The Healthiest + Best Tasting Pesto You've Ever Made

Basil Growing in Garden

We are in the Dog Days of Summer - my favorite time of year!  With these days comes the bounty of summer vegetables and herbs, including basil.  What's great about basil, like other herbs, it can be grown in pots with minimal space.  We are actually growing ours this year in two spots; in pots on the deck, and in our community garden plot with our summer vegetables.

Basil is not only known for it's distinct fragrance and wonderful taste, it is also known to provide a host of health benefits. It is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and its nutrients support cardiovascular health.

My favorite way to use basil is to roll it, chop it into fine slices, and sprinkle on top of summer soups and dishes. That said, when you have a mountain of basil, like we do now, I don't want a single leaf to go to waste!

Pesto is an amazing, powerful spread you can create using minimal ingredients and in a matter of minutes.  It takes a lot of leaves to make a good pesto, so those extra bunches you don't feel like drying will be in good company!

Most traditional pesto calls for pine nuts, but I like to make mine nut-free so everyone can enjoy.

Healthy + Delicious Pesto

Nourishing Cleansing Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup (your choice) of either parsley leaves, cilantro, or mint
• 2 sun dried tomatoes
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (as needed)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Combine the basil, herbs (either parsley, cilantro, OR mint), sun dried tomatoes, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until it is finely chop.  Add in your olive oil slowly in a steady drizzle as you continue to pulse.  Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste.

Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable.  Season with sea salt.  Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour to saturate the flavors.  If storing over night (important!), pour a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil over the top of the pesto to help keep it bright green.

Voila! 

**TIP:  If you enjoy the taste of cilantro, I highly recommend that you make this pesto with cilantro rather than parsley or mint.  Cilantro is one of the most detoxifying herbs and helps to remove your body of unwanted toxins.  That said, if cilantro tastes like soap to you (like it unfortunately does for me), then substitute with either parsley leaves or mint which are also cleansing.

Be well,

If you like this recipe and are interested in others, check out my Seasonal Nourishing Menu.

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5 Tips to Kick Portion Distortion

"Recommended serving size".......does anyone really pay attention to this when choosing a meal or a snack?

How many portions do you think are in a bag of snack-size whole grain crackers? Or a small bottle of locally-pressed juice, or a lunchbox pack of granola bars? I'll give you a hint, it's not just one!

How Many Servings Do You Think?

Often, the above products contain two or two-and-a-half serving per package!

Can YOU eat just one???

Sure, you could go ahead and enjoy just half the bag, but are you really going to do that?

Don't beat yourself up if the answer is "no". Reality is, if you place food in front of most people, they tend to eat it all.  It's human nature; it's just the way we're wired.

The Perils of Supersizing

Eating too much food at one sitting is hard on your body.  Here's why:

• Food is meant to be spread throughout the day. Overdosing on too much food at one time causes pain, upset, and sluggish digestion.
• A surge of glucose is released into your blood. Your pancreas has to work overtime, pumping insulin throughout the body, to absorb all of that glucose. This can make you feel spacey, weak, irritable, or headachy.
• Thinking there is some type of emergency, your adrenal glands go into "fight or flight" mode and release adrenaline and cortisol, which is the body's natural response to stress.
• When your blood sugar levels finally plummet, you experience major cravings for more food- specifically simple carbs or sweets.
• Research has found that immune system function is affected for up to 5 hours after consuming large amounts of simple carbohydrates.

So what's the solution?

Here are my 5 Tips to Kick Portion Distortion

1. Don't over order - go for salads, soups, and appetizers, which are typically more reasonably sized than entrees.
2. Choose high fiber foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains to keep you feeling full and energized.
3. Chew well to aid digestion and give your brain time to register you are full prior to overeating.
4. Get enough water. Often we mistake thirst for hunger.
5. Carry your own snacks. Stock up on snack-sized containers and fill them with carrot sticks, nuts, apple slices, and so on.

Which of these tips do you think will be easiest to implement for you?  I'd love to know if you have any others!

Be well,

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Summer Heat + Strawberry Mint Sorbet

This Summer, I am offering an AMAZING summer cleanse that will change the way you view healthy. Healthy does NOT mean deprivation.  Instead of focusing on what you cannot eat, I am giving you over 70 delicious recipes that will have you thinking, "there is no way this is good for me!"

Strawberry Mint Sorbet

Au contraire.  Each of these recipes was designed by a master chef, including this delicious Strawberry Mint Sorbet, to be healthy and cleanse-friendly.

