Tag Archives: kale

Cooking, Health and Nutrition

Armenia’s Cali Salad

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Last year I had the pleasure to visit California six different times. During one of my visits, I  was able to carve out some time and visit a very dear friend of mine who lives in gorgeous Santa Barbara. As always we had so much fun enjoying each other’s company and catching up! Closing out the visit, she served me the most gorgeous spread for dinner that was beautiful, healthy, and inspiring!

After dinner we sat by the fire with some chocolate and fruit. Catching my attention was the unique and unfamiliar fruit platter. Lying amongst a traditional spread of finger fruits (strawberries, grapes, etc..) there were these orange looking fruit that reminded me of tomatoes, but just a bit harder. Curiosity got the best of me and I immediately popped a bite into my mouth! Instantly I fell in love with this new fruit. “What is this?” I asked.  “Persimmons!” my friend answered. Growing up in Brazil, living in Texas and in Europe, I had never come across persimmons before. Well, last week I am in the grocery store and what do I spot? Persimmons!!!

Eagerly, I purchased the best eight persimmons I could find to bring home and experiment with. Persimmons are winter fruits, and currently in season. The first persimmon experiment was simple, recreate my California experience with with a nutritious, diverse and filling salad.  Enhancing the salad, with another winter fruit, I added pomegranate.

These two winter fruits are the anchors for my California salad with kale as the green foundation. Remember that it is important to massage the kale because it holds its texture even once dressing has been poured over it. Take your time and give the kale some tender love and care! Making the food with joy is half the fun!

Use the massaged kale as a base for any salad you enjoy!

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Here’s how you can bring a piece of California to your home:

4 handfuls of Kale cut into small pieces

1 persimmon sliced into thin strips

Seeds from one pomegranate

1 avocado thinly sliced

3 tbs of hemp seeds

1/4 cup of edamame

3 tbs of pine nuts

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle the lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper over the kale and spend about a minute massaging the leaves. Top the salad with the remaining ingredients and enjoy!

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armenia@blissbalancehealth.com

864 551 57 31

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Receita em Português

4 punhados de Kale corte em pedaços pequenos

1 caqui cortado em tiras finas

Sementes de uma romã

1 abacate cortado em fatias finas

3 colheres de sopa de sementes de roma

1/4 xícara de edamame

3 colheres de sopa de pinhões

Suco de 1 limão

2 colheres de sopa de azeite

Sal e pimenta a gosto

Regue o limão, azeite , sal e pimenta sobre a couve e gastar cerca de um minuto massageando as folhas. Cubra a salada com os ingredientes restantes e aproveite!

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Health and Nutrition

The Green Juice….Reinvented

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Last year Armenia’s Green Juice was by far my most popular recipe! The Green juice is an excellent way to make sure you are getting a good dose of greens for the day, and it helps flush toxins out of the body.

Clients and blog followers gave enough feedback fueling my creativity to create the second version of my juice. Some clients were using the green juice as a tool to help performance during workouts, a detoxifying agent, skin repair, vitality, or just trying to make sure the body was receiving enough greens for the day.  And some used it to recover from an extended night of consuming their favorite adult beverages. As I played around with different possibilities, this feedback was used to evolve the green juice. Both recipes are healthy and beneficial. Try both versions and see which one is your favorite! If you were already a fan of the original, now you have the second version to enjoy. Your feedback is much appreciated and always taken into consideration for future recipes.

The main difference in the new version is the additions of more greens and a slight reduction of sugars. This was accomplished by removing the apple and adding cucumber and celery. The diversity of spices has also been adjusted, with an increase in turmeric. Giving it an extra dose of anti-inflammatory benefits!

Let’s see what is in it….

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1 banana
2 cups of kale
1 stalk of celery
1 3 inch piece of cucumber
1 brazil nut
1 cup of coconut water
1 cup of filtered water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 inch long piece of fresh ginger
1/2 tsp of ground turmeric
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp of spirulina (optional)
Blend it all in a and enjoy!

Portuguese Version:

1 banana
2 xícaras de couve
1 talo de aipo
Pedaço de pepino de mais ou menos 6 cm
1 castanha do Para
1 xícara de água de coco
1 xícara de água filtrada
Suco de 1/2 limão
1 pedaço de gengibre fresco (3 cm)
1/2 colher de chá de cúrcuma em pó
1/4 colher de chá de canela
Pitada de pimenta caiena
1/2 colher de chá de spirulina (opcional)

Misture tudo no liquidificador e aproveite!

http://www.blissbalancehealth.com

armenia@blissbalancehealth.com

http://www.facebook.com/blissbalancehealth

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Cooking, Health and Nutrition

Fall is upon us and so is soup season! Try something new…kale soup!

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Last week I went on vacation with my family.  We had a lot of fun, and admittedly I indulged in a few of my favorite old food items that I tend to stay away from. For a few years I was living in France and absolutely fell in love with all the varieties of cheese! However, about a year ago, I removed all dairy items from my diet. After the sun had set on our vacation, I began listening to my body. Quickly I realized that dairy products were not making me feel good. Things just were not working as they should in my digestive system. Cheese is exactly the item I indulged in while on vacation.

