I am really liking my Sunday morning Me Time! While I’m typing this, Mike and Annie are making pancakes and I can hear James banging around in his high chair. It’s nice to be able to take some time for myself and know the rest of the family is happy!
Great Reads:
~Kristen’s posts about World Vision’s shift – and then shift back – in policy on allowing Christians in same-sex marriages to be volunteers with their organization are fascinating reads. Kristen rallied over 100 new sponsors, and while I know she feels like the reversal of policy taints that, it absolutely does not.
~My friend Whit wrote a book that is great for anyone who wants to be a more empathetic and effective communicator. The Parents’ Phrase Book
Planning On:
April Fool’s Day is on Tuesday, and I think Annie is old enough to LOVE the prank I pulled on my dad five years ago.
That looks like toasted bread and melted cheese, but it’s actually toasted pound cake and tinted frosting. Annie loves “tricks” and is a huge fan of grilled cheese sandwiches, so I know she’ll be a good sport. Plus, she’ll get cake!
Things I Like:
~The March for Babies is 27 days away, have you signed up to march with us in person or in spirit? It’s free to join and only takes a few minutes of your time! Thank you to everyone who has signed up and donated so far – you all are amazing!
~I’m borderline-obsessed with Mike Coots’ Instagram feed. His surf photography is phenomenal. He’s also a shark attack survivor who does work to save sharks. That would definitely not be my reaction to losing part of my leg.
Things I’m Eating:
~I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m into kale now, like some sort of trendy healthy person or something. A lot of people have asked me for my recipe. I actually prepare it the same way over and over, because it’s easy and yummy. Here’s my modified recipe that I originally found at Trader Joe’s:
Heather’s Modified Trader Joe’s Kale Recipe
-In a large saucepan, add 1 cup broth (I use beef) and 7 cups kale, toss to combine.
-Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add more broth if kale starts to stick to pan.
-Remove lid and cook, stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated.
-Salt and pepper to taste
The first time I made this, I had no idea how much kale reduces. So these seven cups of kale that look like a lot:
become this when cooked:
I serve kale with just about every kind of meaty dinner, and I’ll often serve it with eggs and ham/bacon/salmon on the weekends. If you have a good kale recipe, please leave it in the comments! I think Mike and Annie would like something new.
Have a great Sunday!
Kitty Deschanel says:
Have you tried making kale chips? They’re easy and delicious!
Alana says:
That’s so funny that you posted the “grilled cheese”. On the Buzzfeed link, there’s another picture with prank you can do with iPads. I believe it’s a picture of your daughter (it’s been a while since I’ve visited your site, so it must be an old pic). Not sure if you want to let them keep the pic up.
Heather says:
Mike wrote that BuzzFeed post (he works there now), so I will let them keep the pic up
Alana says:
Hahahaha!! April Fool’s on ME! It has obviously been a looong time since I’ve read your blog
Hope he doesn’t perform any of the messier pranks on you at home!!
Allison says:
ok so I have to give you such props for the grilled cheese prank… I CANNOT WAIT to pull that on my boys!!!!
Cathi says:
Some easy variations on the recipe you’re already making…before you add the broth, saute some onion and/or garlic and/or mushrooms and a bit of salt in olive oil, after those are cooked through, toss in the kale, stir to mix then add the broth and proceed like you have been. (I also like red pepper flakes, but that may be less friendly for young palattes). Finish a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving. And if you want to add some protein (and cheesy goodness), toss in a bit of crumbled feta once you take it off the heat…
Heather says:
ohhhhhh my gosh I am drooooooling! Thank you for this!!!
Paula R. (fka preTzel) says:
I am totally hungry now for a grilled cheese sandwich, frosted pound cake, and cooked kale.
Becca Masters says:
If you can get purple kale as well, then previously I have simply just sauted it with garlic, shallots and butter.
Delicious!
Whit says:
Came for the me, stayed for the grilled cheese cake. Awesome!
lpb says:
This is my favorite recipe with kale (replaces spinach) – delicious!
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1743135
Heather says:
This looks great! Thank you!!
aqua6 says:
Instead of a regular potato, cook a sweet potato, then add toppings — like raw kale cut small w/ olive oil, greek yogurt, black beans, salsa… My kids love this because the toppings are healthy so they can eat it all, a bit of potato, then add more toppings.
—
The salad I make the most often is a raw kale salad.
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh organic kale (stems cut off & discarded)
2-3 cloves pressed garlic
1 ripe avocado
¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced
¼ cup olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
sea salt to taste
* optional mustard (I think this adds a good flavor, maybe 1 TBSP.)
