Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites

I LOVE blueberry muffins. In university I consumed far too many Starbucks Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins. I've always eaten fairly healthy but these bad boys were my weakness. Through each bite I knew how much sugar and butter I was consuming but I literally could not stop myself. I almost convinced myself they were moderately healthy because blueberries are a fruit! With 390 calories, 28 grams of sugar and 20 grams of fat these muffins are by no means healthy...or nutritious. But even still I get intense cravings for one every time I step into Starbucks. 

Fortunately I have developed a tactic for blocking these cravings. Now I could of course have just come up with a healthy version of blueberry muffins but since I'm all about practicality and most importantly portability, I got a little more creative. Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites made with all-natural, healthy and raw ingredients. Plus, for the same amount of muffin you could eat 4 of these! What's even sneakier is that eating one of these balls totally hits the spot. You don't need to eat 4 of them to feel satisfied. I'll save myself 20 grams of sugar and 16 grams of fat thank-you-very-much. 

Like my Lemon Hemp Bites I like to carry a couple of these around with me to snack on throughout the day or as a pre- or post-workout snack. With a bit of protein, a good amount of fat and some natural sugars these help prevent those awful blood sugar crashes which I am prone too. 

This is another one of those, throw everything into the food processor and you're good to go kind of recipes. No need to fuss around with the oven, or a list of 15 ingredients. Since this recipe makes quite a few I like to store them in the freezer. Wait about 10 minutes for them to thaw and then bam you have a blueberry muffin! Well sort of ;) If food tends to go pretty quickly in your house (and trust me when you try these, they will) then store them in the fridge for up to a week.  Now that my mouth is sufficiently watering I'm gonna go eat one (or several) of these...

Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites

by Davida Kugelmass

Cook Time: 10 mins

Keywords: raw gluten-free vegan almond

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Ingredients (Yields: 20-25 balls depending on size)

• 2 cups nuts (I used 1 cup of cashews & 1 cup of almonds)
• 1 cup dates
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds of 1 vanilla bean)
• Zest of 1 lemon, juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Add nuts to food processor. Process until nuts are pea-sized.

2. Combine nuts with dates and dried blueberries and process until all ingredients have broken down and are a bit sticky.

3. Add in lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract.

4. Process until all ingredients come together to form 1 large sticky ball.

5. Roll into small balls and store in fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer.

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Do you have any cravings that you just can't resist? Anyone else get sucked in by the baked goods at Starbucks?

Weekend Recap

We had a long weekend here in Canada (Victoria Day) so my weekend recap is coming a bit later in the week. My apologies! I'll be honest, compared to most weekends I did not do a whole lot, but do I regret anything? Absolutely not. Fortunately I was able to do a whole lot of nothingness in Montreal. I made the most of the beautiful weather by spending quite a bit of time outside (in parks, on a boat...) but quite honestly the rest of the time was spent watching countless hours of television and movies. Since my mobility is somewhat lacking these days I figured it was a good excuse to kick back, relax and enjoy every show on TV. After much convincing I agreed to watch the first season of Game of Thrones. I never thought I'd see the day when I would actually find myself craving more GoT. Winter must seriously be coming...(this will make absolutely no sense if you don't watch the show!) Now onto the highlights:

Hot temps + boat + spa = perfection. I was able to experience all of this when C and I went to Bota Bota for a morning. The weather was gorgeous while we were on the boat (the picture was taken after we got off) and we thoroughly enjoyed the steam room, sauna, hot tubs and lounging on some big cushions off the side of the boat. Better yet, we got a deal! If you get there before 11:00 AM on a weekday you are able to spend 3 hours using all the amenities of the spa for $30. Major steal.

Because lying on a spa boat is so exhausting it was necessary that we spend all day laying in Montreal's beautiful Jeanne-Mance park. With a perfect view of the mountain, and the city in the background we spent hours laying out, listening to music and chatting with friends. Take me back!

I read some great reviews on Café Pavé in Old Montreal and when I found out they had gluten-free bread I knew a visit would be necessary. I got the Rio sandwich, which was filled with chicken, Jalapeno spread, goat cheese, spinach, roasted garlic and tomatoes. They have a lunch special so I got the sandwich with a side salad and a drink for $10.Clearly I'm a sucker for a good deal! But seriously, the sandwiches were fantastic, the atmosphere was cool and the service was helpful. If you're in old port and looking for a good lunch place I would definitely suggest checking out Café Pavé...especially if you're not interesting in waiting for 2 hours for a sandwich from Olive & Gourmando.

