Sauce

1 Tbsp Rice Syrup

2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

2 tsp Cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)

1/2 cup Tamari

1/8 cup Water

Filling

1 pound Chicken, Baked Tofu, or Tempeh

1 cup Black Beans, rinsed

2 Bell Pepper's (use different colours), sliced

1 Carrot, grated

1/2 Onion, sliced

3 Cloves Garlic, chopped

**as a variation try adding different vegetables such as mushrooms, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

1. Mix sauce together
2. Use 1/4 cup of sauce to marinate chicken or tempeh or to dip and then bake tofu
3. Fry onion until translucent
4. Add garlic and continue to fry
5. Add peppers and carrots and cook for 2 min
6. Add sauce and cook for 1 min
7. Add chicken, tempeh, beans or tofu and continue to cook until most of the sauce has been absorbed.
8. Serve with wraps or taco shells and top with lettuce, salsa, guacamole and cheese (optional)

Looking for more kid-friendly dinner ideas? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at [email protected] 

Over the summer I took a road trip across Canada from my home in Vancouver to PEI and then down to Halifax. It wasn’t the first road trip with my daughter but it was definitely the longest and with her only being 10 months old I wanted to keep providing her with healthy foods on the trip.

It seems only recently that avocado is coming to light as a wonderful food for babies. Why do I love avocado?

• Portable- it can be eaten right out of the skin. If you are not planning to use the whole avocado leave the seed in to help prevent browning.
• Food safe- it can be hard, especially when travelling to find foods that don’t need to be kept refrigerated or served hot in order to be food safe. This is especially a concern when we are feeding babies and young children.
•  Convenient- just cut and serve. No prep time or cooking.
•  Great source of nutrients – including monounsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals such as potassium, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and B Vitamins (including B1- thiamine, B2-riboflavin, B3-niacin, B5-pantothenic acid and B6-pyridoxine)
• Whole food- all of us, and especially our children should be eating more whole foods.

If your baby is eating solid foods and you have not tried avocado I highly recommend offering it to your little one.

Watch the video of baby self feeding avocado

For more information on nutrition contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at [email protected]

Are you looking for natural remedies that are safe to use before, during and after pregnancy? It can be very confusing and overwhelming to try to figure it all out.

Have you ever heard of Red Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus)? This is a common herb that many people hear about when they are pregnant. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about this herb.

1. Who can take Red Raspberry Leaf?

In general, red raspberry leaf is safe for most women. However, it is always best to check with your health care provider and always be open with them about what medications, supplements, vitamins and herbs you are taking. Some professionals will not recommend this herb if there is high risk of preterm labor or miscarriage. Red raspberry leaf is also helpful for any woman at any time, particularly around menses. 


2. What are the benefits of taking Red Raspberry Leaf?

- Reducing and preventing hemorrhages after delivery

- Helping tone the uterus and all of the muscles in region of the pelvis

- Assisting with delivery of the baby by sustaining labour as well as helping

with the ease of labour

- Helping to alleviate after pains

- If used with other herbs it can improve fertility

- Source of Calcium

- If mixed with flax seed in an infusion it can be helpful for constipation.

- For some people it can be very helpful with nausea.

3. When do most people use Red Raspberry Leaf?

It is safe to use all through pregnancy. Most people use this herb in their last trimester of pregnancy and in labour. People will also use it after they have had the baby (postpartum) to help with healing after the birth.

4. Where can you get Red Raspberry Leaf?

Health food stores in your area should have Red Raspberry Leaf. Herbalists and Naturopaths may also have this herb. Be careful when buying a tincture because a tincture can have alcohol in it and it is important to avoid alcohol during pregnancy.

5. How can you use Red Raspberry Leaf?

Red Raspberry Leaf can be used as a tea or as an infusion. If you are using the fresh herb a good ratio is 1 ounce of leaves to 1 pint of boiling water. An infusion is a preparation where water (either boiling hot or sometimes cold) is poured on the herb and the herb is then allowed to infuse. You can substitute Red Raspberry Leaf tea for caffeinated tea and coffee in pregnancy. You can also make ice chips from the infusion. This can be especially useful during labour.

For more information on nutrition and herbs contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian and Chartered Herbalist at [email protected]

When it comes to eating, often the struggle between you and your kids is about getting your kids to eat. Sometimes though, the concern is that your child wants to eat all of the time. Does your child eat a meal and say that they are hungry right after? Do they say that they want a snack constantly throughout the day?

Children often have trouble expressing their emotions. This can be for a variety of reasons- they are not used to using words to express how they are feeling, they do not get a lot of practice expressing how they feel and what is going on in their world. They are upset and a comforting thing can be eating, especially snack foods- these are often seen as the tastier and treat type of foods. Maybe your child just needs to be comforted.

Some helpful ways to get insight into what is going on for your child is to talk to them. Ask them how they are feeling and what is going on in their world.

Another way is to listen to them when they are playing. A child’s play can tell you a lot about what is going on in their world. Playing is a way for a child to process events and happenings in their life.

Remember that food is not only about nutrition. Food impacts everyone- baby, child or adult in a variety of ways. If your child says they are always hungry or they constantly want a snack look at the why. As parents you are always the best at knowing what your child needs and what works best for your family. Scheduling meals and snacks will help you ensure that your child is getting food offered at regular intervals and therefore empowers them to listen to their bodies as to whether they are hungry or not. If you are still hearing that they are hungry right after meals and that they constantly want a snack you can consider other reasons that this may be coming up for your child.

