Spent most of yesterday in the kitchen, brewing up some healthy chocolate treats for Valentine's Day! ...and today...and maybe tomorrow. Annnnd then...they'll be gone.
The truffles are honestly so easy and SO good for you. Dates! Full of iron and all the sugars are natural. Plus the coconut oil is such a great oil, that really...you can't not make these!

As for the entree, I wanted something really tasty and super nutritious, often getting too ambitious trying new recipes, and not at the right times. Like when I tried cooking mussels on new years and to avoid poisoning the crowd, sadly had to chuck all those tight lipped Lucy's into the garbage. Or my first ever gluten free lasagna for a big birthday soiree. Which actually turned out great except for the fact that anything gluten is always a challenge. Soooo the noodles completely fell apart. More like a lasagna casserole.
So what's that little phyllo pocket of awesome? Beef Wellington! Stuffed with even more awesome. Picked up some hormone/antibiotic free, local and free range filet-Mignon. Yes, ambitious recipe, yet I've made it before (just not with the phyllo paper) so I felt confident making it again. Originally was going to make a garlic mash, and I wanted vibrant colours with nutrition so I went with roasted butternut squash (mashed) and green beans. SO GOOD. Probably hands down the best feast I've ever made!!!!

Try the chocolate recipes below. Let me know what you think.

date and cocoa truffles //
14 good quality dates
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp coconut oil (I used 2, probably could have used 1)
1 tbsp spiced rum (or vanilla) optional 
unsweetened cocoa to roll the truffles in

Throw everything in food processor.
Roll into small little balls. 
And done!
Try rolling in cocoa powder, icing sugar or chopped nuts. I put these in the fridge, and I'm sure you can leave them out in an air tight container. Annnnd you may want to double the recipe.

chocolate cupcakes // 
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup unsweetened good quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
2 free range organic eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/4 cup coconut oil
14/ cup choice of soy, almond, or coconut milk
2 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 350
Combine almond meal, cocoa powder and baking powder.
Add the eggs, oil, milk and honey to form a smooth batter.
Spoon into cupcake tins. And I barely half filled 12 so you can either double recipe or maybe just fill 8 tins!
Serve alone or in my honest opinion, warm with ice cream!
Inspired by the healthy chef. 

enjoy!
xo 
jodi renée

Labels: chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, eating, food, healthy, recipes

...recipe adapted from Cooke + kate.

The trees are changing leaves already, the air so much fresher.
I miss summer...and I do love the fall.
(It's winter that I have a love/hate with...)

One of my all time fav's of fall?
Pumpkin.
Everything and anything.
This weekend I was on a mission to find a really good pumpkin recipe.
And I found it.
Admittedly I had to venture away from gluten free. Lately I've been craving the light and fluffy breads that can't seem to be replicated (or I've not yet mastered) with gluten free baking. Everything I make seems to turn out gummy and/or brick like.
I don't have a gluten allergy (I think), I just notice the difference (big time) on my digestion when I lean towards avoiding it as much as possible. And after following the recipe 'as is'...I feel good to give gluten free a whirl the next time.
Or maybe I should leave a GREAT thing alone?
It really is THEE best pumpkin bread (or any bread for that matter) that I've ever baked.

So go! if you love pumpkin...bake this bread!!!


Healthy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
1/3 cup of melted coconut oil
1/2 cup of honey
2 eggs (grain fed, free range please!)
1 cup of pumpkin purée
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together the coconut oil and honey.
Add eggs, and mix well.
Stir in pumpkin purée and vanilla, then add flour, salt and pumpkin spice.
Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix then add to batter (I boiled the water.)
Spread the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Bake for 55 minutes...checking to make sure a toothpick comes out clean when inserted!
Cool on wire rack...annnnnnd serve.
Butter optional :)

Enjoy! 
Eat and tell me all about it! ...
xo
jodi renée

Labels: fall, food, health, pumpkin, recipes

round 2. which was a lot like round one. Pizza dough failure and it was still delicious. Hello lasagna?

round 3. virgin pizza dough makers. and things were a wee bit dry, the crust resembling bear claws...still awesome in taste especially if you're uh...er...this meaty cheese lover

this won't last long...

round 3. little lighter on the cheese (only goat cheese pour moi), no meat and lots O veg.

