Dino Kale...COLOSSAL!

Look at the pretty kale plant! Beautiful AND delicious! Photo by: home.howstuffworks.com

Hmm...Kale. A cruciferous vegetable. Until recently kale was a relatively secret food. Anyone whose family made "greens" knew about kale but they NEVER would have thought about eating it...you guessed it...RAW~!

Perfect for wraps, dips and general munchies! Photo by: rbgsocialclub.wordpress.com (check their site, these guys are the truth!)

I really really like raw kale. I eat it dipped in hummus instead of pita chips...chopped finely (like you would a cabbage) and eaten as a salad with a nice balsamic dressing...left overnight and it turns into a coleslaw of sorts super yummy! I eat it steamed with a squeeze of lemon juice and almond slivers...ooh and use it in place of "bread" for my sandwiches wraps and tacos. I could go on and on!

Yummy kale salad with blackberries, strawberries, kiwi and a citris dressing! Photo by: nutrition4women.net

I recently put my aunt and uncle on to kale and they were pleasantly surprised at the taste as an alternative to other lettuce options. We mainly eat it as a salad but kale can be blanched (basically quick steamed) also!

You can boil or steam. I personally prefer steaming and using the large leaves as "taco shells" or "bread" and rolling just about anything up in that sucker. YUM! ...recipes at the bottom. :-)

NOTE: Steaming the kale kicks up the fiber-related components and makes them more effective at binding together with bile acid in your digestive tract.

Couldn't get any better than this! Could it? Nah. Photo by: www.karenville.com

Back to our mega dino dose of kale...

Kale! Great for smoothies, dips, patés, pestos, and in place of chips! Photo by: www.alexandracooks.com

Kale makes GREAT SMOOTHIES and the juicing options are seriously endless. This is one of the main reasons why kale is such a staple in my daily food choices, it's just so stinkin' versatile! And yes, I do a green smoothie every* day. (*mostly every day) :-) hey...I'm human too okay.

Kale smoothies for kids (and grown-up kids too!) -Ingredients: (3) Bananas, 12oz. Apple Juice, and 3-4 large pieces of Kale. Blend it, Drink it! EASY! Photo by: www.fortheloveoffoodblog.com

Why do vegans, veggie-tarians and carnivores alike love kale? I could seriously write a mini-series on the benefits of kale there is so much to know, so here we go!

Let me just start by saying KALE CONTAINS: Antioxidants (prevents oxidative stress by boosting our cartenoids and flavonoids), Anti-Inflammatory (prevents chronic inflammation), Cancer-preventing (bladder, breast, colon, ovarian, prostate), detox-activating properties.

Did you catch that? Per Calorie, Kale has more IRON than beef, MORE Calcium than milk AND 10% more Vitamin C than Spinach. Hello! Photo by: fittipdaily.com

Kale also contains crazy amounts of Vitamin K (like somewhere around 1300% of our daily recommended intake!), 354% of our daily Vitamin A intake, 88% of our daily Vitamin C intake and a long list of other vitals like manganese, fiber, copper, calcium, vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6, vitamin E, iron, potassium, magnesium, protein, omega-3 fats,  folate, phosphorous! ...ALL IN JUST ONE CUP OF COOKED KALE! Which by the way is only roughly 36 calories! Ahem, you do the math here.

Simple, easy and nutritious! Photo by: localfoods.about.com

As a transitioning raw vegan I LOVE KALE for it's yummy taste as an alternative to other lettuces, for its easy preparation and best of all its nutritional content. As someone transitioning to raw veganism it is important to make my meals as nutrient-rich as possible and kale certainly fits the bill!

I hope you will incorporate some kale into your family's diet this week! Just give it a try! Worst case, you steam it and add some toasted almonds, a squeeze of lemon juice and some seasonings...you won't be disappointed.

Vegan mega-salad with all the fixin's! Get it! Photo by: www.thevintagemixer.com

My favorite kale juice recipe to date:
2-3 handfulls of chopped kale, 2 apples (add another one if you need more sweet), and 1 lemon! Easy! 20 more great kale recipes HERE!


Take my advice and eat you some TODAY!

Live. Love. Well.

~h

ORANGE you so sweet!?

