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

Why women are like artichokes

Good Morning all!

I have been on a recent artichoke binge of sorts...at 4 for $1.99 (shout out to Trader Joe's) you really cant beat it. Each one is like a meal in my life so it works well for both my budget and my health.

This has been a part of my "1-bowl meals" experiment which hypothesizes that digestion is made easier on the body by sticking to one food per meal. Some say it is an extreme personification of food combining by over simplified eating. I like to keep things simple...so to avoid toying with all the nuances of alkalinity and acidity for my meal prep, I simply eat one food (or group of foods) at each meal. This way of life makes me feel better after eating, keeps me light on my feet and allows my body a chance to worker smarter, not harder.

Purchase Fresh Artichokes at your local Trader Joe's store! Photo by www.flickr.com

SO on to the artichokes...

I love this quote from Kris Wetherbee of www.vegetablegardener.com:

"The artichoke is a gold mine of rich, earthy, hearty flavor, a vegetable with a taste and texture like no other."

I realize many people do not know much about artichokes nor have any particular interest in eating them, which I find curious. Below I will outline why I have grown to love them so very much.

As someone experimenting and transitioning through the various ways of eating and living (from paleo to pescatarian to wholistic faster to vegetarian to vegan to raw foodie and back again) I have settled on the life of what I call "simple eating." Is it a mixture of pieces of the above lifestyles combined to provide what I deem to be best for my body and lifestyle. More on that later!

As a result of my mostly raw vegan lifestyle I thoroughly enjoy getting unsuspecting vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies and that many have forgotten about! I believe the artichoke is one of the secret gems.

ONE ARTICHOKE CONTAINS:

Nutrition Facts

ArtichokesArtichokes, boiledArtichokes

Amount Per 100 grams1 artichoke, medium (128 g)1 artichoke, large (162 g)1 artichoke, medium (128 g)

Calories 60

% Daily Value*

Total fat 0.2 g	0%
Saturated fat 0 g	0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0%
Sodium 120 mg	5%
Potassium 474 mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 13 g	4%
Dietary fiber 7 g	28%
Sugar 1.3 g
Protein 4.2 g	8%
Caffeine

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	25%
Calcium	5%	Iron	8%
Vitamin B-6	5%	Vitamin B-12	0%
Magnesium	19%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. That's not bad for one vegetable. I love when I can get Iron and Magnesium, Calcium, Fiber and Protein all in one deal. Especially as a woman it is very important to stay up on my calcium and iron and magnesium. Many of the aches and pains we experience are due to low levels of these minerals. Yummo! Photo by happyhealthybelly.blogspot.com So now that you see how awesome artichokes are ...maybe you will test them out in your kitchen soon! As a vegan this is one of my favorite things to cook for the week and munch on for a late dinner or lunch meal! Why women are like artichokes...the answer: if you have ever had to prep one you'll know why; a bit tough and prickly on the outside, sometimes a lot of work, but if you have patience you will reach our heart...and it will be oh so worth it! Live. Love. Well. ~h