectly when he said, ”I take back what I said about Jayme Stone”.

My favorite song during the show was probably Moresca Nuziale. It made me want to run barefoot through the Italian countryside. And drink red wine. I’m actually listening to his album Africa To Appalachia as I type this. If you like African music, check it out! It’s a good one. And, if tumbleweeds are your thing, there’s even some bluegrass elements mixed in there.

Who are some of your favourite artists?

What’s currently on your playlist?

Do you use Songza or Pandora? Long live 90s dance stations!

My Latest Addiction: Vanilla Almond Butter

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“Whenever you’re in the kitchen and it’s quiet, I know you’re eating nut butter.”

Does my husband know me well, or what? We have spent many nights together in the kitchen, quietly snacking on our respective butters. He’s a peanut butter guy. I’m an almond butter girl.

Are we in agreement that a spoon + almond butter is the best snack ever/all you really need in life?

It’s like the crack-cocaine synapses in my brain start firing when I even look at a jar of it. Almonds in their natural state? Meh. Almonds ground into butter? WHOA. Look out.

And, have you ever noticed how your voice changes when you make an almond butter statement? (No? Just me?) For example, I do this thing where I raise my spoon in the air and loudly proclaim, “I.LOVE.NUT.BUTTER.” Like I’m taking a stand against…not eating almond butter? Court does it too. We turn into savages. Sometimes he says really embarrassing statements such as, “I’m nutty for nut butter!” and then I know he’s gone too far. Backing away slowly…

Now, imagine taking almond butter to a whole new level of awesome by adding in vanilla bean, cinnamon and salt. Uh huh. Now we’re talkin.

If you haven’t made homemade nut butter before here’s what you need to know:

A food processor or high powered blender such as a Blendtec, Vitamix, etc is required. If your blender can’t even crush ice properly (or in a timely fashion) don’t attempt it.

Natural, unroasted almonds is what we’re working with. It’s best to avoid roasted almonds, as they’re heated at high temperatures with unhealthy oils that are extremely high in Omega 6s. Most of us already get too many Omega 6′s in our diets which create inflammation within the body. Instead, we’re going to add our own oil: organic flax or extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:
3 cups almonds
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp flax oil (or evoo, or a combination of both)
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
salt, to taste

Blend, blend, blend until it’s smooth, with multiple ‘taste testing’ along the way.

Another favorite almond butter snack:

Roasted sweet potato fries + a big scoop of the good stuff. They’re a match made in heaven!

Do you make your own nut or seed butters?

Also, todays question from ”Q&A A Day” journal asks ” ____ made you laugh today”
I haven’t laughed yet. (It’s 6am) Tell me your answer.

Snapshot Sunday

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Loved this feature in the current issue of O magazine with Michael Pollan. “Cooking connects you to plants, animals, nature- and to other people” He also says, “Cooking is how we transform nature into culture”.

Grocery haul

Veggie soup {carrots, celery, kale, broccoli slaw, onion}

Homemade body scrub: one of my IG friends gave me the recipe: 1 cup ground coffee + 1 cup sugar (I used coconut) + 3-4 tablespoons of sweet almond oil. Heaven!

Big bowl of comfort food: spicy chicken drumsticks, cauli mash and salad

Roasted sweet potato fries and homemade vanilla almond butter

Happy St Patricks Day!
How are you celebrating? (If at all)

Jalapeno & Coconut Bison Meatballs

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Uh, so this happened…

I left a pot of steaming veggies unattended to take a photo of my dinner. Four days later, our house still smells like carcinogens. Who knew a dry pot could be so volatile! I’m probably going to die soon. I also need a new pot and an iron lung. But hey! At least dinner was a good one…

Jalapeno Coconut Bison Meatballs
Yields 15 meatballs; Serve as a main dish with mixed greens and coconut lime dressing or an appetizer. (See bottom of the post for coconut lime dressing)

Preheat oven to 350F

Bake for 18-22 minutes.