A lot of pizza goes down in this household.
It's one of life's simple pleasures (maybe not so simple on the waistline or wallet!) Yes. That's how much we eat it.
So...we've decided to get a little frugal with the pizza delivery and a lil adventurous with the in home pizzeria.
I think these pics are rounds 2 and 3...over the course of the past month. Maybe 2...?
No. Lies! Just one.
I originally started buying gluten free pizza dough and we topped it ourselves with pizza sauce, prosciutto, arugula and goat cheese. Total crust failure. Super noodle like...hello lasagna. Still the flavours were amazing! ...2nd attempt at the same pizza a little more oil on the pan annnnd...same results. Eff it!
We'll just make the pizza dough ourselves and the only flour I had was a grain flour.
(Keep in mind we have no rolling pin, totally McGyver'd something up.)
And honestly...things were looking up! ...although the gluten for me in large amounts gets a little hard on my stomach. SO...4th attempt this weekend. Enter rolling pin, tinkered recipes and alas, we'll use the food processor.
AMAZING!
For the cheesy meat lovers pizza: meat and cheese is the real deal bought from a deli, half regular flour with half of the whole grain flour. We put the oil IN the dough...rolled it out and voila!
For my somewhat less gluten pizza: spelt flour with half mix of wheat free flour, same with the oil...right IN the dough. Especially for anything with no gluten, things get really sticky!

This was honestly easier than I thought...
And really fun for something to make at home!
Here's the recipe for the dough we've been experimenting with at Cooks.com

Let me know if you try it, or if YOU have a favourite recipe that's easy that you like?
Would love to hear from you. 
Or maybe you just like drooling at the photos...that's cool too. Carry on...
Here's to pizza obsessed!
xo
jodi renée

Labels: food, pizza, recipe

I've been looking for new dinner recipes and to be honest, I was too tired to get into anything fancy. So I took some old dishes and spiced them up a bit. Chicken tenders flaked in coconut with yam fries and a chipotle seasoning. Sometimes the 'side' can be the star...Enter peach.
Salsa!
Not to mention there's enough leftover for blue corn chips and avocado the next day.
Pretty simple.
Totally tasty.

peach salsa
3 peaches...or nectarines chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers chopped leaving as many seeds for heat as you like it hot!
juice of one lemon
handful of chopped mint
1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
salt and black pepper to taste

Place the chopped peaches or nectarines, onions and jalapeno's in food processor and pulse only a few times! Nice to keep the fruit a little more diced...I actually processed too long. Still tasted the same! ...and actually better the next day.
Squeeze in juice of lemon, adding rest of the ingredients. DO NOT liquify!

Tastes awesome with chicken or fish...as a side to anything!
peachy huh.

Let know what you think! ...
jodi renée

Labels: avocado, blue corn, food, healthy, recipes, salsa

Hola! it's a hot one!
Thought I'd share last nights gourmet feast! A light salad dinner makes loads of room for dessert of carrot cake! I'm not a dairy gal however after 2 naked pieces I had to indulge.
And came to the conclusion.
The ICING MAKES THE CAKE.
Pretty unconvinced that the recipe will turn out as the batter is SO moist with all the sugar substitutes!
And in carrot cake  - we trust! So happy it turned out...AND delicious! Give it a try!

Ingredients
2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour (can probably substitute in a gluten free mixed flour)
2tsp. baking soda
2tsp. baking powder
2tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. seasalt
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup of soy milk
1 1/2 cups applesauce - I used unsweetened
1 cup of maple syrup
1/2 cup crushed walnuts

**icing was made with half a container of light cream cheese, 1/2 tsp. of vanilla and 1/4 cup of organic, unsalted butter.

