Life Love Mom

Tag: healthyeating

  • DIY Poke Bowls

    DIY Poke Bowls

    Recently, J announced she wanted to follow a pescatarian diet. This meant no meat or chicken, only fish and plant-based protein. This wasn’t a huge change for us, as I rarely cook red meat at home to begin with. But that said, I wanted to find different ways to incorporate fish into her diet. You may notice a theme in all the recipes I share – mix and match. I find these recipes do the best in our house since everyone’s tastes are different. Instead of trying (and failing) to make one dish that satisfies everyone, allowing people to choose their own toppings and mix-ins has been huge. This way I don’t feel like I am running a kitchen, and there is less complaining about the meal. Win-win in my humble opinion.

    If you are not familiar with poke bowls, you are missing out. Truly. These bowls, which originated from Hawaii, are typically prepared with a rice bottom, raw fish, vegetables, and an amazing sauce. I use cooked fish only, as J isn’t a fan of raw. But if I was to make this for Hubby and me, I would definitely add some sushi-grade tuna. I will share below what I put out, and some other suggestions for you to include. Feel free to omit or add anything that appeals to you or you have laying around your fridge.

    A note about the rice. I use Korean short-grain rice because that is what I have in my house. Years ago, my Korean mother-in-law taught me how to make rice with a rice cooker. It involves rinsing the grains to remove some of the starch, and using enough water to come up to your knuckle. Truly though, any type of rice would do. If you don’t have a fantastic mother-in-law proficient in rice making as I do, I would suggest following the instructions on the package you buy.

    An ingredient preview

    Recipe rundown:

    • Cooked rice (approx 1/4 cup per person)
    • Sauce
      • 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
      • 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
      • 1 tbsp sesame oil
      • 1 tbsp lime juice
      • 1 tbsp honey
      • dash of sesame seeds
    • Protein
      • I love using PC salmon burgers in this recipe. I oven bake them or fry in my cast iron skillet and then cut them up
      • Cooked shrimp
      • Immitation Crab
    • Toppings
      • Avocado
      • Edamame (I use the pre-shelled frozen ones!)
      • Shredded carrots
      • Cucumbers (I marinate mine in a bit of rice vinegar and salt)
      • Seaweed Salad
      • Dried seaweed
    • Spicy mayonaise (we use a store bought mayo but you can always mix some regular mayonaise with siracchia to taste)

    In case you are reading this and thinking “there is no way my kids would eat that”… let me tell you – J eats all of it with the exception of the spicy mayonnaise. N, on the other hand, only eats rice, dried seaweed and his weight in edamame. So please don’t feel bad if your bowls don’t look like these. Do what works for YOU! Have any other topping suggestions?? I’d love to hear them!

    This is life. Love, Mom.

  • Mix and Match Granola

    Mix and Match Granola

    I have always loved granola. There is something about it that is crunchy and satisfying no matter what is in it. For a long time, I was very intimidated to make my own. I think it was a combination of not wanting to ruin a food I loved, and not finding the right recipe. So many of the recipes I have found online are either “no-bake” (which doesn’t give the same crunchy texture), or full of processed sugars (which are great in some recipes, but not in my morning granola). Well low and behold, I happened across the BEST granola recipe. The first time I made it was for a staff breakfast. I doubled the recipe and was SO glad I did because it went FAST. My favourite part is that I can literally throw whatever I have in the pantry into the mix, and it always turns out great. The original recipe is from The Seasoned Mom (https://www.instagram.com/theseasonedmom) but I have made some little tweaks of my own.

    Pictured above: granola with unsalted sunflower seeds, cashews and almond butter

    Ingredients

    • 4 cup old-fashioned oats (make sure they are not quick-cook)
    • ¾ cup wheat germ
    • 1 t. salt
    • ¼ cup coconut sugar
    • ½ c. maple syrup
    • 2 tbsp natural peanut or almond butter
    • ½ cup coconut oil
    • ½ tsp cinnamon
    • ½ tsp vanilla extract
    • ½ cup dried cranberries
    • ¼ – ⅓  cup mix-ins (see below for ideas)
    • ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
    2. Line a pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. I like to use a coconut oil spray.
    3. In a large bowl, stir together oats, wheat germ, cranberries, coconut and mix-ins. TIP: Pick a bowl you think will fit the ingredients, then use the next size larger. Trust me, when you are stirring everything together you’ll thank me.
    4. In a small saucepan, mix together salt, sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, nut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Heat until it is all melted and smooth.
    5. Pour the “sauce” over the dry ingredients and stir well. Make sure all the dry is coated with the wet ingredients. Then, spread onto the pan to bake. TIP FROM THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR: Use a wooden spoon to gently press together clumps of the oats to get those great crunchy clusters at the end!
    6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, then pressing down with the spoon again before returning to the oven
    7. Remove from the oven, and press down with the wooden spoon again to form those clusters, and allow to cool completely before storing granola in an air-tight container. I typically store it in the fridge to keep it fresh, but it can also stay on the counter for about 2 weeks (although ours always gets eaten before that).

    Things To Note:

    • If you’re like me, you have never purchased wheat germ before. It is very easy to find, usually in the breakfast aisle of the grocery store. It is also a necessary ingredient for adding texture and fibre to the granola. Make sure to store your opened wheat germ in the fridge!
    • You can use brown sugar and/or honey instead of the coconut sugar and maple syrup based on your taste preference. I would not recommend white sugar here
    • Feel free to sub out the nut butter with a seed butter or even Wow Butter (I have done both for a school-safe alternative)
    • This can easily be made nut-free for school by adding more oats, fruit, or seeds as the mix-ins (the original recipe was meant to be nut-free)
    • Let me tell you, the mix-ins are where it’s at! I have used everything under the sun! Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, cashews, slivered almonds, chia, or this PC Super Seed Mix (https://www.presidentschoice.ca/product/pc-ancient-grains-and-er-seeds-blend/21024184_EA) Truth be told, it’s usually whatever nuts I have in my pantry that I want to get rid of.
    • You can sub out the cranberries for raisins or another dried fruit. I’m sure dried papaya or mango would be great! Or you can just omit it completely
    • Keep in mind, the more mix-ins you add, the “drier” the granola will be as there won’t be enough sauce to glue it together. Sometimes, I get overzealous and add too many extra things. The granola will still taste great, but you won’t get those crunchy clusters.

    I can’t wait to see your granola creations! Tag me on Instagram, or comment with your favourite combo. Let’s mix and match, together!

    This is (a delicious) life. Love, Mom.