In my attempts to be honest with all of you I will admit that between the sandwich I had at Café Pavé and this gorgeous salad I had below, my eats were not so impressive. Thai express, a burger and fries from Chef on Call, way too many chocolate chip cookies, I went a little overboard on the indulging. By Monday I was literally craving vegetables. Santropol to the rescue! I got the garden salad topped with chicken and a delicious honey mustard vinnegrette. The best part? Eating out on the patio with amazing company. Shortly after I flew back to Toronto. A perfect end to the weekend :)

I'll be honest, I've somewhat put blogging on the back-burner. With my leg/back injury I've been far more focused on finding the cause of all my pain and not so much on everything else. The blog brings me so much joy and I truly love nothing more than coming up with creative recipes and workouts and sharing them with all of you. Because cooking requires many hours of standing and since I've made my way through my arsenal of recipes and pictures my posts may be less frequent. But you should definitely still tune in! I will be popping in every now and then, some days more often then others. I've been on a smoothie kick lately so I've got some delicious and nutritious recipes coming your way.

Thanks for your understanding and all of your kind words! 

Super Easy Baked Eggs & Winners of the Epic Canadian GiveawEH

Hey all! Sorry for being MIA these days. Like I've mentioned in previous posts, I've been focused on healing my back and legs so haven't been in the kitchen all that frequently and the gym is a big no-no. Still thought I would pop in to announce the winners of the Epic Canadian GiveawEH and share a super easy recipe for baked eggs that makes for a delicious brunch! 

It's the Victoria Day Long Weekend here in Canada and the weather is absolutely splendid. Soaking in the rays and resting up as much as I can. My hope is that after the weekend I'll be feeling well enough to get back into my usual routine. That means plenty more creative recipes coming your way. But I'm also trying not to get ahead of myself with my recovery. I know these things don't happen overnight and I shouldn't get down on myself for not being able to do certain things. This has been a bit tricky since I really thrive off the endorphins I gain from working out, but life throws your curveballs for a reason and my guess is that this is life's way of telling me to SLOW DOWN. 

Speaking of curveballs, here's a fun update about my leg injury....turns out my fibula (more specifically my fibular head) on my leg left has been dislocated since January! And I've been walking on it all this time. It's back in place now (supposedly) but I'm still feeling quite a bit of pain. I'm not entirely sure what this means and how this plays into the back stuff, but I will keep you posted. If anyone else has dealt with this injury let me know!!!


So without further ado, here are the winners of the Epic Canadian GiveawEH:

Meredith N won: Face of Hope Travel Kit (tweeted about the giveaway)

Susan L  won: Omega Crunch Flax Shaker (liked Scribbles and Sass on Facebook)

Lynn won: Koge Vitamins (followed @theflaxman on Twitter)

Anna won: Eat Clean Diet Prize Pack (left a comment on a blog post)

Stacey H won: NoSweat Laundry Prize Pack (tweeted about the giveaway)

Tanya W won: Allergen Free Gals Prize Pack (followed Urban Running Girl on Twitter)

Karen S won: Running Shrug (liked Suzi Confesses on Facebook)

Congrats to all the winners! You should have received an email from Tara letting you know. Thank you to everyone else who entered. Many more giveaways to come so stay tuned...

Now onto the recipe. This meal can be whipped up in minutes and is certain to impress your guests. I used two eggs but you can definitely only use one in a smaller ramekin. Feel free to change up the veggies too. I also suggest making a loaf of Hearty GF & Vegan Quick Bread to dip into this eggy gooeyness.  Hope you're all having a wonderful (long) weekend!!!

Baked Eggs with Veggies

by Davida Kugelmass

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 14 mins

Keywords: bake breakfast gluten-free eggs

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Ingredients (Serves: 1)

• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cups spinach
• 1-2 eggs
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Melt 1 tsp oil of choice (I used coconut oil) to a skillet and add chopped shallots and mushrooms.

3. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted.

4. Add shallots, mushroom and spinach mixture to a 4-5 inch ramekin.

5. Crack egg(s) directly on top.

6. Bake in oven for 13-15 mins depending on how gooey you like your eggs.

7. Top with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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What's your favourite brunch recipe? 

