How to Eat Your Kale Without Hating It

   Yay! I'm blogging! I've missed it so much. Every day I think, "Tonight is the night I'm going to blog!" 

But the reality is, that I'm home alone with the girls 12 hour days, four days a week. So the sad truth is, by bed time, I'm stone dead on the couch. Plus my Macbook has pooped out on me, so my blogging days on the couch are over. Sit at a desk? What? No, I can't get in that position at night. 

   So where did my burst of blogging energy come from? Well, I happen to have the most gigantic 9 week old baby on the planet. Want to know something special about gigantic babies? They start to sleep through the night earlier. So for two nights in a row, this chick has slept for over 8 hours straight! I know! Gift from God. Now that she is sleeping through the night, I need to relearn. I haven't slept through the night since early in my pregnancy when there wasn't a baby squishing my bladder.

   A couple weeks ago I was really sluggish. I realized it was because I wasn't eating my greens! Eating my dark leafy veggies is super important because it replenishes my calcium and keeps me feeling Popeye status. The only way I can eat these hearty veggies is by dressing them up. When I was breast feeding Monique, I had Kale with Udon noodles every night. Ume plum vinegar literally change my life making it possible for me to eat these greens. If you don't have Ume vinaigrette, please try to get your hands on some! It's turns your greens into a party! I've shared my recipe for greens with Ume plum here. I love this dish with quinoa or udon noodles, which can be found down your international foods isle at specialty stores. To me, this is an elegant, delicious dish, and whenever I have company over, I share this dish with them and everyone loves it! Even my toddlers enjoy it.

  My husband gifted me this shirt. He was really excited to find a statement that embodied one of my major beliefs. I procrastinated wearing it because I don't like to call all kinds of attention to myself. Turns out to be a great conversation starter. Turns out I love to be able to actively promote veggies.

     We often get caught up in the "One Perfect Food" idea. All dark leafy greens are fantastic: bok choy, collard greens, even parsley, are filled with the stuff your body craves. However spinach and chards, greens that leave a sticky feeling in your mouth, don't need to be consumed as frequently. 

   Because kale with ume plum is so darn good, I rarely seek out other ways to consume it. I'm actually pretty apprehensive that I can enjoy it any other way. But when my in-laws shared this rice bowl with me, I knew I had to add it to my circulated recipes! You can find this Spicy Peanut Ginger Kale rice bowl recipe here. 

   When I made this dish for lunch a few days ago, I didn't have all the ingredients, like the ginger, I just threw in a dash of ginger spice, it was still delicious. This dish is super scrumptious. Put on top of brown rice, it feels like it's from a phenomenal restaurant. I definitely recommending you all trying this one!

   I try to have dark greens at least once a day. I love to eat them for breakfast. This morning I had steamed kale, left-over long grain brown rice and left over potatoes. This meal took under five minutes to make and it was so nutritious and satisfying. 

   What are some of your favorite ways to eat kale? The more I'm learning to love kale the more I'm actually starting to be open to more ideas!

Subsistence

You all!

I'm terribly sorry for being absent for so long. 

I had family in from out-of-town,

and then we had a big party to throw.

It was my in-laws 25th wedding anniversary,

my daughter's first birthday,

and my brother in-law's 13th birthday.

What a party! 

It's going to take me a while to recuperate from that one! 

The party started at 11a.m. and went till midnight.

Yup, a real Mexican Party.

Unfortunatley I'm not a real Mexican.

I fell asleep before 10!

Here is my incredibly cute one year old

just after she devoured the vegan chocolate cake I made.

She made sure she had every last crumb!

I made the Fat Pants Cake from the first Babycakes cookbook.

The frosting is so hard to make.

It came out...slushy...

but it was still super good.

It's supposed to be covered 

in chocolate chip cookie crumbs as well,

hence, the fat pants,

but that's enough sugar for me!

For my brother-in-law I made the cornbread from The Kind Diet.

Best cornbread recipe ever! Everyone who eats it falls madly in love.

And it has no sugar, which is a major plus. 

After spending the weekend prepping for the party,

partying, and recovering,

we haven't been taking the best care of ourselves.

All I wanted to do was go home and 

make a good macrobiotic meal to rejuvenate my body.

Now I know you all aren't looking at this picture and thinking,

"This is my dream meal! So glad she is sharing!"

One month ago it wouldn't have been mine.

But really, it was so soothing on my body.

Incredibly medicinal. 

