Just a gal in Miami

I went the other day exploring downtown Miami... It was extremely hot but totally worth it! Perfect for putting my photography into practice ;)

Wanna see the outcome? Allow me to give you a tour of downtown Miami...

It's 9AM on a beautiful Saturday morning and although I didn't partake this time, I decided to be the sneaky observer. And let me tell you, what a way to start one's weekend! You get to do yoga out in the open. Just you and nature, listening to the birds chirping and the sound of water running from the fountain.

Near the fountain you can spot tourists trying to find their way while sneaking in pictures and still trying to take in the beautiful view.

Following along the bay side, there's a charming little garden where one can sit in the shade and feel the breeze while watching a crazy cute little squirrel jump from tree to tree trying to steal food from the birds. 

I was actually able to get the little rascal up close ;) and may I add he's a photogenic little one, don't you think? 

And continuing our little tour...this is what you leave behind, along with our photogenic friend...

to arrive to one of the most famous points in Downtown Miami - a shopping mall called Bayside, located right next to the American Airlines Arena. This is the back part of it and you can see why I love it so much...look at this view!

Even though I rarely come here to shop, there's always time for a little browsing and a refreshing smoothie to complete the morning!

And the beauty of all this is that I'm just a trolley ride away!...

I hope you enjoyed our little tour of Downtown Miami through the eyes of the nutrinut.

Until next time my Nutrinutters!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Mirror, Mirror, Here I Stand…Love Your Body!

Everyone has something they don’t like about their bodies…

Before I got into the vitamin journey section in the blog, you might have noticed that I am huge fan of “love your body” and believe that this is truly the first step to leading a healthy life. Many times this is the hardest part: learning to accept yourself, just the way you are!

This is a post I wrote for the website of the company I work for that discusses this further.

I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear from you!

Mirror, Mirror, Here I Stand...Love Your Body!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

The Challenges of DIY Shampoo

As you have probably already noticed, about two months ago I've entered the “do it yourself” world, starting with a face cleanser (which I loved and still use,DIY: Coco-Lavender Face Cleanser) and eventually going to making shampoos.

I read a lot on the topic and it seemed like most recipes had one ingredient in common: castile soap. 

I chose a recipe that seemed easy and good to go (DIY: Coco Shampoo) and used it for over a week. I must confess that I almost did not make it since I’m somebody that likes the feel of squeaky clean hair. I'm even one of those gals that does the opposite of what you're supposed to do and would wash my hair every day. I eventually gave up on that shampoo recipe since it didn't seem like it was cleaning much and used the rest as a shower gel, which worked quite well!

My next shampoo was actually a fun experiment! I read that aloe vera gel is good to neutralize the skin’s pH, so there goes the nutrinut to Publix to buy an aloe vera leaf to get fresh gel (not bottled). I mixed the gel from one big leaf (getting it open and scooping the contents out is quite fun! Highly recommend to try with the kids…it’s super gooey!) and mixed it with one can of coconut milk. This one was a little better! It didn't seem as oily but my hair seemed to just be accumulating the mix and it just felt like my hair was on hairspray 24/7! Time for the next one...

Shampoo number 3, one tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water. 

In terms of removing the natural oils that your hair produces, this one was the most effective. However, it also dried out your hair big time! Which only means that I moved on to shampoo number 4, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 4 tablespoons of water (I got all of these numbers from people who like me, experimented with making their own shampoo). This one was the best one so far but in all honesty, I have been washing my hair once a week with regular shampoo. But on the bright side, it feels a lot healthier!

These haven't worked out exactly how I've been hoping for, but I am persistent and will continue to look for the perfect shampoo recipe ;)

If you already have this figured out, share your secrets with the nutrinut :) I'd love to give it your recipe a try!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Some Goji Berry Love - It's Smoothie time

Usually I don't post smoothie recipes but I made the most delicious one the other day and wanted to share with the nutrinutters!

For starters, what goes into my smoothies depends on what I have at home and whatever seems to inspire me at the moment. The process is actually quite fun, especially if you really just let your instincts take over. I just happened to have goji berries and hemp seeds at home, perfect!

Goji berries are pretty popular nowadays especially since it's packed with antioxidants, but did you know that they also go by another name... wolberry! 

Whether all the health claims can be backed up, they do have a good amount of antioxidants and in Asia they were eaten for generations in hope of living longer - plus they taste quite good! Needless to say a small handful went into my smoothie.

Next in the superfoods list, hemp seeds! These little seeds have a nutty flavor which is quite good and are rich in good fats, protein and vitamin E.

So this is what went into my tropical goji smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 slice of pineapple
• 1 cup of mixed berries
• small handful of goji berries
• 1 teaspoon of hemp seeds
• 1 teaspoon cacao (did I mention I love chocolate?)
• sprinkle cinnamon 
• Optional - 1 medjool date (for a little sweetness) 
• Milk (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients

Top it off with extra goji berries for a different look ;)

Enjoy all the supernutrients!

