New Blog Idea and Other new Stuff

So when I originally started this blog, not very long ago, I made it as a sort of vegan baking recipe site. Since entering the blogging world, I have been looking at tons of other blogs and have really been inspired by some, and one of my favourites is The Broccoli Hut. I love the meals and the way Chickpea journals them, with photos and information about ingredients, daily events, exercise, etc. I think this would be really good way for me to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle, especially once I move out and go to university(I move out August 25th and start university September 2nd). I will be moving into a really nice and new basement suite really close to UBC-O with a room mate, so I will have a kitchen to cook in! Yay, no 1st year shoddy dorm rooms for me! Anyways, I thought it would be best to start journaling my meals and daily activities now to get into the habit before I move out.

I am, by definition, a Ovo-Pesco Vegan. Basically I am a vegan but I do eat eggs and seafood(mostly fish). However, I only eat brown organic free-run eggs(usually local), and fish that is not over fished/farmed or toxic. I don't eat any dairy or meat, but I have been known to eat organic free-run turkey. For protein I like fish, egg whites, edamame beans, bean protein, soy protein(in cereals), and turkey occasionally. I am not a fan yet of tofu, TVP, seitan, tempeh, nor do I even know what all these are exactly and I haven't really tried them. I hate cheese. I want to be more adventurous and try some good vegan fare that I haven't yet discovered. I love oatmeal. Accordingly in my blog, you will see lots of oatmeal, fruit, steamed veggies, eggs, fish, salads, beans, soups, stews, etc. I like things plain/bland a lot, so I can appreciate them for their own taste not mask them behind a ton of flavorings. I also find that if I don't eat something salty, I won't crave something sweet.

For me what works as a meal schedule is a good sized early breakfast, a midday snack, and a good protein filled lunch at around 2pm. I find I like to eat just 2 meals a day with a snack in between, I know this is odd and unconventional, but I just don't like eating to much later in the day because I feel I don't need to. If I do get hungry around 7pm then I will have some plain steamed veggies, or something healthy and low carb/cal like that. I am definitely a morning person, I don't need an alarm clock to get me up early, and I love breakfast. If I eat well, beginning in the morning and then do some mild exercise like yoga, bike ride, or some stretching I feel great. I like to have most of my daily carbs and sugar in the morning, I am trying not to eat any sugary stuff after noon. Eating well and only until I am just comfortable, not full, is a consistency I am striving for.
On Thursday, July 28th, I bought a brand new bike from Cyclepath! I have been wanting a bike for a while to ride to work, and basically anywhere I can go without a car. I really wanted to get one before university so I could ride there too! The bike is a Giant Cypress DX. It's a sort of mountain/road/comfort hybrid. It has slimmer tires, but still with tread. It is super comfortable and I have been riding it a lot. I rode it to work on Friday morning, I left at 6:10am from my house and arrived at work at 6:40 am, but I was not trying to go fast. Then on Sunday I biked to and from work, the way back was harder because it is more uphill, and it was also hot and muggy out, with more traffic. I have also been going on the Greenway but don't like it as much because it is too bumpy, and also a sort of weasel darted right in front of my tire!

On August 1st I will begin journaling, and photo journaling, my daily meals and exercise, plus anything else I want to add that might be interesting! I hope this helps to keep me grounded and lead a balanced, healthy lifestyle. In turn, hopefully others will benefit from reading my blog(if anyone does!) and improve their daily habits as well.

Apple and Strawberry Crumble

I love crumbles and crisps. Strawberries are perfect right now and there are always apples in season. In this recipe I used Pink Lady apples, Fuji's are usually what I use but I guess they are out of season now. For the crumb topping I used whole wheat flour, old fashioned oats, whole and ground flax seeds, brown sugar, and pure maple syrup and oil for the wet ingredients. As for how much of the ingredients I used, it was very rough, and it depends on how much/the size of pan you are using. I used about 4 large apples and about 6 large strawberries. For the topping I used about a 1/3 cup of flour, 2/3 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of flax seeds, and about 2 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp of maple syrup. Baked at 350 F for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool a bit before spooning out a piece, so that the juices will become more syrupy.

Maple Granola

I made this granola with raisins, cut up dates, almonds, and sunflower seeds.

A good ol' healthy snack for the trail, or in the morning as cereal with milk or yogurt. You can add many things to this granola, like cranberries, cashews, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, different dried fruits, basically whatever you think will go well. You can also switch the maple syrup to honey and add nutmeg or other spices.

3 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats (Large Flake)
1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
1/3 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
2 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil (vegetable, sunflower, canola, or other variety)
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 cup Dried Fruit (dates, raisins, figs, currants, apricots, cranberries, and/or blueberries)

Preheat your oven to 325 F and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure the rack is in the center of oven.

