Summer Recipes: Açai Bowl, Avocado Salad, Watermelon Juice

I cannot believe I am typing these words... but the last days of Summer has gone. What?... Seriously where did the time go. Don't get me wrong, I love fall too but as you may know Summer is my favourite season of the year due to the warmth and the amount of glorious sun we get each day. It's now the end of September and to celebrate the beautiful summer days I wanted to share with you all a few picture, and recipes of the amazing food I've had this summer.

1. Watermelon Juice

My number one most consumed juice this summer is definitely this Watermelon Juice... I have had several if not cups, but pitchers of this juice. It has been hydrating me all summer long and watermelon is just my all time favourite fruit. It's super refreshing, hydrating, and delicious. Ok just make sure you don't drink a whole pitcher before going on a long car trip ;)

How to Make:

This super simple and you can definitely elaborate on the basic recipe. 

Ingredients:

~ 2 Cups Watermelon (Cold)

~2 Cups Water (Cold)

Method:

Blend these two ingredients in a blender and pour into your favourite glass, jar, etc.

Variations:

1. Add a few Mint Leaves to make it extra refreshing!

2. Add a few drops of stevia if you want it just a touch sweeter.

3. Add some Lemon Juice for an uplifting touch. 

Seriously the variations are endless! Play with it! 

...

 2. Raw Fruits and Veggies

Summer foods must must must include raw fruits for me... I am addicted to raw fruits. Especially in the mornings. I find myself devouring a crazy amount of either mangos, peaches, or watermelon, all my summer faves. 

Ok next to raw fruits... Salads are also a must. Another reason I love summer I can eat lots and lots of raw foods in which the amazing enzymes in our veggies have not been cooked and killed. This summer I have been obsessing in salads, in particularly this one Im gonna share with you all. 

This is my Summer Avocado Salad.

How to Make:

Again... So simple. Basically you just toss everything together ;)

Ingredients:

~ 1 Cup Arugula

~ 1 Cup Spinach

~ 1 Baby Cucumber

~ a few Cherry Tomatoes

~ 1 Avocado

~ 1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds

Dressing:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil, 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice, a few dashes of Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, and Paprika 

Method:

Basically chop, and toss everything together in a large bowl and season well.

Super Simple.

...

Best for Last:

Açai Bowl

Saving the best for last. My current obsession. I am OBSESSED. I can have this everyday for every meal. No joke. The oh so humble Açai Bowl. What makes it humble? Well first off Açai is a Super food and it is very high in antioxidants, Vitamin C, boosts immunity, and promotes anti aging properties, along with many benefits to a healthy heart. The list of pros is quite long and I could go on and on about how amazing Açai is for our bodies. Now some people use the frozen Açai Packets which are usually easily found in North America in stores such as Whole Foods, but in Europe it is a little harder to find so I like to use the powder form of Açai which I find from my local health food store. 

My Açai Bowls usually consists of frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, frozen/fresh kale, almond milk, a few dates, grounded flaxseeds, Maca Powder, and Açai Powder. This bowl is filled with superfoods, and foods high in fibre. I promise you it tastes like ice cream, and is just heaven to start off the day with... especially when you know its super good for your body.

How to Make:

This recipe is definitely not by the book, I definitely experimented with how I like mine to taste, and also what to add in for the nutritional benefits. So feel free to take out or substitute any ingredients that you need.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Frozen Blueberries

2 Frozen Bananas

1/2 Cup Frozen Strawberries

1 Cup Almond Milk

1 to 2 Tbsp Açai Powder

2 Large Dates

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup (Optional)

Method:

1. Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend. If you don't have a high speed blender slowly blend each frozen fruit.

2. Note that it is often that the mixture gets stuck due to the fact that it is frozen. If this happens add a little more almond milk.

3. Blend everything together until smooth and transfer to your favourite bowl.

4. Add Toppings! This is the best part! The choices are endless here are just a few I love:

Goji Berries

Granola

Fresh Fruits

Almond Butter

Chia Seeds

Bee Pollen

Cacao Nibs

Hemp Seeds

Inca Berries

...

The simplest, yet most delicious. I love topping it with my Maple Coconut Pecan Granola, which I have a recipe for and will share very soon, but seriously you can go all out with the toppings. I love love Açai Bowls because they taste too good to be healthy, yet they do wonders for our health. I really hope you guys will try all these recipes out. I look forward to the new month of October and creating many yummy fall recipes. Till then I send everyone lots of love and happiness.

xoxo

Coco

Coconut Goji Bliss Balls Recipe

Hello everyone! I have just recently gotten back from Spain and believe me when I say I have missed my food processor and blender oh so much, I really have. Today I will finally be sharing this recipe and I am super excited for all of you guys to try this one. These little bombs are perfect for a "Pick-me up" or I personally love having one or two with a cup of coffee in hand. They are packed full of protein, healthy fats, and will keep your body energized. I have seriously been meaning to post this recipe much earlier, since these little guys are simply divine.
Now onto the recipe...

Ingredients:

- 1/2 Cup of Almonds
- 1/2 Cup of Walnuts
- 2 Tbsp of Pine Nuts
- 1 Tbsp of Chia Seeds
- 1 Cup of Dates
- 2 Tbsp of Goji Berries
- 1 Tbsp Cacao Nibs
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1/4 Cup of Shredded Coconut

Directions:

1. Place the Almonds, Walnuts, Pine Nuts, Chia Seeds, Goji Berries, Cacao Nibs, and Chia Seeds into a food processor and Pulse well until you reach a crumble like consistency.

2. Next place your Dates (make sure your remove all pits), and Coconut Oil into the food processor.

3. Blend again until your mixture becomes sticky and when you press the mixture it sticks together.

4. Now roll your mixture into little balls and roll them in the Shredded Coconut.

5. Keep them in a container in the fridge for 30 minutes before eating.

* If they don't stick as well add in a couple more dates, or 1 Tbsp of Maple Syrup



This recipe usually makes around 8 to 10 balls, you can easily double or triple the recipe depending on how big your food processor is. For my boyfriend and I we can easily devour the whole batch in one sitting. They are seriously addictive. I absolutely love these little bombs, and I hope you will too! I will be posting other recipe and blog posts soon so be sure to check back soon and let me know how it goes!!!

xoxo
Coco