Indian + Orange Kale Salad

This. salad. is. SO. good.

Not a salad person? Stop reading… (Sorry, but maybe this recipe isn’t for you)

Trust me, you won’t be disappointed – the secret is to “marinate” the kale overnight in the dressing. It soaks up the flavour so wonderfully, and the taste just ends up being more intense the longer you let it sit.

(Don’t leave it for TOO long though, a few days max.)

What you’ll need.

(i.e. Ingredient List)

Mix together;

• Kale Leaves
• Beet Leaves (optional)
• Shredded Red Cabbage
• Shredded Carrot
• Diced Avocado

Dressing

• EVOO
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sesame Oil (optional)
• Finely diced blood orange
• Zest from blood orange
• Salt
• Pepper
• Almond Milk (to thin it out a bit)

Coat the salad mix with the dressing. Let it marinate! This is KEY!

When you’re ready to eat – sprinkle with nutritional yeast (it adds a yummy flavour)

Top with Tofu Strips sauteed in coconut oil, and chickpeas grilled with Garam Masala Indian Spice.

I know, this recipe is all over the place – but that’s how I cook!

-YUM-

five short-term goals…

Daily Blab: Keeping up with my goals…

February is almost over, and with that – most people have totally lost their ‘New Years Resolutions’. Not me though, because I didn’t make any! Well I sort of did, but instead of calling them New Years Resolutions, I wrote up a simple list of goals. Things that I’d like to accomplish, almost like a 2013 bucket list.

Knowing that my preferences and lifestyle changes from day to day and month to month, I didn’t feel like setting myself up for failure with a New Years Resolution.

For me, the likelihood of sticking to a short-term goal is much more probable than long-term ones – most of us naturally lose site of what we set as our targets and then end up forgetting them all together. So, today I’m writing out 5 short-term goals for the month of March. Ideally, I will achieve all 5 – but if not, I won’t beat myself up over it! I’ll reward myself for the ones I did have success with, and try a second time to accomplish any that didn’t go so well.

Here we go..

1. Keep my food diary, so that I can ditch the unnecessary snacking.Mindless eating is one of my worst habits, and I do it every single day. This week, I’m writing down everything that goes into my mouth – In hopes that that enough will deter me from mindless munching.

2. Read before bed. Every night!

I do it once or twice a week, but normally I’m too exhausted by the end of the day. That being said, there’s always time for a couple pages of reading – no excuses! Look at this stack of books that I have to choose from!

Top 3 books to finish in the month of March = Blog inc., The 4 Agreements, and Eating Alive.

3. Make sure that I’m getting enough protein.

Without much meat and fish in my diet, it’s been more of a conscious effort to get enough protein in my daily eats. I’ve got to start cooking up more beans and legumes! Hummus, anyone?

4. Use my spare time wisely.

Time is valuable, we all know that! Free time should be spent doing things I love, things that make me happy, and being productive! That’s it, that’s all.

5. And finally, guzzle down more h2o! Especially lemon water.

More lemon water = healthier skin, more detox, stronger immune system (lots of Vitamin C in lemons), gets your system moving in the morning so that you can get all that ‘shit’ out of your body! Great, eh!?

Of course, I have a million other goals in mind – but I started with the basics. Cleansing doesn’t have to be a MAJOR life shift – it can be something so simple as eating more vegetables or cutting back on caffeine.

What are your goals of March? Leave me a comment below and I promise to help keep you on track, if you do the same for me!

Find me on TWITTER as well – for more regular updates =)

Choose your own adventure: Recipe Edition

Hungry?

Here’s a simple and nutritious Quinoa Salad that you can make.

Why do I eat so much Quinoa? Here’s a few reasons…

• It cooks in under 20 minutes – great for when you’re crunched for time!
• It’s a *complete protein – containing all of your essential amino acids
  *This is great news for Vegans/Vegetarians!
• It takes on almost any flavour (spices, sauces, herbs)
• It’s filling! You can eat a meal that contains Quinoa, and be satisfied for hours.
• It doesn’t sit too heavy, so you can eat it before working out

My latest concoction.

Recipe. (I kept it fairly vague so that you could throw together your own combination!!)

Step 1: Pick your GRAIN (preferably a whole-grain) – Today I chose QUINOA because it’s the super food of the year!

Step 2: Choose your veggies, chop them up – or grate them if you prefer! I chose Rapini (Leafy Green), a Yellow Bell Pepper, and Whole Carrots

Step 3: Choose your spices! I sprinkled on some Garam Masala (an Indian blend of ground spices), Paprika and Tumeric (because it’s anti-inflammatory)

Step 4: Choose your “Add-Ins”. I chose to chop up some almonds and pumpkin seeds (for some essential fats and protein), chickpeas and white kidney beans (again, both protein sources), and some fresh cilantro because it’s my favourite (and it chelates heavy metals in your body – literally pulls them through your system, detoxifying your body).

*Cilantro has many other uses in Integrative Medicine – some of which can be found here!

(You can research other herbs and their medicinal properties by Googling ‘Botanical Medicine’ – very fascinating!

Aaaaand…. that’s it ! Eat up !