Immunity-Boosting Recipes

Fruity Green Smoothie

1 cup of water 

1 cup of de-stemmed kale 

1 cup of frozen mango

1/2 cup frozen pineapple

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender six hours as a Vitamix

For about 1 minute or until blended And enjoy!! This is a great immediate post-run drink! Makes 2 cups.

Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats 

1 cup of whole rolled oats 

2 tablespoons of chia seeds

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups of almond milk (fresh if possible)

1/2 cup of pumpkin purée or canned pumpkin

Whisk all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Fold in the pumpkin and the almond milk to the bowl and gently mix until incorporated. Cover the mixture (sealed bowl and lid works well) and place it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning gently re-heat the oats on the stove but do not cook. You can add fresh berries or a little maple syrup if you desire.  This is a great pre-long run breakfast that will keep you sustained through the run! Makes 2 servings.

Fresh Almond Milk

1/3 cup raw almonds soaked overnight 

 1 cup of water

Blend in a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix. Makes 1 1/2 cups of almond milk.

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups of Unbleached flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 lemons washed/scrubbed for zest

3/4 cups of sugar ( I like to use brown)

1 cup of almond milk 

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup of grapeseed oil

1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries 

Preheat oven to 375 deg F

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk all the wet ingredients in a separate medium to large bowl.   Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended.  Fold in the blueberries. Fill greased muffin tin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 22 minutes. Allow 5 minutes to cool before removing from the muffin to. I love these right after my weekend long run before my as a starter to breakfast! Makes 12 muffins.

Tip: don’t skip or skimp on the lemon zest. Grate 2 large lemons with a microphone grater for the best zest!  This really makes the muffins taste great! Lemon zest is the key to delicious blueberry muffins!! I also prefer to mix the flour 1/2 regular flour 1/2 spelt flour to give the muffins and bit more nutrition 

Curried Creamy Cauliflower Soup

2 teaspoons of olive oil

1 small onion chopped

1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger 

1 teaspoon of curry powder

2 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 head of cauliflower (1 lb) cored and cut into 1 inch florets

Salt and pepper

3/4 cup of canned coconut milk

1 tablespoon of minced fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned or softened ( 5 min). Stir in the ginger and curry powder (30 seconds).  Stir in the broth and cauliflower and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and bring to simmer. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 15-20 min.  Transfer the soup into a blender and blend until smooth (1-2 minutes).  Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the coconut milk and bring to a short simmer. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

I love this soup not only because it is restaurant-worthy and delicious, but is it super easy, fast, inexpensive and uses a few of the most common ingredients you have may already have at home. This is one of my classic go-to recipes for dinner in the evenings when getting home late from work.  Makes 2 servings.  Double the recipe to make more. I use the extra cilantro to sprinkle on top.