Doesn’t a smoothie sound great right about now?
Forget an apple a day, a healthful smoothie using fresh, sustainable ingredients is the way to go. The AQUA TERRA Culinary team will soon be offering to the members of Carmel Valley Athletic Club a new smoothie line that will portray the best vegetables and fruits of the season.
We hosted a smoothie tasting demo in the café not too long ago, the members picked the banana and avocado based smoothie as their favorite. We really enjoyed working to create the different flavor aspects of this smoothie, and after all of the tasting and experimenting we did, this one was my favorite as well.
Avocados are very low in Cholesterol despite a higher fat content and are also an excellent source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Folate. Additionally they assist with the absorption of antioxidants from other fruits and vegetables, and are considered the best fruit source of vitamin E; an essential vitamin that supports the immune system and helps maintain overall health. The addition of the banana provides even more fiber plus potassium, and the other magical super ingredients, makes this smoothie a must try.
To help round out our new smoothie menu there will be a green smoothie packed with organic kale and spinach; and also every kid’s favorite a berry based smoothie, whose magical key ingredient is prickly pear juice. Using the cactus pear regularly in your diet will result in the drop of glucose levels, and by reducing the glucose levels in your blood your hunger level will also reduce. This wonder fruit has high fiber content and consuming whole foods with high fibrous content will make you feel “fuller” for longer durations.
Being healthy during this cold winter is made easy by adding a nutrient dense low calorie flavor pack diet to your daily routine. Eat all the whole foods you can, and maintain a high intake of vitamins and essential nutrients daily to ward off unwanted illnesses and keep you healthy and active.
If you happen to feel a little under the weather, stop by the Refuge here at CVAC and replenish yourself. You deserve it.
Our big project for the beginning of 2013 has been to gather all of the information that we need to do a complete nutritional analysis on all of our school lunch meals. Although it is still a work in progress, we have discovered a few very interesting things!
First of all, the majority of our meals contain over 100% of the daily-recommended value of important vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and protein. There is no better or clearer argument for fresh fruits and vegetables!
Another eye-opener for me was the difference that a carton of milk makes in the calorie count of a meal, and this caused me to look into the benefits of drinking milk a bit. I found this a recent study that suggests that two cups of milk per day is sufficient for children to get the proper amount of vitamin D and allow the body to absorb the right amount of iron. (Too much milk can actually interfere with the absorption of iron.) You can check out a summary of the study here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/how-much-milk-should-children-drink/.
We have found that most of our meals fall right around the 600 calorie mark and for the most part, our fat contents are under the limit of 30%. As we work on perfecting our meals, you may notice small changes such as more whole grains, less cheese, and a greater variety of fresh vegetables.
We are committed to the health of your children!
As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Please contact me directly at [email protected] with any feedback about our kids! lunch program.
If you are interested in learning more about food, check out this month’s recommendation: The Edible Schoolyard Project- http://edibleschoolyard.org/ - a growing network of programs throughout the world that are working towards creating a healthier, food-literate population.
Winter citrus is at the peak of season right now. One of my favorite citrus fruits is the Minneola tangelo. Tangelos are a cross between a pumelo and a tangerine they are a beautiful balance of sweet, tart, bitter and are really juicy. Try this flat bread idea on the grill or in the oven. Also try substitutions like spinach for arugula or goat cheese for feta.
Ingredients:
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ea store bought flatbread (or try naan or pita)
- 2 ea Minneola tangelos*, peeled and segmented
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
- salt & pepper
- 1/3 cup baby arugula
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- In a small bowl, mix garlic and olive oil and brush on flatbread.
- Sprinkle flatbread with orange segments, feta cheese, and olives. Season flatbread with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with arugula.
- Cut into pieces and serve immediately.
Here are your monthly updates from Point Pinos Grill:
There have been some fantastic changes to the dinner menu this winter. We have put back on the both the Shrimp and Grits and the Cioppino which were favorites in the past. Of course there are a few new menu items also. We have added on by request a 10 oz. New York to the menu , also a lovely Seasonal Vegetarian Risotto entree.
If you haven’t tried our Chicken Saltimbocca you have to! It is quickly becoming a new favorite among the dinner crowd. Please check our website for more changes and updated menu www.pointpinosgrill.com
There has been great success with the beer and wine pairing dinners in the past. Some of our most recent were Uncommon Brewers, Ty Ku Sake and 21st Amendment Brewery. There are still menus posted on the website and pictures on Facebook if you weren’t able to make it - take a peek.
The Ty Ku Sake and Soju dinner was an interesting one for us and it has provided us with a cocktail list! Their coconut sake makes amazing drinks.
The next dinner that is planned will be a winemaker dinner with Morgan Winery on March 28th. We are really excited to be able to work with such a great local winery and cannot wait to introduce you to some of their lesser known wines! As soon as a menu is available it will be posted on the website and on Facebook, please keep your eyes open!
As we get ready to “spring forward” and delight in the brighter, longer days of the season, look around and watch the fields burst into life. You will see that artichokes are in full swing, asparagus is in abundance, and the season’s first strawberries are starting to appear. Spinach and baby greens are coming from local farms as opposed to the Arizona desert and Mexico. It is a perennial rebirth of sorts, one that sparks motivation and a brighter outlook that incrementally increases each day.
I have been reading about new food trends for 2013 and saw mention of a topic that came up in 2012: Fresh vs. Frozen -which is better? While I am not a supporter of pre-made, prepackaged meals (okay, so the TJ’s Mac-n-Cheese is an occasional guilty pleasure), I found it interesting and worth sharing that it is predicted that this year the myth that fresh is always more nutritious than frozen gets debunked. It is a fact that frozen fruits and vegetables which are typically harvested in season and flash frozen costs less. This reinforces the FDA statement that there is virtually no nutritional difference between fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. This does make sense and I support the statement but only when you want to enjoy foods that are out of season. I do not recommend filling up your freezer with frozen fruits and vegetables in lieu of eating fresh foods, in season, from local sources. However, a bag of frozen peas can certainly come in handy.
In keeping with the tradition of all things new with the arrival of Spring, we will have some upcoming announcements in the next month, so stay tuned…
Be well.
