It's fall and that means pumpkin spice season! These little muffins have all the spices from pumpkin pie and are perfect for breakfast or as a snack.  Buckwheat is a gluten free grain that has an earthy taste that can be noticeable in some recipes, but pairing it with oat flour in these muffins helps to mellow out the strong flavour.  Pumpkin (and squash) is a wonderful seasonal vegetable to eat in the fall and winter because it's packed with vitamins and antioxidant strength

There's nothing quite like a hot plate of pad thai from a amazing Thai restaurant.  Unfortunately this high carb meal is usually packed with sugar and not necessarily made with the healthiest oil. And, if you are vegetarian or vegan and don't eat fish sauce, then pad thai isn't really an option.  We've made this version that's always gluten free and made with nutritious ingredients.  In case you have other  sensitivities or allergies, here are our suggestions on how to modify

Smooth, creamy, sweet and yet kinda like earthy green tea at the same time...matcha lends a unique taste to this chia pudding.  Chia pudding is one of our favourite things to make for breakfast because it's so easy to prepare in advance (even days in advance) and then just grab it and go in the morning.  With this recipe, we even prepped all the fruit in advance and stored it in the same mason jar as the chia pudding. If you like green tea, then you'll love this special match

When you don't have a lot of time in the morning, breakfast usually comes last, and quickly.  We get pretty tired of toast, smoothies and granola though.  Pancakes are normally reserved for the weekend, on more leisurely days.  But, with this month being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we've been thinking about simple ways that we can incorporate more self care.  Self care doesn't have to be an hour long massage or a girls' night with friends (although we love those things and

The question of whether or not to eat sugar comes up a lot for many of our clients, especially when it comes to cancer prevention.  This can be a challenge when it comes to making smoothies and clients ask us if it’s okay to put sweet fruit in them. In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this October, we are going to be sharing some blog posts with important information for women...and the question about sugar is one of the things we’ll look at. If you don’t like banana

Slow mornings are always the best for making something special for breakfast.  A few weeks ago, on one of these types of slow mornings, we had a craving for poptarts.  Not the gross, sugary, refined flour poptarts, topped off with bright pink icing glaze though.  But, for some reason the thought of homemade flaky poptarts, filled with real fruit just sounded so good. So, after some trial and error, we came up with this recipe.  It is gluten free and can also be made completel

With all this dreary winter weather in Toronto, hearty and filling main dishes are one of the things that we crave most.  Although a cheesy rich classic lasagna sounds so appealing, most of our clients can't eat cheese and gluten.  So, we came up with something just as good that's dairy free and gluten free.  This lasagna is full of saucy, baked tomatoes paired with creamy and rich "cheese" that's made from cashews and slightly sweet pumpkin.  We love making this version of l

We used to be skeptical of breakfast cookies.  Can a cookie really be healthy enough to serve for breakfast?  Thankfully we discovered that using seed or nut butter as the main ingredient for a cookie, creates a high protein and nutrient dense cookie that is healthy enough for breakfast.  Instead of using oats, which are very common in breakfast cookie and granola bar recipes, we wanted a recipe that would work for all of our clients, including the ones that can’t eat grains

There’s something so special about fresh, sweet, locally grown corn at the end of summer.  At any other point during the year, we rarely even think about eating corn or using it in recipes.  And, in fact, some of our clients have dietary sensitivities and feel better when they don’t eat corn.   Similar to soy and wheat, corn has been grown in massive quantities and is used in large scale production for many types of processed foods that use poor quality corn flour, corn starc

Chia pudding is one of the easiest ways to ensure that you eat a filling breakfast and have something prepped to start the day off.  If you haven't had chia pudding before, it's a bit different than normal pudding but still tastes delicious (and is so much healthier).  Chia seeds are high in soluble fiber and thicken liquids when mixed together because they absorb liquid and expand, becoming softer and more plump.  This is good for 2 reasons: 1. Chia seeds naturally create a

