This is a refrain I hear all the time. The most “egregious” (according to its detractors) is kale. You know I’m a kale fan, but I can understand how this fibrous, unfamiliar vegetable can be challenging for some people. It doesn’t taste like peas, beans, or carrots. It can be earthy. It looks funny. And it can be tough if not prepared correctly.
So what can you do with kale? Here are some ways we like it in our house:
In smoothies. You need to pair it with something very flavourful and colourful. Try a banana, a beet, and some ginger and cinnamon, in addition to plant milk. The beet will keep it from looking green (or worse, brown). Cocoa powder is another addition that can really make a difference. Or go full-on green and instead of the beets, add an avocado.
In a delicious soup with onions, chickpeas, a little potato, and chorizo. Basically chop it and sweat it with a lot of onion (three or more, diced), then add a chopped potato, a diced chorizo, a couple of cups of cooked chickpeas, and enough water to fill a large pot (like a French or Dutch oven). Simmer until everything is tender. Thanks to the onion and chorizo it will make its own broth.
Kale chips – fans swear by these but I will fully admit I’ve eaten them but never made them at home.
In a stir-fry. Much like cabbage, sliced thinly, it will take on the flavours of the other ingredients.
Last but not least, in a salad. Chop it relatively finely. Don’t use the stems or tough ribs. And mix it with a tender lettuce (like cos or Bibb) and a watery, juicy one (like iceberg or romaine).
I hope you’ll at least give it a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Here are some menu plans for next week! You can see we are still using up the gallons of turkey soup I made. If you don’t have turkey soup, that’s okay – but make a homemade soup. It’ll have far less salt and be better for you, and a large pot will make several lunches worth, that you can freeze and reheat when you’re ready.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | ||
| Sunday | January 21st | Leftover quiche | EatingWell Tomato Basil Zoodle Salad | Weight Watchers Barley Chicken Casserole |
| Monday | January 22nd | Beet and Kale Smoothie | Cooking Light Roasted Sweet Potato and Orange Salad | Jamie Oliver Sicilian Spaghetti Alla Norma |
| Tuesday | January 23rd | Granola with 1/2 banana | Homemade Turkey Soup with 1 whole grain bread and 5ml butter | Weight Watchers Zucchini Risotto with Sundried Tomatoes |
| Wednesday | January 24th | Banana Kale Smoothie | Apple Kale Salad | Weight Watchers Orange Couscous with Chicken (substituting turkey) – served with green beans |
| Thursday | January 25th | Apple Nut Oatmeal | Homemade Turkey Soup with 1 whole grain bread and 5ml butter | Weight Watchers Spaghetti with Kale and Garlic |
| Friday | January 26th | Carrot Cake Smoothie | Cooking Light Fall Vegetable and Lentil Salad | Weight Watchers Cod with Parsley Sauce served with steamed green beans and carrots |
| Saturday | January 27th | Granola with 1/2 banana | Homemade Turkey Soup with 1 whole grain bread and 5ml butter | Artichoke Pizza |
What I love best about New Year’s Day is that everyone sees the potential for a fresh start. My resolution for 2018? To help as many people as possible understand that we have that potential every single day. No matter what’s happened before, we can be better from here on in.
If you’re like many people, you may be planning to improve your diet in 2018. One of the most effective ways to make sure we are eating healthily at our house, is to make a meal plan. It works for three reasons:
In an ongoing quest to be better every day, I’m always working on health as one of my priorities, and that starts with walking, and also with eating well. Filling yourself up is important – starvation, deprivation, and denial just aren’t sustainable. So instead it’s really helpful to focus on putting as many good things into a meal as possible. Empty calories are easy to banish when you choose lots of healthy vegetables, brilliant colours, lean protein – with a nod to Michael Pollan, mostly plants! This tasty salad has sweet potato, peppers, red onion, pink beans, and a tasty curry vinaigrette (equal parts Dijon, cider vinegar, canola oil, and a teaspoon or so of curry powder for each serving).
It’s important to fill your mind with positive, helpful, forward-moving thoughts. Often when we are overwhelmed with trying to help others, we forget to take care of ourselves – but the oxygen-mask rule can help keep us on track. If you’ve ever flown on a plane, you’ll recall that they tell you to put your own mask on before helping others. That’s because if you aren’t filled up (with air), you won’t be any good to anyone. So my favourite fill-up method is to get out for a good brisk walk, early in the morning as the city is waking up, and to drink in the sights and sounds around me. Today I was particularly inspired by the sunlight filtering through the trees in Allen Gardens – just steps away from skyscrapers and streetcars. That alone has filled me up with enough gratitude to last all day.
What if someone gave you a fabulous new vehicle, that was capable of doing virtually anything you could imagine? Further, what if they told you that as long as you took good care of it, it would last for the rest of your life, and it would carry you anywhere you wanted to go?
Last night I had the privilege of attending a series of presentations by social entrepreneurs from all across Toronto at the Centre for Social Innovation. These women (mostly) and men were focused on how we build healthier communities, and the solutions were as diverse as the presenters. At the event, I was discussing a rule-of-thumb I learned from a Parisienne acquaintance of mine: it’s the one kilometre rule. It works like this: if your errand or appointment is one kilometre or less from where you are, walk. No cab, no bike, no streetcar or metro. Just use your feet.