A Day on a Plate – Delicious recipes with Carla

Carla Thomas is the author of this post. She is a Holistic Counsellor, published author, and founder of The Juicy Movement.

A Day on a Plate with Carla

As a holistic counsellor with a focus on mind-body medicine, for me, everything about what I eat and drink needs to respond with a big YES! to two basic questions:

• Does it taste delicious?
• Will it nourish me?

To do this, I simply load my meals with goodness – both through choosing nutrient-packed ingredients and also by boosting my diet with my wholefood supplement of choice, which bridges the gap between what I can physically consume in a day, and what my body actually needs (reach out to know more about this, if you’d like!).

I also do my very best to stop, sit down and appreciate what I have in front of me. Believe me, I know, some days it’s tough to do – and sometimes, I just don’t manage it. I rush between one meeting and the next, deadlines, events… and nibble or sip on something absentmindedly at my desk or on the way to a meeting. It happens! But, when I can, I make myself stop and dedicate precious minutes quietly enjoying my food or sitting down to dinner with my hubby, Byron. Present in the moment. When I switch back on again, I am always more focused, energised, and thankful for the break I allowed myself.

Recipes on a mission:

So, I’d like to share three recipes from my recent book, The Juicy Movement: A holistic approach to clean living with you here, in a sort-of “Day on a Plate”.

With them, I set you a mission to slow down, just for a little while. Put your phone in a drawer, create a calm atmosphere, and dedicate yourself the few minutes it’ll take to prep and enjoy these recipes and nourish from the inside-out.

***SPECIAL OFFER***

To add extra inspiration, I’m offering a special discount code JUICYZEN to Zen Green Tea fans to purchase my book at the discounted rate of $30.00 including free shipping within Australia. Simply visit my website and enter the code before 30^th November 2017!

Recipes: A Day on the Plate

Breakfast

I truly believe your first meal sets the tone when it comes to the rest of your food choices that day, so breakfast is a non-negotiable. Most days, it’s a nutrient-packed smoothie. Here’s one of my favourites:

My Green Staple

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Zen Green Tea powder
• thumb tip-size of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tbsp nut butter or raw nuts of choice
• 1 small banana, frozen pieces or fresh
• ¼ cup frozen peas
• ½ cup chopped cucumber
• ½ small or ¼ large avocado
• 1 tsp hemp seeds
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1½ cups unsweetened nut milk of choice
• ½ cup coconut water
• 1 tsp maca powder
• 1 sachet of Juice Plus+ Vanilla Complete (see Tips)
• sprinkle of ground cinnamon
• sprinkle of ground turmeric
• 1 – 2 cups fresh spinach and/or kale

How

Simply place all ingredients in your blender and blitz until smooth.

Tips

• Sprinkle with a few extra chia seeds and an extra pinch of cinnamon and turmeric, to serve.
• JuicePlus+ Complete is my wholefood protein powder of choice. It’s all natural, vegan and, most importantly, peer-reviewed and backed by science. If you don’t have it, substitute with 1 scoop protein powder of choice but please be mindful as not all protein powders are created equal! I’m more than happy to provide more details, so just reach out if you need.

Lunch & Dinner

As I say in The Juicy Movement book, I’m not a fan of labelling which meals you can eat when. I truly believe we will be more satisfied if we just eat what we feel like eating. If you want to have a “breakfast food” for dinner and a “lunch food” for breakfast – go for it! So, here are two of my go-to savory dishes, feel free to enjoy them at any time of the day!

Byron’s Crispy Skin Salmon

My husband, Byron, is the king of cooking salmon to perfection, so this is an ode to him. We enjoy it with a huge salad on the side.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 skin-on salmon fillets (approx. 200g each)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp organic unrefined coconut oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 thumb tip-size piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1 small or ½ large red chilli, finely chopped

How

1. Give the salmon skin a good sprinkle with salt, then set aside.
2. Place a non-stick pan over high heat and add coconut oil. Once the oil has melted, add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Stir to add flavour and fragrance to the pan, but be careful not to burn.
3. Once the pan is very hot, add the two salmon fillets skin down. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until skin is nice and crispy (but not burnt!). Turn and cook for a further few minutes or to your liking.

Veg & Guacamole Nori Rolls

This is my lazy dish for when I don’t feel like cooking. It’s just a whole heap of veggies and messy eating with my fingers! Add in some extra protein, like cooked chicken or boiled eggs, if you like.

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

Nori Rolls

• handful of fresh spinach
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds or mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower) or pine nuts
• ½ – 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• squeeze of lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• dulse flakes
• ½ medium carrot, cut into sticks
• ¼ – 1/3 cucumber or 1 small Lebanese cucumber, cut into sticks
• ¼ – ½ red capsicum, cut into sticks
• 1-2 gherkins, halved
• 6 olives
• 1-2 tbsp sauerkraut
• freshly chopped coriander or parsley, to serve
• 3 Brazil nuts or 1 tbsp almonds, walnuts or cashews
• 2-3 sheets nori paper, torn into quarters

Guacamole

• ½ large ripe avocado
• juice of ½ lime
• 1-2 slices red onion, finely chopped
• 4 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
• pinches of ground turmeric and paprika
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp yeast flakes (optional)

How

1. Place your spinach, seeds and/or pine nuts in a small bowl and dress lightly with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and dulse flakes, then toss to coat.
2. Arrange the carrot, cucumber and capsicum on a large plate or board along with the gherkins, olives, sauerkraut, nuts, and dressed spinach. Place torn sheets of nori on the side. Top with the chopped herbs.
3. For the guacamole, place the avocado in a bowl and mash with a fork, then add remaining ingredients and mix together.
4. Now, this is where the fun begins! Grab one of the nori sheet quarters and fill it however your heart desires. Mix and match, eat some with a fork, some with your fingers… Just dig in, get messy, playful and have fun with it.

Want more recipes? Check out Carla’s full book- The Juicy Movement: A holistic approach to clean living. 

***SPECIAL OFFER*** 

Free Shipping: Use the discount code JUICYZEN on Carla’s website to purchase your copy for only $30 (SAVE $8 on shipping!. Offer open until midnight, 30th November 2017.

Carla Thomas: Holistic Counsellor/Mind-Body Medicine, Wholefood Cheerleader, Author, I Quit Sugar Expert, and Founder of The Juicy Movement

Keep in touch!

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Email: [email protected]