hazelnutella

healthy home-made hazelnut haven.

Nutella. A familiar favourite. It topped my toast and filled my sandwiches for most of my life. You could probably find a jar in most cupboards across Toronto, Ontario, Canada, North America... The creamy chocolately goodness found its way into my tummy at my house, at my friend's houses, and even all the way in Italy at my exchange student's house! Why wouldn't it be everywhere? A creamy, rich, sweet, sensational toast topper AND a great addition to a well-balanced and nutritious breakfast? Well, it turns out that it is too good to be true... Mothers everywhere have somehow been mislead to believe that they could feel good about giving this to their kids as a great start to their day when really this much-loved spread should be saved for dessert. Disappointed? ...Don't be!

Here's a solution that is equally delicious while also nutritious!

hazelnutella:

Yeilds about ¾ cup
 
- 1 cup of hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
- 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1½ tbsp xylitol*

*this recipe isn't very sweet because xylitol is no where near as sweet as stevia, splenda, or sugar so if you use any of these instead make sure you taste test! Also if you choose to use regular sugar use powdered/icing sugar so it blends better. You could also try it with honey, which would be delicious but I haven't tried it and am not sure how it would blend!

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spread hazelnuts evenly on a baking sheet.  Toast for 12-15 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn.  Remove baking sheet from oven and immediately transfer hazelnuts to paper-towel and let cool.  Rub skins off with the paper towel.  Transfer hazelnuts to a chopper/food-processor.  Add cacao powder and your choice of sweentness.  Chop, mix, blend, process until smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a jar.  ENJOY!

This will be a lot more liquidy and oily than Nutella because there are only the natural oils and fats from the nuts and no added saturated fats.  Store in refridgerator to keep it a more solid consistency.

a healthful hint.

Hazelnuts, like all nuts are full protein and healthy monounsaturated fats such as oleic acid which is good for lowering bad cholesterol and maintatining many bodily functions.  They are also a great source of Vitamin E, which is good for healthy skin, hair and nails! Cacao on the other hand is the raw form of cocoa and is stocked full of magnesium, calcium, iron and many other great minerals. It contains antioxidants to keep your heart healthy and is also great for physical and mental well-being. Chocolate is good for you? Too good AND true! 

strawberry santa

a cheery christmasy cheesecake.

I know it's been quite a while since Christmas time but I've been busy and haven't had a chance to get this recipe up! Aren't these the cutest little strawberries you've ever seen?  I made these to compliment our traditional family breakfast on Christmas morning.  It was nice to have some fresh fruit and vitamins to accompany all the eggs, bacon, and sausages that we have every year!

Whether you are or aren't a fan of cheese cake these are the perfect treat! It's the easiest recipe and you're able to adjust it to your liking although it does take some amount of finicky fine-motor skills to keep those little Santa's hats from falling off!

strawberry santa:

handful of fresh strawberries
handful of chocolate chips or raisins
¼ cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp honey
1 tsp milk (more or less depending how thick your ricotta is)
⅛ tsp salt

 Slice the leaves off the strawberries then slice the tops off.  In a bowl combine ricotta, honey, milk and salt with a hand mixer or a whisk. Transfer ricotta mixture into a piping bag or ziploc bag with a corner cut off. Squeeze mixture onto strawberries in a round formation. Carefully place strawberry hats on top. Squeeze a small dollop for the hat's fluff and place chocolate chips or raisins in place for the eyes. Serve immediately. Beware that the hats may start slipping off. ENJOY!

a healthful hint:

Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C and they also help regulate blood sugar. Using honey rather than sugar not only adds a great flavour but it is also a totally natural sweetner that comes loaded with antioxidants for a healthy heart and antibacterical properties for a healthy body! Using low fat cheese such as ricotta is a great way to get a serving of calcium and protein without all the saturated fats.

pumpkin spice latte

pleasant pumpkin pleasure.

