Healthy On-The-Go Lunch Ideas

If you're like me, lunches are always the hardest meal to plan for the week. Normally I like to try and make enough leftovers from dinner to use for lunches, but this doesn't always work out! If you take out the option of the standard sandwich-and-processed luncheon meat, then things can get a bit tricky. Thankfully I've managed to learn a couple of healthy lunches to make that are not very time-consuming and are also easy to take with you and put together at lunch time. If you're really hungry at lunch like me, you can also add more options - I like to have herbal tea, a piece of fruit, nuts and maybe a homemade cookie or Lara bar. Leftover soup in a thermos also works well with both of these.

Healthy Lunch #1 
Chicken & Veggie Salad

Ingredients:
-Leftover cooked chicken (especially easy if you've cooked a whole chicken for another meal and saved some for lunches.)
-1/2 an Avocado
-1-2 Green onions, chopped
-1 Tomato
-1/2 Small cucumber, sliced
-Mixed salad greens
-Dressing: Olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a squeeze of lemon juice

Healthy Lunch #2
Spelt Toast with Avocado, Cheese, Cucumber, Tomato and Pepper

Ingredients:
-1/2 Avocado
-4 Slices of cheese of your choice
-1/2 small cucumer
-1 Tomato
-2 Pieces Spelt Bread or other gluten-free bread
-Ground Pepper


What do you make for a healthy lunch to take with you to work or school? Maybe you can offer some inspiration to myself and others :)

Leek & Chicken Soup (GF, DF)

Hello! It's been a little while since I've posted anything, and that's mainly due to the fact that I've just moved to Canada from New Zealand. It's been a crazy couple of months of going on the most amazing trip to Torrent Bay in the Abel Tasman for Christmas, having a very fun engagement party with a lot of wonderful people, finishing up work, saying goodbye to a lot of friends and family, and definitely lots of packing. Now I'm back in Edmonton, and it's still a big adjustment - especially the season change of going from the middle of a beautiful, hot NZ summer to a snowy (and dark-forgot about that part) Alberta winter. So needless to say, it's been a pretty big change overall. I'm trying my very best to think of the good things about winter, however small - and one of these things is that it feels so great to make a big pot of delicious, warm and hearty soup. I love making recipes that involve throwing a whole bunch of healthy ingredients together! Here is one of my all-time favorite soup recipes, made with chicken drumsticks from Sunworks Farm which produces certified organic chicken, beef, eggs, turkey, bison, lamb and pork right here in Alberta. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Leek & Chicken Soup

Prep and Cooking Time: Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Making the broth

Ingredients:
8 organic chicken drumsticks
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1/2 bunch parsley
Approx. 30 grams of organic butter
2 medium-sized leeks, pale parts only
2 large potatoes
1/4 cup (55g) rice pasta

Instructions:
1. For the broth -  place the chicken, 1 carrot, 1 celery and half of the parsley in 12 cups of water in a large pan on high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and summer for 1 hour so the chicken meat falls off the bones.

2. Strain the broth into a large heatproof bowl and set this aside for now. Discard the vegetables you've used for the broth, and when the chicken is cool enough, remove and discard the skin and bones. (You can soak the chicken in cold water to help it cool down more quickly). Tear the meat into small pieces and set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat, and cook the leeks for 4-5 minutes until they are soft. Stir in the remaining carrot and celery, and add the potato then cook for 5 minutes.

Prepping my ingredients while the broth simmers

4. Add the pasta and reserved broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Add the chicken meat and summer for another 5 minutes, until the pasta is cooked (*hint - for cooking rice pasta, make sure you don't over-cook it by turning the heat off when the pasta is still a little firm and you should end up with perfect pasta.)

6. Serve with the remaining parsley, chopped and sprinkled on top.

10 Ways to Be Healthier This Week

When it comes to creating healthy habits, it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. I think it’s important to make changes in small steps so that you are slowly creating new habits that will hopefully get some momentum going. It’s also important to understand the reason behind the changes you make, otherwise it will be very difficult to maintain them. Here are some simple steps that you can take this week to make this week healthier than the last - even if you choose start with just one of them.

