Today’s dinner consisted of one of my boys eating his fish and not eating his broccoli and purple potatoes, the other one would only eat his broccoli and potatoes. Together they make a nutritionally balanced kid, but apart they like to make me work for it.
Of course I told them to eat it and they declined saying that they don’t like it, and you know how it goes from there. The food tug of war that no one ever wins…
So I walked away slightly annoyed and decided they are on a need to know basis for the next little bit while we make it through this picky period. I’m a believer in bringing them into the kitchen, having them cook with me and teaching them about food and health as much as I can without them rolling their eyes. In reality it’s not always feasible to get into these big lessons when everyone is hungry and you’ve got 20 minutes to make something. Sometimes I just want them to eat their damn vegetables and be done with it.
I had to kick up my creativity in the easiest way I know how.
What do they both love…pancakes!
What is the most challenging green to include lately…kale!
So I’ll put kale in their pancakes.
Kale is a tad bitter so I had to add some berries to counter with sweetness. I blended three different purees to add to Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free pancake mix.
Raspberry Puree
1/2 cup organic frozen raspberries + 4 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
Blueberry Puree
1/2 cup organic frozen blueberries + 4 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
Kale Puree
1/2 cup organic frozen kale + 1 banana + 6 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
I blended them all one at a time in my Vitamix. I then added it to the pancake batter and cooked up the pancakes as usual.
My eldest is the true kale hater in our home and he ate two plates without noticing a thing. His palate normally has a leafy-green detector, but the flavour really worked to disguise any bitterness.
He loved it so much it’s going in his lunch tomorrow as a snack.
Can I get a Kale-Yeah!
<3 Miranda
I’ve had the pleasure of supporting Canada’s Queen of R&B Jully Black over the past three months in nurturing and supporting her POWERHOUSE voice. She calls me her belly boss. Jully came to me with the desire to support her voice as she ramps up to record a new album. She also wanted to strengthen her body and feel more energy. If you’ve seen Jully perform or simply just been in the room with her, you know that she possesses an incredibly contagious energy. She exudes passion and has channeled her energy into inspiring women to love the skin they are in as co-creator of Empowered In My Skin. I was honoured to be asked by Jully to speak at her sold out conference with over 170 women this past September. The next one is April 8th, so get your tickets fast!
Now, I thought that I was going to be the teacher in this relationship, but that quickly changed when Jully inspired me to get back on my drum kit. I started playing at age 3 and decided to stop at 13. You just never know why you cross paths with someone until you turn back and realize that it’s all in the master plan. We felt so inspired by each other that we created a page called SoulFull in The Kitchen. It’s an account that shares our journey of nourishing the body so music can feed the soul. We’d love for you to follow it here.
Jully is a force to be reckoned and is felt when she sings, speaks and performs. She told me when we first met that she burns over 2,000 calories during her regular performance. “WHAT, the what!!” was my reaction. That’s like running for 12 miles without any stops.
So, in creating a plan for her I had to consider that she needed the right foods to support her vocal chords, but I also had to treat her pre and post performance days like she was an athlete, because she is! With the right foods, prepping in advance, travel snacks and her travel blender from Vitamix, Jully has experienced many positive changes.
She is currently in L.A recording with her team and I got the best message attached to one of her newest songs (You are definitely going to want to hear this one as soon as it’s released!)
” I just did the vocal performance of my career. Did everything you taught me.”
There were no better words to hear.
She then sent me a picture of her in the airport at 6 a.m. eating a can of mackerel for breakfast, with “In it to Win It” Followed by her 10 push ups for #fallandpushup30
Her commitment is a nutritionist’s dream. Her dedication to her body, mind and spirit is and will pay off in big ways.
Food is a powerful tool in our life. When we consume it the way our body requires, our gifts are elevated. When we are no longer clouded by the foods that do not serve us, we can connect deeper to what does serve us for a more fulfilling journey. For Jully, my goal was to increase anti-inflammatory foods, hydrating foods, and foods rich in antioxidants. We eliminated all mucous-forming foods and paired certain foods together for extra support during key performances.
If you are a singer, do not underestimate the power of vocal nutrition!
Here are some tips to help you nourish your beautiful gift.
