A Day of Beautiful Eating with TobruckAve + Mikaela Reuben

This post comes to us from Kiara of TobruckAve and nutritionist Mikaela Reuben:

We are so excited to share this day of beautiful eating with you! Together, Mikaela and I created a day-long food plan designed to nurture beautiful and healthy glowing skin. With recipes focused on providing antioxidants and detoxification that are essential to the body, this menu is filled with fiber, leafy greens and nutrient-dense foods.

As someone who has struggled with the purity of my skin — always have — I figured I’ve tried everything topical for my face, why not take a new approach? An approach that focuses on what I put in my body, that will support clean, glowing skin from the inside out. Eat these healthy meals all in one day or spread out over the week, either way, these ingredients will inject your life with the health and love your body and skin need — there is even a boost of immunity built into these meals, perfect for the season! I hope these recipes make you feel beautiful no matter what, after all, what you put in your body should be infused with love. Check out the recipes below, and be sure to let us know in the comments if you try out the full menu!

Good morning: Start your day with a Blueberry Fiber Smoothie filled with chia, hemp hearts, celery and blueberries. It keeps your blood sugar levels regulated and contains everything you need to kick-start a healthy day right from the get-go. If your morning begins with healthy choices, the rest of the day shall follow. 

Chia: Helps the body stay satiated and slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream, therefore balancing blood sugar levels. Chia contains both protein and calcium, which are the building blocks of many integral systems in the body.

Hemp hearts: These seeds are loaded with essential fatty acids, which are necessary for the health of the skin and hair. These seeds offer anti-inflammatory properties and lots of easily assimilated protein. Hemp hearts also contain essential beauty minerals like zinc, which helps the body restore collagen and maintain healthy cell growth.

Celery: Contains both potassium and sodium, which can help balance the fluids in the body and reduce puffiness. Celery also contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Blueberries: Blueberries are packed full of antioxidants, helping to fight damage in the body at the cellular level, which can lead to premature ageing. So eat lots of them!

Blueberry Fiber Smoothie

Makes 2 small servings or 1 large

Ingredients:

1 tbsp hemp hearts

1 tbsp chia powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 big banana, or 2 smaller

2 big handfuls of spinach

1/3 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh

1 big stalk of celery

2 brazil nuts

1 cup of water

Blend all ingredients in a blender until completely combined. Add more water or lemon juice, to taste, if needed. Pour into a glass and drink up!

Snack healthy: If you’re going to snack, it may as well contain something that will make your body and skin smile from the inside out. Avocados do the trick — especially paired with walnuts and apple cider vinegar — packed with healthy fats and fiber, they help keep your blood sugar levels stable.

Avocado: Contains healthy fat that keeps the skin soft by hydrating from the inside. Avocado oil is said to prevent premature wrinkling and provide an array of beautifying vitamins to the body.

Walnuts: Rich with omega-3s and vitamin E. Omega-3s nourish the cells and are required by our bodies for optimal function. Vitamin E also helps keep the skin soft and moisturized.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Helps alkalize the body, reducing acidity, which leads to aging. Apple cider vinegar has also been shown to suppress fat storage in the body and aids in digestion by promoting the production of digestive enzymes

Stuffed Pesto Avocados

Makes 4-5 full avocados (8-10 halves)

Ingredients:

4-5 avocados

1/2 cup basil

1 tsp pressed garlic – use 1/2 tsp to start if you are not a big garlic fan. Full tsp for garlic lovers :)

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup walnuts

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp water

5 thinly sliced radishes

Sea salt and pepper to garnish

Blend basil, garlic, pine nuts, walnuts, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and water in a food processor or blender. Cut avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop out the avocado meat, setting the skins aside, and slice into small pieces, stir in a heaping teaspoon or two of the pesto and mix well.

Spoon the mixture back into the avocado skins and top with sliced radishes, a sprinkle of sea salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Add more pesto, if desired. Use leftover pesto for yams or veggies on toast, as sandwich spread.

Lunch: This crunchy bowl of mixed greens is full of vitamins, and tastes better than any other salad thanks to steamed veggies, kimchi, and a decadent dressing. It’s the best salad I have ever tasted… let it work its magic! 

