Lentils are also chock full of folate and magnesium, which promote general cardiovascular health and improve blood flow, making sure that oxygen and nutrients circulate healthily throughout the body. They are also a great source of calcium, zinc, and iron.

Barley is another great superfood. A huge source of soluble and insoluble fiber, barley is an excellent choice for weight loss, blood sugar management, lowering cholesterol and improving heart health. It’s a great source of antioxidants, low in fat, and is full of vitamin B, selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, and copper.

Mix up barley and lentils in the following recipe for an incredible source of nutrients!

 Source: Myrecipes

Barley and Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 20m| Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

3/4 cup quick-cooking barley
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
A dash of kosher salt and black pepper
1 medium head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
1 1/5-ounce can lentils, rinsed
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/4 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/4 English cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Cook the barley according to the package directions. Drain and run under cold water to cool.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

3. In a medium bowl, toss the lettuce with half the lemon dressing. In a second medium bowl, toss the barley, lentils, carrot, onion, olives, and cucumber with the remaining lemon dressing. Serve the barley mixture over the lettuce and sprinkle with the goat cheese.

Recipe Source: Realsimple.com 

The post Recipe: Barley and Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese appeared first on OctaSlider.

Photo Source: Chocolatefudgecafe

Raw Cacao is one of the more underrated superfoods that shouldn’t go ignored. In its raw form, raw cacao has the following health benefits: it lowers blood pressure, improves blood circulation, improves cardiovascular health, neutralizes free radicals, and improves digestion. It contains a multitude of essential vitamins and minerals, and is a delicious addition to smoothies, and in the recipe to follow! It’s a heart-core snack!

Cacao Walnut Fudge:

• 1 cup almond butter
• ½ cup cacao powder (raw)
• ¼ cup agave
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped.

Mix together almond butter, cacao powder and agave. It is easiest to to this with your hand. Once it is well combined, mix in the walnuts. You can put this in an 8 x 8 pan or use a mold.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Recipe source: www.laurafortefitness.com

The post Recipe: Raw Cacao Walnut Fudge appeared first on OctaSlider.

 Source: Fitsugar

Let me introduce you to the breakfast smoothie. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Make this easy smoothie and take it on the go before a workout, before work, or to start off a regular day!

BONUS: it contains THREE superfoods: cinnamon, almonds, and greek yogurt!!!

Ingredients

• 5 raw almonds
• 1 red apple
• 1 banana
• 2/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• ½ cup nonfat milk
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy!

Recipe source: Fitsugar.com

The post Recipe: Triple Superfood Breakfast Smoothie appeared first on OctaSlider.

Quinoa is known for helping lower cholesterol, reducing diabetes risk, lowering blood pressure, and supporting weight loss. Follow this superbly simple recipe to easily incorporate this superfood into your lifestyle!

Photo Source: Sheknows

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Quinoa

3 Cups Water

1 Large Handful fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Haas Avocado

1 Drizzle honey or Agave nectar (optional)

1 1/2 Cups Grape Tomatoes

1 Lemon or Lime

Directions

1. First, rinse quinoa thoroughly in a small strainer. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Put quinoa in water and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes).

2. While the quinoa is cooking, halve your tomatoes and cut up your avocado and cilantro.

3. Once the quinoa is cooked, drizzle w/ olive oil and agave or honey and sprinkle with salt, pepper.

4. Stir up the quinoa to release some heat and bring to room temperature.

5. Stir in avocado, tomato and cilantro, squeeze your citrus over this, toss and enjoy!

Pro Tip: for extra flavor, boil the quinoa in your choice of broth for extra flavor, using a 2 to 1 fluids to quinoa ratio.

Recipe Source: Tablespoon.com  

The post Recipe: Quinoa Salad appeared first on OctaSlider.

It’s healthy, delicious, and versatile. Give this a try, and you’ll be back for more!

Photo Source: Ilovekatz

Serves 4 | Prep Time 20 Minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
Dash of salt
Dash of black pepper
8 slices bread
8 oz smoked salmon (thinly sliced)
4 radishes (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
1 Granny Smith apple, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

Directions

1. Pour the oil into a medium-sized skillet set over medium heat. When warm, add the almonds and cook, tossing occasionally, until they turn golden, about three minutes. Add the curry powder, stir well, and cook until very fragrant, about one minute. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool for a few minutes. Then stir in the yogurt, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Spread the almond mixture on four slices of bread. Top each with two ounces of smoked salmon, a quarter of the radish slices, a quarter of the apple slices, and another slice of bread. Serve.

Pro tip: swap out the vegetable oil for extra virgin olive oil!

Recipe Source: Yummly.com 

The post Recipe: Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Curried Almonds appeared first on OctaSlider.

