Back to School: Healthy Breakfast Ideas - by Andrea Sarjeant, Holistic Nutritionist

This week Advice had Holistic Nutritionist, Andrea Sarjeant contribute some of her back to school breakfast ideas.

The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to get some new ideas for your child’s meals. And why not start with breakfast? It’s been known as the most important meal of the day. How you start your child’s day will have a big impact on their mood and energy level throughout the day.

It’s not always easy to get something healthy on the table during those rushed mornings, but it is doable.

I’ve compiled some breakfast ideas that are a) full of whole, unprocessed foods, and b) have good quality protein, fat, fibre, good carbs, and are low in sugar. The reason behind this is that the protein, fat and fibre help to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, leading to more stable energy and moods:

   

·      A smoothie – because it is easy to make, easy to drink, and can be secretly or not so secretly filled with superfoods (like greens). I like smoothies because they’re so easy on a rushed morning – you can add all the ingredients to the blender the night before to make light work when you wake up. Here’s a great recipe (link to http://healthydelicious.ca/2013/07/04/my-favourite-summer-smoothie/ )

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        A big bowl of oatmeal or grain porridge – because it is full of tummy-filling fibre, is gluten-free, and a great way to start the day. You can make a delicious porridge from oats, flaked quinoa or even amaranth. A big batch can be made and enjoyed all week, especially as the weather grows colder. Here’s a recipe (link to http://healthydelicious.ca/2013/02/21/warm-yourself-up-with-this-breakfast/ )

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       Eggs – because they are full of protein and will keep your little one fuller for longer, avoiding any blood sugar crash. Make a frittata that’s full of some of your child’s favourite veggies. You could even bake the frittata in a muffin tin so you have mini-frittatas that could double as a lunch on other days.

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       Toast – choose gluten-free quinoa or rice-based, or sprouted grain bread and top with a little nut or seed butter, some sliced apple or banana and a dash of cinnamon. Another great option is to top toast with sliced avocado and a sprinkle of hemp seeds and sea salt.

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        Cereal – if you can find a nice, homemade granola, serve it to your little one with some yogurt, a few berries and a sprinkle of ground flax and cinnamon.

Andrea Sarjeant is a certified holistic nutritionist and owner of healthydelicious.ca, a blog focused on helping people find the healthy and delicious in their lives. Andrea is also part of the team at Innate Wellness, an integrative naturopathic clinic with a focus on pediatrics and family medicine. healthydelicious.ca

Thumbprint Cookies for Kids and Grown Ups (gluten- and refined sugar-free)

Thumbprint Cookies for Kids and Grown Ups (gluten- and refined sugar-free)
When Advice starts to bring out beautiful holiday items, we know that the season is drawing near.  With holiday season comes baked goods. Many, many different kinds of baked goods that are delicious, yet can turn us into sugar (and gluten monsters). Keep reading for a great recipe for a delicious (and filling) cookie that you can make with your kids. I’ve included a gingery adult variation, too.
I was inspired to make the base of the cookie from nuts after seeing peanut butter thumbprint cookies at a lovely little café in Montreal this summer. Off on a recipe quest I went, trying and re-trying several variations of the thumbprint cookie. This is a delicious, filling, gluten and refined sugar free variation that contains a boatload of healthy ingredients. Here’s a lowdown on what’s in these nutrition-packed cookies:

Almond flour (or almond meal, as it is sometimes called) is a flour made from ground almonds. It’s gluten-free, and packed with protein and good fats that will help your belly feel full! You can buy almond flour in specialty stores (such as Whole Foods), or you can grind the almonds into a flour yourself. Grinding almonds into almond flour takes 2 minutes; just throw one cup of almonds into a food processor and pulse a few times until the almonds turn start to look like a flour or meal. Pulse too much and you’ve got almond butter. Win/win.

Almond butter is a staple in my kitchen. It replaces peanut butter in any situation (which is impressive, as those are big shoes to fill). Almond butter makes a wonderful breakfast when spread on gluten free toast with some chopped banana on top, makes a delicious snack when spread on apple slices, and can be added to smoothies (with a little chocolate) to create a creamy and delicious treat.

Honey is one of the best sweeteners that you can buy. It is a little lower on the glycemic index than maple syrup (meaning that it won’t raise blood sugar as quickly). Honey, when raw and unpasteurized, provides anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal benefits. The friendly bacteria in honey can also help to increase immunity (especially during this time of year). Important: Although honey is a wonder-food, its bacteria are not safe for children under 1 year.

Cinnamon is a wonder when it comes to controlling blood sugar. Use it liberally! Add it to baking, smoothies, or even almond butter toast.