Fall is coming to an end and that means that its out with the pumpkins and in with the peppermint.  Stores were already stocking their shelves with Christmas gear before Halloween had even happened and then day after it was like it had never even happened!  I'd say its too much too fast.  We should enjoy the small breaks between all the bustling holidays so it's more exciting when they finally arrive, well that's what I think anyways.  As much as I love the Christmas and holiday season I'm not finished enjoying all the autumn amenities... not to say that I've already decided to crank up the Christmas tunes starting next week, or maybe earlier...

Well. If you're like me and love autumn for all it is, and love pumpkin for all it is, and don't love Starbucks because you can't afford it and because the day you decide you want to splurge they are all out of pumpkin spice latte syrup, this treat is right up your alley!

I have to say that this treat is much more rich and savory than its Starbucks sibling because this one is made with REAL ACTUAL PUMPKIN!

pumpkin spice latte:

Serves 1.

- ¾ cup milk (almond milk is great in it as well!) 
- ¼ cup strong coffee or one shot espresso
- 2 - 3 tbsp pure pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp sugar or 1 packet splenda
- ½ - 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ -1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ vanilla extract

* almond milk gives it a great extra something! The only difference is that almond milk's flavour is more powerful so you may want to use closer to the larger portion of pumpkin and spices. I'm sure vanilla almond milk would taste amazing as well!

Make your coffee.  In a small saucepan combine milk, pumpkin, spices, and sweetness over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Add milky spicy pumpkin mixture to coffee.  Stir.  Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.  ENJOY!

 a healthful hint:

Coffee is loaded with antioxidants, which we all know are great at fighting free-radicals in your body to keep you healthy and happy! Studies have also shown that coffee-drinkers have a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes because it contains minerals such as magnesium and chromium which help your body use insulin which is needed to regulate blood sugar.  There have also been findings that coffee-drinkers also have a decreased risk of Parkinson's disease and dementia.  These benefits are attributed to the coffee itself because they can be seen in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees and caffeine doesn't present health concerns if it is consumed in moderation.  The pumpkin is loaded with vitamin C and A, the milk with calcium, and cinnamon boosts your metabolism!  What better way to start your day?

Let me know what you think of this compared to the one at Starbucks! 

crunchy pumpkin granola

a simple citrouille specialty.

 

Autumn.  The perfect mix of sweet and savory.  You simply get the best of everything at this time of year.  The sweet end of summer still keeping your toes warm eases into the first crisp of winter that starts to tingle your nose.  Pleasnt pastel dresses meant to cool you down thicken to sweaters with toasted hues to keep you warm.  Orders of refreshing iced teas change to fragrant spiced teas.  The green leaves even take their time changing to shades of auburn and yellow.  Its a transition from one extreme to the next and everything in between is fair game, SO there is no need for permanent change quite yet.  You don't need to keep your winter jacket out yet because you probably won't need it tomorrow and you don't need to put your shorts away because yesterday you were sweating in your corduroy pants.  A perfect time for someone as indecisive as myself...

BUT if you're constantly trying to decide what to eat, the best part about this season might be that there is no line between dinner and dessert!

Sweet potato, butternut squash, pumpkin, cranberries, apples all the fruits and vegetables that anyone cares about that are harevsted at this time of year can be swung either way.  Sweet or savory.

crunchy pumkin granola:

1½ cups plain rolled oats
¼ cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed and dried
¼ cup of pepitas/pumpkin seeds
¼ cup pure pumpkin purée
¼ cup pure maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp oil
½ - 1 tsp cinnamon
½ - 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
⅛ tsp salt

*be sure to use pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling

*feel free to add as much spice as you want, I'm a fiend for cinnamon so I added more towards the latter end of that scale... and pumpkin pie spice is an equal mixtue of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice so you can probably guess how much I put in mine.

Preheat oven to 325° F.  Rinse and dry quinoa.  Evenly spread quinoa and oats on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Toast for about 5 minutes, stir, toast for about 5 more minutes.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a bowl.  Add pepitas.  Reduce oven heat to 300° F.