Avoid
- Cow’s Dairy: yogurt, cheese, milk, cream. Dairy creates mucus and phlegm and a constant need to clear the throat.
- Refined grains: white, whole wheat are inflammatory to the body
- High salt: no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day
- Caffeine: keep it to 1-2 caffeinated beverages per day max. Coffee can irritate the vocal folds, stimulating mucous production and stiffness. Try a herbal tea as a swap.
- Carbonated drinks: This can be irritating to the vocal chords.
- Avoid too cold or too hot for vocal chords. It will affect the muscles of your larynx.
- Alcohol: dehydrates the vocal chords
- Spicy foods: can irritate and cause heartburn for some
- Candy: creates inflammation in the body
Include
- Water: hydrate throughout the day. It takes a minimum of 20 minutes for the water you drink to reach your larynx. Have a glass 30 minutes before beginning vocal work.
- Water-dense foods: cucumber, celery, tomatoes, watermelon (moderate for weight loss), romaine, apples, bone broth (homemade)
- Foods Rich in Vitamin A & C: sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, collard greens, romaine, kale, strawberries, red peppers, kiwis
- To stimulate saliva and avoid dryness: mug of ginger tea with 1 tsp Manuka honey, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar + Manuka honey in 8 oz glass of water, handful of golden berries can also help with stimulating saliva
- Avoid eating right before a performance: best to eat 2 hours before so your stomach isn’t too full as this can impact your voice.
- For hoarseness: B12, echinacea, ginseng, rosehips, licorice root. Steam with eucalyptus, lavender, geranium.
- Gargling with warm salt water is instantaneous hydration for the throat and vocal cords: Gargle 3-5 times for thirty seconds as needed or before vocal work. You can also add Throat Coat tea to the salt water gargle. Throat Coat tea decreases inflammation and lubricates the cords.
September 1st has always given me that sinking feeling in my stomach that the back to school / back to work craziness is about to begin. Earlier mornings, later nights, very little downtime and even less checked off my self-care list has been what I experienced in the past 7 years after becoming a mom. It’s beautiful chaos, being a mom and watching the precious fleeting moments that I try to be present for. By present I mean that I am in the moment and not on my phone or thinking about what I have to get done and those become the moments I live for. I am not an expert in being present, I struggle with it but I’m conscious of how important it is to remind myself to pay attention to the moment. With the deadlines that loom in the fall I catch myself with less and less tuned in moments. When I’m more anxious, I end up getting stuck in patterned thinking and thinking leads you away from the moments. Less moments with my kids make me more anxious. The less I get done, the less I end up getting done because I stress out about not getting it done! Brutal cycle and I decided that I am so done with feeling this useless negative feeling. So, this fall I decided to add something to my list that was small enough to commit to, but big enough that it would make a difference in the way I feel.
Since becoming a mom, I haven’t been able to get to a gym or class as frequently as I want so I decided to challenge myself to something I can do in 3 minutes a day wherever I was; 30 push ups per day for 30 days in September. This worked out to 10 before breakfast, 10 before lunch and 10 before dinner. The end of the month would total 900!
I knew that it was a small goal that I could actually execute and one that would contribute to me feeling physically and mentally better, but I didn’t know how good I would feel!
I felt more productive. By actually completing this small goal everyday I felt like I was making movement in my life. Sometimes with the grind of day to day chores I feel like I never truly get anything done. This little goal everyday helped me to feel more in control of my life.
My core became so much stronger. After having the boys, my core has always been the weakest part of my body. Although I know pushups help to strengthen the core, I had no idea how much I’d feel it in my abs daily! I noticed more definition in my upper body too.
I watched my kids become interested too. It became a normal part of our day – and as they watched me get down on the floor to do my set of 10 they wanted to be involved. Both of my boys joined in when they felt like it and at the end of the month my little one started telling me to do my push ups so he could count. Making physical activity a normal part of their life is super important to me.
It created a wave of others wanting to do it too! That was so amazing to watch. It was so inspiring that it motivated me to keep on going into October. I am now on day 45 of #fallandpushup30!
R&B Powerhouse Singer Jully Black is currently on Day 16!
If you are up for the challenge tag @mirandamalisani and use the hashtag #fallandpushup30
After my Chocolate Avocado cake disappeared into the bellies of my boys in ONE day, I just had to bake something more with this creamy combo.
