True Food Kale Salad

If you've never tried Kale, this is the recipe that will convert you! It is straight from the True Food website and amazing. I skipped the breadcrumbs and used Parm and it was great. Enjoy one of the best greens for your body

Tuscan Kale Salad Ingredients

• 4-6 cups Kale, loosely packed, sliced leaves
  of Italian black (Lacinato, “dinosaur,” cavolo nero)
  midribs removed
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 3-4 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, mashed
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Hot Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese
  (Rosselino variety if you can find it) or other
  flavorful grating cheese such as
  Asiago or Parmesan
• ½ cup freshly made Bread Crumbs from
  lightly toasted bread

Tuscan Kale Salad Directions

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes. Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well. Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again. Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

Springtime Waldorf Chicken and Apple Salad

From my Basha's flyer:

2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cooled and diced
2 large apples, cored and diced
1/4 cup raisins (you could use grapes instead)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup Plain Low-Fat Yogurt (I use Cascade Fresh)
3 Tbsp Low-Fat Mayo
1 Tbsp Agave or Honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Salt and Pepper

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Combine salad ingredients and stir in dressing. Serve over lettuce leaves. Make six servings.

With 4g of fiber, 274 calories, 9g fat and 20g of protein this makes a fantastic healthy lunch.

Homemade Ranch

My friend Sherri shared this recipe with me. Store-bought ranch is full of tons of chemicals and also often contains MSG so here is a great alternative:

15 saltine crackers
1 C. dry parsley
1/2 C. dry onion
2 T dill weed
1/2 C. onion salt
1/2 C. garlic salt
1/4 C. onion powder
1/4 C. garlic powder

Put all ingredients in a food processor until blended and crackers are fine crumbs. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Mix 1 T dry mix with 1 C. Mayonaise and 1 C. buttermilk (or 1/2 C sour cream and 1/2 C. milk)

Enjoy! Thanks Sheri

Couch Comfort Food

We love the Mango Salsa from Fresh and Easy. Sitting on the couch can be the worst when you are trying to leave sugar behind. Some low-fat tortilla chips and mango, or homemade fruit salsa is a great low-guilt snack. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure you measure out your chips first and put them in a bowl instead of bringing the whole bag in front of the TV. Great companion to The Bachelor or whatever your viewing vice might be!