Food

This is a much “meatier” version of a simple salad. The greens provide folate and vitamin C, the beans provide protein and fibre, and the walnuts provide essential fats. Topped with a delicious dressing that can be used for all kinds of salads, this dish will become a nutritious regular in your cooking repertoire. Feel free to substitute ingredients as required. Almonds and pecans can substitute for walnuts, and chickpeas or even lentils can substitute for the beans. A 1/4-cup (60-mL) serving of nuts may improve cardiovascular health, and beans provide fibre, which is important to help detoxify the liver. Use a digestive enzyme from a natural foods store if digesting beans is a problem for you. Most people over age 60 benefit from using these enzymes with main meals.

Green peas provide protein and minerals, and this recipe can be made with fresh or frozen peas. Their fabulous colour is both refreshing and inspiring when you’re tired of mushroom soup. If chopping vegetables is a problem, this recipe is perfect as it uses the power of the blender to do the hard work. Fresh mint is available year-round in the produce aisle of most major supermarkets. Enjoy this soup warm or chilled, depending on the weather.

This soup is ready in 15 minutes and really packs a punch, providing 189 percent of your recommended daily dosage of vitamin C with each serving. It’s also loaded with beta carotene from the peppers, tomatoes, and orange juice. Tomatoes also contain lycopene, which has been shown to have protective effects against prostate cancer. The extra-virgin olive oil helps in the absorption of this important phytochemical. Seasonings such as cayenne pepper and cinnamon also help with heart health. Enjoy this soup for lunch or dinner along with fresh whole grain bread or dinner rolls. To save time, use a food processor to chop garlic, ginger, onions, and bell pepper.

A hit with adults and children alike, Chocolate Energy Orbs can be made on the weekend to be enjoyed throughout the week. They’ve got lots of the protein and fat that children’s bodies need for growth, along with fibre, protein, and antioxidants from the cocoa powder. The orbs are lower in sugar than their processed energy bar counterparts and include natural ingredients for maximum nourishment. Tahini (sesame seed paste) adds calcium.

Pizza is ideal for the lunch box as you can use any combination of vegetables you know your kids will like in order to slip in some veggie servings. To add protein, try using veggie salami slices, or add pineapple tidbits for a little sweetness. For the healthiest pizza, buy in bulk and freeze whole grain pizza crusts, made from whole wheat or spelt flour. Freeze and use as required. Children are more likely to eat something they helped prepare, so share the pizza building at dinner the night before. The next day, use cookie cutters to cut cold pizza into shapes for the lunch box.

School lunches can be both fun and easy when you buy a special soup Thermos for your child. Brightly coloured Thermoses are available at most supermarkets and drugstores and come in children’s sizes. Fill them with long, thin noodles to slurp up or bicycle-, star-, and alphabet-shaped noodles, which you’ll find at specialty cook shops. It is very low on seasonings so it’s perfect for picky eaters. Try making this Alphabet Soup as an easy weekend dinner, then serve leftovers for lunch during the week. To add protein, add 1/2 cup (125 mL) red lentils.

There is one guarantee with this sandwich—the lunch box will be empty when it returns home. Despite its decadent concept, this sandwich provides healthy whole grains, a serving of nuts provides good fats, and the strawberries provide vitamin C and antioxidants. You can also experiment with other fruits such as bananas and peaches, but I like the vitamin C hit from the strawberries. Commercial chocolate hazelnut spreads are available but often contain hydrogenated fats, so feel free to make your own. Always serve this treat on thickly sliced whole grain bread, homemade or from the bakery; do not waiver and use white bread or the commercial variety sold in plastic bags as the whole grain loaf really makes this sandwich hearty and nutritious.

This creamy and rich recipe is a great way to start or finish your day, as it is ideal for breakfast or dessert. Whole grains provide essential minerals such as chromium, which help insulin to regulate blood sugar. Grains also provide B vitamins, which are essential for cell reproduction and help to manage stress. Almond milk and date sugar can be found in the health section of large supermarkets, in natural food stores, or your local specialty cooking store. You can also make your own almond milk by soaking almonds in water, pureeing the two in a blender, and then filtering the puree through cheesecloth.

Beets can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, roasted, or sautéed. They are high in carotenes, which have proven antioxidant activity and help to protect us from heart disease and other chronic degenerative diseases. Beets have also been shown to protect against carcinogens, support liver cleansing enzymes, and protect against colon cancer. They contribute folic acid and potassium.

This dish can be served as a meal, an appetizer, or as a side salad. It’s an easy way to get children to eat their vegetables as they love to dip and they love peanut butter! Go crazy choosing all kinds of vegetables for the platter. Choose fresh produce in season, such as snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and bell pepper. Bean sprouts, eggs, and tofu add protein to the dish (along with the peanut butter in the Satay Sauce) to help make it a complete and easy-to-prepare meal.

This salad provides more than just a delicious flavour combination. Each one of the three parts - from the nuts to the dressing - adds vital nutrients to help form a well-balanced meal. Fresh nuts and seeds aid heart health as they add natural polyunsaturated fats and minerals such as calcium. Cashews, in particular, provide copper, zinc, and magnesium, which are essential for many body processes. Recent research shows that consuming a small amount of nuts daily not only promotes heart and cardiovascular health but can also reduce gallstone risk.

Try this recipe with spelt flour to benefit from whole grains without the heaviness of whole wheat flour. Coconut butter has a more varied fat profile and less saturated fat than pure butter. Brown rice syrup causes lower fluctuations in blood sugar levels than natural sugar. Combining all three makes a snack you can feel good about.

Try serving this punch in a martini glass at Father’s Day breakfast. Let your dad know you love him by telling him about the health benefits of this colourful juice.

This refreshing Thai-inspired salad is simple to prepare and pairs well with grilled chicken. If mangoes are unavailable, segmented oranges can be substituted to make a zesty citrus variation.

(pictured with Snacking Salad with Apricots and Roasted Almonds)

4 cups (1 L) water
Pinch of salt
1 cup (250 mL) quinoa
1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes, chopped small red onion, sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) almonds, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (160 mL) Mild Moroccan Spiced Dressing
8 cups (2 L) baby spinach leaves

This is a seafood salad without comparison and could easily serve as a main lunch dish. If this is your introduction to cooking octopus, make sure you use sufficient force to tenderize (a rolling pin is crude, but effective) before adding it to the bouillon. This is the secret to tender tubes.

This dessert is a work of art and as such requires some simple art supplies and assembly. In this case, a half-dozen metal rings, roughly 3 in (7.6 cm) wide and 2.5 in (6.3 cm) high, are required to bring this to the table.

While there are countless flavour variations for risotto, the sweet peas are refreshing and healthful. Alternatives, depending upon the time of year, include wild mushrooms, diced gourds, or asparagus. Fruits such as blueberries and strawberries can also be used to great applause.

This salad is a consistent hit for potlucks and parties, or enjoy it all by yourself for a fully satisfying lunch. I love it because it’s perfect for using up any vegetables left in the fridge at the end of the week. The mushrooms add protein and a meaty texture.

This dip is very versatile and can be used as a high-protein sandwich spread with fresh peppers, broccoli sprouts, and lettuce.The salsa provides a good source of lycopene to help prevent prostate cancer and the lime juice and cilantro provide plenty of vitamin C.

Borscht is an incredibly powerful soup. Its rich colour signifies the presence of powerful plant pigments that have been shown to prevent the body from aging, environmental damage, and disease.

Use this broth as the base for a nourishing soup by adding a handful of grain (such as barley) and a can of your favourite beans.

This dish keeps well and is delicious hot or cold. Use it as a main dish or as an appetizer. It is quite rich, so reduce the olive oil if required, but try to keep the flax oil for its anti-inflammatory properties.