5 Ways to Add Kale to Your Life!

Why I eat Kale:

I eat greens everyday, and one of my favorites is kale!

Learning to incorporate dark, leafy greens into your diet is essential for a healthy body and immune system. Eating lots of greens naturally crowds out the foods that you don't want to be eating. Our cells are made up of the foods we eat. For example, if you eat potato chips you will most likely experience cravings for potato chips. When you put good things into your body, your cells crave good foods.

Greens like kale are full of antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, and minerals that help strengthen the blood and respiratory system. They are also high-alkaline foods. The alkaline minerals in our bodies are used to neutralize acidic conditions caused by the environment. I have noticed a huge improvement in my hair, skin and nails since I started eating more greens and can notice a difference if I miss them for more than one or two days.

Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K. They are loaded with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. Although choosing organic is recommended, eating non-organic greens is still preferable to not eating any greens at all! 

So how do you incorporate more greens like KALE into your diet?

5 ways to add Kale to your life:

1. Sweet Green Smoothies!

Add 2-4 stalks of dark leafy green kale, stems removed, and blend with coconut water(or filtered water) and your favorite fruit! Sweet fruit works best to mask the taste for beginners, like mangos, bananas, pineapple and dates!

2. Juice it!

Juicing kale gives you a straight shot of nutrients that will give you immunity and more energy than your morning cup of coffee! Removing the fibre allows this powerhouse of antioxidants to be absorbed straight into your bloodstream for lasting energy without the crash that typically follows your caffeine binge. I like to make a green juice using 4 stalks of kale, de-stemmed, one apple, one lemon and a cucumber! It tastes better than you think!

3. Kale Wraps

Those lettuce wraps are pretty popular right now, showing up in restaurants, and you can make them using Kale! The big leaves allow you to fill them up with your favorite filling. You can then rolls and make them into a wrap or use them like a taco shell. My favorite filling is mushrooms, tomato, avocado, onion and homemade taco seasoning - delicious!

4. Marinated Kale

Wash, de-stem and cut up a head of kale. Toss it in a bowl with your favorite marinade recipe or salad dressing. You can use italian, greek, or make your own with olive oil and lemon with some salt and pepper. Let the kale marinate for the afternoon or an hour, and throw in your favorite veggies to make a tasty salad for lunch, or you can saute the marinated kale to make a lovely side dish at supper. If you want a crunchy snack - try baking or dehydrating the kale to make kale chips! Pizza kale chips are my favorite. You can use pizza sauce to marinate pieces of kale or so a homemade sauce. Recipe at the end of post!

5. Baby Kale

So you've tried kale, and you just don't like it, but you want the benefits of this nutrient-dense leafy green- then you can try baby kale! It's usually pre-washed and pre-packaged in the grocery store, making it easy to throw into smoothies and fast to make salads with. It has a milder taste and has the added benefit of being easier to digest!

So what have you got to lose?? Go out and buy a bunch of kale today! There are hundreds of recipes on the internet using this trending vegetable right now. Even though KALE is sooo good for you, it's still important to eat a variety of greens for balanced nutrition. When you are done trying kale, go out and get some spinach, romaine, swiss chard or arugula! You're body will LOVE you for it.

Pizza Kale Chips 

Ingredients:

2 bunches of Kale - washed with stems removed and torn into bite size pieces

1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 roasted red pepper (or fresh)

3-4 sundried tomatos (soaked an hour)

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, *gives cheesy flavor)

1 Tbsp pizza seasoning  (I used fresh basil and oregano)

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. After washing and removing the stems of the kale, place in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Place all ingredients *except kale* in a food processor and mix well, scraping sides.  Should form a paste thicker than traditional pizza sauce. Add 1 Tbsp water if sauce is too thick.

3. Pour sauce onto kale pieces and massage into leaves using your hands.

4. Spread kale pieces onto cookie sheet or dehydrator trays lined with parchment paper, greased with a thin layer of olive oil.

5. If using and oven: Bake at the lowest temperature setting for your oven for about 20 minutes ***keeping a close watch! They burn quickly.***

If using a dehydrator: dehydrate for about 8 hours at 115 degrees, checking for desired crispiness.

Enjoy your healthy, crunchy pizza snack! 

Taco Salad! (Low Fat, Raw Vegan- translation - Healthy!)

Tonight's supper is a taco salad inspired by Live Love Fruit's Raw Vegan, Low Fat Tacos! 

Click the link for the original recipe here -----> Raw Edible's -Raw Vegan Low Fat Tacos

I've made these twice, and tonight I'm putting a spin on the recipe and turning it into a Taco Salad! The first time I made them I let the zucchini and mushrooms marinate at room temp, and the second time I put them in the dehydrator. I liked them room temperature better and found the dehydrator made the mixture a little watery. So for my Taco Salad I'm letting them marinate on the counter. You can also eat it right away if you don't have any patience like me!

