Independence Day Salad

There is nothing more representative of Independence Day than watermelon!  The crisp sweet flesh is so refreshing on a hot summer day next to the barbecue. 

This salad is a great addition to the festivities today. 

Watermelon

Sliced cucumber

Red onion

Lime juice 

And chopped mint

Tossed together it is the perfect combination of flavors with the refreshment of watermelon and mint. 

Now I'm tempted to muddle this in a glass and turn it into an adult beverage!

Have a safe Forth if July! 

Detox-a-thon!

While preparing for my Gentle Detox class, I came to one major conclusion. Eat More Plants!!! There are two main reasons for this. First, whole plant foods have an abundance fiber! Fiber has the incredibly important function of carrying out the "crap" our liver processes out of our blood. If we don't have fiber available in our small intestine, that "crap" has no where to go but back into our blood. This is certainly not where we want it, so keep the fiber up by eating more plants.
Secondly, plants have antioxidants. Antioxidants are the protectors of our cells from free radical damage. This includes the cells of our liver, kidney, skin and intestines, the main players in body detoxification. When our cells are protected, they can function properly allowing the natural detoxification process to work properly. I spent the last few weeks really delving into the intricate details of the detoxification process. In the spirit of simplicity, I won't get into the nitty gritty details here. Although I am happy to donate my many pages of note to a good home.
So in conclusion to my already truncated post, eat your veggies and lots of them!

For those of you joining me at the Summer Party Favorites class, there will be more yummy kale chips! Doritos flavor to satisfy those junk food cravings.

Kale love!

Kale is one of those foods that I just can't get enough of. This super nutritious food is packed full of protein, calcium and vitamin k. In an effort to diversify the way I consume this beautiful green, I decided to play with a raw salad. Our friends are bringing over some delicious veggie pizza so we needed a good balance. Kale is a staple in our house as well as avocado, so it seemed only natural to smash them together. The result was lovely as always! 

Guacamole salad

1 bunch kale 

Juice from 1 lime

1 ripe avocado

A handful of cilantro 

2 Roma tomatoes 

2 cloves of garlic

Remove the stems from the kale and chip into bite sized pieces. Add avocado and lime juice and smash it all together until we'll combined. Don't worry about getting dirty! The avocado is great for your skin. Chop the remaining ingredients and toss into the salad. Enjoy!!!

I am currently working on my  skills. Hopefully soon my photos won't look quite so be patient with my amateur pictures!  

Stay timed for kale chips! I made a batch for my detox class last week. They were so tasty I almost devoured the entire batch before class started. I happen to be munching on some right now also 😜. 

Summer Nutrition and Cooking Classes

The schedule is set for summer classes! As always there will be lots of food, great recipes and maybe some fun too.

June 3- Gentle Detox

Simple lifestyle strategies and recipes to carry you to your most radiant and energetic self

July 1- Summer Party Favorites

Whole food plant based recipes to keep you healthy and satisfied while socializing all season long

August 5- Fermented Foods

Add natural probiotics to your family’s meals while preserving the freshest foods

September 9- Fantastic Fiber

Delicious fiberful foods that fill you up and but don’t fill your waistline out

Contact me to RSVP or for more information.  All Classes start at 6:30pm and are $20 per person. 

Veggies for Dessert

So the last several days have been incredibly busy. We finally made it back home after a three week trip to see family and maybe avoid some crumby "spring" weather. The weekend was full of friends visiting and fun outdoors. I just didn't feel much like cooking and we ended up not eating the healthiest. But of course I still wanted dessert! Veggies for dessert would certainly make up for the lack of them during the day. So here is what I came up with. I blended about 1/2 cup coconut milk with 3 medjool dates. I added a huge handful of spinach, and than a little more. Once that was smooth, I added in a bag of frozen mangos. I love that Trader Joes carries organic now!

All blended together, this was a nice, creamy, green treat. I felt great giving two full bowls to D. No refined sweeteners, lots of greens and delicious makes for a great toddler treat! I didn't even feel guilty eating the left overs for breakfast.

Five spice noodles

Tonight, like most nights, I had my wonderful little sous chef helping prepare dinner. Using different spices helps make the same veggies seem new and exciting. When D helps in the preparation, he is always more excited to try what he helped make. I can't wait to start our garden so we can bring that to a whole new level! Growing our own food is going to be such an adventure for all of us (if spring ever comes in Wisconsin).

Chinese five spice is a blend of star anise, clove, pepper, fennel and cinnamon. This makes a very exotic tasting dish using common veggies. Since we are visiting family, I used our Oil Core Skillet to make our meal. Onions, ginger and garlic were cut in the #2 cone as the first layer. Next I added the vermicelli noodles (I have also successfully used chow mien or rice noodles). Next came carrots and zucchini again cut on the #2 cone with the assistance of my wonderful helper. Savoy cabbage topped off the veggies along with a generous sprinkle of Chinese five spice and Bragg amino acids (if you need some heat add srirach). To give the noodles enough liquid to rehydrate, I added about 1/3 cup of alkaline water. Declan is a huge fan of tofu so we added some cubes of sprouted extra firm tofu also. Medium-click-low and its ready to go in about 10 minutes in Saladmaster.
This is a cheap quick meal that we enjoy often. It's way healthier than Chinese carryout!

Coconut red lentil curry

Carried to Wellness was created to keep me inspired in my journey to wellness. I strive to eat a clean, nutrient dense diet to keep my family and myself as healthy as possible. I hope my adventures in the kitchen encourage you as much as it keeps me accountable.

Year around farmers market is one of the reasons I miss California the most. When I am in town visiting family, the San Clemente farmers market is always on the schedule. Today I found delicious purple potatoes there. Purple potatoes have been cultivated about 8,000 years in South America in the high planes around Lake Titicaca. The deep purple color comes from the antioxidant anthocyanin, which can also be found in red wine, berries and other blue and purple produce. This flavonoid has been found to aid in the prevention of certain cancers and boosts immunity.

The average family relies on just nine recipes. Although I try to add new meals regularly, coconut curry makes a very regular appearance on our dinner table. It tastes even better the second day and freezes well. A large batch can easily be stretched for several quick meals. The base of this recipe is red lentils, onion, garlic, coconut milk, garam masala and curry powder. Depending on the season, I add what veggies are available. Today we used those wonderful purple potatoes and spinach. We ended up with a high fiber, nutrient dense meal, cooked in one pot for a simple meal and clean up.

Coming Soon!

Thank you for visiting my site! I will be getting it together soon and posting some delicious recipes. Until then you can learn about wellness at one of my monthly cooking for wellness classes.