Anyone dealt with a fibular head dislocation? I need some direction here!

Baked Coconut Shrimp

I have some exciting news to share! I would have included it in yesterday's weekend recap but it didn't quite fit with the theme of "things I am grateful for". This might seem odd since most people would be pretty happy about getting some exciting news, but you see, there is a catch....

First I'll explain the backstory. I was contacted by Gastropost, the foodie section of The National Post, one of Canada's biggest newspapers, via Intagram. They saw some of my food photography and asked if they could use some of my pictures for their weekly feature.  I obviously had no hesitation and even submitted a picture as part of their weekly mission, which this week was "Keen On Green". I couldn't think of a better picture to submit than one of my Matcha Green Tea Pancakes. They are pretty much as green as it comes!

So Saturday morning I check the National Post and lo and behold there is my picture! I was thrilled to say the least. Then on closer inspection I noticed that they listed my name as "David". Whomp whomp....Now this is not something new to me. People have been messing my name up since the day I was born and it is no exaggeration when I say I get at least 1 or 2 emails a week where people respond to me as David, despite the fact that I sign off my emails with my name and with a signature with my full name, just for good measure. 

So I wrote them an email and they were quite apologetic about their mistake. I'm still pretty stoked about it but it didn't quite make the cut for things I am grateful for since mistaking my gender is not one of them! But my name is my name and forever I will be explaining to people "it's David with an A at the end!" (even though you don't pronounce it that way). Ok, enough of my ranting, onto the recipe!

I LOVE coconut (no secret) but I especially love coconut shrimp! The problem is that it is often fried or just not-so-healthy in general. Since we were low on food in my household but had a massive bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer, it called for some creativity. We were out of eggs in the house so making the coating for the shredded coconut was going to be a bit tricky. Since I don't tolerate egg-whites (I don't seem to have such a problem with the yokes...) that well anyway I was definitely up for a challenge.

Surprisingly mixing a bit of coconut flour, cornstarch and soda water worked equally, if not better than eggs! Coated with some unsweetened coconut and dipped into a sweet & spicy dip by Saigon Soul Foods this appetizer quickly became my meal! If you don't have any coconut flour on hand you can sub-in AP flour. I usually buy coconut flour in large sums at the Bulk Barn so even when we're all out of food in our kitchen I always seem to have some of it. There's only 5 ingredients in this entire recipe so you have no more excuses, go make it!

Baked Coconut Shrimp

by Davida Kugelmass

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Keywords: bake appetizer gluten-free

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Ingredients (Serves: 4 as an appetizer)

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup soda water
• 1 lb shrimp, already cooked and thawed
• 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl combined coconut flour and cornstarch.

3. Add soda water (any kind should do, I used from our soda stream).

4. Spread out shredded coconut onto a plate (do not use all at once).

5. Dip shrimp one-by-one into mixture to coat and then roll on plate covered with shredded coconut.

6. Add shrimp onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until shredded coconut becomes golden brown.

7. Remove and serve immediately.

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Do you have a challenging name? How do you feel about it when people mess it up?

Weekend Recap

Well this weekend was certainly better than last! For one my back is starting to heal and two, I had some very special visitors in town. I can't say I was the best host since I spent a least half of the weekend lying in our zero gravity chair or stretching but having my bestie from NYC in town definitely helped to lift my spirits! 

A little update on my back. I was able to get a spine MRI last week which thankfully ruled out any slipped or herniated discs. It's clear now that there is some sort of nerve impingement in my sacral area (yes my butt...) that is responsible for my low back pain and leg pain. It is likely either Piriformis Syndrome or SI Joint Dysfunction. I have another PT appt tomorrow and hopefully we can figure out exactly what is going on and how to move forward. Considering the shape I was in last week I can definitely see some improvement. Sitting is still pretty difficult but I am able to stand and walk for much longer. I also haven't had a spasm in the last 48 hours and for that I am thankful. There are several other things I am thankful for and have helped keep me positive through this injury. I thought I would share a few of them with you:

Spring has finally arrived in Toronto (with the exception of the hail storm we had today...)! I am currently loving the beautiful flowers that have bloomed in our front yard. Unfortunately the sunflower I planted in our backyard did not fair so well against the raccoons :(

My best and one of my oldest friends was in town for the weekend. She was such a trooper putting up with my complaining! I miss her so much so it was wonderful to catch up on each others lives. Can't wait to see her again when I plan to visit NYC in July. Having C in town was also a treat :)

Glorious Saturday morning breakfasts! It was an eggy kind of day. I had two eggs topped on Udi's GF bread with a little bit of Neal Brother's Corn Salsa with some roasted veggies with tahini sauce on the side. Dale had a very impressive looking egg white omelet. It was just the right amount of sustenance to carry us through our very (un)productive day. 3 movies in a row? Sounds like perfection to me!

