Spotlight On: Kale

Kale is a green, leafy vegetable in the cabbage family. It is loaded with calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C and K. There are many different varieties of kale including curly, lacinato (pictured),  tuscan, and red russian.

Kale is king in the health community. This is because bite by bite it has the #1 ability among all vegetables to fight cell-damaging free radicals. The dictionary defines a free radical as: "An atom or group of atoms that has at least one unpaired electron and is therefore unstable and highly reactive. In animal tissues, free radicals can damage cells and are believed to accelerate the progression of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and age-related diseases." Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating one of their own electrons, thus stopping the damaging atom in its tracks. 

Now that the science portion of this post is over, let's get down to why I love kale. Kale is very versatile; I can use it in smoothies, juices, salads and whole grain dishes. Below are a few of my favorite recipes:

Green Lemonade Juice

1 head romaine lettuce or celery or 1 cucumber

5 to 6 stalks kale (any type)

1 to 2 apples (as needed for sweetness-- organic Fuji is recomended)

1 whole organic lemon (you don't have to peel it) or lemon juice (I buy bottles from Costco)

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)
Makes 1 serving

Marinated Kale Salad
1 large bunch kale greens
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup vinegar (I prefer apple cider or balsamic but you can also use white wine or rice vinegar)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Makes 2 servings

Slice the greens in thin strips and place them in a bowl. Cover the greens with the marinade and allow to sit for a minimum of two hours or preferably overnight.

Banana Kale Smoothie

2-3 kale leaves

1 banana (frozen is best)

1-2 Tbs almond butter or peanut butter

1 cup almond milk

Handful of ice cubes if the banana is not frozen

Extras (not necessary but will enhance the healthy factor):

1 Tbs hemp seeds

1 Tbs ground flaxseeds

1 Tbs chia seeds

Makes 1 large serving

Kale Chips

1 head of kale

2 Tbs Olive Oil

sprinkling of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the kale and cut or tear into bite size pieces. Toss with the olive oil and sea salt and lay in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake until crisp, turning halfway through, about 20 minutes total. 

What is your favorite way to eat kale? 

Feeling a Little Dandy?

I cherish my morning coffee. Its not that I really need the caffeine, most nights I get my fair share of sleep, but there is something about the morning ritual that I just love. More often than not my coffee cup is empty before I am ready for it to be.

There is great debate in the health community about whether coffee's benefits outweigh its drawbacks, and I waiver myself on if I should be drinking it or not. Regardless, I do know that reaching for a second cup is not a habit I want to get into.

This is a big reason why I love Dandy Blend. It is an instant herbal beverage consisting of extracts of roasted barley, rye, chicory root, dandelion root and beetroot. It is an excellent way to quench my desire as it has a similar taste and texture of real coffee. It has a less bitter taste than coffee, but all of the complexity. It is 100% caffeine free, alkaline, contains 50 trace minerals, is gluten-free, low-calorie, and has many health benefits. Dandelion root is one of the top herbs in Chinese medicine and promotes liver detoxification. And who couldn't use that? 


I often put my coconut creamer into my dandy tea, but I also like it plain. In addition to drinking it warm, I have put it into smoothies and blended it with ice and almond milk for a frappuccino like drink. If you are trying to wean yourself off coffee, it works well to make a half coffee/half dandy blend drink. 


Dandy Blend is not available everywhere so I encourage you to check here to find the location closest to you where you can purchase it. I promise you won't regret it. Happy sipping!

Breakfast for a Little Champ

Wednesday mornings are sports day at Jane's school. They play really hard outside for 3 hours so I wanted to make sure I sent her off with a belly full of nutrients. Lucky for me she asked for a chocolate smoothie this morning. Smoothies are by far the best way I have found to get all different kinds of nutrients in, plus they are easy to digest so all of her energy can go into her play instead of digesting her meal.

Today's smoothie consisted of spinach, banana, strawberries, cashew butter, cocoa powder, hemp seeds (great for protein and healthy fats) and date paste (you could substitute maple syrup, dates, honey, stevia, or any other sweetener you have on hand).