Here’s why: tuna is incredibly dense with nutrients. It’s packed with protein, which makes it a great choice for a post-workout meal. It’s got a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and improve eye health. Tuna protects against many cancers, especially those in the ovaries, pancreas, and the entire digestive track. Since tuna is filled with potassium, iron, and iodine, it helps improve blood flow and decreases stress. This helps to lessen cognitive decline and reduce your risk of alzheimers. You won’t want to forget how great tuna tastes! Tuna also helps detoxify the liver, which in turn gets rid of your body’s toxins. I’ve said a lot of great things about tuna, but in fact, I may have missed a few of its health benefits, which means that it would be an excellent ingredient to add to your diet.

Try it for lunch!

Photo Source: Recipe

Ingredients

3 ounces tuna packed in water, drained

2 tablespoons  balsamic vinaigrette

¼ cup  chopped celery

2 slices whole-grain bread

2 pieces romaine lettuce

Directions

1. Mix tuna, vinaigrette and celery. Place on bread with lettuce. Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Fitnessmagazine.com  

The post Recipe: Balsamic Tuna Salad Sandwich appeared first on OctaSlider.

Packing nearly two times the amount of potassium found in bananas, vitamins B, E, and K, high levels of monounsaturated fats, soluble and insoluble fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and carotenoids, avocados are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. They contribute to cardiovascular health, raise the levels of HDL (good cholesterol) while lowering levels of LDL (bad cholesterol that clogs arteries) in your body, suppresses appetite, and lowers the risk of colon cancer by cleansing the bowels. The vitamins in avocados are essential for boosting metabolism, maintaining the immune system and reproductive system, and enhancing bone and eye health.

Try the recipe below and see what the fuss is about!

Photo Source: Aharmonyhealing

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 banana, peeled and then frozen
½ cup frozen (or fresh) mango
½ small or medium avocado
1 cup spinach
1 ¼ cup almond milk (soy, oat, rice, or hemp milk are also fine)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place all smoothie ingredients in your blender and blend till very smooth and creamy. Add a little more almond milk as needed, or a few ice cubes if you want it to be frostier!

Recipe Source: Food52.com

The post Recipe: Avocado Smoothie appeared first on OctaSlider.

Kale is linked with anti-cancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Other health benefits of this leafy green include eye- and bone-health promotion, lowering cholesterol and risk of heart disease. In the recipe to follow, strawberries are a main ingredient. This make it doubly as healthy. Strawberries are absolutely delicious, but beyond that, they’re full of antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. This helps prevent some cancers, lower blood pressure, boost immunity, keep away wrinkles and make your skin glow. They also help lower cholesterol and have an anti-inflammatory effect.  Last but not least, strawberries are low in calories, fat-free, and low in sodium and sugar, making them a perfect pair for a Kale smoothie.

Try it out! I assure you, it’s delicious.

Source: Everyoneeatsright.com

Ingredients

1 tightly packed cup of kale, washed and chopped

1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries

1 cup of non-fat or low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt

up to 1 cup of ice

Directions

1. Place the kale, strawberries and yogurt into your blender.

2. On full strength, blend the ingredients together until the kale looks like it is finely incorporated into the smoothie

3. Enjoy!

recipe source: Jessica Zack, BuiltLean.com 

The post Recipe: Strawberry and Kale Smoothie appeared first on OctaSlider.

This cacao green smoothie is full of healthy ingredients to energize you pre- or post-workout. It’s also a great morning smoothie. The following recipe contains an enormous amount of potassium from banana, iron from spinach, protein from peanut butter, and antioxidants and magnesium from raw cacao powder. You’ll be getting multiple servings of vegetables all in one large glass! Always try and opt for the healthiest version of each ingredient to ensure that you’re body is getting a large amount of nutrients.

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana

• 2-3 heaping handfuls of spinach

• 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter (natural)

• 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder

• 1-1.5 cups almond (soy or regular) milk

Directions

Blend all the ingredients and enjoy!

Yes, this smoothie looks a bit frightening at first, but it all comes together and tastes great! #IsItInYOU?

Recipe source: Neverhomemaker

The post Recipe: Cacao Green Smoothie appeared first on OctaSlider.

Photo credit: ciaofromdebbie.com

This easy, raw salad is a great way to refuel after your workout. Colourful and packed with nutrients, it’s perfect for a grab and go meal.

OctaSlaw:

2 thinly sliced apples (your choice – Gala or Fuji work well)

3 grated carrots

2 grated beets

1 thinly slicked red onion

cilantro

mint

juice from 1 lemon

pinch of sea salt

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and toss together, making sure the lemon juice covers everything evenly.

The post Recipe: Raw OctaSlaw appeared first on OctaSlider.