Oat Crepes

I could honestly eat crepes every single day of my life and NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER get sick of them. I can't emphasize "never" enough.

This crepe recipe is super healthy, super easy and super low in those pesky little things we refer to as "calories'. This recipe consists of approximately 350 calories in total and it makes 3-6 crepes depending on how big you make them.

As a side note, I make my own oat flour by blending oats in my Blendtec for a few seconds.

Oats are so healthy! Eat them!




Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Oat Flour
1/2 Cup of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Ripe Banana
2 Tbs of egg whites

Directions: 

Blend ingredients together, melt a tiny bit of Coconut Oil in the pan you are using over a medium heat setting and gently swirl the the crepe mixture until it is thin and even. Once you see the crepe bubble in the centre and around the edges (this should only take about 30 seconds) you can flip and heat on the opposite side. Add more Coconut Oil to your pan and repeat the above steps until all of the mixture has been used.

Plate your beautiful crepies and top with fresh fruit, compote, peanut butter, maple syrup or anything else clean and healthy!

Enjoy!!

xTx

Blendtec vs. Vitamix

The morning of my birthday on July 6th my fiancé gave me the best gift ever! A Vitamix!

I had been waiting to purchase a Vitamix for what seemed like forever but I was always hesitant because of the amount of money that I would have to drop to purchase one - It was a serious investment. I was so shocked, excited and full of happiness when he gave it to me that I actually cried! It was such a sweet gift and so thoughtful of him to buy it for me on my special day. Not only was I the luckiest girl in the world to have such an amazing guy in my life but I was now the luckiest girl in the world with a Vitamix!

In a super short time my Vitamix and I became BFF's as we concocted all sorts of different smoothies and recipes. I was in health heaven!

On July 22nd, only 16 days after my birthday I was blending ingredients for a batch of Date Squares that I was making and my Vitamix broke! There I was minding my own business as happy as can be and smoke started coming out of my machine!

The next day I called Bed Bath and Beyond where it was purchased, advised them that we had misplaced the receipt and told them what had happened. They had no concerns at all and told me to stop by with the blender. Fortunately I still had the box which made matters much easier given that I couldn't find the receipt (which I ended up finding when I came back home!).

When I went into BB&B I found out that they were no longer carrying Vitamix blenders but I had two choices - They could either order me one or I could go to another store to pick one up if they still had one on the shelf. Apparently the Vitamix that my fiancé had purchased was the last one that they had in stock at this particular store.

Prior to finding this information out I was in the blender aisle looking for a Vitamix when a sales rep came over to help me out. In conversation she mentioned the above information and that BB&B were no longer carrying the Vitamix and they would only be selling Blendtec's. She went on to share that Blendtec's had many more options and blenders to choose from so I of course became intrigued. While I was in the store I googled a few reviews (I'm a review junky) and asked the girl who was helping me what her opinion was. She was all for Blendtec, as were a few other employees that stopped by to talk to me so I gave it a go! I'm all for change and trying new things at the drop of a hat but I called my love to make sure that he was okay  with my decision seeing as he had purchased the blender for me. Because I had my heart set on a Vitamix for over a year before he purchased one for me, he was a little bit hard to convince when I told him that the Blendtec would be the way to go, but he of course gave me the freedom to make the choice to switch.

And besides, this was the perfect opportunity to try both machines seeing as the Manager of BB&B advised me that if I wasn't satisfied with the Blendtec I could take it back (with the receipt) and they would track a Vitamix down for me. They have such an amazing customer service team and return policy.

I made the switch and am I ever glad that I did!! Blentech opened up a whole new world of wonderful for me!! Don't get me wrong, the Vitamix is and amazing machine but the world of Blendtec is true heaven. I've had quite a few people ask which I prefer better so below I have listed some of the pro's and con's that I have opinionated from using both machines.

The Top 6 Pro's of the Vitamix Professional Series 750:

1. It blends smoothies into the smoothest, silkiest and creamiest drinks you could ever imagine.
2. It comes with a tamper for all of those hard to blend foods (like frozen banana's which I blend a lot of).
3. The plastic lid is easily removed by turning to the left or the right.
4. It runs fairly quiet and has an extremely strong motor.
5. The blender comes with a DVD a book and a beautiful binder packed full of recipes.
6. The jug is quite a bit stronger than the Blendtech jug.