1. Modify your coffee habit. 

Take a deep breath and don’t panic, because I’m not going to suggest you stop drinking coffee. But depending on what you put IN your coffee, this could be a good way to kick-start a healthier habit since it’s something that most people consume on a daily basis. When I started drinking coffee I would order a latte with milk and one sugar. Now I really enjoy a long black – but had to do it in steps because I was so used to the sugar and milk. I started by halving the sugar for one week, then halving the milk the next week, and so on.

2. Swap one of your household cleaning products with a natural product. 

For example, dish soap, spray-cleaner or laundry detergent. Mainstream cleaning products contain toxic ingredients that can have a negative impact on your health, including links to cancer, respiratory illness, allergic reactions and behavioural problems in children. They also negatively impact on the environment when they are flushed down toilets, poured down sinks, and sprayed into the air. We don’t need harsh chemicals to clean our homes (although cleaning product companies would like us to think otherwise) and natural, plant-based options are much safer. You can even make you own cleaning products by following the recipes on this link: http://www.marthastewart.com/267380/clean-green-natural-cleaning-products

3. Swap one of your toiletries for a natural product. On the same topic, our skin absorbs many of the substances we put on it, so one way to be healthier this week could be to swap one of your daily toiletries for a natural one that doesn’t contain nasty chemicals and that isn’t tested on animals. One great place to start is sunscreen, as some environmental groups warn that many ingredients in sunscreens are toxic. Research has shown that a common chemical in sunscreens called oxybenzone is a likely carcinogen that can be absorbed into the body. Another one to be aware of is the spray-on sunscreens since you run a higher risk of inhaling them during application. As a healthier option, the Environmental Working Group recommends using sunscreens made with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Here is a link to a website called The Wellness Warrior that has a lot of good information on natural beauty products: http://www.thewellnesswarrior.com.au/category/detox/beauty/?doing_wp_cron=1355256659.4748270511627197265625

     4. Make sunscreen a part of your morning routine. This is especially important for those of you in New Zealand where the sunlight is very harsh. An easy way to incorporate this into your routine (and not forget) is to buy a moisturizer with a sunscreen in it, and apply it to your face, neck and even your hands before leaving the house. You could also keep a small tube of it in your bag or purse in case you need to re-apply it or end up being outside when you didn't expect to be.

5.  Eat breakfast. If you normally skip breakfast in the morning or don’t feel hungry at this time, start small. Have a piece of fruit or a piece of bread (not refined white bread though!) with nut butter and jam, or a healthy cereal or muesli. (Liberty Market in Christchurch packages their own muesli and they are healthy, delicious and reasonably priced). Even if you do this one or two days this week, it’s a good start. You can also have a look at my post 6 Delicious and Healthy Breakfast Ideas for more inspiration: http://www.jessicasfoodlove.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/my-healthy-breakfast-ideas.html 

 6. Buy healthier yogurt. Yogurt can be a very healthy part of most people's diet, but it is one of my pet-peeve foods when it comes to companies marketing it as healthy when really they have added a lot of not-so-healthy ingredients to it. You will probably be surprised if you read the lables, especially on the mainstream commercial brands which generally include sugar, sugar and more sugar and preservatives. And watch out for the “low-fat” varieties, as they can contain some dodgy artificial junk. In New Zealand, some good brands include: Cyclops (especially their plain yogurt) and Clearwater. Both are organic, and Clearwater has delicious sugar free options such as honey and apple-cinnamon.

7. Buy free-range eggs.  If you don’t already do this, buy free-range eggs instead of caged eggs or even barn eggs. I think this one is self-explanatory, more for the feel-good factor of knowing you are not contributing to cruel factory farming practices. Just a warning on the label "free-range" - these animals can still be fed non-organic and genetically modified grains, so ideally you want to aim for free range AND organic chicken and eggs. But buying free range is a very good start in terms of animal welfare. 