Coconut Lime Dressing

1/4 cup canned coconut milk (full fat) – you want the milky stuff, not the thick, solidified cream.
zest from half a lime
salt & pepper, to taste

I love, love, LOVE bison. Have you tried it? If you like beef, you’ll go crazy for bison. I prefer its ‘gamey’ flavour. From a nutritional perspective, bison is far-superior to regular “grocery store” beef, as it’s not factory farmed or fed an unnatural diet. However, compared to grass-fed and finished beef, they’re fairly similar in micronutrients. Bison contains almost twice the amount of iron and a little extra vitamin B12. It’s also leaner, which doesn’t make it ‘healthier’ but sometimes it’s nice to have a little red meat that isn’t so heavy.

What kinds of ‘healthy’ food cravings do you experience?
Rare steaks, celery, bananas…

Two Wrongs Make A Right: Sundried Tomato & Feta Wafflewich {Grain Free}

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I don’t think I’m some kind of super foodie/wannabe chef or anything, but I like to think I have a natural gift for making healthy food taste good without a lot of effort required. Most of the time. Grain/sugar free peanut butter cookies that won’t turn you into a crackhead? Brilliant.

Peanut butter cookies blended into a smoothie? Don’t do it! In theory, it seemed like a good idea: I had visions of a peanut butter cookie shake.

No. I nearly choked to death from a million peanut butter particles becoming lodged in my trachea and lungs.

Another fail: homemade spicy yam rolls with collard greens… which literally turned into a hot mess.

And they tasted gross.

But then I redeemed myself with a sandwich. A wafflewich, actually.

(Save this recipe card to your desktop!)

I put spicy red pepper hummus, fresh basil and spinach in my sandwich but you can use whatever you have on hand- shredded chicken would be a good addition, or even some olive tapenade and a handful of greens. If you try it, let me know what you come up with. Also, if you happen to do a weekend food prep, make up a huge batch of waffles and store them in the freezer to use throughout the week.

Any recent kitchen mishaps lately?

Court tried to use vanilla yogurt in a creamy MUSHROOM dish once. That was about five years ago, and I remind him about it on a weekly basis. It was truly the worst thing he’s ever done in our relationship.

Favorite sandwich of all time?

It’s a toss up between a classic PB&J or a Montreal Smoked Meat. Or grilled cheese.

Snapshot Sunday

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A few scenes from the weekend:

-Our googly-eyed furry son, doing cat things

-Green smoothie (kale, spinach, frozen cherries, banana, almond milk)

- Fresh berries

- City deer

- My breakfast: scrambled eggs mixed with sauteed mushrooms, basil, kale, broccoli, & goat cheddar

- Banana nut bread tea lattes for two + afternoon sun

- Chicken taco salad

- While Court was building a snowman, he uncovered a bunch of cat poo… with his hands. Haha..

- Courts breakfast: eggs, pan fried potatoes, spinach, sundried tomato chicken sausage

My Go-To Brain Power Smoothie

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When I’m not eating coconut flour waffles and eggs for breakfast, I’m enjoying chia strawberry ‘cereal’ or smoothies. Brain power smoothies! Banish mental fog and rev up metabolism with this energizing, anti-oxidant rich smoothie: packed with phytonutrients and essential fatty acids, you will feel super charged for hours.

Key Nutrients: Vitamins A, C, E, K, folate, manganese, magnesium, selenium. When it comes to nutrition, I like to think about overall cell health: the more nutrients we can incorporate into our diets, the better our cells can function, repair and rebuild. In the long run, it equates to overall improved immunity and vitality. One of the best ways to load up on micronutrients is with a smoothie. Just be mindful of the amount and types of fruit used: aim for low-glycemic fruits such as berries and stone fruits to keep insulin levels steady. In addition, pairing nutrient-dense vegetables and fruit with a decent amount of healthy fat provides some real staying power to keep hunger at bay, and assists with nutrient absorption.

Blend, drink up and… go go gadget brain!

It kind of reminds me of an almond butter & jam sandwich.

