Tag: nutrition

20 Minute Meals, Appetizer, Breakfast, Dairy-free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Raw, Side Dish

Prosciutto Wrapped Persimmons

Procuitto Wrapped Persimmons

A working lunch in the health conscious world seems to be a big faux pas. It’s important to practice mindful eating, taking time to enjoy your food so that your body properly absorbs all the nourishment. Work and food can play well together though when you’re in the right company. I spent the afternoon with my supremely talented friend learning how to achieve brand cohesion through photography. We didn’t have time for a complex meal so I kept our lunch simple.

Prosciutto, persimmons and olives. I wanted to highlight how easy three ingredients can come together to create a complete meal. Prosciutto for protein, persimmons for carbs and olives for fat and carbs. It was just the right amount of fuel to get us through the afternoon and we also shared some plantain chips as a crunchy treat.

The sweetness of the persimmons pairs wonderfully with the salty prosciutto. When you combine two delicate foods, you’re rewarded with all senses responding.

Prosciutto is a delicate meat, taking 2 months to 2 years to produce. Typically from a pig or wild boar, it’s a dry-cured ham that is thinly sliced and served uncooked. I used the fuyu or non-astringent variety of persimmons. They are much sweeter than others regardless of ripeness.

We enjoyed our colorful lunch while editing through photos and it was easy to savor each bite. The food and the photographs were our art. I learned how to capture our story on camera with my friend Brandi’s guidance. She has a well-trained artistic eye. Her photography is stunning and everything she touches shimmers. Go follow her on Instagram. You’ll be inspired to live a more beautiful life.

Prosciutto Wrapped Persimmons

Prosciutto Wrapped Persimmons

Prosciutto Wrapped Persimmons
Serves 2
Juicy persimmons wrapped in salty prosciutto for a quick snack.
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 8 slices prosciutto
  2. 2 persimmons - sliced
Instructions
  1. Wrap 2 slices of persimmon with 1 slice of prosciutto. You can use a toothpick to secure or eat with your fingers.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/
 

Appetizer, Dairy-free, Dinner, Drink, Egg Free, Export, Gluten-free, Grain-free, How-To, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Sauce, Side Dish, Uncategorized

Nourishing Benefits of Fish Broth

Fish Broth

Fish broth has been on my to-do list for months. The medicinal and nutritional properties blow all the other broths out of the water. Not only does it help build strong bones like the others, it also contains iodine, thyroid-strengthening substances and fat-soluble vitamins.

For fish broth you use the whole head and carcass of any non-oily fish. Most white fish are non-oily, like red snapper, sole, rock fish or halibut. The oil from fish like salmon or tuna are susceptible to rancidity. Omega 3 fat found at high levels in these fish are delicate and cannot be heated over a certain temperature.

I stopped by my local fish monger and bought a whole red snapper. Yes, I have a fish monger in my neighborhood. If you need an alternative source, ask any seafood counter at a grocery store to save the fish head and carcass for you. They typically throw them away so they may even give them to you for free. I’m going to try this tactic next time. I wanted to practice my fish filleting skills so I paid for the whole fish this time.

Cooking a fish head can be uncomfortable. Just think of it as similar to steaming a lobster. Keep the fish in the bag you bought it in until it’s ready to go in the pot. Then drop it in. Don’t look at it and you’ll be fine.

Sally Fallon wrote the book on traditional food preparation and the neccessity for bone broth as a daily food. Broth is a magic ingredient. In her book, Nourishing Traditions she writes, “meat-based broths, from which all the kitchen’s healing goodness flows.” In previous generations, “it’s aroma filled the house, cosseting all who inhaled it with deep well-being, as if the very air were filled with nurture…..and a far more essential nutrient: love.”

I’ll be honest, it gets quite fishy in the kitchen. Make sure to keep the lid on the pot while the broth is cooking. And it’s a good idea to keep a window open when you’re straining the broth. Our house smelled like China Town on a hot summer day. Have some vinegar ready for clean-up. You’ll need it to deodorize your entire kitchen. Pour some in the pot with warm water and allow to sit for an hour, covered. And keep the window open!

Fish broth is more nutritious and cooks in an eighth of the time of all other broths, two hours compared to 24 hours. The benefits are worth the stench.

