Kale Archives - The Workout Mama

Detox Salad

After coming off of my 14 day juice cleanse I have been craving green salads with a rich, vibrant, and earthy flavor. I am super excited to share my new favorite salad recipe with you today. I magically created this salad in my kitchen this weekend after being inspired on one of my many trips to Whole Foods.

If I am ever lacking inspiration in my kitchen I go to Whole Foods to see what is on their menu to recreate at home. This is also how my Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes were born. I love Whole Foods!

I am not sure about you but sometimes it can be challenging to eat a wide assortment of vegetables during the day. That is why I love this salad. Everything in it is good for me and I do not need to worry about what I am eating.

Can we discuss for a moment how much harder cooking is when your little one is in the kitchen with you. This is what was happening the entire time I was making this salad.

Caden loves being in the kitchen with me. How cute is his little face? He is going to be such a helper when he is older.

There are so many good things going on in this recipe! Kale, spinach, parsley, broccoli, carrots, dried cranberries and raisins, fresh squeezed lemon, and a touch of salt and pepper will leave your mouth and body refreshed. It is so good! Plus it is super easy. This recipe will be much quicker using a food processor.

The vegetables in this salad contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that will support your immune system and assist the body in flushing out toxins. By far the star of this salad is the parsley. It adds a bright and cheery taste and when mixed with the lemon juice helps to reduce the bitterness of the kale. Parsley aids in supporting a healthy digestive system, prevents bad breath, purifies the blood, helps to eliminate excess water from the body, and assists in balancing hormones.

Ingredients

1 bunch organic dino kale, stems removed
1 bunch or 1 bag of organic spinach
1 bunch of organic fresh parsley
4 large organic carrots
1 bunch of organic broccoli or cauliflower, stems removed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried rasins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 lemon
himalayan sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

In a food processor chop kale, spinach, and parsley until fine. Remove and add to a large bowl. Do the same with the broccoli/cauliflower and carrots. If you do not have a food processor you can chop by hand.
Stir in sunflower seeds, raisins, and cranberries. Add the juice of one lemon and salt and pepper to taste.
Salad will keep for several days covered in the fridge.

Makes about 4-6 servings depending on portion size.

I always love to hear feedback if you try a recipe I share. Thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoy this salad if you make it!

xoxo, Tamara

Green Juice

Each Friday for the month of March I will be posting on some aspect of juicing. Get excited! If you are just joining us welcome! You can read about the benefits of juicing and the essential products you need to get started. Today I am super excited to share my family’s go to green juice!

This juice is the perfect first thing in the morning (or actually anytime during the day). It is full of leafy greens! Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon, and ginger create a hydrating and refreshing combination to get you ready for anything that comes your way during the day.

On a side note, I got a camera!!!! Could you tell? Probably not, but that is ok. I am still figuring out all the settings but I am beyond happy with my brand new Canon Rebel. Happy dance over. Now back to talking about the green juice.

I gave a brief overview below on the nutritional benefits of this drink and in the ingredient list noted which items should be purchased organic based off the EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. This is an awesome resource that I recommend everyone bookmark. I also recommend drinking your juice out of a mason jar. Everything tastes better in a mason jar.

Benefits:

Kale is packed with lutein (read why this is important in the next paragraph), vitamin K (associated with providing your blood the ability to clot), vitamin A (essential for vision and healthy skin), vitamin C, and calcium.
Spinach is a well-known “leafy green”. But did you know that it is packed with calcium, containing 30mg of calcium per 1-cup serving. It also contains lutein, which helps prevent muscular degeneration and cataracts, and is a rich source of folate, which helps prevent birth defects
Cucumbers contain mostly water they are and excellent food to help cleanse and wash away toxins. Toxins are often stored in fat cells and cause inflammation. But beyond just water content cucumbers also supply electrolytes to restore hydration of the body cells and balance the fluid levels in the body.
Celery juice is highly nutritious and one of the most hydrating foods we can put in our bodies. Because it is incredibly alkalizing, it equalizes the body’s PH, which is vital for peak health.
Apples contain antioxidants that help protect the good cholesterol levels in the blood.
Lemons are rich in vitamin C (which is essential for maintaining a fully functional immune system), aid digestion, and have been proven to assist fighting cancer.
Ginger helps to reduce nausea, inflammation, and provides relief from heart burn.

Ingredients:

6 leaves of Kale (organic)
2 cups Spinach (organic)
1/2-1 Cucumber (organic)
4 Celery stalks (organic)
2 Apples (organic)
1 Lemon
1″ Ginger root

Directions:

Clean and prep your veggies. If the skin on the lemon is on the thicker side you will want to remove the peel before juicing as it may make the juice taste slightly bitter. Start by alternating spinach and celery through the juicer. Wrap the ginger up into a kale leaf and juice kale and cucumber. Finish up with lemon and apples. Drink. This will make enough juice for 2 large glasses. Perfect for you and a friend!

Even Caden loves it! We watered his down quite a bit but he had been eye balling our glasses for weeks. After talking with his pediatrician we received the green light to add this in to his diet. Yay! Josh was really excited to give him his first juice and was thrilled that Caden loved it!

Let me know if you try this and what you think. If you have never juiced before give your taste buds some time to adapt, but I don’t think you will need it, our bodies crave this stuff! Next week I will share a sweeter and fruity juice recipe that will be sure to please the entire family! Also I am putting together my final post for this series that will hopefully answer anymore questions you still have. Leave your questions thoughts, and comments below. Happy juicing!