Of possible reading interest:

4 of Canada’s Healthiest Restaurants
7 Yoga Poses to Improve Digestion
Natural Wonder Beaches (Have you been to any of these? What’s the coolest beach you’ve been to?)

{Savoury} Coconut Flour Waffle

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The original coconut flour waffle has some serious competition: a savoury, cheese and garlic version, topped with a runny yolk egg. This, my foodie friends, is breakfast perfection.

Before we take a look at the recipe, check out my recent thrift store purchases:

A cowboy boot mug! I suspect it’s origins are tied to a Texan ranch… or the Calgary Stampede. Court was not impressed when I placed it into our shopping basket. “Why do want that stupid thing?” he asked. And then he called it a “Santa Boot”. First of all, WHY WOULDN’T I WANT IT? I mean, come on. Think of all the good times to be had with this mug: coffee, tea, green smoothies, wine. Secondly, a santa boot?!

My fancy new/durable almond milk jug. I’ve already dropped it on our quartz countertop and it didn’t smash into 238490 pieces like most modern glassware does.

Oh, and most exciting: a food steamer. Even if this thing releases a ton of plastic vapours into my asparagus, that’s cool. It was $8.

Second hand shops are a great place for kitchen-accessory junkies like myself. Sadly, they didn’t have what I was truly in the market for: a Vitamix or Blendtec and a dehydrator (first world problems). But! I saw at least 10 waffle irons - so, if you need one, now you have an excuse to go shopping AND to make this savoury coconut flour waffle.

Savoury Coconut Flour Waffle
Serves 1

Ingredients/Directions
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 eggs + 1 egg for topping
4 tbsp cream (half & half, whipping cream)
2+ tbsp grated cheese
2 tbsp chopped kale (or spinach)
1 tbsp grated carrot
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp minced garlic
dash of salt & pepper
butter or coconut oil, for cooking

Mix the coconut flour, paprika, salt & pepper together. (If you have a matcha green tea brush, it works awesome for sifting dry ingredients.) Whisk the eggs and cream in, followed by the cheese, garlic, kale and carrot. Spoon batter into a pre-heated waffle iron.

The best part (aside from eating the waffle):

THE YOLK PRICK. Am I right?

And, as if breakfast couldn’t get any better, as I was eating, I was exchanging emails with Anna Vocino. Our conversation topic? Waffles. Of course.

What’s one of your favorite second hand purchases? The cowboy boot mug, obviously…

{Grain Free} Coconut Crusted Scallops

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A terrible assault occurred recently. On my tastebuds. I ate some really bad scallops at a restaurant. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “You live in ~~an igloo~~ Alberta, of course they were gross”; and I agree. But these were exceptionally bad. Small, chewy, wrapped in bacon and swimming in maple syrup. No. Just… no. See what I mean about Canadians and their obsession with maple syrup? IT’S IN EVERYTHING.

Normally, one would be turned off scallops for quite some time, but when I saw some fairly decent looking ones at the grocery store recently, I was sold. I needed to make amends with my tastebuds, and what better way?

{Click on the recipe card to enlarge, or save it to your desktop!}

What’s the grossest thing that’s happened to you in a restaurant?
I ordered chicken katsu at a Japanese restaurant once, and the chicken was still raw. Not pink… completely raw. But that’s not even the gross part: I was turned off from eating it and sent it back, and the restaurant still charged me for it, even when I asked why. Their answer: “Well you ordered it.” Ok?

What kinds of foods are native to your area? Bison, elk, trout and huckleberries, along with GMO canola, corn, soy and sugar. Haha… I don’t know if I should laugh or cry.

Living Mint Green

a holistic living blog

Tag Archives: food

A Look Inside My Fridge

Turkish Delights & Jayme Stone

My Latest Addiction: Vanilla Almond Butter

Snapshot Sunday

Jalapeno & Coconut Bison Meatballs

Two Wrongs Make A Right: Sundried Tomato & Feta Wafflewich {Grain Free}

Snapshot Sunday

My Go-To Brain Power Smoothie

{Savoury} Coconut Flour Waffle

{Grain Free} Coconut Crusted Scallops

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