Healthy Hestia: Basic Green Detox Smoothie

My beautiful green sludge, I mean smoothie.

INTRO

January is a time for New Years Resolutions, new starts, fresh beginnings, etc etc, and what this usually translates to a desire to adopt healthy habits.  People swarm gyms they will soon stop going to, start diets they will soon abandon , and by blenders with the hopes of making smoothies, though they will mostly collect dust in the back of kitchen cupboards.

Ok maybe I am being a bit pessimistic!  But sometimes people what to make healthy changes to their lifestyle, and instead of introducing healthy habits slowly, they jump in headfirst.  Quickly they feel overwhelmed by the sudden shift, and frequently return to their old ways.

One has a much greater chance for success slowly adopting healthy habits.  I would challenge someone to incorporate this green detox smoothie into their diet once a week.  Does not require many ingredients and it not that costly to make.

Made up of kale, apples, bananas, and ginger, this smoothie is low in calories (about 230 give or take) and high in nutrients.  The standout ingredient in this recipe is kale.

According to HowStuffWorks.com, fiber-rich kale is contains easily absorbed calcium, which can combat osteoporosis.  In relation to detoxification, kale’s manganese and beta-carotene content supports the body in combating free-radicals and possibly helping to prevent cancer and heart disease.

Assisting me in my smoothie-making endeavor was my bf, who also shares my interest in healthy eats.  In fact, we had a real health-filled weekend.  Not only did we make detox smoothies, but we lunched at one of my favorite Charlotte restaurants, Luna’s Living Kitchen — the whole menu is raw vegan!

Check out my “burrito”–with cauliflower “rice” and sunflower seed “sour cream”– it was delicious.

RECIPE:

GREEN DETOX SMOOTHIE
(from the book “Skinny Smoothies” by Shell Harris and Elizabeth Downing)

• 4 kale leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 small apple
• 1 banana frozen (I sliced the banana and froze it to help give smoothie more icy texture)
• 3/4 cup of cold water

It is really easy to make a smoothie, as all you have to do it throw all of your ingredients into a blender and pulse it for a minute or two and BAM you got a smoothie!

But if you don’t have a blender/food processor, it is really not possible to make a smoothie.  One reason I was so keen to make a smoothie for this post was because I just got a hand blender for Xmas and I was dying to give it a spin.  (Pun intended)

STEP ONE: Blend kale leaves and water until fully blended.  This might take a while.  It took my bf and I a couple of minutes–kale it a really tough green.  I did remove kale leaves from the stem, but it was still quite stubborn to blend.  Maybe steaming it a bit would soften it and help.  Might try that next time.

Step Two: After kale and water mix is fully blended (no huge chunks of kale leaves are visible), then add your ground ginger, apples, and bananas.  Blend this mixture until apples and bananas are fully incorporated into smoothie.

STEP THREE: Pour into a glass and enjoy.  Or maybe you won’t enjoy it–I can’t say for sure that this is for everyone, though I found it a very agreeable taste. 

CONCLUSION

Overall I liked this smoothie.  It tasted just as fresh as the ingredients would suggest it to be, and after drinking it I felt very refreshed.  It was not very sweet, but it wasn’t bitter at all and has no strong taste–save for the taste of ginger, which both my bf and I found very noticeable.  But since I like ginger this did not bother me.

Here I am drinking this green nonsense whilst looking like a hot mess.

I suppose if you wanted it sweeter you could add agave or honey (both would add sweetness without being too over-powering in flavor and they are more healthy options than refined sugar.  Stevia or something could also work).

Until next time….

Madeline aka the Hopeful Hestia

Healthy Hestia: Avocado Baked Egg

Hey everyone!  I’m back, just like I said I would be!  I can’t believe it myself!  Haha, but it is good to get back into blogging.  I really want to establish a routine, and not neglect this thing so much.

So today I am going to chronicle my attempt (successful) at preparing an avocado baked egg.  This is a simple and HEALTHY recipe.  I put ‘healthy’ in all caps because there are some recipes on this blog that I would not label as healthy.  This doesn’t mean they aren’t good, but like I stated in my previous entry, I would like to explore more healthy recipes.

I want to make it easy for visitors to my blog to find these healthy recipes, so from here on out I will label healthy recipe entries with “Healthy Hestia” tag.  This will be my nutritionally sound blog alter-ego!

Avocado baked egg sprinkled with garlic salt and black and cayenne pepper

I’m not dead

It has been an embarrassingly long time since I have updated this blog!  This is due to two things: laziness and laziness!  Sure I have been busy, with holidays, work, and school, but I could have made time to update.  I was just lazy!  So that is one of my resolutions for the New Year: to not be so lazy and update this blog on at least a weekly basis!

Also, I would like to focus on healthy, nutrient dense recipes.  That doesn’t mean that is ALL I will focus on, but I would like to learn more about healthy baking and cooking.  I have become interested in various dietary lifestyles, such as paleo, vegan, and gluten-free.  In the coming months I want to try recipes that explore these diets.

