Acai, Apple and Dates Ice Pops

Discover another delicious way to eat fruits this summer! Nothing is better than an all-natural, no sugar added, homemade fruit Popsicle to cool off from the heat. Let’s try to keep our family eating as healthy as possible, and in summertime, that means making our own popsicles.

Fruit pops are a perfect snack for the whole family, especially for the kids who love a sweet treat. The family will be able to enjoy a healthy and naturally sweetened dessert made with real fruit and filled with vitamins and minerals.

Take advantage of the fruit’s natural sweetness to create 100% wholesome and delicious juice combinations for your popsicles. These ice pops are completely vegan, low fat and gluten free. It is also recommended that you use organic and local produced fruits to enjoy the full benefits that nature has to offer.

Another tip is using natural sweeteners like honey, Agave nectar and Stevia; or adding another sweet fruit like dates to your ice pops’s juice mixture instead of adding refined sugar or artificial sweeteners.

GRACIEMAG have selected the 6 coolest most refreshing all natural fruit pops flavors for you to make it at home this summer! These recipes are simple and easy to make. Check it out:

Watermelon

Ingredients:

½ Seedless Watermelon

Directions:

Cut the watermelon into cubes and throw it in a blender. The sweeter your watermelon, the better it will be. If it is not too sweet you can add 2tbsp. of honey or Agave nectar. Then, If you don’t have a potent blender you might need to add a little bit of water (or you can use coconut water for extra flavor) so you can blend the watermelon until it becomes a smooth fruit juice.  Now, just pour the liquid into the molds and leave it in the freezer for a few hours. It makes about 12 Pops.

Avocado coconut

Ingredients:

2 Hass avocado
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup of dried coconut (unsweetened shredded)

Directions:

Scoop out flesh of ripe avocado and place into blender. Add in coconut milk. Blend until batter is smooth. Mix in the shredded coconut. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze. To remove frozen pops from the molds, bring it under running water for a few seconds.

Coconut

Ingredients:

2 green coconuts (meat)

1 cup coconut water

2 tbsp. Honey

Directions:

Scoop out the meat of the green coconuts (or look for frozen coconut meat in market). Then, blend it with coconut water and honey. Pour the mix into the Popsicle molds and freeze it.

Acai

Ingredients:

2 pure unsweetened Acai frozen pulps

4 apples

1 cup seedless Dates

Directions:

Run apples in a juicer to extract the apple juice. Then, blend it with the Acai pulp and Dates until batter is smooth. Pour into ice pop molds and put it in the freezer.

Grape

Ingredients:

5 cups of sweet grapes

1/2 cup water

2-3 tbsp. Honey (optional)

Directions:

After simmering the grapes on the stove with a little bit of water, just pressed them into a strainer to extract the juice. Then, add honey and freeze the mixture in the Popsicle trays. Leave it in the freezer for about 4 hour before serving.

Papaya Melon

Ingredients:

1 Papaya

2 C Melon

½ cup coconut water

1 tbsp. Honey (optional)

Directions:

Take the seeds out of the papaya and the melon. Scoop the flash of the fruits and mix into a blender with a little bit of coconut water and honey. Pour the mix in the pops molds and freeze it. Leave it in the freezer for at least 4 hour before serving.

Raw Chocolate Nib Brownies | Recipe by nutritionist Fernanda Mello

Not all desserts are created equal, or equally bad. Do you know a low calorie dessert full of healthy nutrients? Yes! So, this recipe is perfect for you, a person who has a sweet tooth but still wants to keep a healthy diet. This raw chocolate brownie will charge your body with energy! Thus, you should best use it as a snack before your Jiu Jitsu training or workout.  Enjoy it!

Ingredients

2 cups (about 200g) dates, pitted

1¼ cup walnuts, ground finely

1 cup almonds, ground finely

¼ cup pistachios, shelled and ground finely

1 cup cocoa powder

¼ cup cacao nibs

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil, melted

2 teaspoons espresso powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

Dash of cinnamon

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, ground the walnuts, almonds, and pistachios until fine (I prefer to leave a couple chunks).

Next add in the pitted dates, little at a time helps, using your tamper from the blender or gently using a spatula to scrape the sides. Repeat pulsing and blending until the mixture has come together. Add in cocoa powder. Pulse to combine again.

In a large mixing bowl, pour this mixture, add in melted coconut oil, cacao nibs, and remaining ingredients. Using a spatula or your hands, stir.

In a lined (with parchment paper) 7×7 square pan, pour the brownie mixture in and start to evenly press down until you form a brownie layer.

Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Cut into squares.

Store in the freezer for a later snack or serve immediately!

Notes

Use high quality cocoa powder; I like using raw cocoa powder for a rich taste.

Use raw and unsalted nuts and adjust sea salt to taste.

The smaller the pan you use the thicker the brownie will be, the larger pan you use the thinner the brownie will be.

Fruit Salad

The Gracie diet says fruits are essential part of healthy eating. Marco Gracie Imperial, grandson of Carlos Gracie, knows the diet from birth. He argues that the proper combination of foods as researched by his grandfather for decades, purifies the blood and prevents diseases.

Today he shows here a fruit salad recipe for you to enjoy during summertime!

Gracie Fruit Salad:

Sweet Oranges cut into small pieces

Fresh figs, only the red part

Papaya

Pear

Red apple

Peeled sweet Grapes

Persimmon

Honey to taste over

Preparation:

Cut the fruits into small pieces. Put everything in a big bowl and top it with honey. Serve it fresh!