It's that good I convinced myself I could have it for breakfast...
Thanks Nature Moms Blog for the recipe!

oh...and if the salad looks tasty too, that's because it is! I tend to get boring with salads and decided to jazz things up.
Grab a salad mix with herbs and preferably arugula (nice contrast to the other ingredients thrown in)...add some mushroom, sliced cucumber and fresh basil. Slice up a pear, shave in some goat cheese and toss the walnuts on! For the dressing I just wing it with apple cider vinegar, olive oil and organic honey. BEST dressing with this salad!!!

Labels: carrotcake, food, healthy, healthy eating, recipe, salad

Here to debunk the myth that food and/or healthy eating is complicated.
It's not.
We are.
We like to make things complicated.
Mother nature gives us everything we need. For some reason, that's not enough AND...OR...we're too lazy to pull things together.
Seriously though? that's just a big fat excuse.
Slicing an avocado in half with a sprinkling of sea salt - mere seconds! And you're treating your body to some of the world's healthiest essential fatty acids.
Great on toast...great in salads! (below)
Tomato, cucumber, fresh basil with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and...avocado! You can add any other vegetables if you like and honestly, it doesn't get any fresher than this for a SIMPLE, healthy summer salad.
Maybe all of our taste buds need to reel it back a notch.
Too much extra STUFF, takes away from the already amazing flavours of food. All you need is simple extras to bring out what's already there - fresh herbs, sea salt, spices, lemon...lime...olive oil. That sorta thing.
Not hard at all...is it!
And a tip when eating avocado's:

1. It's still a fat! And contains a fair amount of protein. So this baby is best eaten with other veg and NOT mixed with other proteins (meat proteins especially). We want to be sure you're reaping the fab fat awesomeness and you're actually absorbing what you're eating (NOT stressin on digestin!)

In the spirit of the upcoming Cinco de Mayo I was going to post an easy and awesome Guacamole recipe. While NOT authentic Mexican...preeeety damn close! Stay tuned!
de nada! xo
jodi renée

Labels: avocado, food, health, healthy eating, recipe, salad

spring cleaning...day 13
98.5% sugar free.
Sipping on my no-coffee-allowed with no-cream allowed.
What's the point if you can't fall off the wagon once in awhile?? Or at least hang one leg off the wagon for a little part of the trek! exactly.
I snuck in some brownie samples too while buying my bushels of kale at the health food store.
Not just one or two brownie pieces. Like 5 maybe. Just to make a whole somewhat brownie.
(you know you do that too)
The thing is...
The slip ups don't really matter.
The commitment will supersede giving you flexibility to still enjoy life.
Did you notice I said BUSHELS of kale.
That's commitment, and as daunting as that uber green salad above looks. Dig IN, kale is so jacked with nutrients it kinda reigns as king for the Green World.
I made some changes to the recipe (not adding the sprouts, using lime because I had no lemon) and you can find the recipe HERE or in Kimberly Snyder's book The Beauty Detox Solution.

I remember doing yoga year's ago, when an instructor said the following that stuck with me...
"If if it doesn't feel good, then why are you doing it?"
Someone else reminded me of that the other day...
The point being? Not everything is going to work the same for everyone. And life's too short to be committing to so much without leaving little pockets for life's awesomeness to come and fill.
You still want to ENJOY what you're doing. Even if it's a cleanse.
When things don't feel good, change!
Implement what works for you. Listen to your body and let go of the rest.
There is an awful LOT of mixed and contradicting information out there - especially when it comes to health. Do what works for you...
The biggest part of success is:
being happy along the way!
xo
jodi renée

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Labels: cleanse, food, inspiration, personal

Just when you thought steel cut oats were great! (they're still a touch processed) along comes groats! Meet hulled buckwheat groats. About as close to nature as this grain gets! Half a cup in a bowl of water is pretty mandate for any grain. Sometimes 12-24 hours is recommended. Nuts and grains come protected with inhibitors that UNLESS you soak them and revive them, we'll...let's just say, it's preeeety hard on your digestive system. What you're not digesting, you're NOT absorbing. So if we want all the nifty nutrients from this feed...SOAK!