I love how an avocado acts as the perfect fat once smoothed out, I didn’t need any oil for this recipe.
I decided to use my Vitamix for this recipe because it’s my favourite kitchen toy and it gets the avocado to a pureed state without any little pieces.
Here’s the recipe:
Chocolate Chip Avocado Mini Muffins
Makes 24 mini muffins
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup raw honey
7 tbsp unsweetened organic apple sauce (the amount in a snack pack cup)
2 organic eggs
1 1/4 cup millet flour
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- In a high powered blender add the avocado, banana, honey, apple sauce, cacao, and coconut sugar and blend until it’s smooth
- Add in the two eggs and blend on low to combine
- In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine
- Add dark chocolate chips and evenly distribute
- Add mini muffin liners to mini muffin tin
- Add 1 tbsp of batter to each mini muffin liner
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until your toothpick is dry when carefully inserted in the middle
- Let cool and enjoy!
Miranda <3
This cake speaks for itself. Creamy chocolate, creamy avocado. Not much more to say but YUM.
From a nutritional perspective, it’s a heart healthy cake. I used avocado and olive oil in this recipe which contain a significant amount of monounsaturated fat which help to support and strengthen the cardiovascular system. Raw cacao is rich in the mineral magnesium which helps to relax your heart and you in general. I gave it to the boys for dessert tonight and after doing 20 laps around the house they slipped into dream land faster than usual. I’m going to thank the magnesium for that.
I made it without nuts so it will also be packed in their lunch as a healthy treat tomorrow.
Here’s the recipe:
Gluten-Free Chocolate Avocado Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup millet flour (I assume any GF flour would work here)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/4 cup raw honey
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup organic virgin olive oil
2 tbsp plain goat cream cheese
7 tbsp organic unsweetened apple sauce (the amount in the little snack pack cups)
1 organic egg
1/2 cup Camino dark chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In a medium bowl add all dry ingredients and whisk to combine
- In another medium bowl add all wet ingredients. Use the whisk to break down the avocado and combine with other ingredients until smooth
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine
- Add dark chocolate chips and stir
- Add mix to a baking pan. I used my favourite heart shaped pan, closest to a 10×10 sized pan.
- Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Stick a toothpick in it to test – it’s ready if it comes out dry.
- Let cool and enjoy!
<3 Miranda
Fish oil. Yup, I did. I put it in my frozen treats for the boys and they loved it.
Sea-licious Maple Fish oil is so tasty that they’ll pull the bottle out of the fridge themselves and remind me to give it to them.
Let’s be clear, I don’t get into great detail of the specific ingredients inside. They have no idea that there’s anchovy, mackeral, and sardine body oil mixed into these Maple Vanilla Frozen Cups. They just care that it tastes good. And I care that they eat it and get the health benefits.
I do tell them that it will make them smarter and make them see better because fish oil is crucial for growing brains and healthy eyes.
I wanted to get creative with these frozen treats with Halloween around the corner. With the scary amount of food colouring, unhealthy fat, and additives in most Halloween candy, I always try to entice the kids with my treats to detour them from their loot.
Okay the taste is obviously delicious because I can use it in this dessert, but there’s so much more to love about this company and this fish oil.
Sea-licious is a Canadian company created by rock-star Dietician and mom of three, Karlene Karst. She developed it from a place of love and the desire to nourish her family. It is such a great product that it has trickled into a huge amount of Canadian homes and bellies.
The quality of this product is exceptional. It has a bright red colour (not food colouring) as a result of the ASTA-GUARD™ (algae astaxanthin), which is one of the most powerful antioxidants available today. It is over 130 times more potent than vitamin C and gives Sea-licious its unique colour. ASTA-GUARD™ helps to protect our bodies’ cells from toxic damage and free radicals while preserving and protecting Sea-licious from light, air and heat.
And there’s more…
Each serving has 1,000 mg of Vitamin D. Winter is just around the corner (insert sad face), and Vitamin D is truly important to maintain good health.
It is also sweetened with monk fruit, is non-GMO, gluten-free, contains no shellfish and is 5-star IFOS tested and certified for purity, potency and freshness.
