Sunday Sweet Treats: Vanilla Custard!

Another Sunday....another sweet treat! I hope you've been enjoying reading and/or testing out these recipes! I know I certainly have!

You've probably noticed over the last few weeks that I like recipes that have few ingredients and are quick and easy to whip up and super tasty! This week I made Vanilla Custard! This is another dessert that can be made ahead of time (it needs to be refrigerated for 6-8 hours before serving) with about 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of total cooking time. The custard is also very versatile -- you can enjoy it with fresh fruit, make gluten-free pie crust and create beautiful custard tarts, or just enjoy it on its own. 

I drew this recipe from Primal Palate, one of my favourite paleo recipe websites.

Ingredients

• 25 oz of coconut milk 
• 3 eggs (separate yolks and whites)
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of organic maple syrup
• 1.5 tbsp of organic, unflavoured gelatin

Directions

• Combine coconut milk, egg yolks, vanilla, maple syrup and gelatin in a small pot over medium heat. Continuously stir to avoid burning
• Allow to come to a low boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool
• Whip egg whites until they begin to form peaks.
• Fold egg whites into coconut milk mixture gently until the mixture is evenly consistent.
• Refrigerate custard overnight before using.

I serve my custard in individual portions in small mason jars with some fresh, local blueberries and some granola! The tart, sweetness of the blueberries is perfectly balanced by the custard! You can even add a mint leaf for presentation. Coupled with a shot of espresso (decaf for me!), this custard is a perfect finish to a Sunday dinner and the weekend! 

Happy Sunday!

J

P.s. Be sure to subscribe to our new email newsletter to keep up to date with upcoming blog posts, events, programming and special discounts! Click here to subscribe! You'll have to confirm your subscription via email and add us to your safe list! We're going to be randomly selecting subscribers to send free #BuildandBurn passes to this week! We promise not to spam you!

P.p.s. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Build and Burn! You can now try a drop-in class or a week of programming before committing to the full month of the Build and Burn program! Check the calendar for a class that interests you, purchase a session and contact us to confirm your date! Click here for all the info! Lets get lean and strong together this summer

Sunday Sweet Treats: Chocolate Almond Hazelnut Butter Bites

I'm not going to lie: dessert was a little bit rushed today! Andrew (the hubby) and I are in the middle of moving out of our apartment, we're both busy at work and training ourselves once or twice a day, 6 or 7 days per week. I also started teaching Yoga at Hook Up Muay Thai today, so the time I usually spend prepping for dessert was a little limited. Enter: Chocolate Almond Hazelnut Butter Bites. 

I'm not sure if you've had them in the last little while, but do you remember how yummy Reese's Pieces were? I haven't had them in years but I remember how delicious they were, with the downside being the laundry list of ingredients on the back of package. Something about the dark chocolate and peanut butter together struck the perfect balance. However, I recently discovered, you can make a yummier, cleaner (fewer ingredients, all organic & NO added sweetener) version, with just two simple ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate Chips and Almond Hazelnut Butter! 

Here are the deets:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of organic, dark chocolate chips (I use gluten-free)
• 1/2 cup of Almond Hazelnut (or just Almond) Butter

Directions

• In a small saucepan, melt the dark chocolate chips over low heat
• Paint/Fill in Candy molds with a thin layer of the melted dark chocolate
  • I actually just covered a baking sheet with parchment paper and filled in some cookie cutters with the melted chocolate! 
• Place Candy molds/cookie cutters filled in with chocolate in the freezer for 10 minutes
• Remove the molds from the freezer, and scoop in Almond Hazelnut butter 
• Cover Almond Hazelnut butter with the remaining melted dark chocolate 
• Place back in the freezer for at least 10-15 minutes or remove treats from the freezer when ready to serve!

And thats it! So simple and easy, and unbelievably delicious! You can pair these with vanilla ice cream, fresh seasonal berries, or even just enjoy them on their own! 

Happy munching friends!

J

P.S Don't forget to check out the Small But Mighty Build and Burn program starting July 4th! We still have space and would love to have you join us! 

Sunday Sweet Treats: Chia Seed Pudding Parfait!

This week on the menu, one of my favourite desserts that is packed with both fibre and protein and is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth: Chia Seed Pudding Parfait! This dessert makes use of the Strawberry Preserves recipe I shared last week (although you can use fresh fruit if you haven't gotten a chance to try that recipe yet) as well as a few other simple ingredients including:

• Gluten-Free Granola -- I use Kind Healthy Grains Vanilla Blueberry Cluster with Flax Seeds
• Coconut Milk Whipped Cream 
• Chia Seed Pudding
• Almond Hazelnut Butter -- I used Nuts to You Smooth Almond Hazelnut Butter 

This may sound complicated, but the recipe is actually super simple, and most of your prep work can actually be done 24 hours ahead of time if you're hosting a dinner or party! The three components I make myself are the Strawberry Preserves, Coconut Milk Whipped Cream and Chia Seed Pudding.

Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Chia Seeds 
• 2 cups Organic, unsweetened Almond milk
• 1 tsp of organic vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of organic maple Syrup

Directions

• Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture begins to thicken. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours, or ideally overnight. (#sosimple)
• Before serving, stir mixture with a spoon!

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

Ingredients

• 1 can (400 mL) of organic, full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
  • I use Whole Foods 365 Every Day Coconut Milk
• 1 tsp of organic vanilla (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp of organic maple syrup (optional)

Directions

• Place canned coconut milk, a metal bowl and beaters from your electric mixer in the refrigerator overnight
• When ready to serve, remove bowl and beaters from the refrigerator
• When removing coconut milk from refrigerator, be sure not to shake, drop or invert it
• Scoop coconut cream from the top 2/3 of the can into your chilled bowl; leave the coconut water (liquid portion) in the bottom of the can!
  • you can use this in a smoothie tomorrow!
• Using your chilled beaters, beat coconut cream on high for 7-8 minutes until it starts to stiffen and form peaks 
• Add in vanilla and maple syrup and beat for another 1-2 minutes!

NOTE: Although I've listed maple syrup in each of the individual recipes, I keep the amount added to a minimum, as I find that the fresh fruit/preserves lends just enough sweetness to the recipe when making the full parfait!

Chia Seed Pudding Parfait: Putting It All Together 

There is certainly some freedom in how you choose to layer and organize your parfait, as well as how much of each ingredient (dictating the thickness of each layer) you use! I like to have the crunchy granola at the bottom, so here is how I do it!

I put these little treats together right before I'm ready to serve them! I use a small mason jar that can be purchased fairly cheaply from Canadian Tire or any Michael's store to make small, individual servings. From the bottom of the jar up, I layer

• Granola 
• Strawberry Preserves (or fresh strawberries, chopped in quarters if I'm short on preserves)
• Chia seed pudding
• Almond Hazelnut butter
• Chia Seed Pudding
• Coconut Whipped Cream
• Sprinkle granola or place a strawberry on top for appearance! 

What you end up with is a delicious, visually appealing little treat that is not overly filling and won't leave your guests in an insulin coma! Give it a try; I'm sure your sweet tooth will thank you!

Happy Sunday Friends!

Sunday Sweet Treats: Strawberry Preserves

When I was younger, my mum had a very special tradition she brought with her from her native UK: Sunday Dinner. A time when the WHOLE family gathered around the kitchen table for a roast dinner, complete with dessert. Though I may not have appreciated this as much as I child as I do now, I always LOVED Sunday evening desserts. As I've gotten older, this is one tradition I have tried to keep up in my own home, and one of my favourite things about summer break is that I have some extra time to myself, and thus, extra time to bake and cook! One of the other amazing things about summer is all of the fresh fruit and veggies that are in-season and easy to come by, and I absolutely love fresh strawberries! So today, I'm sharing with you one of my favourite Sweet Treats, Strawberry Preserves.

What are strawberry preserves? Similar to a jam or jelly, preserves are a type of fruit 'spread' that can be added to breakfasts, baked goods, or desserts (like topping on ice cream). Unlike jams or jellies, preserves contain large chunks of fruit and aren't necessarily as 'spreadable'. I love Strawberry preserves because they have just the right amount of sweetness, and are unbelievably versatile in terms of their use. You can add them to pancakes, parfaits, scones, or even have a spoonful on its own. Preserves are also a great way to capture and save the taste of summer for when you're craving something sweet in the fall or winter, and make lovely gifts when attending a dinner party. 

This quick and easy recipe comes from one of my main go-to cookbooks 'Make It Paleo' by Bill Staley and Haley Mason, and includes only  5 ingredients

• 4 Cups of Chopped Strawberries
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup (I use organic)
• 1 tbsp of lemon zest
• 1 tbsp of unflavoured gelatin 

The prep time is approximately 25 minutes, and total cook time is about 35 minutes plus one hour of refrigeration to allow the preserves to gel and set once they've been boiled down. I feel like this is one of those highly dependable, almost no fail recipes: all you have to do is boil the ingredients and bottle them! If you do want the full recipe, you can find the e-book or paper version of 'Make It Paleo' through amazon, or you could follow one of the plenty others available online. I will say that the reason I prefer the 'paleo' recipe is that it substitutes maple syrup for processed sugar and calls for a relatively lower amount than other recipes online. 

One really important consideration in this recipe and that of any other jam is proper sterilization of your mason jars/containers to avoid contamination. I found these cute little mason jars at Dollarama and sterilized them by washing them in hot soapy water, and then baking them! You also have to make sure to seal them tightly, especially if you plan to store them for a long time. 

Your finished product will be a sweet, gooey, semi-spreadable strawberry gel that you can either use right away, or save for a later date. I'm not going to lie, one of these jars is already gone! The other two I'm saving next weekend when I make another favourite, Chia Seed Pudding parfait. So if you happen to go berry picking this summer, you know what you can do with the extra strawberries after you've made all your pies, daiquiris and jams. Check back in next week to see how I put this tasty treat to use!

Happy Sunday Friends!

J