Simple Steps To Homemade Oat Milk

2019 was the year I fell in love with Oat Milk. But really, it truly hit all my ‘must-haves’ affordable, sustainable, easy steps,nutrient dense and quick!

The best part about making oat milk is no soak time! These little oats are good to go right from the start! Simply add 2 cups of oats to your blender, pour in the water and whatever flavours you enjoy. Blend quickly for about 25-40 seconds (be sure to not let it go too long or else it gets really gooey).

Once blended pour through a fine mesh strainer or a nut milk bag. I like to do this into a large bowl and let the strainer sit over the bowl to continue to leak through. Once it’s totally strained, you can pour back into your blender and then use that to cleanly pour this back into a jar. Seal this and enjoy for up to a week.

Low Waste Hack: Use those dried out oats in smoothies or baking! I added it to my muffin recipe last week without a hitch! It adds a bit of fiber and means you aren’t losing all the nutrients when you make your milk! I think it’s important to remember ‘experimentation’ when you make different foods at home. I hate throwing things out and so I have random bags and containers of all sorts of stuff- trial and error can be a lot of fun!

Remember that Oats are naturally very mucilaginous and so it will be thicker than store-bought Oat Milk as the enzymes are not added. You will need to give the jar a good shake before using to get everything mixed in!

Ingredients

4 cups water

2 cups rolled oats

2 tsp natural sweetener (I like molasses as it’s a great source of iron)

1 tsp cinnamon

14/ tsp salt

Susgrainable Cookies

There is no baked good more comforting to me than than a fresh baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. When they are packed with fibre and help to reduce food waste that's even more appealing!

These cookies are ooey gooey and made with beer. Well not beer per se, but with flour that is made from spent grain used in the beer making process! I first heard of spent grain at the Mt Pleasant @vanmarket in the summer and was instantly intrigued! The thought of a product that was created from food waste and was packed with nutrients seemed pretty incredible- and it really is! @susgrainable is the brand behind this intriguing product and has delicious cookies and baked goods available and is in the midst of creating breads! I purchased the flour and have used it in all sorts of creations. Remember it's not like normal flour and is much more dense, so it's important to consider this when making these cookies!

You can find @susgrainable products at retailers in Vancouver and online! Check them out!

1/4 cup butter/coconut oil

1 cup Susgrainable flour

2 cups rolled oats

2 tbsp nut butter

1 tsp baking powder + baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp Hemp Seeds

3 eggs

1 Very Ripe Banana

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips/crushed Chocolate Bar

1/2 cup milk (add this sparingly so to avoid overdoing it)

Optional: dried fruit like cranberries or raisins

Add all wet ingredients to your bowl and then slowly mix all dry ingredients in! Once the texture is thick but not too dry, mould into balls and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or more depending on the size!

5 Tips To Packing Air Travel Meals

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, the visions of busy airports are dancing in my head. For many of us Christmas means a season of travel. Whether you are off on a sunny vacation to Hawaii or like me, a trip to the Great White North of Ontario, airport travel can be hectic.

To reduce my struggle with unexpected delays and missed connections, I pack all my meals. This saves money on expensive airport food, helps to clean out my fridge when I am leaving for a period of time and also helps reduce the waste we see on so many planes! I also love that it helps to keep me feeling fuelled and ready for travel days. Our bodies already struggle with the changes of travel and so it’s best to support with foods that fill you in the right way! I always pack my lunches with hydrating beverages, fibre rich foods and satiating fats and proteins! Packing your own meals means not being stuck eating foods that leave you feeling bloated, lethargic and parched!

Here are my Top 5 Tips to keep your travel food airport ready!

