{"id":7421,"date":"2013-01-23T00:01:57","date_gmt":"2013-01-23T05:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=7421"},"modified":"2013-01-23T00:02:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-23T05:02:00","slug":"at-home-with-gch-focus-on-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/01\/23\/at-home-with-gch-focus-on-health\/","title":{"rendered":"At Home with GCH: Focus on Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kale<\/a><\/p>\n

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, I am a champ. \u00a0Every year, I swear I’m going to lose weight, exercise more, and eat healthier. \u00a0This year, so far, I’ve done really well on one front—eating better. \u00a0There probably isn’t anyone in the world who couldn’t stand to give their daily diet a tune-up, and one of the biggest improvements we can make is to eat less “bad stuff” and more “good stuff.”\u00a0\u00a0What’s the good stuff? \u00a0Vegetables, of course! \u00a0(Don’t roll your eyes at me!)<\/p>\n

Let’s introduce the star of this show: \u00a0KALE. \u00a0It’s a hearty green vegetable in the Brassica family, related to cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. \u00a0Any veggie you eat in the Brassica family is going to help you. Kale is the the best, and most-studied, of the group. \u00a0Kale has been shown to reduce the likelihood of many different types of cancer, and is now being investigated as a treatment for cancer and other diseases as well. \u00a0If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, imagine what a serving of kale can do!<\/p>\n

Where I live, kale is in season now. \u00a0I’ve seen it at my local farmer’s market lately, as well as at my regular grocery store. \u00a0Whole Foods and other health food stores will always have it in stock, and if you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, you can find it stemmed, cleaned, and bagged, all ready for your culinary prowess!<\/p>\n

Here’s what you need to know to cook with kale: \u00a0the stem, which goes all the way up the middle of each leaf, is too tough to eat. \u00a0Your best bet is to wash it, then hold the stem in your hand. \u00a0Fold the leaf in half and hold the stem with one hand, and pull off the leafy part with your other hand. \u00a0Then rip the leaf into bite-sized pieces. \u00a0Now what?<\/p>\n

Kale is a hearty leaf, and can stand up to long cooking and strong flavors. \u00a0Because it is an excellent source of Vitamin K, it is best served with a little fat to aid absorption of \u00a0the important nutrients. \u00a0Use either olive oil, butter, or (get ready for it)—BACON! \u00a0But don’t boil it to death. \u00a0Saute it, add it to soups, toss it into salads, or, my favorite,\u00a0kale chips. \u00a0Are you ready for some inspiration? \u00a0Let’s go!<\/p>\n

\"kale<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let’s start with my favorite, and the most “snacky,” Kale Chips. \u00a0(You can probably get your kids to eat these!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.foodnetwork.com\/recipes\/melissa-darabian\/crispy-kale-chips-recipe\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n

_____
\nHere’s one from me, featuring saut\u00e9ed kale, sun dried tomatoes, and almonds:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/frugalgirlmet.blogspot.com\/2012\/08\/superfoods-salad-warm-kale-and-oven.html<\/a><\/p>\n

_____
\nKale plays well with others! \u00a0Try it in Coleen’s yummy soup recipe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/2013\/01\/07\/gch-whats-on-your-plate-souppalooza-part-two\/<\/a><\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

Here’s a salad<\/strong>, for you hearty souls who are ready to take it to the next level and EAT. \u00a0YOUR. \u00a0GREENS<\/strong><\/em>! \u00a0(PS: I make a salad similar to this once a week and it is delicious and filling!)<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.tastebook.com\/recipes\/1835410-Emerald-Sesame-Kale<\/a><\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

Here is another great way to get your greens in! \u00a0It will also work for the kids, too! A lot of people think Green Smoothies are going to taste bad. \u00a0Not at all! \u00a0Especially when you add\u00a0 fruit to\u00a0your ingredients! \u00a0I always add a banana, or strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, an apple, and more. \u00a0Once all of the ingredients are blended together, the main thing you will taste is the fruit! \u00a0So don’t be afraid to try this recipe! \u00a0I think you’ll be glad you did!<\/p>\n

GREEN SMOOTHIE<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

1 handful of kale or spinach ( I use a combination of both)<\/p>\n

1 tbsp of almonds<\/p>\n

1 tbsp flaxseed<\/p>\n

2 scoops of your favorite protein powder<\/p>\n

1 banana<\/p>\n

16 oz of filtered water<\/p>\n

6 ice cubes<\/p>\n

Directions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using a high-power blender, blend all ingredients on high for at least 1 minute. \u00a0If you are using a lower power blender, you will want to blend on high for at least 3 to 4 minutes. \u00a0Ingredients should smooth and creamy! \u00a0Pour yourself a glass of this delicious drink, and keep the rest of it stored in a Mason jar until you’re ready for your afternoon Smoothie! \u00a0Makes just over 1 quart.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Explore, experiment, enjoy!<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Dana<\/p>\n

\n

Please visit me at\u00a0Frugal Girlmet<\/a>\u00a0for more unique recipes!<\/p>\n

\n
\n

If you would like to contact Dana in regards to this blog, please email her at Dana@girlfriendscoffeehour.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, I am a champ. \u00a0Every year, I swear I’m going to lose weight, exercise more, and eat healthier. \u00a0This year, so far, I’ve done really well on one front—eating better. \u00a0There probably isn’t anyone in the world who couldn’t stand to give their daily diet a tune-up, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":7435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[9296,279,398,425,1457,1458,1441,484,1447,580,1448,1450,1315,1449,1442,1100],"class_list":["post-7421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-at-home-with-gch","tag-at-home-with-gch","tag-dana-kim","tag-frugal-girlmet","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-green-smoothie","tag-green-smoothie-recipes","tag-health","tag-healthy-eating","tag-healthy-recipes","tag-kale","tag-kale-chips","tag-kale-in-soups","tag-kale-recipes","tag-kale-salads","tag-recipes","tag-vegetables","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/kale-saute.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-1VH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7421"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7906,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7421\/revisions\/7906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}