Oven-Fried Eggplant

INTRO

I stumbled upon this healthy recipe while procrastinating on Pinterest.  For those who don’t know, Pinterest is a collection of things (links to things) people find on the internet and share with one another–everything from recipes, to work-outs, to vacation destinations.  But recipes are one of the most common things you will find people “pinning” onto Pinterest.

This recipe for “oven-fried” aka “baked” eggplant was one of the more recent recipes making the rounds.  It seemed very simple and very healthy, and as I am far too prone to indulging in sweets, I thought I should make an effort to make something savory for this blog post.

Making this dish proved to take even less time than I anticipated it would, and it also is one of those recipes that I believe people of even the simplest culinary capabilities can find success with.

Balsamic Kale

INTRO

Today I gave blood.

I try to give blood a few times a year.  It is such an easy thing (for most people) to do, and one pint of blood can be used to help up to three people.  And you never know when you, or someone you know, may be in a situation requiring blood from blood banks.

Also, it takes almost no time to donate.  In about 30 to 45 minutes you are done.  This is another reason I give blood, sometimes I am just too busy to volunteer in other ways, but I usually can always find the time to sit down for a bit with a needle in my arm.  And you really can’t even feel it!

My blood in action!

Banana Nut Mini-Donuts/Cakes (VEGAN)

I don’t like waste, and in the food service industry it is not uncommon to see food go to waste, as not everything always sells before it becomes unsalable.

This was the case with some bananas that were in our fruit basket.  They had simply become too ripe.  The were headed for the trash can, unless someone wanted them.  They did not seem to be in high demand amongst my fellow employees, so I volunteered to find a higher purpose for them than the landfill.

And thus I created this vegan (I still have a whole box of egg replacer!!) banana bread.  You could bake it into a load like a typical bread, or you could follow my lead and make petit muffins or mini-donuts.

Baked Mini Vegan Spice-cake Donuts

There is something very darling about a mini donut pan.  For a while I worked in a store that sold them, and I always thought to myself, “One day I shall possess one of this charming pans.”

I love donuts.  I mean most people like donuts, they just don’t like getting fat.  That is why baked vegan mini donuts are a great option.  No, it won’t taste like a Krispy Kreme, freshly glazed, off the conveyor belt, but I’m not Harry Potter and magic isn’t real.  If you want something to taste high in fat but not be high in fat, then you are outta luck.

But these vegan donuts are a tasty alternative and will satisfy your sweet tooth without burdening your belly.

Tropical Fruit Smoothie

INTRO

Smoothies are perfect for people who are too lazy, or conversely, are too busy to chew fruit. Personally I don’t like making smoothies that often because I hate having to clean the blender, as it cannot go in the dishwasher.

But one day I will get a blender stick, perhaps manufactured by Cuisentart, and the fuss and bother of making smoothies (or pureeing anything) will be a thing of the past!

I decided creating a smoothie for this blog would be prefect, as it is not a big recipe/cooking/time commitment. And I feel like I have recently been neglecting this thing.

In any case I made a tropical smoothie and took some pictures.

Me with my smoothie. 

I would smile more, but taking one’s own pictures requires concentration at times.

Especially if you are also trying to hold a cold glass.

RECIPE:

I just assembled this recipe on the fly.  I tested it out a day ahead, to make sure I wanted to bother documenting it for the web.

Stuff You’ll Need:

• 1/3 cup cantaloupe, chopped and frozen (I froze fresh fruit I chopped to function as replacement for ice cubes)
• 1/3 cup pineapple, chopped and frozen
• 1/3 cup vanilla protein powder (to really pack a nutritional punch and add thickness)
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• 1/2 cup almond coconut milk (or really any milk)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon rosewater (I love the flavor of rosewater and always add it to protein shakes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (to boost vanilla flavor and sweetness)

STEP 1:
Put all your ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend.

There, your smoothie is done!

Wasn’t that easy?

But seriously folks, I mean, there isn’t a lot to say about making a smoothie.  As I am writing this post, I am realizing this.  I am finding that I have not much to say or offer on this topic.

Here are some helpful hints though…

• make sure blender is plugged in before turning it on
• make sure the lid of your blender is in place
• don’t put rat poison in your smoothie, no matter how adventurous you feel like being
• add liquids last to prevent unnecessary splashing

Man…sorry guys kinda lame entry.  I will redeem myself in my next post.  I am planning on making vegan baked donuts.  I have never tried to make a donut, vegan or otherwise, but I am excited to break in my new mini donut pan!  It is très adorable, I’m telling you…

xoxo

Madeline

Broiled Grapefruit

INTRO

Lately I’ve seen a lot of posts on Pinterest and other websites for recipes for broiled grapefruit. Apparently broiling grapefruit is not a new thing, but I had never thought of doing it. I love grapefruit, and eat it often. I usually peel it like an orange and eat it that way. But I was curious to see how I’d like it broiled.

And it is a super easy recipe!