Have questions about your child’s eating? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future’s Registered Dietitian.

More and more research is showing that what we eat while we are pregnant is affecting our baby- be it the nutrition they are receiving, their preferences later on in life, being open to trying different tastes and flavours, or even maintaining health and preventing different chronic diseases. But what about if you are trying to conceive? Is nutrition important then? Absolutely! Often we don’t even know that we are pregnant in the beginning of a pregnancy and this can be a key time for many nutrients, including folic acid. If our bodies are prepared ahead of time we are at a much better starting point for not only getting pregnant, but also maintaining a healthy pregnancy, and having more energy for labour and delivery. Your starting point can also affect healing and recovery postpartum, breastfeeding and even having energy to raise your family.

Nutrition is such a key component for all of these areas of our lives and it is never too late to think about and make changes in the way you eat, whichever stage you are currently in. The key is to start with small realistic changes and to start the changes today!

Need help making changes in your life, whichever stage you are in? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future’s Registered Dietitian.

A great child-friendly recipe as a snack for around the house or to take to work or school. This recipe is vegan and can be gluten free if you choose gluten free oats and vanilla.

1 1/2 cups   rolled oats

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup   unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup  raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup brown rice syrup or agave (or honey if you don't need a vegan recipe)

1/2 cup nut butter (peanut, cashew, almond)

1/4 cup chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc)

2 Tbsp hemp seeds

1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla

1. Mash banana in a bowl

2. Add oats, coconut, raisins, cranberries, nuts, hemp seeds, brown rice syrup or agave, nut butter, coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla

3. Press into a container that you can freeze the bars in

4. Freeze for 2-3 hours

5. After freezing cut into bars and wrap each individually so you can grab and go.

Need more snack ideas? Contact Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at [email protected]

This recipe is an easy version of a "pie". This recipe is both vegan and gluten free. Any fruit filling could be substituted for the blueberries.

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup All-purpose Gluten Free flour

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Salt

1 cup Rolled Oats (choose gluten free)

1/4 cup Almonds, slivered

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup Blueberries (fresh or frozen is fine. Any fruit could be substituted)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, rolled oats and almonds in a bowl.

3. Add vanilla and coconut oil and mix until crumbly.

4. Take 2 cups of mixture and spread it into the bottom of the pie pan. Press it down using your fingers.

5. Spread blueberries out and sprinkle more cinnamon over blueberries  Next sprinkle remaining mixture over blueberries and gently press down.

6. Bake for 35- 40 minutes or until brown.

Do you want more ideas for creating balance with your families eating? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at [email protected] 

This recipe is Gluten Free and can be vegan if you use tofu or tempeh. It is a great recipe for the whole family. Kids often do well with a meal that they are able to pick and choose the parts that they like to eat. Any leftovers are great for taking to work. Don't let the long list of ingredients deceive you as this is an easy recipe to make.

1 cup Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups Water or stock

1 package Tofu or Tempeh or 1-2 Chicken breasts, diced

1/2 Onion, diced

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup Broccoli, diced

1/2 cup Cauliflower, diced

1 Carrot, diced

1/2 Red Pepper, diced

1-2 Kale leaves, diced

1/2 Green Pepper, diced

6-10 Snap peas, diced

10 Green Beans, diced

1-2 Celery stalks, diced

1/4 Cup Cashews

1/4 Cup Tamari (Gluten Free) or Braggs

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

2 tsp Miso paste (mix in 1 Tbsp of warm water)

1 tsp Black pepper

2 tsp Chili powder

2 tsp Cumin

1. Fry tofu (tempeh or chicken).

2. Cook rice in stock.

3. Add onion and fry. Add garlic and vegetables and fry.

4. Add spice and tamari (braggs).

5. Add rice and fry.

6. Add oil and miso and stir.

Interested in more meal ideas for your family? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at [email protected]

My clients often ask me which foods they should feed their babies, or what the textures should be.

 A very common question is “What does starting solids look like?”

I decided to write about this journey into solid foods, not only to inspire, but also to give some ideas and information to other parents and caregivers out there who are, or will be starting their own journey soon.

I am not saying that the way this baby is fed is the only way to feed your baby, nor am I saying that this is the way you should do it.

Every child is different- you know your child best so sit down with them and watch them. They will show you what they need and you will make this journey together.

Last but not least, be sure to enjoy the process!

Interested in getting more information or help with starting your baby on solids? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future Nutrition's Registered Dietitian at [email protected]

There’s a lot of information out there about when a baby is ready to start solid foods. So much, in fact, that trying to navigate through it can seem rather overwhelming. I thought writing about one baby’s journey might be helpful.

The baby recently turned 6 months so starting solids was on my mind. I looked at the signs he was showing to see whether he was ready. The first trial, sitting in the high chair, didn’t go great. After about 30 seconds he started sliding to the side and was not very happy. Not a problem. We ended up waiting almost a week more and tried again. This time he was able to sit up without any problems. He had all the other signs of being ready to start solids and so our journey begins…



Starting solids with your baby and wanting more information? Contact Jill, Nurture the Future's Registered Dietitian at [email protected]

Take a look at the sign your baby is ready to start solid food: