Knock-knock! November is here, with its dark dinners, “crying” Vancouver skies, and 8PM bedtime. I would say extra hugging time with my pillow is the best part about November on the West Coast. Come December we will all be eating, dancing, and gifting. In January the gyms will be bursting at seams. And by the time February arrives, we are frantically looking to get away in the sun. In the mix of all these exciting (and some not so much) events I know a flu or cold might visit. But then again, perhaps not. My philosophy to fight off germs is simple and the same every flu season – eat real food. I think of our bodies as a bank and the more vitamins and nutrients we deposit, the higher the positive returns. Snacks during the fall-winter months might be not as exciting as during summer when you can eat half a watermelon or a box of blueberries. I get it. Winter is the time to capitalize on apples, pears, and citrus fruit, which are affordable and packed with vitamin C to help us boost our immune system. To make winter snacking more fun let me present to you fruit nachos. This is like eating an apple and an orange, but the next level! It literally takes 5 minutes to prepare and arrange fruit on a plate (or in a container for tomorrow’s afternoon snack at the desk), and just one more to whip up a gut healthy date sauce chock full of probiotics. That’s right! Not the caramel sauce loaded with added sugar, but rather a gut healthy sauce with Bio-K+, dates, and a pinch of antioxidant-rich cinnamon. And then, top your fruit nachos. Fun! Instead of chocolate chips I used cacao nibs because you have dates, apples and citrus already bursting with naturally occurring sugars. The nuts add healthy fats, and I couldn’t imagine a better option than bits of roasted peanuts. Coconut flakes? Chia seeds? Pine nuts? Slivered almonds? No problem. You can let your child’s imagination run wild with “the sprinkles” and the let them lick the plates! Serves: 2 Ingredients: -2 large apples -1 mandarin, orange, or grapefruit -1 bottle Bio-K+ Original -2 pitted Medjool dates -1/4 tsp. cinnamon -Peanuts, finely chopped -Cacao nibs Preparation: -Core and cut apples into thin slices. Peel your citrus fruit and separate into segments. Arrange on a plate. -In a blender, add Bio-K+, dates and cinnamon. Process on medium speed until well blended. -Drizzle sauce on top of fruit and then sprinkle cacao nibs and peanuts. -Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Tips: -Because of the small sauce amount, do not use a large blender like Blendtec. In fact, a lower speed blender makes better sauce because of the smaller jug and slow speed. An immersion blender would work great. -Add a tbsp. of coconut oïl for thicker sauce and a boost of healthy fats. -Use any toppings you like, such as coconut flakes, chia seeds, any type of nuts (like slivered almonds), pine nuts or even sesame seeds.
