This Mother’s Day, treat mom to a full day of “off duty” delights! Moms today are on the run more then ever before – between work and kids, there is little “Mom” time left over. So this year, let Mom sleep in and when she wakes let her start her day with brunch in bed!

Try this delicious take on ham and eggs.

Pesto Ingredients
1/2 cup basil
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup spinach
2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Omega Plus Avocado Oil
salt and pepper to taste

Methods/Steps
Mix ingredients in a food processor or use a mortar and pestle until smooth. Add more oil if necessary. Use proscuitto or thinly sliced ham to form bowls in a cupcake pan. Crack egg in the centre and bake at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes. Remove the ham and egg cups and drizzle with fresh pesto.

Follow it up with a sweet taste of Orange Lemon Cake.

Ingredients
1/2 cup basil
1 large lemon
1 large orange
½ cup Macadamia Nut Oil
4 eggs
1 cup castor sugar
2 cups ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder

Methods/Steps
Line a 20cm cake tin and heat oven to 180°C/350ºF. Place washed whole orange and lemon in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 30 minutes then remove and allow to cool. Cut orange in half, remove pips. Cut lemon in half, remove pips and some of the stringy pulp. Process with lemon and orange in a food processor until mushy. Beat oil, sugar and eggs until fluffy. Stir in almonds and baking powder, add fruit and mix. Spoon into prepared tin and bake 50-60 mins.

On April 22nd, Researcher Christian Cortes-Rojo of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo in Mexico, presented his group’s work at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in San Diego. According to Cortes-Rojo, scientists worldwide are looking intensively for substances, which can help cells to resist the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals such as pollution, cigarette smoke, and radiation have been linked with various diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. Cortes-Rojo said that previous attempts to bolster the body’s defenses against free radicals with various substances have been unsuccessful because they cannot stop the production of free radicals at their source. The antioxidants in fruit and vegetables are unable to enter mitochondria. Mitochondria provide the energy a cell needs to move, divide, produce secretory products – in short, they are the power centers of the cell.

However Cortes-Rojo’s team says that avocado oil does actually enter into mitochondria, providing additional protection against free radicals. For the study into the properties of avocado oil, his team used yeast cells normally found in wine and beer production. While yeast cells already have a strong resistance to free radicals, avocado oil allowed them to survive high levels of exposure to iron, which produces large numbers of free radicals. Cortes-Rojo speculated that the results could be due to the accelerated respiration inside the mitochondria of yeast cells, caused by the presence of avocado oil.

Research concluded that avocado oil consumption could improve the health status of diabetic and other patients through an additional mechanism to the improvement of blood lipids. At Olivado, we are committed to the production of the worlds finest quality of avocado oil. We pioneered the process of extracting oil from the avocado, which are cold pressed at our own purpose-built plants, utilizing a stabilization system unique to Olivado that delivers a premium, high quality oil with a very long shelf life. Please visit www.olivado.ca for more information.

Full article: http://www.healthcare-today.co.uk/news/avocados-help-fight-cancer/21722/

Source: 1

Avocado Oil Could Have Anti-Aging, Disease-Fighting Capabilities…

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112518962/avocado-oil-could-have-anti-aging-disease-fighting-capabilities/

Source: 1

This week’s blog recipe is a twist on the classic caesar salad. Using ingredients like Olivado avocado oil and fresh avocados, we boost this salad’s nutritional value through the roof! Avocados have garnered much press lately because they contain healthy monounsaturated fats instead of harmful saturated fats. As well, they are loaded with nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.  They are definitely one of nature’s super foods!

CALIFORNIA AVOCADO CAESER SALAD

INGREDIENTS

* 30g anchovy filets

* 1 garlic clove, crushed

* ½ tsp dry mustard

* ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

* 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

* ⅓ cup Olivado Avocado Oil

* squeeze of fresh lemon juice

* 1 egg yolk (optional)

* 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bit size pieces (4 cups)

* ½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

* 2 cups croutons

* 1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and sliced

METHOD

Crush anchovies and garlic in a small bowl and add dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, oil, lemon juice and egg yolk. Whisk until well blended. Place lettuce in large salad bowl and toss with dressing. Add cheese and croutons and gently toss again. Top with avocado slices and serve!

Regardless of whether or not you celebrate the true meaning of Easter, it is one of those holidays that everyone enjoys. It signifies the welcoming of spring, the chocolate covered giggles of little boys and girls and family and friends gathering for home cooked meals. It is an opportunity to create childhood memories and family tradition. At Olivado we are committed to providing healthy recipe ideas that your entire family will enjoy and do not require a culinary degree to execute.

Easter Brunch!
Here are three great new recipe ideas that will be a great addition to any Easter egg hunt.

Lace Pancakes
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup Macademia Nut Oil
food colouring (optional)

Whisk ingredients thoroughly but quickly, pour pancake batter into a food grade squeeze bottle. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat and give it a quick spray or wipe of oil so your pancakes don’t stick. Use the squeeze bottle make distribute the batter in loops and swirls and cook until bubbles form, flip and cook for 20 seconds and remove. You can make hearts, easter eggs, flowers or write words; have fun!

For those looking for a little more sustenance in the meal, try our Ham and Egg Cups with Fresh Pesto or if you’re holding to your New Year’s fitness resolution there is the Olivado Granola recipe.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more contests and recipe ideas.

