Now who doesn’t love broccoli?  This is one of the most kid friendly vegetables and it is delicious cooked or raw.  Not only is it tasty but it is also high in vitamins C, B, and K, as well as iron. My favorite way to prepare it is with olive oil, garlic, lemon and red pepper flakes.

It is best stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipes:

• Broccoli Cheddar Soup 
• Double Broccoli Quinoa
• Broccoli Hummus

Double Garlic Broccoli

This recipe is based on one of my husbands favorite dishes at a local Chinese restaurant.

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• ¼ cup of  water
• 2 T soy sauce
• ½ cup whole cashews (raw or roasted)
• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil

Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a walk over high heat.
2. Add the garlic and chili flakes and let cook for 30 seconds then add the broccoli and toss together.
3. Turn down the heat to medium-high and add the water, for 4-7 minutes until the broccoli has softened.
4. Add the soy sauce, cashews and sesame oil.
5. Serve as a side dish or as a main over brown rice.

Kale is filled with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.  It has become more and more popular over the last year and you can find it everywhere now.  It is high in iron and calcium which is great for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet. It is also a great source of vitamins A and C.

There are three types of kale: Green, Red Russian and Lacinato aka Dinosaur Kale. My favorite of the three is lacinato, it is super tender and is great sauteed with garlic and olive oil or tossed in a white bean soup.

Kale is besetstored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

When preparing kale make sure to remove the woody steam before eating.

Kale Recipes:

• Garden Cocktail
• Kale & Sweet Potato Brown Rice Bowl
• Spicy BBQ Kale Chips
• Massaged Kale Salad or you could try this one
• How about Chocolate Covered Kale Chips?

Sweet and Spicy Kale Chips

• 1 bunch of kale, ripped into chip sized pieces, rinse and dry
• 2 dates
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/4C nutritional yeast
• 1T lime juice
• 1t chipotle chili powder
• 3/4t garlic powder
• 3/4t paprika
• 1t shoyu (can substitute soy sauce, tamari or Braggs)

1. Place the ripped kale in a large bowl. Place the dates through shoyu in a blender and process until smooth; pour over the kale.
2. Massage the sauce into the kale until evenly distributed.
3. Dehydrate method: Place on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 118F for 10 to 12 hours (however I doubt that once you start check in them every few hours that there will be any left by the time the days over). Oven method: Preheat oven to 350F.  Place the sauced kale on a baking sheet and make for 8-10 minutes until the kale chips are crispy but not burned.

One green that I don’t think gets enough attention are collard greens which are super nutritious and hold up really well when cooking. I love to saute them up with tamari, sesame oil and garlic. Collard Greens also go really well with walnuts, pecans, white beans and dried cranberries.

Nutritional Benefits: Collard Greens are filled with calcium, fiber, vitamin C and B vitamins.

Here are a few of my favorite Collard recipes:

• Collard Wraps with Italian “Pizza Cheese”
• Garlicky Greens
• Spicy Collard Greens & Rice

Green Juice:
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 bunch of collard greens, washed
6 carrots, washed and trimmed
1 lemon, peeled
1 apple, washed

Directions
Run all the fruits and veggies through your juicer and then serve over ice.

There are a few varieties of chard which include swiss chard, ruby chard and rainbow chard.  In our CSA share last week we received this beautiful bunch of rainbow chard which is my favorite type (I think mostly because I love the colorful stems).  This green is a hearty green and is so easy to prepare but make sure you don’t go wasting those stems they are wonderful if you cut them up nice and fine and saute them just a little bit before adding the leaves.

My favorite flavors to pair with chard are olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon.  Chard also goes really well with tomatoes, potatoes, and onion.

Nutritional Benefits: Chard is rich in vitamins A, C, E and K and is also a great source of magnesium, potassium, iron and fiber.

Storage: You can store your chard in a large plastic bag for 2-3 days.

Here are a few of my favorite Chard recipes:

• Garlicky Chard
• Swiss Chard Leaves Stuffed with Middle Eastern Rice
• One-Pot Quinoa & Greens

Pecan Chard Pate

This pate is a great appetizer for your next party; serve it with a selection of veggies and crackers and it will be loved by vegans and omnivores alike.  This is also great for lunch or as a snack rolled up in romaine leaves or sushi nori with sliced red bell peppers, shredded carrots and cucumber.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups raw pecans
• 1 cup shredded chard leaves
• 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1T  olive oil
• 2T soy sauce
• 1t Italian seasoning
• 1/4t black pepper
• 2T water

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse 7-8 times.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except water in the food processor and process to a paste.
3. Scrape down the sides and then process for another minute and slow stream the water into the pate.

Serve with veggies, crackers or in nori rolls.

For the first time ever, Integrative Nutrition is offering 2011 and 2012 college graduates a discount off the cost of enrollment in their Health Coach Training Program.

