Nourish Your Summer: Healthy Recipes for Energy and Balance

It’s summertime, and after all the indulgence and festivities of the silly season, it’s time to embrace healthier food and drink to feel rebalanced and nourished.

But let’s be clear: this isn’t about fad diets or setting unrealistic New Year’s resolutions. Those approaches often focus on restriction instead of abundance and are unsustainable in the long term.

Instead, I believe in self-love, mindfulness, and gratitude - powerful tools for setting intentions at any time of the year, not just when New Year’s motivation is high. With that in mind, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy lighter meals and cultivate healthy habits after a season of celebrations. The key is to do so with the intention of honouring your mind and nourishing your body.

To help you on this journey, here are two simple recipes. They’re packed with nutrients, fibre, and colour to leave you feeling energised and balanced after all that delicious holiday food.

Energising Green Smoothie (serves 1)

This smoothie is not only delicious and quick to prepare, but best of all, you won’t even taste the spinach (and trust me, I’m not spinach’s biggest fan!). It’s the perfect small meal to have before your morning yoga session to energise and prepare you for your practice.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups coconut water (or a milk of your choice)
• ½ cup frozen mango
• ½ a frozen banana
• 1 green apple, chopped
• ¼ avocado
• 1 cup baby spinach
• Optional: a scoop of your favourite protein powder

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender.

2. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Top Tip: If you’re in a rush, take your smoothie to go in one of my eco-friendly insulated drink bottles to keep it cold and refreshing throughout the morning.

Superfood rocky road (makes 24 squares)

These tasty rocky road bites are a lighter alternative to traditional sugar-laden holiday treats. They’ll leave you and your loved ones feeling nourished and satisfied. Best of all, they take just 10 minutes to prepare (excluding setting time) and require no baking. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup oven-roasted almonds
• 1/3 cup glace ginger
• 1/4 cup goji berries (substitute dried cranberries), plus 2 tbsp extra for garnish
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 500g dark chocolate (85% cocoa), chopped
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Grease and line a 16 x 26cm slice pan with baking paper.
2. Combine the apricots, almonds, ginger, ¼ cup goji berries, ½ cup coconut flakes and 1/3 cup pistachios in a large bowl.
3. Combine the remaining goji berries, coconut and pistachios in a smaller bowl.
4. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil over a low heat in a medium saucepan, stirring until just melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the large bowl containing the almond mixture and stir until well combined.
6. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
7. Sprinkle the slice with the remaining coconut mixture, and place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.
8. When ready to serve, let the slice stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly, then cut into 24 pieces to serve.

Whether you’re looking for an energising start to your day or a healthier treat to satisfy your sweet tooth, these recipes are perfect for embracing a nourishing and balanced approach to summer eating. Remember, it’s not about restriction but celebrating abundance in a way that honours your body and mind. Here’s to a summer filled with vitality and self-love!

Enjoy!