1. Waste: I love to have 1 nice set of cutlery I carry with me throughout travel. I chose this bamboo set that is lightweight and easy to clean. I wrap this with an elastic band in a cloth napkin and voila it’s an affordable and chic travel kit! I also pack my food into recyclable containers. I prefer to not have to lug tupperware with me throughout the trip so I opt to recycle when I land! I also have a nice mug that I use for all my hot beverages while on the plane and for elixirs while waiting in the airport. I simply ask a coffee shop for a bit of hot water! I also pack all my tea bags, fruits and odd and ends into a cloth grocery bag that keeps everything together when going through security!

2. Liquid: I don’t know about you but the most anxiety I get at security is always what’s in my lunch. I have had so many encounters around dips,yogurts, salads and dressings that I have now determined the foolproof way to travel with these items. Whenever I buy something that is in a jar labelled under 100ml (capers, sundried tomatoes etc) I save them and pack any liquid like substances into them! That way it’s easy for anyone at security to verify and send you on your way! I usually bring a powdered Elixir blend such as my Adaptogen Mylk Latte from Organika . Or a mix of dandy blend, cocoa and some cinnamon which just needs water and a bit of milk from the coffee bar added!

3. Where Are you going? Borders/Customs, what are you restricted from travelling with? Remember that International and Domestic Travel have different regulations which means your meal may have to look a bit different! Even if you can’t bring your typical citrus salad, there is still opportunity to buy the bare basics and bring your own customizable items. For example I will buy one of the small yogurts and bring rolled oats, dried nuts and seeds and add a bit of hot water once I pass through security! It’s fun to be a bit creative!

4. Fibre Rich Foods: It’s no surprise that air travel can slow things down a bit in the digestion department and that’s where fibre rich foods come in handy! Its important on travel days to pack your meals with some soluble and insoluble fibres! With breakfast you can do oats with some nuts, seeds and dried fruit! Lunch can be a kale salad with a sunflower dressing and crispy tempeh. Dinner can include a noodle bowl with zucchini noodles and lots of raw veg! By avoiding high starch foods and refined carbohydrates you can assist your body in keeping things flowing!

5. Hydration: Flying and stale air leave you feeling very dehydrated and so I always pack a few Nuun tablets, elixir blends, and a variety of herbal teas. Be sure to bring a cup that is good for hot + cold and then you can fill it as you need! These things will keep you hydrated throughout your trip and even help with jet lag!

I hope some of these tips can make for hppy and safe travelling this Holiday season!

No Waste Banana Bread

Banana Bread is a serious favourite of mine! There is something so comforting about a warm loaf straight from the oven, and when I have nice ripe bananas I HAVE to make bread- it would be sacrilegious not to! Recently however I was one banana short of a recipe that I found online. As I schemed and thought up other ingredients I could use to bulk it up, I was reminded of a recipe from Sarah Wilson (an awesome zero waste cook) who had made a loaf using the peels! I know this sounds absolutely insane, but she mentioned that in Australia 5 million bananas are eaten a day, and I imagine the number in North America would be the same if not higher! That is a whole lot of organic waste (that is if your region composts) and also a huge loss in potential nutrients!

Banana Peels are packed with great vitamins like Vitamin B6 and B12 as well as an excellent source of fibre! I was very skeptic of this concept as I looked at my very black peels, but I really enjoyed it and didn’t really notice too much of a difference! I highly recommend trying out this recipe I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the result, and may even make this a new addition to your staple banana bread!

I called this the No Waste Banana Bread because I not only added the whole banana but I also used almond pulp as flour! When I make my almond milk I always have a bag of the pulp leftover and so I simply spread it out on a tray, heat my oven to about 175/200, let it dry out in the oven for about 2 hours (great to do while you watch a movie or wait for laundry). I then take this dried out substance and throw it in the processor and it creates the most beautiful floury substance! Almonds are not cheap and so the fact that I can get a cup of flour out of each batch of almond milk was VERY exciting for me! It’s a great texture and really added something to this bread!

