Kale Summer Salad Recipe & Raw Food Detox

Raw food. It's full of nutrients and has enzymes and has some pretty powerful effects on the body. I think you will love this quick youtube video from David Wolfe, who explains the power of raw food and of enzymes on the body. It will make you want to eat this kale salad. I promise. ;)

Speaking of this kale salad, it's delish. Here's how you make it. 


To make the salad...  

Choose a big bunch of organic kale. I used purple kale. Rinse it and allow to dry (or pat dry).

Remove the stems and chop it into bite size pieces. Place into a big bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt. Use your hands and massage the kale. This helps to improve the taste and break it down.

Add

• Chopped Mango
• Sliced Avocado
• Raw Pumpkin Seeds

To make the dressing: 

In a small bowl, combine equal parts cold pressed olive oil and lemon juice. Depending on how much kale you have, you may need to add some, but I used 2 Tbsp. each. Add 1/2 tsp. raw honey, salt and pepper. Whisk until it becomes creamy and thick. Pour on top of salad and mix. Let the dressing sit on the kale for 5-10 min. 

It's a really good summer salad. Kale is so good for you, but I know some people have trouble with the flavor. Add a little more honey to the dressing at first if that helps you eat it. It's so good for you, it's worth it!  Check out the benefits of kale here at One Green Planet.

Raw Food Detox ~ Clean out that body!

One really cool way to clean up your health is through a raw food detox. My sister and brother in law recently did a 3 day raw food only cleanse. I asked her to summarize how it went for anyone who was interested in trying this. She had some pretty cool things happen. (And some not so cool, as you will usually feel worse before you feel better as your body is cleansing itself of its toxins).

It's always a good idea to check with your doc if you have any major health conditions before doing a cleanse. And, it's also a good idea to be guided. But, a raw food cleanse is a good option because you can still eat - no maple syrup & pepper diets : ) If you are interested in this, and want to ease your way into it (a gentler approach - less intense symptoms), add lots of raw food to your diet first. Gradually switch to all raw for a few days. Drink LOTS of water.
Here's some more info...

Just a quick note to you mamas or mamas to be: Jennifer (a really awesome, positive raw foodie who lives is Thailand)  from healthybliss.net, says that for those of child bearing age (and desire:), the best time to cleanse is right before you get preggo. You don't want to cleanse during or while nursing, as to prevent your baby from getting extra toxins that are released through your bloodstream.

Anyway, here's my fab sister in law's account of her raw food cleanse. She's a mom of 2 and amazing writer, too.

A Detox has been on my to-do list for years. So when my inspiring sister-in-law suggested a raw foods fast as a great starting detox, I was game. I even convinced my husband to join me! Honestly, I went into the fast with a bit of a cocky attitude; after all I’ve been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 20 years – how hard could this be?

Turns out, pretty hard. However, those three days of eating nothing but raw foods revealed several important things to me. First, eating raw takes time and planning. My husband and I were both surprised when we were still munching away on our lunch of apples and peanut butter, carrots, cucumber spears and homemade salsa, blueberries, and raw almonds 20 minutes after we sat down. You can’t down a raw foods meal in under 10 bites in 3 and half minutes, which I am often guilty of even with healthy, vegetarian lunches. The raw meal itself forced us to slow down, and it was nice.

We also learned that you certainly can’t wing it when eating raw. My husband left the fast after meal four at an office luncheon where it would have been weird to bring a bag lunch, and there were zero raw options. His “vegetarian” lunch of chips and a cookie left him starving and uninterested in continuing the fast.

I have to be honest, the experience of ridding the body of toxins isn’t particularly pleasant. I was starving half-way through the first day and developed an all-day headache the second. By the third day I felt slightly nauseated, and my eliminations were, uh, different. My husband lost six pounds with just a day and a half of eating raw. Now, we had also just returned from a week vacation, but the fast certainly put him back on a healthy track with the exception of that fateful luncheon. He did experience a little bit of nausea and some elimination differences even with just four meals. If it feels unpleasant coming out, I can only assume that the toxins are much worse staying in.

Its funny, all these years I’ve resisted a vegan diet because life without cheese didn’t seem worth living. So, I assumed that I would miss cheese the most during the three-day fast. Surprisingly, cheese didn’t even cross my mind; I craved brown rice and oatmeal. I think I might have even dreamed about bowls of dense whole grains. The cravings were particularly intense on the first day, and I spent a lot of time fixated on what I couldn’t eat. But, I had a revelation over a bowl of beautiful organic strawberries and mangoes on the second day. Eating raw organic fruits and vegetables full of vitamins and nutrients with the ability to fuel my body isn’t a sacrifice, it’s a privilege. It’s a privilege that many, many people on this planet do not have access to or means to enjoy. So, I left my raw foods fast feeling grateful, and then I ate a very large bowl of the most delicious oatmeal I’ve ever eaten.

Veggie Mexican Bowl

Ok y'all - this is a really good recipe. Promise.

My hubby asked me to make this every week. It's super easy, even he could make it ;)

An added bonus - it's really healthy. Full of fiber, protein, vitamins and nutrients. Great if you are trying to lower cholesterol or lipids.
It's dairy free, gluten free, and vegan. Even though we aren't completely vegan, we try to eat lots of vegan food and mostly avoid dairy and animal products. Try making one of your meals vegetarian every week. I bet you'll end up eating more veggies!

I came up with this because I wanted to eat at Moe's, but I was already at the grocery store, and figured I'd try to make a burrito bowl (minus the tortilla).

