Here is a nutritional and seasonal grab and go. Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies!

Refer back to our blog post ‘Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins’ and follow the cooking directions for your own pumpkin puree.

INGREDIENTS

·         ¼ cup melted coconut oil

·         1 cup rolled old fashioned oats

·         1 cup quick cooking oats  
·         3/4 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder 

·         ⅔ cup mix of dried cherries, blueberries and cranberries (or whatever combination you desire)

·         ⅔ cup raw pumpkin seeds

·         ¼ cup ground flaxseed  

·         1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

·         ½ teaspoon cinnamon

·         ½ teaspoon sea salt

·         ½ cup homemade pumpkin puree

·         2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl warm coconut oil (either microwave, inside preheating oven or on the stove top).

In a large bowl combine both kinds of oats, protein powder, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, ground flax, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. Add pumpkin puree, eggs and warmed coconut oil and honey. Stir until fully combined.

Scoop cooking mix onto baking sheet and flatten (cookies won't spread while baking).

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Once cool, I place into a ziplock freezer bag and take out as needed. 

ENJOY :) 

recipe reference : http://leelalicious.com with a few additions  

Cuddle up, its soup season! 

Soup is a great easy meal that can be jam packed with nutrients! If you want to get the best nutrient content use the bone broth recipe, on our previous blog post, for the stock portion in the ingredients.

A sweet and savoury belly warming soup is this Butternut Squash and Apple Soup!

This is a classic from one of my favourite recipe magazines, the LCBO Food and Drink! They suggest you can use pumpkin but I decided to use butternut squash and I am glad I did!

• ¼ cup (50 mL) butter
• 3 cups (750 mL) chopped onion
• 6 cups (1.5 L) chopped butternut squash
• 2 cups (500 mL) peeled and chopped apples
• 1 tsp (5 mL) brown sugar
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground allspice
• Tiny pinch cayenne
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 5 cups (1.25 L) bone broth stock (recipe on blog) or you can use organic stock or Stock Exchange stock if desired
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove from heat, blend until smooth with a hand blender or in a food processor.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin and apples and cook until softened, another 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and spices then pour over the stock and simmer for 30 minutes.

I garnished mine with some fresh thyme and oven roasted pecans ( dry roast pecans at 350 for 10 min) and a sprinkled with powdered sage when they were cooling.

It is a winner in my books! 

A new recipe I just tried is from the LCBO 'It's A Wild Thanksgiving' booklet. It is a Kale Chestnut and Wild Mushroom Soup. I did make a few changes, such as I couldn't find chestnuts anywhere so I used a hazel nut and pecans combo. I also didn't' want to just garnish with mushrooms I needed some in the soup! 

Kale Hazel Nut Pecan and Wild Mushroom Soup

• 2 tbsp grass fed butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 organic apple (I used Fuji) peeled and chopped
• 1 cup of each hazel nut and pecan chopped
• Sprinkle of fresh thyme 
• Sprinkle of sage (i used powered) 
• 6 cups of bone broth or another stock 
• 4 cups of chopped kale with centre - stem removed 

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. add onion and cook until lightly golden, 5 min. Add apple, nuts, thyme, sage and stock. Bring to a boil for 10 min. Stir in kale and cook for an additional 4 min.

Using a hand blender or placing cooled soup in blender, puree.

Season with slat and pepper.

Use fried mushrooms as garnish.

Final soup for today... 

Thai Coconut- Peanut Sweet Potato Soup

• Ingredients 

1 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped onion (from 1 medium-large onion)
1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds removed, if less heat is preferred)
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 1/2 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped 
1 can (400 mL/14 oz) coconut milk
3 cups bone broth or organic veg/chicken broth
1/3 cup natural peanut butter, i used crunchy but you can use smooth if desired
3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro, plus additional for garnish
salt, to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)

• Heat oil in a pot, i use cast iron, over medium heat. 
• Add onion and saute until just softened. Add jalapeno and garlic; saute 1 minute. Stir in curry paste.
• Add chopped sweet potato, coconut milk and bone broth. Cover and cook until sweet potato is soft, approx. 20 minutes. 
• Puree with an immersion blender
• Stir in peanut butter, you can blend again if you used crunchy and would like it to be smoother
• Sprinkle cilantro and a pinch of salt. Stir, and adjust salt to taste. Add cayenne if additional heat is desired.

1. Delicious! reference http://foodess.com/recipes/thai-coconut-peanut-sweet-potato-soup
2. Hope you try some new soups this season! If you have a great recipe to share please send it our way :) Happy cooking !

The Coach House Team 

1. 
   

