Saving Grace
Serves 1
The name of this soup comes from the feeling it gives me on the initial days of a cleanse, it’s my saving grace! I get so hungry by mid day on the first few days and this soup makes it all better. It’s slightly smokey from the chipotle which gives real comfort and it’s rather filling too. On the nutritional front, it’s pretty impressive  - leafy greens contain crucial folic acid, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and proteins while avocado is a good source of healthy fats, folate, potassium and vitamin E. Chilies get your blood flow going are an abundant source of antioxidants and vitamin C.
Ingredients:
Cucumber, peeled and chopped
½ c coriander, washed and chopped  
40ml Lime Juice
2 tbsp Red Onion, peeled and chopped
2 handfuls Baby Spinach, washed
1 tsp chipotle chili, soaked till soft and chopped
¼ tsp Crystal Salt
½ Ripe Haas Avocado
1 tsp Flax/Linseed Oil

The Method:
Combine all ingredients except Flax Oil in a high speed blender and blend on high for 30 seconds or until it’s smooth. Turn the blender onto low speed and drizzle in the flax oil. This will create a little emulsification, making the soup thick, creamy and rich.

Sweet Fusion Soup
Serves 1
This soup reminds me of a a rich cooked tomato soup. It’s sweet, savoury and spicy - hits all the marks. It’ll certainly warm you up on a cool Spring evening.  Plus, carrots are on the list of good foods to eat for fertility -they are a delicious source of safe vitamin A which is crucial for fertility and hormone regulating.
Ingredients:
2 Blood Oranges, peeled and chopped into quarters
300g Carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, de-seeded, and chopped
1 Lime, peeled and chopped in half
1 inch piece Fresh Ginger
½ clove Garlic, sliced
½ Ripe Haas Avocado, peeled and de-stoned
1 tbsp Red Onion or Shallot, sliced
¼ tsp Crystal Salt
¼ c Coriander, cleaned and chopped

The Method
Juice the first five ingredients. Combine juice with the remaining ingredients, except coriander, in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Add the coriander at the end and blend to break down, so it appears as little specks in the soup. If you over blender the coriander into the soup it will turn it an unpleasant colour, but will still taste perfect. Eat straight away.

Supercharged Sweet Potato & Spice Smoothie
This smoothie is thick, luxurious and has the taste and consistency of Egg Nog without all the nasty stuff; Not to mention all the health and fertility benefits - Almonds are a great source of essential fatty acids, zinc, folic acid and vitamin E. Sweet Potato is a wonderful source of safe vitamin A and is hormone regulating. Linseed oil is brilliant for your daily dose of Omega 3 essential fatty acid. Cinnamon will assist with regulating your blood sugar and helping you curb the sugar cravings. And if that wasn’t enough, Bananas contain B6 and tryptophan, an amino acid that makes you chill out and feel good. Who couldn’t use a bit of that?

Serves 2
600ml  Nut Milk
150g Sweet Potato, peeled and diced
½  tsp Vanilla Powder
½  tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Maca
1 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg or ⅛ tsp nutmeg powder
2 tsp Coconut Syrup
200g Banana, peeled, sliced and frozen
2 tsp Linseed/Flax Oil

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender for about 30-45 seconds or until it’s smooth and creamy. Serve at once.

Omega Buzz
A true power house of a smoothie and great for an afternoon “pick me up and keep me going till dinner.” or as a meal replacement. Bee Pollen is a good source of vegan protein and helps promote a regular menstrual cycle and blood flow. It also contains B vitamins and minerals which are helpful for fertility. Hemp Seeds are a good source of both Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids. Blue Green Algae will give your immune system a boost and will regulate your metabolism. While chia seeds are probably your best source of vegan Omega 3.

Serves 2
Smoothie:
600ml Water
2 tbsp Shelled Hemp Seeds
250g Banana, sliced and frozen
1 tbsp Bee Pollen
1 - 3 tsp Blue Green Algae
2 tbsp Chia Gel


-Chia Gel
1 tbsp chia seeds
60 ml water

The Method
Make chia gel by combining seeds in a small bowl with ¾ c or 180ml water. After about 5-10 minutes of the seeds soaking in the water, whisk and then transfer to a small jar. Will keep in fridge for 4-5 days. Combine all smoothie ingredients in a high speed blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.

Spring Cleaning
We’ve all done it and, most likely, do it every year around this time… the big Spring clean. Get out all the old stuff that has built up in the house from Winter and the hibernation period it brought along with it. Winter can be a very difficult time for people to stay healthy, not just because of the cold weather, but the holidays can bring lots of stress and with that, comfort eating. Now is the time to Spring clean, not just your house, but your body too! I recommend a 3-7 day liquids cleanse to kick the warm months off to a good start and get rid of all the “old stuff” from Winter, including stuck or blocked energy. The following recipes are a small selection of what I include for the initial 2-3 days before I start a Juice Cleanse; I find these Smoothies and Soups really helpful in the transition along with juicing. An added bonus is that these recipes are loosely based around some key foods which are beneficial for fertility.

For the next 5 days i will post one recipe a day for you to try incorporating into your daily repertoire or for you to collect and use when you plan to take on a liquids or juice cleanse.
All recipes will be featured in the Spring Issue of Get Fresh Magazine.

Golden Milk
This beverage is especially beneficial for stiff joints and provides a source of lubrication for the entire system. Turmeric was used thousands of years ago, and still is used today in Hindu religious ceremonies. The spice is believed to improve fertility. It’s a good antioxidant, great for the immune system and wonderful for egg health. It is recommended by the creator of this original drink (which calls for dairy milk), Yogi Bhajan, that the turmeric is cooked through before being consumed. If you’d like to do this you can boil ¼ c water with the turmeric powder and then add to the blender with the remaining ingredients.

Golden Milk
Serves 2
600ml Nut Milk  (*recipe below)
1 tsp Liquid Sunflower Lecithin
¼  tsp Almond Essence
2 heaped tsp Raw Honey or Agave
2 tsp Dried Turmeric

Method:
Blend all ingredients in high speed until the sunflower lecithin has dissolved. You can blend until the milk is slightly warm for a nice, relaxing bed time drink.

Nut Milk:
1 c / 150g nuts (almond, whole hemp or brazil are my favourites)
3 c / 600ml  filtered water, use more water for a less creamy milk

Method:
Blend nuts and water together on high speed for 30 seconds or until creamy. Strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve. Dehydrate the nut pulp (not hemp) until dry, powder it in a high speed blender or coffee grinder and save for future use in crackers, breads or cakes and cookies.

Come back tomorrow for another Spring Cleaning recipe...