Sometimes we feel tired and sluggish after we eat. Sometimes we feel refreshed – satisfied but not stuffed. We eat in different settings – while relaxing with friends, rushed at lunchtime, running to catch a bus, driving in the car, or out of frustration or loneliness. We also eat things that come out of packages with pictures of food on the outsides. They are often called convenience foods and the notion of convenience was a 1950s invention to promote the synthetic, chemical-laden things in boxes that I refuse to call food.

Try some real food, starting with fresh ingredients that your grandmother or great-grandmother would have recognized as food. Cooking is really not that difficult or complicated. It is just a matter of having the right equipment and developing a few good habits. I always make extra and put it in the fridge or freezer for times I want something convenient.

Regenerate with This 24 Hour Cleanse

I’ve put together a list of recipes that will energize and make you feel refreshed. They each have a base of superfoods, which aid in digestion, boost our immunity, and will help improve the health of our joints.

Breakfast Recipe: Superfood Breakfast Bowl

Ingredients:

  • Açaí berries, fresh or frozen
  • 4 ounces almond milk
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup of granola
  • A sprinkle of hemp seeds
  • Dried goji berries

Directions:

  1. Blend one cup of acai berries and one banana with around 4 ounces of almond milk (or your choice of liquid base) for 30 seconds.
  2. Pour the mixture into a bowl and top with fresh banana and granola.

Morning Snack Recipe: Raw Chocolate-Chia Energy Bars

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups pitted dates
  • ⅓ cup raw unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ⅓ cup whole chia seeds
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract, optional
  • ¼ tsp. almond extract, optional
  • 1 cup raw slivered almonds or raw shelled pistachios
  • Oat flour for dusting, optional

Directions:

  1. Place dates in bowl of food processor; purée until thick paste forms. Add cocoa powder, chia seeds, and vanilla and almond extracts, if using. Pulse until all ingredients are combined. Add almonds; pulse until nuts are finely chopped and well distributed through date mixture.
  2. Spread large sheet of wax paper on work surface, and dust with oat flour. Transfer date mixture to wax paper, and use paper to press mixture into ½-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap tightly, and chill overnight.
  3. Unwrap block, and cut into 8 bars. Dust edges and sides with oat flour to prevent sticking. Rewrap each bar in wax paper.

Lunch Recipe: Goat Cheese and Beet Salad

Ingredients:

  • baby greens
  • 1 beet
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 ounces of goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup shelled chopped pistachios
  • Honey vinaigrette
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Place baby greens on plates. Top with shredded raw beets, carrot shavings, crumbled goat cheese and pistachios.
  2. Shake all the salad dressing ingredients together in a jar and drizzle over salad.

Tip: Raw beets are less sweet and earthy then if they are boiled and roasted. If you prefer cooked, shred them first before a fast sauté in extra virgin olive oil.

Afternoon Snack Recipe: A Handful of Nuts

Choose from any of the following:

  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Pecans
  • Cashews
  • Pistachios

If you’re allergic to nuts, try pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.

Dinner Recipe: Blueberry, Kale and Quinoa Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 1 cup (240 ml) water
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) raw quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 bunch kale (6-8 large leaves), stems removed
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) avocado or olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (240 ml) grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped red onion
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) fresh blueberries
  • sprinkling of hemp seeds, for garnish

For the dressing:

  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) fresh blueberries
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) avocado or olive oil, preferably organic
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 large clove garlic, chopped

Directions:

  1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot; add the quinoa, cover, and lower heat to a simmer.
  2. Cook for 18 minutes; check the quinoa to ensure that all the water has been absorbed. If there is still water in the bottom of the pot, cover and simmer another 5 minutes; check again. Keep checking and cooking until all the water is absorbed, then remove from heat and turn the quinoa into a large bowl to cool to room temperature.
  3. Meanwhile, wash and dry the kale. Chop into bite-sized pieces and place in a large salad bowl with the 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil and salt. “Massage” with your hands by kneading and squeezing the kale between your thumb and fingers until it becomes shiny, softer and a shade darker. This will allow the kale to be digested more easily. The “baby” kale dos not need this step since it is softer.
  4. Add the tomatoes, red onion and blueberries to the bowl and toss.
  5. Make the dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy.
  6. Pour over the salad and toss to coat. Add the cooled quinoa and toss again.
  7. Sprinkle with hemp seeds just before serving.

Chew on this

Also make sure to drink lots of water and eat real food. Add a slice of lemon to your glass for a special tang. Water helps your kidneys move waste out of your body, control calories, and energize your muscles. Lemon water makes your body less acidic- yes, even though lemon is acidic itself. With these light and tasty recipes along with lots of fluids, you can feel good as you launch into a new year.