8.  Exercise more than you did last week. If you already have a regular exercise routine then good job! If you’re struggling in this area, then I challenge you to schedule just one day this week to do some type of exercise– check your diary right now and book it in, even if it’s only 20 minutes. Find something you will enjoy, maybe going for a walk, finding a yoga class, sign up for a trial gym membership, whatever you’re into – pick one day this week and do it! We all know the benefits of exercise are basically never-ending – lowering cholesterol and keeping blood pressure in check, decreasing your risk of diabetes, improving mood,  improving bone density...the list goes on. If you're looking for yoga classes in Christchuch, check out my friend Emi's classes called Adventure Yoga: http://adventureyoga.wordpress.com/

9. Create a simple bedtime routine. This can help shift your body and mind into sleep mode,  for example, I like to have a shower, drink a cup of herbal tea and do some stretches for my back. Try turning off the TV and computer 30 minutes before you go to bed to give your eyes and your brain a change to actually wind down.

     10. Drink more water. Carry a water bottle around with you so you know how much water you've had to drink, and don't let yourself get so thirsty that you will be tempted to drink something sugary and bad. There is no exact amount that everyone, everywhere needs to drink on a daily basis – this depends on your health, how active you are and where you live. But as a general rule, The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake for men is about 3 liters a day and for women is about 2.2 liters a day (which can include other healthy drinks such as herbal teas). 

Have a great week! :) 

Honey Blueberry Loaf (GF, SF, V)

This delicious gluten-free, egg/dairy free and refined sugar-free loaf is a great recipe for those with food allergies, or for a healthier alternative to conventional baking. (You can also substitute a free range egg for the banana if you're not avoiding eggs).

Honey Blueberry Loaf

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice flour (or sorghum flour)
1 cup hazelnut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon guar gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:
1 ripe banana (or 2 organic eggs)
1/3 cup of honey
1/2 cup rice milk
1/3 cup melted virgin coconut oil or olive oil
1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 225 Celcius and coat bread pan with olive oil
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl add the wet ingredients (if using eggs first whisk the eggs and then add the remaining wet ingredients). Mix well.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Add the fruit.
5. Fill your bread tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.
6. Let cool and remove gently from the bread tin. Enjoy!

In Christchurch, gluten-free flours can be found at Liberty Market on Moorhouse Ave and Piko Wholefoods on Stanmore Road. In general, these products should be available at most health food/organic/whole foods stores, and some may be available in the "health food" section of mainstream supermarkets.

Recipe adapted from Whole Life Nutrition: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009/09/honey-kissed-peach-or-blueberry-muffins.html

Easy Vegetable & Chickpea Curry (GF, DF, V)

Here is another meal that is quick and easy on weeknights and it can be used with either summer or winter vegetables. The dish shown has been made with winter veggies (mainly root vegetables and some greens and frozen peas), though in the summer you can use things like zuchinni and peppers. If you stick with the seasonal veggies and use the chickpeas rather than meat then it is also a very inexpensive meal, with enough to feed about 4 adults.      
                                                                                                                          

Easy Vegetable & Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
11/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
3 small potatoes cut into cubes
3 medium carrots (or you can have less carrots and substitute some sweet potatoes instead)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup of water
Other veggies of your choice: I used 1 cup of frozen peas and about 2 handfulls of silverbeet - you could also use kale or spinach
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup cilantro to garnish (optional)

Instructions:
1. In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat and add ginger, cumin and black mustard seeds. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, turmeric, coriander and curry powder. Stir well and continue to cook for another minute or so. Add the tomato paste, coconut milk and water. Stir well.

3. Simmer, covered for 5 to 10 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are almost done but still a bit crisp. Then add peas, chickpeas, sea salt (and zuchinni or peppers if using) and cover the pot. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about another 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro.

Serve over rice noodles or brown jasmine rice.

Recipe adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/p/our-cookbook.html