berries ‘n buratta 🍒🫐🍓☁️
Welcome to those who were just scanning the web and serendipitously landed on my humble site 👋 whether you are in a rut and don’t know what to make; are in that loop of “sooo, what do you want to eat tonight?”; or have fallen into the infinite black hole of saved recipes from social media (the internet is truly ultimate purveyor of maximalist TL;DR content overwhelm 😵💫🫠🤭). I hope you enjoy — it brings me great joy to sprinkle any ease into your life — cheers to your good health, good love & good fortune!
And per my usual caveat, I do not claim to be a doctor or a chef. I do not dream of being a fancy food blogger. I’m just a gal who enjoys living and eating for optimum well-being. I like to creatively alter, and occasionally create, recipes to make them as balanced as possible, in both taste and health. I’ve come to learn soul-food and body-fueling food are both real and equally important, hence the critical importance and beauty of mind-body-soul eating! ✨ I typically like to begin with a key ingredient or two that I’m hoping to work with, search for a preexisting recipe as a guide, then play with measurements and make swaps to level up nutrient density. Consider this a destination for healthy recipe inspiration, where you’ll never have to scroll through any continuously re-populating ads. One of my primary goals is to add a little simplicity in places I’ve found murky.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS PERSONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS SHOULD ALWAYS CONSULT THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER BEFORE ADMINISTERING ANY OF THE SUGGESTIONS MADE ON THEBALANCEDCALM.COM TO ENSURE THEY ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE.
We’ve got yet another winner from Ereka Vetrini’s Instagram @erekav, — an update on the fruit salad 🤯 literally the the most 💣, absolutely dreamy combination of flavors that will likely be the most delicious, elevated, fresh dessert you will have all summer. I’ve just made a few of my healthy amendments to her recipe, included below:
INGREDIENTS
6 oz fresh organic burrata
6 oz organic blackberries
10 oz organic strawberries, tops removed and sliced
8 oz organic blueberries
10 oz organic cherries, deseeded and sliced
10 organic basil leaves, chopped
DRESSING
1/3 c organic EVOO
3 tbsp organic balsamic vinegar
1/2 organic shallot, chopped
1 tbsp Manduka honey
1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Prep ingredients: mix dressing and rinse/chop berries and basil.
2. Drizzle half of the dressing onto the serving plate.
3. Layer all the berries on top of the serving plate.
4. Break open the burrata and scatter on top of the berries.
5. Top your dish with basil and remaining dressing…SO EASY, SO DREAMY 🤤
CLICK PHOTO ON FAR RIGHT TO SEE ADDITIONAL IMAGES >
As with everything I make, I love to know the ingredients will fuel not only a beautiful plate, but a beautiful feeling inside. I will again caveat, I’m not a nutritionist, but as holistic health coach, here’s some functional food for thought:
STRAWBERRIES & THE DIRTY DOZEN
Each of us should strive to buy all organic (ideally local) produce, but sometimes it’s not realistic and there is some gray area. Did you know that every year there is a cheat sheet published for the 12 fruits and veggies that are most contaminated with pesticides? Meaning, the 12 on our produce lists that are most essential to buy organic? Take a look at the EWG’s site HERE for review. Number 1 on the list is often strawberries, so I’m sad to say it, but I would highly advise against eating any non-organic strawberries because you’re virtually eating a beautiful calorie light berry that’s been soaked in pesticides that are simply not possible to rinse off. There is also a “CLEAN FIFTEEN” which have been shown to have the lowest amount of pesticide residue, so we can look at this list with more flexibility in terms of seeking out exclusively organic vs non-organic.
PINK HIMALAYAN SALT
Since pink Himalayan salt is less processed than table salt, your body has an easier time processing it, as it doesn’t require as much water to clear out the excess sodium! It also contains more than 80 minerals and elements, including potassium, iron, calcium and (naturally occurring) iodine, aiding our body’s natural detoxification process and promoting the removal of bacteria. This can even help lower blood pressure, as iodine supports our body’s electrolyte balance, allowing our intestines to absorb more nutrients.
(HOMEMADE/WHOLE INGREDIENT) DESSERT
Yes, enjoying dessert is good for you health! And allow me to share my top 3 reasons for why I strongly believe this…
1. MENTAL HEALTH
2. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
3. ENERGY
The more we restrict ourselves, the more we’re going to crave what we’re restricting ourselves from — which in turn, may not be good for our mental health or weight weight management. For instance, if we’re thinking of how much we want some chocolate (or even our favorite salty snack if we’re less of a sweets person), but then deprive ourselves of this, there is a much greater probability we will binge on some at some point in the near future and/or even justify eating less healthful food throughout our day since we did were so “good” at avoiding the deemed gluttonous item when we wanted it. There are many unhealthy cycles we can develop, it’s most ideal to listen to our bodies and eat intuitively.
On top of this, dieting that involves sudden decreases to our intake of carbohydrates and sugar deprives our bodies of the necessary glucose needed for energy. This can lead to us feeling sluggishness, experience mental fog and distraction, as well as potentially feel depressed! The mind body connection is ever present.
There’s no reason to not enjoy dessert in moderation — life is meant to be sweet! When we take a bite out of our favorite desserts and our moods instantly level up, it’s due to the fact that foods with naturally high percentages of carbohydrates help the brain and body to produce chemicals (including serotonin) that contribute to overall emotional well being. The benefits of enjoying dessert simply outweighs the negative impact.
***important to note, as always, quality is essential — even with snack mixes…always shop organic when possible.
