From my kitchen to yours! Whether you’re new to cooking or have a knack for it, or have food sensitivities or eat everything – explore delicious real food recipes that I have created and photographed over the years.
Everyone loves a thick, dense, chewy bar – something hearty that will actually keep you satiated for a long time. That was the goal of these bars! Plus, it’s gluten-free and nut-free for those who need it (it’s hard to find a bar out there with both of those qualities!) it’s made with ingredients you know and can trust and can source yourself which will certainly help if you have any allergies or intolerances. Enjoy!
Makes 8 bars (3 x 1 inch)
follow link Ingredients
¼ cup honey
4 pitted medjool dates
½ cup sunflower seed butter (nut free certified to ensure nut free)
½ tsp vanilla extract (gluten free certified to ensure gluten free)
1 cup rolled oats (gluten free certified to ensure gluten free)
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut (may need to ensure nut free certified)
1 cup vanilla whey protein powder
3 tbsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
It’s that time of year of fresh delicious side dishes! Enjoy this vibrant smooth and spicy sauce on this crunchy salad with whatever you’re bringing to a backyard BBQ! This creamy whipped sauce doesn’t have any cheese or dairy, so don’t fret if you happen to be tummy sensitive, this salad is for you! Another bonus – no mayo – so you don’t need to worry so much about the sun making this into a food poisoning disaster. Phew!
Ingredients:
5 cups of small sliced broccoli florets (approximately 4 stalks)
½ cup chopped red cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Sauce
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 – 3 tablespoons water
pinch cayenne (1/8 tsp or more for more spice)
Toppings
2 tbsp currants
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1 shallot, sliced and cooked until crunchy
2 tsp butter (use olive oil if dairy sensitive)
Directions
I’m calling this “stuffing” even though it’s not stuffed inside a bird (though, I don’t see why it couldn’t). However, stuffing is so yummy – especially when it’s chalk full of whole food, veggies and healthy fats – that you should be able to eat this regardless – and making it outside of a bird, plus using veggie broth – makes this a dish you can serve to any vegan or vegetarian friend of yours that comes to dinner! Food for everyone.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups wild rice
2 cups chicken broth (use veggie broth for vegan friendly)
2 cups water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped kale, no stems (approx 3 leaves)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ tsp ground thyme
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped dried apricots (approx. 20 whole dried apricots)
Directions
Kiwi always reminds me that beauty is on the inside and never to judge a book by it’s cover. You cut it open and it just screams “WOW!”. It’s gorgeous and it’s wrapped in a boring brown package, I kind of love that.
Anyways, I couldn’t decide which I liked best between these two green smoothie recipes – one with spinach and the other with cucumber. They both taste great, but the cucumber one tasted especially refreshing with or without protein powder and the one with spinach tasted best with protein powder. So whether you enjoy powders or not, there’s a smoothie for you here.
Dairy free, and it takes “green smoothie” to a whole other meaning with a green fruit, green vegetable and a green healthy fat! Just for fun.
Ingredients
2 kiwis*
½ cup (approx. 5 frozen chunks) of chopped fresh or frozen mango
¼ of avocado
1 large handful of spinach
¼ cup lite coconut milk, or 2 tbsp regular coconut milk
½ cup water
Optional – vanilla flavoured protein powder (tested with a vegan vanilla brand)
*slice the kiwi in half, and use a large spoon to scoop out the inside instead of trying to peel it.
Directions – add everything to a blender and add more water if needed for desired consistency.
Recommended to blend all ingredients first, and then if adding a protein powder – add it afterwards and blend again.
Ingredients
2 kiwis*
½ cup (approx. 5 frozen chunks) of chopped fresh or frozen mango
¼ of avocado
1/3 of a cucumber, sliced into chunks
¼ cup lite coconut milk, or 2 tbsp regular coconut milk
½ cup water
Optional – vanilla flavoured protein powder (tested with a vegan vanilla brand)
*slice the kiwi in half, and use a large spoon to scoop out the inside instead of trying to peel it.
Directions – add everything to a blender and add more water if needed for desired consistency.
Recommended to blend all ingredients first, and then if adding a protein powder – add it afterwards and blend again.
Who doesn’t love fries? When I posted this image on instagram I was able to use every and all possible hashtags for various diets – no matter what your diet philosophy – paleo, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, etc – everyone can enjoy these!
Now, I can’t really say this is MY recipe – when something calls for such minimal ingredients, how can one really claim it as theirs? Plus, there aren’t really exact quantities. But, I’m sharing it anyways because why not 🙂
Ingredients
Directions
*If you do not have a mandolin slicer — cut the potato in half, then each half in half again so the potato is in quarters. Slice approx 1.5 mm slices from each quarter. You’ll notice these slices might be quite thick – cut though in half as well so you’re left with small matchsticks.
Yes – I still exist, even though I haven’t published anything on my site in awhile 🙂
I just realized I’ve been depriving all of you wonderful people from recipe updates and ideas! How selfish of me.