The food we put into our mouths can have powerful effects on the body.  It can either lead to inflammation or give us endless energy.  What I am offering is not just a cleanse; it is designed to help you identify and eliminate foods that may be wreaking havoc on your system and not allowing you to reach your health goals. 


In fact, we just wrapped up our July Summer Nourishing Cleanse group and here is what folks have to say:


" I feel better than I have in years!  I've added some new foods into my diet that are now going to stay in my diet, and as a bonus, I lost 5 pounds!  Which I could never shake after having a baby at 41.  I'm now sticking with my new regime because I simply feel better.  Thank you for the kick start for focusing on my own health.......you made a difference to me this summer!"
- Heather T., Georgetown, MA


Imagine living a life where you're full of energy.  You wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. You've got a bounce in your step.  You glow.  And everyone around you is asking, "What did you do?"  But you know that all you're doing is eating clean, whole foods.  That's it!  You can hardly believe that it's possible to feel this amazing while eating food that actually tastes good.

Want IN on the August Group?  Registration is OPEN and details can be found here: http://www.perfectlynourished.com/clean-eating.html

Through August 10th, save $50 on our Late Summer Nourishing Cleanse Program using coupon code of August50.


Strawberry Sorbet with Mint

This is one of my favorite desserts from our Summer Nourishing Cleanse program.  Cleansing in late summer is perfect for reducing heat that your body accumulates all summer long.  This sorbet, along with all of the other 70+ recipes, is perfect for removing this heat out of your body with nature's naturally cooling foods. Serve it up and enjoy!

Strawberries + Mint = Yum!

- 3 cups frozen organic strawberries (link to why you want to choose organic)
- 1 cup organic apple juice or coconut water (I prefer coconut water for this recipe)
- 4-5 fresh mint leaves

In a high speed blender, add all ingredients.  Blend until well incorporated and smooth.  Serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!


Be well,

If you like this recipe and are interested in others, check out my Seasonal Nourishing Menu.

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Eat Less, Play More!

Remember when you were a child and you got so wrapped up in playing, imagining or creating that you didn’t want to stop when it was time to eat? Do you remember leaving your meal half-finished to run off and continue playing? Children innately understand that food is secondary to what is most nutritious and primary in life: fun and play.

As adults we seem to have lost our instinct to prioritize play. In our busy world, with its emphasis on work and responsibility, to be healthy and balanced we must work on more than just our bodies; we must feed our hearts, minds and spirits.

Beach Fun!

Have you noticed that when your body, mind and spirit are engaged in a creative project or happy relationship, your reliance on food seems to decrease? Likewise, when you are unsatisfied with your relationships, your job or other areas of your life, you may depend on food to cheer, soothe or numb you. When your life is out of balance, no amount of food can feed you where you truly need nourishment. The food that we eat is very important for health and balance, but what really feeds us—a full and fulfilling life—doesn’t come on a plate.

What is fun for you? What makes you light up? What excites you? Make time for it this week. Even if you don’t have much free time for fun, try approaching a “serious” activity with an attitude of play.  This can greatly reduce stress and anxiety and bring more pleasure to your day. Take your focus off food, try adding more fun into your life and watch the magic unfold.
 
Be well,

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Perfect Grain-Free Brunch: Silver Dollar Almond Pancakes

Almond Flour Pancakes - Paleo Friendly!

(this post was originally featured in MindBodyGreen)

We love pancakes on a lazy weekend morning, but not the heavily processed version that raises blood sugar and causes a crash not long afterward. Rather, we make ours grain-free with almond flour for a healthy dose of nutritious polyunsaturated fat. High in protein and low in both carbohydrates and sugars, almond flour is a good alternative for baking as it still produces a "fluffy" consistency.

Keep Reading and Get the Recipe!


Be well,

If you like this recipe and are interested in others, check out my Seasonal Nourishing Menu.

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Summer Fruits and their Health Benefits

A healthy lifestyle is the key to longevity, optimum weight, abundant energy and balance. By using fruit to satisfy our taste for sweetness, we can leave behind the use of chemical, processed and refined sweeteners. Fruits are easy to digest, are cleansing and cooling, and are great for those who are over-stressed and over-heated from excessive mental strain or hot climates. Fruits are filled with fiber and liver stimulants, which act as natural, gentle laxatives. Whenever possible, buy fresh, locally grown fruit as opposed to imported fruits shipped from far-off places. This keeps you eating in season, and more in harmony with your environment and climate.

