Sylvia Leong is a former healthcare professional who uses her education and experience as a nutritionist and therapeutic personal trainer.

Healthy and Delicious Drink

We’re all looking for something to drink. Unfortunately, most turn to unhealthy, sugary drinks like pop, sports drinks or juice.

Yes, you read that correctly. Juice is too sugary to be healthy. Eat the fruit instead as the pulp slows the body's absorption of sugar.

“Apple and orange juices can contain about five teaspoons of sugar per cup and grape juice double that amount of sugar.”

— Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, Obesity Specialist, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa

What if you could enjoy a drink that packed a huge punch and was healthy at the same time? This spicy tea won’t let you down!

For a real treat, and an easy way to maintain your water intake, try this recipe with a bite. It’s as unprocessed as it gets. That means that it’s as healthy as it is delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 inch ginger root, sliced
• 2 cinnamon sticks, whole
• 5 cloves, whole
• 1 star anise, whole
• Boiled water

Wintertime Instructions

1. Throw the four spices into a casserole dish.
2. Add boiled water to the casserole dish until full.
3. Allow to simmer on minimum, or on your stove’s “warming centre” for 3–8 hours.
4. Should last a week simmering on the stove, or on your stove’s “warming centre.”
5. Ladle into a cup and cut with water until the strength of the tea is right for you.
6. Add a slice of citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit) as desired.
7. If you're feeling under the weather, add crushed garlic to bring up your immune system.

Summertime Instructions

1. Throw the four spices into a casserole dish.
2. Add boiled water to the casserole dish until full.
3. Allow to simmer on minimum, or on your stove’s “warming centre” for 3–8 hours.
4. Let it cool.
5. Using a funnel, ladle the tea into jars or bottles. Keep these jars or bottles in the fridge (should last a month). Now you have iced tea!
6. Pour into a drinking glass or a drinking jar.
7. Cut with water or soda water until the strength of tea is right for you.
8. Add a slice of citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit) as desired.
9. Pluck a sprig from the herb of your choice (mint, rosemary, thyme) and add as desired.

Variations

• Spirits: Add a 1/2 ounce of spirits to your mug of hot tea.
• White wine: Add 3 ounces of white wine to your glass of iced tea.
• Maple syrup: If you have a sweet tooth, add a tiny bit of 100% pure maple syrup.
• Baked goods: Try pairing your tea—hot or cold—with easy bake soda bread or pumpkin spice muffins!

What’s better on a summer’s eve than a sitting on your balcony with a good book and a glass of spicy iced tea?

Yum!

Enjoy.

© 2021 Sylvia Leong

Sylvia Leong is a former healthcare professional who uses her education and experience as a nutritionist and therapeutic personal trainer.

“Wow, you make your own soda bread?”

The idea of making bread conjures up fears of labor-intensive hours in a hot kitchen amongst rolling pins, piles of dirty dishes and white, powdery flour coating everything.

An even worse fear: after all that work, the bread will be a flop.

"Well, you must use a bread maker, right?”

Nope. No bread maker here. I have a serious aversion to clutter and that means I own as few appliances as possible.

Good thing making bread is super easy!

You can bake soda bread on anything: cookie sheet, loaf pan, casserole dish to name a few. Whichever you choose, parchment paper makes it easier to cut and the cleanup less of a hassle.

Equipment

• Cookie sheet, loaf pan or casserole dish
• Parchment paper
• 2 large bowls
• 2 large forks
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Basting brush (optional)
• Spatula (optional)
• Wire cooling rack (optional)

Cook Time

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour
• 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Liquid ingredients:

• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut in
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Set your oven at 380ºF (or 355ºF in a convection oven).
2. Line your baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.
3. Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl and stir like the dickens.
4. With bare, clean hands, further squish/mix the butter between your thumb and forefinger.
5. With bare, clean hands, form dough into a rough, straggly mess of a ball.
6. Place bread dough onto the parchment paper and push into the edges of the dish. Otherwise, if dough is on a baking sheet, leave it in a ball.
7. Cut an X into the centre of the bread dough with your finger (or with a spatula if you prefer).
8. Coat the bread dough with buttermilk using your fingertips (or with a brush if you prefer).
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Check to make sure loaf isn’t too brown.
11. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Let the loaf sit out in its baking container on a cooling rack.

Savory and Sweet Options

You can add many different ingredients to your bread. Just mix throughout the dough before baking:

• White cheese, grated
• Caraway or pumpkin seeds
• Celery slices
• Sliced olives
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg
• Dried fruits
• Come up with your own tasty combination. I dare you to experiment!

© 2021 Sylvia Leong

Sylvia Leong is a former healthcare professional who uses her education and experience as a nutritionist and therapeutic personal trainer.

Lower-Calorie Muffins

I love muffins, but I don’t love the calories.

One summer, while visiting relatives in Calgary, my cousin-in-law, Samantha, made us muffins for breakfast. They were moist, filling and tasted amazing!

My husband went on to tell me that if we had muffins like this at home, he’d consider eating in the morning. Because my husband’s eating habits and food choices are a constant thorn in my side, I paid attention.

But what really made me stand up was when Samantha told me that her recipe excluded both sugar and butter!

The unfortunate truth is that most muffins usually contain between 400 and 600 calories. However, switching to a recipe with all whole food ingredients not only packs in the nutrition, but you get away with between 250 and 300 calories per muffin!