Learn why you should become a Health Coach here:
 Pursue Your Passion for Health & Wellness

Then, drop me a line and I will explain how you can save up to $1,000 off the cost of enrollment when you enroll before June 30^th.

How can eating at home help?

You have control - You have all  of the control.  You can  control: the portion sizes, the quality of ingredients and the  costs.  When we eat at home we  are able to buy high quality  ingredients to make dishes that  are tasty, healthy and better fit  our budget.  You can control the  salt and the fat, which helps you  take control of your diet.

Image Credit

Meal Planning Tips:

- Plan you menu for the week and make a grocery list.  Make sure to include snacks and drinks on your list. Planning will help you to stay on track and to cut costs.
- Focus on simple, healthy meals during the week and one “WOW” dinner on the weekend.  When you keep things simple you reduce stress and the desire to eat out.  The “WOW” dinner is a replacement for eating out; make something special and make an event out of it.  One of our favorite things to do is pick a movie and create a meal that follows the theme of the movie.
- Have a prep day.  One of the biggest challenges many of us face is time.  Take one day per week, I find Sundays work well for me, and prep your meals for the week.  This helps things run smoothly through the week and you will have more time doing the things you want, rather than being in the kitchen all night.
- Buy in bulk  and portion out.  I love to buy nuts, seeds and dried fruit in bulk for snacks.  When I get home I portion them out into little containers so they are easy to grab and go.  This is also great to do with other snacks such as veggie sticks and hummus or whole grain crackers and salsa.
- Keep it simple and have fun.

1. Portions - Most of the times, your portions are way too much for one person.  Many times, Neil and I will share an entree and a salad or appetizer.  But, whether you just arenʼt feeling like eating the same thing as your partner, or you just feel like youʼre hungrier than you probably are, sometimes you just want your own meal. You could always ask the wait staff to box half up of your meal before they bring it out, but, honestly, how often does that actually happen?

2. Expense –  Thereʼs no two ways about it, eating out is expensive. Just think about how much that pasta with salad dish would have cost you at home. Would that bottle of wine you shared at dinner really have cost you $35.00 at the grocery store? Often, a meal for two (as simple as the one i just mentioned) can cost upwards of $60. In reality, you can make it at home for $15-25 (including that bottle of wine!).  I know that part of what you are paying for is the experience, but why not try to recreate that at home?  And hey, tipping your partner with a kiss is a lot cheaper than 15-20% of that $60 bill (and more fun!).

3. Mystery - Often, it can be a mystery as to what you are actually eating.  Unless a restaurant clearly labels each ingredient on their menu, you may not have any idea what is in your dish.  Often restaurant dishes are filled with sodium and fats used to heighten flavor which makes you want more, creating repeat customers.  Not to mention that you donʼt know what the quality of the ingredients they use are or whether they are packaged or made from scratch.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 large cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Place the balsamic and shallots in a small sauce pan on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and reduce the vinegar by half. Set aside and let cool slightly while you prepare the remaining items.
2.Create a bed with the spinach for the tomato and cucumber to lay on; alternate the tomato and 2 slices of cucumber until all is used. Down the center top the cucumbers and tomatoes with the balsamic shallots and then drizzle the remaining sauce over.
3.Drizzle the olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Below you will find tips designed to help you live a healthy, happy life.

Exercise is king. Nutrition is
queen. Put them together and
you’ve got a kingdom.
 ~Jack Lalanne

Image Credit

Avoid Toxic Chemicals. (Low cost) One goal in a health-supportive lifestyle is to decrease or eliminate our exposure to all unnecessary chemicals whenever possible. An easy place to start is under the kitchen sink, with your home cleaning products. Many conventional home cleaning products contain extremely harsh chemicals, which can be toxic to us and to our environment. There are great natural cleaning products out there however they can be costly.

Take advantage of inexpensive cleaning products that you already have at home:

baking soda: gentle, non-abrasive cleanser when sprinkled on a damp sponge; absorbs odors, it can be useful as an air freshener and carpet deodorizer

soda water: similar to baking soda but more alkaline, it is great to cut grease, clean petroleum oil and for
removing wax or lipstick

white vinegar: very acidic, great for removing alkaline substances such as stains and buildup from hard water, dissolving gummy buildup, eating away tarnish and removing dirt from wood surfaces

lemon juice: for whites, try adding 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle of a medium load of whites; it lightly bleaches the clothing, which is enhanced if you can hang the clothing in the sun to dry

Below you will find tips designed to help you live a healthy, happy life.

Exercise is king. Nutrition is
queen. Put them together and
you’ve got a kingdom.
 ~Jack Lalanne

Sleep. (Free) Sleep helps to improve memory, prevent weight gain, improve your mood, strengthen your immune system, and cardiovascular system.

Find time to relax and de-stress. (Free) In this modern world, we are always busy and stressed. Chronic stress is detrimental to your heart and your brain so it is important to find time in your day to unwind and de-stress. Treat yourself to regular daily quiet time – study, pray, meditate; recharge yourself.