Super juice - #1

Part of Scott & my new years resolution is to improve our diet. We already eat really well,  ticking all the boxes when it comes to the 5 vegetables & 2 fruits a day rule (we generally eat around 10 veggies & Scott will eat enough fruit for Eb's & I combined!) What we aim to do this year however, is broaden our taste buds & cooking repertoire to include new fruits, veggies & flavours. If you have read any of my past entries, you will know that we have a 'grazer' of a toddler on our hands. Yes sure, days will go by when Enony will have second or even third helpings from every meal & shovel her food down in seconds, but as a whole she tends to eat small portions & leave the foods she doesn't want. Yes, we have established we have a pretty normal, active toddler on our hands! One that would prefer to be getting up to all types of 'adventures' ahem mischief, instead of eating sagely.  Scott & I felt it was important then, to find foods that are bursting with nutrients & minerals so even when eaten  in smaller quantity's (enter Eb's) they will still provide the full nourishment. Quality not quantity right?

It's easy to get motivated & adventurous with food when you surround yourself with like minded friends. clear food and living & her yogi partner have inspired us to no end in improving our diet & ahem, exercises. I am also a big fan of the oh dear drea blog & the vegan segment on "what Marlowe Eats" (her young daughter). That girl has an amazing pallet!

A few foods we would like to try in January to get the ball rolling, is Kale, turmeric & quinoa (apparently pronounced Keen-wah). I have seen loads of recipes & heard so much about these 'super' foods of late & I wanted to see what all the fuss was about for myself.

From the web...
Kale is a form of cabbage with green or purple leaves.
The benefits of kale; high in lutein, Lutein is a cancer preventative - while flavonoids protect the heart and can control blood pressure. Kale also provides iron, magnesium, fiber and is high in A and C vitamins. Calcium is an essential part of everyone’s diets. The calcium in kale is more readily absorbed than the calcium in other foods, including dairy. By including kale in the diet you will get the most out of the other calcium rich foods you eat as well.

Turmeric plant of the ginger family.
The benefits of turmeric; wards off Alzheimer's disease, helps to prevent cancer,  reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, combats inflammatory diseases, fights colds and flu, helps indigestion and weight loss, Assists diabetes sufferers.

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds, it is closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds.
The benefits of quinoa; Its high magnesium and riboflavin (B2) content make quinoa an excellent nutritional ally for migraine sufferers, helps reduce hypertension, heart arrhythmia's and ischemic heart disease. It contains all the essential amino acids, including lysine, which is crucial for growing and repairing body tissues, The folate and vitamin B in quinoa also boost the liver's ability to eliminating toxins from the body,  offers nearly half the daily minimum requirement for manganese and is a good source of copper and zinc

The more I read about these so called 'super foods', the more I was convinced we needed to include them in our diet but will Ebony eat them? Quinoa was easy to introduce & Eb's took to it immediately & now eat's it for breakfast with fruit, instead of boxed cereals. We have also eased it into curries, casseroles, salads, bakes & cakes (thanks Jeanette for the tips!)

Turmeric although not as readily available as quinoa is delicious & can be added to any meal grated, sliced, minced. We chopped some up the other night & sprinkled it on our grilled salmon, mmmm yum. *(just be careful of the orange stain it leaves on just about everything it touches).

Now kale on the other hand, I'm a little bit stumped with. I love spinach, cabbage & silver beet, but this rough, rubbery vegetable has really got me baffled. I read you can steam or fry it, but it just did little for me in the taste department. I've decided for now, I will juice it, until I can find a recipe that gets the taste buds singing.

We had these ingredients in the house to juice, so I threw some kale in this time for an extra punch. It tasted fabulous & Eb's loved it too!

Super juice - #1
1 bunch of kale, a knob of ginger,1/2 a beetroot, 1 apple, 1 pear, a knob of tumeric, 1 lemon & 1 cucumber.