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/
 

Green Super Smoothie

Green Super Smoothie

Happy New Year! Here’s to another year of happiness and continuing the health journey! I have an abundance of goals and ambitions for 2015 and the top of my list is focusing on my health. This means more greens and less sugar. Even those sneaky sugars in fruit and my ultimate weakness, raisins. Dried fruit is candy in disguise. Don’t let it fool you.

An easy way to get in more greens is by adding a handful of spinach to a smoothie. I choose smoothies over juice. Juicing removes all the good stuff and you miss out on the whole food benefits. Why waste all the pulpy goodness? I like to keep my smoothies simple with just a few ingredients. This version is a true green smoothie with no filler fruit. You can play around with different combinations using coconut milk, avocado and lime as a base. This smoothie is best partnered with Hiya’s plant protein snack bars.

Think of smoothies as a side dish, not a complete meal. It’s important to eat protein at each meal to keep you satiated enough throughout the day. So eat an egg, some sardines or liver to make this a breakfast. Spinach is full of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and folate. Although, our bodies can only absorb about 5% of the calcium in spinach. It has a high oxalate content and this binds to calcium making it unavailable for our bodies to use. Include a source of protein rich in vitamin D to help synthesize the calcium.

Green Super Smoothie
Green Super Smoothie
Makes 1 serving.

½ cup coconut milk
½ avocado
½ cup water
1 ½ tbsp fresh lime juice
1 cup raw spinach – packed down tightly

►Add all ingredients to your blender except the spinach. Blend until fully incorporated.
►When measuring the spinach, really pack it down to maximize the amount. Add into blender and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Green Super Smoothie

Resources:

Calcium and Vitamin D: Important at Every Age, http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition/

What are the health benefits of spinach?, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270609.php

Greens Greens Greens

Southern Greens
Greens, black eyed peas and pork are always eaten on New Year’s Day. In folklore, the Southern tradition goes back to the Civil War. Union troops pillaged the land leaving behind only black-eyed peas and greens. Southerners had to survive on these humble foods. Beans represent coins or closed circles signifying the end of one year and good luck in the next. Greens represent wealth and prosperity. And since pigs root forward as they eat, pork is eaten to symbolize a positive direction in the upcoming year.

Black eyed peas can cause me a bit of stomach upset so I opted out of making a big batch this year. Instead I’ll eat just one for food fortune! 

Wishing you all prosperity, good health and love in 2015.

Southern Greens

Southern Greens

Makes 6 servings.

12 cups water
1 ½ lbs smoked ham hocks
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tbsp salt
2 tbsp Frank’s hot sauce
1 bunch collard greens – about 15 large leaves
1 bunch kale – about 15 large leaves
1 bunch red chard – about 15 large leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil

►In a large pot, bring water to boil over high heat. Add ham hocks, seasoning and hot sauce. Turn down heat to medium low and cook covered for 1 hour.

►Make sure to wash all greens thoroughly. Remove stems by either cutting out with a knife or with your hands. Hold the stem in your left hand and strip the leaf in the opposite direction with your right hand. Save the stems for another dish. Roll up each leaf horizontally and cut into 1 inch slices.
►Add greens and the coconut oil to the pot. Stir together and cook covered for 45 minutes on medium low.
►After cooking, remove the ham hocks and cut off all the meat to add back into the pot. Reserve the bones in your freezer for making broth, have in mind that your freezer needs to be int he right temperature if not it will go bad, so make sure yours is ok and if you need to get one read more here for more solutions
►Serve as a side dish or main meal.

Southern Greens