Hey Everyone!

February is American heart month! Another reason to take a minute and make time for yourself and your well-being.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women.  The simplest ways to avoid heart problems is to eat healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle. These recipes will show you how good it can taste to eat heart healthy foods….

 Walnut Dream Snack:

1/4 cup no-salt added raw walnuts

1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt and

1 medium size apple cut into bite sized pieces (any kind will do)

1 tbsp raw  honey

Put Greek yogurt in a medium sized bowl.  Top with apples, walnuts, and drizzle with honey…ENJOY!

This is simple, delicious, and so heart healthy!!  Walnuts are a great heart friendly go to, they are the highest in antioxidants out of all the nuts. They also have large amounts of vitamin E and heart healthy fat.

Guacamole with Jicama chips:

Jicama Chips

3 whole jicamas

Chili powder, to taste

Garlic powder, to taste

Onion powder, to taste

Sea Salt, to taste

Guacamole

2 medium sized Avocado

1/2 cup pico de gallo

lemon to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice jicama into thin slices.  Spread out on top of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Season to taset.  Coat chips with olive oil cooking spray.  Place in oven at 400 degrees for approx. 25-30 minutes or until crisp.  Once chips are finished, prepare guacamole by dicing the avocado into a bowl and adding the pico de gallo.  Mix until smooth.  Enjoy!

One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate. Studies show that people who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower incidence of heart disease than those who don’t. The vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione in avocado are also great for your heart.

Hearty Kale lentil soup

1T olive oil

1 onion diced

1 stalk celery diced

1 whole carrot diced

2 cloves garlic minced

6 stalks of kale stems removed and cut kale into strips

1 can deiced tomatoes

1 cup red lentils

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1t cumin

1t-smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a pot add next 4 ingredients sauté until they just start to brown about 5-10 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with fresh herbs as garnish

This soup is packed with heart healthy ingredients like: kale, garlic, tomato, and lentils. These ingredients are full of folic acid, vitamins B & E to name a few, and antioxidants. This soup will make your heart and taste buds happy guaranteed

Salmon with asparagus and orange

8oz salmon filet (preferably Coho salmon or any wild caught salmon)

¼ cup fresh orange juice

1 T lemon juice

2 T chopped green onion

1T chopped dill

5 spears of asparagus trimmed

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  Place onion sliced on a lined baking sheet top with salmon season with salt and pepper. Roast 10-15 minutes or until cooked to your liking.  Meanwhile steam asparagus. Mix orange juice, lemon juice, green onion, and dill in a bowl. Place asparagus on a plate top with roasted salmon and a few onions then drizzle with citrus sauce.

The omegas in the salmon are fantastic for your hearts healthy. The oranges have qualities that act as a sponge absorbing cholesterol and protecting your hearts health. Lastly asparagus has so many great healthy benefits one being it’s vitamins including biotin which helps balance our blood sugar levels and again will keep your heart happy and healthy.

And last but not least…..DESSERT!

Take a moment to sit back, relax, and kick your feet up with an 8 oz. glass of your favorite wine, a bowl of fresh strawberries,  and a 4 oz. piece of your favorite dark chocolate.  This lovely combination will not only engage your senses, but help your heart stay healthy.  Both dark chocolate and red wine is full of antioxidants.

Enjoy, stay healthy, love yourself and others, and Happy Valentine’s day!

Don’t forget to sprinkle yourself sexy this Valentine’s day….

XO,

Chef Kelsey

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Posted in Nutrition and Recipes at February 12th, 2013 by Kelsey

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