Catherine’s Cabinet review.
Fibre makes your poo happy. Yes, I said poo within the first sentence of this post (okay twice now). Listen, we all do it so don’t start getting all squeamish about it. You’ve been doing it for your whole life, why not make sure you’re doing it properly? Follow along friends, I’m going to take you on a little journey of how to incorporate one of many foods that can help you do just that!
By now, you must have heard of Chia seeds. If you haven’t, where the heck have you been? My childhood was littered with watching ads of Chia pets so naturally, I begged my mom for one. Then, I killed it. And this is why we can’t have nice things, Catherine. Thank goodness now I can eat them instead of being responsible for their wellbeing.
These little lovely gems come all the way from a plant in the mint family native to Mexico and Guatemala. The little water soluble seeds absorb up to 9 times their own weight in water. What does this mean? Well, they will expand in your stomach, keeping you hydrated, removing toxins from your digestive system and helping to regulate your bowel movements. Sounds pretty sexy when I put it like that, eh?
Now, I mentioned fibre for a reason. These little power pockets of goodness are packed with it! If you are looking to lose weight, eat fibre! It will help to keep you fuller for longer and curb some of your cravings. This will also stop you from shoving that entire bag of chips or chocolate bars into your face when you start to get a bit “hangry”. Ever heard of this term? Hungry + Angry = smashing food into your mouth in a fit of absolute rage, usually associated with the bad kinds of food… or any kind if you’re really so hungry that you’re legitimately angry about it.
Chia seeds also contain Omega 3 Fatty Acids. You must have heard of Omega 3’s before. This word is splashed all over boxes and packages in the grocery store, making you think that you can only get it from the foods that advertise it. Nope. It’s in a lot of really great, natural, fresh sources of food. This is a good kind of fat, one that can help to reduce inflammation in the body and boost your brain power. It’s very important to maintain a balance between Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s. Specialists have debated over the ratio of this balance, but the standard is about a 3:1.
So why am I talking about Chia seeds (other than the fact that they are pretty awesome)? Well, Kashi has ever so ingeniously decided to come out with a new and tummy satisfying line of cereals and granola bars made with… wait for it… can you guess? CHIA SEEDS! They’re jumping on board with a fantastic health boosting trend and I am going along for the ride! We already that knew Kashi was doing great things, but they just took it up a notch ladies and gentlemen.
For 30 years, Kashi as been on a mission to help people achieve vibrant health through positive eating. They’re passionate about improving the health industry and supporting the progression of nutrition without sacrificing great tasting foods. Through their constant desire for empowerment, they’re helping to make a difference within the natural food world by standing up for what they believe in and thus delivering the consumers the best product possible.
Along with these new and absolutely delicious chia seed packed products, they’ve launched some gluten-free, Non-GMO Project Verified, organic cereals too. I’m a proponent for making the most out of the foods you invest your money in because, well it doesn’t just grow on trees. So I got a little creative with these new cereals (thinking outside the bowl, so to speak).
Outside the Bowl Crispy Chicken Strips
with Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing
(This recipe is also gluten-free!)
1 lb of boneless, skinless, organic chicken breast
2 cups Kashi Organic Promise Simply Maize Cereal
2 large organic eggs, beaten
1/4 cup almond milk
Sea Salt & Pepper
Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a flat baking sheet and set aside (I like to use coconut oil for this).
Cut the chicken into strips and season with the salt and pepper. In a shallow dish, beat the eggs and milk together. In a food processor, blend the Kashi cereal into a fine crumb consistency (Listen, I know we don’t all have one of these, so back to basics style, you can crush it any way you see fit). Pour the ground Kashi cereal into a second shallow dish.
Dip the chicken strips into the flour to coat (if using flour), shaking off any excess. Then dip into the egg & milk mixture and finally, coat the chicken with the Kashi crumbs.
Place the “breaded” strips onto the baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked and golden brown. Remember to turn the chicken strips over about 1/2 way through cooking.
Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing
(This is also great for salads)
2 tbsp Organic Red Miso Paste
2 tsp raw honey (or maple syrup)
1 tsp mustard
3 tbsp Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, whisk together until lump-free. Adjust to taste! There are no rules here.
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Isn’t it time to ditch those sugar-packed, chemically preserved, GMO-littered breakfast cereals and bars? Make a conscious choice about what you’re putting in your body and what you’re feeding to your family. The Ch-Ch-Ch-CHOICE is yours (yep, I went there).
Now, for some fun! Want to win a prize pack from Kashi & DoTheDaniel.com featuring some of the amazing products mentioned above? It’s as simple as tweeting the following:
“Dear @CNSugrue, pick ME to win with #KashiCanada & #chchchCHIA on DoTheDaniel.com!”
** One tweet per twitter account will count as entry into the Kashi contest with DoTheDaniel.com. Contest will run until Friday April 11th 2014 at 5:00pm. Winner will be chosen at random and announced via @CNSugrue. Contest is open to Canadian residents with a valid Canadian mailing address.
Photos: Kashi Canada & Catherine Sugrue
What a great article! Thnaks