Yummy Thumbprint Cookies
1 cup almond meal (or almond flour)
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tbsp raw unpasteurized honey
1 tbsp ground flax
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut oil
Naturally sweetened jam or apple butter of your choice (I love raspberry or strawberry, which make the cookies taste like almond butter and jam sandwiches).
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, almond butter, honey, flax and cinnamon. You may need to get your hands in there to thoroughly mix everything! Test the dough’s stickiness by forming a small ball. If it’s too crumbly and won’t hold together, add one to two tablespoons of water.
Grease a cookie sheet with the coconut oil. Using a tablespoon to measure, scoop out some dough and form it into a ball. When the ball looks tight, put on cookie sheet and make an indent with your thumb. This is where you’ll put the jam. Repeat with the rest of the dough, then add the jam to each indent.
Bake in the oven until the cookies are browned, around 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before eating, as the jam will be very, very hot.
Makes around 18 cookies.
Adult variation:
Add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger to the dough. Use peach or apricot jam (or even red pepper jelly if you’re so inclined) for a gingery adult cookie.

Andrea Sarjeant, CNP, is a holistic nutritionist based out of Toronto. She believes that food can be both healthy and delicious and is constantly working on creating fun recipes that will tantalize your taste buds and help you feel your very best. Find out more at healthydelicious.ca

Chocolate Milk...Makeover!

By: Andrea Sarjeant, Holistic Nutritionist
I was looking through a friend’s photos the other day. She just finished a triathlon, and said that she was motivated to reach the finish line by, what else? Chocolate milk. Because, yes, chocolate milk is the recent “official” sports recovery drink of athletes. And not only is it the official sports recover drink of athletes, I think that chocolate milk could be the official drink of kids. Chocolate milk has a special place in most of our hearts – as a child, I would long to guzzle as gigantic of a glass of that chocolatey goodness as possible.

However, there are better drinks out there. Drinks that are made fresh from whole foods, are super simple to make, and taste delicious. Keep reading for a delicious recipe for a chocolate milk 2.0. But first, I just have to get through a little bad news about milk. I hope you don’t mind.

The thing about milk. Milk isn’t the most nutritious food. Two main factors have changed milk as we know it today: homogenization and pasteurization. Pasteurization is the act of heating the milk to160 degrees in order to kill bacteria. The problem with pasteurization is that it kills vitamins, alters the protein, and makes the calcium less available.

Homogenization is the process that’s responsible for the creamy, emulsified milk that we have on our store shelves. In the old days, back when milk was delivered, milk was not homogenized; the fat and the milk nearly always separated. With homogenization, the milk is forced through very fine sieves in order to make the fat globules the same size and therefore ensure that the milky beverage is a uniform texture. The problem with homogenization is that the smaller fat molecules aren’t easily recognized by our bodies; they are too small!

So now that we know that milk isn’t as healthy as it once was, let me tell you something else: most of us can’t tolerate dairy. Around seven years old, we stop producing the enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk. Common symptoms of lactose intolerance include digestive upset, asthma, eczema, fatigue, attention problems, nasal congestion and more. But the good news is that there are plenty of other sources of calcium. Leafy greens are one. (And I’ll be sure to write a post on how to get your little ones to eat more greens in the future).

The thing about sugar. There is loads of sugar in conventional chocolate milk. And we all know what sugar can do. Check out my blog for a recent post on blood sugar (link to healthydelicious.ca). And if you’re interested in learning more about how much sugar is in some common beverages, check out Sugarstacks. But this mylk creation has nothing but good stuff in it. The fibre from the banana and hemp seeds slows the impact of the sugar on your little one’s body. And so does the protein in the hemp seeds. The banana (and optional maple syrup) provide the natural sweetness. Translation: your child will not turn into a sugar monster. And if you’re unfamiliar with hemp seeds, now is the perfect time to get to know them. They’re full of fibre, good fats and protein. They also taste great. In this recipe, they provide the creaminess and richness that we often associate with milk. And although hemp seeds are related to the cannabis sativa plant, they won’t have the same impact on your child!

This recipe is delicious, and very versatile. Double the recipe, blend, and heat in a saucepan for a different take on hot chocolate. To make this drink more adult friendly, omit the maple syrup and add a shake of cinnamon. Cheers to healthy snack time!

Creamy Chocolate “Mylk”
½ banana
1.5 tbsp hemp seeds
1 cup water
1.5 tsp organic cocoa powder
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Blend and pour into a glass. Serves 1.

Healthy Delcious!

This week Advice welcomes Holistic Nutritionist, Andrea Sarjeant as one of our new Blog contributors. You can also follow her inspiring nutritional food ideas at her blog healthydelicious.ca!