Massaged Avocado Kale Salad & Kale Chips

Oh, well hello there.

I have two - read that: TWO - recipes for you today!I've talked before about the benefits of kale but it never hurts to mention them again.

But don't take my word for it. Read about some of them here  and here.

The first recipe is a massaged kale salad. I know, it sounds a little strange but just try it for me. I love it. Even my kale-hating husband loves it.

I mean, he's strange because WHO CAN HATE KALE???? But he does. So if you think you're not a kale fan either, take his word for it.

Even though I think all of you kale-hating people are weirdos. 

Just kidding.

BUT really. It's a miracle food. Did you know that?

You can read about 6 MORE benefits of kale here. 

The best part of these recipes is that they're easy, easy, easy. And they can be made in bulk. Perfection.

So here we go

Ingredients

 1 bunch of Kale (duh)

1/2 avocado

1tbs olive oil (garlic infused is ah-mazing)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

salt to taste

Seasoning of choice to taste (my favorite is Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb)

Directions

Pull kale off of stem and chop. Add the rest of ingredients and "massage" together for 1-2 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes and EAT. See? I told you it was easy. The "massaging" and lemon work together to soften the kale and make it easier to chew.

Delicious.

Next up are kale chips. These are so good that T won't eat them because…

Get this…

They taste too much like potato chips. See? Strange bird. Let's get to it.

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale

Olive oil

Salt & seasoning to taste

Directions

Cut kale off stem and chop into pieces. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle seasonings on it. Toss to mix and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until crispy.

You're done.

Both of these recipes are so versatile. You can literally put most anything on them and they'll turn out great. One variation I like is to sprinkle yeast seasoning on the chips and it gives it a (vegan!) cheesy flavor. 

If you cook either of these, let me know how you liked them!

Apple Walnut Brussels Sprouts

T has been nagging me suggesting that I post this recipe for a while now. After I cooked this recipe, he actually became a fan of brussels sprouts so even if you haven't previously enjoyed them, give this a try. 

These are super easy and taste good hot or as a cold brussels salad. Let me know if you try them and if so, how you like them.

Ingredients

1 tbs cooking oil (I used coconut)

4-5 cups whole brussels sprouts

1 small cooking apple

1 small onion

1/2c walnuts

1.5 tbs honey (If you're doing the Whole30, blend 1 date and 2 tbs water for a "date paste". Or leave it out altogether!)

1/8 c white wine vinegar

salt to taste

onion powder to taste

Directions

Chop onion and apple into small slivers and start to brown in a pan in part of your oil. While those are cooking, cut the ends off of the brussels sprouts and dice to desired size. Add brussels to pan and begin to cook. Add vinegar, salt, onion powder, and honey then stir. Cook until the brussels are tender and then add walnuts. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes or until walnuts are toasted.

Put on a plate and eat up!

As a thank you for stopping by my blog, I'll leave you with an adorable picture…

I know. 

You're welcome.

Cold Fighting Beef Stew in a Crockpot - A Paleo & Whole 30 Recipe

I think I mentioned that Cali and I are fighting colds. We're shoving Vitamin C down T's throat so he doesn't come down with it too but he keeps letting Cali slobber all over his face so it's probably futile. Between the fact that I'm still nursing and all of Cali's food sensitivities, I can't take any medicine so I've been inhaling eucalyptus, sitting in steam rooms, and anything else that will help clear us up.

Then I decided to make this soup. I'm big on trying to heal naturally before introducing medicine anyways so I did some research and found some foods that help with colds. Now, I'm not a nutritionist or anything so I'm just sharing what I found. Whether or not it's sound advice is up in the air but either way, this soup tastes amazing. It's probably the best soup I've made in a while, and I make a lot of soups.

While I live in the most indecisive state around when it comes to weather, most of the country is experiencing cold weather. This is the perfect soup to snuggle up with and warm yourself up. It has a nice mix of sweet and spicy. Here are some of the ingredients that are in the soup and some of the cold fighting benefits that I've found.

Lemon

 Did you know that lemons and oranges have roughly the same amount of Vitamin C by weight? Although it's debatable about whether or not this vitamin can cure a cold, it has been shown to reduce the duration of the cold.

Onion & Garlic

Onions and garlic have a lot of antibacterial and antiviral properties. They contain the compound allicin which helps kill bacteria.

Sweet Potato & Carrots

Both of these vegetables contain beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A when our bodies absorb it. Vitamin A is crucial in making sure that our mucous membranes function properly.

Tomatoes

This vegetable (fruit?) contains carotenoids which is a strong anti-inflammatory property.

Kale

Look, pretty much everything about kale is great. So eat it. There's new debate about how too much can harm you, yada, yada but really, too much of anything is bad. 

There's also plenty of health benefits to paprika, curry, cilantro, cinnamon, and ginger; all which are spices included in this soup.

It's a strange mix, for sure, but trust me when I say that it's delicious. Give it a try.

Ingredients

2 lbs cubed beef

1 lemon 

1 med onion (roughly chopped)

1 large sweet potato

1 c. chopped carrots

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 c. chopped kale

1 clove garlic

1 cup water

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs curry

1/2 tbs ground bay leaves (or 2 bay leaves removed when finished)

2 tbs chopped cilantro

1/2 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Throw everything in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7. 

It's really good if you sear the veggies and meat first but I was too lazy and it still turned out well. Top it with avocado and you've got yourself a great meal. I hope you don't get a cold because they stink. Cali and I are going on day 8 and we're still congested. But if you do get one, this will make you feel better. Or even if you don't have a cold, it's still good. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Happy Holidays!