Category Archives: food

Spring Nourish Bowl

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Nourish bowls are one of my favorite ways to create a quick, easy meal with seasonal produce. All you need is a carbohydrate, veggies, protein, and a good sauce or dressing and you have yourself a deliciously satisfying meal!

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This week I created a nourish bowl with produce from Green BEAN delivery, an online grocery service that delivers fresh, local, and organic produce and grocery items straight to your door. It’s like a customizable CSA! You choose your produce bin based upon your family size and then you can choose from over 1,000 grocery items, including high quality meats, eggs, dairy, and freshly baked breads to add to your delivery. Your delivery comes in an insulated bin to keep all of your food fresh, which is reused, minimizing waste (win!). Green BEAN delivery’s mission is to help mend the broken components of our nation’s food systems. They are a family owned company that partners with local farmers and artisans to bring quality food straight to you. Green BEAN is focused on sustainability and has donated over 380+ tons of of food to local food rescues!

I have partnered with Green BEAN delivery to give away TWO $25 gift cards so you can try it for yourself! Visit my instagram page to enter! You can also use the code “BLOOMNOURISH” to get 15% off your first 3 deliveries!

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Spring Nourish Bowl
serves 4

Ingredients:

Rice:
1 cup rice
2 cups bone broth or water

Dressing:
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 thai chilies, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 limes, juiced
2 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil

Vegetables:
1 bunch kale, ribs removed and sliced into thin strips
8 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed and strings removed
2 bunches radishes, save 2 radishes for topping and quarter the rest

Top With:
Poached Egg
Cilantro
Mint
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Spring Onions
Radishes, thinly sliced
Kimchi (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F.

Cook rice according to instructions. Set aside.

While rice is cooking, combine all dressing ingredients into a small, lidded jar and shake until emulsified. Place vegetables on a roasting pan and coat with dressing. Bake for about 20 minutes or until kale is crispy and the peas and radishes are tender.

Assemble the bowl: Add rice into a large bowl. Layer in the roasted vegetables, followed by the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese, Toasted Walnuts, and a Warm Apple Cider Vinaigrette

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This is one of my favorite salads to make when the air grows cooler and my body is craving something healthy and warm. The roasted sweet potatoes add heartiness to the greens and the warm vinaigrette, inspired by Ina Garten, is the perfect complement. The first time I made this, my husband said it was one of the best salads I have ever made (and trust me, I’ve made a lot)!

{photos courtesy of Justin Chesney}

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Immune Boosting Pink Lemonade Smoothie

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As the cold weather is upon us now here in Nashville, I’ve been thinking of ways to boost my immune system, as it tends to be compromised more during this season. So I created this refreshing immune boosting smoothie! However, you can drink this smoothie any time of the year, even while trying to strengthen your immune system during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

It’s actually smoothie month at Williams-Sonoma and this week’s theme was “Not Your Average Smoothie” so I thought turning a smoothie into something that boosts your immune system and wards off colds would be a good place to start. It’s a nice tart smoothie with an optional kick that reminds me of the green lemonade juices I’ve been drinking, but instead it’s beautifully pink from the bright red raspberries.

Here’s what I threw into my blender + why it’s good for you:

Greens: Greens like kale, collard, swiss chard, and spinach are nutritional powerhouses packed with vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, that strengthen your immune system and ward off colds.
Orange/Tangerine: Oranges are full of vitamins A + C which help promote production of white blood cells to fight off any foreign invaders, and folate which you need for healthy cell growth. Those looking to get pregnant or are already pregnant will benefit from including folate into their diet as it essential for healthy development of the baby in the mother’s womb, particularly the formation of the neural tube.
Lemons and berries: Both are rich in vitamin C and immune boosting antioxidants.
Ginger: Ginger is a strong antioxidant that has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric + Cayenne (optional): Both turmeric and cayenne are very nutrient dense spices, which support your immune system through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

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Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup

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Fall is now upon us and I thought it fitting to share a recipe for a hearty soup. Last night my husband said he was craving a savory soup called Zuppa Toscana he used to eat at a chain restaurant called Olive Garden. While I have never had the soup myself, I did some researching and was determined to come up with a healthy version of this nostalgic stew to nourish and fill our bellies. Watching my husband fill his bowl with seconds leads me to believe I did something right.

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Roasted Potato, Greens, and Goat Cheese Frittata

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Yesterday was the first day of Spring and I could not be more excited. It’s amazing what the sunshine and warm air does for your spirit. To me, spring signifies change-it symbolizes the change from brown to green, from cold to warm, from bare bushes to colorful blooms, and it is symbolizing much change in my life right now. This is a season of transition for me, and while it may not always be easy and it’s often times scary, it is exciting and full of so much life and beauty.

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.”
-Reinhold Niebuhr

If you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for frittatas. I was talking to a good friend on the phone as I was making this for the second time (in two days!) and she asked what I was making for dinner. When I told her I was making a frittata, she laughed and said, “Of course you are!” It’s too good not to. I brought this particular frittata over to a dear friend’s birthday brunch one day, and the next I found myself making it for dinner. It also makes great leftovers, which I love, and it’s easily adaptable to whatever vegetables and spices you have on hand. If you’ve never made a frittata, give it a try and let me know what you think.

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Crispy Coconut Kale with Roasted Salmon + Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Rice

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{photo by James Ransom}

(This recipe was featured in Gwyneth Paltrow’s publication, Goop, for Best Dark Leafy Greens and is a community pick for Food 52: Favorite Leafy Greens.)

Roasting kale is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this hearty winter green. The edges become nice and crispy, which is the perfect contrast to the melt in your mouth sweet potatoes. This dish is a great balance of sweet and spicy and has quickly become one of my favorite meals to serve when I have guests over. If you’re not into salmon, try topping the greens with a fried egg! It’s simple and delicious and makes for some great leftovers (if there is any)!

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Nourish a Child: Belly & Mind + an African Inspired Lunch: Sukuma Wiki

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65% of all South African children live in poverty. And nearly 20% of all children in South Africa are orphans, with approximately 1.9 Million of those children orphaned as a result of HIV and AIDS. (source)

This causes a great need for food provision, especially in schools. Providing lunch for these children encourages them to stay in school and continue with their education. Let’s learn about one hypothetical child’s story, we’ll call her Lilanie. Lilanie is a young, bright, school-aged child with a zest for life. She loves jumping rope, taking care of her little brother, and her laugh is absolutely contagious! Lilanie walks to school every day, tummy rumbling, as she looks forward to not only learning, but to actually eating a meal. This meal, provided by organizations like the Lunchbox fund, may be the only meal that young Lilanie receives for the day. Because Lilanie’s parents are affected by HIV/AIDS, they are unable to work and provide for their family, and then she, along with many other children, is often sent to find a source of food. When she isn’t able to get the food she needs to nourish her little body, her concentration and willpower diminishes and her potential is stripped away. Compound that with prevalence of HIV/AIDS or the trauma of losing parents and loved ones, without food, Lilanie’s attendance and performance at school is severely jeopardized.

My brother, Dylan, spent 2 1/2 years serving in the Peace Corps in Mozambique, which is an African country nestled along the border of South Africa. Although they are two separate countries, Mozambique and South Africa share a lot of the same beauty and a lot of the same hardships. Dylan served schools in the area where he lived, and said he frequently saw children, like Lilanie, who were forced to find food for themselves and their family because their parents were too sick from HIV/AIDS to find work or food. It saddens me deeply that children are left with this responsibility and if they don’t receive a meal at school, they may not eat at all.

This is where the Giving Table and the Lunchbox Fund comes in…this is where YOU come in! Through our support, the Lunchbox fund will be able to provide a daily meal to Lilanie and 100 other South African school children for at least an entire year! Think about all of the hungry bellies and brains being nourished. Think of all the potential that encourages for those 100 boys and girls! Please visit The Giving Table’s page and join me in donating to such a great cause. Just $10 can feed a child what may be their only meal for the day. Will you join me in nourishing a young child’s belly and mind?

Watch the video below to find out more about the Lunchbox Fund and how you can help!