A Bowl Full of Spring

While the calendar may say spring has arrived, for many of you the weather outside says otherwise. Do not let that discourage you from enjoying the 'other' things spring has to offer. The gifts of spring go beyond sunny days and cherry blossoms starting to bloom.  Your produce department – or your favorite Farmer’s Market – should be filling up with an abundance of spring’s best gifts: strawberries, sugar snap peas, arugula, sprouts, asparagus, artichokes, radishes, avocados and more.  These produce stars are not just beautiful to look at, they taste great, too.

Picking produce at its peak freshness and eating it right away is the key to maximum flavor and nutrients.  Combining spring’s bounty into a salad is a simple, easy way to enjoy them. One of my favorites is my Grow in Wellness Spring Salad, where I simply toss my favorite spring offerings with mixed greens and a homemade balsamic dressing. {recipe here}

Want a few more options? The no-recipe method is one way to go; simply chop your favorite produce and toss with a tangy vinaigrette. You can even make a warm, roasted vegetable salad and toss with a lemony, tahini dressing for something a little less ordinary.  And if a more formal recipe is your style, then here are a few from some of my favorite websites:

Spring Salad with Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Warm Spring Salad

What is your favorite way to eat the freshest veggies and fruits of the season? Grow in Wellness would love to hear from you! 

“Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘let’s party!’” – Robin Williams

Quinoa for Spring... Bring it on!

Need a new fresh way to incorporate quinoa into your day? Here’s a new recipe for reinventing the quinoa salad with some of spring’s tasty offerings.

Strawberry Sugar Snap Quinoa Salad

This salad is packed with nutrients and flavor!

Strawberry season is in full swing and there is nothing quite as mouth watering as fresh, juicy (organic) strawberries. A great source vitamin C, they do not ripen after being picked, so choose fragrant, bright red berries when you are at the store and eat them within a few days.  They add just the right amount of sweetness to this salad.

Sugar snap peas are also in season and bring their own dose of vitamin C along with vitamin A and some iron.  They taste good raw or lightly steamed and add a nice bunch of crunch to the mix.

Quinoa is its own powerhouse, a seed that acts like a grain and is considered a complete protein.  It is gluten-free and gives you fiber, magnesium, folate and iron. It is flavorless and can be eaten warm or cold, as breakfast or as a main course. It cooks quickly, so it’s easy to prepare. It’s even better for you when you sprout it. 

Pumpkin seeds give us a healthy dose of zinc, magnesium and plant based omega-3’s. Toast them in a low-heat oven to preserve vital nutrients. 

Combine these ingredients with some herbed goat cheese and a tangy dressing and you’ve got a great salad that works as a main dish when served on a bed of greens or as an easy, make-ahead side for dinner. Great for a pot luck, too!

Nutrient Notes:

Manganese - Plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation. Manganese is also necessary for normal brain and nerve function.

Magnesium is important for every organ in the body -- especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys.

Zinc helps heal wounds and plays an important role in the immune system, reproduction, growth, taste, vision, and smell, blood clotting, and proper insulin and thyroid function.  

*sources: www.umm.edu; www.whfoods.com;

Wrap it Up

It’s been a busy few weeks and when I’m on the go day after day, I try to find healthy lunch ideas I can quickly make and take with me. 

This wrap is not only tasty, but gluten free and easy to roll, wrap in foil, and go.  The brown rice wrap (from Trader Joe’s) nicely holds the spinach, chopped tomatoes, carrot slivers, avocado and leftover shredded chicken tossed with tahini sauce.  Clean, whole foods all rolled up into a gluten free wrap that holds up while being transported – what’s not to like?

You can make this wrap with your favorites, too – turkey, leftover sliced or ground beef, even baked tofu. Add as many vegetables as you can fit in the wrap to boost your veggie and nutrient intake. The key to keeping it healthy is to use the tahini dressing instead of cream cheese, ranch or sour cream.

Tahini is made from sesame seeds and is rich in phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and iron.  Tahini is a great source of calcium and is high in B and E vitamins.  It helps maintain healthy cell growth, skin and muscle tone and gives you a boost of protein. The dressing is quick to make (I used my immersion blender) and you will have enough leftover to save for another day.

Here is the dressing recipe adapted from Power Foods cookbook:

Tahini Dressing

1 minced garlic clove

¼ cup tahini

juice of one large lemon

pinch of sea salt

dash of pepper

3-4 TBSP water

Using an immersion blender, blend first five ingredients adding water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. 

This dressing is also good tossed in a kale salad and can be used as a veggie dip.

What is your favorite wrap combination?