Probably in the last 6-8 months these 3 books were recommended to me. Awesome and easy reads. Necessary I believe too, especially for you women! We are so hard on our bodies and when it comes to taking care of ourselves...most often...we don't. Put YOU and your body first. Sure, get your sweet ass to the gym BUTT...inner beauty is an 'inside/outside' thing...and not the other way around. Often what ails us on the outside is actually coming from within. There is no beauty remedy or weight routine that is going to have you radiating like TRUE INNER HEALTH. Trust me...kinda why I took the hint with all these books and jumped on the cleanse wagon. ...I just wish the wagon could drive by a Crackbucks!

Notice how I blurred the massive congestion on my desk! Time for an environmental cleanse of the office. Funny how everything needs a little cleaning up?? Not so ironic. Our outer world reflects our inner world. Sometimes all we need is more...space. I really need loads more space. Maybe even a galaxy's worth...

To market to market...again. Cuz I just love it there. I just don't love the produce from Mexico. Nothing against Mexico or Mexican fruits...I'm just a fan of the LOCAL produce at the LOCAL market. And speaking of Mexico! ...ahhh vacay...or how about a workation!?! ariba! (insert sombrero, guac and laptop poolside HERE.) or here...or here.

My new (old) best friends. New cuz...well there's a lot of them in the fridge now, every day...what seems like ALL THE TIME. They've always been a staple in my food frenzy though. Eating as close to nature as possible.

Prep makes everything easier, I swear! So these vivacious vegetables are all washed and ready (almost) to go! Just chop chop!

Probably the best organic turkey chili I have ever made...or eaten. And I'm totally biased. And I'm still telling you the truth. Now for ethical reasons, I try not to consume a lot of 'animal'...and on this diet, well...consuming enough calories is pretty tough. There is also some debate on 'Eating Animals' - I try to educate myself as much as possible. I bought this at a local farm from the market, hormone + antibiotic free. Really just brown some onions and garlic in olive oil...toss in all the market veg, add turkey, then add spices (cumin, cayenne, paprika, chili, oregano and salt and pepper)...organic tomato paste and stewed tomatoes. Fresh coriander and if you feel up to it, kidney beans.

yep...all of this into the ol juicer. Kale, cucumber, celery and ginger. ALL GREEN. I'm not allowed any sugar and this even means no fruit. Feel sorry for me please do...it actually didn't get bad until yesterday when I almost made a scene at the grocery store. I'm sure at some point I was salivating, looking like a crazy person. Willpower entered gracefully as I reached for baby carrots and pumpkin seed nut butter to: dip. them. in. (insert stone face because that's about as exciting as...carrots dipped in pumpkin seed nut butter.)...

Seriously what's the deal with green juice? alright...we wake up after a long night of fasting. And the only time your body gets to 'clean up' is when it's not doing any work - aka digesting. So often in the morning we slam our systems with yep, foods that slow down the system! Coffee included (whilst stimulating to start)...think of the cereals and big breakfasts society sacks down and wonders why they need a pick-me-up by noon! Not to mention this is all ACID forming foods (along with dairy, processed foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol...) To ensure radiant beauty and longevity we might wanna try incorporating ALKALINE forming foods first (and as much as possible) into our morning routines. Nature, ironically enough, makes everything preeeety damn perfect. Giving us EVERYTHING we need. So I mix things up sometimes having the barn feed (groats) first or sometimes doing the green thang... green is better jus sayin. I hear it all the time. Which adds to my own frustration. I'm the healthiest person you know! that I know... I make a real conscious effort of taking care of my health, my body and myself because...well. What else is there? Health is the only real ticket. And yet...I've suffered from pesky 'ailments' for YEARS, and years and years. Chronic. So my passion stems from (at one point 'fixing' myself) to now just bringing myself into 'wholeness'... Nourishment, I've realized over the last year especially, comes from what you're truly doing to feed YOU. On every level. And if it's toxic... Even if it's fun for a while. A quick fix, or relationship. A burger or a bad work environment. It all adds up. We clean our homes, our cars...everything requires a really good cleaning every so often. So why would the body be any different. IN FACT. We actually clean that stuff MORE than our bodies, which is well...kinda gross. With all the stuff we consume, we'd hope that MOST of it comes out...and does. Yet your intestinal walls are tissues. I hate to break it to ya...but not EVERYTHING comes out. And often the worst stuff...stays in. So think of a garbage can, never taking the lid off and just a compiling a lot of shit...literally. Grossed out? Good! I could get nittier and grittier here but I'll leave it for now. ...alot more I wanted to write and well, I battle with falling asleep at the keyboard here. I think I've had one good day out of 6 and today wouldn't be it. Impatience is trying to get the best of me (as usual) AND I will not seek to rush this process. I'm committed, honouring where I'm at and what my body is going through. If I can shed a bit of info or inspiration along the way then... That's kinda why I'm here :) It's so irritating how much I want coffee. I even sniffed the bag of fresh grounds for waaaay too long. ...if I can do this, so can you! going to try to squeeze in some late night yoga...goodnight love, jodi renée Following me on Facebook?? why the heck not!?

