Kale

Kale has always been one of my favorite veggies. Even before people realized that it was healthy and started eating it, I loved kale. Kale is delicious and is super easy to cook in a variety of ways and make it taste amazing. I like to add kale to as many dishes as I can, but I also like it eat it by itself. Here are three of my favorite recipes for eating kale by itself or with something else.

Sauted Kale (my personal recipe)
-This recipe is great on its own or as a side dish or over pasta. If you put this over pasta I suggest adding mushrooms which should be cooked after the garlic but before the kale.
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale (rinsed and ripped into small pieces)
3 cloves garlic (minced and crushed)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine
1 tsp lemon juice
salt
pepper
Italian Spices

Directions
Heat the olive oil at medium-high heat, add the garlic, cook till golden brown. Add the kale, quickly add the wine and lemon juice and cover. Allow to partially steam, about 1 minute, add the spices, mix, recover and allow to steam for about 2 minutes more. Mix, remove from heat and enjoy.

Kale Chips (my personal recipe)
-This is how I typically make my kale chips, but you can flavor them how ever you like. For example, they would be great with curry powder and ginger. Or if you are from Maryland like me you will probably enjoy them along side your Blue Crabs with some Old Bay seasoning. Kale chips make a great healthy snack or a great side dish.
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale
1 Tbsp olive oil
Italian spices
pepper
salt
garlic powder

Directions 
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Rinse each whole kale leaf individually and shake off as much of the excess water as you can. Rip the leaves into bite size pieces and place into a colander, allow to air dry for 15-30 minutes, tossing occasionally. After the kale is dry, place in a large bowl and toss thoroughly with olive oil, add spices, toss again. Lay out a single layer of kale pieces on a cookie sheet, cook for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the leaves are lightly browned. Enjoy!

Flavorful Steamed Kale (my personal recipe)
Ingredients 
1 bunch of kale (rinsed and ripped)
2 garlic cloves (rough chopped and crushed)
2 lemon wedges
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp white wine
Italian spices
salt

Directions
Place all ingredients in a few inches of water cover with a steaming basket, add kale. Bring to a boil and steam the kale till its color changes. Sprinkle with a little salt, enjoy.

Smoked Gouda and Pale Ale Mac n' Cheese

Mac n' Cheese is not only a quick, classic, and delicious dish but is also extremely versatile. Now there is nothing wrong with your basic Mac n' Cheese, but it is so easy to take this dish from good to amazing. So why not make it a little more interesting? Make it spicy with hot peppers and Cajun spices or Jalapenos, tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Or you can do what I did and make your Mac n' Cheese smoky and sweet with smoked Gouda, beer, bacon and sweet, crisp apples.

Smoked Gouda and Pale Ale Mac n' Cheese (my personal recipe)
Ingredients 
1 lb pasta (I used whole grain penne, elbow noodles would work just as well)
2 1/2 cups smoked Gouda
2 cups cheddar cheese (I used half mild and half sharp)
4 eggs
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk
1 cup Pale Ale (or Amber ale)
1 Tbsp olive oil (or truffle oil is great if you have it)
2 cloves garlic-minced and crushed
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups ripped kale
4 strips of bacon (I cut the fatty bits off)
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 apple (diced)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt
pepper
-Some other optional ingredients that would be great with this recipe:
Broccoli, spinach, onions, tomatoes, chicken, shrimp (If you choose to make this recipe with shrimp I suggest adding some Cajun spices)     

Directions 
Preheat oven to 374 degrees.
Cook pasta until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon and the veggies. Cook the bacon until crispy, let it cool, then break it into small pieces. To cook the veggies start by cooking the garlic in the oil on medium-high heat until golden brown. When the garlic is done, add the mushrooms and saute. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the kale and cover with a lid. Allow mushrooms and kale to steam for a few minutes. After the kale is done steaming, allow the veggie mixture to simmer until any liquid in the pan is gone. Once the veggies are done set aside and allow to cool. Whisk the milk and eggs together.
In a sauce pan melt butter, whisk in milk and egg mixture, heat, add ale. Heat this mixture until hot, but not boiling. Whisk in cheese a little at a time, saving about a 1/4 cup. After the cheese has melted and is integrated into the milk and ale mixture, whisk in the cooked veggies, bacon bits, and spices.
Place cooked pasta in a greased casserole dish, pour the mixture over top, mix well. Sprinkle with the final 1/4 cup of cheese, the green onion and a dash of nutmeg. Place in oven, bake for 25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, allow to sit for about 5 minutes, sprinkle apple on top. Enjoy!    