In addition to our fave maple flavour (how Canadian!) they have a wide variety of other products for consumers young to old. Our top faves are the pregnancy formula and the kids cotton candy combination. You can check out other awesome Sea-Licicious products here.
Getting back to my Maple Vanilla Frozen Bites, these treats are not just for your kids. You should eat them too! Omega-3 fats found in fish oil provide glowing skin, shinier hair and stronger nails better than any topical product. It’s beauty from the inside out.
Essential fats are crucial for a healthy heart and brain from age 0 to 100. It’s challenging for many to get these fats in their diet, so supplementation is a good option. The result is better concentration, calmer moods, sharper memory, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and decreased inflammation overall.
Here’s the recipe so you can make a batch and see for yourself!
Maple Vanilla Frozen Cups
Makes 8
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp Sea-Licious Natural Maple
1/4 cup unsweetened virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp pumpkin seed butter
1 vanilla pod, scraped seeds or 2 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Blend ingredients in a blender
- Add even amount to 8 mini muffin liners on a mini muffin tray
- Stick in the freezer for 2 hours or until hardened
Keep in the freezer and have one when to satisfy a sweet craving
Although this post has been generously sponsored by Sea-Licious, the opinions and language are my own.
Feeling stuffed after your turkey feast?! Try this 1-day detox to get back on track.
FIRST THING and sip throughout the day too
(Make night before)
Ginger, Lemon & Mint Water
Ingredients:
1.5 liters of filtered water
2 thumbnail sized ginger root (peel and slice, mince or shred)
2 organic lemons
handful of fresh mint
Directions:
Wash produce well
Remove rind from one lemon, slice and add to water. Squeeze the juice from the the other lemon.
Add ginger and mint
Stir and let infuse over night in the fridge
Pour a glass first thing in the morning
By 9 a.m.
BREAKFAST:
Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
1 cup plain organic yogurt (unsweetened coconut was used for this recipe)
1 scoop vanilla plant based protein powder
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger powder
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and add into 4 small mason jars
Store in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours before serving
LUNCH: NOON
Cucumber Lime Cleansing Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 organic cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup frozen pineapple
2 limes, juice only
1 handful baby spinach
2 tbsp hemp hearts
Ice
Directions:
Blend and serve immediately
SNACKS:
Reach for nutrient-dense snacks throughout the day when needed. Veggies and protein will help to keep you satiated and fight any carb or sugar cravings: veggies and hummus, kale chips, boiled eggs, edamame
6:30 p.m.
DINNER:
Kale Caesar Salad (with Turkey Leftovers)
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 (3-pound) bunch dino kale, stems removed, leaves thinly sliced
1⁄4 cup roasted sea salt chickpeas
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons goat’s feta
pinch of sea salt
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, and garlic
Whisk in oil until combined and thickened
Add massaged kale and toss into dressing
Add chickpeas and goat’s feta and a sprinkling
of sea salt
Chop and add 3-4 ounces of turkey breast to each salad served
Additional tip:
Massage the kale leaves for 5 minutes before assembling salad to help digest the kale more efficiently.
It’s fall, but we aren’t ready to give up our summer smoothie just yet.
This combo is loved by the boys for it’s creamy and sweet and has a fun purple colour.
We call it Blu-cado because blueberries and avocado are the stars of this smoothie. Not only do these two taste yummy together, but the Vitamin K in the blueberries is better absorbed with avocado’s healthy fat.
Blueberries are a super fruit for the brain. You could even call them brain-berries for they help to improve memory, and protect nerve cells for healthy cognitive function.
Avocado is also a power food for brain health. It’s healthy monounsaturated fats promote healthy blood flow.
This brain boosting smoothie makes a great breakfast and will keep bellies full for hours.
Here’s the recipe!
Blu-Cado Smoothie
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2.5 cups of unsweetened almond milk
2 scoops Vega Vanilla Protein & Greens
1/2 ripe avocado
1 cup frozen organic blueberries
2 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp pumpkin seed butter
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut yogurt
Directions:
- Blend in a high powdered blender. We used our Vitamix Professional Series 750
Sometimes they just won’t eat the dinner I make.
It doesn’t matter what fancy bowl I use, dessert bribes or toy removal I threaten they just won’t eat it.
