Tomorrow is officially the start of summer – yahoo!   And along with the more clement weather, we are seeing more locally grown food on grocers’ shelves.  Local produce is the most nutritious and delicious, since it travels just a short distance from farm to fork and so can be enjoyed soon after harvest, when both flavour and nutrients are at their peak.  Local strawberries are a favourite of mine so, to celebrate, I created this Strawberry Social Menu.

Included are a breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, all featuring luscious strawberries.  Treat this as a selection of recipes highlighting strawberries and other treasures of the spring and early summer harvest (such as asparagus, fresh peas and rhubarb), rather than a menu for a single day.  If you ate all these dishes in one day, you would be committing strawberry overkill, if there is such a thing!

Sign up here to receive the recipes. I hope you enjoy them!  And I invite you to share these recipes with your family and friends!

Strawberry Social Menu

Breakfast:  Strawberry Almond Protein Smoothie (Not a fan of vanilla protein powder?  Use plain protein powder and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.)
Lunch: Strawberry Asparagus Salad with Tahini Dressing (It isn’t a celebration of spring without asparagus!)
Dinner:  Strawberry, Shallot & Mint Salsa atop One Pan Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken with Broccoli (This salsa is very versatile!  Try it with halibut or sprinkle in some feta and serve with grilled pork.) 
Dessert:  Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (Technically a vegetable, tart rhubarb is delectable when paired with the succulence of strawberries.)

Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s menu today (as well as each month to come)!  And read on for some nutritional tidbits about a few foods featured in the recipes…

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You could say this Liver Lovin’ Menu delivers the ABCs of detoxification:
A for Alliums (garlic & onions)
B for Brassicas (kale, arugula, radish, broccolini, aka Crucifers)
C for Cardoons (artichokes) & Chenopodiaceae (beetroots)

I briefly discuss artichokes and beetroots below in this month’s featured foods.  And I don’t even attempt to pronounce the Latin name of the family to which beetroots belong.  😉

Too often detoxification is mistaken for deprivation.  With this Liver Lovin’ Menu, I show that you can eat deliciously while providing your liver with the nutrients needed to support its role as “detoxifier-in-chief”.

Sign up here to receive the recipes. I hope you enjoy them!  And I invite you to share these recipes with your family and friends!

Liver Lovin’ Menu

Breakfast: Mexican Egg Scramble (a spicy scramble of liver lovin’ eggs, onion, garlic, kale, turmeric and cilantro…con salsa)
Lunch:  Citrusy Beet Salad (a tangle of crunchy, colourful and liver-revitalizing beets, citrus, radish and arugula atop a bed of quinoa and chickpeas) 
Dinner: One Pan Mediterranean Trout (artichokes star in this dish) & Lemony Broccolini (for a deliciously detoxifying side)

Most importantly, don’t forget to stay hydrated throughout the day.  Water makes up 73% of your liver, so you need enough water for the liver to keep working its magic.

Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s menu today (as well as each month to come)!  And read on for some nutritional tidbits about a few featured foods from the recipes…

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I have been experimenting with intermittent fasting throughout January as part of my research for my next blog post, Fasting Forward into February. So I am tempted to joke that February’s Menu of the Month is “nothing”, but I wouldn’t want to let you down.  🙂

Instead, I’ve created a sort of fasting mimicking menu for you.  You can sign up here to receive the recipes.  I say “sort of” since this isn’t in accordance with the Fasting Mimicking Diet that you may have heard of.  What it does do is mimic an aspect of fasting in that it reduces the release of insulin in your body.

Insulin is the hormone needed to move the sugar that comes from the food you eat from your blood and into your cells where it is used for energy. Insulin also directs the storage of excess sugar to regulate blood sugar levels.

All foods stimulate the release of insulin.  When you are fasting, there is no insulin release because you aren’t eating any food.  When you consume fat, however, there is very little insulin release.

So this menu is pretty fat-forward (I guess I should have called it Fat-Forward into February).  I hope this leaves you hungry for my upcoming blog post, Fasting Forward into February. I will discuss why it is so beneficial to lower both the quantity and frequency of insulin released by your body.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these recipes.  And do please share them with family and friends!

Fasting Mimicking Menu

Breakfast: Overnight Paleo N’Oats (N’Oats as in “no oats” – this is all nuts & seeds)
Lunch: Cream of Broccoli, Kale & Spinach Soup (the creamy coconut milk and high fibre content of this soup makes it very satisfying)
Dinner:  Creamy Spinach & Sun Dried Tomato Chicken (where the recipe notes offer suggestions for more carbs, for this purpose just don’t do it…if you must, the cauliflower “rice” from January’s menu is the way to go)
Fasting instead of feeding?  Pressure Cooker Bone Broth (bone broth is recommended during fasting protocols to meet electrolyte requirements and prevent dehydration)

Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s menu today (as well as each month to come)!  And read on for some nutritional tidbits about a few featured foods from the recipes…

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This month’s immunity boosting menu features foods to boost your immune system, keeping you hale and hearty through the deep freeze of January!

Breakfast: Spinach, Tomato & Goat Cheese Egg Scramble (round out with a broiled grapefruit half)
Lunch: Butter Chicken and Cauliflower Rice (make ahead; when ready to serve simply reheat and stir in some chopped baby kale)
Snack if needed: Golden Turmeric Latte (these can be addictive)
Dinner: One Pan Salmon with Rainbow Veggies (on the table in no time)

Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s menu today (as well as each month to come)!

 

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It is officially starting to feel like winter out there, with the “feels like” temperatures sliding into negative digits and sporadic, swirling flurries promising snowfalls to come.  At this time of year, it is natural to crave warming and comforting foods.  Porridge is like a warm hug to start your day.  This Sweet Potato Porridge is a favourite of mine, which also happens to be grain-free (for all you Paleo devotees out there).

When I first came across it, I thought “this sounds bizarre”. But, as a holistic nutritionist, that tends to pique my curiousity and spurs me give ‘er a try.  After all, what’s there to lose?  Turned out it was absolutely delicious and is one of my go-to breakfasts!   So if you are thinking the same thing I was after reading this recipe, I heartily encourage you to give it a try.

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As a holistic nutritionist, I’m always on the lookout for simple, healthy and delicious recipes to incorporate into meal plans for my Toronto clients.  This week, I came across a stand-out blog post entitled Winter Herbal Latte Mixes from Sophie at Wholehearted Eats.  These herbal lattes are not only nourishing and nurturing, they are also festive!

These winter herbal latte mixes are great to have on hand in your pantry on chilly winter days.  Just combine with your favourite milk (dairy or non-dairy), heat, sip and enjoy.  A steamy herbal latte is perfect for some instant “cozy bliss”, as Sophie puts it.

They also make fantastic gifts as they are easy to mix, creative, and sure to be a hit with the giftee.  They are great for stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, in gift baskets or for friends or work colleagues.

Check out Sophie’s Winter Herbal Latte Mixes post this week on her blog where she shares her recipes for Double Chocolate Chaga Cocoa, Golden Moon Milk Mix and Ayurvedic Sleepy-Time Mix.

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