Can salmon be a rich source of calcium?

Removing the bones from cooked fish, before eating the flesh, is not only a waste of mineral nutrients. In some cases it can be difficult, and lead to a lot of waste of meat.

We know that many ancestral cultures employed slow-cooking techniques and tools, such as earth ovens (a.k.a. cooking pits; see ). Slow-cooking fish over a long time tends to soften the bones to the point that they can be eaten with the flesh.

The photo below shows the leftovers of a whole salmon that we cooked recently. We baked it with vegetables on a tray covered with aluminum foil. We set the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and baked the salmon for about 5 hours.

The end result is that we can eat the salmon, a rich source of omega-3 fat, with the bones. No need to remove anything. Just take a chunk, as you can see in the photo, and eat it whole.

It is a good idea to marinate the salmon for a few hours prior to baking it. This will create enough moisture to ensure that the salmon does not dry up during the baking process.

If you are a carnivore, you can make a significant contribution to sustainability by eating the whole animal, or as much of the animal as possible. This applies to fish, as I discussed here before (, , ).

Add eating less to this habit, and your health will benefit greatly.

Chocolate 'Cheese'cake

Once again, I've neglected this poor little blog in favour of numerous school assignments threatening to squish me under their weight. Teachers don't care about Instagram, recipes or blogs. Teachers care about incomprehensible theorems, calculators and serving horrible non-vegan food. That's what they do. Plus the lighting this time of the year S-U-C-K-S so I obviously don't have a lot to post at the moment. This being said, I did find the time to do a little baking this weekend and I proudly present to you this Vegan Chocolate "Cheesecake"! The ones I made were miniature versions which means you can enjoy a slice whenever you want to. There's always room for a tiny slice of cake. As far as I'm concerned, there's always room for muh-assive wedges of decadent chocolate cakes of any kind, but mind you, I know everyone doesn't agree. So here we have it, small in size but big in flavour!

(Oh and I know I've been inconsistent with the measurements in this recipe, grams here and cups there. If you don't have access to a kitchen scale, just play it by ear, taste as you go, and I'm sure you'll do just fine!)

Chocolate Cheesecake (No-Bake!)

Filling:

About 15-18 medium sized dates (175g)

1 heaped cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (150 g unsoaked)

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in the fridge

1 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder

A pinch of salt (to enhance the chocolate flavour)

Crust:

150 g dried figs

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup dried mulberries

Chocolate topping:

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder

1 tbsp liquid sweetener of your choice

How to:

1. Place the figs and oats in a food processor and blend on high until you have a sticky ball of fig-oat deliciousness.
2. Divide the dough in two parts and press each part out into a non-stick springform pan, about 10 cm/4 inches across. You could also use a bigger cake tin, about 15 cm/6 inches in diameter.
3. Open the can of coconut milk and spoon out the hard, creamy layer that has formed on top, into your food processor/high speed blender along with the rest of the filling ingredients. Save the leftover "water" for smoothies and such, it's packed full of wonderful coconut flavour.
4. Blend on high until silky smooth. Be patient- it takes time. But the more you blend the better your filling will be. Stop now and then to scrape down from the sides if necessary.
5. Once the filling is done, pour it into the springform pan(s) and leave for at least 7 hours to set in the freezer.
6. When the cheesecakes have set, mix the ingredients for the chocolate topping in a small bowl until they're well incorporated. Let the "sauce" cool down a bit before you pour it on top of the cheesecakes, that way you'll prevent a runny, chocolate-y mess from happening.

Let each slice thaw for a few minutes before serving!

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!
Tilda

21-Day Meditation Experience with Oprah & Deepak Chopra

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to Oprah's 'The Life You Want Weekend' event courtesy of P&G brands OLAY, Tide, and Orgullosa.  Being a huge Oprah fan since middle school (I would watch everyday after school at 4:00 p.m.) and having subscribed to her magazine since the first issue, this was a big deal.  I'd always wanted to go to a taping of her show, but never got the opportunity, so getting an email offering tickets to the event was definitely a good mail day.  At the event, our seats were close to the stage, so seeing O up close and personal was pretty thrilling, a bucket-list item  happily checked off.  

On day 2, Deepak Chopra was one of the speakers and, during his presentation, he lead us in a group mediation.  I've always been intrigued with the idea of meditating, and my two closest friends are daily meditators, but I have never put it to consistent practice in my life.  In fact, I've only tried it a handful of times and usually end up thinking about random things like dinner or laundry.  But, I'm ready to challenge myself to a consistent practice of mediation now.  

Oprah and Deepak have teamed up to present a free 21-day Energy of Attraction Meditation Experience that starts tomorrow, Monday, November 3.  You sign up creating an account and then will receive a daily email with a link to the meditations.  I'm one of those people who is on the go pretty much non-stop, so training myself to not just slow down, but to be still will be good for me.  Sure, I often relax on the couch or in bed with a magazine or book, but I almost never just sit still and do nothing.  I feel like right now, in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and before the Christmas holiday, is the perfect time to tune in and listen to my Spirit and see what it wants to tell me. 

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Is Meat Unhealthy? Part II

Over time, animals adapt to the foods they regularly consume.  This is how archaeologists can, for example, determine that Triceratops was an herbivore and Tyrannosaurus was a carnivore just by looking at the structure of the skeleton.  Adaptations to diet extend beyond skeletal structure, into digestion, metabolism, the brain, musculature, and other aspects of physical function.  What is our evolutionary history with meat?

