The Search for an Oatmeal Muffin Recipe

I had a craving for oatmeal raisin muffins last night.

The problem was that I didn’t have an oatmeal raisin muffin recipe.

I started “googling” online to find a healthy recipe that someone else had already tried and succeeded making. I searched through site after site of muffins that were “healthy”- and I learned that the word healthy can mean different things to different people. I was searching for a recipe that used only a little bit of honey as a sweetener, not cups and cups of sugar. I had no organic butter in my fridge, so the recipe had to be dairy-free. I wanted to use my new all purpose celiac flour to try making the muffins gluten-free (I had gluten-free quick oats at home).

There was not one recipe that satisfied my need! I could give up and be gloomy all evening, or I could get out my muffin pans and my beaters and experiment. And that is what I decided to do.

When I cook meals I like to try out different things: I will try out new spices, and use a ‘pinch of this’ and a ‘pinch of that’. And my meals always seem to turn out, for the most part. However, when it comes to baking, I like following a recipe. I’m just not the baking kind of girl, so I steer clear of attempting things and instead follow what I know works. I wasn’t sure that I could bake a tasty healthy muffin.

I wanted those muffins bad, so I had to let my guard down and go for it. I took a healthy cranberry-raisin muffin recipe I had and began to substitute this for that. And, to my surprise, it only took one attempt. I did not waste batches and batches of muffins before I found one that worked. Indeed not. They actually turned out. And the true test of how delicious they were came from my man, who ate many throughout the evening.

I learned that even if you don’t think you are good at baking, sometimes if you just try you will surprise yourself. I also learned that you can take the basis of any of your “old” recipes and re-create something new. It is possible to make muffins with only a tablespoon of honey instead of 2 cups of sugar. You don’t need loads of sweeteners to make something taste good.

So, I ask you: what recipes have you altered to make them healthier? What recipes have you made up when you were really craving something?

My next attempt will be an extremely healthy oatmeal raisin cookie. Yes, I AM hoping it can be done…..I’ll let you know.

Tips From Mother Earth

One of the most important lessons I have learned regarding healthy eating is that is it supposed to be easy. When you are eating whole, real, healthy foods Mother Nature has already taken care of the prep work.  I came across this great concept I would love to share with you about how certain foods are beneficial to specific areas of your body.  Consider it like Mother Nature’s tips for eating.

It’s no mistake a sliced Carrot looks like an eye. Research has shown that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four red chambers, just like our hearts.  Tomatoes are loaded with lycopine which is great for the health of hearts and blood.

A Walnut looks like a little brain.  The wrinkles and folds separate into a left and right hemisphere. We now know walnuts help develop neurotransmitters for brain function due to high levels of healthy oils. 

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery and Rhubarb look just like bones and specifically target bone strength.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of women.  Avocados can help balance hormones, shed post baby weight, and prevent cervical cancers.  And how profound is this?  It takes exactly nine 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and have been proven to help balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Cut Oranges and Grapefruits look just like female mammary glands, and are beneficial for breast health and the movement of lymph.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells.

Who do you know that could benefit from this information?  Do Mother Nature a favour a pay it forward! 

Picky Eaters: The Parent’s Perspective

Helping kids develop healthy eating habits.

How do we get our children to understand that eating healthy is good for them when sugary treats taste so yummy?

Children are bombarded daily - via television, radio, grocery store shelves, print ads, and more - with messages about what they should eat. Often those messages are the result of high powered marketing ads that are aimed at making money, not at creating genuinely healthy food for your kids. Children seem to be born as masters at manipulating their parents, and so when this skill is combined with the power of the ads that influence them daily, getting them to eat healthy can be a challenge.

Teaching healthy eating habits is a goal of most parents, but it can be full of challenges and obstacles. I was blessed with 2 amazing children that have taught me a lot about the challenges of dealing with picky eaters. My picky eater, Sam, starts each morning with a couple of bites of breakfast and then promptly moves on to relentless requests for candy. He is masterful to say the least, as are most picky eaters. They seem to be born with their instincts perfectly honed to know exactly how far to push us as parents; they know just when to cry, they know just how many times to ask, and they know just the right time to catch us...in a moment of distraction. You know, the moments when you will say yes to almost anything, without realizing what you just agreed to, because you are so focused on a particular task or deadline, or just desperate for a few moments of peace.

