Eating Better - The Green Goddess Known as Kale

Because I vowed to eat better this year, I will occasionally be sharing healthy recipes that we have enjoyed and added to our recipe repertoire. I've mentioned before that I like to plan out our meals for the week (if possible) before going to the grocery store. Some healthier dishes call for unique ingredients or vegetables I might not normally pick up, so I keep this in mind and try to work those same ingredients into other meals for the week so that we aren't wasting food.

While my career goal is optometry, my undergraduate degree was in Nutrition Science. I'd like to dig up some "old" knowledge with you to share why these recipes are good for us. Why I'm choosing these ingredients over others. And really, it isn't "old" knowledge at all. Since what you eat affects your whole body, and the eyes are attached to that body, many of these nutritional concepts arise frequently in my current studies. Plus, nutrition is something we all learn about at some point and do every day, but we often forget about the concepts and get overwhelmed by the information that is dealt to us by different dieting books. So, I will try to stick to the basics here.

This first recipe is very simple and nutritious with only a few ingredients. I love recipes that take a single ingredient and make it shine. This makes eating healthy enjoyable, and these are the types of recipes I look for. I want to make food that tastes delicious and I want to highlight and enjoy the nutrient rich foods I'm after.

This Pecan Kale Salad was introduced to us by a friend. Since then, we have made a large bowl for ourselves and I see many more in our future.

To view or print the recipe click HERE.

The lemon vinaigrette is a burst of delicious flavor, and it balances the bitterness kale can sometimes bring.  I highly suggest making this from scratch instead of a bottled version. (Remember, I'm shooting for more clean, fresh eating than processed.)  To make the vinaigrette quickly and easily, add the ingredients to a jar or seal-tight container and shake.
Kale leaves are fairly thick and stiff, so a tip to help with that (which sounds a little weird, I know) is to massage the kale to break up some of its fibers. I did this by rubbing the chopped pieces together as I added them to the bowl. Then after I added the vinaigrette, I gave the leaves a a rough stir with a fork, pressing the leaves against the side of the bowl. This allows you to enjoy the salad immediately without waiting for it to sit for 30-60 minutes, and is very quick to do.


Why this salad over basic green lettuce? Kale is frequently called a "super food." This simply means that it is packed with vitamins and antioxidants; therefore, a very nutrient-dense food. Or in other words, you get a lot of bang for your buck with foods like these. With a quick Google search I came up with this side-by-side comparison (note, my lettuce never looks this appealing, and my kale looked a lot better than that measly bunch):

The first thing you may notice is that kale has more calories than green lettuce. Let's pause right there and realize that this is good, and this lends to why we are choosing kale instead of green lettuce. It has calories because it has what we want and need to feed our bodies - protein, carbohydrates, and even a tiny bit of fat.
Let's take an educational detour for a moment, and one you may already know about to lay a basis for other recipes I may share in the future:  Your body needs nutrients to survive and thrive. Nutrients that it can't make on it's own, and we need to take in through our food - these are called essential nutrients. Essential to take in because we can't make them ourselves. There are 6 essential nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. I keep using the terms "nutrient-dense" or "nutrient-rich" because these are foods that give us the most essential nutrients. Calories are used as a measure of the energy of a food. In our example here, the more calories, the more energy and nutrients this item of food is providing us. As I mentioned before, I'm not interested in starving my body and taking calories away. Nor do I even consider counting calories for my personal diet. (If you're on a serious weight loss mission, you are probably looking to limit calories and counting them, and are likely already doing so.) When calories become an issue is when we are eating foods that have a lot of calories in the wrong places. Let's look at a nice cheesy slice of pizza:

Notice this is data for one slice of this pizza, whatever kind of pizza it might be. Let's take into account that I'm likely going to eat not one, but two slices. I will be getting 20 grams of total fat, which includes nearly 50% of my daily intake of saturated fat (the worst kind of fat) in one sitting. I'm also getting half my allotment of daily sodium. Some carbs, some protein. And not very many vitamins at all. Am I telling you not to eat pizza? No, that's your call. I'm just pointing out that when I do eat pizza, I know this is why it is not the best food choice I could have made for the day. Am I telling you to eat a big bowl full of kale instead of 2 slices of pizza? Nope. My goal here is to find foods and recipes that offer more nutrients than other products I could consume. So for lunch, instead of two slices of pizza, I may have a chicken breast with a side of kale salad and enjoy it just as much.