Directions:
Tear kale into pieces and place in large bowl. Add olive oil, coarse salt and lemon juice to kale – massage kale with your hands until volume reduces by half.
Add garlic and olives. Cut avocado into small slices and add to bowl. Stir to combine. The salad keeps well covered in the fridge for a day or two.
* Can add tomatoes, nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds), feta or other cheese.
aqua6 says:
And my new favorite, more work that the other one I posted but really good:
Kale & Macadamia Salad
Salad
1 bunch curly kale
6 macadamia nuts
1 large orange
1/4 C golden raisins
1/2 C miso vinaigrette (recipe below)
De-stem kale and cut into medium-sized pieces (about 1.5 inches on a side). Toss into boiling water for 2-3 minutes (until they’re just slightly tender), being careful to not wilt them. Strain and dump into ice water bowl to stop the cooking. * Alternatively, using raw kale can work if cut in small pieces, with no need to cook. This is what I usually do.
Cut the macadamia nuts into halves and toast until golden. Cut orange into bite-sized half-wedges. Dry kale well in salad spinner. If using raw kale, add kale and a bit of olive oil together, along with coarse salt and massage until kale reduces in volume. All ingredients to salad bowl and toss well.
Miso vinaigrette
2 T white miso paste
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 T water
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/4 C olive oil
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 small shallot, minced
2 T macadamia nuts, minced
Yield: ¾ cup
Toast the macadamia nuts and set aside. In a bowl, mash the miso paste and mustard together. Whisk in water and lemon juice. Continue whisking and stream in olive oil until emulsified. Whisk in remaining ingredients and macadamia nuts.
– Based on a recipe from Monkey Pod Restaurant, Wailea, Hawaii
Heather says:
I can’t wait to try both of these! Thank you!!
aqua6 says:
You’re welcome! I’m always looking for new kale salads. If you have coarse salt, an acid like vinegar or lemon and then whatever topping you want, usually something crunchy, it will likely work.
Karen says:
My husband adds kale to everything! We have some in the freezer that was very fresh and he chopped quite small and he often wanders past the freezer and grabs some to munch on. It melts in the mouth. But that is a bit extreme!
Lanie says:
I am obsessed with Kale too. Thank you for the new recipes! My twins love kale chips (wash kale, olive oil/or olive oil spray, bake, salt if you would like). They even ask for me to pack it in there lunches.
Johanna says:
This Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad is delicious. It tastes like Caesar salad.
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-and-brussels-sprout-salad
Heather says:
Oh YUM! Thanks!
Megan says:
I love kale! What I do is when I rinse it off, I don’t worry too much about letting it dry but add it to the frying pan still a bit wet. I saute with a little butter and olive oil on medium heat with the lid on and add some salt.
Jen D. says:
I have found that Kale is a great addition to most Mexican dishes! I’ve added it to burritos, enchiladas, tortilla bean soup, etc and it’s a great way to add something healthy into something that is already delicious!
Heather says:
Oh, that’s a good idea! We’ll try that!
ldoo says:
I love kale (I splurge and go organic because apparently non-organic kale is full of bad stuff??). I cook mine down with olive oil, a bunch of chopped garlic, salt and pepper. That’s it. I adore it!
Sarah says:
Here’s what I do with kale: tear into smaller pieces, drying most of the water left from washing as you go. Heat olive oil, and sauté 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic. Just before it turns brown, throw in the kale. Turn it with tongs to distribute the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Splash on a little red wine vinegar, and keep moving it around the pan. All in all you’ll cook it just about 3 min. Just before turning off the heat, squeeze some fresh lemon over it and stir/toss it again. Yum!!
Heather says:
Ohhh this sounds DELICIOUS!
Erica says:
So I totally pulled the grilled cheese prank this morning on my daughter who is exactly two days younger than Annie and took video of the whole thing. It was AMAZING!!! Thanks for the great idea and for your fantastic blog. I don’t ever comment but I so enjoy reading about your journey and I definitely wanted to give you credit for the prank idea.
aqua6 says:
I copied the grilled cheese trick too on my almost 6 yr old and almost 3 yr old. Well, they didn’t care at all – I had to tell them it was cake. I think they were just so excited to have cake and frosting for lunch. We followed it with real grilled cheese.
Susan says:
Ok, because of this blog post I tried kale for the first time tonight. I hate to say this, but I didn’t like it. In my opinion it was bitter. I followed Heather’s directions using chicken broth and some fresh garlic. What can I do to cut the bitter taste down? We love spinach.
Heather says:
Oh bummer, you must have been disappointed! Kale doesn’t taste bitter to me but it DOES to some members of my family. But if you want to try it again, maybe you could try cooking it a bit longer at a lower heat?