Tips for packing and wearing a backpack/shoulder bag

Carrying a heavy load that is poorly distributed can cause a number of problems including muscle strain, headaches, neck, back and arm pain, and even nerve damage. It pays to pack it light and wear it right. Here's some general information regarding how to choose, pack, and wear a backpack or a shoulder bag.

BACKPACKS

Choose carefully:

Go for lightweight vinyl or canvas. Pick a pack that has two wide, adjustable and padded shoulder straps, along with a hip or waist strap, a padded back and plenty of pockets.  

Pack it properly:

Make sure the backpack contains only what is needed for the day or the activity. Distribute the weight of the contents evenly. The total weight of the filled pack should be no more than 10 to 15 per cent of the wearer’s body weight.

Wear it right:

Both shoulder straps should always be used, and adjusted so that the pack fits snugly to the body without dangling to the side. Never sling a backpack over one shoulder.  You should be able to slide a hand between the backpack and the carrier’s back.

It's a fact! More than 50 per cent of young people experience at least one episode of low back pain by their teenage years. Research indicates one cause is improper use of backpacks. So pack it light and wear it right!

SHOULDER BAGS

Choosing a Shoulder Bag:

Whether your bag is a purse or home to your laptop, choose one with a wide, padded adjustable shoulder strap.

Packing a Shoulder Bag:

Divide the contents among multiple pockets to help distribute the weight and keep items from shifting. Your bag should not weigh more than 10 to 15 per cent of your body weight.

Carrying a Shoulder Bag:

Don't always carry your bag on the same shoulder, switch sides often so that each shoulder gets a rest. Try not to lift the shoulder on which the purse is carried, ideally wear the strap across your chest.

Carry well so you do not run into future problems! Be health proactive!

The Coach House Team

Dr. Mark's video is available on our YouTube channel- A Hub For Health In Waterloo. Watch, share and subscribe!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZX7XqLxoe5sc2NWdSkMA6w

Craniosacral

Cranio what? 

Meet Leah Huber, amazing RMT with additional training in Craniosacral Therapy! Our Special Edition of Wellness Wednesday sits down with Leah and she sheds light on this advanced modality.  Click on the link below to watch our interview. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ctzSvUocQ

Booking is easy. Visit www.thecoachhousetc.ca and click on the 'Book Appointment' tab. 

Hope you enjoy and learned something new :)

A Hub For Health In Waterloo 

I think I am in love with homemade Larabars! Our last Larabar recipe had a tropical feel with the pineapple and coconut. If you haven’t tried them I highly suggest you do! Yet as the weather begins to turn I find myself craving more dark berry and pecan flavours. Thus I went on a Pinterest mission to find exactly that. Success! A blueberry Larabar recipe yet I changed it up a little bit. I added dried cherries and blueberries instead of only blueberries. So here is my take on the bars. 

Blueberry and Cherry Larabar Recipe

• 1 cup raw pecans
• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 ½ cups pitted dates
• 1 cup of dried blueberries
• 1 cup of dried cherries
• Splash of vanilla

Toss all ingredients in a food processor until it becomes a paste.

Line a pan with parchment paper and press the mixture into the pan.

Place in refrigerator for a few hours.

Cut into squares.

I put my bars in the freezer, not only to control myself from eating the entire batch, because they are delicious partially frozen as well.

I hope you enjoy!

Reference- http://thebuzzblog.calgiant.com/homemade-blueberry-lara-bars

1 YEAR AGO

The hard work and vision finally came to be on the lovely day of October 5^th 2015. It is hard to believe it was a year ago today that we saw our first clients at The Coach House Therapeutic Centre in Uptown Waterloo.

The year has flown by but we managed to squeeze a lot in! With your support and input we have added two wonderful practitioners to the Coach House team, Jillian Sauder and Dr. Mark Bird. Offering highly trained and amazing practitioners who genuinely care about your health and well-being is one of our many goals. We are thrilled with our team and proud to be a part of your health and wellness. We continue to offer free talks to help educate and inform each and every one of you about areas of interest. There are still two talks scheduled for October and November of this year, so don’t miss out! We will continue to be avid members of the Uptown Waterloo family and participate in their events. Our newest gem is the launch of our YouTube Channel- A Hub For Health In Waterloo! Today is the first official ‘Wellness Wednesday’ video regarding liquid sugar. With these videos we hope to help you navigate through the confusing world of health. This way you and your family can be healthier and proactive about your health care.

We would like to thank you for all your support and participation this year, you have made it unforgettable! We hope you had as much fun as we did and we can’t wait to continue to help you rehabilitate and be proactive with your health!

Thank you again