To get as much benefit from the whole foods you eat its important to buy fruits and vegetables grown locally and in season.  Here a some healthy and nutritious spring and summer picnic recipes you can make for your friends and family to enjoy in the park.  You can try them on Memorial weekend or Fourth of July.

Spring and Summer Recipe with Baby Artichokes with Garlic and Oranges

Ingredients:

• 16 baby artichokes (about 2 pounds)
• 4 – 5  tbsp olive oil
• 3 -4  garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ tbsp turmeric
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp sour cream or yogurt
• 1 tbsp dill chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste
• orange wedges

Directions:

Trim baby artichokes and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. Sautee onion and cook in olive oil for 5-7 minutes, add garlic and cook for more 2 minutes or until garlic gets brown. Add artichokes, stir in salt, pepper, 1/2 cup water, 2 tbsp sour cream, ½ tbsp turmeric. Cook, covered, until artichokes are tender, about 5 minutes longer or until knife inserted in bottom of artichoke goes through easily. Serve, warm, garnish with orange wedges, dill and parsley.

Spring and Summer Asparagus with Turmeric Dressing and Almond Butter Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup onions chopped
• 1 bunch asparagus spears
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Weight Loss Detox Turmeric Dressing
• 1 tsp almond butter
• 2 tbsp parsley or dill chopped
• salt to taste

Directions:

Steam asparagus spears (or cook in boiled water) for 5-8  minutes or until tender.  Sautee onions in olive oil for 10 minutes. Make Turmeric Dressing in a bowl, add almond butter and onions and mix thoroughly. Place the asparagus spears on the plate and coat with the new mix of turmeric dressing, almond butter and sautéed onions. Garnish with parsley or dill.

Summer and Spring Mushroom and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ghee or organic raw butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 mushrooms
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 4 cups spring greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula)
• 1/2 cup spring green onions chopped
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 6-8 radishes, sliced
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (or barley or wheat berries) chilled
• 1/2 cup grated Goat cheese
• 2 tbsp dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp prunes
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1tbsp parsley chopped
• 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee mushrooms in olive oil for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for more 2 minutes; add sour cream, season with salt and pepper, stir thoroughly and set aside. Place all the remaining ingredients into a large salad bowl and sprinkle with Apple cider vinegar. Just before serving, pour the warm mushrooms in sour cream over the salad.

Bon Appetit!

Don’t forget to breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Counselor and Coach

NaturalCounselor.com

How healthy is your cancer preventing diet? If you want your breasts to stay healthy, you may need to eat more detox fruits and vegetables rich in fiber.

Here is a holistic detox recipe with the five super foods: papaya, cabbage, tomatoes, walnuts and parsley that can help you detox and cleanse the body, boost your immune system and improve your breast health.

You can also use these natural ingredients for a green smoothie, delicious juice or a healthy midday snack. Don’t forget that papaya can be used for easy to make and natural beauty remedies to rejuvenate the skin or exfoliate the lips.

Papaya is rich in carotenoid lycopene which may help prevent breasth cancer growth; papaya also keeps our digestive system healthy by cleansing our intestines.

Cabbage helps to detox the body, get rid of extra estrogen, and flush the fat.  Recent studies show that we can reduce our breast cancer risk by 45% if we eat cabbage regularly.

Tomato is rich in lycopene as well as vitamin C and A,  which are very important for breast health.

Walnut is rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, which we need for better mood, sleep and good breast health.

Parsley, a detox herb, is rich in vitamin C that helps to have a healthy immune system.

Papaya and White Cabbage Salad Super Foods Recipe

• 1 medium papaya, peeled and sliced
  
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded
• 2 small tomatoes, sliced
  
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped

Dressing for your Salad

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2tsp raw honey
• 1/2 tsp fresh red or green chile, finely chopped

Mix all the ingredients, scatter the walnuts and scallions on the top. Whisk the salad dressing and pour over the salad. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Breathe, smile and be happy.

©Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach, Counselor, and Relationship Expert

To feel and look fabulous, you may want to incorporate more green smoothies into your diet.  But before doing so, remember the fruits and vegetables you use should be bought and used only as organic. So if you want to be healthier, check on which fruits and vegetables make the “dirty dozen” and why strawberries,celery, peaches and apples can damage your health.

The three nutritious Green Smoothies recipes below are full of:

-vitamins A and carotenoids, C, E to boost our immune system, prevent heart attacks and cancers, keep our skin and body looking and feeling young

- lycopene to protect our skin from sun damage, prevent certain cancers, lower blood pressure

- fiber to detox our system, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, get rid of constipation, lose weight, and help with headaches and migraines;

- B-vitamins to deal with  moodiness

- Omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation and keep our skin looking young.

- Potassium –to keep our nervous system healthy as well as to boost our metabolism.

I. Natural Green Smoothie Recipe with Berries

• 1/2 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)
• ½ cup blueberries
• 1 cup of apple juice
• 4 dates (pit removed) Handful of spinach
• 2-3 leaves of kale
• Handful of parsley
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• Slice of fresh ginger
• ¼ tbsp Spirulina powder

Blend everything until smooth in a blender or food processor and enjoy

II. Healthy Green Smoothie Recipe with Apricots and Papaya

• 1 cup carrot juice
• 1 cup apricots pitted
• 1 cup papaya sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• ½ avocado
• 1 tbsp Spirulina powder or Blue Algae Powder
• 2 cups fresh herbs mix
• handful of parsley
• handful of dill
• 1 tsp dry nettle
• 1 banana

Blend everything until smooth in a blender or food processor and enjoy. Always try to adjust to your taste.

III. Homemade Green Smoothie Recipe with Pear and Pineapple

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 pear sliced
• 1 cup mango
• 1 cup pineapple
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• handful of parsley
• 3 cup collards or beet greens
• 1 kiwi

Blend everything until smooth in a blender or food processor and enjoy.

Bon Appetit 

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Counselor, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert