What to do with all that kale?

So you’ve purchased a bunch of kale, made a couple salads, but still have a few pounds of kale left!

Salad is fun, a couple times a week! But what are you to do with all of that kale?

Here’s are 4 easy and healthy ideas to help ensure those leafy greens won’t go to waste!

But firstly, what are the benefits of kale?

•Kale has 2.5 grams of protein per cup
•High in Vitamin K (bone health)
•High in fiber
•Antioxidant (cancer fighting)
•Good source of Vitamin A & C
•High in calcium

Now let’s get cooking!

1. Kale Wraps!

Make these veggie kale wraps in under 5 minutes! Just add some peppers, kale, cheese and honey dijon!

2. Quinoa Topper!

•Cook quinoa as directed on package
•Dice up kale, green onions, peppers, and or tomatoes
•Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of lemon juice per cup of quinoa
•Mix it up and enjoy

3. Pizza night!

Pizza kits are the best! With whole wheat & thin crust options now available, you can make a homemade pizza that the whole family can enjoy!

We made half meat and half veggie (for me) The left side toppings include:

Giant olives, orange & red peppers, cheese and kale!

You can also substitute the pizza sauce with a pesto mix and scratch the cheese.

4. Scrambled eggs!

Some other great ideas to incorporate kale into your meals are:

•Smoothies
•Kale chips
•Stir fry
•Soups

Vegetarian Greek Potatoes

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 mins

What you’ll need:

•5 large white potatoes
•3 tablespoons of olive oil
•1/4 of a lemon (Squeeze juice into a small bowl, remove seeds)
•1 tablespoon of dry vegetable mix
OR 1/4 tsp of dry or fresh basil, parsley, pepper, garlic and salt

How to prepare:

•In a pot, bring water & salt to a boil on high heat
•Peel and cut potatoes into chunks
•Reduce heat to medium & boil for 15 minutes – or cook until soft and the potatoes fall off the fork
•Drain water
•In a large pan, on medium heat,
add oil, vegetable broth and lemon juice
•Simmer for 5 minutes
•Add potatoes, mix until they are covered in spices & oil
•Stirring often until golden brown & crispy, about 10-15 minutes

Serve with Eggplant Parmesan! (See ‘Older Posts’)

So Good. So Simple: Protein

Whether you are a vegetarian or not, this quick veggie protein wrap will give you all the energy you need! For lunch, dinner, or a post work out snack!

Protein:

•Avocado
•Black beans
•Hummus (Chickpeas)

This meal was as quick to whip up as this post! No excuses! 🙂

Follow me on Instagram: @ danehdee

Homemade | Grain Free | Bounty Bars

For these grain free and vegetarian coconut bars all you will need is:

•1 + 1/2 cups of un-sweetened shredded coconut
•3 egg whites
•1/4 cup sugar
•2 large tbsp coconut flour
•Dash of salt or two

•1/2 cup chocolate of your choice (set aside)

Method:

•Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit
•Add all ingredients in a bowl – except the chocolate
•Mix well
•Cover pan with parchment paper
•Using a tablespoon, scoop 9-12 servings of mix onto pan
*Form into a rectangle and smooth down or leave them round!
(Don’t worry if they are runny, you can cut around the melted area after bars are cooled off)
•Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
•Let cool
•Freeze for 20 minutes
•Melt chocolate in microwave, 30 seconds at a time
•Dip coconut bars into chocolate, cover evenly
•Freeze for 30 minutes
•Serve and enjoy!

A few of my favorite things!

Clean eating to me is all about real food! Colorful, tasty, and fresh ingredients!

Eating for your health, a better, happier you, is so easy! Just eat real food! Clean eating can be expensive, but these simple tips, like buying frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh potatoes, beans and making smart shopping choices… really is the same price as eating out at a fast food restaurant.

Think about it, if you we’re to buy a combo at McDonalds, you are spending approx. $10 for one meal with no nutritional value.

When you can go to the grocery store, or the bulk barn – buy a few peaches, 4 apples, bananas, a grain, can of beans, potatoes, and a small carton of eggs for $10-$15. That’s about 2-3 meals worth of food.

$10-$15 worth of real food with no preservatives, or chemicals. Just good old vitamins! Food that is nourishing your body, and keeps your energy up! For a better, healthier you!

Below is a quick, simple, clean dinner.

Couscous, cucumber, chickpeas, olives, red pepper, lemon juice, parsley and pepper.