I have had good motivation to be alert to such tactics, as both my children are seriously impacted by some of the seemingly ‘harmless’ ingredients commonly found in junk food. I have spent the last 8 years learning to read labels and trying to gain an understanding of what is really in the foods my kids are eating. Any parent would be put on high alert if their children experienced night terrors as a result of eating red dye and this is exactly what occurred for my family. This personal experience was a blessing in disguise for my family as it put us on a path to healthy eating and has brought us tremendous awareness and benefits. In fact, it contributed to the creation of Bundles of Energy, which has begun opening the door to hundreds of people in transforming both their understanding of, and ability to, make the gentle shift to healthy, whole, natural foods.

My sons continue to educate me daily in how much there is to learn about raising kids and healthy eating. What worked on my older son typically does not work as well with my younger son, and so I am constantly on my toes creating or looking for new ways to keep him on track to eating well.

I want to help other parents out there with picky eaters by creating a series of blogs on my personal experiences. Stay tuned each week as I write about the actual techniques I have learned and developed to create success in dealing with these challenges. I encourage you to write comments to me with regards to your questions, concerns, or personal success stories, as it will be a learning opportunity for all of us.

Ask Carrie

Does eating healthy mean eating boring foods, and what are some fresh herbs I can use to “spice” up some of the foods I am cooking?

Since May is Mental Health Month in Canada, I want to talk about the importance of ENJOYING the foods we are eating. I see a lot of clients who think that eating healthy means eating foods that taste like cardboard; they associate ‘health food’ with something that must be feared! Images of brown beans and green goop circle through their heads. This line of thought inevitably leads to resistance to eating ‘healthy’ and when eating becomes stressful, it isn’t doing the body any good! We have to take pleasure in the foods we consume. All of that meal preparation needs to be worth it when we take that first big bite!

If you absolutely hate a particular food, you don’t have to eat it just because it is “good” for you. Instead choose something you love. We have access to many varieties of fruits and vegetables, so if you don’t enjoy eating brussel sprouts choose a different green vegetable you can cook up for dinner! Take a stroll through the Calgary Farmer’s Market. Be adventurous and try out different whole and local foods. You may find a vegetable you have never heard of. Give it a try, it might surprise you!

Enjoy what you are eating, and allow Bundles of Energy to show you how to prepare easy meals that are healthy and that actually do taste good! Part of holistic nutrition is listening to your body. Pay attention to the tastes you love. Use spices and flavorings that make you happy. Prepare foods that you take pleasure in making. Because at the end of a stressful day I know I want to relax, put my feet up, and enjoy a tasty meal that I absolutely LOVE.

Try some of these herbs and spices to add flavor and depth to dishes; fresh herbs can turn a dish from bland to a hit so easily. Let us show you how!

DILL: Fresh dill leaves can be purchased in grocery stores - look for green and feathery leaves that are only slightly wilted and add them to many different types of meals. Fresh dill provides a sweet flavor to foods while aiding the digestive system. Store fresh dill in the refrigerator in a container with a damp paper towel as it will keep for only a few days. It is wonderful on salmon; just place a handful of fresh leaves over the fish along with ½ a squeezed lemon and bake. It is also great with potatoes; just add fresh dill along with organic butter or coconut oil for a delicious blend of flavor (and don’t forget the green onions!).

PARSLEY: Parsley is a very popular herb and garnish for dishes. It is very high in nutrients, specifically vitamin C and chlorophyll. When buying parsley it should be a bright green color and have a fresh smell to it. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Parsley can be added to soups, stews, stir fries and even salads. See this month’s recipe for a great salad with couscous and parsley.

OREGANO: When purchasing fresh oregano choose leaves that are a bright green colour with no yellowing. It can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in a damp cloth for up to a week. Oregano is a powerful antioxidant, and it can easily be added to dishes by gently washing the leaves and tearing them up into small pieces. Add fresh oregano to soups and stews, homemade pizza and pasta sauces (oregano goes well with tomatoes), and even add fresh oregano to scrambled eggs. Cook your eggs with bell peppers, green onions, fresh oregano and a dash of organic grated cheese for a delicious breakfast.

