Hi everyone and please click on the title of this post to read more. I hope everyone is enjoying (or not dreading) the end of the school year. I, personally, look forward to the not-so-rushed schedule and the time to really spend quality days with my family.
I find that it’s not so easy to function in this world, doing all that we need to do to get by and still be healthy and balanced (gee, really?). That is why I was so happy to host a raw food workshop with Catherine Moon (www.rawfoodhealthretreat.com) last week. She showed our workshop participants how easy it is to incorporate healthy food in its most nutritious state-the raw state, into our diet without wasting too much time.
One of the reasons many of us don’t even bother cooking is because there are a lot of steps. Well, I learned that even just making a simple salad can be sufficient to get a ton of calcium if you are using raw kale which is loaded with nutrients. Kale is pretty tough and difficult to chew in its raw state but if you chop it up really fine and massage olive oil into it, it softens up and actually is pretty pleasant to eat. Combine that with some really red raw beets and it is not only GORGEOUS to look at , but we are eating two amazingly healthy superfoods in one meal.
Another reason one may not consider taking the time to add some raw foods to their diet is that people may ridicule or malign you, like they did to me with their comments on a popular local website, www.baristakids.com, when they read my quotes (and discussed the Cupcake lady, MeMe Roth) about how much junk food is in school and how I was hosting this raw food workshop:
heres a concept. Worry about your own kids.
Send a note saying no cupcackes for the little raw foodies.
All to often today to many people are telling me how to raise my kids. Thanks but no thanks. You can simply have your kids removed from said program instead of being the moral/food/whatever police you want to be. Don’t hold up what I might want for my kid because you think you know better.
Better yet move to Montana and homeschool. Then you wont have to worry about anything and you can grow your own food ect.
Honestly it all seems like bad parenting to me. I can’t control my kid so I have to make sure its not available to anybody.
Such stupidity.
I’m betting that these two moms have a stash of candy that they devoure when nobody is looking. Its like politics today. I am very suspect of anybody who is way too into a topic.
You got a ex-gov who made anti hooker laws who was going to hookers.
You got a senator who is so gung-ho on family values and cheats on his wife with a friend and spouse of a worker
You got a priest who cheating for 2 years while giving advise that he doesn’t practice.
You got senetors and loudmouths who talk about anti-gay blah blah blah who are tap tap tapping under the stall and enjoying meth with gay prostitutes.
You got some dumb family who are parading around a teenage unmarried daughter who got knocked up and who ran on family values and are now preaching abstinance?
the lists go on and on. So I’m betting there is a shoe box full of snickers and m&ms; somewhere high up in the back of a closet.
It all comes down to do as I say not as I do.
Author Profile Page Aflarfin
Dag! Sorry to spread this negativity, but I thought being compared to a prostitute- using-governor who hordes candy was a bit much and needed to be shared (although I do horde candy and always have)….
Anyhoo, here is Catherine’s tasty and VERY healthy recipe for kale salad which is very much in season right now. It takes a bit more time than your regular salad but you will feel so healthy after eating it and your kids might eat it just because of the bold colors. Have your kids help you make it like I did with my eldest-she wouldn’t try the kale but , shockingly, tried a beet for the first time during this salad prep time. Also, the dumplings in the video below paired up with the salad are not raw and will be discussed soon so stay tuned…
Beet and Kale Salad:
1 large bunch of kale chopped pretty finely
3 beets peeled and chopped or julienned (cut into small thin strips) Save the beet greens, wash them and and chop them up for the salad
2 cloves garlic (i didn’t use these)
1/2 vidalia onion finely diced (I used a few chopped scallions)
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar (whole Foods-if you don’t have this, use a little maple syrup)
1/2 tsp chili powder (I didn’t use this)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea or kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
optional -nuts, dried fruit
olive oil
Wash and cut the greens removing the stems. Coat the greens with olive oil. Add lemon, vinegar, agave, onion, garlic and other seasonings. mix well and massage the greens with your hands to soften them. Add the beets and let marinate. The longer you marinate, the more flavor.
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
8 Responses
I just made my first fruit & green shake (alot of fruit, a little greens.) its ok except that i obviously don't know what kale is & bought collard greens instead.
don't feel bad, Ellen-kale and collard greens look very similar. So glad you are on the green shake band wagon!
Please note that the person who ranted against you has the punctuation and grammar of a third grader. I think if you are going to diss someone you had better edit your tirade or it leaves you open to being called a "dumb#!@."
Alma, someone told me that I couldn't think of myself as a real blogger until someone told me in the comments of a post that "the writer is a (insert preferred expletive here)'. On that criterion, you're almost there. It is amazing how much time some people spend saying mean (and often also stupid) things on other people's blogs. And, if you check virtually any post on baristanet, there are mean and stupid comments, regardless of the topic of the post itself. So, as thy say in the 4 agreements: Don't take it personally. You know you're saying important things from a solid foundation of expertise and understanding. So they all can go and eat… some raw broccoli.
Thanks for the support, ladies
They say there's no such thing as bad publicity. So, raise a raw, green shake to those green-with-envy folks and say thank you!
i like kale. i like cupcakes. there's room in life for both.
Thanks for the great class at NYSC today Alma. I went right to Whole Foods and bought the ingredients. I am making it tonight for dinner with chicken cutlets.