Abbotsford Today » Busy But Healthy – Kristine Fretwell

Busy But Healthy: Greek Quinoa Salad

Editor — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:22:20 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. This recipe kind of happened by accident! One night my husband mentioned that he had a pot-luck at work the next day that he completely forgot about. [Click On Image For Full Story]

So I searched the cupboards and fridge trying to find something for him to bring.

For a throw together, it turned out amazing, and some people at his work wanted the recipe! When I originally made it, it was with Orzo as I didn’t have Quinoa on hand. So when I made it a second time with quinoa, we liked it better, and quinoa has much more protein.

This is a great make-ahead dish to have in the fridge to have for lunch and take to work/school etc.

Busy But Healthy: Bandara Salad

Editor — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:36:21 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. Greetings all! Tonight we’re having dinner in. My hubby’s favorite meal is meat and potatoes, so tonight I’ll be making steak with chimichurri sauce [Click On Image For Full Story] ,mashed red skin potatoes and some sort of veggie (haven’t decided yet). We’re both not that big on having full on dessert, but maybe we’ll share a bit of chocolate after

This recipe isn’t really a ‘recipe’ per say, its more of a combination of ingredients that’s REALLY good. There is a local chain of restaurants in Vancouver called Cactus Club, and this Bandara Salad is on their menu. I tried to replicate it at home, and it came out pretty good! At the restaurant they add those Chinese type crunchy noodles on top, but I always ask for it without anyway. The dressing I still haven’t gotten quite right, but I found a good substitute that isn’t homemade, that will do for the time being and I need a fix!

Busy But Healthy: Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake

The Editor — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:28:35 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. If you’ve never had lemon and blueberry together in a cake like this, the time is now! This recipe is gluten-free, with added protein and a great snack. Even though its technically “coffee” cake because of the crumble, this recipe is healthy enough to have as a snack versus dessert! I was inspired by this recipe I came across, but made my own modifications. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients –

For the cake

1 1/2 cups oat flour (or flour of choice)
1/3 cup almond meal (just ground up raw almonds) *could also sub for additional flour
2 x 30 gram scoops (or 1/2 cup) of whey protein in plain or vanilla (I used Whey Gourmet Naturelle
Vanilla) *could also sub for additional flour
1/3 cup stevia for baking (or 10-12 packets, or sweetener of choice) (I used NuNaturals Baking Formula)
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups blueberries (I used frozen, could use fresh)
2 egg whites (or replacer for 1 egg)
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest (about the zest from 1 lemon)
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

For the topping

1/4 cup sucanat (or coconut palm sugar or another raw dark sugar)
3 Tbsp sliced almonds (or regular almonds), chopped
1 1/2 Tbsps melted butter (or vegan margarine, or coconut oil)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp quick oats

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8 dish with cooking spray or you could also use muffin tins (cooking time will be slightly less). Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl (oat flour, almond meal, protein, stevia, baking soda, baking powder, salt). Add the blueberries to the dry ingredients and toss. In a separate bowl, add all the wet ingredients (egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest, applesauce) and whisk or stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together until just combined. Pour the batter into your pan or muffin tin. In a small bowl, combine all the topping ingredients, and sprinkle over the cake.

Bake the cake at 350 degrees for around 25-30 minutes. Cake will be done when you press down in the middle and it feels spongy to the touch. A toothpick will also come clean. Careful not to over-bake or it will be dry. If you put it in muffin tins, I would check them at 15-20 minutes.

Allow to cool and cut into 16 squares.

Nutrition (per 1 square, makes 16 squares or 16 muffins)

Calories: 93 Fat: 3 g Carbs: 13 g Fiber: 2.5 g Sugars: 3.5 g Sodium: 236 mg Protein: 5 g

Busy But Healthy: Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

Editor — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 03:29:25 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. Bars, or bites? Which would you prefer. Well the bars are larger, so I’d definitely go with those! This recipe is a perfect fall treat!

The texture is amazing and the sweetness is just right. Since it seems to be pumpkin themed everything lately, I decided I wanted to do some sort of cheesecake. I was able to make this dairy-free by using a tofu-based cream cheese substitute.

It really does taste like the real thing, you can’t tell its a substitute. But of course, if you don’t need dairy-free, you can use regular cream cheese. I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart.

Busy But Healthy: 6 Tips To Get Motivated For The Gym

Editor — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:00:35 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. There is no better feeling than waking up in the morning and feeling great! Not tired and sluggish. We all know that regular exercise and healthy eating helps dramatically.

Feeling unhealthy can be a vicious cycle. You Eat Bad – Less Energy – Get Lazy – No Exercise. I’ve been in this cycle myself before, and sometimes it’s very difficult to get out of it.
Alternatively, do you find yourself going to the gym, but not really motivated when you’re there? Or perhaps you’re not excited to go at all, and actually dread it?

Here are some things that get me excited about working out:

Busy But Healthy: Sugar Free Frozen Lemonade

Editor — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 07:48:27 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. I love anything lemon, so lemonade is included. Most lemonade is jam packed with sugar, so here’s a great alternative that tastes the same as regular lemonade, only without any of the sugar.

