Lean Green Smoothie

I've been sick all week, I've had a nasty cold.  Thankfully I started feeling better today. In the past 48 hours I've only worn pajamas, been in bed, slept for almost 40 of those hours and watched 3 pretty terrible chick flicks.  The only saving grace was Chris bringing a endless supply of soup, DayQuil and Nyquil.  Oh, and snuggling with my puppy, he never left my side.  That was a bonus :)

I knew I was feeling better when only 8 hours of sleep was sufficient and I was motivated to shower and put on some yoga pants to run a few errands.  This included a stop at the farmers market to load up on fruit and veggies because I had a recipe in mind I really wanted to try. While I was sick in bed, I caught up on reading some of my favorite blogs. Camille Styles is a fashion, food, entertaining, overall chic blog that is always inspiring.  I highly recommended you check out what Camille and her team come up with.   She recently posted a recipe for a smoothie that sounded fresh, healthy and full of vitamins.  After a weekend of bacon cornbread, it was exactly everything I needed! 

True to it's green name, this smoothie is nutrient packed and delicious.  It is loaded with a fresh spinach, which I have never included in my smoothies before. (I don't know why, but I think I always will now).  The highlight of the smoothie is the fresh pineapple which is complemented by ripe pear, fresh cucumber and mint.  A little bit of agave nectar adds a touch of sweetness.  Make this!!

Ingredients

1/2 of a pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and chopped
juice from 1 lime
1 cup baby spinach leaves
10 mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp of chia seeds 
crushed ice


Update!! I recently made this smoothie with a peach (peeled) instead of a pear and it was excellent!!!  (And I omitted the line and mint... still tasted great!)

Method

Purée ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Pour into 2 glasses, garnish with a cucumber spear and serve.

 Enjoy!

 

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Yellowfin Tuna with Fresh Pineapple Salsa

This light and delightful meal was inspired by a trip to Key Largo last November.  We traveled down to Florida for a few days of warm weather and scuba diving.  The florida key's are a great little spot to get some sun and relax right before the holidays ramp up.  This past weekend we were reminiscing about the trip and all the good meals we had.  There is nothing in the world like fresh seafood!   One particular meal that stood out in my memory was a grilled tuna topped with fresh pineapple salsa… So delicious!

Yellow fin tuna is a tender yet mild fish that makes is great for grilling and eating a tad bit rare.  For the finest taste, look for sashimi grade tuna, also known as ahi tuna.  

Fresh cut pineapple is by far tastier than the canned variety.  Pineapple salsa is absolutely delicious and can be used for many other things too!  It will keep for 1-2 days, as long as it is covered and in the fridge.  Make a little extra and serve with tortilla chips as snack :)

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

 

2 cups of freshly diced pineapple

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of red onion finely chopped

1 habanero pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

1/8 a teaspoon of salt

Method

Slice the top of pineapple and the bottom off.  Stand the pineapple on its side and with a sharp knife, slice sides of pineapple off.  Cut the pineapple into small slices and then remove the core of each slice.  (The core tends to be hard to eat, but I’ve had some pineapples were it was soft).  Dice the remaining pineapple into small pieces.

Toss all of the ingredients into a bowl and chill for a couple of hours to let the flavors marinate.

Yellow Fin Tuna

2 thick pieces of tuna (the thicker the better, mine were about 1.5”)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Sea Salt

Ground Pepper

Method

Season each side of the fish with garlic powder, fresh ground pepper and sea salt.  

Heat grill to medium high heat.  Grill each side for about 4-5 minutes, until inside of the fish is a nice medium rare.  Top with pineapple salsa! Enjoy!