Balanced Living

Get Back into the Kitchen + Simple Dal Recipe

Posted by Arja on January 12 in Holistic Health, Nutrition, Main Dishes, Meatless, Soups and Stews

Although I don’t place much emphasis on making New Year’s resolutions these days, I do love harnessing the powerful energy that comes at certain times of the year (back to school, spring, New Year, and birthdays) to re-focus myself.  For those who do make resolutions, health and wellness goals are often at the top of the list, which makes sense.  It’s a lot easier to achieve your other goals or intentions if you’re feeling good.  I’m not opposed to people having a goal, or making a resolution.  It just seems like too many are either motivated by fear or other negative emotions, which leads them to race towards their goals at a pace they cannot sustain.  If you’ve made goals this year, why not keep them simple, and take small steps towards achieving them?

The Return of the Slow Cooker:  Ginger Broccoli Beef

Posted by Arja on January 5 in Holistic Health, Nutrition, Main Dishes, Soups and Stews

As far as small kitchen appliances go, the slow cooker isn’t new technology.  Not much has changed from the original concept and design, and after a dip in popularity in the 1980s, the slow cooker has made a resurgence.  A quick search on the internet will yield all kinds of recipe ideas, and while many involve packaged soup mixes and other questionable, processed ingredients, it’s possible to assemble a whole foods based slow cooker meal in a reasonable amount of time using simple, whole foods.

Smokey Chipotle Chicken & Sweet Potato Chili

Posted by Arja on December 12 in Main Dishes

Sometimes the best recipes come out of nowhere, and without much planning.  It’s even better when they require little to no preparation and can cook themselves in a slow cooker while you go off and enjoy a day with your favourite peeps.  Am I right?

Easy One-Pot Meals:  Baked Chicken, Kale, Potatoes & Tomatoes

Posted by Arja on November 4 in Main Dishes

There’s something magical about a meal that only uses one pot.  First of all, clean up is SO MUCH easier, but it’s more than that.  Cooking all of your ingredients in one pot results in a tender, flavourful dish where all of the ingredients hang out together, supporting one another.  Meat (if you’re using it) is infused with the flavours of the vegetables, and the juices mix together creating a rich sauce.  Also, most one-pot meals are pretty hands off, giving you time to go off and do other things.  It’s a win on all fronts.

Meatless Mains – Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Quinoa

Posted by Arja on August 27 in Main Dishes, Meatless

Meatless Mondays have soared in popularity with more and more people dabbling in vegetarian cooking on a weekly basis.  All you have to do is search the #meatlessmonday hashtag on Twitter or Instagram, and you’ll be overwhelmed with inspiration.  While I’m not 100% vegetarian, my family and I do enjoy a flexitarian style diet, and on the nights where we aren’t eating animal products, I don’t miss them one bit.