In large bowl combine all the dry ingredients, oats, nuts, seeds, and spices. In another bowl combine oil and syrup. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and toss until completely coated. Spread onto the baking sheet and bake for about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning. Be sure to check and stir often closer to the end, as the granola will brown and burn quickly. The browner the granola, the crunchier it will be. Take out of the oven and cool. Once the granola has cooled completely, mix in the dried fruit(s). Store in an airtight container in the fridge for several weeks.

Makes about 4 cups.

Whole Wheat Bagels

This photo is of the first batch I made, only boiling for 1 minute on each side. They did not come out as puffy as I would have liked, so I lengthened the boiling time in the recipe.

Who doesn't love a bagel in the morning? Be it toasted with jam or butter, or just plain, They are sooo good! But no one needs that blood sugar crash after a white bagel in the morning, so here is a healthy alternative.

3 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Honey
1 cup Warm Water
1 1/2 tsp Yeast

Place warm water, honey, and yeast in a bowl, leave for 10 minutes. Mix flour and salt and add to wet mixture. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and the dough rebounds when you poke it. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes, then divide into 6 equal sized balls. Poke a hole through the center of each ball and widen to at least 1 inch in diameter(hole will get smaller once the bagels puff up). Place on a well greased cookie sheet and let rest another 20 minutes.
Bring to boil, in a large pot, at least 4 inches of water with 2 tbsp of sugar. After the bagels have rested place them in the rapidly boiling water for 3 minutes per side. I like to do them 2 at a time and flip and pull them out with a burger flipper. Make sure that the water is constantly boiling for the duration of all your bagels, you may want to put the lid on. Once bagel has been in the boiling water on each side, pull it out, drain, and place on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with toppings of your choice ie; sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse sea salt, onion flakes, oats, pepper etc, or leave plain. Bake at 375 F for about 20 minutes. You can broil at the end if the top is not brown enough, I do.

Ingredients I Use

The quality of the ingredients you use is very important. I use no artificial flavours or sweeteners, I always use pure extracts. Buying organic ingredients whenever you can is great, but costly, for fruit just make sure you wash it very well. Always use free run brown eggs. Buying what is seasonal and local is a very good idea as well. Living in the Okanagan is great for access to fresh fruit and veggies. Another good alternative is to grow your own veggies, spices, basically whatever you can. Most of my recipes will use what is in season in the Okanagan at the time of the posting. I like to buy all my produce from locally owned shops or markets. The Kelowna Farmers and Crafters Market is a great place to get items such as honey, chocolate, and spices in a local setting. This way you are supporting your community and not just the corporate grocery stores.

Strawberry Banana Whole Wheat Muffins

These muffins are perfect in the morning, they are not to sweet, and you can sweeten them with whatever you like. Could be brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, whatever you feel like, just adjust the amount for sweetness. My little trick I use when baking muffins, that I sometimes remember to do is, if you are baking them in a 350 F oven set the oven to 450 F. Once preheated (to 450 F) and you are ready to pop your muffins in the oven, pop them in and immediately reduce the temperature to the normal 350 F for the duration of baking. I find this helps them to rise properly and fully, and also does not overcook the bottom of the muffins. When you open the oven to first put your muffins in you have already lost heat and the oven will need to increase the element temperature again(hence applying extra heat to bottom of muffins). By turning down the temperature right after you put them in, the oven no longer needs to increase the temperature and you will have a more moist and evenly cooked muffin. The following recipe can be adjusted to your likings, I often switch it up. Sometimes I don't add the vanilla, but I always add the cinnamon because that is what makes these muffins so tasty. You could also add in nutmeg for an interesting twist.

1/4 cup Oil (Sunflower, Canola, Vegetable, or another variety)
1/2 - 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs (lightly beaten)
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Large Ripe Bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup Strawberries, fresh or frozen, cut into small pieces
2 1/4 cups Flour (Whole Wheat, or mixture of other flours such as spelt or kamut)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 - 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 450 F, grease muffin tray, then put in muffin papers if desired (I do), but make sure you grease the tray beforehand. Make sure rack is in center of oven

Whisk together the mashed banana, eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.

In a larger bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. gently fold in the berries making sure they are coated with flour. Mixing the berries with just the flour mixture first will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins in the oven. Do not over mix or the berries may begin to break up. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir only until just combined. Over mixing will result in tough muffins.

Fill each muffin cup almost full, well basically full. Fill any unused muffin cups halfway with water, to prevent warping your pan. Place in the oven, and turn down the temperature immediately to the usual 350 F baking temperature for muffins. Bake for about 25 minutes, do not open the oven until at least 23 minutes has gone by as you will let out heat and your muffins will deflate if they are not cooked enough and not rise properly. They are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I like my muffins to be golden brown on top, so once they are just done I turn on the broiler and watch them very closely, turning the pan until they are a gorgeous golden colour. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Makes about 8 medium muffins. I made about 5 large muffins.

You can store these in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge, I prefer the fridge because I like my muffins cold.

PS : This is my first recipe and I will have a photo up soon as promised.