Since its summer, why not make it a frozen lemonade instead and have it even more refreshing…great idea I thought! This recipe makes 1 large lemonade, but if you need more, just double or triple the recipe.

Sugar Free Frozen Lemonade
Makes 1 large lemonade or 2 small

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 lemons (100 ml’s, just under 1/2 cup)
2/3 cup water
2 cups ice
2 packets stevia (I used NuNaturals, you may need more or less depending on brand. If you use drops, start with 10-15 drops, concentrated extract start with 1/8 of a tsp)

Directions:

Using a blender (I used a Magic Bullet), place all ingredients & blend. Adjust sweetness if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition (entire serving) Calories: 23 Fat: 0 Carbs: 8 g Fiber: 0.4 g Sugars: 2 g Protein: 0.4 g

Sugar Free Frozen Cherry Lemonade
To the above recipe, add 5 pitted fresh cherries

Nutrition (entire serving) Calories: 44 Fat: 0 Carbs: 13 g Fiber: 1.1 g Sugars: 6 g Protein: 0.7 g

Busy But Healthy: Caramelized Onion Turkey Burgers

Editor — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:47:42 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. I love a good turkey burger. One of my other favorites is the Greek Turkey Burger recipe. This time, I wanted a more traditional style burger, but something that had a lot of flavor, and this certainly fits the bill. Since the onions are caramelized, its a mild enough flavor for kids, while still pleasing adult tastes. If you’re a big mushroom fan, you could also add some in with the onions when they’re cooking and I bet that would be delicious too!

We ate our burgers with the Rainbow Quinoa Salad on the side.

Busy But Healthy: Healthy Cinnamon Rolls

Editor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:31:59 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. Not exactly healthy enough to eat daily, but definitely a healthy treat and oh-so-much better than the original. I wanted a Cinnamon Roll to taste like a Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll, and be gluten free.

You know, the gooey-ness and sweet cream cheese icing. This recipe isnâ€™t exactly the quickest as the dough needs to rise, but trust me, its worth the wait! Adapted from a recipe I found on Food.com.

This recipe could also be made dairy-free if you replace the butter with Earth Balance (non-dairy margarine) and cream cheese with Tofutti (soy based cream cheese that tastes identical to cream cheese)

Healthy Cinnamon Rolls

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Dough

2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used Silk True Almond) *or use milk of choice
1 Tbsp yeast
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp raw sugar (like palm sugar, cane sugar or sucanat)
3 packets stevia
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp cornstarch (could also use arrowroot powder)
3/4 cup oat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsps xanthan gum *see Note
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt

Filling

1/3 cup sucanat
1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, softened

Cream Cheese Icing

1 Tbsp butter, softened
2 Tbsp low fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

* Note: Xanthan gum can be found at health food stores or the natural section of your grocery store. It helps bind gluten-free dough, so I wouldnâ€™t omit it. Iâ€™m not sure how the dough would turn out if you didnâ€™t use it.

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Busy But Healthy: Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Editor — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:26:31 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. This is an easy meal to put together, you just toss it all in the slow cooker! Its a nice switch up to traditional tomato based chili. [Click On Image For Full Story]

It makes six servings and the hot sauce gives it a really nice zing.

Busy But Healthy: Five Tips To Avoid The Halloween Hangover

Editor — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:41:04 +0000

By Kristine Fretwell. Halloween is a time for fun, and for most, a time for candy. It can be hard to resist temptation when the treats are staring you in the face at work and at home.

Most of the fun sized candy bars seem small and harmless, but who can just stop at one? The calories can add up really fast. Before you know it, you’ve consumed more than a full sized chocolate bar.

If you don’t want all that extra junk food throwing a wrench in your health and fitness plan, follow these tips.

1) Get rid of the excess candy
Whether it means giving it away, throwing it away or even donating it, get it out of the house. I hear that some dentists will take some of your child’s candy for prizes. You could also take some to your local food bank or shelter.

2) Don’t let a couple bad days ruin your week
Don’t let a couple days of bad eating make you throw in the towel for the whole week. Get right back on your eating plan the next day. If you’ve over-eaten and aren’t as hungry the next day, make sure to still eat regularly. If your appetite isn’t there, stick with proteins and veggies and go easy on the carbs.

3) Keep variety high
Boredom in your everyday diet can cause you to reach for the treats. A healthy diet doesn’t mean plain chicken and broccoli, so find new recipes and stay excited about healthy food. I offer a bunch of quick and easy recipes here

4) Sub with water & gum
When cravings strike, drink water and reach for a stick of gum. Water does a great job of filling you up, so it will subside the cravings. Gum is great as it will give you the sweet kick, but without the calories.

5) Don’t forget to eat
Skipping meals is the worst way to save calories. You’ll end up more hungry and reaching for junk food. Having a balance of protein, carbs and healthy fats at each meal will keep you on plan and keep cravings at bay. I recommend eating 5-6 small meals a day, that way, you’re never starving as you have a constant food supply every few hours.

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