Indulging in this deliciousness for Mother's Day lunch with the whole fam. The chipotle burger on a GF bun with a side of garlic parmesan fries from STACK smmmokehouse. Over the top? Absolutely. Worth it? Without a doubt. 

Finally feeling well enough to cook! Ok fine it wasn't anything fancy but a did whip up a couple dozen blueberry muffin energy bites. I promise I wasn't as angry as I look in this picture. In fact I was thrilled I was able to stand long enough to see a recipe through. Even if it was just turning on the food processor!  I'll try to get you the recipe soon.

But of all of the things I am grateful for, this lady is my #1. I am especially thankful for all the support she has given me over the last few weeks. My Mom has become my official stretcher and at times my personal chef. I can't thank her enough for everything! Not to mention all the skills she has taught me in the kitchen...I truly learned from the best :)

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! 


Did your Mom teach you any special skills? Anyone out there dealt with Piriformis Syndrome or SIJD? Could use any advice!

Hearty GF & Vegan Quick Bread

Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, my lack of ability to cook at the moment has forced me to dig into my freezer stockpile. This is probably a good thing since BOTH freezers were getting overloaded. Unfortunately some of the pain meds have taken away much of my appetite so I've been eating pretty simply lately. As someone who actually craves vegetables it's strange for me to get queazy at the thought of a salad.

Whenever I am sick, my go-to is toast with butter and cinnamon. Fortunately I had almost an entire loaf of Hearty GF & Vegan Quick Bread in the freezer from when I baked a batch a few weeks ago. Yes, this is another one of those recipes I seemed to have forgotten to post...Perhaps my body knew this food was going to become a staple in my diet in the upcoming weeks and subconsciously waited until now for me to post it? I think I'm getting a little too Freudian on ya!

Needless to say, I have been eating a lot of toast lately. I know, I know I should be eating a more balanced diet and foods that would help decrease inflammation but for the time being my stomach can only handle the basics. Fortunately my version of basic toast can actually pack a whole lot of nutritional punch. This ain't your average WonderBread. Filled with fiber, iron, magnanese, protein and low on but all healthy fats this loaf is certain to fill you up with all the right stuff. Lately i've been topping it with coconut oil and cinnamon but it also tastes fantastic as sandwich bread or a dipper into gooey eggs for all you non-vegans out there. I have a recipe for the most scrumptious baked eggs coming up soon so save some of this bread to accompany that recipe. As i've mentioned, it freezes well. Just pop it into your toaster for a few minutes and it will come out like it is fresh from the oven!

Sorry for the short posts lately, it's been a bit of a challenge to find a comfortable position for my back where I can also type. I don't want to neglect you of any recipes though so short but sweet is how it will be for the time being. On the bright side all the time I would normally have spent cooking, working out and working on the blog has been spent coming up with some seriously creative ideas in my head. You can be sure when I'm back in action I will have some superb recipes and (safe) workouts coming your way!

Hearty GF & Vegan Quick Bread

by Davida Kugelmass

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 40 mins

Keywords: bake vegan gluten-free

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Ingredients (Yields: 16 slices)

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/3 cup flaxseed

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour (reserve another 1/4 cup for later)
• ½ cup brown rice flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

Instructions

1. Add warm water to a bowl or 4-cup liquid glass measure. Add the yeast and teaspoon of maple syrup, whisk together. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes to activate the yeast. The mixture should get foamy or bubbly. If not, dump it out and start over.

2.While the yeast is activating, mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3.After the yeast is activated whisk in the coconut oil, maple syrup, and ground flaxseed into the water-yeast mixture. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes (not any longer). Whisk again.

4.Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a large wooden spoon until thick. Then knead the dough on a floured wooden board to incorporate the flour.

5. Add more buckwheat flour, a little at a time, until the dough holds together and isn’t too sticky (about ¼ total). It should still be slightly sticky.

