Recipes and more


Browse through our blog to see the fantastic recipes we've collected to help you on your journey to a healthier you!

Not familiar with LillyPad? See our website or Facebook page to learn more about us.

Thursday 27 April 2017

Head to Toe Links

Here are a series of links relating to the information Karen discussed at our Head to Toe talk with the 22 King St Group on Sat, April 29th.


Documentaries:





Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever.



Addicted to Pleasure: Sugar (Netflix)

Revealing the rich and controversial past of sugar, alcohol, tobacco and opium, Hollywood actor Brian Cox embarks on a thought-provoking journey to uncover how the commercial exploitation of these products hooked the rest of the world on an appetite for a good time.

In this first episode, Brian wants to find out why (like millions of other Brits), he is a diabetic. Starting in Barbados, from which sugar cane fuelled a consumer revolution, Brian discovers how the British acquired a 'sweet tooth' and why today, this has led to epidemic levels of diabetes, obesity and even addiction to sugar.



Articles:


A Psychology Today article about the link between Insulin Resistance and Alzheimer's Disease.

An excellent blog with a particularly good articles on sugar politics.

In 1972, a British scientist sounded the alarm that sugar – and not fat – was the greatest danger to our health. But his findings were ridiculed and his reputation ruined. How did the world’s top nutrition scientists get it so wrong for so long?

This is a great post by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explaining what these terms mean and how to know whether they may apply to you. 

Thursday 23 February 2017

Janeva's Mockamole

Missing guacamole? Try this fantastic low carb dip with your vegetables, on top of a salad, or with the Sweet Chili Dorados.


Monday 30 January 2017

The Diabetic Dilemma workshop

The Diabetic Dilemma: What to do about carbs?




If you’re diabetic, or borderline, and you love carbs, you know how hard it can be to manage your blood sugar. Let Karen show you how to prepare healthy alternatives that are both delicious, filling, and blood sugar friendly. 

Come and learn about substitutes that won’t leave you missing out, great meal options the whole family can enjoy, and wonderful ways to add flavour without adding sugar. Samples will be provided!







Workshop #1 - Sobeys Ira Needles location

Monday, February 6th, 2017 
7:00pm - 8:30pm 
Sobeys Ira Needles 
235 Ira Needles Blvd, Kitchener, ON 
Call Sobeys at 519-743-9491 to reserve your seat - $10 per person

Our FREE monthly Grocery Tour will also be held at Ira Needles Sobeys
Monday, February 27th, 2017 
7:00pm - 8:00pm 
No registration required. Begins promptly at 7pm in the Sobeys kitchen.





Workshop #2 - LillyPad Retail Store location

Wednesday, February 8th, 2017
6:30pm - 8:00pm
LillyPad store
22 King St S, Suite #202, Waterloo, ON

Call the office at 226-476-1763 to reserve your seat - $10 per person

Tuesday 10 January 2017

Prep for Success the LillyPad way

There are many ways that food preparation can help you succeed in your healthy eating goals. Prepping ahead can also cut down the time you spend on meals, save money and reduce stress when you need one less thing to worry about.

Karen at our Sobey's Prep for Success workshop

Pre-made one dish meals

One of the more popular ways to plan ahead is to make meals in advance, storing them in your refrigerator or freezer for later, or leaving them to cook in a slow cooker. Stews, soups, and casseroles work well because you can:

  • cook everything in a pot, slow cooker or oven safe casserole dish 
  • store or freeze them for long periods 
  • reheat the dishes quickly and easily

Spending a few hours to make multiple meals on days when you have the time can be a big help on those days when you don’t. Larger dishes can also provide leftovers for lunches.

Unfortunately, while many ready-made options exist for dishes like the above, they are often laden with extra preservatives, high in salt, added sugars, excess carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, and more.

Karen’s Suggested recipe: Spicy Mexican Vegetable soup
Spicy Mexican Vegetable soup


Mix and Match Meals

Making different portions of a meal separately in advance can also give you many options of creating quick healthy meals in a short amount of time.

Proteins can easily be cooked and stored in portion sizes, a popular example being ground beef.


Karen’s Protein preparation tips:
Once a month I will buy 3 pork tenderloins, 5 lbs of ground beef, and 2 whole chickens. The pork tenderloins go into a slow cooker with bbq sauce and cook for about 6 hours and the chickens go into the oven, seasoned with salt & pepper, to cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes per pound (and another 15 or so minutes at the end) until they are cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165F. 
Once that’s started, I cook the plain ground beef in a big pot on the stove. As each item is ready, I cool and portion the proteins into containers or bags to be frozen, or stored in the fridge if I plan to use them in a few days. With lots of time between cooking, removing, and portioning, I move onto vegetable preparation. 

