Kale Soup!

Holy kale! It has been a long time since I've posted any recipes for you all, so I hope this is a great ice breaker for the posts that are to come! Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!

Ingredients:
1 large head of kale, washed and ripped into pieces
1/2 head chopped green cabbage
5-8 sliced celery sticks
1 quart organic vegetable broth
1.5 quarts filtered water
Juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tbsp soy or teriyaki sauce
Fresh herbs from my garden (use yours of choice): chives, rosemary, basil & oregano
3-7 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp red pepper paste
Ginger powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute celery, garlic & herbs in coconut oil.
Add the remaining ingredients. Kale may need to cook down, but everything should eventually be submerged in broth.
Once everything is submerged, simmer on medium-high for about 30-60 minutes, or until the veggies are to desired softness.

Serve with rice, quinoa or by itself.

ENJOY!! :)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Roots~

Highly requested and extremely delicious... :)

Roasted brussel sprouts:

(approx. 6 servings)

2 pounds brussel sprouts cut in half

Approx. 2-3 tbsp. unrefined coconut oil (enough to cover sprouts)

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. rosemary

1 tbsp. salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, then lie flat on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 400* for about 30 minutes, or until desired crispiness.

Roasted Roots

(approx. 4 servings)

1 medium size of each- red beet, yellow beet and 1 large carrot - chopped or sliced 

2 tbsp. unrefined coconut oil

1 tbsp. minced ginger (*or 1 tbsp. ginger paste)

Juice of 1 lemon (*or 1 tbsp. lemon grass paste)

1 tsp. garlic salt or minced garlic or garlic salt

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Bake at 400* for about 20-30 minutes.

(*Pastes can be found in the refrigerated produce section, near the salad dressings. 

I find mine at Albertson's.)

My 1-day Juice Fast

I really only wanted one thing for Christmas. A juicer.. And I got it and I'm super happy about it! I was so hyped to try a 3-day Reboot with Joe... And one day was enough for me! My purpose was that I wanted to cleanse my body of all the holiday crap and in my opinion, when you're already a healthy eater, a day is enough. I really don't see the need to put myself through a major loss of energy and the agitation that comes from being so hungry. Especially when I have so much to do and so many commitments. I need to be in tip-top form! :)

I believe that if you're already a person who eats a clean and healthy diet, then a one day juice fast periodically is beneficial, but not really necessary. I think it's good to give our bodies a break from all of the work it does to process everything that we put in it on a regular basis. Overall, I just think it's a great idea to add juice to your lifestyle.

I also believe in a spiritual aspect that allows us to connect with something within ourselves that is beyond the physical realm. I can imagine that is even more heightened if taken beyond one day. Food can be a beautiful experience and eating should be a thoughtful process. Juices are beautiful and I feel so fresh and vibrant when I drink them.. how can there be anything bad about that! ;)

I'm not a doctor or anything, but if you're under the care of one, I think juicing can be a great way to kickstart a healthy lifestyle. I think it can be beneficial in alleviating our body's addiction to all the crap we give it. AND I still don't think it's necessary for ANYONE to have to deprive themselves in order to lose weight and/or get healthy.

If you are considering doing a reboot, the biggest advice I can give is to be prepared. You're going to need A LOT of fruits and veggies. We had 3+ bags FULL for two of us and that was really only enough for 2 days. I also don't recommend doing any crazy workouts while you're fasting. You're probably not going to have the energy and probably won't feel very good when you're done.

At the end of the day, I say just add juice to your lifestyle and you'll experience the magic! ;)

Four Fab Fitters ~ Thursday

Breakfast from me~ Heavenly Healthy~

>> VIDEO Workout << of the Day from Better Believe Fit~

Snack of the Day from Go Mommy Go~

Snacktime! Greek Yogurt w/ 1/2 TBSP Peanut Butter & Handful of Blueberries

Dinner from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads~

Roasted Veggie Party Tray

Choose any array of your favorite veggies, season them, roast (or even grill) them and arrange them on a tray. A healthy and tasty snack that even the kids will enjoy.

Here, I coated two extra large cookie sheets with grape seed oil. On one sheet, sliced sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. On the other sheet, sliced eggplant and kale leaves.

(*If you have smaller cookie sheets, I suggest doing one veggie on each in the following order: sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts take close to the same amount of time. Then the eggplant, then the kale. Personally, I'm going for crunchy, so I go for longer cook times. It's best to stay close and watch them until they're at your desired crunchiness.)

I love roasted veggies because they're so easy and versatile. You can really choose any of your own favorite spices and veggies to use and it will come out fantastic.

Here's what I did:

Sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts: toss in refined coconut oil, sea salt and cracked rosemary. Cook at 400* for about 45 minutes, or until brussel sprouts become soft & brown, and sweet potatoes become crunchy.

Kale: Rub with coconut oil and sea salt or garlic salt. Bake at 400* for about 15-20 minutes, or until crispy, like chips.

Eggplant slices: lemon juice and black pepper. Bake at 400* for about 30 minutes, or until desire consistency. Again, I prefer slightly crunchy.

Other veggies you can do this with: Broccoli, cauliflower, other varieties of potatoes, sliced zucchini and squash.