-XOXO-

The Nutrinut

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Guten tag my dear Nutrinutters,

I admit I am a little late to this trend, but I still wanted to give this a try!

When I found the most amazing avocado in the supermarket yesterday the initial idea was to make a lime and avocado tart, but being that I was exhausted from work, I decided to try the avocado chocolate mouse recipe that has been trending for a few months. I do love regular chocolate mousse, but I am a true lover of avocados and cacao, so why not give it a go and try to make a healthier recipe, right?

The perks of avocados

Not only are avocados delicious and can be used in just about any recipe from dips to a butter substitute in baking (I recently learned that it even goes well in soup!), but they are rich in vitamins and minerals, contains the good fats, and has an amazing amount of fiber (1 cup has about 10 grams!). Because this fruit is so nutrient dense, consuming it will give you anti-inflammatory benefits and support cardiovascular health!

The perks of cacao

EVERYTHING! haha, pardon my enthusiasm but I am a true dark chocolate lover :)
Cacao is mainly known for being rich in antioxidants but what you might not have been aware of is that our gut bacteria seems to be fond of it too! And after all the studies that have been coming out on probiotics and gut bacteria, we want to keep the little fellas happy.

So now to the Avocado Chocolate Mousse...

Trying to find the recipe that I had fallen in love with a while back because of its simplicity, was like trying to find a needle in a haystack! But luckily I remembered the ingredients: avocado, cacao and honey. I was in luck! I  had all of the ingredients.

Although I didn't have the right measurements, I decided to wing it and make it my own. I started with 1 cup of avocado, 1 teaspoon of cacao and 1 teaspoon of honey. The taste was good but no chocolate mousse flavor. After blending, tasting, adding a little more, blending and tasting again, this was my chocolate avocado mousse recipe:

Avocado Chocolate Mousse (yields 1-2 servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup of avocado
3 teaspoons of cacao
1-2 teaspoons of honey
Optional: 1 date

Directions:

Blend in food processor.
Decorate with berries or sprinkle cacao on top.

This recipe did not disappoint! It's not only healthy but the best part is that the taste was amazing! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did. Let me know if you give this one a try, I'd love to hear from you ;)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut- 

Quinoa and Spinach Bake

I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this...

Lately, the more I think about it the more I want to switch over to veggie world and not have meat anymore. What brought this on? A few years back, we adopted the cutest half cocker spaniel half yorkie named Carrie (after Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City). The name suits her very well since she likes men and shoes ;)

What does Carrie have to do with me wanting to enter veggie world?

Everything! I noticed that slowly I stopped enjoying meat as much because all I can think about is how these animals are raised and immediately make the connection with our little mutt, "what if that were Carrie?". And although this might sound like nonsense to some, she is a very special part of the family (plus she has perfected the "puss in boots" look, haha).

This is why for date nights I find myself always looking at the vegetarian side of the menu and when I'm going on my Pinterest sessions I'm always attracted to the meatless recipes. This is how I found Quinoa and Spinach Bake.

The perks of Quinoa 

Last year (2013) was "The International Year of the Quinoa" for a reason. One of the main perks of quinoa is that it's considered a complete protein source, meaning that it contains good amounts of the essential amino acids. It is also a good source of healthy fats and fiber. Pretty good right?

The perks of Spinach

This recipe also has a good amount of spinach. I love spinach! I add it to everything I can think of, including my morning smoothies. Spinach is a good source of so many nutrients that I don't even know where to begin! But just to name a few: Vitamin K, Vitamin A, manganese, magnesium and folate!

So ladies and gents, I present Quinoa and Spinach Bake, it's Vegetarian and Gluten-free!

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

Grains and Seeds:                       Eggs and Dairy:

1/4 cup sesame seeds                                        2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup uncooked quinoa                                      1 cup greek plain yogurt

Produce:                                      Spices, Seasonings, Oil:

1 pound baby spinach                                         2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra)
1 shallot diced                                                    1 tbsp dried thyme
2 cloves garlic                                                    1/4 tsp chili powder
                                                                         1/2 tsp ground white pepper
                                                                         3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• Cook your quinoa like rice (2 cups of water for per cup of quinoa)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a baking dish with a little olive oil or coking spray if you have any, then coat with sesame seeds.
• Cook for a few seconds spinach in a pan with a little water, just until spinach gets bright green. Drain water and set spinach aside.
• Heat olive oil in pan. Add: shallot, garlic, thyme and chili powder and saute. Remove from heat and transfer to medium bowl.
• Add: spinach, cooked quinoa, yogurt, eggs, salt and pepper to the shallot mix, making sure ingredients are combined.
• Transfer quinoa mixture to baking dish and place in oven. Bake until it reaches a golden brown color. Mine took 45-50 minutes.
• Remove from oven and enjoy! :)

This dish goes very well with your favorite salad and olive oil on top.

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-