Time to Spring Cleanse!

Its finally Spring which means its time to spring cleanse your body and fill it with nutrient rich vitamin water. I have just come across these vitamin waters, they taste great and best of all they are actually good for you! 

Drink these waters instead of drinking those sugar filled soft drinks and bottled juices from the supermarkets. These vitamin waters have many benefits for your body;
 They contain Natural Sugars, your using fresh fruit , herbs and vegetables and best of all they are jam packed full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in certain foods and too contain nutrients, vitamins A, C and E and minerals such as copper, zinc and selenium. 

Kate Wasilewki shares her recipes weekly via facebook, instagram and her website and states that 'Sharing is caring', this is why I have decided to share her recipes with you today.

Use these below or try mixing and matching different ingredients to create your own.  I have been making lemon and mint which is great to soothe a sore throat as well as body aches and pains. I have been struck down with the flu this week and when your sick the most important thing you need to do is to keep your fluids up. Fluids flush out germs and keep your body hydrated which is very important for recovery.

Below a list of the ingredients used to make these nutrient filled drinks, perfect for that spring party, or just to have prepared in the fridge when you feel you need that boost of energy.

1) The classical : lemon/cucumber:
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cucumber and a lemon, thinly sliced + 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped basil leaf + 1/3 of finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

2) The granite : Strawberry/Lime or Raspberry/Lime
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 6 strawberries / 0r Raspberries and one thinly sliced lime + 12 finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

3) The digestive : Fennel/citrus
First: infuse 1 to 3 grams of dried and crushed fennel in 150 ml of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool.
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + lemon juice (put the leftover lemon in the mix) + a small thinly sliced orange + 12 fresh chopped mint leaves + the infusion of fennel seeds. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

4) The antiOX : Blackberry/Sage
Note that a part from the berries, sage leafs is the herb that has the highest antioxidant content.
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of blackberries that have been very slightly crushed + 3-4 sage leaves. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

5) WATERmelon : watermelon/Rosemary
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of watermelon cut into cubes + 2 rosemary stems. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

6) The exotic : Pineapple/Mint
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of pineapple cut into cubes + 12 fresh mint leaves finely chopped. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

7) The traditional : Apple/cinnamon
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of apple cut into cubes + 2 cinnamon sticks + 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

8.) The zingibir : Ginger/tea
In advance: heat 1 teaspoon of ginger in two cups of tea, let it cool down.
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water with two cups of the ginger tea + 4-5 pieces of fresh ginger cut into cubes. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving. 

 Enjoy - Tarryn

https://www.facebook.com/kate.wasilewski.5

Did someone say Smoooothie?

There is nothing better on a hot day then sitting down to enjoy an ice packed cold fruit smoothie. 

 A smoothie can be variety of blends consisting of fresh fruit , yoghurt and or ice. The more fruit the better I say!

Smoothies can contain essential vitamins and minerals to keep your body going, If you not a big breakfast eater or always on the go, this is another fast tracked idea to keep you going and to kick start your day.

I tend to have smoothies of a morning and or even as a mid day snack before lunch, they are great as they keep you fuller for longer.

Below I have sourced a variety of different combinations for you up try. All you need a blender and your on your way!

Remember if you ever find a recipe that has ice cream you can use frozen yoghurt or fresh Greek yoghurt instead - that way your still getting your protein too!

Black and Blue 

2-3 cups organic spinach 

1 cup milk (or juice) of choice 

1 banana 

¼ cup blueberries, frozen 

¼ cup blackberries, frozen 

3 ice cubes

Killer Kale

1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
1 ½ tablespoons almond butter
1 banana, frozen
 cups kale
1 tablespoon hemp seeds

Kale Coconut 

1 cup kale, chopped 

1 banana 

1 ½ cups coconut milk 

1 tablespoon flaxseed 

1 tablespoon honey 

¼ teaspoon coconut extract

3 ice cubes

Trail it up

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

1  banana 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon honey
¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt
¼ cup nonfat milk
10 almonds
1 tablespoon raisins
3 ice cubes

Banana Blend

 2 bananas, 1/2 cup each vanilla yogurt and milk, 2 teaspoons honey, a pinch of cinnamon and 1 cup ice.

Strawberry-Banana Blend 

1 banana, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup each vanilla yogurt and milk, 2 teaspoons honey, a pinch of cinnamon and 1 cup ice.

 Strawberry Shortcake 

Blend 2 cups strawberries, 1 cup Greek yoghurt, 1 1/2 cups each milk and ice, and cinnamon to taste. Top with more strawberries.

 Triple-Berry Blend

 1 1/2 cups mixed blackberries, strawberries and raspberries with 1 cup each milk and ice.