Let's get back to the kale. Other things kale has to offer include: beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, which are all antioxidants that have beneficial effects on our bodies. When our bodies break down food, the reactions that occur let off chemicals called free radicals. (Free radicals are also taken in from our environment and on food sources themselves.) Free radicals can be damaging to cells and our genetic material (DNA), because they are little scavengers looking for electrons to steal from these other molecules. Antioxidants work by "oxidizing," meaning they are willing to give up an electron to these nasty free radicals, which helps protect healthy cells from their damage. (If you dig a little deeper, you will find that free radicals are one of many factors that can lead to cancer.) Vitamins C, A, and E also have antioxidant properties. Since breaking down food causes free radicals to form, foods that are high in antioxidants are great because they work to fix the problem they have caused. Beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin happen to all be antioxidants that are good for protecting your eyes as well!
Kale also offers more fiber than green lettuce. Why fiber? I'm so glad you asked. :)  What do we all know about fiber? "It keeps you regular."  But that's not all fiber does! Fiber helps regulate your body's use of sugar and also helps manage your sense of feeling hungry.

So next time you're at the grocery store, give kale a try. Make this salad, or throw it in your normal salad, or even a soup. Then be proud of yourself for picking this powerful ingredient!

Welcoming 2015 and New Goals

Happy New Year everyone!

We rang in the new year with friends and fondue, and not one photo was taken. We had a great time cooking and eating together until the countdown into 2015.

I'm most looking forward to finishing the courses portion of my optometry degree. I registered for my last classes for this upcoming semester. Starting in the summer, I will only be in clinic and at externship sites seeing patients!

A new year is a nice time for a fresh start in various aspects of life. While I'm not big into making resolutions, there are definitely a few things I would like to focus on improving this year that I've let fall through the cracks in 2014.
1. Prioritizing my time better.  In March I will take Part 1 of my board exams. I have already begun studying some, but I've really got to get on a good schedule for getting through preparation material for this crucial test.  Also, I need to be more mindful of my "free-time" and not waste it away on things like Facebook and Instagram when I could be spending quality time with Jesse or doing more productive things around the house.

2. This is also a time issue, but I'm looking forward to spending more time with God this year. I've really slipped on getting into the Bible on any kind of regular basis. And if I'm really honest this extends back beyond 2014. I think I made it more of a "chore" in my mind as something else to "study," which is the last thing I wanted to do after lectures and reading notes most afternoons. Obviously this is so far from the truth and the best kind of studying, knowledge, and wisdom I could pour into myself.

3. I'm sure the number one resolution is diet and exercise. And before you roll your eyes and say I'm skinny and should not consider a diet, I'd like to explain that I literally want to focus on my diet. What I'm putting into my body. And I wish everyone resolving to lose weight would think of dieting this way and not about depriving themselves of certain foods. We should use food as food - stuff to feed our bodies, but we often don't think of it this way. We want what tastes good, really good (fats and sweets) and not what foods are best for their nutrients. Don't get me wrong, you all know I love these not-so-good foods too...especially sweets. But this year I'm going to be more mindful of what goes in. Because as we all know, what goes in makes up your health, both present and future. Feeding our bodies nutrient-rich foods will let our organs work better, make us feel better and less tired on a regular basis, and yield a healthier future.  As a society, we greatly fear deadly diseases like cancer, but what prematurely kills more people every year is heart disease, which is directly related to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity. These risk factors are often something that can be controlled. It may take more effort and regulation, but it's worth it for you and those that love you.