The Top 9 Pro's of the Blendtec Designer 725

1. The Blendtec Designer 725 has a 3.4 peak horsepower motor.
2. The base includes a brightly illuminated touch interface that allows you to blend manually or specifically by the press of one button. For example, if you want to make a smoothie you press the smoothie button, it blends and stops automatically when done.
3. There are only two blades inside of the machine which allows for super easy cleaning and they are dull so you will not cut yourself while cleaning your blender.
4. The WideSide jar makes tampering very easy with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. Blending so quickly allows a greater amount of nutrients to stay in the food that you are working with.
6. I find that the blending in the Blendtec is much faster than the Vitamix and my smoothies always come out much smoother than the Vitamix smoothies did.
7. The Blendtec comes with an 8 year warranty.
8. The Blendtec Designer is approximately $80 cheaper than the Vitamix Pro.
9. The jug can sit on top of the base neatly underneath my kitchen cabinets.

The Top 6 Con's of the Vitamix Professional Series 750:

1. All of the blending is done manually which can be frustrating if you are unsure of how to blend properly. Over blending can heat the food that you are blending which in turn removes a great deal of nutrients from it.
2. There blades inside of the jar are very sharp so you have to be extremely careful if washing by hand.
3. The jar is very narrow which can be a pain when blending certain foods causing them to get stuck under the blades.
4. The Vitamix comes with a 7 year warranty.
5. I have raised kitchen cabinets in my home and the Vitamix would not fit underneath my cabinets while the jar was stacked on top of the base. I like to leave my blender on my counter for convenience but I had to place the jug on the counter beside the base in order to make it fit.
6. The Vitamix Pro comes with a 2.2-peak Horsepower motor.


The Top 4 Con's of the Blendtec Designer 725:

1. This blender is quite a bit louder than the Vitamix.
2. It doesn't come with a tamper so be sure to purchase soft spatulas or wooden spoons.
3. The gripper lid can be frustrating as it takes a bit of effort to push it on and the clear plastic vented lid that can be removed has four flimsy, square arms on it that I am always concerned I am going to break.
4. Unfortunately the Blendtec doesn't come with a binder full of recipes and information.

While the Vitamix is a great machine, you can see that the Blendtec has definitely won my heart. I use it at least two times every single day and I can't imagine being without it.

I wish you lots of luck if you decide to venture into the world of blending and I am sure that which ever blender you choose will be the correct blender for you!

You can check out my Food. Just Food. page for some healthy blender eats and enjoy the


recipes of which I have created.

Much Love,

xTx

Raw Super Patties

I love snacks that are sweet and healthy because I know that when I eat them I don't have to feel guilty about what I'm consuming. To fill my sweet need today I whipped up a batch of no bake Raw Super Patties that turned out really good! Not only are they good like this but I imagine that they would be amazing as a base or crust for a raw dessert as well.

Ingredients

1.5 cups of Raw Almonds
1.5 cups of pitted Dates (I prefer Parnoosh Dates over Medjool)
1/4 cup of Goji Berries
1/4 cup of Pumpkin seeds
2 tbs of Flax Seeds
2 tbs Bee Pollen
1 tbs of Acai Powder

Directions

In a high speed blender or food processor, blend the Raw Almonds and Goji Berries until crumbly. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again until the consistency is even and you are able to pack it together between your thumb and forefinger.

Form into Patties and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Put in the fridge to set for a couple of hours and serve cold.

Delish!

xTx

Super Healthy Date Squares

When I was younger Date Squares were definitely not at the top of my Favourite Eats list. Actually, they weren't on any list. I despised them!

A couple of weeks ago I was craving some squares that tasted like the ones my Mom used to make so I got creative. The recipe below is the end result of something I could easily become addicted to! I ate these bad boys for breakfast too given that they were so healthy!

Dates are extremely easy for our bodies to digest and are full of Vitamins A and K which help protect your eyes and are great for your skin! How can you possibly say no to a dessert that is so good for you?!

Ingredients

Date Crust:
1 1/2 cups of raw Almonds
1 1/2 cups of whole Oats
1/4 cup of Flax Seeds
1/4 cup of Coconut Oil
1 tsp of Sea Salt
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
15 dates with the pits removed

Date Filling:
36 Dates with the pits removed
3/4 cup of Water

Directions

Process the Almonds, Oats, Flax Seeds and Salt into a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture reaches a crumbly form. Once desired consistency has been reached, add the dates and continue to pulse until the dates have been incorporated into the mix. Remove from processor and place into bowl.
Melt the Coconut oil in a microwave or small pot and add the oil and Vanilla Extract to the blend of nuts and dates. Mix well and put a portion of it aside so that you can sprinkle it over top of your finished product. Push the majority of the mixture evenly into a square (I prefer using glass) pan.
Moving onto the filling, blend the Dates and Water together until very smooth. Place the date mixture on top of the crust and spread out.
Top with the remaining crust mixture, cover and put into fridge to set for about 1 1/2 hours.
Once the Squares have been set in the fridge, cut and serve!

