Are you guys excited for the new year?
I can’t believe how fast 2014 flew by and that we are just a day away from 2015! Now I know I’m technically a little too early to be sharing new year’s resolutions but, I am just too excited about this new series not to tell you about it. About a month ago I was talking to my friend about potential recipes for the blog and we got talking about how there is too much of a focus on calories and weight loss as opposed to eating with the intent to fueling our bodies. And I realized I wanted to do a series on clean eating with whole foods here on The Blonde Chef!
So for the next month, I will be sharing nothing but clean eating recipes with you guys to show how easy it can be to lead a healthy lifestyle. And, to make sure the focus is on what these amazing foods are doing for our bodies, I will also be sharing the nutritional benefits of each recipe with the exclusion of calorie content because I believe that if we eat whole foods and listen to what our bodies need, we don’t have to worry about the numbers.
To start us off on this clean-eating journey, I was inspired by my recent trip to the Dominican Republic (if you’ve never been before, Punta Cana is stunning. I’m talking crystal clear water and perfect weather). Every morning we would eat fresh papaya and mango then drizzle it with a lime wedge, it was heaven. When I started scouring my local store for fresh produce I realized they had ripe papaya and had to snatch it up to make this gorgeous fruit plate.
This would be a perfect appetizer at your New Year’s party as it’s easy finger food, but gives everyone a little break from the sugar overload of the past few weeks (I’m so guilty of this). And guys, it’s so good. If you haven’t had papaya before, don’t worry, I hadn’t either until last week and it is so SO good! Especially with lime. Don’t skip that. And I love that this dish looks so summery and bright.
Now, before we get to the recipe, here is the nutritional content of this beautiful fruit:
- Papaya: Promotes eye health, full of vitamin C, fiber, improves bone health, promotes wound healing.
- Mango: Improves digestion and bone health, contain vitamin A which is great for skin and hair
- Pomegranate: Full of antioxidants, helps with dry skin, boost digestive system, and reduces inflammation.
- Grapefruit: Tons of vitamin C, can lower cholesterol levels, and are high in fiber and antioxidants
- Coconut Cream: Provides great hydration, lowers cholesterol levels, improves digestion, kills off bacteria, and can stave off memory loss!
- Granola: Good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and can help lower cholesterol levels.
Pretty awesome, right? I would love to hear any suggestions for foods you love that you would like to see remade into a clean-eating dish! Post your comments, below 🙂
- 1 papaya
- 1 mango
- 1 pomegranate
- 2 grapefruits
- ¼ cup granola (I used this recipe)
- First, cut and arrange your fruit. For the papaya, I first cut off the end, then sliced it down the middle lengthwise and scooped out the seeds. Then I simply cut it into sections (as seen above). If you want to serve without the skin, feel free to peel each section before serving.
- For the pomegranate, simply make an incision around the entire fruit just piercing the skin. Then pull the two halves apart. Fill a large bowl with cold water and, using your fingers, pull the seeds away from the rind. The rind will float to the surface and the seeds will sink making it easy to separate the two (bonus, your fingers won't get stained).
- For the grapefruit, use a pairing knife to peel and slice the grapefruit into sections.
- Arrange your fruit as you see fit, then sprinkle with granola.
- To serve, add a dollop of fresh coconut cream!
