Craving Fresh Fruits and Vegetables after Holiday Foods Indulgence
After a lovely Thanksgiving week of carbs and more carbs, I am craving anything healthy-mostly fruits and vegetables. My body seems so out of balance~~I’m sluggish and feeling a bit pudgy. Now with a broken toe that is slowing me down a bit, I feel the need to reset and nourish myself in a healthy way.
Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Right now, the garden is producing beautiful greens~ lettuce, kale and arugula. I am hoping for another abundant year of arugula because I could make and eat this simple salad every single day. The Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette recipe is from Stone Gable.
I literally keep a mason jar of this dressing in the refrigerator all the time. Over the summer, when the greens bolt due to the heat, I buy baby arugula from the grocery store. But I can honestly say that picking arugula fresh from the garden is so much better.
This salad has a few, simple ingredients. Arugula, shaved Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Plus the lemon dressing. That’s it. So tasty and clean. Truly one of my favorite recipes to make. My recent houseguests loved it too. Recipe is below.
Food Babe’s Pineapple Grapefruit Hair Shake
Vani Hari, better known as “The Food Babe”, has an amazing story about how eating different foods changed her life. As a result, she has made it a mission to challenge how big food giants do business. For example, she influenced Kraft Foods to remove the harmful dyes from their Mac ‘n Cheese. Her website is a plethora of information on food choices and is filled with fabulous recipes.
One of my go to recipes when I’m feeling the holiday bloat is this green shake from her website.
There are 6 simple ingredients: Kale or spinach, celery, cucumber, grapefruit, frozen pineapple and water. I substitute frozen mango and pineapple, when I am unable to find plain, frozen pineapple.
I just ordered her cookbook and I will let you know if it is any good. Here is her website.
This shake is so refreshing and you can always add more of the frozen pineapple if you prefer it sweeter.
Healthy Chicken Soup
Another resource for good, healthy recipes is Ambitious Kitchen. This chicken soup looks so delicious and with the cold and flu season upon us, I hope to make this and freeze it for those days when I feel something coming on.
The best part of this delicious chicken soup is all of its wonderful the anti-inflammatory, cold-fighting ingredients.
- Ginger: Great for digestion and a powerful anti-inflammatory agent to use in recipes.
- Garlic: Truly the best when you’re sick. Garlic is full of anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. That’s why we use 6 cloves of garlic in this soup. That’s right, you’re going to sick this cold’s ass.
- Turmeric: Super trendy and very good for you. Best when consumed with a black pepper to help for optimal absorption. This recipe calls for fresh turmeric (if you can find it).
- Chicken: We’re packin’ this recipe with protein too — and guess what? The chicken actually cooks in the soup broth, leaving it tender and making it easy for you!
- Fresh herbs: Rosemary & thyme add additional flavor in this recipe.
- Pearl (or Israeli) Couscous: Besides the veggies, the couscous is really the star because it helps to thicken the broth and keep the soup hearty. You’ll want to use pearl couscous (also labeled Israeli couscous in stores) in the recipe. It just provides the perfect texture for the soup.
Doesn’t this look so yummy? I cannot wait to make it. You can find the recipe here.
Healthy Focus
The last of our houseguests left yesterday so I am ready to get back on a routine to eat healthier and clean out my system. Unless you are a person who eats completely clean and healthy 100% of the time, what do you do to reverse the holiday bloat?
I am returning to a limited exercise program as I have to keep all weight off my big toe, but not moving is not an option. Reducing my caloric intake to match my activity level will be necessary too.
Please share what you do to get your body back to recover after holiday eating. My vitamin regiment is back on track too as is my daily probiotic. I’m hoping that by being thoughtful in my eating and exercising this week and next, that the brain fog will lift and I will restore my energy.
Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1-2 bags, boxes, bunches fresh arugula
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano Cheese shaved
- 1/4 cup toasted pepitas or pine nuts
- 1-2 lemons, juice of
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 medium sized shallot finely diced
- 1/4-1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Put the arugula in a large bowl.
- Make the lemon vinaigrette by putting the lemon juice, olive oil, shallots, dijon mustard, and salt into a Mason Jar and shake it vigorously.
- Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the arugula and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle the nuts over the salad and toss.
- Shave the Parmesan over the top of the salad and serve immediately.
Notes
Here is the recipe for Food Babe’s Pineapple Grapefruit Hari Shake:
Food Babe’s Pineapple Grapefruit Hari Shake
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale removed from stem
- 2 large stalks celery chopped
- 1/2 cucumber chopped
- 1/2 grapefruit
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- 6 ounces water
Instructions
- Wash all vegetables thoroughly and place in a large bowl.
- Add 6 ounces of water into a blender with celery, cucumber, and grapefruit.
- Blend for 30 seconds until just incorporated.
- Add all the other ingredients and keep blending for another 30 seconds-1 minute.
Notes
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I love using the Queen Creek lemon olive oil in this dressing. Gives it a little more kick.
Patti, great idea! I will try that. And the Queen Creek olive oil is so delicious! Thank you.
Oooh those all sound great – thanks for the recipes! I hope your toe feels better soon, and your brain too! 🙂 You are an inspiration my friend!
Barbara, thank you. Busy holidays, sore toe…but I am so ready to clean out the old system and bounce back!
Sorry to hear about your toe, prayers for speedy recovery.
Thank you for all you do for your community. Sure those turkeys
made a lots of folks have a great Thanksgiving.
Going to try the salad dressing as store bought ones just don’t cut it for me
anymore.
Also, ordered the dry eye drops you mentioned and they are so much better
for me. I appreciate knowing your comments on products so please continue to post.
Blessings,
Virginia, thank you for your comments. Being a neighborhood volunteer can be a thankless job, but I love doing the annual turkey drive. Our police precinct is so wonderful to us and it’s the least we can do to give back to them and those in need. I’m with you~not a fan of store bought salad dressings. Let me know if you like it. I find the eye drops to be better too~the eye doctor warned me about those drops that have preservatives so glad to hear they are working well for you. Thanks again for weighing in.
Such a beautiful, colorful way to detox. Afterall, we eat first with our eyes. 🙂
Valerie, you are so right. Who wants to eat unappealing food?