Life Without Lemons

GOODNESS ON THE GO: REVOJUICEINARY

"Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants"
Michael Pollan, In Defence of Food

I grow way too many beets in my garden every year. I do this because I love to throw them into my juicer. I love the earthy, deep, rich flavour they give and that colour is just a smile in a glass. Right now my juicer has a layer of dust on it. The charm of wandering to my vegetable patch and taking those just pulled veggies straight to my juicer is wonderful, but I just can’t get as excited about the whole process when you have to buy enough fruit and vegetables to require an extra shopping trolley at the store! So I admit it, I am a summer juicer and therefore having an easy to purchase solution makes perfect sense to me; a certified organic, cold pressed and local solution is even better and for that I head to RevoJuiceinary.

Based in Sherwood Park, this growing company is offering up some amazing combinations and flavours that will make your fruit and veg intake anything but a chore! I love their juices for days when I am too busy to even look in the fridge and I know that an extra veggie boost is what I need to keep me going.

I tested out a range of their juices and soups over one very busy week. Here is how I went on……..

Working at Tofield Packers today and as always the pace is fast and the work is hard! This is my all time favourite juice! It feels like you are drinking liquid energy! So fresh and zingy, love it! I didn't even mind that I was inside and the glorious sunshine was just behind the glass- this juice is sunshine in a bottle!

Straight out of my Orange Theory Class and drinking this as the perfect recovery drink.

A photo posted by Elyse (@elysechatt) on Apr 19, 2016 at 11:37am PDT

A photo posted by Elyse (@elysechatt) on Apr 18, 2016 at 5:26pm PDT

Out for a walk with my dog and sipping on a juice as I go.

Another day, another kitchen to work in. I spent the day in the MoJo JoJo kitchen making pickles. This juice was the perfect work partner. It feels healthy (because its green, of course) but so tasty and not like grass at all! I have made myself a few green juices in the past and they always taste a little like your too close to the lawn!

HOMEMADE V'S BOUGHT

I will still juice my own produce in the summer (and maybe the winter sometimes!!), but for fast, on the go solutions to being too busy to get the fruits and veggies I need, RevoJuiceinary is my perfect back up.

COSTS

At $10 a bottle it may seem expensive but you just try and buy amazing, organic produce and make this much juice and you will soon realise its a great price for a great product.

I will certainly be trying out one of their Cleanse packages soon- maybe just after we get back from Vegas!

ABOUT THE COMPANY

RevoJuiceinary was founded with the intention of providing people with nutrient dense products that are easily incorporated into your day to day routine. We chose for these products to be sourced and produced organically, locally wherever possible, and sustainably. We constantly seek out new products to incorporate into our line, develop new in-house blends, revamp old juices and smoothies, and stay in contact with various health food stores, yoga studios, gyms, and various health practitioners to try and bring you the best experience possible.

MY FAVOURITES

The Electrolyte Elixir was formulated to provide the necessary fuel for the body to excel at sports, yoga, or any physical training exercise. The raw coconut water contains a similar electrolyte balance to our own blood, making it a perfect drink to help the body go further and recover faster. So fuel up and see where this body of yours can take you.

Ingredients: Raw Coconut Water, Oranges, Ginger, Lime.

The Heart Beet was formulated to be as deeply nourishing as it appears. Beets may assist not only with greater athletic performance, but also with lowering blood pressure and purifying the liver. Combined with the anti-inflammatory and numerous healing effects of turmeric and ginger, you can truly enjoy this beverage wholeheartedly.
Ingredients: Beets, Carrots, Celery, Spinach, Ginger, Turmeric.

The Third Wave was formulated in the spirit of a classic green juice, with a gingery bonus. Besides the standard benefits of a green juice, there is some evidence that ginger can lead to significant reductions in LDL cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels. Once consumed, give yourself a pat on the back, you did good for the body today.
Ingredients: Celery, Cucumber, Romaine Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Apple, Lime.

Coconut Curry Soup

In partnership with the chefs from The Mercury Room in Edmonton, our soups are made in-house from vegan, plant-based, and 100% Certified Organic ingredients.

Check out their Website, you can order juices to be delivered right to your door!