Though these may seem like small steps I do believe that this is how we can easily have an impact on our current climate crisis (it is a crisis). Food waste is a completely unnecessary problem that we encounter across the world each and every day. If we can begin with little steps in our own kitchens, we can feel empowered by our choices and also save some money! Check out my previous blog post on reducing your impact! This would be a great recipe as a starter!

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No Waste Banana Bread 

WET

2 ripe bananas peeled 

2 banana peels

3 eggs

1 tbsp ACV

Heat oven to 350 Blend eggs, add bananas + blend , add peels + blend, 

DRY

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

3 cups flour (I used 2 cups almond meal, 1 cup whole wheat)

¼ cup of fat of your choice (be sure to melt if butter/coconut oil)

Honey to taste

Vanilla to taste

½ tsp salt

3/4/tsp baking powder

Slowly add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, add a bit of water or milk of choice if it gets dry. Place in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Garnish with chocolate and coconut if you like that kind of thing!

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Sarah Wilson Article on some kitchen zero waste tips

https://www.businessinsider.com/benefits-of-eating-banana-peels-2015-9

10 ways to Reduce Your Household Food Waste

I think at at this point, we’ve all heard about zero waste living, food waste and the tension that our planet is facing. We see it in the extreme weather, the multitude of health ailments and within our own cities everyday. I find it super overwhelming to think of the future and the loss of what I consider seriously valuable resources, as I am sure many of you do as well. I recently read an article about how Canada is in the top 3 in the world for food waste. We are throwing out soooo much food, in our personal kitchen and in restaurants but also in farms across the country- as these fruits and vegetables don’t meet the ‘standards’ of beauty. It’s a funny concept isn’t it? Not only are we as humans being judged for our appearance, but our fruits and vegetables are as well. A bit terrifying.

But in all this tension I do believe the last thing we want to do is lose heart around what our impact can be. I am of course very into the zero waste movement. I love the thought of eliminating plastics and unnecessary packaging. But to be honest- it’s not cheap. I try my hardest to bring my jars, buy in bulk and avoid anything that has extra plastic. But sometimes the budget calls for me to go to the super cheap Korean grocery store down the street that wraps every item in plastic. I think it can be daunting and has almost become an issue of judgement and a new form of consumerism to buy into the zero waste products available, I won’t lie that I have lots of cloth grocery bags and a bamboo toothbrush. But I think there is something right in front of our noses that we should be addressing first, something that can save us resources, time and support the health of our planet!

Today I want to touch on something that is sooo easy for all of us to incorporate into our lives. Reducing (not eliminating, but that would be awesome) our household food waste! This has nothing to do with buying more, getting cute bags to wrap your cutlery in or losing your valuable resource of time. Instead it actually probably helps with saving both time and money!

By reducing your household waste you will also

Save Money, Save Time and most likely, Eat Better.

Check out the recipe for this ‘Clean Out Your Fridge Meal’ at the end of this post!

10 Ways To Reduce Your Household Food Waste

Here are a few ways that you can reduce your household waste with simple choices each day;

1. Plan Plan Plan,

Plan meals throughout the week in advance. This will help you to know how much food you actually need that week, as well as Planning out your week and schedule and knowing how many nights you’ll be eating out/in. And of course plan for what to do with your leftovers each week!

2. Doing a 2x weekly fridge check

I find this is so helpful for me in keeping up with what needs to be used up when! I try to rotate the items in my fridge, putting those that are close to the end of their lives near the top,this provides a visual reminder to use up this food first and plan meals around what is left.

3. Reserve one night of the week to use up items in the fridge

Try making one night of the week your leftover night! Maybe this means making a pasta with a ‘clean out the fridge sauce’ or a frittata with some veg that are nearing the end of their life! There are so many good recipes out there for ingredients that you most likely have in the bottom of your crisper!

4. Freeze items that you know you won’t be able to use up

This is so important! By freezing items that you know you aren’t going to be using, you save throwing them out later in the week and it also means you can be thankful in the future when you look in the fridge and don’t have to worry about making dinner that night!