We Are What We Eat!

Healthy eating is an important notion we are seeing everywhere right now; it has become very popular in the news and in conversation with family and friends. Our society has taken on the quest for health through foods that are fat-free, sodium-free, and calorie-free. What people don’t know is that by extracting so many things, the food has become energy-free. We are obsessed with food that is no longer food, but more or less a chemistry project. What we should be searching for is what needs to be in our food, not what we needs to be missing or extracted from our food. Therefore I am challenging you to forget what you have been told about fats, proteins and carbohydrates and to see food the same way our body does, as life energy.


Food fuels more than our organs and cells; it also has great potential to feed our spirits. Processed, refined or fabricated foods are produced quickly in mass quantities, with flashy packaging and catchy commercials; imagine the processed foods that lie in middle isles of your favourite grocery store. Now, imagine an apple that spends the entire summer growing up from the earth with rain from the sky and the sun of a beautiful summer day.

That apple contains so much more than the obvious nourishment and vitamins that an “apple a day” offers. That apple also contains minerals that have been redeposited time and time again into the soil from where the tree grew. It contains energy and life from the same sun that warms each of us. It has been carefully cared for and nourished as it grows, not unlike each person we are and we know. Furthermore, that apple contains enough seeds to grow trees to produce a million more apples. When you are eating living food, be aware of the power it possesses. The energy present in live food can also be seen in a pumpkin seed, strong enough to grow an entire pumpkin; the protein source inside an egg is of such a great quality that it will provide growth for an entire chicken.

Something really incredible happens when we choose to feed not only our bellies, but also our spirit; food changes. Eating food is a transfer of life and energy, and in turn we change. We are providing our body its basic needs beyond nutritional values and calories. The health we are able to provide the body is immeasurable. Just as our bodies take time to create life, so should the food we put into it. By eating foods that grow, change and develop, we give ourselves the capacity to grow, change and develop. This is what is truly meant by healthy eating.

I trust in the truth of this concept because I have felt it and experienced it in my own life. Therefore I now challenge you to try and eat one thing everyday purely for its life energy. Feed your spirit and watch as it flourishes. When you eat the foods that serve your body with life and energy, your body will then function from a place of true health. Always put in yourself the things you wish to be and do not forget these simple words; we are what we eat.

By Marcie Brown
RMT and Reiki Practitioner
Nutrition Expert
Bundles of Energy

“Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.” ~Astrid Alauda

The Power Behind Food Cravings

Yesterday my mom and I were walking around the farmers market spending some time together and as we walked though one of the sections filled with fresh produce she grabbed a huge bag of beets and explained that she has been craving them for days. I told her it was probably a big indication that it was exactly what her body was needing at that time. Our society has developed such a negative attachment to the concept of food cravings. We assume these are always our bodies craving some form of processed, unhealthy snack that we would ram-sack a 7-11 at 3 am just to get ahold of. But in reality, our cravings for certain foods are typically our body’s means of expressing it’s basic needs for certain nutrients and healing, so listen up!

There are few key tastes that our body tends to crave such as salty and sweet. The junk food industry has capitalized on these tastes, so the key is being able to listen to your body’s needs and fulfill these cravings with healthier options. Did you know Dorito chips contain iron? Very small amounts of course, not the most bio-available but iron none the less. Our bodies are aware of this and it can be directly tied to the cravings. North America has the highest rates of iron deficiency anemia in the world, so it’s no wonder Dorito sales have done so well.

Our bodies are incredibly aware of their needs and we can have some ideas of what healthy options are, but at the end of the day your most valuable tool is to just trust your instincts. Next time you walk through your grocery store forget your list at home, walk through the fruits and vegetables and choose whatever foods are appealing to you in that moment. Don’t worry about meal planning or cooking, all of that will come together. Just shop from your heart and listen to your cravings. That’s the best way to ensure you are giving your body exactly what it is asking for. I guarantee it will thank you.