So with all that said, here's what I'm personally looking to do. I love food and I love eating. I love finding delicious foods to share with others. And I love dessert. I don't plan to give up any of these things. I do plan to be more mindful as I'm eating these things and stopping when I know I've had enough. For example, when we go out to eat and I find something really delicious I like to eat it all. I want more of that decadent flavor to flood my taste buds; plus I've paid for this meal and plan to get my money's worth. But then I leave full as a tick and uncomfortable, knowing I should have stopped several bites ago. Remember the serving sizes at most restaurants are over-sized.
Secondly, while we do a lot of cooking at home purposefully to eat healthier and cheaper, we could do a better job at it. Right now we have access to well-priced fruits and vegetables and even organic options. I'm okay with spending a little more on each grocery trip and thinking of it as an investment with lower healthcare costs in our future. So, cleaner eating - meaning more organic, natural, fresher options and less processed foods; more nutrient dense foods like fruits and veggies; less sugar (gasp!); and more meatless meals.

4. On top of #3, I plan to add some physical activity. A student's life easily becomes a sedentary life. And I've been a student for twenty years, y'all!  ;)  Seriously though, this butt needs to get off the couch and move.  I'd like to develop a regular routine, even if it's just walking/running a few times a week.  Jesse likes to tease me about my lack of upper body strength, claiming it's not good for survival skills if I can't lift my own body weight. Isn't he funny? :)

So when you see me this year, ask how these things are going. Because all of these things are important to me and I hope to do better at them this year. Plus accountability is powerful. If you care about the same things, maybe we can do them better together. I plan to share updates here on the blog throughout the year and likely some recipes we've enjoyed along the way.
Here's to a new year and the awesome times, challenges, and changes it may hold!

December Wrap-Up

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season! Our seasonal festivities have come to an end and we are looking to get back to our regular routine in the upcoming week. I know I've been on a little hiatus from blogging for a little while, but I'm ready to jump back in and keep this thing rolling! It's been months since I last posted so I'd like to catch up a little before moving forward.

I feel like these past couple of months have been lived in fast-forward. There has been a whirlwind since about Thanksgiving. We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends in Birmingham before going home for the holiday. Kelsey cooked the turkey and the rest of us sparked our culinary skills to create quite the spread.

We went home to Luverne for a few days during Thanksgiving and spent some much-needed time with our families! After returning to Birmingham I prepared for the last couple of weeks of the semester and final exams. And then, of course, the Christmas festivities began. Our community group had our final get together of the year where we swapped gifts by playing Dirty Santa. We opted for getting good, creative gifts instead of funny/cheesy ones, so everyone left with something nice. Four of us with Steel City Pops gift cards - the ultimate Christmas gift!

In celebration of the end of my school semester we got together with Mike and Kelsey to watch one of her favorite Christmas classics: White Christmas. This was the first time Jesse and I had watched it, and I loved it! The night was complete with hot cocoa and cookies.  :)

We went home for Christmas with my side of the family for the weekend where my mom had prepared a delicious brunch full of all the dishes we crave for this annual gathering! We had a great day catching up with my sister and her family and exchanging gifts. Tara gave us the most unique present we received - a photo-collage puzzle of our summer vacation from Shutterfly! Such a neat gift!

A little more back and forth brought Christmas with Jesse's side of the family. We had the annual Christmas Eve seven-fish dinner with his parents, brother, and sister-in-law. Then woke up Christmas morning to exchange gifts and eat a yummy fondue lunch. We then spent Christmas evening with all of my mom's side of the family for dinner and our second round of Dirty Santa. The women do a nice job with gifts here, but you never know what will come out of the men's side of the tree. Last year Jesse came home with kindling wood; this year there was a pooping-snowman.