I was sent some juices and soups to test out for free. I did not get paid for this honest review. Images, opinions and spelling mistakes are all my very own.

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, by Elyse Chatterton

Gluten Free

GLUTEN FREE, LOW CARB FLATBREAD

"Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better"

I am not on a Gluten Free thing! I have friends who are and therefore I always feel that having some GF options on hand is always a bonus. I like everyone to feel included. The Low Carb part of this experiment is for me. Although I don't like using the "D" word (I will say it once only- "diet"), summer season is coming and I am trying to trim some wobble around the middle and rather than go on a "D" I am just switching a few things up in my everyday life. I love carbs and they love me, they especially love my thighs. One of my personal problems is my lack of portion control. "Eat till your comfortably full" someone once said. Comfortably full? Is that so full you have to lie down and unfasten your pants full? Probably not. If I eat a big bowl of pasta for my evening meal I always eat way too much of it. Then, I feel uncomfortable as sitting down, relaxing after the kids have gone to bed does nothing to shift the truck load of carbs sitting in my stomach. So my compromise is to eat my carbs first thing in the day and let my natural busy lifestyle take care of them. It's working out pretty good so far but I still want to eat what I want to eat and a good wrap is what I wanted one evening and therefore I needed to find a new solution.

I did my research and scoured the internet for Low Carb flatbreads. Recipes that popped up were combinations of coconut flour, psyllium husks (sound scary don't they!), flax seed, almond meal flour and lots of eggs. One of my favorite recipes came from Green Kitchen Stories. They use almond flour and blitzed vegetables as the base and you bake them in a large sheet and chop it up once it's cooled. It's really tasty and I make them often. I love that you can change up the vegetables and seasonings in them. I also like to add dried chilli flakes and fennel seeds- tastes so good!

But what about spur of the moment when I just fancy a wrap. I would normally reach for a flour tortilla or wholemeal pitta bread. I needed a low carb, fast flatbread that didn't need 20 ingredients. I started to experiment.

I figured that an omelette style flat bread would be great but it needed to be able to hold together when filled. It needed a little body and I tested three options. Coconut flour, ground flax seed and almond meal flour (ground almonds). I wanted to see what each flour alternative would do so I used 2 tablespoons of each with 1 egg. I then added a pinch of salt and other combinations of dried chilli, fennel seeds, turmeric and smoked paprika. I cooked them in a hot, dry frying pan on each side till golden. I let them cool under a cloth. I tested each one for flavour and strength when filled with coleslaw and salad. Here are the results;

Top: Flax seed. Middle: Coconut Flour. Bottom: Almond meal flour.

COCONUT FLOUR

I had to add some water to this mix as coconut flour sucks up moisture really quickly. It cooked well and gave a nice golden colour. When cooled it was so brittle it broke apart when I tried to fold it before the filling even got near it. It tasted really sweet and for me the coconut is just too much. I want my wrap to carry what's inside of it not steal the show.

GROUND FLAX SEED

I was worried about the colour of this mix so I added turmeric to try and brighten it up. It cooks well and once cooled it's super flexible and strong. This wrap would hold up well with a hotter filling but I found the texture just a little too rubbery.

ALMOND MEAL FLOUR

I was quietly confident about this mix as the Vegetable Flatbreads I make so often work perfectly with almond meal flour. The flatbread is a good colour and the flecks of chilli look great. It cools well and holds up great when filled. It has a subtle flavour that is not overpowering. This was by far my favorite.

LOW CARB, GLUTEN FREE FLATBREAD

WHAT YOU NEED

1 x egg
2 tablespoon almond meal flour
pinch sea salt
pinch dried chillies
pinch fennel seeds

WHAT YOU DO

Place a frying pan on a medium/high heat. Whisk everything together and pour into the frying pan. Swirl the pan to get everything even, like you would with a crepe. When you can see bubbles that set on the surface flip the flatbread over. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Use straight away or allow to cool under a cloth to keep it soft.

The recipe for my Sweet Potato Falafel and Cafe Coleslaw can be found here.

So if you are looking to reduce your carbs or need a gluten free option this flatbread is the perfect solution for you. Everything you need can be in the fridge and the pantry and there are no complicated steps or fancy ingredients like so many gluten free, low carb options. Just good, fast food.