5. Make some stock from those items that you may throw in your compost

This is one of my favourites, my partner is always a bit skeptical of my frozen bags of eggshells, spinach stems and mushy looking herbs, but honestly they make such amazing stock. When you throw these into soups, while cooking grains or even as a broth when your feeling sick, you are saving the planet, your wallet (store-bought stock is pricey!) and have added to your overall daily nutrition count! It doesn’t just have to be stock items, it can also be rotting bananas (just peel those little guys and toss them in the freezer for smoothies/ice cream etc), or tofu- I often buy this in large packs at Costco and then freeze it! The options are endless and fortunately we live in the time of google and you can ALWAYS find a hack or idea for some leftover item!

6. Take note of the food that is consistently being thrown out

This point may seem redundant, but honestly there are so many times we just buy too much food and we repeatedly are throwing out the same thing at the end of the week. Maybe we make too much rice and never getting around to eating it or we always seem to have rotting parsley and cilantro in the freezer. This may mean you need to buy less or it also could be that you just need to find an alternative to using these items in a recipe or freezing them to use at a later date!

7. Plan a dinner party with friends where you all make something totally random from your fridge scraps

I’m all about sharing dinner with friends and I know that it can be so fun to come up with something random and try it out on your closest pals. This is a great way to spend time with people, save some money and also learn some great new recipes! Maybe your friend has an awesome rice pudding recipes for using up all those leftover grains!

8. Use the power of Social Media and post if you are going away or aren’t going to use up food and see if anyone in your life could use those items!

We live in an ultra connected world and as much as many of us don’t love this idea, it also has some incredible perks around connection! How incredible is it that you can post something on your stories or feed and hundreds of people in your vicinity could see it! By handing off this food to someone else you are keeping it out of the landfill, keeping your fridge clean for when you return home AND providing someone else with a way to save some money and make a great meal!

9. Use the Olio app to check out what other people are giving away and post your offerings

Olio is an app that has come out of the UK and is slowly growing in Canada. It acts much like I mentioned above. You can post what you are looking to get rid of and someone in your area can find it, you find a spot to meet and hand it off, or vice versa. I absolutely love this idea and am hoping it takes flight in Canada as well!

10. Don’t shop when you're hungry

And of course a very important rule. I know that I am in danger of buying too much and also random items that I am craving rather than just making a list and buying what I need. Avoid being ‘hangry’ in the grocery store and instead stick to your list! You will thank yourself when you don’t end up at home with packs of hotdogs and dill pickle chips.

Here is a quick example recipe for a simple clean out the fridge meal!

1. Start with some veg, they are usually the easiest to find in the bottom of your fridge! For this recipe I sauteed leek, added chopped lacinato kale and some cabbage.

2. Add flavour, I chose some Kimchi I had made a few weeks back (side note kimchi keeps really well so a great food to have in your fridge)! I love the spice and flavour it so easily adds to any dish! I often eat it raw on the side of my plate but in this case I cooked it up! You can also add pickled items, miso (also keeps forever), whatever your heart desires- and is in your fridge or pantry.

3. Find some protein! Whether it’s tofu crammed into the back of your freezer, leftover chicken or in this case- eggs! I love having eggs in my fridge, they are great for baking, whipping up a quick meal, they have great shelf life and are packed with great animal based nutrients! This also ensures you stay nice and filled up until your next meal and prevents that afternoon or evening slump!

4. Cook this all together until nicely browned and sprinkle with some nutritional yeast and a drizzle of olive oil and of course some salt and pepper! I suggest investing in the good stuff, it can be reasonably affordable and is just that much better!

5. Top with the remnants! I dug to the depths of my fridge and found some roasted veg that just needed to be heated, some chickpeas, a lone radish and a jar of roasted red peppers!

6. Enjoy! This is a satisfying meal with good fats, protein and fibre!

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