I chopped up some of my favorite taco veggies to go along with my taco 'meat' and tossed them all together in an epic salad! I didn't want it to end. I love finding recipes like this. If you were to ask me if I miss eating anything right now - I'd say no way! I changed the recipe a bit to suit my taste and what I had in my kitchen.

Taco Salad

Taco 'Meat'
1 medium zucchini - chopped into little cubes
1 cup of cremini mushrooms - chopped finely

Taco Dressing
3 medjool dates, soaks in 1/4 cup water for 1/2-1 hour until soft
1 green onion chopped
1 garlic clove
1tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp bell pepper flakes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp corriander
Juice of 1/2 lime

When the dates are soaked and soft - blend with the water and remaining ingredients. You may need to add more water to make a medium-thick sauce.

Place the zucchini/mushroom mixture in a medium bowl and pour your Taco Dressing over top, stirring to even coat all the veg. Set aside for 30 minutes - a half hour.

While waiting, I washed and chopped up:
- a head of romaine lettuce
- a container of cherry tomatoes
- a red or yellow bell pepper
- two more green onions or red onion

You can also add:
- grated carrot for a 'cheesy' look
- avocado slices
- fresh organic corn

After your marinated zucchini and mushrooms are ready, make your salad to your liking and enjoy your zesty, healthy meal.
Disclaimer: You might not want to share this with others -I ate the whole thing myself and growled at the dogs when they tried to come near!

Lots of sweet fruity love, 

Naturally Ashley

xo

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Bananarific Hair Mask - 2 Videos

I'm sure it's no shock to anyone that my next venture in my Shampoo-free challenge was to try a banana hair mask! I'm actually shocked that it took me this long to realize it! So happy with the results, here's how it went:

Banana Hair Mask

What did I do Friday night? You won't be surprised to hear that I had a date with a bowl of puréed bananas. My friend Pam sent me a message talking about different natural hair treatments and of course bananas was one of them. Bananas are good for everything! I should have known that they would take care of my dry scalp issues. 

This is a demo of me using the banana mask:

I pureed around 5 ripe bananas in the blender, which ended up being too much. I would do three next time. It went on easy and I was able to really massage it in. The I left it on for an hour before rinsing.

I loved the smell and the fact that I could eat it if I felt like a snack! 

This video is the Banana Mask Results: 

I rinsed it out an hour later to find that there was no way that I was getting a comb through it. It clicked that I should do an apple cider vinegar rinse...I didn't want to loose the sweet smell of bananas, but I knew the vinegar would work to detangle my hair.  I could also see that I hadn't rinsed all of the banana out anyways. It turns out that bananas are difficult to rinse out of your hair and I still have some tiny flakes. Besides the sugar flakes, this was a huge success! I absolutely love the way my hair feels. The banana worked better than the baking soda to cut the oils and my hair is so light and bouncy today!  

Bananas for the WIN, yet another reason to love them. 

(seriously, why didn't I think of this before??)

Lots of love and bananas, 

Naturally Ashley

xo

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Day 19 - No Shampoo Challenge

So it's day 19 already and I'm getting used to my hair being a little more shiny than normal. I've been wearing it half up or in ponytails lots but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My hair is still overproducing natural oils, just like your face does when you quit using cleansers. It's from all those years of stripping the natural oils with harsh shampoos. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to balance out but I'm willing to stick with it. My hairdresser Luc told me yesterday that our hair is shiny in its natural state, imagine a horses coat - not greasy, but shiny. This is my new goal - to have healthy, shiny hair. With no products! Thanks Luc for the new perspective! I think I'll be keeping this up for more than 30 days! 

Click here ---> to watch my YouTube video for the full update

Naturally Ashely

xoxo

Dairy-Free Creamy Mushroom Soup. Heated in my Vitamix!

I was inspired to make this Creamy Mushroom Soup recipe last week by my cousin Sheena and my Aunty Sandy. They have been busy using their new Vitamix blenders to make soups and smoothies, and posted a pin on facebook of a yummy mushroom soup recipe that they had just made. (To see the original recipe click on the link--> http://pinterest.com/pin/193162271490423482/)

The recipe looked great, but I wanted to try it 'uncooked' in my Vitamix blender.  I also made a few other substitutions to fit my diet and use up what I had in my fridge like:

~exchanging the walnuts and olive oil for a 1/2 of an avocado. The avocado made it sooo creamy!

~I made it lower sodium by using water instead of broth and adding celery to satisfy my craving for salt. If you really like your salt, try the celery salt instead of the stalks. I know I really have to watch my sodium intake or I swell like a balloon!

~You may notice that I didn't use thyme but that's only because it's the only herb I didn't have in my kitchen! So by all means, add it if you have it and think that it will add to the flavor of your homemade soup. 