We have a thing for matcha lattes over here.  And it seems that a lot of other people do too, seeing that matcha lattes are appearing on menus at so many different coffee shops and cafes.  The thing is that buying matcha lattes can get quite expensive and often have added ingredients, like sugar, that we don't love.  So, making matcha lattes at home is a great way to not only save money but also ensure that you know exactly what ingredients are used. Matcha is made from high

We're absolutely lovin' cherry season this year, especially since it's for such a short time, it feels extra special.  Cherries are one of the best fruits to pack for snacks during the work day, on road trips, on camping trips, and even on plane rides, because they are strong enough to stand the heat and are less likely to get crushed than softer berries and nectarines or peaches. The rich and bright colour of cherries is caused by a type of flavanoids called anthocyanins. An

Ah, fermented foods. Typically, most people cringe at the thought of the food we eat being full of bacteria, but fermentation is actually an age-old tradition dating as far back as 6000 BC; it was used originally to help preserve food and even change the texture and flavour of it to make it more palatable. Some of the earliest known fermented foods include cheeses, wine, yeasted breads, and vinegar. The process of fermentation involves introducing good bacteria into food and

With the cold, gloomy weather in Toronto, we’re naturally keeping cozy with delicious warm drinks. Wellness lattes are becoming a popular drink of choice lately, and many health food restaurants and cafes are now selling a wide array of warm superfood drinks. Chaga hot chocolate, turmeric golden milk, and matcha lattes are all really popular, but we at Living Kitchen love to experiment with new flavours. A while back, I was on Pinterest and came across this recipe for a rose

November is now fondly known as Movember, especially if you have had the joy of a special man in your life deciding to outfit himself with an epic moustache for the month.   All joking aside, this is an important movement that helps raise awareness about men's cancers, from how men can check themselves early for signs of cancer to advocating for affordable treatment. With so many wonderful vegetables in season during the fall, there are so many options to make delicious and n

As October is breast cancer awareness month, it’s an important time to think about this disease that affects so many people in our country and around the world. I have recently experienced the loss of a dear family friend from breast cancer, and many of you will have also, as it is the most common cause of cancer death in women. Breast cancer is strongly affected by dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors, and therefore taking preventative measures may help reduce the ri

Electrolytes are important nutrients for our bodies that impact the heart, muscles, and nerves. A lack of electrolytes can result in muscle cramping, delayed muscle soreness, and spasms, which can contribute to headaches that you may experience post-workout. When you sweat, you lose electrolytes, which then can be replaced by plant-based foods, and beverages. It's especially important to replace your electrolytes in the summer when the heat and sun cause additional water loss

The Spring Equinox was yesterday, bringing us much closer to sunny jacket-free days.  However, it's still cold in Toronto and we're bracing ourselves for a few more blustery weeks.  When it's cold, there is nothing better than cozying up at the end of the day.  But we need to eat.  This chili is the perfect comfort food for a cold winters day to keep your body nourished and warm. It is full of healthy fats, lean proteins and complex carbs to keep you feeling full.  The best p

Chocolate and peanut butter (or almond butter) is one of our favourite combinations, classic.  You really can't go wrong when the two flavours are combined, except when they are loaded with lots of sugar. We encourage all of our clients to reduce their sugar intake and eliminate it if possible, especially if they are going through cancer treatment.  Sugar is one of the main causes of inflammation on a cellular level, which makes cells more susceptible to disease, chronic cond

There's nothing quite like a refreshing leafy green salad for a meal when it's hot outside.  This recipe is filled with antioxidant rich green vegetables, plus the digestive supporting sauerkraut.  For those of you who are wary of sauerkraut, this is an easy and tasty way to incorporate the healthy fermented cabbage into your diet. Summer Green Greek Style Salad 4 cups leafy greens (mesclun, baby kale, baby spinach, any lettuce variety) 1 medium cucumber, sliced in thin half