Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Glowing Green Smoothie // Breakfast




Good morning everyone! Happy start of the week! I hope you enjoyed your long weekend and was able to spend time with friends and family. Now, it's back to the normal routine.
This week is going to be a short one for me. Only two days of school for me this week (Tuesday and Wednesday) then Thursday I fly to DC for a graduation!


What are your plans for the week? 

Now....on to the smoothie.
I have been loving green smoothies in the morning time because they fill me up and I get a fully loaded, nutrient packed meal to begin my day. I have been experimenting with a lot of different recipes and flavor combinations, so today I wanted to share one that I think is quite good! You can make smoothies really basic or you can play with it and make it a little more sophisticated and exciting. Either way, I think that green smoothies in the morning is the way to go.

The Recipe 

(for one serving) 

1 cup water
4 pitted dates (you could use prunes if you prefer)
1 small banana
about 2 tbls ground flax seeds (add more or less as you like)
1 large handful of spinach
1 tbls almond butter
ice cubes
*this smoothie was a little thick in my opinion so be sure to add as much water as you want to thin it.

To Prepare

Mix everything in a blender and enjoy!


Have a great week!

Happy eating,
xoxo
Zoe

Monday, May 27, 2013

Today // Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day everyone! I hope that you've enjoyed your long weekend.
I wanted to post today so that I could give thanks to all those who have fought to keep our country safe. I am forever grateful.

Today was such a lovely day with the beautiful weather and no real plans but to relax.
Here's some pictures.

My Breakfast 
(recipe will be up tomorrow)

Lunch 
I enjoyed this beautiful salad outside in the sun!
I mixed balsamic and white wine vinegar with a little olive oil for a light, refreshing dressing.
The salad is romaine lettuce with beets, carrots and some quinoa salad left over from last night.

The flowers looked so great outside in the sunshine...


I heated up some ginger carrot soup from last night and ate it along with these delicious JJ Flats for a light dinner before heading to Barre class. These crackers are tasty and healthy. They totally fill me up.


What were you up to today? Any highlights from your weekend?

Best wishes,
Zoe





Sunday, May 26, 2013

Ginger Carrot Soup // Sunday Dinner



*This recipe was adapted from:  http://blog.barre3.com/2013/02/17/28-to-great-recipe-gingered-carrot-soup/

Tonight's dinner was divine.
Yes, divine. 
I saw this soup recipe and I knew in that instant that I was in the mood for it. So I made it. And you should too. 

The recipe
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced gingerroot
4 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine
3 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Sea salt to taste
1 can coconut milk 

PREPARATION:
1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the leek and gingerroot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to brown—about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and carrots and stir to cook for about 1 minute.
2. Add the broth, ground ginger, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a moderate simmer, cover, and cook until the carrots are tender— about 30 minutes.
3. Puree soup in batches and bring back to pot. Add coconut milk and stir.
4. Return the soup to a clean pot and reheat briefly. Do not let soup boil. Add additional coconut milk if desired. Garnish with cilantro and serve.


How I Did It

Grating the ginger created an amazing aroma.

I am now obsessed with using coconut oil in my dishes. I don't know why I haven't started cooking with it earlier! Have you tried coconut oil in your regular dishes before? I am totally hooked. It's that good. 
Okay, let me tell you...the ginger and leeks cooking in the coconut oil made the kitchen smell like a street market on an exotic Asian island. I wish that this picture did your senses the justice that these smells deserve.
I used a hand mixer to puree the veggies with the stock. Then I stirred in the coconut milk.

I served it hot and fresh and ate a veggie burger with some quinoa salad as well. It was meatless Sunday, accidentally. Honestly, I ate like a queen tonight. 

If you try this recipe out, let me know! 

Happy eating!
xoxo
Zoe 



Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to my new home!
Come take a look inside.
You don't even have to take your shoes off.

Just take a look around!

This is a blog about healthy food.
I know, I know. 
You've heard that one many times before.
But wait! Don't leave!

Here you will find recipes, tips, tricks and some daily blabber...all about food. Yes, it may be healthy food, but food is food. Am I right? Or am I right?
That's the kind of message that I want to convey.

'ALL FOOD SHOULD BE TREATED EQUAL!'
So come join the revolution. Fun.

And you'll see...
...healthy does taste good.

xoxo
Zoe