The only thing that was missing were steamed greens,

but we are out, so we had to live without them.

Millet Patties - the first time I made these, I had to eat them with ketchup.

Today I just flat out enjoyed them.

That onion dish with black stuff is the Hijiki, 

adapted from The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics.

The first time I had hijiki, I could barely stomach it. 

This dish was actually totally delicious.

I went from detesting sea vegitables, to actually craving them.

What?

It's crazy what happens when your body takes over. 

I was out of mirin, so I doubled the shoyu.

Since I was really hungry, I cut the cooking time in half.

Never thought I'd see the day that I'd enjoy sea veggies. 

All Hail Hijiki

Hijiki is the alpha male of sea vegetables. Loaded with minerals, it packs a serious nutritional punch and is incredibly good for your hair, nails, skin and bones. In fact, after eating a serving of this dish, my skin feels softer immediately. Hijiki also has a fishy flavor, so it may take some getting used to. If this dish is too strong for you, substitute arame, which is a little milder in taste and intensity.

Medium handful dried hijiki, soaked in spring water for 30 minutes

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 onion, sliced in half moons

Pinch sea salt

Spring water

1 tablespoon shoyu

1 tablespoon mirin

1 medium carrot, sliced in matchsticks

While hijiki is soaking in spring water, chop the vegetables. When the hijiki is softened, discard the soaking water and, if the hijiki is in long strands, chop it into 1-inch pieces. Most companies, however, sell hijiki in little strands.

Heat the sesame oil over a medium flame in a heavy skillet that has a lid. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes, adding a pinch of salt. Add the hijiki and sauté it with the onions, coating it lightly in oil. Add water to half way up the hijiki and onions. Bring to a boil and add the shoyu and mirin. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes. Add carrot matchsticks on top. Let simmer 10 more minutes. Garnish with scallions.

Makes 4 servings.

Variation

To do this recipe using arame instead of hijiki, simply rinse arame (no soaking required) and reduce cooking time by 10 minutes. Feel free to use light sesame or olive oil for seasonal variety. This recipe is delicious with fresh corn, snow peas, green beans, or any vegetable that rocks your boat.

This week I'm definitely sharing a miso soup recipe with you.

I keep having that "I'm about to get sick feeling"

and three times this week I've made that soup 

and it makes me feel better instantly.

How cool is that? 

I love you miso soup. 

 

Healthy Inspiration

If you are needing inspiration to jump into a plant based diet check out Forks Over Knives.

Daniel and I watched Forks over Knives this week and we both loved it.

If you watch this movie,

you will immedietly want to throw out your meat,

grab your shovel and launch a garden.
Okay, maybe not that extreme,
but it really will make you question what you are consuming.

This movie is on the long side because it is packed
with facts, research and personal testimonies.

It explains why milk is not a good source of calcium

(I had read that before, but now I get it thanks to their visuals).
The statistics are wonderful too.

People are always telling me,
 "Why eat greens and avoid soda? Cancer is everywhere, in everything."

Thank the Lord for this movie, it proves those people wrong.

Bonus: In the documentary they visit a fire house filled with ripped vegan firemen.

How about that?

And a vegan UFC fighter feeding his adorable baby?

Just go ahead, melt my heart and sign my life over
to vegan cooking why don't you?
But the best part of this movie is the realization
that my health fate is in my hands.
That's powerful!

It's on instant on Netflix. Check it out!

I made this pesto because I had a bag full of arugula.
Arugula is so so good for you, and this recipe has it paired with basil,
so speaking of cancer, this pesto has major cancer fighting properties.

Photo from Gourmet Sleuth

Arugula Pesto:

2 cups baby arugula
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons white or yellow miso
1/3 cup blanched almonds
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoons salt

Blend in food processor.
Serve with Pasta.

Also, I've opened up my comments to everybody (not just those with Gmail and blogger accounts).

Please comment questions, successful moments, links for recipies, comments.

I'd love your imput! 

How I Get Through My Day

Five Minute Face

I've finally perfected my five minute face.

When I'm in a rush, but I want to look semi done up,

I wash my face, I dot on concealor, 

put on tinted moisturizer, eye liner, mascara,

blush on check bones and sides of my forehead, nose, chin,

done.

I'm loving using tinted moisterizer.

Right now I'm using Mary Kay moisterizer with color and sunscreen,

so it's perfect for summer. 

Having the three in one really cuts back on time.