Did I mention how easy this was to make? It only took me ten minutes, and I couldn't have been more satisfied with the results. I can't remember the last time that I had mushroom soup! So happy to have this recipe in my life. Thank you Sheena and Sandy! xo

Naturally Ashley's Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups of chopped mushrooms (cremini or white button are nice)
1 small zucchini peeled and chopped
1/2 ripe avocado
4 green onion tops (the chives)
2-3 garlic cloves
2 small stalks of celery or 1 large stalk (or 1 tsp celery salt)
1/2 cup water


Directions: 

1. Wash and dry your mushrooms. Chop them up and set aside 3/4 of a cup of mushrooms. 

2. Add the other 1 1/4 cup mushrooms ant the rest of the ingredients into your Vitamix or high-speed blender. Blend on high until very smooth and creamy. I blended mine for 3-4 minutes to heat the soup - you can see it start to steam inside the blender. 

3. Pour your creamy mushroom soup into a bowl or two bowls. Add remaining mushrooms and stir them in with a spoon.

4. Enjoy this raw/vegan cream of mushroom soup immediately, while it is still nice and warm from the blender!

Thanks Ladies, 
Lots of love, smiles and bananas,
Naturally Ashley

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Raw Vegan Red Pepper Chili Cheese Dip

This is the most delicious dip recipe! It's gluten-free, dairy-free, raw, vegan, and the healthiest, yummiest dip ever! Take this to supper tonight and wow your friends and family! They wont believe it's not full of fat and real cheese when they taste it! 

Red Pepper Chili Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 of a red pepper (de-seeded and sliced)
1/4 c of raw tahini
4-5 sun-dried tomatoes (soaked 1/2hour-1hour till soft) 
1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix blender or food processor until smooth. I blend until it's slightly heated for a warm dip. You can make it in a food processor as well and warm it in a mini slow cooker. 

Serve as a dip with the red pepper or zucchini 'chips' or as an appi and place a dollop on top of the red pepper squares and garnish with either green onion, cilantro or chili pepper. Makes a great appetizer or snack. May also be used as a dip for other veggies or bean chips, and it tastes great slightly heated and poured on top of steamed broccoli or cauliflower!

This dip is always a hit! Everyone loves the chili cheese flavor! Give it a try and enjoy! 

Stuck in a Funk?? Get out of it instantly by doing one simple thing.

Have you ever been stuck in a funk? Trapped in a 'bad' day, in a cyclone of negativity, where there seems like there's no way out and nothing you do is going to make it better, make you smile and you feel stuck, so you might as well stay there and wallow- Well that is you choosing to stay there. There is a way out. Once you realize that you chose to be in the current situation that you are in, you then have the power to choose to get out of it. Our thoughts shape our experiences, so if you are thinking - 'She's out to get me,' 'He's always picking on me, or 'I'm having a bad day' - then she will be out to get you, and he will pick on you, and you will have a bad day. It's your choice.  Those negative thoughts and negative energies generate negative experiences. And the same goes for positive thoughts. By thinking happy positive thoughts you generate positive life experience. You might hit every light on your way to the grocery store, find a great parking spot, and get the last bunch of bananas on the shelf! Just tell yourself that these things are going to happen for you. You literally create your day and life experiences through your thoughts. Now, knowing this, you can change your thoughts from negative to positive to get out of your funk.

It's best to start your day off with a positive thought and affirm  "I am going to have a great day!" But if you find yourself wanting to get out of a funk at two pm you can simply say something like, 'I leave my negative thoughts surrounding today's events behind me, they do not serve me and I wish to let them go. The rest of my day is going to be bright and sunny and my heart will be filled with love for myself and others.' 

You can also shake it out, or dance it out! Body movement helps boost your mood in ways that eating a pint of ice cream won't - unless it's banana ice cream! Then you can eat as much as you like! Banana ice cream makes me happy! Indulging in greasy, fatty comfort foods only comforts you in the moment. It's not a lasting solution. I wanted to eat onion rings so bad today, I could smell them at work and it's harder to control your cravings when you are in a negative mood (another reason to choose happy thoughts!) I fought off cravings for junk all day today and every healthy meal I ate made me stronger. Had I have caved and indulged in foods that make me feel sick, I would have not only felt sick and weighed down, but extremely guilty as well. And that's never good. Guilt only leads to more negative thoughts and experiences. I am happy I chose to just eat a salad with lots of onions on it today, and I mean LOTS, to satisfy my cravings for those darn onion rings - it made it easier to move towards the choice of thinking happy thoughts.

Thank you to Paula, Lisa, Charmaine and Richard for reminding me of these things and helping me get out of my funk today. Once I realized that I was choosing to be there, I was able to choose to get out. You can do this too. My challenge for you is to wake up tomorrow and tell your self what kind of day you want to have! It's really that simple.

Watch how your day shifts when you change your thoughts. If negative thoughts pop into your head, simply acknowledge them and let them go, continuing to focus on the positive. 

Wake up everyday and know that it's going to be great, especially you set your mind to it.

Naturally Ashley
xo