Human Evolutionary History with Meat: 200 to 2.6 Million Years Ago

Mammals evolved from ancestral "mammal-like reptiles" (therapsids, then cynodonts) approximately 220 million years ago (Richard Klein. The Human Career. 2009).  Roughly 100 million years ago, placental mammals emerged.  The earliest placental mammals are thought to have been nocturnal shrew-like beasts that subsisted primarily on insects, similar to modern shrews and moles.  Mammalian teeth continued to show features specialized for insect consumption until the rise of the primates.

65 million years ago, coinciding with the evolution of the first fruiting plants, our ancestors took to the trees and became primates.  For most of the time between then and now, our ancestors likely ate the prototypical primate diet of fruit, seeds, leaves/stems, and insects (1).  Some primates also hunt smaller animals and thus eat the flesh of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish in addition to insects.  However, the contribution of non-insect meat to the diet is usually small.

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LARABAR GIVEAWAY | Eat Healthy & Get Outside

As we draw closer to the end of the year and towards the holidays and cold weather where we just want to bundle up and stay inside, I'm reminded that I don't want to slack off now and lose the fitness level that I worked so hard to achieve earlier this year.  It's so hard to get in shape, but so easy to get out of shape! I'm definitely going to enjoy myself and won't be sticking to a rigid routine these next couple months, but I plan to continue to exercise and eat healthy because I want to take care of myself and feel good.  As part of my daily meals, I typically eat a LÄRABAR each afternoon as that's about the time I'm hungry and heading out the door to get my son from school.  I'm never without them, because my son likes them too (as picky as he is), so there is always a LÄRABAR in my purse, gym bag, or car.  Do you do that too?  If you've ever been out and about, starving and grouchy, with equally grouchy and starving kids, you probably do. 

November 17 is National Take a Hike Day and if you need a bit of fuel before or after your walk, a LÄRABAR is the perfect thing for you.  I love that LÄRABAR is actually made by a real woman named Lara, who, in 2000, found herself hungry after a hike and created a natural food full of wholesome ingredients like fruit and nuts to give her a tasty healthy snack to fuel her active lifestyle.  Lara has a passion for natural foods (each LÄRABAR has no more than 9 ingredients, is gluten-free, non GMO, kosher, and most of the products are soy-free, dairy free and vegan).  There are so many flavors to choose from.  I'm a big fan of the chocolate and peanut butter flavors, but I know other people who prefer the fruity ones. 

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Vanilla Protein Bliss Balls

Bliss balls... Little bites of gooey, chewy, sweet deliciousness. Nut butters, superfood powders, dried fruit, seeds, grains. The possibilities are - quite literally - endless! So quick and easy to make, bliss balls is one of my favourite vegan treats. This batch was made yesterday, as a result of an intense craving for something sweet that struck, well, by noon. What can I say, my sweet tooth is unstoppable.

Not only are these delicious, they also pack a punch of raw protein from the Purple Balance protein powder that I like to use in my recipes. Hope you like them as much as I do! (Ehrm, make that 'did'. I'm afraid they're all gone now.)

Vanilla Protein Bliss Balls

Ingredients:

200 g soft/medjool/soaked dates (about 18 small)

3 tbsp oat or coconut flour

3 scoops (tbsp) Purple Balance Vanilla Protein (or vegan protein powder of your choice)

A pinch of pure vanilla powder

1 tbsp coconut oil

Coatings:

Raw Lucuma powder, carob/cacao powder and desiccated coconut

How to:

1. Put all ingredients in your food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Scoop the dough out with a spoon and roll into small balls.

3. Place in an airtight container in the fridge to let the coconut oil set, about 30 min-1 hour should suffice. (That is, if they're too soft to roll immediately after blending)

4. Coat the balls by placing a small amount of your powder of choice in a cupped hand, then use both hands to coat the balls, without putting too much pressure on them to keep the round shape.

5. Store in the fridge! 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Happy Friday friends!  My friend Leanne (And Away We Go) sent me a slow cooker recipe for chicken tacos (one of my faves!) that I had to share with you! Don't you just love a slow cooker/crock pot meal?  Nothing better than getting dinner going at the beginning of the day and then not having to worry about it again!  I think this will be on our menu this weekend!  

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Now that the days are cooler and our routine is busier, I have pulled out the old slow cooker and started to add a few soups and casseroles to our weekly menu. These slow cooker chicken tacos have been an old stand by in our house for a few years and I was excited to make them again the other night!

The recipe is just what I think every slow cooker recipe should be; toss the ingredients in the pot and turn it on! The mixture of chicken, beans and corn makes for a filling meal, packed with protein. 

I've made this dish for guests and taken it to parties and have always had lots of requests for the recipe...

So here it is!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 large jar of chunky salsa

2 large chicken breasts (bone and skin removed)

2-3 Tbsp taco seasoning 

1 cup frozen corn

Add black beans and salsa to slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts on top of the mixture and sprinkle with taco seasoning. 

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.  

Remove chicken breasts and shred with a fork. Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker, add frozen corn and mix together with black beans and sauce. Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for a half an hour. 

Serve with soft tortillas and top with shredded cheese, sour cream and guacamole.

Thank you for sharing Leanne!  We'll be thinking about you as your new little bundle is about to arrive!