Raspberry-Orange Blend

 1 cup each orange juice and raspberries, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup ice.

Peach-Mango-Banana Blend 

1 cup each chopped fresh or frozen peaches and mango, 1 cup each plain yogurt and ice, 1/2 banana.

Honeydew-Almond Blend 

2 cups chopped honeydew melon, 1 cup each almond milk and ice, and honey to taste.

Cantaloupe Blend 

2 cups chopped cantaloupe, the juice of 1/2 lime, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup water and 1 cup ice.

Carrot-Apple Blend 

1 cup each carrot juice and apple juice with 1 1/2 cups ice.

 Spa Cucumber 

Peel, seed and chop 2 medium cucumbers. Blend with the juice of 1 lime, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup ice.

Ref: Food Network 

Greatest.com

Juicing Benefits

There is nothing I enjoy more than my morning workouts and training sessions and... a big healthy, vitamin packed juice afterwards!

Juicing your fruit and vegetables enables you to get a large variety of vitamins and minerals which are delivered straight into your blood stream! Now, although juicing you do miss out on fibre, that's ok if your getting your daily fiber requirements through-out the rest of the day. And, you can keep the left over pulp (all that good fiber!) and utilize it in a variety of delicious baked goodies, like Carrot, Apple & Ginger Tea Cakes!

Some say that juicing is better for you than is eating whole fruits and vegetables because your body can absorb the nutrients better and it gives your digestive system a rest from working on fiber. They say that juicing can reduce your risk of cancer, boost your immune system, help you remove toxins from your body, aid digestion, and help you lose weight. And if you don't enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a fun way to add them to your diet or to try fruits and vegetables you normally wouldn't eat by disguising the taste with other tasty produce.

If you do try juicing, make only as much juice as you can drink at one time because fresh squeezed juice can quickly develop harmful bacteria and lose its nutrients if not consumed within 24 hours. Note that juices from some fruits can contain more sugar than you might realize, and this can add unwanted calories and lead to weight gain, so try to stick to primarily vegetable based juices but add an orange or green apple for that hit of sweetness.

Remember, juicing is not to replace any of your regular meals and shouldn't be considered as a meal replacement.

My sister also avid juicing lover and has put a variety of really cool juice tumblers on her blog, a must for any style-savvy juicer ;)

- Tarryn x

Carrot, Apple & Ginger Juice + Tea Cakes!

There is no need to waste any left over pulp and fiber from juicing when it can be incorporated into delicious and healthy baked goods. In doing so you are not only saving all that pulp from being thrown away, you are also giving yourself a nutritional boost! Yum!

Making this sweet and pleasantly spicy carrot-apple-ginger juice will leave you with two to three cups of very usable pulp. Since the ingredients used here are relatively sweet in nature, tea cakes seemed like a good idea.

Please note that it is not necessary to peel, trim, or core fruits and veggies in order for them to juice properly. I do so just to ensure that all the pulp gathered is edible and ready to use.

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice 



6 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed
5 crisp apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and quartered
1 small knob of ginger, peeled
Juice all ingredients and pour into glasses for serving.

Now... Let the baking begin!


Carrot Apple Ginger Tea Cakes


2 cups carrot/apple/ginger pulp
1½ cups flour (all purpose or whole wheat pastry, or a combination)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups milk or rice/soy milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
mini dark chocolate chips (optional)


Preheat the oven to 400°F, and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl and stir with a whisk or a fork.
In a smaller bowl, combine oil, milk and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently combine, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the pulp and chocolate chips, if using.

Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, before removing tea cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely. (recipe via)



Let me know your thoughts, or email me any of your favorite juice recipes!
Tarryn

Let's JUICE Things Up!

Summer is on its way, so lets juice things up. 'Juicing' is a great way to get essential vitamins and minerals into your system quickly, and in the most natural way! Below are a few simple juice recipes to get you started. 

Let me know your thoughts, or feel free to send me an email of your newest juice recipe, and I'll share it! You'll need a juicer for each of these delicious recipes.  Remember always add the ice cubes to the jug you are juicing into, and don't pop them through your juicer!

e: info@tarrynlucas.com



Apple, Pear & Spinach Cleanser



3 large packham pears, quartered
3 large granny smith apples, quartered
100g baby spinach
5 fresh mint sprigs
Ice cubes and mint sprigs, to serve


Apple & Strawberry Juice



1 large red apple
250g (1 punnet) strawberries
Ice cubes



Apple, Broccoli & Lemon Alkalizer



4 large granny smith apples, unpeeled, cored, chopped
1 cup (85g) broccoli florets
1 lemon, skin and rind removed

( R; Marta Stewart.com)