The measurements do not have to be exact but I used about a cup of strawberries and spinach and 1 Tbs each of the hemp seeds, cashed butter, date paste and unsweetened cocoa powder. I threw all of these ingredients along with 1 cup of almond milk into my blender and it was ready to be sucked down by a very excited little girl. 

She loves being a part of the smoothie making process

Spotlight On: Quinoa

picture by Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a high protein, gluten-free, grain like crop that is light and fluffy when cooked. It is highly nutritious, containing all 9 essential amino acids and many antioxidant, anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. Quinoa is a good source of manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, folate and copper. 

Although quinoa is an edible seed in the same family as beets, spinach and swiss chard, it is eaten like cereal grains (rice, barley, wheat, and rye).  Therefore it is often referred to as a "pseudograin".  This crop originates from South America and they have been eating it since approximately 3000 BC. Quinoa has recently become a common food in America and can be found at most grocery stores, including Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Meijer and even Costco. There are many varieties of quinoa and it comes in several different colors including white, black and red.

At my house we often cook a big pot of quinoa over the weekend and have it throughout the week in various dishes. You can use it as a breakfast cereal, add it into smoothies or salads, eat it with roasted vegetables, or use it in veggie burgers.  Below are a few of our (many) favorite quinoa recipes.

Refreshing Quinoa Salad (adapted from Vegetarian Times)

• 1 ½ cups quinoa
• ½ cup pine nuts (can substitute any nut you have on hand)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and finely diced (2½ cups)
• 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced (¾ cup)
• ½ small red onion, finely chopped (½ cup)
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine-meshed colander. Bring 2 quarts salted water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 12 to 14 minutes, or 
until quinoa is tender and small “tails” bloom from grains.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread pine nuts on baking sheet, and toast 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool, then transfer to large serving bowl.
3. Drain quinoa, and rinse under cold running water. Drain again. Add quinoa to pine nuts, and 
stir in cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and parsley. Fold in oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Vanilla Quinoa Pudding
Quinoa in this application results in a cross between rice pudding and tapioca, with more protein than either.

• 3 cups almond milk (or your milk of choice)
• 1 vanilla bean (split, or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup quinoa

Rinse quinoa. Mix milk, vanilla, maple syrup and salt in a saucepan and set on simmer. Add quinoa and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently (but not constantly).Once thickened, remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve warm, or refrigerate. Top with all kinds of delicious tidbits; berries, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, etc.

Links to more recipes:
Quinoa and Black Beans
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Black Bean Quinoa Burger
Grilled Veggie Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Veggie Burger

Green Pancakes

                                                     (Pancakes with kale)

My 3 year old daughter does not crave vegetables like I had hoped. I fed her so well from the very start: introducing her to every vegetable I could get my hands on and severely limiting her sugar intake. I read that you set their taste buds between the age of 1 and 2, so one would think with this kind of discipline (and effort), she would be the perfect little eater - begging for more greens at every meal and requesting sweet peppers for dessert. This is not even close to the reality that I live. Most meals I have to threaten, bribe, or withhold the "good food" to get a small portion of vegetables into her.

I have, however, found a few ways to get veggies in without a fight. Green smoothies are a key way for everyone to get more greens in their diet, especially kids. Another way I have found is to make one of her favorite foods "more fun" by using veggies to turn it a different color.  Pancakes are an easy food to do this with. If she wants them green I use spinach or kale, if she wants orange I use carrots, and if she wants pink I use beets.

I have a high speed blender so I can throw the veggies in raw and they blend into the mix pretty easily. If you don't have a blender that can do this, you can steam them and then use a regular blender, a mixer or a food processor. 


I usually use the Trader Joe's Multi-Grain Pancake mix. It has relatively few ingredients and I can identify and pronounce each one, which is always a plus. It calls for eggs, milk (I use almond milk) and oil. I put all of these ingredients into the blender along with the vegetable of choice, blend them and then cook as directed on the stove top.

I have also found that she is more likely to eat a food if she has helped prepare it.