Being back home, reality set in and I decided to do a body reset! In the United States, Fall has arrived.  Ayurveda recommends a detox or fast of some kind every time the season changes. This week was the perfect time to do just that! I am doing a 5 day body detox to reset my system and get things back in order! When doing a detox on myself it is also a perfect opportunity to experiment with tastes making a recipe that is gentle on the digestion, but still provides me with nutrients.

This kale soup that I am sharing with you today came from a desire to have something that was warm in this Fall Season and comforting. I was thinking of something with lots of broth, comforting as a classic bowl of chicken noodle soup, but without the chicken and the noodle. Kale is a vegetable that has a lot of nutrients. It has been considered a super food for its many benefits to the body. Kale is also a wonderful Detox food because of the many fibers and sulfur it contains that aid in the removal of toxins from the body. It also has high amounts of iron, calcium, vitamins A, C, and K, and antioxidants. Kale also helps to lower inflammation in the body, a key component when doing a body reset.

Although I am suggesting this recipe as something to eat during a detox, it is perfect for any occasion. Whether it is a cold, rainy day, or you’re feeling a little under the weather, Kale soup may be just what the body is needing. Smaller portions compliment well as a side soup with many dishes. Tomorrow I will be serving it to a friend for lunch along with  my Rainbow Quinoa. I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do!

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Ingredients: 

1 tsp of coconut oil

1 medium diced onion

4 celery stalks cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 Tbs of liquid aminos

1 tsp of tarragon

1 tsp of thyme

1/2 tsp of allspice

Pinch of salt and black pepper

1 stalk of Kale cut into small pieces

4 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 cup of light coconut milk

Melt the coconut oil in a large soup pan. Add the onion and celery and let it saute until translucent. Add the spices and wait a couple of minutes. Add the kale and wait another 3 minutes or so. Add the broth and milk and let it come to a simmer. Serve warm!

Receita em Portugues

1 colher de chá de óleo de coco

1 cebola média cortada em cubos

4 talos de aipo cortado em pedaços 1/4 polegadas

1 colher de sopa de molho de soja

1 colher de chá de estragão

1 colher de chá de tomilho

Meia colher de chá de pimenta da Jamaica

Uma pitada de sal e pimenta do reino

1 talo de couve cortada em pequenos pedaços

4 xícaras de caldo de legumes

Meia xícara de leite de coco

Derreta o óleo de coco em uma panela grande de sopa. Adicione a cebola eo aipo e deixe refogar até ficar transparente . Adicione os temperos e esperar um par de minutos. Adicione a couve e aguarde mais 3 minutos ou menos. Adicione o caldo de legumes e leite, deixá-lo vir para ferver. Sirva quente !

 http://www.blissbalancehealth.com

armenia@blissbalancehealth.com

864 551 5731

http://www.facebook.com/blissbalancehealth


					

		
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			Health and Nutrition
Superfoods Smoothie “Acai berry”
		


		

				

			
BlissBalanceHealth_LogoAcai (A-sigh-ee) berry is a super food very dear to my heart. I grew up seeing Acai juice (mixed with peanuts and guarana) sold everywhere in my hometown of Fortaleza- Brazil. It was sold mostly as a super energy drink. Guarana is another treasure of Brazil, which I won’t discuss much about, that is used in many energy drinks found worldwide.


I remember getting very excited the first time that I saw Acai advertised here in the states, as a fruit that could do miracles for anyone. I won’t claim that Acai will do miracles, but I will point out some of its benefits, why is good for you, and the reason that it is now considered a superfood. It is a superfood because it is very rich in nutrients that are very beneficial to our well being. Rich in free radicals, it is a very powerful antioxidant. It  contains nutrients that are known to help with inflammation, anti cancer, and lowering of cholesterol. It is also very low in sugar content.


A few of the nutrients in Acai are:


Iron


Magnesium


Calcium


Vitamin A, K, and B complex


Anthocyanin


Healthy fatty acids (omega 6 and omega 9)


Fiber


Acai is not the only component that gave this smoothie its name. Some of the other known superfoods added to this smoothie are blueberries, raspberries, kale, chia, and nuts. I also add Aloe Vera for its cleansing properties. I suggest also adding some protein to it, especially as a post workout drink. I like adding a plant based protein powder, Vega protein powder is my favorite. The protein powder is not essential, you can leave it out if you don’t have any on hand.


I usually have this smoothie with my lunch, but sometimes I have it for breakfast as well. My husband likes to drink it as his dessert after dinner. He usually finishes his exercise routine right before dinner, so the smoothie is also helping him to replenish the nutrients lost during the workout.


Acai Smoothie


Ingredients:


1 banana


1 cup of almond milk


1 cup of Acai juice


1 handful of blueberries or mixed berries


1 cup of kale


5 almonds


2 Tbs of aloe vera juice


2 Tbs of chia seeds


Dash of cinnammon


1 scoop of vanilla protein powder


Mix it all in a blender and enjoy!


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Contact me to learn more about Primordial Sound Meditation, Ayurveda, and Yoga!

					

		
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