Grocery List:

• Brown Rice
• 1 Cucumber (Chopped in small pieces)
• 1 Avocado (Chopped in small pieces)
• 1 Bunch Cilantro (Chopped)
• 1 Can Olives (Chopped)
• 1 Can Black Beans (with or without sauce)
• 1 Jar Salsa

Cook the brown rice. (boil 2 1/4c. water, then add 1 c. brown rice for 30-45 minutes)
Add the brown rice to the bottom of the bowl.
Add your toppings (chopped cucumber, avocado, cilantro, olives, beans and salsa). I used extra, extra cilantro because I love it. Plus, it has some amazing properties - aids in digestion, anti-inflammatory agents, and even reduces mood swings and cramping associated with PMS. Check out more about the amazing power of Cilantro! Here's another article on cilantro and detoxing.

Easy enough?

Happy health!

I ate it with blue corn chips. YUM                            Hubby ate his in about 5 minutes.

Eating Seasonally and Gazpacho Recipe

Eating seasonally allows you to eat the freshest and tastiest foods, based on where you live. It also helps you sync up with your environment. 
Historically, people grew and ate their own foods, and needed certain nutrients and foods depending on where they lived.  Their gardens and farms provided what they needed. For example, someone living in Alaska may not do so well eating a raw food diet (cooling foods), whereas someone in Jamaica, may feel better eating more raw fruits and veggies. 


Today, we can do that with local farmers markets and growing veggies in our garden. Though we can get just about any food we want from anywhere in the world, it's good to eat locally as much as possible. 
Next time you're grocery shopping, notice where your produce comes from. Try to buy locally - or at least from the US. It will limit your options, but is an interesting experiment. 


I love soup, but  it's getting a little warm to be eating hot soup. Gazpacho is a great option - it's a cold soup and won't make you feel like an inferno when your eating it in the middle of summer. 


Check out this super easy and delish Gazpacho soup recipe from  Grow It First Blog. It's a great way to get in your veggies. 

I could eat the whole pot.

http://growitfirst.blogspot.com/2012/03/grow-it-first-with-ck-worley-gazpacho.html

Gazpacho:

http://growitfirst.blogspot.com/2012/03/grow-it-first-with-ck-worley-gazpacho.html

One seeded tomato, cucumber and pepper chopped
Chopped celery, carrot, onion and bunch of parsley
2 chopped garlic cloves and a bunch of arugula chopped.
1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
Splash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and worcestershire sauce.
Combine the ingredients together - cover and refrigerate 
*You can use any color pepper you’d like
*You don’t have to seed the tomato if you don’t want to
*Use scallions, red onion or sweet onions
*Optional: Add some sweet corn. 
*Use balsamic, red or white wine vinegar
*Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight 
*If you don’t like an ingredient - don’t use it


My little Lilly Kate loves vegetable soup!! Kid approved recipe 

Vegan Mexican "Pizza" Rollups

Here's a quick and easy dinner that kids and adults will love... 

Health perks:

• Low fat
• Low cholesterol
• Vegan
• Gluten Free

Grocery list:

Can of refried beans

Organic corn tortillas (I like 365 brand frozen tortillas - no GMO verified)

Can of olives

Avocados

Salsa 

Lettuce

Line a baking sheet with tin foil (for easy cleanup) Place the tortillas and spread the refried beans

Top with sliced olives and bake on 325 for about 10  minutes

Top with salsa (I used a mango salsa from Costco), avocado and lettuce 

Roll them up and eat them! Yum!

Planting Seeds and 2 Great Ways to Eat Your Kale

Plant Your Seeds!

One goal I have this summer is to grow a garden. I've always had tomatoes and herbs, but I want the big stuff! When you grow a garden, you have no excuse not to eat healthfully. Plus, garden veggies are free, and organic - can't beat that.

Here is a great, free, and super creative way to start a garden from CK Worley's Grow It First Blog. Plus, you are recycling your eggshells - and they help the seeds grow.  If you have kids, this is a fun way to get them involved in gardening.   

Grow It First Blogspot on how to start your eggshell seedlings

Planting Kale in Your Garden? 

I am always looking for great recipes to use this incredibly nutritious vegetable. I promise that this kale salad is really, really good. I always test out my recipes on my husband - he'll tell me if it's good enough to share. This one got his approval. 

Kale packs in tons of vitamins and minerals, helps to detoxify the body and helps lower your risk of cancer. Remember that ADDING healthy foods into your diet is the first step towards creating lasting nutritional changes. Cutting foods out of your diet can sometimes be too drastic of a step, and will often lead to bingeing. Kale is definitely a good one to add into your diet. 

This recipe is from Whole Foods. It's Vegan, healthy and low fat. Mediterranean Crunchy Salad

www.wholefoods.com

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can no salt-added garbanzo beans 
1 cucumber, chopped 
1 cup small broccoli florets 
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 
1 cup finely sliced kale, tough stems removed 
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 
2 tablespoons finely chopped Kalamata olives 
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
1 small garlic clove, minced 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Method

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 130 calories (35 from fat), 4g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 140mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 6g protein

This recipe is also from Whole Foods... I haven't tried it but it looks amazing! Kale Pesto

www.wholefoods.com

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce piece) 365 Everyday Value Feta Cheese (half of the 16-ounce block), drained and patted dry 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish 
1 1/2 teaspoons 365 Everyday Value dried Rosemary 
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, leaves roughly chopped 
1/3 cup 365 Everyday Value Unsalted Pine Nuts, toasted 
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped 
2 tablespoons lemon juice 
1 whole wheat or traditional baguette, sliced 

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place feta in a small oiled casserole dish with rosemary scattered on top. Bake until warm throughout, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse kale, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With motor running, drizzle in oil and lemon juice to make a pesto. Spoon pesto around feta and bake 5 minutes more. Serve with baguette slices.

Nutrition

Per serving: 300 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 680mg sodium, 36g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 1g sugar), 13g protein

Sources: www.kalenutrition.net

www.wholefoods.com