Now, for the hard part.  In a separate bowl combine the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, vanilla, oil, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Stir well.  

You think that sounds pretty easy, don't you?  Well, in some respect you would be correct... it is extremely easy to simply stir these ingredients together.  However, that is only if you can ignore the smell of this delicious concoction for long enough not to dip your finger in and TASTE IT!  Once you've opened that door... well, I wish you the best of luck completing this recipe.

Pour pumpkin mixture into the oats, quinoa, and pepita bowl.  Stir until everything is coated.  Spread evenly on the baking sheet again.   Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden.  Stir every 5 - 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  ENJOY!  Once cool, transfer into an airtight container.  ENJOY LATER!


I just couldn't get enough of that sweet pumpkin mixture so I whipped up some more with my leftover pumpkin purée.  I didn't do any measurements but I didn't add as much maple syrup this time because I figured I'd be eating it in larger servings... Make it however you want, put it in an airtight container and refridgerate for later.  

Breakfast idea:
Warm it up in the microwave, plop it on some yogurt and sprinkle some granola on top.  Throw some craisins, raisins, pecans, any nuts or seeds you have in there too! 


a healthful hint:

Pumpkin is a delicious vegetable that is low in carbohydrates but high in vitamins! It has one of the highest levels of vitamin A which is important for maintaining the integrity of mucous membranes which work as barriers to protect you from infection while also boosting your immune system. It also combines with the protein opsin to allow proper function of photoreceptors in your retina so you can see in dark or dim light. As you can tell but its colour, pumpkn is loaded with beta-carotene (which convert to vitamin A) and anti-oxidants that work to fight off free radicals that are related to macular degeneration and joint diseases like arthritis. Not only does the flesh have great nutritional benefits, its seeds do too! Pepitas are a great source of tryptophan that gets converted to serotonin which can reduce depression, and zinc which is important for immune reactions of blood cells and bone formation.  These little seeds are also packed with protein, fibre, iron, and phytosterols which are good fats that promote excretion and inhibit absoroption of cholestrol!

jello shooters

citrus celebration slices.

Everyone loves jello shots.  Everyone hates shooting them. Having to suck, slurp, and stick your tongue all up in those stupid little cups.  Such a cute idea at first. Colourful, delcious, jiggly shots that mask the alcohol flavour perfectly turns you into a disugusting, drooling dog-like creature trying to get every last drop. Anyways!  This version is cuter in presentation and participation.  

citrus slice jello shooters:

- 1 package of jello
- 1 cup of citrus vodka

- ¾ hot water 
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed fruit juice
- citrus fruit to match,  emptied peels

*we got creative and made three different jello batches with different combinations of flavours but these instructions are for just ONE batch.

Cut fruit of choice in half. Carefully scoop out contents of halved fruit and put them in a separate bowl.  Squeeze and strain the fruit flesh so you are just left with juice. Boil water. Mix jello powder with ¾ cup of water, 1 cup of vodka and ¼ cup of your fresh juice. Stir until all powder is dissolved. Fill fruit halves and put them in the fridge to set.  Once set, carefully slice the halves into wedges. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Some of ours melted. The lime ones were perfect though! AND verrrrrry limey. The recipe posted was the one we used for the lime ones.  With the other fruits we used MORE fruit juice (½ cup juice and ½ cup water).  We also had them sitting out of the fridge for a really long time on a very warm summer evening, so that definitely didn't help! SO just don't do either of those things. The juice definitely made them more delicious BUT if you want to play it safe just omit the juice completely and stick to 1 cup water and 1 cup vodka.

My best friend and I made these and popped some candles in to celebrate our friend's birthday and the end of a sweet summer. Make them, share them, and shoot them with friends!

a healthful hint:

You get a sweet serving of vitamin C from all the citrus fruit along with some stress relief and a goooood night  from the alcohol.  BUT that's probably the only healthful thing about these treats. I'd say they're still allowed in this nook because they're nourishing for... the soul.  We'll just stick with that!