Clearly there is nothing bad in this recipe so don't be afraid to consume. I'm sure it covers all of our food groups :)

xTx

Banana Boat Crepes

I loooooove crepies and have a new addiction to Buckwheat so I put two and two together to create this banging four ingredient crepe recipe.

The Buckwheat Flour was made with whole groats by blending them in my Blendtec and the same was done with whole Oats to make my Oat Flour. I love the nutty earthiness of the two flavours combined.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of Buckwheat Flour
1/2 cup of Oat Flour
1 cup of Almond Milk
1 ripe Banana
A tiny bit of oil for cooking - I prefer to use Coconut Oil

I like my crepes and pancakes dense but if you like you're thinner, add more Almond Milk.

Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Heat frying pan and place a tiny bit of oil into the pan, melt and swirl it around. Once the oil is heated pour about 1/8 of the crepe mixture into the pan and tilt it until it is thin and even throughout. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on medium heat, lift edges with a butter knife or flat egg flipper and turn over. Cook on opposite side for about a minute, remove from pan and place onto plate. Repeat with the remaining mixture until it has all been used up.

This entire recipe makes 6-8 medium sized crepes and consists of approximately 400 calories. Share the recipe with one of your favourite peeps and you're eating only 200 calories for breakfast!! Yes, please!!

I served the crepes in the picture with a Peanut-Cacao sauce that I mixed up but this morning I served them with 100% Canadian Maple Syrup and fresh Raspberries.

One of my all time favourite Maple Syrup's is produced in Quebec, Canada by Pinowood. It's amazing :)

Enjoy!

xTx

Banana Oat Pancakes

I love pancakes for breakfast but I especially love them when they are healthy. This quick pancake recipe will fill your tummy with the goodness that your body needs in the morning to pump you full of energy.

Ingredients

1 Banana
1/2 cup of Oat Flour
1/2 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk
A tiny bit of Coconut Oil for frying

Blend All ingredients in your blender, heat your frying pan, melt a bit of Coconut Oil in the pan and cook the pancakes as you normally would.

Depending on the mood that I am in, I either top them with banana's and peanut butter or I add blueberries or strawberries to them while they are cooking.

Oat Flour can be hard to find but if you make your own at home you won't have to worry about that. Just blend up some oats until they turn to flour and store it in an air tight container.

In the winter when I was growing up my Mom always made oats for me in the morning before school and still to this day I eat them all the time. Sometimes I even eat them for dinner with raisins and cinnamon!

Oats are very nutritious, keep your tummy full for a long time, they are full of vitamins and minerals such as Protein, Fibre, B1 and Magnesium, they are low in calories and cholesterol and are also healthy for your skin!

Eat your Oats!!

xTx

Vegan Cacao Cupcakes

It is very rare that I eat chocolate but sometimes I crave it something fierce. Tonight was one of those nights.

After spending almost two hours at the gym today the last thing I wanted to do was get silly and eat a chocolate bar, nor was I about to venture out in the storm that we are currently having to buy one. So what does a chick do who is battling a craving but wants to keep it healthy? She gets creative.

Every chocolate cupcake recipe that I found had eggs, milk, oil, butter and all kinds of other ingredients that I wasn't wanting to bake with so I gathered a few measurements and went to town building this extra chocolately cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup of Almond Milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)
1 cup of Flour (I used regular white flour but you could probably use coconut flour, wheat flour etc)
3/4 cup of Brown Sugar (I'm sure that Coconut Sugar would be great too)
1/2 cup of Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/3 cup of Raw Organic Cacao Powder
1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 tsp of Baking Powder
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cupcake tins.
2. Pour the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar into a bowl and set it aside while you mix the dry ingredients together.
3. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
4. Add all of the wet ingredients including the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar and stir or mix with a hand mixer until smooth.
5. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Check them with a toothpick to ensure that they are fully cooked.
6. Let cool and eat!

This recipe made 12 cupcakes.

I'm sure that they would be amazing with frosting on top but they are only about 100 calories without the frosting!! Yayyy Cacao Cupcakes!!

xTx