Pomegranate Acai Milkshake Recipe

This pomegranate acai drink is one of the many I make for breakfast after my morning workouts. I'm no nutritionist, but this drink works for me. It's filled with "superfoods". During the winter we almost always have freshly pressed pomegranate juice (here's why) in the refrigerator. To this fruit juice, I blended in some bananas, pure acai juice and mung beans for extra protein. 

It's delicious, plus it keeps me energetic and full until lunch time. Check out my other protein drinks; every day I blend a few ingredients, alternating between fresh fruits and vegetables, various kinds of milk and other sources of protein such as whey or soy protein. 

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup Recipe

Since we arrived in Paris, my husband Lulu and I have taken the opportunity to have romantic getaways in Europe and leave baby Aria with my parents. My parents are thrilled to get to have time alone with their granddaughter, and thankfully, so is Aria. As the crazy mom that I am, I've left a long list of instructions for my mom to ensure the happy well-being of my baby girl, and that includes what she eats. Ever since Aria started eating solid food, I've managed to feed her only homemade baby food. I use the term baby food loosely, since I only feed Aria food that I would also eat.

I've taught Maman one of Aria's favorite soups: roasted bell pepper soup. It's a healthy blend of lentils, brown rice and roasted bell peppers. When Lulu and I came home, there was still some soup left, so we all ate it as a first course. I garnished it with sweet basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It's fantastic!

Creme de Betterave (Cold Beet Soup Recipe)

We just picked our last large batch of beets from the garden. I steamed the candy striped beets, red beets and golden beets and blended them with a mixture of bean and rice porridge (I used mung beans). I've started introducing new foods to my 9-month old baby Aria, and the natural sweetness from the beets works well for infants.

It's pretty nutritious and filling for adults too, so I served the same dish for the family dinner but with a twist. I added pistachio paste for extra flavor and coarsely crushed pistachios for crunch. And for the dinner presentation, I topped the thick soup with goat cheese-infused cream. Who said "baby" food can't be delicious?

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Natural Protein Shake Recipe (Smoothie)

This drink is made with mango purée, orange juice and a banana. The banana gives a smooth texture to the drink; cooked mung beans add protein and tie the flavors together.

I've read that eating breakfast is one of the keys to successfully losing weight. Since I've been waking up at the wee hours of the morning to work out for 45 minutes before starting the day, I want to stack the deck in my favor. A protein shake is the perfect choice for me because I'm not very big on breakfast (unless it's crêpes!).

Tofu Eggroll Recipe

I finally made my own soy milk. I had a lot of fun squeezing the boiled, blended soy beans and collecting the liquid. I got the girls to help me out. We used the solid remnants, called okara or soy bean paste, to fill eggrolls. I'm telling you, nothing goes to waste in our home! If you don't have time to make okara (because it's quite time-consuming), you can buy it ready made in Korean markets.

To make the eggrolls, I blended the soy bean paste mixture with matchstick-cut fried potatoes, wood ear mushrooms, bean thread noodles and fried tofu. It’s packed with protein and makes a great substitute for meat. I served the eggrolls with the usual accompaniments: vermicelli rice noodles, Vietnamese herbs and shredded cucumber. You’ll love it!