Labels: cleanse, detox, food, personal

I've been on a cleanse for about a month now.
The free dictionary's definition of "cleanse" is: to free from dirt, defilement, or guilt; purge or clean...hmmmm
Something doesn't feel right.
If you follow my posts on here and facebook you probably look like an animated figure with a big question mark over your head (if it's a lightbulb we need to talk!)
Because I eat ridiculously, fanatically...uber, obsessively healthy. Those all sound hard core and while eating seaweed paper in the car instead of fries is probably hard core (and well my nick name is hard core) it's actually not as hard core as it sounds. Ok, you're right it is.
I go out of my way to put the best, most nutrient dense foods into my body.
Because it's my temple.
It's yours too...well, yours is yours, not mine is yours...well it can be yours cuz we're all connected and part of the whole collective...
So wouldn't we want to be hard core about the temple?
Temple.
Sounds sacred and ancient, full of possibility...with stories to tell.
Ahem.
Sound familiar or feel good...resonate at all?
Your body is your freaking temple! Just like you wouldn't put regular fuel in your Ferrari 12 cylinder FF...why on earth are you putting less than premium into your temple 80% of the time? *note that anything hyper-linked in bold makes a great stocking stuffer!

So I've been off lately (thus the cleanse)...Stress and/or imbalance, at first, like faint, soft music playing in the background...until you're at a bloody rock concert standing right beside the speaker.
Not a subtle tapping anymore to grab intention, it's more like:
SISTA! What the fuck is up!? ...LISTEN!
Seriously. You know what' I'm talking about.
Then we get mad and frustrated at our temple.
Say wha?
The mailman brings you bills and bad news...he's just the messenger.
He's not at fault for your bad debt! Just like your body's not at fault for falling apart.
Bad debt or bad knees...The messages are for you...from you.
Embrace that this is a wonderful gift to explore.
There is room for growth and opportunity when we can SEE the message as a gift and not something that hinders and limits us. For limitations are only of the mind.

Insert every food and diet book known to man. I've honestly probably read them.
Insert every type of holistic and alternative practitioner...for...years.
Insert a merry-go-round of constantly cleansing or eating 'this way or that'...because of 'this or that'...
And how does all this FEEL?
Fucking crazy...yep. Not to mention that the concoction I just made for breakfast was pretty harsh.
So...harsh.
Knowing that when I eat too many fatty foods (even the good fats) my body puffs out like I'm 8 months pregnant -- maybe a blowfish even.
Eat this...
Don't eat that...
Stay away from...
Can't have this.
My God give me fudge pancakes sprinkled with brownies on top, smothered in ice cream (that would be buckwheat batter with coconut milk ice cream...ha! still counts as a gluttonous binge!)

In the 80/20 rule that is how we operate in most of our life...with everything.
Most being in the 80% that is not in our favour...for anything.
I operate like 90/10...FOR my temple.