Eating raw fruit in summer months is highly cooling, while baking it in the winter months neutralizes the cooling effect. Fruit in the form of juice is a great choice for cleansing the body, but be aware that juice rapidly raises blood sugar levels, leading to an energy crash soon after. Frozen, whole, puréed or juiced fruit can make great summertime cool-down treats. Try frozen grapes, banana-coconut smoothie, or lime juice ice-cubes in iced tea!

Whether you are having fresh fruit for a light early morning breakfast, a midday snack or evening treat, enjoy nature's sweetness and whenever possible buy organic. Refer to past post on Dirty Dozen, Clean 15.

Here are a few summer fruits and their health benefits:

• Apricots: Great for lung conditions and asthma; used to help treat anemia due to their high copper and cobalt content.
• Bananas: Help to lubricate the intestines, treat ulcers, detoxify the body and manage sugar cravings; are rich in potassium (which helps hypertension).
• Cherries: Slightly warming in nature; increase overall body energy, remedy arthritis and rheumatism and are rich in iron, which improves the blood.
• Grapefruits: Treat poor digestion, increase appetite during pregnancy, alleviate intestinal gas and reduce mucus conditions of the lungs.
• Papayas: Tone the stomach, act as digestive aid, moisten the lungs and alleviate coughing; contain carpaine, an anti-tumor compound.
• Raspberries: Benefit the liver and kidneys, cleanse blood of toxins, regulate menstrual cycles, treat anemia and can promote labor at childbirth.

Fruit Nut Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup berries

1 cup diced melon

1/2 cup almonds

2-4 ice cubes

Directions:

Mix in blender for 1-2 minutes and serve.

Note: You can add other ingredients for added nutrition such as a spoonful of bee pollen, coconut oil, flax seed oil, spirulina powder or a scoop of protein powder.

What's your favorite summer fruit smoothie?

Be well,

Janelle

If you like this recipe and are interested in others, check out my Seasonal Nourishing Menu Plans.

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My Proven Method to Satisfy Your Ice Cream Craving

When people ask me what my favorite food vices are, there are always two; a good quality dark chocolate and ice cream.  While the first one can actually be good for you if you read your ingredients carefully, as outlined in this post, the latter, well.......ice cream is ice cream.  Dairy, fat, and loads and loads of sugar. Yet, I LOVE IT.

We live down the road from one of the best home made ice cream shops in Massachusetts.  Voted Best of Boston a few years in a row, it is difficult to resist!  What makes it even more difficult is the fact that I drive by this place EVERY SINGLE WORK DAY.  Temptation ensues.

When the temperature gets really hot, and the ice cream craving strikes, I realize that what my body is really craving is the cooling sensation and texture of the ice cream rather than the actual product itself. With a quick do-it-yourself nourishing dessert, you can actually trick your body into thinking it's getting the real thing.  The key is in the texture and the temperature.

Home Made "Ice Cream"

You can make a home made soft serve "ice cream" with just a few simple ingredients and your food processor:

• 1 Frozen Banana per serving
• A splash of Almond or Coconut Milk (around a tablespoon)
• Toppings of Choice

Faux Ice Cream Base

It's very important that the banana you use is completely frozen, otherwise you will end up with mush .

• Place the frozen banana in the food processor.  
• Add a tablespoon of the almond or coconut milk. 
• Blend

That's it!  You'll want to keep checking to make sure that the banana has the consistency of soft serve.  If it appears too chunky, add a bit more of your almond or coconut milk and process until smooth.

I typically make mine with a tablespoon of raw cacao powder for a chocolate ice cream.  Or my other favorite choice is to top with dark chocolate chunks for a twist on chocolate chip.  Of course there are so many other things you can do such as add strawberries in the banana base or on top, the same with cherries or other fruit of choice to make it uniquely yours.  Optional:  for a decadent twist, try adding almond or other nut butter to the base.  I prefer walnut butter for this recipe.

Raw Chocolate "Ice Cream"

While I certainly indulge from time to time with a delicious home made ice cream from my favorite stand (and my kids do too!), I can satisfy my cravings for ice cream with a delicious impostor on the nights of the week where having an ice cream isn't an option.  I live by the belief that moderation is the key to healthy living.  That means all things healthy, and not so healthy too.

After all, summer wouldn't be summer without the experience of a treat from the ice cream stand every now and again to take in the warmth and joy that summer has to offer.  Wouldn't you agree?


Be well,

Janelle 

If you like this recipe and are interested in others, check out my Seasonal Nourishing Menu Plans.

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