How I lost 6 lbs in 7 days

For the past week I have been on a seven day cleanse. After being sick for close to two months with asthma issues, a nasty cold and then a sinus infection, I needed a way to jump-start back into a healthy life style. The cleanse seems to have worked, I have more energy and feel like myself again. Although I lost only six pounds as oppose to the promised 10-17 lbs I am still satisfied with my results and proud of myself for sticking with the cleanse.

I have looked into cleanses in the past but never did one, as typically they sound like a good idea but are not. With most cleanses what ends up happening is that you feel great for the first few hours and then find yourself both mentally and physically exhausted. Now, this cleanse was no cake walk but it is much friendlier then many other cleanses out there. However, if I did this cleanse again I think I would limit it to 3-5 days and only do the fruit and veggie days. So, this is what I went through the last few days. 

Where I got my information about the cleanse:
   http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/134591-7-day-cleansing-diet-miracle-soup-recipe
   http://dana-justtalk.blogspot.com/2010/01/7-day-cleanse.html

Day One (only fruit):
This is the day I was most excited about, I absolutely love fruit, I eat it like its candy. So, because of my love of fruit this day was pretty easy. However, I did find that I was a little more tired than usual and had some trouble rock climbing that afternoon. Another issue I had is that I really just wanted some sort of grain, I felt like I needed to have a bowl of pasta or eat a slice of bread. The last problem I had with this day was that fruit is primarily water, so I was constantly hungry. 

Day Two (only veggies-and a potato for breakfast):
On this day I woke up starving and was super excited to eat my potato. Although like the first day I was rather tired, this day was a bit kinder because veggies have a lot of fiber and less water so I wasn't starving all day. What I started to realize as this day went on is that although I generally eat a lot of veggies I typically dip then in something like hummus or cook them with a little olive oil and some spices. So to make up for the general lack of the strong, delicious flavors that usually accompany my veggies I tried something new. Instead of flavoring the veggies directly I tried flavoring the water I steamed them with, and they were quite delicious. I made kale, broccoli, and an artichoke taste great by doing nothing more then adding a few ingredients to the water I steamed them with.
I added:
3 garlic cloves (roughly chopped and crushed)
2 lemon slices (squeezed into, then added to the water)
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup white wine
Italian spices
Salt

Day Three (fruit and veggies-no potato):
This is the day I felt the best, eating a feast of fresh fruits and veggies made me feel amazing and gave me loads of energy. All my extra energy allowed my to excel at rock climbing in a way that I hadn't in months.

Day Four (bananas and milk):
This day was torture. I don't like bananas, and I am not the biggest fan of milk. By the end of the day I would glare at the banana I was eating and tell it how much I hated it. The most edible thing I had all day was  the banana and milk smoothie with cinnamon and nutmeg I had for lunch.

Day Five (beef and tomatoes):
This day wasn't bad, but it wasn't so great either. I wasn't hungry, but I wasn't too happy either as I typically stick to a vegetarian diet and don't enjoy eating meat for both moral and health reasons. Also, I don't favor plain, raw tomatoes even if I do love then in every other form they come in. I did however survive this day by cooking my tomatoes with my meat, some garlic, a little red wine and a few fresh basil leaves. 

Day Six (beef and veggies): 
This day was better then day five except for the fact that I spent the whole day hungry no matter how much I ate. Though, because I could eat what ever vegetables I wanted, I was happy. I cooked my meat with garlic, a tomato, a bunch of mushrooms, tons of kale, flavorful spices and some white wine.

Day Seven (brown rice, fruit juice and veggies):
By this final day of the cleanse I was just happy to be able to eat some grains, even if I wasn't happy about having to eat vegetables for breakfast...again.

T-J MIRACLE SOUP (You eat this soup as much as you want along with the other foods for each day.):
-I changed the recipe a little from what the websites said
5 cloves garlic (minced and crushed) 
5 large onions 

2 red peppers

1 can whole plum tomatoes (partially drained and chopped)

1 head of cabbage (chopped)

1 bunch of kale (ripped into small pieces)

1 cup of chopped carrots

12 cups water

no sodium chicken bullion I used a whole box of packets

1/2 cup red wine

Sriracha (I used a ton, I love spicy food) 

salt 

pepper

spices 

When I made the soup I made it to my taste preferences for example I took out the celery and added kale instead.  I used the chicken bullion instead of the onion soup mix because the onion soup mix had tons of sodium and I try to keep from eating a lot of sodium. 
To make the soup you just combine all the ingredients in a large pot and allow to cook until the veggies are soft.

T-J Miracle Soup can be eaten at any time when you feel hungry. East as much as you wish and as often as you like. This soup will not add calories, so eat all you want. The more you eat, the more you lose. Enjoy.