Soooo...my point?
We must experience everything for ourselves.
All of my reading and absorbing of information is out of a pure love and enthusiasm for what the body is capable of. So having different opinions and theories allows us to come to our own conclusion.
Be mindful however, of...Dogma.
When we believe this or that to be true because a collective says it's true...
...we can often go against what FEELS right for ourselves.
Easier said than done.
I'm so aware of my body, what it reacts or responds too.
Ironically when it does start reacting...I start looking...outside of myself.
Last night I had a chat with someone who questioned WHY I was cleansing. I provided a myriad of answers.
Until this morning...(when I woke up at 3am starving!)
I began to question.
What if...it's not about the food or the cleanse.
What if it's...my relationship...my thinking around both?
Cuz that's really all that it can be.
I am hard core in my love for my body as a temple in this life.
If the cleanse represented a relationship (say in the form of a person)...what would that look like based on what I'm doing? ...depriving, not trusting, controlled and goal oriented, looking to 'get' a certain outcome.
Wow...where's the love!?
There can't be.

(...for some who have extreme conditions chances are your lifestyle is seriously contributing TO your ailments - that's just a whole other jambalaya of self loathe...and we need to talk...)
Me on the other hand...it just doesn't make sense because I live and walk the love that I have for this temple.
Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world...
It's my thinking that's in need of a cleanse.
Dirty dirty mind.
Purge - yes please!

We don't know 100% truth in ANYTHING.
Thus we need to question EVERYTHING.
When it comes to our own bodies and lives...
Our best compass is "feeling".
This is true. This is valid.
Not everything works for everyone because we are all so completely different.
Sure, we can pull out what works for some, test different theories and make our own life an experiment. That's probably the best thing we CAN do.

I believe the most important thing in a healthy life...
Is a healthy mind.
And a heart that is always full, ever expanding.
To love myself and my temple...
I FEEL...
The answers lie in my ability to trust what FEELS good for me.
And perhaps apply a filter to purify this dirty dirty mind O mine.

We are SO toxic in the way we treat ourselves. Often the most toxicity coming from the thousands of thoughts that we have to process that are worse than hormone laden meat and refined sugars.
Often eating that piece of ginger cake drowning in buttercream isn't quite as bad as your stress around eating it...then knowing you have to work out for another 2 hours tomorrow because of it, and how will you ever fit into the holiday mini dress you just bought...and I feel like my ass is growing while I eat this? guilt, stress...toxic!
Enjoy...indulge! nourish yourself with the pleasures of life.
If you take care of your temple almost all of the time...
Life expects you to indulge.
That's part of the enJOYment of it.

To the mat for some stillness and maybe to Dyson the old mind (no hyper link! I don't want a vacuum for Christmas!) ...this is my vacuum alternative though...jus sayin!

And I love all my woo-woo, my alternative practitioners...health super hero guru's...
They are part of the journey and I'm not dismissing them EVER.
Just want you to open up a space that cultivates the knowing you have always had...
and often we do need help along the way. Every bit coming when you need it.
loving you from here...
Jodi xo

you know there's a recipe coming for Ginger cake now...

okay...are you curious about this cleanse?
the idea is not to feed the 'bad bacteria' in the body. We have both GOOD and BAD. We need'm.
We just want the army of GOOD to dominate. Bacteria thrive off the stuff we loooooove...
yeast, sugar and starchy goodness to be exact.

So here's kinda what my food intake looks like:

