acai bowls.

maybe it's just a hawaii thing, but acai bowls are the shiz and everyone should know about them. acai is purportedly some brazilian superfood responsible for millions of pounds of body weight lost and disease cured and energy gained . . .and yada yada. who's to say what acai isn't capable of? who knows. but i knows that these bowls are yummy. this one is pretty standard, but they're also super yummy with coconut shavings, goji berries, fresh mango, pineapple, or any other combination you could dream up.

acai bowl

(for 2)

ingredients:

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 - 1 cup acai juice (i use sambazon)

1 banana, sliced

3/4 cup granola

1 tbs. chia seeds

2 tbs. honey

1. blend the frozen berries with apple & acai juice until a super thick smoothie is formed. add more liquid if need be. (if you have a vitamix from the 80s, as i do, this usually involves a lot of violently shaking the entire appliance back and forth until the blades decide to start spinning. if you have a more capable blender than i do, then good for you!)

2. scoop the acai mixture into a (fairly large) bowl. top it with the banana slices, granola, chia seeds & honey.

3. grab two spoons and eat up!

strawberry spinach salad.

i am very partial to fruit salads. if there's fruit, candied nuts, dried cherries hidden in those greens . . .i'll eat it. this salad is super easy & super yummy.

strawberry spinach salad

(serves 4)

ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 bunch of spinach

1/2 quart of strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup feta

for the dressing:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

1/2 teaspoon red onion, minced

1. heat the nuts & brown sugar in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. when the nuts are coated, remove from heat and pour onto wax paper (separate them, don't drop them in a giant clump or they will harden that way!) let cool.

2. combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.

3. toss the dressing with the spinach, strawberries, feta & nuts.