For the day after Christmas, Marilyn had planned for us to go to the Fantasy of Lights at Callaway Gardens. We arrived a little early and had time to admire the Butterfly Conservatory. Next, we took a walk through Christmas Village, grabbed some kettle corn, then lined up for the drive through the light show. Although we were a car full of adults, there is something warm and sentimental about Christmas lights.

 Sometime in the midst of all this, Jesse and I exchanged our gifts to each other. He can be difficult to buy for and surprise, but I got him this year with an unexpected suitcase and finally framed some street art we got last year in NYC.  He got me a few things I'd asked for and a couple of surprises as well. My little organized heart did a flutter when I opened the label maker.

More blogging coming soon in 2015!!!

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday everyone! 

1.  Last weekend we carved pumpkins with friends. I think you can tell which is mine.  :)  Although I would have to say Mike won on his 3D pop design!

2.  Jesse and I stopped by the Summit to see the Elio car, a USA-made small, gasoline powered car which gets 84 mpg for just under $7,000. It officially hits the market next year for those that have already signed up for one. We sat in the production car, which actually has a backseat. You ride tandem style as a passenger, and there is a tiny little trunk if you had...I don't know... a binder or something extra.

3.  Our school celebrated one of our best teachers this week as she gears up for her last full marathon in all 50 states! She started this goal a few years ago, then found out she had breast cancer, but it didn't stop her at all. Dr. Than is one of the most inspiring women, teachers, optometrists I've met. I remember in the first few weeks of our first semester in her class, she came in and apologized for not replying to emails the night before - she had flown to Las Vegas to run a marathon, caught a red eye flight back home, and arrived in time to teach our 8:00 class. She was really touched that we students were so supportive of her finishing her marathon goal.  You can read an article of her story HERE.

4. Rewinding to last Friday, my friend Heather took me to one of her new favorite places in town to eat, Wasabi Juan's. It's a blend of Mexican and Japanese (sushi, specifically), which sounds really weird, but it was good! I had a tuna roll, which was fairly the same as regular sushi, so I'll have to go back and give some other rolls a shot with more Mexican flair.

5. Jesse spent most of the week in Dothan for work and returned on Thursday which was also his birthday! We finally celebrated after he returned home around 8pm after music practice at church. I had dinner hot and ready for him, followed by his requested birthday treat: ricotta cheese cookies. I'm glad he made it back in town to celebrate his 27 years. And I'm glad I've been in his life for most of those years!

High Five for Friday

Two Friday posts in a row! You guys are so lucky. ;)

1. Last weekend we celebrated our friend Mike's (aka Brother's) birthday! A group of his friends surprised him at one of his favorite restaurants where we ate, laughed, and even played Mike Trivia. Embarrassing senior photos also made an appearance. Then, we went home to Luverne just long enough to visit our parents and go to our dentist appointments. (You know us, living on the wild side!) It was so nice to be home, even for just a little while. I love that we are from the same town and can have our parents all together for dinner while we are there.

2. Monday and Tuesday I was off of school for "fall break." When it's only two days, I'm not sure you can call that a break...more of an extended weekend. When it's not enough time for professors to refrain from giving you assignments, it's not a true break. Monday was spent in the dentist office, and Tuesday I finally got my hair trimmed. No drastic photo to share; and I'm keeping the bangs for a while! Mostly because I really have liked them, and secondly because it's likely to be the most awkward hair grow-out of my life and I'm not looking forward to figuring out how to transition that.

3. Jesse finished his second class of his MBA program this past week! Taking one at a time has seemed to be just the right pace. He's in no hurry to complete it (he will finish when I graduate), and this way he is not overwhelmed after work on a regular basis.

4.  Be babysat our favorite toddler this week. She's getting bigger and smarter by the day. Much of our night was spent rolling around in the floor to her direction to "exsh-cise" after seeing Jesse's weights. She continued on, doing yoga poses, then rode on Jesse's back while he did push ups, then she just climbed and jumped all over him, repeatedly yelling "more!"

5.  I made two new meals and one repeat this week that we really enjoyed. I think I enjoy cooking more in the fall/winter months than laboring over a hot stove/oven in the hotter summer season. Plus, soups are easy and delicious and warm the soul. From left to right we have: a butternut squash, lentil, barley, kale soup I threw together (recipe HERE), Pioneer Woman's Spinach Artichoke Pasta, and spaghetti squash with these very flavorful chicken meatballs which are super fast to make. The last dish also taught me that if you forget to buy the spaghetti sauce, one 8 oz can of tomato sauce and one Roma tomato blended in the food processor with a few shakes of herbs for a few seconds can make do! Also I would like to rave (again) that our Aldi grocery store had these squash for 99 cents a piece (not a pound)! Take that, Publix,

A Simple Party

This week I had the opportunity from HouseParty.com to host another party! I received the party pack a few weeks ago, and was excited to share some of my favorite new skin care products with a few friends! We got together for dinner Thursday night where we ate BBQ pulled pork sliders, coleslaw, and pumpkin pound cake. Then the ladies got to try the line of products.

Even Maggie was pampered.

Each guest took home a goody bag of travel sized products, and each also "won" a full-sized product as well.

We had a fun night sharing stories, advice on beauty products, and food. Hosting for HouseParty is a fun way to try products and a great excuse to get together with friends!

High Five for Friday

Well folks, it's almost been a month (or two?!) since I blogged last. I just haven't felt very motivated lately to post. I could blame it on school, but praise the Lord, this semester is not that bad. My schedule and coarse load are much more laid back.

We haven't been up to much lately, but I'd like to get back into the groove of sharing our favorite moments of the week. I think that helps us keep up to date, and I hope you enjoy reading about them. Let's catch up over the past several weekends!

My friend Kelli came over several weeks ago and helped me purge my closet. She was a helpful, honest opinion to say "yes" or "no" to all the items I've apparently hoarded into my closet. By the time we were done, our entire bed was covered in clothes!  It was way past time to do this. I had so many clothes from college (and maybe even high school) still hanging around because at some point in time they were my favorite pieces. They have long since lost their luster (and style), but for whatever reason I was hanging onto them. Also, my wardrobe needs have changed as I spend more time in the clinic. My closet is slowly being overtaken by more professional clothing, and Kelli was helpful pairing skirts and tops that I've never worn together before. Over Labor Day weekend we went to the mall to get some staple wardrobe items and tops to go with my skirt addiction.

We've spent a couple of Saturdays at our church preparing a prayer room with our community group. We redecorated a space into a peaceful feeling room, where people can come to pray and share prayer requests. There is a collage of frames on one wall which will soon be filled with inspirational verses about prayer.

A few weekends ago, we finally went to the Greek Food Festival. It happens every year at the Greek Orthodox Church in downtown B'ham, and we've managed to miss it the past 2 years. The festival is held over 3 days, morning to night. The preparation and volunteer efforts for are huge! The church takes up nearly a block itself, and there are multiple lines wrapping around the church to get ahold of some of their delicious food!  Between us and the Domenys we consumed quite the sampling: lamb kabobs, gyro wraps, pastichio, and for dessert baklava, kourambethes (Greek wedding cookie), and loukoumathes (honey donuts). Everything was delicious and totally worth the wait!

Last weekend we went camping with Mike, Kelsey, and Addy at Tannehill State Park. We picked the coldest night of the fall season to do so, but we had a great time! Most of it was spent around the campfire, but isn't that the best part of camping any way? Well, that and s'mores of course.

 Most meals were cooked over the fire... some a little more... charred than others. (Foil dinners in a fire do not take quite as long to cook as one would think...)

We explored an old Civil War trail near the Grist Mill.

 And these two melt my heart.... (She preferred only to swing with "Jesh.")

Have a great weekend! My (mini) fall break begins today, so I know I will have a good time!