Can you tell I'm German? hello Sauerkraut!
The stuff that's fermented naturally is actually a really good source of GOOD bacteria!
 Awesomeness is the benefits of kale...and hale to the avocado. Sustaining me through this...
Here's where things go a tad askew.
More for ethical reasons I don't consume a lot of meat. Not to mention it's very acidic for the body. I partook in the carnivorous venture after my...uh...colonics (you can google that one) ...and this is where something didn't FEEL right. Again, I don't eat a lot of meat for various reasons. When I was given the go ahead TO eat quite a bit of it I thought...ugh...and then...yay!
I did sorta do a bacon dance at the market that Saturday. I mean...who doesn't like bacon! ...and it does look delicious. It was delicious...
it just kinda goes against so much of what I believe and what I've read...
(insert overwhelm and confusion...)
Steel cut oats.
Warming soul food on these almost winter days..avec raw, shredded coconut!
And I'm completely baffled IF this is allowed on the cleanse or if I can eat it...
It's really good for you. I do question grains...
Everyone has their own opinion.
Again! So many questions! it's fibre, I'm not consuming sacks of the stuff and it's...healthy...
I like it.
Can that be enough?? Because do you have any clue how much green I'm taking in??

See the conundrum? Toxic thinking from over-thinking, over-stressing! questioning...feeling guilty...
I'm off to bake a cake...
Or make some kale chips :)
...or meditate.
Again.

Labels: food, inspiration, personal, recipe

kinda Quinoa Tabbouleh salad...{keen-WA!}
fresh and simple.
not just simple - EASY! I think we've been over this little SUPA seed before.
We're talking PRE-Incan. That's pretty old.
So this seed has some H-I-S-T-O-R-Y! (not like the processed and packaged foods of today).
Which is a different aging process all together. Strip you down, then load you up with all the nasties so you can SIT ON THE SHELF FOREVER! mmmm...
OR, pre-historic, jacked with nutrients. Not JUST nutrients - essential nutrients. High fibre, high "complete" protein...
And just really nutty and tasty :)

The scrumptious salad above is quinoa bought in a box (if you buy it in bulk I recommend soaking it for up to ...uh...8 hours. Improves digestibility and your family will thank me) ...
so the boxed kind is usually pre-soaked and just give it a good rinse.
Cook up as per directions.
Then add:
*sliced roma tomatoes (if you cut out the juicy centre of the romas then the salad is less runny
*sliced and diced cucumbers
*a few sliced green onions
*handful of chopped fresh coriander (you can definitely use parsley or mint works wonders here!)
*tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
*sea salt
*lime or lemon to taste
Stir it all up, throw it in the fridge and serve with whatever you're having for dinner!

Seriously...there's no reason you need to be serving up plain ol' potatoes or pasta when we've got some SERIOUS grains out there. Explore a bit. You'll be surprised!
go get your grains on! xo
jodi renée

Labels: food, grains, health, nutrition, quinoa, recipe

This became more of a chunky veggie salad (as I didn't have the vegetable peeler to make the zucchini into thin noodles)! Doesn't mean it's NOT pad thai - just my own variation!
Start here:
*2 zucchini's (I used one green and one yellow here) - peel into thin noodles - OR just slice them as thin as you can like I did above
*handful or two of bean sprouts
*thinly sliced yellow pepper
*1/4 of a red cabbage - thinly sliced
*2-4 green onions - chopped
*handful of chopped cilantro (or to taste!)
*1 lime
*1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
*cashews, almonds are any kind of nut really! I substituted and used one heaping tablespoon of almond butter
*sea salt
Chop and slice, throw everything into one bowl...squeeze the whole lime with the olive oil and mix it all up...
The almond butter isn't as challenging as you'd think to mix in, just make sure to toss it around, stir it up a few times to coat it evenly...
Super simple. Great for lunch, dinner or snack...jam packed with water, nutrients, and fibre.
Let me know how it goes!
xo
jodi renée

Labels: blackberry, food, health, raw food, recipe

So grateful for an amazing weekend!
Starts with a sneak-peek of Tanya + Michael's celebration of LOVE! ...
(These sessions aren't for the faint of heart either...a lot of laughter, and often a few tears. I got to see how Michael moves through the eyes of Tanya! And there was even talk of ingrown hairs...?) Yes. It gets downright dirty on set.
And not 'set' as much as SETTING...
I was in heaven with the light! And these wonderful, inspiring people that opened their hearts...
To market to market...ode to my Blackberry camera for these snaps.
I'm happy I have a market buddy now that gets as stoked as I do! Up early ...it's uh...fresh and local annnnnd CHEAP food people!!!! I'm full of gratitude for the farmers and the work that they do to fill our homes and belly's with such GOOD food. How does your family express their gratitude for the food you eat? It's a great tradition that I feel is forgotten...'grace'. And yet so powerful. Children need to know what they're eating and where it comes from...most importantly how hard some families are working for 'us'...
mmmm summer fresh and local peaches.
And I stocked up on tomatoes instead.
Next time I'll have to pick up the fuzzy navel's to brew up something peachy...

