Massaged Kale Salad!

curly kale growing in my garden

Greens are nutritionally high in calcium, magnesium, folic acid, iron, potassium, vitamins A, C, E & K, and packed with fiber, chlorophyll, and other micro nutrients.

Kale one of my favorites and is like the "mother-load" of healthy greens as far as I am concerned. If you don't already know this about me then you should.... I LOVE eating food that is good for me, but it has to taste good too, so when I create or find a recipe to adapt, it has to be palatable.

Here is a great raw kale salad recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

A few easy tips to make raw kale more enjoyable;

1. Remove stems.
2. Roll leaves together and then cut into small, thin pieces.
3. Massage dressing into kale leaves and let it marinate so flavor has time to really get into the leaves.

Ingredients:
5-6 cups of finely chopped kale (curly or flat leaf)
1 avocado
2-3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
1 sm clove chopped garlic
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 sm green apple sliced thinly
1 handful of raisins
1 handful of sliced almonds or pine nuts
1 large carrot sliced
1 scallion chopped thinly (green only)
1 handful fresh chopped mint

Directions:

1. Place chopped kale in large bowl with avocado, olive oil, lemon, garlic and salt. Massage avocado and other dressing ingredients into the leaves very well. Don't be afraid of getting your hands in there and really mix it all  together for about 3-4 min. The avocado dressing should be like a paste.
2. Chop/ slice all other ingredients while kale is marinating.
3. Add all other ingredients to the dressed kale, mixing well, so everything gets coated.
4. Chill in refrigerator for 15 min and enjoy!

Move that body!

Exercise has always been a bit of a struggle for me, not becasue I don't like it, but becasue I often found excuses why not to go, I got bored with my routine, or I wasn't motivated to do anything by myself.

I know how important it is for our health to be physically active, I coach my clients on ways to get motivated and get into a regular routine, however I still find myself going through periods of time where I am doing a whole lot of nothing and having a hard time getting myself moving again. The last two weeks of August were just that for me, and I am working hard to get back into the exercise mode again.

For 8 weeks this summer (4 mornings a week) I was thrilled to be part of JourneyFit Bootcamp - an AMAZING group of gals (and two brave men) lead by an inspiring, talented and wonderful trainer, Allyson Neilson.
I was honored to be part of the group and each day share health, nutrition and wellness tips with the group as we circled up and cooled down after an great workout.
I was amazed how much I actually liked pushing myself to run a little further, try a little harder, and find my "strong" - esp. while being pregnant.
Here I am doing an incline pushup while 5 months pregnant. Before we started I could barely push myself up off the ground. -->

Working out felt fun (even though not always easy) for those two months becasue I loved being part of a group, and being lead by an teriffic coach. I was even motivated to keep going after bootcamp ended which felt awesome. Then life got busy, we had visitors, and I found myself not making time to exercise, and not feeling motivated to do much of anything by myself.

This past week I have made more of an effort, and feel better, but would like to do more especially as my belly continues to grow. Sometimes life gets hard, we get stressed, depressed, or tired, and it sometimes feels easier to let our healthy eating or exercise routine slip. I am here to admit I know first hand how that is.

Sooooo, as I get my butt back in gear there are a couple of things that I know will help me get back on track. These are things that over the years I have discovered about myself when it comes to exercise.

1. I don't do well working out by myself, so I need a class or buddy to keep me going.
2. There has to be a fun element to my workout or I get bored easily.
3. It is helpful to have a set or scheduled time set aside ahead of time so I know what and when I will be exercising.
4. With my current lifestyle I usually do better by getting my workout in sometime in the morning.

Do you struggle with exercise, or do you have a routine you love and keep up no matter what?

If you do struggle but feel ready to get back in the swing (like me) sit down and do the following:

1. Find a buddy or class if you are like me and know you won't do much if left by yourself
2. Figure out when you will exercise, and schedule it in your calendar.
3. Start off easy and do things that don't overwhelm you especially if you are just starting out.

I'd love to hear from you - share your goals, successes, or workout tips below. I could use the inspiration and motivation too!

Baby on board!

For those of you that don't already know, I have some exciting and life changing news!  I am pregnant... expecting our second child! It was a bit of a surprise, but we are all excited to meet the new baby boy who is due to arrive in about 12-13 weeks.

I was recently remembering that four years ago I was enormously pregnant with my son, Evan (who was born the end of September), and how miserable I was. I had gained 60+ lbs with Evan (who was only roughly 7 of those lbs), and even though I was happy to have incubated a healthy and beautiful baby, the weight gain was not only physically uncomfortable; it was emotionally hard for me too.
The weight came off so slowly that I questioned if I would be able to do it again especially if it meant that I would have to put on those extra baby making lbs. This may sound vein, but the truth is; body image and weight loss are things that I struggled with since I was 14yrs old, and baby or no baby, it is difficult when you feel heavy and uncomfortable in your own clothes and skin.

When I discovered I was pregnant this time I initially panicked at the thought of being heavy, but reminded myself that there are a few things I have learned, and could now do differently to feel good, no matter what size I was.

1. Love my body regardless, and appreciate how well it provides a growing space for my most precious cargo, AND not compare myself with any other pregnant women and their weight gain, or loss.
2.  Move my body, even if it is only 30 min a day. A little exercise and movement really helps to physically keep the baby and me healthy. I didn't exercise very much through my first pregnancy, and this time I am moving more, and feeling physically and mentally much better.
3. Continue to eat clean whole foods and lots of veggies, but also not to beat myself up for enjoying summer treats like ice cream! *

While thinking about these 3 things that have helped me tremendously throughout the last 6 months, I thought about how loving our bodies more, moving our bodies, and eating real food are all important, pregnant or not.

I believe all of these things  have helped me tremendously during this pregnancy. I am currently 27 weeks, and happy to say that I weigh now the same as I did at only 19 weeks with my first pregnancy. I am feeling great, and hope that that continues as I enter into my 3rd and last trimester!

I look forward to sharing more with you over the next few weeks and before you know it I will be announcing our newest addition!

*(It is important to note that even though I may have had my fair share of treats, I believe that being pregnant shouldn't mean that you eat as much and whatever you want. It is crucial in my opinion, while growing another life; we eat the best foods possible.)