In addition to pancakes, I have used this method with eggs, pasta and pizza sauce, muffins, and even brownies.  Get creative and see what you can pull off. The kids (or husbands) don't have to know......

Grilling - Not Just for Meats Anymore

One of my favorite things to make in the summer is grilled veggies. Ideally each week I spend an hour prepping and grilling as many vegetables as I can get my hands on and then I use them in various dishes throughout the week. You can eat them over a salad, with a hummus or bean dip, put them over rice or quinoa with a yummy sauce, make a pita sandwich or wrap, use them in pasta - the options are endless.

First cut the vegetables into whatever size and shape you prefer, then put them in a plastic bag or bowl and toss them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and any of your favorite herbs (basil, cilantro, thyme, parsley). Let them marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes to an hour and then grill them. I use various methods for grilling as well. Sometimes I cut them into strips (sweet potatoes, squash or eggplant work well this way) and I put them directly onto the grill. Sometimes I use a grill basket and sometimes I wrap them in tin foil and throw that on the grill. Grilling times vary from 10 minutes (5 minutes each side for the veggies directly on the grill) to 45 minutes. The great thing is that you really can't go wrong. I love to mix it up and have some veggies be crunchy and some soft.

(eggplant and sweet potatoes directly on the grill)

My favorite veggies to grill include mushrooms, squash, peppers, onions, fennel, brussel sprouts, beets, cauliflower, eggplant, asparagus, and broccoli.

(veggies that were grilled on a grill pan)

One of my favorite sauces to go with the veggies is:

Miso Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 Tbs miso (can substitute soy sauce)
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup or more warm water
• cracked pepper

In a small bowl or lidded jar combine all ingredients except the water and mix into a smooth paste. Add the water gradually, stirring frequently, until you reached your desired consistency.
This is also a great dressing for salads. The dressing thickens as it sits so you will probably need to add a little water as it ages to thin it out. 

A favorite dip:

White Bean Dip

Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves (optional)
• Salt (to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)

Put all ingredients into a food processor and mix until smooth. Use as a raw veggie dip, with pitas or on top of grilled veggies. You can also use this in sandwiches or wraps.

What is your favorite vegetable to grill?

2 Energizing Green Smoothies

A good friend of mine moved this weekend. I knew she had a busy day ahead of her, but we really wanted to connect at some point so we met first thing in the morning and went on a walk. I wanted her to get a healthy, energizing start to the day so I made 2 different smoothies and let her pick which one she wanted.

My go to breakfast is a green smoothie - I love them because they are packed with nutrients and its a great way to ensure you get more greens into your diet. Not to mention they taste great and start your day off on a healthy note. I don't know about you, but when I start my day off with a heavy, not so healthy breakfast, I tend to make poor food choices the rest of the day.

To learn more about why I love green smoothies and how I got started on them, read a guest blog I did here.

Raspberry Banana Green Smoothie
1/2 - 1 cup greens (spinach/kale/collard greens/etc - if you are just starting out on green smoothies, start with less greens and more fruit and gradually start adding more greens)
1 - cup berries (I used golden raspberries, red raspberries and blackberries I got from the farmer's market yesterday)
1 banana
1 tbs chia seeds (or flax seeds)
1 tbs coconut butter (optional)
2 tbs hemp seeds (for added protein, you could also use a protein powder or a handful of nuts or a scoop of almond butter)
1 cup water or almond milk
handful of ice cubes

Chocolate Banana Green Smoothie (per Jane's request)

1/2 - 1 cup greens (spinach/kale/collard greens/etc - if you are just starting out on green smoothies, start with less greens and more fruit and gradually start adding more greens)
1 banana
1-2 tbs unsweetened cocao powder (per preference)
1 tbs chia seeds (or flax seeds)
2 tbs hemp seeds (for added protein, you could also use a protein powder or a handful of nuts or a spoonful of almond butter)
1 cup water or almond milk
handful of ice cubes

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend well. I have a high speed blender but there are plenty of blenders that will work. Test yours out and see how long it takes to get a smooth consistency.