I love simplicity in the flavours of food and nothing is better than home-made tomato sauce.
It's as easy as...
*as many plum (aka Romas!) tomatoes as you like, you need and will fit in your pan
*garlic to your taste
*olive oil
*basil -- and I forgot fresh basil so I improvised here for more garnish and aesthetics than taste because...The basil makes the sauce!
Olive oil + garlic will dance in the fiery pan...when the lic's are lovely brown, throw in the chopped up Roma's. You'll get a feel for when they are done by watching them wither (the good and yummy wither!) ...toss in freshly chopped basil
And then throw in your cooked your noodles.
(I used brown rice spaghetti noodles to keep it light and gluten free)
happy Monday! Buon Appetito!
Sea salt...
always a little sea salt...
love xo
jodi renée

Labels: blackberry, food, Kitchener, life, lifestyle, love, Market, recipe

I stubbed my 'other' toe just to make them matchy.
Which means that one IS stubbed. Yes.
Sexy blood blister and this time I went for ripping of the skin.
I wait for things to happen about 3 times before I 'get it'...
so long Havanas. It's been swell.
And then I always wondered, while washing my blender...HOW, I didn't ever cut myself.
Thoughts become things (it's a mere puncture wound)
Send medics only if they're tan and buff please.
And a new paring knife that works well as a nail file - ouch.
Vive la aloe plant that I'm slathering.
All
over
my
body.

AND that folks, is a well rounded almost dangerous weekend.
Do you think the Uni is trying to tell me something...anything??
How about "pay attention"! slow down.
Gentle...

Not so gentle massage trying to create some space in my hips.
They're beyond tight.

the body has all the wisdom we need.
So I step onto my mat.
Ground the four corners of my feet, where are my shins?...lengthen the spine...open the heart...space in the hips.
then it dawns on me...if there was a person beside me, vocally speaking this out loud I think I would chuck out a Jackie Chan on her...him? it?
I can get so caught up in THINKING that I have to know all the motions (that I know!)...I just gotta trust that they'll ripen themselves out of my sweet and gloriously svelte yoga pod.
The more I try to 'get it' all, the more I'm missing the juicyness of the practice.
If I breath and move I'm fine. If I'm aware and feeling...amen.
If I'm totally surrendering to the moment and allowing ME to just experience.
that's kinda living.
Probably spacious.
and I can take my fuckin ridiculous thinking hat off...

Just like fueling my body with nutrients - I don't even think about it.
Which is how I end up with a stupendous tofu and red cabbage stir-fry (cabbage cringers seriously you don't know what you're missing on a palate and cellular level!)
Which is also why juicing is NEVER a chore! Celery, beet, carrot, and apple rainbow reverie...
AND...making it to the meditation mat.
A must.
(and yea that's my 6:30am view above...ommmmmm)

...imagine practicing *life* from this amazingly awesome and KNOWING place.
that you know.
what you need to know.
when you need it.
And often the more you THINK about things, the more you'll just fuck'em up.

If you're over thinking in one area...
You might not think twice about sticking your hand in a blender.
with the blade.

happy almost monday...(sometimes I work Sundays just so I can have Mondays OFF!)
xo
jodi renée

Labels: food, inspiration, juice, meditation, on life

Must be the weather...head feelin foggy. Then it's to the salty carbs I go!
Here's some healthy fuel for those cravings...
*chunky rustic bread. toasted
*lots O avocado. generously spread
*sea salt. sprinkled
bon appetite! ...xo
jodi renée

Labels: avocado, food, toast