Life is Nectar | Abu Dhabi

“The nectar collected by the bee is the spirit and sap of the plant, its sweetest juice.” Stephanie Rosenbaum

I have noticed that a lot of my posts are focused on eating and drinking and unintentionally this blog is fast becoming mostly about food, drink and general overindulgence. Basically, my life appears to revolve around eating out, drinking too much and coffee dates (I’m not complaining) so in order to redress the balance, this post brought to you on World Vegetarian Day (after all I am a vegetarian albeit not a particularly good one) is still about food and drink but this time of the healthy variety and some exercise too!

Colourful and tasty options available at Nectar (source:www.facebook.com/pages/Nectar)

I have been participating in weekly Pilates classes at the Bodytree studio (read previous post Finding My Inner Core) for the past four years, firstly at its former original smaller shared location when it was known as Soma Pilates and Yoga Tree and from summer 2012 at its new home in a spacious converted villa.

My reformer class at Bodytree studio

Welcome back after the summer hiatus from Nectar

One of my favourite things about Bodytree moving to its new location, apart from the obvious addition of more space, dedicated large and airy exercise rooms, changing facilities, easy parking (not so much at the moment with the demolition/rebuilding of a mosque opposite and the relaying a whole street of drains at the same time, welcome to the world of Abu Dhabi planners) and the increased class schedule, was the introduction of the Nectar cafe in the refurbished kitchen area.

The interior and exterior of Nectar located inside Bodytree

The popular juice bar is the brainchild of former chef Mira Naaman and is a very welcome addition to the capitals healthy choices. Alongside the extensive juice and smoothie menu, Naaman has just introduced a range of healthy Raw Energy bites.

The newly introduced and delicious Raw Energy bites

A new look Juices and Smoothies menu

A creature of habit, I always have the ‘Sustain(able) Energy’ juice, a blend of spinach, apple, pineapple, celery, cucumber, avocado and lime. I always ask the lovely ladies who create these marvellous drinks to omit the cucumber and replace it with banana and then either add a shot of chia seeds or scoop of whey protein. I can’t tell you how delicious this creation is, really I’m not exaggerating it’s fantastic! Every week I think I must try another option but I always cave to the lure of the Sustain(able) Energy.

My Sustain(able) Energy juice

Homegrown Organic Wheatgrass

All of the juices and smoothies can be tailored to individual requirements, suiting all taste buds and as well as the chia seeds and whey protein there’s the option to add a range of organic extras such as goji berries, flaxseed, manuka honey, acai powder or freshly grown organic wheatgrass. The addition of the healthy bites, after a week of free samples, has been well received at the studio. I bought some of the Antioxidant Powerhouse balls, a tasty concoction of organic dates, flaxseeds, chia seeds, goji berries, coconut oil, raw cocoa powder, walnuts and cinnamon. Also on offer were Tahini Dream and Lemon Meringue varieties.

A perfect place to relax and enjoy a healthy beverage post exercise

The fresh juice and smoothies are not only very tasty but help towards the recommended consumption of five fruit and vegetables servings per day. Preparing the beverages to individual order with fresh ingredients helps preserve essential vitamins and nutrients that usually have a very short life span once the fruit or vegetables have been prepared in some way, so the yummy goodness really is a win win on all fronts!

Some of the range of Nectar drinks (source:Lifeisnectar Instagram)

Nectar juice bar only uses natural and organic products even making their own homemade peanut butter and growing the wheatgrass in-house. If you are looking for a healthy beverage with no added sugar, preservatives or hidden calories, made to order with fresh ingredients for full nutritional goodness then look no further than Nectar.

Sharing is caring, take your favourite juice or smoothie home to share with family

Not only can you enjoy your juice/smoothie after class (pre-ordering is also all available so it’s ready and waiting in the fridge post class) but you can buy large bottles to take home for the whole family to enjoy.

‘Down to Earth’ organic retailer visits Nectar bi-monthly (source:www.facebook.com/Bodytree)

As if that’s not enough good reasons to visit the cafe, there’s also a loyalty card programme (stamp for every drink purchased and 10th drink free) and Nectar hosts bi-monthly visits from the ‘Down to Earth’ organic food retailer so you can purchase healthy items such as chia seeds, flaxseed, almond milk, nutrition bars and so much more to stock at home.

Nectar