Vegetables are much the same if you cooked and portion them out in advance. Great examples are mashes like celery root or rutabaga, riced veg like cauliflower, or blanched veg like green beans. Again, plain frozen vegetables from the grocery store are also great options. At our workshop, we sampled a mash of celery root, rutabaga, and cauliflower.

Karen's celery root, rutabaga, and cauliflower mash

 
Karen’s Vegetable preparation tips:
While my proteins are cooking I will peel and chop the veg that I want to use for a mash. I usually make a mix of rutabaga, cauliflower, and celery root. The chopped vegetables go into a big pot with water and cook on the stove until soft enough to mash. I do not add any seasoning until I am ready to eat it. Riced Cauliflower (cauliflower chopped into rice sized pieces) is easily prepped and not cooked in advance. As each item is ready, I cool and portion the vegetables into containers or bags to be frozen, or stored in the fridge if I plan to use them in a few days. Note: even with everything cooking at once, preparation time can be a bit dull. Try putting on the radio, listening to a podcast or audio book, or watching a movie while you work.

Putting it all together

1 - Choose your protein

You may need to defrost it in the microwave or overnight in your fridge. If you are keeping your protein separate, now is the time to add seasonings as you reheat or cook your choice. Be aware of and try to avoid added sugars, excess sodium, and so forth.

2 - Choose your vegetables

You may need to defrost it in the microwave or overnight in your fridge. Have your veg on the side or combined with your protein option. Soups are another way to get your vegetables in, by adding your veg and/or your protein to a low/no carb soup stock with your preferred seasonings.

Using frozen store bought vegetables: These can sometimes come out soggy. For better results, you can roast any frozen vegetable like cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, or okra in the oven.

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
  • Toss your veg with a little olive oil and your favorite seasonings. 
  • Spread veg on a parchment paper covered tray. Don’t overcrowd. 
  • Cooking time will vary depending on type of vegetable and amount. An average cook time is 20 to 30 minutes. 

3 - Season

Seasonings are important in making a meal flavourful. Be aware of and try to avoid added sugars, excess sodium, and other unnecessary fillers. Our chart below will provide you with some great ideas for your protein and vegetables.



Some of Karen’s favourite seasonings:

  • chinese five spice 
  • mexican style spice combinations with cumin and smoked chipotle 
  • poultry seasoning (sage, savoury, parsley, etc) 
  • any fresh herbs added at the end of making a dish, like dill or cilantro


I’ve run out of everything!


You may do your best to prepare, but things don’t always work out. What to do? Instead of getting fast food take-out, pick up a roasted chicken at the store. The hot counter will likely have vegetables ready to go (fried potatoes don’t count!), but be aware of possible sauces and additions that may be laden with sugar and excess fat. Bagged salads or pre-cut vegetables ready for roasting are often available too, but go easy on the dressings.


Karen’s super-quick options:
Through the month I will make fish, shrimp, eggs, or ham as my protein since they cook quickly and are easy to prepare immediately. 

Monday 28 November 2016

Prep for Success Workshops

Finding it hard to maintain healthy habits? Karen will show you the tips and tricks she uses to create quick, easy, and deliciously healthy meals every day.


Karen understands that convenience is a significant barrier when you’re trying to improve your meals and keep that New Year’s resolution. Preparation can make a big difference in whether you’re eating well or eating whatever.


This workshop will cover preparation techniques and methods to help you throw together healthy meals in record time. Karen will also compare her methods with ready-made products, looking at both taste and nutrition. Samples will be provided!






Prep for Success Workshop #1 - Sobeys Ira Needles location

Monday, January 9th, 2017 
7:00pm - 8:30pm 
Sobeys Ira Needles 
235 Ira Needles Blvd, Kitchener, ON 
Call Sobeys at 519-743-9491 to reserve your seat - $10 per person


Our FREE monthly Grocery Tour will also be held at Ira Needles Sobeys
Monday, January 23rd, 2017 
7:00pm - 8:00pm 
No registration required. Begins promptly at 7pm in the Sobeys kitchen.





Prep for Success Workshop #2 - LillyPad Retail Store location

Tuesday, January 17th, 2017
6:30pm - 8:00pm
LillyPad store
22 King St S, Suite #202, Waterloo, ON
Call the office at 226-476-1763 to reserve your seat - $10 per person

Friday 18 November 2016

Soup Stock: from the Sugar and Salt and Soup - Oh my! workshop

If you missed our recent workshop, this post will catch you up, and if you were there we’ll add some details here you may find useful too.