May your Easter be blessed with health, longevity, love and a lot of happiness!

Fusilli with Turkey and Broccoli

Turkey is a low-fat source of protein and one serving provides half of our daily requirement of Folic acid. Also a source of vitamins B, B1 and B6, turkey contains nutrients that help keep blood cholesterol down and protects against birth defects, cancer and heart disease.

Broccoli enjoys a reputation of a ‘miracle food’. In fact it packs more nutritional punch than any other vegetable. With vitamin C, vitamin A, Folic acid, calcium and fibre, this cruciferous (aka cancer fighting) vegetable is a nutrition superstar!

Another benefit of this dish is that it provides a healthy and kid-friendly supper in only 20 minutes. Click here for the recipe.

An extra-virgin avocado oil from a New Zealand company called Olivado was found to be the best source of a much sought-after vitamin-like substance, CoQ10. Olivado avocado oil contains more CoQ10, also called “ubiquinone,” than anything, even meat.

Read the full article.

Malachi “Mommy what we getting?”
Me “Groceries for you and your sister”
Malachi “ok Mommy, I pick for us cuz I know what we need!”

Normally I would laugh and keep going, but this day I thought about it and against my better judgment agreed. After all, could it be possible that maybe –  just maybe –  my son’s natural cravings would be for foods not made of 100% sugar. The result…

So, I lost that battle and gained 5 pounds that week. However I did discover that it would be a long time before I let my kids decide what foods they “need” since obviously my son was not considering what the Canadian Food Guide suggests.

Olivado Oils are considered to be the healthiest oils on the market today. Olivado Avocado Oil is a great source of Vitamin E as well rich in chlorophylls that act as an antioxidant.

This week’s recipe share was developed to make kids happy as well as contribute to proper nutrition!

PIZZA BITE’S!

Ingredients:
1 package instant yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups flour, all purpose or half white and half whole wheat.
1/3 cup Olivado Avocado Oil
2 Tbsp Pizza seasoning or a mixture of basil, oregano, salt, pepper, sundried tomato and dried peppers.
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese.
1 egg white

Directions:

Place warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and add yeast.  Let sit for 5 minutes. Attach the dough hook, add flour one cup at a time, then drizzle in the oil. Add 2 tsp of the pizza seasoning. Continue to mix until the dough has formed into a ball that has pulled all the dough off the sides of the bowl. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel until it has doubled in size.

Punch down and divide dough into 2 balls. Set one aside. Roll the remaining ball into a long log shape (about 1-2 inches in diameter) and cut in 1 inch intervals. Roll each small piece into a rope shape and twist into a pretzel. Place on a cookie sheet topped with cornmeal and continue to shape each dough ball.

Brush each pretzel with egg and sprinkle with remaining pizza seasoning and a little cheese. bake for 15 -20 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Serve with warm marinara for dipping.

Kids love this healthy take on one of their favorite snacks.
By Liz Crawford for Olivado

March is national nutrition month – a time to look at our eating habits and ask questions about changing our diet.

You’ve probably asked some of these questions:

• Should I be making changes to my diet?
• Am I eating enough protein?
• Should I buy whole grain foods?
• What about those dark leafy greens?

And in all likelihood, you answered each of those questions with “I don’t know.”

If that’s the case, then there is good news: you’re not alone.

Most of us are unsure of what foods are really good for us and, more importantly, which foods are not good for us. That’s why the Dieticians of Canada are aggressively promoting March as a four-week “boot camp”, where they aim to educate the public on good health through nutrition.

One of the hottest nutritional topics today is oils. When choosing an oil there are many things to consider, including smoke point nutritional value, and purchasing cold pressed extra virgin oils?

Ultimately, when choosing an oil, you want to keep the following in mind:

• The best oil comes in a dark glass bottle, to keep out light and oxygen which will cause the oil to be rancid.
• Cold pressed means that minimal heat was used while producing the oil therefore retaining its health properties. Extra virgin often refers to a more quality oil and pure mechanical production.
• The smoke point of Avocado Oil is higher then any other oil in the world, allowing the oil to maintain all its benefits like Vitamin E.

Thus, it’s no wonder that dieticians across the country are recommending Olivado Avocado Oils to their clients! To learn more go to http://www.olivado.ca/understanding-oils

Our nutritious recipe of the week

Good Health Minestrone Soup
A warm and delicious way to add nutritious vegetables and fibre into your day.
Try this recipe today.

The Olivado group of companies has invested more than Sh400million to boost avocado farming in Kenya.

The company’s CEO Gary Hannan said they have engaged 1,030 farmers in avocado production and plan to raise the number to over 2,000. Speaking during a workshop at Kenyatta University, Hannan said they have started a pilot factory in Murang’a but the farmers cannot meet the demand.

He decried rampant exploitation of farmers by middlemen and stated that those who would be contracted by the company for supply would be receiving proceeds three month prior to harvest. The CEO said central Kenya was well placed to produce high quality avocado products noting that bushes grown in hot, humid climates were found to have high saturated fat and too much wax for oil production.

Hannan said in fire years time Kenya would be producing 0.3 Million litres of high quality avocado oil for export and local consumption, if all went well.