For those of you who aren’t that familiar with fennel, I think it might be an acquired tast. I say this because fennel has the scent and mild taste of black licorice, which is not a favorite of most people I know. I remember hating it as a kid, but it really has grown on me over the years.

The general rule about veggies is that the darker the colour, the better they are for you.  Fennel is quite pale but is still packed with nutrients and just like celery; they are low in calories and fat free.  They are great for dipping as well! You can find our recipe for hummus here: http://transformfit.ca/nutrition/healthy-super-bowl-snacks/ to pair it up with.

Tips on how to choose your fennel: It’s simple really. Choose the bulbs that look the cleanest and feel the most firm. If you see some discoloration, you should probably avoid them, as they probably aren’t as fresh.

Recipe:

Julianne the fennel bulb and place the strips into a bowl. Discard the tougher outer layer as well as the stems but hold on to the green leafy bits that resemble dill weed. I use these for garnish. Add the lemon and orange zest and juice into the bowl along with the walnut oil. Heat up a frying pan at medium/high heat. Once the pan is hot, add in the walnuts making sure to stir constantly until they begin to brown and smell a little toasted. Mix all the ingredients (except for the walnuts) in the bowl and place it on a serving dish. Finally, add the walnuts right before serving so that they are still nice and hot. garnish with the fennel leafs.

Recipe:

Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sautee the onion, garlic and ginger. Stir in the spices. Once the onion starts to tender, drop in the bell peppers, mushrooms, celery and zucchini. Cover the pot and let the veggies heat through for 5-10 minutes. Mix in the tomatoes and legumes and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let in cook for 45 minutes. While it’s cooking add the dehydrated chipotle peppers. Deseed the chipotle peppers if you don’t want your chili too spicy. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Tea is a comforting beverage that is almost calorie-free and has dozens of proven health benefits.

Tea contains antioxidants and bioflavonoid, which may lower the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke.

White Tea

White tea is the least processed of all teas.  White tea is light in color, delicate, smooth, sweet and velvety in flavor. It is lowest of all teas in caffeine. White tea has become more popular due to its health benefits.

Green Tea

Green tea is similar to white tea in that it does not incur a large amount of processing. Taste is vegetal, nutty, savory and grassy. It has half the amount of caffeine as Black Tea. Green Tea has a high level of antioxidants and is full of health properties.

Black Tea

Black tea is the most robust of the teas. It has full-bodied flavors of chocolate, earth, molasses, and honey; strong enough to handle milk or milk alternative such as almond, soy or rice milks.  It contains the highest caffeine content of teas but half the caffeine of coffee. Research shows benefits for cardiovascular disease, arthritis and bad breath.

Herbal Tisanes

Herbal Tisanes have a variety of tastes from minty, to sweet chamomile to tart lemon.  Herbal Tisanes naturally contain no caffeine.  A variety of health benefits depending on the herb. Mint aids in digestion while chamomile is a relaxant.

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos is made from a South African plant.  Rooibos teas are caffeine-free.  Rooibos has a high level of antioxidants.

Oolong Tea

Very complex in taste ranging from buttery to sweet and orchid-like.  Caffeine content is midway between black and green tea.  Oolong tea aids in speeding up metabolism and burning fat.

David’s tea is one of my favorite places to buy loose tea.  They have an incredible selection and very unique flavors.

Some of my favorites include:

Green & Fruity, Crème caramel, Coco Chai Rooibos, Forever Nuts, Copabanana, Jumpy Monkey, Chocolate Rocket, Read my Lips, Buttercream, Pumpkin Chai and Carrot Cake.

What are your favorites?

You can also create your own herbal tea’s using natural raw ingredients. My absolute favorite is honey, lemon and ginger! This combo makes for a great tasting and comforting drink. (see image above)

These three ingredients have unique medicinal qualities that can help fight flu-like symtoms and boost your imune system. Lemon provides us with vitamin C, ginger is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties, and honey is soothing for dry and itchy throats.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon maple syrup (per apple)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp of Nutmeg
¼ tsp cardamom
Pinch of salt
4 Apples

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine dried fruit, walnuts, maple syrup and spices.  Core each apple and place in a baking dish. Spoon one-fourth of the ingredients into each apple. Bake for 40 minutes or until apples are tender.  This dessert is great topped with a scoop of plain greek yogurt, or simply on its own.

FYI – Empire apples and honey-crisps work well for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite apple.

These tasty and chewy whole grains are unprocessed wheat kernels that include all three elements: the germ, bran and endosperm. The only layer that has been removed is the inedible hull. So what does all this mean? It means these little grains are able to retain all their vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, which make them nutritious.

Health benefits: Consuming wheat berries in their whole state provides the body with higher concentrations of vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B3, magnesium, phosphorous, selenium, zinc, and iron. After the milling process, the bran layer of the grain is removed and refined leaving little to no fiber. When wheat berries are consumed whole, they are an excellent source of dietary fiber.

Side note: Both whole-wheat flour and white flour are made from wheat berries. The white flour is the refined, bleached, fiber-less bit that’s left over… just not worth it.

Preparing:

It’s best to rinse the wheat-berries then soak them overnight (or for a few hours) to soften them up before you cook them. About 2.5 cups of water to 1 cup of wheat berries works best. Let the water boil with the wheat berries inside, then reduce the heat and let them sit for about 45 minutes.

Recipe:

This is easy to make! Cook the wheat-berries and let them cool in a large bowl in the refrigerator. Add all of the other ingredients and mix well. There you have it. This is a great healthy snack or side salad. Enjoy!

Thanks Dave!

Carl

Transformfit client