How come? Well, I’ve actually been busy working on recipes over at Precision Nutrition’s Encyclopedia of food (a database to help educate you about specific foods – storing, cooking, nutrition info and more – and provides a recipe to go along with it) along with many other talented individuals. So come on over and receive 4 new recipes each month! 🙂
I always say, the best way to build a relationship with food is to get to know it – so try and introduce yourself to a new food this week and learn about it. Kinda like a human relationship right? To grow the relationship you need to spend time, get to know each other, treat each other with respect and determine if you’re right for each other 😉
Stayed tuned for the following recipes in the Encyclopedia over the course of several months:
I’ll continue to update my instagram account as I create more and more recipes to help my photography evolve 🙂
It’s also that time of year again! As most of you know, I’m a nutrition coach at Precision Nutrition and I accept clients only ONCE a year – every July – to work together for a solid 12 months. And since July is around the corner (July 12th to be specific), I just wanted to send out a reminder 🙂
Women can sign up to receive a discount here
Men can sign up to receive a discount here
Because discounts are nice 🙂
As I wrap up another year of clients – I am continually inspired by them and reminded that a journey of health, nutrition and fitness is about what you GAIN, not what you lose (if weight loss is your goal). Such an empowering feeling, right?
Whether it’s gaining more freedom of movement, more freedom in the grocery store, the ability to play with your children, skills in the kitchen, feeling strong, feeling confident, feeling knowledgeable, or having a better relationship with food – you can GAIN a whole lot by working on your health and fitness.
I feel honoured to be able to share stories of inspiring individuals that went through the program – maybe you see yourself in one of them?
14 Amazing Stories + more from this week – we have a section of the program called “a postcard from the future” – what would you say to your future self?
“I am loving this habit and these lessons because they encourage me to look backwards from where I’ve come. Not being able to go for a long walk. (without drugs) to randomly (every day) taking at least 45 minutes to walk. I haven’t taken prescription pain killers since around Christmas. I can dead lift 105 lbs now. Now I know, when I try a new exercise if it will cause problems or not. I stop, now, and don’t fight through it like I used to. I know when to get help from trainers, massage therapist, chiro etc. I started this cycling season with a 35 km bike ride. Last year, I only ended at 50. The list goes on and on. It really makes me excited about the future, my future.”
“For most of my adult life I have looked after kids, aging parent, husband, horses, neighbour kids, even the humming birds eat better than I do! This week I have an opportunity to a) stay in one place for a week b) mostly alone c) plan my own agenda and schedule. Normally I would go out to eat cause what does it matter? It’s just me. I would have a glass of wine or two ( for stress) cause what does it matter? It’s just me. And I would let my workouts slide cause what does it matter? I have time and can do them later. BUT THIS WEEK IS MY WEEK. I woke up one morning and something had happened and I WANT to be healthy. I want to plan and prep my food. I want to make progress towards my goals. What? Yes! For me! Not ‘it’s just me’ but it’s for me! I like making progress and I like working hard. I realize now that I can make progress and work hard, for me, for my goals. Who knew?
Thanks PN coaching! I can not explain how significant this is.”
Rachelle – “We took the kids to the city Museum – it has tons of crazy tunnels and crawl spaces for kids to explore. We split up into pairs and my 5-year-old dragged me ALL OVER the tunnels, both inside and outside of the museum. She kept saying, “no fear! That’s the rule!” (It was a little scary, especially in the wire tunnels that stretched like 3 stories above the ground, leading to airplanes precariously balanced on towers!). Anyway, my knees were KILLING me after an hour or two of this, and I wished I had brought knee pads. I ended up bear crawling through most of the rest of the tunnels, and I thought about how grateful I was that I’ve been bear crawling at every workout this past year! My whole intention with PN was to engage more in my children’s lives and I was truly able to do that this week. I could have sat on the sidelines abs watched the kids creak around, but instead I was able to join in and create memories together.” – Rachelle also lost 40lbs!
And it’s not just for weight loss – it’s for anyone looking to improve their health and nutrition. To give you an example – some goals coming into the program can be to lose weight, to gain muscle, to gain weight, to eat healthier, to have a better understanding of what to eat, to gain support, to help them implement what they know and turn it into action and so much more!
But, enough about that – I just can’t help but share inspiring stories of individuals who have worked hard to improve their health, their life and their well being – it’s stories like these that reminds me why I became a nutritionist in the first place 🙂
And, if that’s not what you’re interested in or you’re already living out the healthy lifestyle you want – awesome! Then be sure to sign up to receive those delicious recipe updates – you’ll receive 4 recipes a month in your inbox along with really fascinating information on specific foods. And who doesn’t love some food inspiration? Enjoy!
And that doesn’t mean things won’t be appearing on this website either – I’ll surprise you 🙂
I don’t know about you, but my favourite part of a pumpkin pie is the filling! Of course, the crust is delicious too, but I always wanted a second slice of just the filling – it’s so silky, smooth and delicious!
Hence, why I wanted to see if my normal dairy-free soy-free pumpkin pie filling would work inside of a mason jar – duh! Everything works in a mason jar, because they are glorious and wonderful.
I recommend using the little 125ml or 250ml mason jars (I used 500ml in the picture, but it ended up using half of the recipe – whoops!)
