Anti Inflammatory Tropical Turmeric Smoothie and Bowl

Oh what I wouldn't give for a day or two on a tropical island right about now.  A few swaying palms, a hammock strung between them, and someone serving me frosty drinks with a touch of coconut...

Well, I may not be able to swing the hammock, but the drink?  I've got us covered!

Frosty and sweet with island pineapple and luscious mango, this smoothie brings not only a bit of an escape, but a few health benefits along with it.

Last month Mom's doc prescribed turmeric for joint pain and inflammation, and we've been working all angles to get more turmeric into her diet. Her knees and hips have been giving her trouble lately with chronic pain and we're up for trying anything to bring a bit of relief.

Recommended by the Arthritis Foundation to fight inflammation and chronic pain, turmeric dates back some 4,000 years to Southern India and Indonesia where history shows its use medicinally as well as as a beauty aid, spice and in the worship of the Sun Gods.

Years later Buddhist monks traveled great distances in search of the roots to dye their robs those familiar brilliant yellow/golden hues.  Evidence also shows medicinal use of turmeric as part of ancient Chinese medicine as an aid in digestion and for both the prevention and therapy of numerous diseases.

So what's the big deal with this golden hued root?  Research shows that curcumin, an antioxidant found in turmeric, works to promote a natural inflammatory response by molecularly inhibiting the expression of the COX-2 "pain" enzyme (1).  While curcumin extracts provide the most concentrated doses of the helpful antioxidant, we can supplement throughout the day with turmeric root in recipes for additional benefits and, as an added bonus, exotic flavors.

I'm by no means an expert on turmeric, but I can tell you mom has experienced slight relief since beginning her use of the root.  Power of suggestion?  Maybe.  But whatever the reason she's feeling a little better and we've all begun incorporating more turmeric into our diets (Note that curcumin is far better absorbed by the body when accompanied by a small dose of ground pepper) and enjoying so many new recipes in the process.

So, tropical and healthful?  This smoothie, or smoothie bowl, has it all.  Pineapple and ginger are wonderful for digestion and sweetness, mango brings even more of the lovely orange/golden hues, and a dash of coconut lends an essence of my beloved swaying palms.

Whether sipped with a straw or poured into a bowl and topped with your favorite smoothie bowl goodies (banana, chia, granola and goji top my list of favorites!), this Tropical Turmeric Smoothie is a welcome post workout refresher or as a bowl filled with goodies, a lovely way to start your day.

Smoothie turned smoothie bowl with the addition of toppings!  This one includes mandrin orange, banana, chia seeds, goji berries, granola and a sprinkle of coconut!

Coconut Sweet Potato Soup plus Abound Sweet Potato Treats for your Pup!

Chock-full of disease-fighting, cancer-preventing and immune-boosting properties, one may understand that sweet potatoes are healthy, perhaps even super healthy, but most may not think of them as life saving.  With massive amounts of beta carotene and twice the fiber of regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins C and E, contain iron and magnesium, and rate low on the glycemic scale providing a slower sugar release with less effect on blood glucose levels.

But it's the ease of digestibility that helped save my dog's life.  Many of you will remember our two Maltese pups, Kona and Tavo.  It's been a tough year for these little guys (Our sweet Tavo passed away in early October from a genetic issue), and a bout with canine pancreatitis almost did Kona in.

Lethargic and sicker than I've seen any dog, the vet provided IV fluids and strict instructions to use a low-fat prescription dog food diet after a 24 hours fast.  We got him through the first 24 hours and he woke feeling much better.  We started the prescription food and within an hour he was sick again.  This happened twice more over the next week with multiple rushed visits to the vet for more fluids.  Taking to the internet to research foods and pancreatitis I found sources recommending rice and sweet potato time and again.

Discarding the vet food, I began making my own beginning with the highly digestible rice and sweet potato combo for 48 hours.  Slowly we began adding more and more foods, but the sweet potato remained constant, and the dog once again began to thrive.

With 6 small meals a day (including one in the middle of the night...), making dog food in addition to feeding my family got old fairly quickly.  We've since found a very low fat canned food with the special ingredients his finicky stomach can tolerate supplemented with homemade ingredients (and reduced feedings to 3 times a day... none at night!), but had not found a suitable treat until an offer from Abound Natural Pet Food arrived by email.

Offering to send us a few sample bags of their grain-free superfood treats, the words "sweet potato" as a main ingredient brought my answer to definite "yes, please!".  Receiving a box with treats and a few toys, Abound also suggested a challenge should we be pleased with the products.  Since our pup would be enjoying the super food ingredients, would we create a human dish with one of the ingredients as well?

Well... you know me and a food challenge!  But, would Kona take to the treats?  He's possibly the finickiest dog in existence, and I'll admit I had worry he would turn up his nose.  Trying the Sweet Potato Sticks with Blueberries (Ingredients:  Sweet Potato, Citrus Fiber and Blueberries - Crude Fat .5%) first I got a little lick, then a no go.  Ok, a new food, I get it.  But let's try the Free Fish Sweet Potato Sticks (Ingredients:  Sweet Potato, Salmon, Whitefish, Citrus Fiber and Cranberry - Crude Fat: 12.2%).  Again a little lick and a turn of the head...  But then just as quickly a turn of the head right back and he took the treat out of my hand!  For him, unprecedented as new foods almost always take 10-15 tries to get past.

Since our first try the Fish Sweet Potato version is still a favorite, but now he never turns down a Sweet Potato Blueberry stick either.  We've been putting them into his chew toys where he has to work to get to the treat and he works tirelessly to get those little treats out.  I think he loves the crunch of these sticks as many other treats are soft and not as appealing to my picky little guy.

And I love the ingredients - actually real food.  I love that they are grain-free, low in fat, free of fillers and do not contain soy, animal by-product meal or anything artificial.  And I love that I don't have to cook them myself.  Abound... yes, he loves the treats, and I'm up for the challenge!

Human food with sweet potato?  Not a problem!  How about a little Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut and a squeeze of lime?

Silky in texture, this plant-based soup fills your bowl with all sorts of healthy ingredients and like the treats, no artificial fillers.  Sweet potatoes we already know enter the superfood category, and turmeric and ginger only serve increase the soup's healthy ingredient potential.  Onions, garlic, coconut and lime?  Well they all bring their own health benefits, but they also lend a touch of the tropics to our cooling temperatures - don't laugh... our high yesterday was only 65º.  Positively freezing for us here in San Diego and yes Kona is sitting in his heated bed.

So whether you are looking for a healthy dish in the midst of your holiday festivities or a meal to warm you to your toes on these chilly days, this soup's for you.  Just don't forget to pass an Abound Superfood Treat to your little buddy while you're eating.