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, by Elyse Chatterton

Baking

LANCASHIRE TEA LOAF

"Life is like a cup of tea, it's all in how you make it"

I was born in Lancashire in the North West of England. In Lancashire we drink a lot of tea and eat a lot of cake. We also have our own little dialect and in case you would like to visit here are a few language tips to help you fit right in;

A LANCASHIRE LASSES GUIDE TO SPEAKING PROPER

Baggin - Snack with a brew between meals. e.g Tea & scones/sandwich.
Mythering - Annoying / irritating / or telling someone to stop Mythering means to stop worrying.
Brossan - You have eaten enough and you are totally full up!
Fettle - Mend/repair, or condition/health of something/someone.
Chuntering - Muttering or grumbling.

Drinking tea is a very important part of life in Lancashire. Occasionally we go for the full on fancy afternoon tea with little sandwiches with the crusts cut off but more often it's all about baggin. Baggin in usually eaten in the afternoon just before milking time (my family are dairy farmers in case you didn't guess). You take off your wellington boots pour a cup of tea and eat some cake. It's like a little shot of energy to get you through the rest of the jobs on the farm. When 3 pm rolls around I still get an urge to put the kettle on and reach for the cake tin even through I live in Canada now and I have no cows to milk!

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o'clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o'clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner.

This divine, sticky, fruity loaf is the best of all worlds. It's easy, fast, delicious and only gets better as it sits ready for the next slice to be cut from it, buttered and devoured. Don't be alarmed that one of the ingredients is All-Bran. Trust me, it is like magic!
This is my Mum's recipe and although us Brits work in either oz's of g's normally this recipe is in cups and therefore I give it to you as it was given to me;

LANCASHIRE TEA LOAF

WHAT YOU NEED

1 cup All- Bran Cereal
1 cup sugar
1 cup fruit (this can be any fruit you like- raisins, currant, apricots, dates, prunes, figs etc) Just add any combo you like)
1/2 cup seeds- this is optional and not in my Mum's original recipe (sorry Mum) but I love the texture it adds. I use a combo of pumpkin, sunflower and flax.
1 cup of hot, strong tea (I use 3 tea bags and soak them for 5 minutes)
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt

WHAT YOU DO

In a large bowl mix the All-Bran, sugar, fruit and seeds. Pour over the hot tea (strain out the tea bags) and mix together. Leave this mix for 5 minutes.
Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt and pour into a greased and lined loaf pan.
Place in a 320 F/160 C oven and bake for about 45 mins to 1 hour. It should be golden and slightly away from the edges of the loaf tin. Allow to cool a little and then remove from the tin and cool completely on a rack. Wrap it in tin foil and if you can leave it for at least a couple of days before you start eating it to get the full sticky greatness of the loaf.
Slice thickly and butter generously.

One of the great things about us Brits is most of us are terribly superstitious and when it comes to our beloved tea you just cant be too careful;

SHALL I BE MOTHER?
You may or may not have heard of this phrase when pouring tea from a pot. It comes from the English superstition that if two women are drinking tea together and one of the women wanted to have a baby, they’d do the pouring and therefore become a mother within a year.

Also, it was said that no two women should pour from the same pot or an argument would occur!

LET IT BUBBLE
In some parts of Britain, it is believed that if there are bubbles floating in your tea after it is poured from a pot, it is an indication that there is some money coming your way.

The more bubbles there are, the more riches! In other regions, it was believed that if bubbles stick to the side of the cup, then romance is in the air, with each bubble representing a kiss.

ITS ALL IN THE POT

There are many English superstitions regarding teapots. For example, when brewing a pot of tea, if the lid of the teapot is left off, then an ominous stranger will call at the house, and if you forget to put the tea into the pot before the boiling water, it was seen as a very bad omen indeed!

It was said that if you made the tea too weak, then you’d fall out with a close friend. On the other hand, if the tea was too strong, you’d make a new one.

Some believe that if you make your tea in a teapot you should always put the milk in your cup first or you could ruin your love life

Disclaimer: I cannot confirm or deny that "Lancashire" has its own language. I will not be held responsible if you forget to put the milk in your cup before your tea and you ruin your love life. I warned you!