6. Grease a 9 x 9 inch loaf pan with coconut oil. Place dough into loaf pan, and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm spot to rise. Let dough rise for an hour to two hours or until doubled in size. Rising time will depend on the temperature of the environment around the dough.

7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. I usually use an 8 x 8-inch glass pan filled ¾ of the way full. This creates steam to help the crust get crispy.

8. Once oven has reached 400 degrees F. Place loaf pan on baking sheet (in case it drips over, which mine did a bit) and then place in oven.

9. Bake for 40-45 mins or until top is brown and crispy

10. Remove from oven and let cool 30 to 60 minutes before cutting into it. Slice and freeze if not eating all at once.

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Whats your go-to food when you're sick? Do you ever put cinnamon on your toast?

Mushroom Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Hello all! I know, it's been a while since you've heard from me. If you read my Weekend Recap then you should be up to date on the back injury I am dealing with. Though I think it is beginning to heal (fewer and fewer spasms) I am nowhere near my normal abilities or active self. I am doing my best to be patient and allowing my body to rest.

Needless to say, blogging has not been my first priority. It is a challenge getting work done everyday so I've had to put blogging on the back-burner. Cooking and baking has been very limited too but fortunately I have an arsenal of recipes that I have already made, tested and photographed for all of you! Now it's just a matter of getting myself in a comfortable position where I am also able to type them into a post. Currently in cobra pose...I look awkward! 

My eating has been quite sporadic this past week. Partially because I am less active and my body requires far less energy and also because some of the meds are making me feel a bit queazy (sorry for the details). Most of my food has been store-bought or defrosted from the stock-pile I have built up in the freezer.

These burgers are no exception. Since I often find myself cooking for one I end up freezing a lot of the food I make. I think I also inherited this quality from my Mom who has enough frozen food to feed my family for the next 3 years! If you're doubting me ask my college roommates if there was any space in our freezer for their food...I was a bit of a freezer hog.

I am quite thankful for this hoarding ability now that I have a limited capacity to cook. Cue the recipe for today, Mushroom Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers. These were a concoction that came out of, "I have all this stuff in the fridge, I am gonna throw it all together, form them into patties and call them burgers"! Fortunately this time it worked out. In fact they more than worked out, they were absolutely delicious! I made a big batch of these and froze half of them. I am continuing to reap the benefits now.

Also from the freezer are Udi's amazing gluten-free hamburger buns. I picked some of these up at the gluten-free garage and have found myself eating them even without a burger. But the combo of the two? Outstanding. These burgers are gluten-free, vegan and a quality I hold quite dearly, freezable! Now dig in...

Mushroom Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

by Davida Kugelmass

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Keywords: bake saute blender entree gluten-free vegan vegetarian

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Ingredients (Yields: 6 Burgers)

• 1 cup cooked sweet potato, skins removed
• 1 knob of coconut oil
• 2 lbs sliced mushrooms, any kind
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary (or use dried)
• 1 cup GF certified oats
• 1 T tahini
• 1 T mustard
• 3 T roasted or raw pumpkin seeds
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. If using fresh sweet potato, poke several holes in skin using a fork and then roast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour. Let cool and then scoop out flesh and discard skins.

2. Add coconut oil to a large skillet or wok on medium heat. Add onions and bell pepper. Sauté for 5 mins or until onions are translucent.

3. Add mushrooms and garlic and allow mushrooms to cook down for 5 mins.

4. Stir in herbs and let cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Turn off stove top and let mushroom mixture sit for 10 mins or until cooled somewhat.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

7. Add sweet potato and mushroom mixture to a food processor or blender. Add in remaining ingredients except oats.

8. Pulse several times until well combined.

9. Add in oats and pulse several more times until mixture has thickened.

10. Using your hands form 6 burger-shaped patties.

11. Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for 10 mins.

12. Remove from oven and flip. They will be very delicate and if they crumble just reform into pattie. They will hold together much better once you bake them on the other side.

13. Bake for another 10 mins on other side.

14. Remove from oven and serve or let cool and store in refrigerator. These also freeze well.

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Featured on: Wellness Weekends

Don't forget to enter the Epic GiveawEH if you haven't already! Some awesome Canadian products that you can win (even if you aren't Canadian!). It ends next Tuesday. 

Do you freeze your food? How about leftovers? Do you normally make enough for leftovers or prefer to eat different foods for every meal?