Add the stock to Ramen, use it to cook vegetables, soak rice in it, or make a simple soup with shrimp, mushrooms, scallions and broth. When you have stock on hand, you can whip up a quick, delicious soup in 15 minutes.
Fish Broth

Fish Broth Fish Broth

Fish Broth

Nourishing Fish Broth
Nourishing fish broth to add to soups and cook with vegetables.
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Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Ingredients
  1. water to fill ¼ of large stock pot
  2. 1 lb red snapper head and carcass
  3. 2 tbsp Braggs apple cider vinegar
Instructions
  1. ►Fill a large stock pot a quarter the way full with water. Bring water to simmer, add fish and apple cider vinegar then bring to boil. After boiling for three minutes remove any scum that has risen to the top of the water. I use a ladle for this.
  2. ►Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 2 hours.
  3. ►Allow to cool for 30 minutes. Strain the broth and store in glass containers (link) in the fridge or freeze. Cheese cloth is an easy way to strain. Fit a piece over a glass jar and hold in place as you pour the broth into the jar. Discard the cheesecloth.
  4. ►Freeze any broth you will not use in a week.
Adapted from Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions
Adapted from Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/


Resources:

Broth is Beautiful, http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

Body Care, Dairy-free, Dessert, Drink, Egg Free, Export, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Holiday Favorites, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Raw, Vegetarian

Festive Fizzy Drinks: Alcohol Alternatives

Star Fruit Fizz

When I began my Bikram yoga practice, I gave up alcohol. The yoga room is 105 degrees and requires hydration. There is no way around it. You either come to class hydrated or suffer. One time I practiced after drinking 1 glass of wine the night before or a craft beer before bed too, if you love craft beer like me see the Best workbenches from the reviewed brewery. If you’re someone who likes beer and would like to make some in the comfort of your own home your own tap system, we suggest the best beer system repair in Orange County. My head was spinning and I thought I was going to suffocate most of the class. I choose hydration.

I also choose health over a little drink that can set me back. My fitness level has always been important to me, but for many years I wasn’t willing to commit a hundred percent.

I’d give into the peer pressure, drink the glass of wine and suffer the consequences. My alcohol tolerances fall way below the average and my body takes twice as long to recover. When my friends could put back four or five beers, I’d black out after my third and spend the next day nursing my upset stomach and throbbing head. College got the best of me. I spent many nights in the ER with excruciating stomach pain triggered by alcohol and the stress I was attempting to manage with intoxication.

Unfortunately it would be six more years until I gave up the stuff completely. My yoga practice became more important than any cocktail. I enjoy being in control of my body and I don’t miss the social aspect of drinking either. The majority of my friends are not big drinkers and alcohol becomes less the focus as I get older.

In terms of health and alcohol’s reaction in the body, it’s no surprise that the few possible health benefits are vastly outweighed by the negative effects. According to Sarah Ballantyne of thePaleoMom.com, alcohol increases leaky gut by feeding the bad bacteria in our gut, causing more damage to an already sensitive system. This explains my frequent hospital visits in college. I was literally feeding my disease, causing immense damage to my digestive tract each night I binged on vodka tonics. When alcohol enters your system, your liver’s primary goal is to detoxify the alcohol first, ignoring it’s other functions. Alcohol can inhibit the breakdown of nutrients and impair their absorption.

Festive, fun drinks are still a part of my life. I toast with fancy sparkling waters flavored with a splash of fruit juice or squeeze of citrus. I put together some fabulous combinations. Ring in the New Year with a glass of bubbly that will have you feeling your best on the first day of the year.

Cheers!

Star Fruit Clementine Fizz
Star Fruit Clementine Fizz

Starfruit Clementine Fizz
Makes 2 servings.

1 starfuit – sliced
2 clementines
18 oz sparkling water – chilled 

►Juice the clementines and add 1 oz to each glass. Place two slices of star fruit at bottom of glasses. Fill with 9 oz of sparkling water and slide a star fruit slice onto the glass.

Blackberry Persimmon Spritzer
Blackberry Persimmon Spritzer
Blackberry Persimmon Spritzer
Blackberry Persimmon Spritzer
Makes 2 servings.

½ cup frozen blackberries
1 persimmon – sliced
18 oz sparkling water – chilled

►Muddle ¼ cup berries in each glass. Place three slices of persimmon in each and add 9 oz of sparkling water.

Pear Pomegranate Ginger Sparklers
Pear Pomegranate Ginger Sparklers
Pear Pomegranate Ginger Sparklers
Pear Pomegranate Ginger Sparklers
Makes 2 servings.

½ pear – thinly sliced
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 tsp fresh ginger – grated
½ cup Gingerade Kombucha – I use GTs organic brand
18 oz sparkling water – chilled

►Place 3 pear slices, ½ tbsp pomegranate seeds, 1/2 tsp ginger and ¼ cup Gingerade Kombucha in each glass. Then fill each with 9 oz of sparkling water.

Resources:
The WHYs behind the Autoimmune Protocol: Alcohol by Sarah Ballantyne
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/11/the-whys-behind-the-autoimmune-protocol-alcohol.html

Alcohol, fat loss, and your liver, by Diane Sanfilippo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy6sX1lkq4I&list=UUWAb83pi_eVEzDIWkZuQHcQ

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism No. 22 PH 346 October 1993
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa22.htm