Kale Avocado Breakfast Smoothie

This 100% Organic Tropical blend packed with Nutrients

In celebration of the warmer weather and the snow finally dissipating, I decided that it's time to fire up the old treadmill and start exercising once again. After much struggle hopping on the old horse again, I decided to experiment with my blender and ended up with this delicious concoction. This smoothie is perfect for a pre/ post-workout snack.

This thick and hardy smoothie is packed with energy, and nutrients and a rich tropical flavour that your body needs after a light workout, or breakfast replacement. This recipe contains a 100% organic ingredients which include: kale, avocado, banana, mango, pineapple and dates.

This recipe is super easy to make and is done in minutes. It is recommended to add in some Organic Whey Powder, which is great to help build and tone muscle mass after a work out. However, I was unable to get my hands on some at this time. I shall invest shortly as my workout training progresses. Anyways, let's get started!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger

A Great Beef Alternative; Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger

In celebration of spring slowly creeping back into the picture, we decided that it's time we fire up the grill and make some burgers, vegan and vegetarian style!

This week at Chews Healthy we made Portobello Mushroom Burgers marinated in a home-made balsamic vinaigrette, topped off with grilled onions, organic tomatoes, raw kale, and sliced avocado on a whole wheat kaiser bun. This beef alternative burger recipe will put a smile of satisfaction on anyone's face. It's highly doubtful that they will even miss the beef.

Anyways, it's time to stop salivating and start marking and eating. Let's get started!

Spicy Peanut Tofu Stir Fry

Spicy & Nutty Thai Stir Fry

This week at Chew's Healthy, I was invited over for a small dinner party pot luck, and I didn't know what to bring. I haven't done a stir fry in a while, and it's pretty safe to say that everyone likes thai food, so I thought this recipe was a perfect match for party. This dish is loaded with vibrant veggies and a spicy and nutty thai inspired flavour. It also contains grilled marinated tofu cubes, or shall I say rectangular prisms, hah.

After all was said and eaten, my dish was a big success with a ton of compliments. This hearty recipe contains: organic brocoli, carrots, green cabbage, yellow onions, kale, baby bok choy, snap peas, red and green peppers, and organic tofu. The sauce is made from scratch which contains: peanut butter, organic raw honey, lime juice, reduced sodium soy sauce, and sriracha sauce.

Let's start cooking!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

Rolled Oats with Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Flax Seed

This week at Chews Healthy, I was itching to make another dessert. As a connoisseur of peanut butter, it was a no brainer to make these delicious balls of goodness. This recipe is packed with rolled oats, ground flax seed, organic raw honey, peanut butter, and dark chocolate. What's not to love, seriously?

Since this blog is dedicated to health, it is important to note that although all of the ingredients in this recipe are healthy for you, it's not recommended to eat a full batch of these in one sitting! They are recommended to eat in place of an energy or granola bar.

This recipe is super easy to make as it requires no baking or cooking. Simply mix, roll, indulge. Anyways, let's get started!

Spicy Thai Curry Kale Chips

Spicy Thai Curry with Lime and crushed Peanut flavoured Kale Chips

This week at Chews Healthy we decided to make Spicy Thai Curry Kale Chips. In the past I have made them before, but I had only followed traditional recipes. Although the usual "bake
with olive oil, salt and pepper" is tasty, I questioned myself why limit myself on one flavour? So I ended up experimenting a little, and after a few failed attempts I ended up with this spicy Thai inspired concoction.

This recipe is inspired by the flavours of Thailand which consists of lime, curry, peanuts, ginger, and spices. This crispy snack is a great way to fulfill all your potato chip cravings except that there shouldn't be any associated guilt in eating them! After all, kale is a nutritional powerhouse! According to WebMD.com :

"Kale is a Nutritional Powerhouse. One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus."

Anyways, enough about how healthy and tasty kale is; it's time to read less and eat more. Let's get started:

Who Said Leftovers Needs To Suck? Dill-Lemon Pasta Salad

Dill-Lemon Pasta Salad

This week at Chews Healthy, I was scavenging through my fridge  looking to munch on a snack, when I realized that nothing looked very appealing. I for one am never in the mood to eat leftovers, they just never taste as good as they do when you first make them. So this got me thinking, why not make a dish that tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge.

Today we will be making a Lemon-Dill Pasta Salad! This dish is loaded with nutrients and flavour it contains; whole wheat farfalle pasta, avocado, goat cheese feta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kale, red pepper, onion, dill, lemon and garlic. What's not to love, seriously.

So let's get started!