This meal cost me less than $10 and makes about 5 meals!

Falafal Mix: Baked not fried

If your a falafel addict like myself, you’ve probably eyed a falafel mix in the grocery store a few times!

Though it calls to be prepared in a deep fryer, I decided to purchase a mix and bake them in the oven!

•Heat oven to 375 Fahrenheit
•Prepare mix as directed on package
•Size: Scoop a heaping tablespoon of mix and form into a ball and flatten
•Place on parchment paper and brush falafel with olive oil
•Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning at 10minutes

Serve with tahini or hummus!

Epicure’s Pesto Pasta!

I recently purchased Epicures Pesto Mix, and I’m in love with it!

It’s gluten free, contains no added MSG and its low in sodium!
This bottle will last me for at least a year and my pesto will always be fresh!

•I added 1tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of pesto mix per serving of pasta!

•Sauté some peppers, zucchini and parsnips in olive oil to top it off!

•Want protein?
Vegetarians: Cut up an avocado or add chickpeas
Meat eaters: A chicken breast cut into strips should compliment this dish well

Enjoy!

Chickpea Stir Fry!

This 15 minute dish is packed with protein, vegan and so easy to make! It serves two. Just double the ingredients if you’re meal prepping or have a few mouths to feed!

What you’ll need:

•1 cup of chick peas
•1 large turnip
•1 red pepper
•3 carrots
•1 small eggplant
•1 avocado
•Coconut oil
•1/2 tbsp Roasted garlic

Method:

•Melt coconut oil in a medium-large sized frying pan on medium heat
•Add roasted garlic to pan – simmer for 1 minute
•Peel and cut vegetables
•Add turnips, carrots, red pepper and eggplant to pan
•Stirring often for 8-10 minutes
•Add chickpeas to pan and cook everything together for an additional 3-5 minutes

Garnish with avocado and your favorite sauce. Pairs well with soya sauce, Asian Sesame Sauce or balsamic glaze!

Enjoy!

Bean Sprout Stir Fry!

This quick and simple Asian recipe is healthy and grain free! I’ve substituted noodles and or rice for bean sprouts.

Bean sprouts take half the time to make as grains, and are very filling. If you’re on the go, this is the perfect dish for meal preps or the whole family.

Serves 3-4 large portions

What you’ll need:

•Bag of bean sprouts
•Bag of baby bok choy
•1 red pepper
•Bag of sugar snap peas
•1/2 cup of edamame beans per serving
•1/2 cup soy sauce
•1/4 cup Renee’s Asian sesame sauce
•Olive oil

Method:

•Rinse bean sprouts, put aside in a large bowl
•Bring a kettle full of water to a boil
•Pour water on top of bean sprouts – let sit for 5 minutes, drain
•Cook edamame as directed on package – set aside
•In a large frying pan, heat olive oil
•Add bok choy (leaves cut off) red pepper and snap peas to pan + any additional seasonings (I use basil & pepper)
•Cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring often
•Add bean sprouts and soy sauce to vegetables and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes
•Remove from heat, add edamame and Asian sesame sauce to taste

Enjoy!

Apple & Cheddar Grilled Cheese!

This weeks post is another featured recipe by my coworker, fitness guru & yoga teacher: Tina Fenninger! She keeps me so motivated with her healthy lifestyle and clean eating ideas. This meal is delicious, healthy and so easy to make!

“This apple and cheddar grilled cheese takes the popular comfort food favorite and gives it a healthy twist by using sweet, juicy apple slices. If you use with low-fat spread and reduced amount of cheese, it’s perfect for active people trying to eat well.”

•Easy to make, less than 15 mins

•Vegetarian

Ingredients:

•2 slices whole wheat bread

•2 teaspoons low-fat butter substitute

•2 thin slices sharp cheddar cheese

•½ green apple

Directions:

•Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and spread ½ teaspoon low-fat butter substitute on each side of the bread slices, covering all four sides.

•Place one thin slice of cheddar cheese on each slice of bread.

•Slice the apple into 4 thick slices and lay them all on top of one slice of cheese.

•Sandwich the two slices of bread together, making sure all the cheese and apple slices are kept tucked inside and place the sandwich into the hot frying pan.

•Press down on the sandwich with a spatula for a few seconds and leave to cook for around 5 minutes or until golden.

•Flip the sandwich over and press down on the top with a spatula for a couple of seconds again. Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the outsides are golden and the cheese is melted.

Yum!!

Recipe by: Tina Fenninger