Overnight Oatmeal

My Vitamix blender blade was recently part of a recall and, as much as I’m happy Vitamix is on top of things and is replacing the blade at absolutely no cost to me, it’s tough to be without my favorite kitchen appliance.  Especially in the morning.  I’m an avid “green protein drink for breakfast” kinda girl and not having something to pulverize my kale into a yummy drink in the morning is getting old, fast. 

The good news of it all is that I have had to find some new options for breakfast (that are healthy, “clean” and filling), which led me to this

fantastic recipe for oatmeal.  It’s easy, there’s no cooking needed, and it can be adapted to several tastes. My husband loves coconut (and I don’t) so he gets some shredded coconut; and almond butter is my favorite, so in it goes to my jar.  There are so many possibilities… experiment with your own add-ins, just keep the base the same (oatmeal, flax, chia and almond milk) and you’ll be fine.  I’d love to hear what you try – post your favorite combinations under comments. 

Here’s a glimpse of my latest batch of oatmeal for this week:

Gather your ingredients: 

Fill your jars: 

Mix well: 

Cover and refrigerate: 

Overnight Oatmeal

(Following is for each serving)

½ cup gluten free oats

½ TBSP chia seeds

1 TBSP shredded coconut

1 tsp. ground flaxseeds

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup almond milk

2 tsp. chopped dates

optional add ins:  dried blueberries, dried cranberries, walnuts, etc.

Combine all ingredients in order listed into a wide-mouth jar, mix well. Cover with lid and put in refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, stir one more time and eat cold or warm in the microwave for a warm breakfast. Option:  add fresh fruit before eating.

Enjoy!

It's a Quinoa kind of day.

Have you heard the buzz about quinoa? It’s the new superfood that’s been around for hundreds of years.  If you haven’t heard the word (pronounced ‘keen-wah’) or seen it popping up on menus, then read on and become ‘in the know’.

Quinoa is an ancient pseudo-grain (it’s really a seed) from the Andean community in South America.  It is a complete protein, which means it contains all the essential amino acids your body needs, and it’s low in fat. Plus, it’s an anti-inflammatory food.

It’s my new favorite grain substitute for 3 reasons: first, it cooks super fast (12 minutes and it’s done!); second, it is a complete protein, cholesterol and gluten free; and third, it’s a super-flexible food that can be eaten at any meal of the day. Bonus: it keeps well in the fridge for leftovers. 

Quinoa does have a bitter tasting coating comprised of saponins, so if the package you purchase doesn’t say it’s already rinsed, then rise under cold water for about a minute before cooking.  I buy Bob’s Red Mill brand – it is ready to go straight from the package.

 Not sure where to start?  Here are a few ideas:

 7 Ways to Eat (cooked) Quinoa 

1. Use instead of rice as a side dish for dinner
2. Add a cup-full to a green salad
3. Toss with roasted seasonal vegetables
4. Go for a southwestern touch and toss with black beans, corn (organic and uncooked), chopped chiles, green onions, cotija cheese and a lime-olive oil dressing
5. Try it for breakfast:  add warm almond milk, cinnamon, fresh blueberries, bananas and walnuts to cooked quinoa
6. Scramble cooked quinoa with eggs, spinach, mushrooms and cheese for a tasty breakfast.
7. Make a chilled quinoa salad by mixing with shredded chicken, red onions, goat cheese, arugula, pine nuts and a champagne vinaigrette dressing.

I’d love to hear what your favorite way is to eat quinoa… enjoy the eating!

Homemade Jam...that's healthy!

In an earlier post I talked about the benefits of chia seeds.  I hope you’ve been sprinkling them on your yogurt and adding them to your smoothies!  I recently came across a jam recipe that incorporates chia seeds.  You get a lot of ‘bang’  out of this one… fiber and antioxidants in the raspberries, omega 3’s, protein and added fiber from the chia seeds and a hit of added sweetness from the maple syrup.  

This simple recipe is courtesy of Pamela Salzman’s blog.  It is simple, healthy and delicious! Keeps for about a week in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Raspberry Chia Jam

1 package of frozen, organic raspberries

2 TBSP + 2 tsp Chia Seeds

1 TBSP 100% real maple syrup or organic raw honey

Defrost raspberries, then put in a bowl and mash lightly. Add chia seeds and syrup, mix to combine well.  Refrigerate 6 hours (or overnight). Stir ingredients and the jam is ready to serve. 

Try as a topping on Greek yogurt, ice cream or on toasted sprouted grain bread, or even with almond butter for a tasty sandwich.  Enjoy!