Home-Made Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, topped off with Black Olives

This week at Chews Healthy we will be making a home-made Sun-dried Tomato Hummus. This recipe  will make you question why you would ever want to buy prepackaged hummus again. This snack recipe contains a 100% all natural and organic ingredients. Hummus is a really easy snack to make that is great for parties or even food to munch on when catching up to your favourite television show. It can  be spread or dipped. It's best accompanied with crackers, toast, sandwiches, or pita chips.

Chickpeas, the main ingredient in this recipe, is enriched with proteins, Omega 3 fatty acids, and doesn't contain any saturated or trans fats. Additionally, it helps prevent cholesterol buildups in your arteries. Tahini, a paste made from sunflower seeds which is used in the recipe, is also packed with protein and contains calcium.

Anyways, enough about the health facts and more eating! Let's get started!

Guilt-Free Cookies? Seriously, They Exist!

Cranberry-Coconut Flaxseed & Oatmeal Cookies

This week at Chews Healthy, I decided to try something completely different, cookies! Everyone likes cookies, in fact I have never met someone who would turn down a cookie. Hypothetically speaking, if they did turn one down I would just assume they were a diet or just plain crazy.  Assuming they are not mentally unstable, and just health conscious, I decided to try and make this batch of cookies as healthy and guilt-free as possible.

These cookies are loaded with nutrition and flavour! Each cookie is made with rolled organic oats, whole wheat flour, ground flaxseeds, agave nectar, cranberries and unsweeted coconuts. Not to mention that there is no refined sugar in this recipe. The flaxseeds are packed with fibre, proteins, omega-3 fatty acids and Lignans. Lignans are "a type of phytoestrogen that may protect against certain types of cancer, including breast cancer and prostate cancer. Even the National Cancer Institute has identified its cancer-fighting potential." (B. Hand and N. Nichols. 2013).

Okay, so let's get started!

Oven-Baked Stuffed Eggplant

Packed with Quinoa, Veggies, and topped with Goat Feta

This week at Chews Healthy, I decided to try something different, something I have never made before. I had originally had this dish at a friend's place last week at a small diner party, and to say the least I was quite impressed by the flavours from this entrée. The flavours in this dish are robust and savoury,  and is packed with proteins and vitamins.To top it all off, it is sprinkled with goat feta cheese, what's not to love, seriously!

Goat cheese is  higher in calcium, and lower in fat and calories in comparison to it's cow counterpart. "Goat cheese clocks in at eighty calories and six grams of fat per ounce, compared to cow's milk cheese, which generally has around 100 calories and 10 g of fat per ounce. This means goat cheese is the better choice for staying fit and thin." (Fromagerie Belle Chèvre. 2013)

Anyways, enough about the facts and more about the making and eating. Let's get started!

Zesty & Spicy Mexican Quinoa Salad

This week at Chews Healthy, we will be making a vegan friendly Mexican inspired Quinoa Salad. This salad is great served up with any main dish, such as grilled chicken breasts. Not to mention that it tastes even better the next day while it sits in your fridge, this allows all of the flavours to become infused together. This salad is enriched high levels of protein and has a small kick of spice for those who love the heat.

For those who do not know about quinoa, it is an ancient, gluten-free grain, which was "...originated in the Andeanregion of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, where it was successfully domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago".[1] Quinoa can be used in a large variety of dishes from salads, to breakfast to dinner, it can be used anytime of day and is a great replacement for dishes that require a rice side dish. "One of the best reasons to enjoy quinoa is because it has a high-protein content, which makes it a great cholesterol-free and low-fat source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. According to the USDA nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked quinoa (185 g) contains 8.14 grams of protein. To put that in reference, the recommended daily protein intake is about 56 grams for most men and 46 for most women." [2]

This recipe is the easiest to recreate to date on Chews Healthy, so let's get started!

Go Goat for Home-Made Pizza

Hello all, for those new and returning, welcome! This is the second week that Healthy Chews is up and running and I’m very excited about this week’s recipe.

Organic & Enriched Vitamins

This week we are going to be making homemade super hardy whole wheat thin crust personal pizzas. These pizzas are loaded with fresh organic veggies and topped off with herb and garlic goat cheese. I decided to make my own fresh pizza tomato sauce since the prepackaged kind is usually filled with preservatives, high levels of sodium, and other chemicals.

Okay, so let’s get started!

Vicious Vegan Veggie Panini

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this blog, so bare with me!

This week we will be making our first recipe, we are going to tackle a veggie and avocado panini! This recipe is also a good vegan option for all you vegans out there. This sandwich is enriched with high nutrition, low calories and a full array of bright vibrant colours.

Paninis are one of my favourite foods, super simple to make, and better yet, super easy to devour quickly. It probably has something with to do with the crispy bread crusts and the gooey goodness inside that just makes most mouths water. Okay, so let's get started!