Quick Lunch

I found this recipe  on Healthy Tipping Point.

I love that blog! Makes me want to go out for a run.

Her recipe looks crazy delicious.

I toned my version down a lot 

because I didn't want to turn on my oven.

It turned out to be a great quick lunch for us.

It had everything we need in it to fill and energize us.

Santa Fe Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1/4 onion

- 1 bell pepper

- one can kidney beans

- 2 cups cooked brown rice

- 3 tablespoons vegan cheese

Heat oil in pan and saute onion till translucent.

 

Mix in bell pepper and beans.

Heat for a few minutes till beans are warmed 

and bell pepper is slightly cooked.

 

Mix in cooked rice and grated cheese. 

Cook until cheese has melted.

That's it!

It was a yummy complete meal and my todder

enjoyed it as well.

Leisure Reading

I've been wanting to get into another novel, 

but haven't been able to lately because of lack of time.

 I haven't had the attention span for a movie lately, either.

My new favorite way to kick back is to open up a Tin Tin book.

I love graphic novels because they engage all the senses

(yes, they have sound effects too). 

They are so cool to read

and for a few minutes I'm able to go on Tin Tin's adventures 

and forget my responsibilities.

I said for a few minutes.

Oh, Tin Tin, alwasy getting into trouble

and miraculously escaping.

Family Time

This fall we are going to be incredibly busy

so we're trying to get in as much family time as possible.

Being a stay at home mom

it's easy to get stuck in the monotony of housework, 

cooking, feedings, and diaper changes.

Sometimes I find it's more important to let the dishes go

and live in the moment with my little girls.

Their smiles get me every time!

Her eyes are so dark, I can always see my reflection.

Check out that beautiful clear sky!

 

Whole Grains: Bulger Wheat with Pasta and Mushrooms

I did a post a couple weeks ago on Whole Grains

and why they are good for you. 

In that post, I mentioned that eating whole wheat pasta 

is not a good source of whole grains.

Let me clarify, when I'm talking about whole grains, 

I'm talking about the grain right off the plant.

Unlike whole wheat which is processed to be made into pasta

whole grains are in their most natural form.

This is the best way to eat the grain.

Don't think of whole grains as carbohydrates.

Carbs have a bad (and accurate) reputation of bulking on pounds.

But whole grains, when eating the right serving size,
will not make you gain weight. 

Quite the opposite, they will clean you out. 

They prevent asthma, allergies, and are overall healing.

One of the most common whole grains is brown rice.

But it's important to eat a variety of whole grains 

since each one has different nutrients.

I'm always looking out for whole grain dishes,

sharing whole grains will be a regular post on this blog.

This is something you can incorporate in your life now.

You can easily serve them along side
whatever protein dish you already have on your table.

I get my whole grains in the bulk section of our health food store. 

They are inexpensive and filling.

Store your whole grains in the refrigerator 

if you don't plan on using them a week after you buy them.

They have no artificial ingredients to preserve them
so they can go bad fast.

Here is a recipe I made this week with Bulgur Wheat.
This grain has been pre-cooked and cracked
so it doesn't contain all it's original energy.
But it's still great and perfect for summer. 

Bulgur Wheat with Pasta and Mushrooms

In a large saucepan

sauté 1/4 onion in oil until translucent.

Stir in 1 cup bulgur wheat.

Stir in 1 cup pasta.

I used spiraled brown rice pasta.

Add 2 1/2 cups water.

Bring to a boil uncovered, reduce flame to low, cover 

let simmer for about 20 minutes.

When it's done water should have dissolved. 

Sauté 1/2 an onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

If I did this all over again, 

I'd sauté this onion till it browned.

Gives the dish so much more flavor. 

When your bulgur wheat is done, fluff it with a fork.

Throw sliced mushrooms into your onions.

I also threw in a chopped scallion.

Once the mushrooms have browned 

stir in your pasta, bulgur wheat mixture. 

Our poor camera is on it's death bed. 

Can you tell?

Serve it up!

This is great on it's own for a light lunch 

or as a side for a satisfying meal. 

My family loved this dish. 

My toddler didn't want to eat it, 

but as I was spooning it into her mouth

she kept saying, "More."

She ate it all up without a fuss!

The next day I squeezed some ketchup on it 

and she finished it up. 

At first, whole grains can seem bland and boring,

but they grow on you because your body will plead with you to eat them.

Enjoy your whole grains!