Summer Menu Planning

Shaved Asparagus Salad- Healthy Spiralized SPA food- on CourtneyPrice.com http://wp.me/p2e5e8-4Em

Memorial Day is around the corner, so it is time to think about summer menus. Sadly, my grill is not working, so I have been on the hunt for alternative ways to keep healthy eating interesting for now. I’m thinking I may have hit the jackpot with the new Inspiralized cookbook. This is exactly what I was looking for. Ali Maffucci hits it over the fence with a variety of delicious ways to work with seasonal produce that are quick and easy. The recipes present beautifully and make eating Spa Food at home the luxury that I wish I could find when we eat out.

Spiralizer-- Healthy SPA food- on CourtneyPrice.com http://wp.me/p2e5e8-4Em

Lately “zoodles” (zucchini noodles) are trending as the healthy paleo alternative to pasta. That’s why I initially got my spiralizer – to create a pasta alternative. I have two different kinds of spiralizer devices, but I prefer this Paderno Spiralizer, which comes with three different blades for different spiral outputs: linguine sized strands (pictured above), thicker strands, and ribboned. It cleans easily, saves prep time, and is safer to use than a mandolin. Maffucci’s cookbook sets the wheels in motion as far as what else you can do with the spiralizer – much more than zoodles, thank goodness.

[Tweet “Luxury Spa meals at home? Yes please. “]

The first salad shown above is Apples with Shaved Asparagus, Gorgonzola, and Pecans. It is absolutely delicious and took minutes to prepare. My husband is not a huge fan of asparagus, but when it is thinly sliced its flavor becomes less predictable. He loved this salad. These different cuts and textures change the flavors and how they combine with others. If there is a vegetable you do not particularly care for, try it with the spiralizer and you might be pleasantly surprised. (just wait until you see what she does with broccoli stems and jicama for example…)

Cucumber & Strawberry Salad- Healthy Spiralized SPA food- on CourtneyPrice.com http://wp.me/p2e5e8-4Em

This next salad is Cucumber Avocado, and Strawberry Salsa. I would not have thought of running a cucumber through the spiralizer, and I will definitely be doing so again soon. This salad is phenomenal- my husband loved it. It is quick and easy and has a nice flavor and texture balance. Spa food at home… luxury without the boarding pass. Honestly, these salads are so much quicker to make than regular salads. They just come together with ease.

Blueberry Sweet Potato Waffle- Healthy Spiralized SPA food- on CourtneyPrice.com http://wp.me/p2e5e8-4Em

This is the Blueberry Sweet Potato Waffle– very few ingredients, surprisingly delicious.
These are just the only three things we have tried so far. There is so much more, including breakfasts, sandwiches, soups, salads, pastas, desserts. So far we are super impressed and plan to continue discovering beautiful ways to keep the menu healthy.
Processed foods are nutritionally worthless and hard to avoid when eating out. Eating at home is the luxury we can afford, in the name of quality control. The problem is that seasonal produce can get boring if we don’t find ways to make it interesting. This beautiful cookbook offers delicious updates and ways to reconstruct meals as we used to know them. I am pleasantly amazed by every recipe we have tried so far. We will definitely be working our way through Inspiralized this summer.
Recommended for gluten-free eaters, vegetarians, paleos, or just people who like to eat a clean and nutritionally. Eating healthy should not mean you have to “take one for the team”. These recipes are so enjoyable and so visually appealing that I would proudly serve them when entertaining.