Enjoy!
Created by Sarah Maughan
Ingredients
*This recipe fills 2 x 500ml mason jars, 4 x 250ml jars or 8 x 125 ml jars
Directions:
I have another apple recipe coming at ya – can you tell I’m all about this Fall stuff? As funny as this is, I actually made all of these recipes BEFORE going apple picking. So, I guess I’ll just have to make some more with all of the new apples I get. Darn.
I filed this recipe under Desserts n’ Sweets AND breakfast – I don’t see why this couldn’t be both 🙂
Created by Sarah Maughan
Ingredients (per 1 serving/apple)
1 apple (I’ve used gala, empire, and honey crisp)
2 tbsp gluten free rolled oats or granola or crushed walnuts – I’ve made this many times with all of these variations, even with my quinoa granola
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter or coconut oil (only if using plain oats to wet them – not granola)
1 – 2 tsp 100% maple syrup* (ensure 2 if using plain rolled oats or nuts)
1 – 2 tsp 100% natural nut butter* (in the image it’s peanut butter, but I also enjoy cashew and sunflower seed butter)
*Be as generous as you want with the maple syrup and nut butter because they are delicious – it won’t mess up the recipe – I swear 🙂
Directions
Is there anything more delicious than Fall flavours? Well, if it’s jammed into a dessert fit for one – that’s even better!
On the weekend I experimented with and cooked up some individual apple crumbles – one with an oat topping, and the other with a quinoa topping – both turned out wonderfully!
One of the batches had egg white in the topping and I also experimented without it. Although it tasted delicious, it wasn’t as “crumbly” as I feel most people would expect so for that reason I decided to keep it out – but feel free to try it if you like that super crispy topping! I personally preferred the one with the egg white because I like a topping that’s crunchy and stuck together – but, to each their own 🙂
The mason jar on the left is the oat topping, and the one on the right is the quinoa topping – enjoy!
Ingredients (per 1 x 500ml mason jar)
Filling:
1 apple (I’ve used both gala and honey crisp) peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
drizzle of maple syrup (approx 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp corn starch
juice from 1/4 lemon slice (approx 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
Crumble Topping
1/3 cup GF rolled oats OR quinoa flakes
1/8 cup almond flour
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp melted coconut oil – or a smidgen more so there’s enough to wet the topping
1 tsp ground flaxseed
sprinkle of cinnamon
Optional – 1 egg white (or a little less, 1 egg white works perfectly for 2 toppings) for an extra crunchy topping, but if you prefer it to be loose and flaky, then omit the egg white
Directions
Anything lemon blueberry or lemon poppy seed is my favourite baking combination ever. I make gluten-free shortbread with dried blueberries and lemon zest and they are a lot more flavourful than the regular shortbread. Who knew anything could be better than the melting buttery shortbread? Add lemon and blueberry and bam – you have yourself a winner!
I used the recipe from this website and made it into mini muffins – not a cake because I didn’t actually have a cake pan right now which I know, makes me an insane person.
I ended up using coconut oil because I didn’t have grapeseed or ghee and I used the maple syrup and egg options. I didn’t end up trying the frosting completely but I did put vanilla yogurt in between and I have to say – it was pretty good and a nice complement to the tart sweetness and tart from the blueberries.
One batch DID fall apart though and that was 100% my fault, not anything to do with the recipe.
So folks, if you’re baking gluten-free it’s important to evaluate whether it’s the recipe that isn’t working or if it’s the process. That’s why when I bake gluten free I tend to make muffins (instead of cakes – hence why I have a lot more muffin pans than cake pans apparently) on the first round and I will cook 2 different batches so I have 2 attempts at the cooking time and 2 attempts at the removing from the trays just to be sure it’s not the recipes fault, and you know, so I don’t burn them.
The trick to making this recipe not fall apart, was leaving them in the pan to cool for a bit – which they did point out on the website and I obviously listened well – then using a rubber spatula, gently release the edges from the pan and gently taking them out. If you take them out while they’re hot, well, enjoy your lemon blueberry crumble – which tastes all the same in your mouth anyways 🙂
Preheat oven to 350F. Add almond flour to a bowl and add 3 tbsp poppy seeds, this is what 1 tbsp poppy seeds looks like in your hand
Add 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp baking powder – this is what they both look like on your hand
Melt maple syrup and coconut oil in a pan
Zest your lemon into the syrup and oil pan
Squeeze half the lemon into the syrup and oil pan and bring to a boil then quickly remove
Pour the syrup/oil mixture into the almond flour mixture and stir
Beat the eggs in a separate dish and then pour into almond flour mixture and stir
Add blueberries and gently mix
Stare at the batter and try not to eat it
Lightly grease mini muffin tin (I used coconut oil by wiping it onto a paper towel and then smearing it inside the muffin slots) Then fill each muffin slot to the top (the batter will be sticky). Wet your finger and slightly dry it but leave it damp – then use your finger to push the batter down into the pan as it will prevent the batter from sticking to your finger. And now it’s ready to bake! Bake for 10 minutes and watch the edges. It’s ready when the edges are slightly golden brown.
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