Author: thebalancedmind

Arugula Salad with Raw Sesame Seed Dressing

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I think I’ve been having too much (vegan) asian food lately which is what inspired me to make this salad. I wanted to make a homemade raw light version of the sesame seed dressing that could be enjoyed guilt-free so here it is! Sesame seed sauce: 1/2 Green apple cored & peeled 1/2 Asian pear cored & peeled 1 Lime juice 1/4 of Lemon juice 1/2 tsp Grated ginger 3 tbsp Wheat free soy sauce (Shoyu) 2 tbsp Sesame seeds Directions: Blend all ingredients in a food processor till smooth and set aside. Play around with the amount of wheat free soy sauce that you wish to add depending on your taste buds. To make the salad combine Arugula leaves, cucumber, 2 red radish, 1/4 of an avocado, handful of bean sprouts and topped off with 5 blended almonds. Note: For the sprouts make sure you steam them because they could be contaminated with E.coli and other bacteria! Steam or boil them for about 5 minutes just to be on the safe side. Hope that didn’t scare you off because …

Rainbow Bowl

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Ingredients: Arugula green mix with carrots, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, steamed asparagus and bean sprouts, white beans for a complete source of protein and some healthy avocado fat all topped with organic soy sauce, tahini, pure chipotle and lastly sesame seeds Salads have always been a favourite of mine and  the combinations of veggies are endless and full of nutrition. When created with a balance including protein and healthy fats  it makes the perfect filling lunch!

Natural Hay Fever Remedy: Mint Leaves

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Spring is in the air and so are my allergies. I wouldn’t exactly call it my favourite time of the year; I mean who likes sneezing till your make up runs and you start contemplating if there’s physically any possible way to scratch your throat before you loose your mind. I started looking for natural ways to help get rid of these wonderful feelings and came across mint leafs as a remedy! How they work is mint has the ability to help block the release of histamines which causes that itchy feeling in our throat and nasal cavity. Sounds perfect for what I needed so I blended two bananas, a handful of mint leaves and made a smoothie! Here are some other great health benefits of mint leafs:  Helps sooth the stomach by reducing inflammation Strong aroma has ability to clear congestion (it’s why balms etc. are usually mint based) Natural stimulant – the smell alone gives your brain a boost to help fight depression and fatigue Anti-inflammatory Stimulates digestive enzymes that absorb nutrients from food and consume …

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  The warm summer breeze, oh how it gets to me The small winding road leads to distant memories The innocence of it all so wild and free Same dock, same view, same sun different you Change comes along in the most unexpected ways Constantly longing for it while wishing things stayed the same Time takes you further and further away, What once was, no longer remains unchanged A moment away in another place, another time Lost in a world that once made you feel alive Inaudible movie flashing before your eyes Glimpse of a smile as you go back in time Remembering, feeling, reminiscing The present a reminder the past no longer there Sound of the waves softly washing up shore Each tide descending back like memories come and go Rhythmic and gentle, comforting and hopeful They say you always go back to where it all began Same dock, same view, same sun Same you B.M

Chipotle Mayo

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Ingredients:  1/4 cup Cashews 1/4 cup Pumpkin seeds 1/2- 1 freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 tsp pure Chipotle (chili powder) Dash of Himalayan salt Blend all ingredients together – adjust ingredients to desired taste

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

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I was going to make chocolate pancakes, but I ran out of Cacao powder so I settled for cinnamon flavour instead. On the bright side this gives me an excuse to make them again only chocolate flavoured and a chocolate sauce to go with them. Already drooling…but these turned out just as good so here’s the recipe for them. Ingredients 1/4 cup Rolled oats 1 and a half Bananas 1/2 cup water (substitute with almond milk if you want a richer creamier taste) 2 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp coconut oil (coating the pan) Note: adding more water gives you a smoother consistency (varies upon preference) Directions Set oven top on very low heat (3 or 4) Blend the banana, water (or almond milk), rolled oats and cinnamon in a food processor till a liquid consistency forms Once the pan is heated, lightly coat it with the coconut oil Scoop the pancake mixture onto the pan, spread out and cook for about 30seconds on each side (they cook quickly so keep an eye on them) ** Here is the recipe for the Homemade …

Cheese Dip

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Ingredients: 3/4 cup Cashews 1 cup Carrots 1 Lime 1 Green onion 1 Garlic clove 3 tsp Nutritional yeast 1 tsp Pink Himalayan sea salt 1 tsp Cayenne pepper 1 tsp Chilli powder 3/4 cup Water In a food processor blend all the ingredients together till a smooth consistency forms. If you want to make the dip more smooth and watery just gradually add more water and keep blending.

Baked Strawberry-Bluberry Oatmeal Cupcakes

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Breakfast severed fresh out of the oven! – Simply delicious Ingredients: 1/4 cup Rolled Oats 1 Ripe banana Handful of strawberries Handful of blueberries 1 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Maple Syrup In a bowl place the rolled oats in along with the banana and mash it up with a fork till it’s a mushy consistency.  Add the cinnamon and maple syrup in afterwards. Then cut the strawberries into thin slices and mix them in. Add the blueberries last and the mixture is done. Baking directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Lightly coat the cupcake pan with coconut oil (I only used 3 cupcake spaces in the pan since there isn’t a lot of the mixture) Separate the mixture evenly into each Bake for about 25-30minutes. They will be crispy on the outside, but still soft and gooey on the inside from the juicy blueberries giving them a good contrast in texture. You’ll definitely want the blueberries, otherwise you can play around with different fruit combinations!

Sweet Potato Nachos

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Who doesn’t love digging into a nice batch of warm and freshly baked nachos covered in cheese!? Instead of buying tortilla chips and processed cheese I made these spicy sweet potato chips and homemade cheese dip! The cheese was an experiment that actually ended up turning out spicily delicious.  Instructions: Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Wash and peel 1 sweet potato Cut into very thin slices – the thinner the better because they will become crispier In a bowl marinate with 1 tbsp almond oil, Himalayan sea salt and chilli powder Cover two trays with parchment paper and spread out evenly Place in the oven for about 20mins (till you notice the outsides of the potatoes curving up) Flip them onto the other side and leave for another 20mins You may have to leave them in the oven a bit longer, it all depends on how quickly they become crispy. This is also why you want them cut thin otherwise  you can leave them in the oven till they turn black and they still won’t become crispy …

Boost Endurance Levels with Chia Seeds

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Get ready to swap your sport drinks for this banana chia seed pre-workout smoothie! They aren’t called “The Runners Seed” for no reason, but go ahead and find out for yourself how great they are. Have the smoothie about 30 minutes prior to your workout and you’re all set.