What a beautiful ORANGE sunrise! Couldn't you just take a bite out of that sun? :-) Photo by: photography.nationalgeographic.com

Do you know that knock knock joke? Oh my gosh. It's like literally my favorite joke of all time. If I was ever trying to be cool and sophisticated...my corny sense of humor is a dead give away!

Ah well. I'm cool with that. :-)

Fresh pressed orange juice! Yummo! Photo by: www.foodrenegade.com

So I don't know anyone who doesn't like oranges. I myself enjoy a fresh pressed orange juice with my cheapo beginner juicer (gifted my a great friend and accomplice) and I must say...once you've had "fresh pressed" orange juice...it's REALLY HARD TO GO BACK.

Easy snack for grown-ups and kids alike! Photo by: eatsfoodhatesyou.blogspot.com

We all know and love oranges and they are just one of the many lovely citrus fruits one can enjoy.

Let's look at some of the benefits here:

Now, when it comes to food combining we must be vewy vewy careful to do it right, otherwise you may end up with a tummy ache.

Simple fruit combining chart. Bookmark! Very useful for understanding why kids get so many tummy aches. Photo by: www.30bananasaday.com (check out this website for good tips!)

Oranges are high in acidity and therefore should only be combined with other citrus fruits (grapefruits, lemons, kiwi, lime, pineapple, pomegranate, strawberry, tomato...) OR with sub-acidic fruits like grapes, apple, apricot, berries, cherries, pears, mango, nectarine, peach, or plums). Whew! That's a lovely long list of options. :-)


Long list of yummy fruits! Tasty for the eating! Photo by: thecitrusfruits.blogspot.com (good blog about benefits of citrus fruits - show them some love!)

Oranges are very high in Vitamin C, Fiber and Folate, Herperidin (which means strong anti-inflammatory and is found in the white pith of the skin), and Cryptoxanthin (which is a Carotenoid). They also help to decrease risk for calcium oxalate stones (kidney stones), lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and are very low in calories. One medium size orange is about 60 calories!

Photo by: http://www.wakingtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Flickr-Orange-Peel-fdecomite.jpg



A fun trick: Save your orange peels, they can double as natural potpourri! Let them dry out and place in the bathroom, kitchen or living room.


As a transitioning raw vegan I LOVE LOVE foods that require no packaging, no fuss (except a maybe some wet wipes) and are healthy and delicious! Try adding some fresh oranges or orange juice to your diet today!

Love. Live. Well.

~h

Avocado me now!

Shout out to all my AVOCADO LOVERS! Photo by: pinterst.com

On to a topic I thoroughly enjoy...the loving super food of AVOCADOS! (also known as the alligator pear...what a funny name lol) They have been enjoyed by millions over the past thousands of years all over the living world!

I love avocados the most because they are tasty and fit the bill when it comes to simple livin'. A splash of lemon, dash of garlic and you're good to go! Some like it with a squeeze of lime juice and a bit of evoo, mash it up and eat up! Or just eat it plain straight from the gourd! Others even make simple guacamole...there are so many uses and it's such an easy way to eat. Let's talk a bit about the benefits other than how tasty avocados are and how easy they are to prepare.

Oh man! When I tell you I have a new avocado smoothie-on-the-go/ice cream/popsicle recipe you will LOVE! You've just got to believe me...and better yet you've JUST GOT TO TRY IT!

Here we go:
1 medium sized avocado (peel and pit it)
1 cup "milk" (coconut milk or almond is my go to but I'm sure you can experiment with others)
4 ice cubes
4 tsp of sugar (this is optional, some like it sweeter others less so, if you add a little bit you can always add more)

Directions:
add milk, ice cubes and sugar to blender, blend well. Then add the avocado and blend until smooth. If it's too think add some water if too thin add some more ice (or avocado depending on how much you want to make) but be sure to TASTE IT before straying too far from the recipe. MMMMMMM YUM!

How to make ice cream out of it...throw it in a tupper ware and let it get a little more solid. How to make popsicles...get some popsicle molds, spoon the mixture in and freeze according to the directions. This is a GREAT WAY to get kids (and stubborn hubbies and lovers) to eat "green" popsicles and get lots of vitamin E, Omega-23 fatty acids, folate and beta-sitosterol in their sweet little bodies!

Yay for the wonderfulness and versatility of lovely avocados!

A great tasty recipe above! Photo by: OasisAdvancedWellness