At the workshop

The attendees agreed in a blind taste test that the homemade stocks were better tasting than the store bought. Karen led them through an analysis of pre-made stocks and broths, looking at nutritional information and added ingredients.



As you can see from the information above, many of these products contain unnecessary ingredients that do not increase either the taste or nutritional content. When you make your own, you can control what goes into your food.

Let's go over the basics...



What is Stock or Broth?

Stocks and broths are the first step in making a soup. While the names are often used are interchangeable, Stock is generally made using bones, whereas Broth can be made with vegetables alone or include meat. The flavour will be different with a stock due to the nutrients and gelatin released from the bones used. 

For the purposes of this article however, we’ll use the term “Stock” as we focus on bone-based versions, though some of our links may say broth when referring to stock. 


What are the benefits of Stock? 

Stock made with bones will contain gelatin and other nutrients like phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium. Stock isn’t a whole meal however. With very few or no carbs, and incomplete proteins, stock cannot provide all the nutrients you need. 

Stock can:
    • help you stay hydrated
    • make you feel more full
    • satiate cravings and fill you up with little added calories, which can help with weight loss
    • provide a flavourful base for a full meal when you add protein and vegetables
    • give you some necessary nutrients
    • be a convenient flavour booster in many recipes
    • help you make the most of your leftovers, saving you money

How do I make stock? Is it hard?

Here’s how Karen makes her basic chicken stock. You’ll need the skin and bones from a chicken that's been previously roasted. Make sure to leave some meat on the bones, wings, back, etc

Cooking the stock:
    • In a pot on your stovetop: Put your ingredients in a pot and add enough water to cover the them. Place a lid on the pot and bring it to a gentle boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes or as long as 4 hours, depending on your flavour preference. The longer it cooks the stronger the flavour will be.
    • In a slow cooker: Put your ingredients into the slow cooker, adding enough water to cover the them. Cook the ingredients on low heat for at least 8 hours or as long as 24 hours.
    • In a stove top pressure cooker: Put your ingredients in a pot and add enough water to cover them. Lock the lid in place and raise the heat to high. Bring the pot up to full pressure. This may take about 15 minutes. When your pot indicates that it's at full pressure, lower the heat to maintain pressure and start timing. Cook for 45 minutes.
    • In an electric pressure cooker: This can be safer than on the stove top because it will automatically bring up the pressure and turn off when it is done. They cost $59 to $200. Put your ingredients into the cooker and add enough water to cover them. It will take 1 hour to 3 hours to cook depending on the model of your pressure cooker.
    • In a Tupperware microwave pressure cooker: Put your ingredients in and fill to the max line.  do not over fill. Lock the lid of your pressure cooker in place and cook in the microwave on high for 30 minutes. When done, let it sit for 15 minutes to let the pressure naturally release. This is Karen’s favourite method as it’s both fast and easy. You can purchase the Tupperware pressure cooker from Karen for $179.
Keep in mind, that the longer you cook it, the stronger the flavour the stock will be.

Once the stock has been cooked, place a strainer in a large bowl and pour the stock and bones into it. Throw out the bones and any other pieces, then place the stock in the fridge to cool. This will allow the fat to rise to the surface and harden for removal. 

If you’d rather not wait, you can use one of the following methods:
    • a fat separator cup 
    • a ladle - to scoop the fat from the top of the stock as it sits
    • a ziploc bag - in this method, pour the room temperature broth into a ziploc bag. Seal the bag and let the fat rise to the top. Over a bowl, snip a small opening in the bottom corner of the bag and allow the broth to escape. Keep a close eye on it so that you can turn the bag or pinch it shut before the fat reaches the opening.



How do I store and use stock? 

You can freeze cooled stock in ice cube trays, ziploc bags, or freezer containers. 

Stock can be a comforting warm drink on a cold day, add flavour to your vegetables, and a flavourful base for gravies or soup.

Check our recipes for ideas on how to use stock to make your own flavourful dishes and soups.

Tuesday 8 November 2016

Salt and Sugar and Soup - Oh My! workshop

We're currently working on a redesign, so apologies that we haven't added any new recipes for a while. We do have a workshop coming up, however. It's Monday, November 14th, 7pm at Sobey's Ira Needles. Call Sobey's at 519-743-9491 for a ticket. See our flyer for more.