FOOD Archives - THE NORD NEST

TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE

May 19, 2016 by Marie Leave a Comment

Smoothies are a delicious way to cram loads of fruits and greens into your diet with very little effort (minimal chewing required!). As the days are now finally beginning to feel a little warmer, I am craving foods that are lighter and more hydrating. Fresh fruit is obviously the natural go-to, but carting around a big bowl of salad during the day and taking the time to sit down and eat everything is not always possible. Green smoothies pack all of that deliciousness into one glass. Just blend, go, and get on with it.

I started experimenting with different smoothie combos while at University. Smoothies turned out to be a fantastic timesaver for those mornings after a late night of writing that entire term paper in one sitting (ugh!). I would prep my fruit beforehand and store it in the fridge/freezer. In the mornings, I would then just throw everything into a blender with some water, hit a button, pour into a travel mug, and be on my way out the door to my 8:00 a.m. literary theory lecture, nutritious breakfast in hand.

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THE BEST OATMEAL IN THE WORLD

May 12, 2016 by Marie Leave a Comment

Oatmeal is one of my favourite breakfasts. It took me a while to warm up to this breakfast champion as it can taste horribly bland and blah, but now I love it and see how versatile it is. Generally, I just ‘wing it’ whenever I make oatmeal as it’s one of those base foods with which you can make an endless number of combinations depending on what ingredients you have on hand. However, when I made this combination for Ryan a couple of days ago, he looked at me with a very serious face and a sparkle in his eye and said that it was “the BEST oatmeal in the world.” With a resounding endorsement like that, I thought I had better write down the recipe and share it….

A WARM SALAD FOR COLD DAYS

January 31, 2016 by Marie Leave a Comment

As a lifelong vegetarian, salad is definitely a staple in my diet. Some sort of salad accompanies almost every dinner meal, the only exception perhaps being when veggie stir fry is on the menu. If I skip my daily dose of fresh veggies, I go to bed feeling incomplete, a little “off” if you will, like going to sleep without brushing my teeth. If salad is absent for more than one day, I begin to develop something that can only be described as veggie rage; it consists of intense cravings for spinach and arugula and general ‘hangriness’.

During the winter months, I still insist on my daily salad, but often find myself craving something a little more hearty, warming, or substantial, especially when salad is staged as the main course.

This simple spinach salad with warm mushrooms sautéed with rosemary always hits the spot. Originally born out of desperation to use up a bunch of mushrooms slightly past their prime, this salad has since become a mainstay in our household. It’s so easy to make and, like so many salads, can be tweaked to suit your personal taste.

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