I’m a softy. I have never been that mom that says “well you’re going to bed hungry then!” or “you’ll eat what we have made and that’s that.” I can’t have them feel hungry. They’ll be even more of a disaster the next day if that were the case. A hungry kid means crazy tantrums and I like to minimize those as much as possible.
The other night my little one said at dinner that he wanted a smoothie. How could I possibly argue with that. Somedays I just want a smoothie for dinner too.
There are days where we all feel hungrier than others, or have aversions to certain foods or are more inclined to eat specific ingredients. I feel that listening to this body intuition is key to teaching kids to learn about what their body is telling them. This will help them as an adult to navigate their individual health needs. Now the same thing doesn’t apply when they crave Moose Tracks ice cream and feel their body needs it! Real wholesome food is what we are after.
So I made him one that replaced all of the nutrients we made for dinner.
Protein, healthy fats, fibre and some colourful antioxidants. He made it with me and we went through all of the ingredients as we made it and he polished the whole glass.
I made enough that he could have it for breakfast the next day too.
Raspberry Vanilla Kids Smoothie
Serves: 2 kids
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup organic frozen raspberries
1 scoop Vega Protein & Greens Vanilla
1/4 cup organic greek yogurt
1/4 cup avocado
small handful of baby kale
2 tbsp hemp hearts
Directions:
1. Blend in a high powered blender. We used the Vitamix Professional Series 750
You know the cranberry sauce that slurps out of the can with the ring indents around it? That was my fave as a kid. I heaped it on my plate. I now know why I did that, one quarter cup has the same amount of sugar as half a cup of vanilla ice cream. I was eating dessert with my turkey.
The sweetener added into that can of cran is high-fructose corn syrup. The increase in this ingredient in many packaged foods has also increased obesity rates over the years.
I also loved the stuffing, mashed potatoes and a big squishy white bun to mop up excess gravy on my plate.
I’d then be bloated, tired and cranky.
Everyone always blames the turkey for the sleepy sluggishness that ensues, but science has proven that it is not the tryptophan (an amino acid that helps to calm us down) the turkey coma is really an I-ate-too-many-carbs coma…and as an adult, I-had-some wine-too kind of coma.
So, how do you keep your energy coasting and avoid the bloated /cranky /cravings the rest of the week?
Here are my tips to strategically indulge:
- Eat small, high-nutrient and low calorie meals throughout the day leading up to the feast. It can be a kale & protein smoothie, poached eggs and spinach, tofu and broccoli. Think protein and greens and lower carb.
- Hydrate! Dehydration will make you eat more.
- During the feast fill up your plate with half vegetables, look for leafy greens or any green vegetable as long as it’s not drowning in a creamy base (creamy spinach does not count even if it’s green!). Also, don’t heap on the sweet potatoes if there’s marshmallows on top of them. A sweet potato casserole with this ingredient is now dessert!
- One quarter of your plate should have turkey, without skin. Three quarters white meat and one quarter dark meat. This way you’ll get the protein with less calories and some important minerals from the dark meat.
- Use the last one quarter of your plate to include your favourite carb. Think about a one-cup portion here. If you want to do up your pants after dinner go for three quarters of a cup. You could go for one offering or split it up into smaller portion to make up that amount. You could try half mashed and half stuffing, or half mashed and half sweet potatoes (that would be my choice) Sweet potatoes are higher fibre, lower calories and have more Vitamin A than regular potatoes. Also, be conscious of the salt that adds up in stuffing. You can get 1,000 mg of sodium in 1 cup.
- Now, it’s time for dessert. Wait 45 minutes and let your body digest. If that’s too long, wait 20. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to get the message from your stomach that it’s full. Try sharing a piece of pie with your partner or family member. You’ll both be more grateful for not having a sugar hangover.
- The cocktails you ask? I’d avoid alcohol during your meal and then factor in 1-2 beverages over the course of the night before and after. A 5 oz glass of red wine is 125 cals, white 120 cals, and 1.5 oz vodka soda is 95 cals, but even more challenging then the calories is the craving for sweets that alcohol causes during the meal and the next day.
Tune into Miranda’s segment on CHUM FM with Roger and Marilyn October 5th at 8:25 a.m and The Marilyn Denis Show at 10 a.m. EDT. for more nutrition advice.