Broccoli: Broccoli helps keep the body alkaline and has detoxing abilities and anti aging benefits. It’s high in minerals and vitamins, in particular vitamin A — which aids in collagen repair, keeping the skin supple and elastic — and vitamin k, which keeps bones strong.

Kimchi: A fermented food, kimchi is full of naturally-occurring healthy bacteria that help keep the flora of the gut healthy. The healthier the digestive system is, the better we are able to absorb nutrients from the food we eat!

Broccoli Zucchini Bowl

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 cup zucchini noodles (use a spirilizer, julienne peeler, or vegetable peeler)

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped spinach

1/2 cup kale

1/4 cup kimchi or sauerkraut

1/4 cup loosely packed chopped dill

For the dressing:

1 tsp finely grated ginger

1 tbs Braggs liquid aminos

1 tsp Ume plum vinegar

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Wash the zucchini and use the peeler of spirializer to cut it into noodles, stopping towards the center of the zucchini when the seeds show up. Roughly chop the zucchini noodles into 2 inch pieces. Steam the broccoli for 3 minutes, then plunge into cold water. Steam the spinach for 3 minutes until it turns bright green and cover with cold water.

Dry the vegetables off and mix the dressing. Toss the zucchini noodles, broccoli, spinach, chopped kale, sauerkraut and dill with the dressing for 3 minutes before serving.

Dinnertime: We eat to nourish our bodies and to feel beautiful and this Quinoa bowl is full of everything your body and skin needs. The veggies are steamed, which helps maintain all the necessary nutrients. 

Tahini (sesame seed paste): Sesame seeds are full of many nutrients, like zinc, and manganese, and are particularly high in copper. Copper supports the activity of an enzyme that is needed for the cross linking of collagen and elastin which is fundamental for the strength and elasticity of the skin.

Tahini Ginger Quinoa Bowl

Makes 2 full meals or 4 sides

Ingredients

Tahini Sauce:

2 ½ tbs tahini

1 tbs peeled and finely grated ginger

1 tsp pressed garlic

2 1/2 tbs raw honey

1 tbs water

3 tbs tamari

½ cup toasted sesame oil

Veggies:

1 cup quinoa

1 ½ cups cubed sweet potato

1 cup chopped kale

2 cups fine chopped purple cabbage

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 tbsp chopped green onion

Sesame seeds to garnish

Turmeric powder to garnish

Rinse and cook 1 cup of quinoa in two cups of water by bringing the quinoa and water to a boil then reducing heat and covering, allowing to simmer for 15 minutes.

Peel sweet potato or yam and cut into an 1″ pieces, either in small triangles or squares – just make sure they are the same size. Add potato to steamer and steam for 4 minutes, then add purple cabbage and steam for another 4 minutes. Add the kale to the steamer, stir well and leave in for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix with the cooked quinoa.

On medium heat, warm olive oil in a medium sauté pan and add onions. Once the onions are translucent — about 6 minutes — reduce heat and add the tahini sauce. Heat for one minute then toss with quinoa and vegetables. Top with green onions, sesame seeds and a pinch of turmeric to serve.

Drink fluids all day: Staying hydrated is key to beautiful skin. Drinking tea that tastes good is just an added bonus to also feeding the skin with antioxidants. The addition to the tea is that it contains immune-boosting ginger, goji berries and lemons. 

Lemon: Aids with digestion and helps support the liver. The liver removes toxins from the body, so the more we can provide support to our livers, the more detoxified our bodies stay, and ultimately the more smooth and radiant our skin will be.

Goji berries: Have amazing abilities to fight free radicals. They also contain loads of vitamin C, which is good for healthy skin, and potassium. The potassium in the goji berries help support the pituitary gland, which produces a hormone that helps us feel and look more youthful.

Ginger Tea

Ingredients:

6 cups of hot water

1/3 cup ginger sliced

Juice from 1/2 lemon, squeezed into the hot water

2 tbs goji berries

1 green tea bag

1 chamomile tea bag

Steep all ingredients in a small pot for 15 minutes. Add more water until desired taste is achieved. Strain tea from the mixture to drink, adding a few of the goji berries back into the cup to serve, or serve as is!

+ What do you eat to feel beautiful?

More beautiful recipe posts from the BLDG 25 blog!

Follow Kiara @tobruckave and Mikaela @mikaelareuben on Instagram!