We met with six-time Canadian Champion and World Silver Medalist Joannie Rochette as she was visiting Vancouver this week for Stars on Ice. With a schedule of intense training and travel, Rochette knows more than a thing of two about good eating and meal planning and shared some tips and recipes with us.
What’s for breakfast and lunch at Joannie’s house or when she’s on the road? She’s got a sweet tooth and doesn’t deny herself certain foods, instead she works with a nutritionist and aims for balance. While she loves her Nutella, she’s varies her breakfast to also include oatmeal and smoothies. Joannie heads out for training and doesn’t have time for a proper lunch, so she whips up a smoothie with bananas, yogurt, Almond Breeze almond milk, hemp and flax seeds and fills her bag with healthy snacks to get her through the day. “Snack don’t starve”, is her motto! Joannie is now an ambassador for Almond Breeze, but she has always loved the milk and highly recommends trying the chocolate!
Dinner is usually something along the lines of a a veggie-based stir fry with a fish or meet protein, salmon is her favourite. Joannie claims not to be a very good cook, but she’s improving and was included in an athletes cookbook project with her vegan cookies made also with Almond Breeze.
Rochette was returning to Montreal after our meeting and will then head out to tour in Japan, before she takes some time off the ice to pursue a career in Medicine at McGill University. She will get a bit of skating in, but wants to focus on a variety of sports such as yoga, Pilates and roller blading. Recently she’s even taken up sky diving!
Here’s her current favourite recipes.
Almond Berry Bars
Yield: 32 Servings
Get the kids to help you make these delicious almond berry bars on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy all week! Perfect for picnics, play dates, backyard BBQ’s and anytime you need to pack a healthy snack.
Ingredients
3 cups (750 mL) of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup ( 125 mL) almond flour
1/4 cup (50 mL) sorghum flour or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) oat bran
1/2 cup (125 mL) ground flaxseed
1/2 cup (125 mL) roasted, chopped almonds
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried blueberries
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped, dried cranberries
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) agave nectar
1/3 cup (75 mL) natural almond butter, stirred well before measuring
1/4 cup (50 mL) Almond Breeze® Original
2 tsp (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Lightly coat a 13” x 9” (3L) baking pan with olive oil cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flours, bran, flaxseed, almonds, blueberries, cranberries, and salt. Stir to combine well. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, warm the agave nectar, almond butter, and almond beverage over low heat until well blended. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Add the warm butter mixture to the dry ingredients and quickly stir the mixture until it is well combined. Pat into the prepared pan. Press firmly with your hands to remove any air pockets.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes, and then cut into 32 bars. When just cool enough to handle, remove bars from the pan to a cooling rack. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for optimal freshness.
Nutritional Analysis
PER SERVING: 125 cal, 5 g fat (0.5 sat. fat), 17 g carb, 5 g pro, 3 g fibre, 0 mg chol, 40 mg sodium. % RDI: 31 mg calcium, 142 mg potassium, 53 mg magnesium, 3.4 mg vit E, 6% iron.
Creamy Cilantro-Lime Avocado Dressing with Avocados From Mexico (of course!)
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes
Yield: 1 1/3 cups (325 mL)
Ingredients
2/3 cup (150 mL) Almond Breeze® Unsweetened Original
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1/2 ripe avocado from Mexico, diced
1 green onion, sliced
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh cilantro
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) lime zest
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt, freshly ground pepper and ground cumin
Directions
Dressing: In blender, combine Almond Breeze, olive oil, avocado, green onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, salt, pepper and cumin; blend until smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
Tip: For a thinner consistency of dressing, add an additional
1/2 cup (125 mL) Almond Breeze® Unsweetened Original.
Nutrition Facts
PER SERVING: Per 2 Tbsp. / 30 mL: Calories 40, Fat 4g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 75mg, Carbohydrate 1g, Fibre 0g, Sugars 0g, Protein 0.4g
Okanagan Cherry Mint Smoothie
Yields: 2 servings
Ingredients
2 cups (500 mL) frozen cherries
1 ½ cups (375 mL) Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla
½ cup (125 mL) fresh mint
2 tablespoons (30 mL) hemp
1 teaspoon (5 mL) cinnamon
Raw honey (optional)
Directions
1. Place cherries in blender topped with Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla and pulse to mash.
2. Rinse fresh mint, cut off woody stems and add. Add hemp seeds, cinnamon and raw honey, if using, and blend until smooth.
Nutritional Analysis
PER SERVING: 357 Calories; 3g Fat (8.9% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 62g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 143mg Sodium.
Pineapple Chiller
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes
Yield: 5 cups, 4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) Almond Breeze® Sweetened Vanilla Original
1 cup (250 mL) frozen mango chunks
1 cup (250 mL) pineapple juice
1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut water
1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice
1/4 cup (60 mL) lime juice
8 ice cubes
Directions
In blender, combine Almond Breeze, frozen mango, pineapple juice, coconut water, orange juice, lime juice and ice cubes; blend until smooth.
Nutrition Facts
PER SERVING: Per 1-1/4 cups: Calories 110, Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 45mg, Carbohydrate 24g, Fibre 1g, Sugars 19g, Protein 1g
Sweet Potato Hummus
Roasted sweet potatoes and shallots are puréed with chickpeas for a sweet and savoury homemade hummus.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
3 shallots, peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup (75 mL) olive oil
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly ground pepper
1 can (540 mL) chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup (125 mL) Almond Breeze® Sweetened Vanilla Original
1/4 cup (60 mL) tahini
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each paprika and ground cumin
Carrot and celery sticks
Whole grain crackers
Directions
Toss together sweet potato, shallots, garlic, 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the olive oil and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet; bake in 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Let cool.
In food processor, purée sweet potatoes, shallots, garlic, chickpeas, Almond Breeze, tahini, remaining olive oil, remaining salt and pepper, paprika and cumin until smooth. Sprinkle with extra paprika before serving if desired.
Serve with carrot and celery sticks, and whole grain crackers.
Nutrition Facts
PER SERVING: Per 1/12 recipe: Calories 150, Fat 9g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 210mg, Carbohydrate 14g, Fibre 3g, Sugars 2g, Protein 4g
Note: nutrition information is for the hummus only and does not include vegetables or crackers.
*This post was made possible with Almond Breeze
