Hearty Gluten Free Vegan Pancakes

Who doesn't enjoy waking up to the sweet smell of pancakes wafting from the kitchen on a cool fall morning? There's nothing quite like a warm breakfast to set you up for the day ahead. This isn't an every day breakfast for me, but it's definitely a welcome treat when I do make them. The best part is there's very little to clean up as it's all made in the blender!

First thing each morning I try to drink about a litre of water and have a bit of fruit to get things moving. These babies would be amazing following a crisp, juicy organic apple. I use sorghum flour, but an all purpose gluten free flour would work well too (or regular old whole wheat flour if that's what you're into). The trick with these being gluten free is to let the batter sit a bit to let things thicken up, or your might have a bit of trouble flipping the first few. Feel free to be creative and add sliced bananas or frozen blueberries when you throw them on the griddle. Also, the toppings are endless, from simple maple syrup to berries, nut butters, jam, you name it!

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp whole flax seeds
• 1 1/2 cup water (or non dairy milk of your choice)
• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup oats (make sure they're certified gluten free if you're sensitive to gluten)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp coconut
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions

Grind flax seeds in blender, and add water or milk. Blend on medium speed until well combined and let stand in blender.
Add remaining ingredients.
Blend on med/high for about 30 seconds.
Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes to allow it to thicken.
Heat griddle or frying pan to low-med heat and melt enough coconut oil to lightly cover surface.
Pour pancake mix from blender onto heated pan. Flip after a minute or two, or when bubbles form on the surface.
Makes about 10 medium sized pancakes.


Enjoy!

How to Improve Your Relationship with Food

Do you happen to find yourself in an unhealthy relationship with the food you're eating? It's not uncommon to use food as a way to mask things we may not want to focus on, or to fulfill us emotionally when certain areas of our lives are unbalanced. Read on for my suggestions to help get you back on track.

Eat Only When You’re Hungry

We’ve all done it – opened the door of the fridge and stood there, unsure what we want but sure that we want something. Often these ambiguous cravings are a cry for water. Instead of peering longingly into the fridge, drink a glass of water or go for a walk. Wait a few minutes after that and see if you still want to eat. If you do, then go for it! Just pay attention to what you’re eating and why. If it’s to satisfy something unrelated to hunger or to provide a distraction from something else, try to recognize what that might be and think of different activities besides eating that might be healthier for you. Think about things like your personal relationships, the fulfillment you're getting at work, and your stress levels. Many factors can contribute to emotional eating, and identifying what that might be is the first step in making the necessary changes.

Make Mealtime Special

How we eat is just as important as what we eat. Ever notice that when you eat while you’re rushed or stressed you tend to overeat and your digestion isn’t quite as good? It’s so common in our fast paced culture of drive ins and never ending to-do lists that we don’t give ourselves much time to nourish ourselves. Try this: for at least one meal this week, set aside at least half an hour with no distractions to enjoy the food you’re feeding yourself. When we eat we go into absorption mode. That means not only are we absorbing the nutrients in the food, but also our environment. If you turn off the tv, put your phone down, step away from your desk and enjoy your food with all your senses you might find you are much more satisfied and more nourished from your meal.

Keep a Food Journal

Writing down everything you eat in a day will not only keep you accountable for what you’re putting in your body, but is also a great tool to allow you to pinpoint any food sensitivities or triggers for health concerns like headaches or low energy. Try it out for one week! Write down what you ate, how you felt right away, and how you felt about an hour or two after. Often when we eat junk food we feel awesome right off the bat, but not long after we start to feel sluggish and unfocused. Don't worry about tracking calories or grams of fat, etc., but write out whatever it was, in whatever detail you're comfortable with. Instead of thinking of food journaling as a chore, start to recognize it as a way to connect with yourself and be more in tune with your body.

Good luck on your health journey, and as always please leave a comment and let me know how you're doing!

Three Bean Vegan Chilli

This recipe caught my eye when I recently saw it on MindBody Green (one of my go-to websites for recipes and holistic health and yoga), so I whipped up a batch and put my own spin on it based on what I had in the kitchen and this deliciousness was the result! It's perfect for a cool fall day - or whenever, really - and is easy to freeze and reheat if you don’t eat it all at once. It makes a fair amount - probably enough to serve 4-5 people. I made sure to set aside some smaller portions to throw in the freezer so I don’t have to thaw the entire batch just to enjoy a little bit.

Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

Chilli

• 1 large white onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced (about 1.5 cups)
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups cooked black beans (or 16 oz canned, drained & rinsed) *
• 2 cups cooked kidney beans (or 16 oz canned, drained & rinsed) *
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 16 oz canned, drained & rinsed) *
• 7 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small can tomato paste (6 oz or 156 ml, about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp cumin
• 1.5 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves (optional) **
• salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

• 1 avocado
• 1-2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

Heat large pot on med heat and add oil.

Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and sauté until fragrant and onions start to turn opaque.

Add remaining chilli ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and serve topped with avocado, fresh lime juice and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Notes

* See my post about cooking dried beans here

** If using bay leaves, it can be helpful to tie them in a piece of cheesecloth to easily remove prior to serving.

As always, thanks so much for reading! Let me know how this turns out for you :)

Lots of love and light

Xoxo

5 Steps to Success

Well, it’s that time again. Summer is (unofficially) over, lots of people are back at school and work, and it’s the season of new schedules and routines - although I'm still trying to wrap my head around how that happened so fast. With all the new things that you may find yourself fitting into your life, it’s common that you might be struggling to find time to take care of yourself. This time of year seems to be a slippery slope for many people, with holiday dinners and autumn treats right around the corner (there’s already tempting Halloween candy in grocery stores!). Before we know it the holidays will be here and we’ll be tempted to fall into old habits and possibly overdoing it on the comfort foods. Instead of slipping down the potentially slippery slope ahead, take action now to commit to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are my 5 favourite tips for success to give you the upper hand this season, whatever challenges you might face.

Have A Plan 

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else” -Yogi Berra 

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with so many different diet/exercise/lifestyle plans out there. Often they can be conflicting and downright confusing. The best way to know if something works for you is to trust your intuition and try it out yourself. Not every way of exercising or eating will work for you, and I’m a strong believer that one person’s food can be another person’s poison. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. The only way to know if something will work is to try it out, but I urge you to stick to one plan and follow it for at least a week or two to really get a feel for whether or not it works for you. Remember why it is you're doing what you're doing - write it down if you need to be reminded - and stay focused by surrounding yourself with motivation (supportive people, pictures, blogs, etc.). After some time if you don’t see any progress, or you're not enjoying it and you feel miserable and tired, try something new!

Set Realistic Goals 

When you decide to make a change for the better, it’s easy to want to jump all in and give up ten different things in your life to begin a strict diet or exercise regime. My advice would be to take it slow. Think baby steps. If you want to start eating gluten free, for example, don’t also cut out animal products, smoking, drinking, and sugar at the same time, or you’ll likely set yourself up for failure.

Give yourself something achievable to work towards, and make sure your goals are SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Based.

Track Your Progress

You’ll want to have a way to track your progress to know that you’re working towards your goal. If you’re trying to lose pounds or inches, snap a before picture, take measurements, or record your starting weight. One of my favourite ways to track my progress is to keep a journal. I write down what I did, ate and drank and how I felt throughout the day. This is a powerful way to clue into what is working and what might be standing in your way towards true wellness, because after all, it’s not about the number on a scale or tape measure, but how you feel on a day-to-day basis.

Don’t Lose Faith

If you fall off the wagon, get right back on! Who cares if you ate a whole pizza for dinner or you skipped a workout. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed and should give up on your plan! Observe how you feel about it, then forgive yourself and let it go. There’s no point beating yourself up for something in the past. Brush it off, stay positive, and keep on moving forward.

Celebrate!

Make sure to reward yourself for even the smallest accomplishments. Maybe you’re down an inch or a pound, or you held triangle pose for the whole posture today. Whatever it is, recognize every accomplishment and congratulate yourself! I wouldn’t suggest making food a reward for these everyday achievements, especially if your goal is to lose weight, but allow yourself to FEEL GOOD about it. Make yourself a delicious pot of tea, run a hot bath, or pick up a feel-good book and spend some time revelling in how great it feels to be you!

Good luck on whatever journey you're on!

Lots of love and light

Namaste