The classic Gracie Diet Acai

The acai, fruit that is found in large quantity in Pará, north of Brazil, is already known worldwide for its energizing properties. It is a traditional meal for Jiu-Jitsu athletes and other sportsmen. In a bowl, juice, ice cream or jellies are some of the ways people consume this fruit nowadays. But the question that GRACIEMAG brings you today is: How do you prepare your acai at home?

The form most commonly found in restaurants, markets and juice stores in Brazil and here in the U.S. is a combination of acai pulp mixed sometimes with some other fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc.) and guarana syrup, which is made from a Brazilian berry found in the amazon, or honey. Now, how about trying the classic Gracie Diet Acai and, once and for all, review your concepts about this fruit’s flavor?

Following the diet compiled by Carlos Gracie, the guarana syrup does not enter the recipe, since it’s something processed and rich in sugars. Instead, just use dates. And to give a little more flavor to the acai bowl, how about a few apples? Check out the recipe below:

Ingredients:

2 sweet apples

12 dates

250ml pure Acai (unsweetened)

Preparation:

Pass the apples in the juicer to separate the juice. Instead of water, mix apple juice with the acai pulp, already crushed. Then add the dates, already pitted, and beat everything in a blender.

Now just enjoy your Gracie Diet Acai and good training!

Zucchini Spaghetti

Zucchini, as a part of the summer squash family, offers delightful taste and texture to many dishes and also carries with it many health benefits.

Vitamin A and C, as well as Folate, found in zucchini act as powerful antioxidants that fight oxidative stress that can lead to many different types of cancer. Eating Zucchini will help to fight cholesterol from oxidizing in the body’s blood vessels. These Vitamins not only serve the body as powerful antioxidants, but as effective anti-inflammatory agents as well.

Zucchini also contains magnesium, a mineral proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Because it is high in dietary fiber, it aids in digestion, prevents constipation, and maintains low blood sugar. Along with magnesium, the potassium found in zucchini helps lower blood pressure. Both the potassium and magnesium in zucchini can help alleviate the stress on the body’s circulatory system.

Finally, it is rich in manganese, which helps the body metabolize protein and carbohydrates, participates in the production of sex hormones, and catalyzes the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol. Manganese is essential for the production of Proline, and amino acid that allows collagen to form, thus allowing for healthy skin and proper wound healing.

With so many health benefits we cannot leave Zucchinis out of the diet. Today, learn how to create a laudable recipe with this delicious Vegan Zucchini Spaghetti by Adriana Gracie.

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of chopped garlic

3 tbsp. of dried sweet tomato pesto

3 large fresh sliced mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

Herbs Provence to taste

Black pepper to taste

Olive Oil and Salt to taste

Preparation:

To make the spaghetti I used a machine that cuts vegetables in various formats, including spaghetti, but if you do not have this little machine, you can use a vegetable peeler to make the Zucchini strips. The strips format will come out of your zucchini; however, will be like noodles, not spaghetti. Thus, you can also use a coarse grater to spend the zucchini along its length, it also works out very well.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté onions along with the garlic. Then add the spaghetti squash and season with a little pepper and salt to taste. When the zucchini starts to fade, add the pesto of dried tomatoes and stir everything, leave for 3 more minutes, but be careful not to let the zucchini long into the fire so it does not get too soft. Remove it from heat and set aside. In another pan heat a wire of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, red peppers and season it with pepper and salt to taste. This recipe makes 2 portions. Therefore, place half of the spaghetti squash on each plate, and top each serving of spaghetti adding half the mushrooms and peppers mix, if desired sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Enjoy it!

Healthy Veggie Pasta | Recipe by Carol Gracie

Learn how to make a nutritious Quinoa Fusilli Pasta with Mix Veggies and a homemade Sweet Tomato Sauce.

This is a very fulfilling meal, perfect for lunch or dinner. It is still low calorie and low fat in case you are worried about not gaining a few extra pounds and in keeping your heart healthy. It contains all natural ingredients, including the sauce. And because it is homemade does not carry any preservatives. Everything is fresh!

In this recipe, you can still use regular whole grain pasta. However, we made an option for gluten free Quinoa pasta because it is nutrient-rich and is an impressive plant-based source of protein.

Quinoa is packed with many vitamins and minerals including:

• Heart-healthy monounsaturated fat (oleic acid), and omega-3 fatty acid (a-linolenic acid)
• Antioxidant phytonutrients called flavonoids
• Essential minerals including manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper, selenium
• Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, E,
• Soluble and insoluble fiber

Ingredients:

1lb Quinoa Gluten Free Fusilli Pasta

1lb Mix Veggies:

Sliced Carrots

Broccolis Florets

Red Peppers Strips

Onions Strips

Sliced Mushrooms

Sugar Snap Peas

Baby Cut Cob Corn

Sliced Water Chestnuts

1tbls. Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Preparation:

In a large pot, bring water to boil, adding olive oil and sea salt, if desired. Add pasta and mixed veggies. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Do not overcook. Remove pasta with veggies from heat and drain thoroughly. Then, mix it in the tomato sauce and serve. 4-5 servings.

Sweet Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 (14.5 ounce) sweet petite-diced tomatoes

1 (28 ounce) sweet crushed tomatoes

1 onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons dried basil, or to taste

2 cloves garlic, pressed

Preparation:

Combine diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, onion, basil, and garlic in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, 30 minutes.

Be healthy and enjoy!

consulting by nutritionist Fernanda Mello