Using Samantha’s wonderful recipe as a base, I set out to create several different, delicious and nutritious muffin choices.

A big thank you to Samantha!

Cook Time

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (whole wheat, spelt, or other ancient grains flour)
• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 1/3 cup steel-cut oats
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Liquid Ingredients:

• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 large banana, over-ripened
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup milk
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 15 walnuts
• 15 hazelnuts

Instructions

1. Using a fork, combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Mix the liquid ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients and mix together into a muffin dough. Set aside.
4. Place 15 silicone baking cups across a baking sheet.
5. Set a half walnut into the bottom of each silicone baking cup.
6. Spoon the muffin dough into each silicone baking cup.
7. Set a hazelnut on top of each muffin.
8. Bake at 380ºF (or 355ºF in a convection oven).

Organic Is Healthier

With all the ingredients in the recipe—and really all your food—choose organic whenever possible.

Not only is this healthier for your body, it's healthier for the Earth as a whole.

Whenever you purchase organic, you're supporting those farmers who go through that extra effort making of sure their crops aren't ridden with insecticides and pesticides.

Vote with your dollar.

Please note: These muffins are made from real food, so they need to be kept refrigerated.

Substitute for Pumpkin Puree

In October, I roast several pumpkins, scoop out the pumpkin puree and freeze it in one cup containers.

Unfortunately, my supply usually runs out by summertime.

If this happens to you, just substitute with one more large banana or two more medium bananas. Not quite as tasty, but you’ll still have delicious muffins.

Cinnamon Can Mitigate Blood Sugar Spikes

Frightened of carbohydrates? Add cinnamon! It slows the rate at which the carbohydrate is digested. This prevents that nasty blood-sugar spike that inevitably stimulates your body to convert all the sugar in your blood to fat and store it in your fat cells.

Most folks rely on quantities of fat and sugar to add flavour to their meals. A healthier way is to rely on spices!

These muffins are great for breakfast, a snack, or a little sweetness after your savoury supper.

Enjoy!

© 2021 Sylvia Leong

Sylvia Leong is a former healthcare professional who uses her education and experience as a nutritionist and therapeutic personal trainer.

Spice Up Your Salad!

Salad is boring, and because the leaves consist mostly of water, it’s not filling. How can anyone subsist eating leaves?

In most restaurants, “designer” salads are ridiculously overpriced. To add insult to injury, with the extra fillers—dressings, candied pecans, and crispy tortilla strips—the salad can contain more calories than a cheeseburger!

They're missing the point.

What’s the secret to making a tasty and surprisingly filling salad?

Lose the leaves—lettuce, arugula, kale, spinach. Impossible when you're served a salad in a restaurant, but doable when you’re preparing food in your own kitchen.

This Greek salad has a ton of nutrients per calorie, making it a great option for your waistline. What's more, it's tangy, peppery, salty with olives, and full of garlic, and easily made at home.

Yum!

Make Enough Greek Salad to Last Three Days

Without the leaves, the vegetables will last much longer. Prepare your Greek salad right into a casserole dish with a lid that seals moderately well. This way, your salad will last in the fridge for up to three days.

• Cutting the vegetables into bite-sized chunks saves time.
• This salad can be used as a base for many different meals.

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber, quartered and sliced
• 2 medium vine-grown tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium pepper (red, orange, or yellow), chopped
• 1/4 medium red onion, sliced
• 1/4 medium purple cabbage, chopped
• 12 large olives (green or black), sliced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed, then sliced
• Black pepper corns, ground, to taste
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Several leaves basil
• Several sprigs oregano
• Feta cheese, crumbled, to taste

Instructions

1. Chop up the cucumber, tomato, pepper, onion, and cabbage into bite-sized pieces, or to your desired size.
2. Halve and slice up the olives.
3. Crush and slice the garlic.
4. Squeeze half a lemon over the salad. Stir.
5. Grind pepper liberally over the salad. Stir.
6. Pour olive oil over the salad. Stir.
7. Scoop into a beautiful bowl, but leave room for bits of variety (see suggestions below).

Salad Add-On and Topping Options

You don’t want to eat the exact same salad every time. Following are healthy choices that will make your salad special.

• Ginger, grated
• Beans
• Brown rice
• Barley
• Quinoa
• Cheese (e.g., cheddar, feta, brie, goat’s cheese, blue cheese)
• Salmon, prawns, or other seafood
• Beef or chicken
• Hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• Lettuce leaves (e.g., arugula, kale, spinach)
• Fresh basil or oregano

Even More Add-Ons for Extra Variety

• Green or sweet onion, sliced (instead of red onion)
• Olive juice directly from the jar (instead of lemon juice)
• Apple cider vinegar (instead of lemon juice)
• Carrots, chopped
• Celery, chopped
• Fennel, chopped
• Potatoes, cubed and steamed
• Any vegetable or fruit you find tasty!

Enjoy!

Organic ingredients are preferable for both taste and nutrient value. Hopefully, it’s both available and affordable in your area.

Light a candle, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy this sumptuous salad, no matter if it's a chilly winter evening or hot summer day.

Do you have ideas on how to make your Greek Salad unique? Please share in the comments.

© 2021 Sylvia Leong