Food School: a 31 day course (day 31 what I learned)

Happy Halloween!

I’m going to be Kermit for Halloween tonight–so I bought this hat (the kids begged me too!)–which I love and it is super warm.  Do you remember the song that Kermit sings?  “It’s not easy being green . . . ”  that is exactly how I feel right now.  

I love Joyful Mom–in everything give thanks.  It is my first blog.  My baby.  Typically, kids grow and move away from their mothers but for me–I’m leaving Joyful Mom because I feel like I’m growing and I’m moving on.    I’m still Joyful Mom with a focus on Food school.   I’ll still be here at reneebaude.com, I’m still joyful, I’m still a mom, I’m still wondering what might be for dinner!

I’m excited to begin this next Joyful Journey!  Will you come with me?  

Here are two videos that I made for the end of 31 days–both have a similar message and I just couldn’t decide.  

Any questions?

[quote]I’ll be honest–I want my post to be more in depth so I will be posting less often but giving you more in those posts.[/quote]

http://youtu.be/bHk09SxJtvA 

 

Be Blessed.

 To receive a free copy of my Blessed by Breakfast cookbook, please go to http://blessedbybreakfast.com and sign up! I send updates that include; family tested and approved recipes, video tutorials, tips and tricks on how to begin your day with the blessing of food.

cookbook coming soon

Books I suggest: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat,

Young Readers Edition The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet

Some of my friends have also joined the 31 day challenge:  

Anastacia Maness  http://rocksolidfamily.com/31-days-building-commitment/

Racquel Narciso http://howtomakeitinsanfrancisco.com/…/

Pamela Hodges http://ipaintiwrite.com

I’m linking up to these blogs

 

Food School: a 31 Day Course (day 21 Cooking with Kale)

Cooking with Kale

On Day 20 of Food School–I wrote about how to clean kale and prep it for meals.

What is kale? and what are the benefits of eating it?

  • Kale is a leafy green vegetable related to broccoli and cabbage.
  • One cup of chopped kale has just 33 calories.
  • One cup has 9% of the RDA of calcium (this helps answer the questions about my kids getting enough calcium.)
  • Loaded with tons of vitamins:  206% of vitamin A, 134 % of vitamin C, and 684% of vitamin K, these antioxidants are what gives kale the bragging rights of being a cancer fighting food.  
  • A good source of the minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
  •  Kale is also great for eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.  (I think my eyes might be too far gone for kale to help–but it can’t hurt.)

How to incorporate kale into your diet.

Personally I do not sit and eat a plate of kale.  I love the taste and texture but haven’t yet been able to eat a full kale salad or smoothie.  But I don’t need to–an neither do you!  To get the benefits of kale and to begin using it in my cooking–I thought of using kale like onions!  I wouldn’t eat a plate of onions–but I do love caramelized onions as a garnish? condiment? I’m not sure the best way to describe it but –I use kale the same way.

How I eat kale.

  • first I clean a bunch of kale ahead of time so that I can easily add it to my foods.
  • I steam kale with onions and red peppers–I enjoy this just by itself–but have added a little balsamic vinegar and feta cheese to make a more substantial side dish.  (I don’t eat cheese but my family does–preparing food with cheese sprinkled on top–is a way to make everyone happy and respectful of our different food choices.)
  • Sautéed kale with apples, walnuts and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  Note:  when you cook balsamic vinegar that taste changes to a earthy, full bodied . . . almost sauce (but not quite).  I have a recipe here for brown butter sauce.  Note:  this is a more complex recipe than I would normally make–it was for a contest . . . which I did win!
  • I add minced kale to my spaghetti sauce.
  • I make kale chips.  Simple toss them in a little bit of olive oil, add some really good salt, lay in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake @ 275 F for 20 minutes, flip them 1/2 way through cooking.  The kids love these as a snack.  I often use kale chips to garnish a meal–makes it look fancy and the kids love that!
  • I buy baby kale from the store and add it to my salads.
  • I cook polenta and layer the kale, pepper, onion mix.  This is a great make ahead meal.  
  • I add it randomly to my soups.
  • I add it to quiche.  You can find my quiche recipe here and another one here.

Ok, so have I convinced you how easy it is to eat kale?  to just try it maybe?  If you have any questions at all about my recipes, how to make polenta, or where to get more info about kale–leave a message in the comments.

Want more?

Sign up for weekly updates!

Be Blessed.

 To receive a free copy of my Blessed by Breakfast cookbook, please go to http://blessedbybreakfast.com and sign up! I send updates that include; family tested and approved recipes, video tutorials, tips and tricks on how to begin your day with the blessing of food.

cookbook coming soon

Books I suggest: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat,

Young Readers Edition The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet

Some of my friends have also joined the 31 day challenge:  

Anastacia Maness  http://rocksolidfamily.com/31-days-building-commitment/

Racquel Narciso http://howtomakeitinsanfrancisco.com/…/

Pamela Hodges http://ipaintiwrite.com

I’m linking up to these blogs

 

 

Food School: a 31 day course (day 29 Bacon)

I LOVED BACON!

When I was growing up my step-father had 2 eggs, bacon (cooked on a microwave plate–the slanted kind to catch all the grease) with homemade bread.  The smell of toast and bacon are strangely comforting smells for me.

But, as comforting as they might be–I just can’t eat bacon.  I can’t eat bacon knowing that animals are tortured.  I just can’t.  I’m ok with my choice.  I’ve eaten more than my share of bacon in this lifetime . . . before I knew how pigs are treated on most farms.

Will I ever eat bacon again?  I might.  If I talk to the farmer of the pig–if the pig was given a nice name, a nice place to lay down and the best mud in the county.  I might.  But until then.  I’m good.  (and for those of you who know me well–you know I’ll be calling up the farmer and might even load the kids up and take a field trip to the farm!  that is just part of my Renee-ness.)

I am sharing a video that is really disturbing.  You need to click here to see it.  Do not click if you like bacon and want to eat it again.  Do not click it if you have trouble with foul language–I have no idea why these farmers swear at pigs.  The abuse is bad enough–but to yell and swear at a pig?  I’m thinking Karma friends.  What goes around comes around.

If you want to be more compassionate about what and how you eat . . . I can help.  

SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY EMAILS

that will introduce you to new ways to compassionately nourish your body, mind, and soul. 

Be Blessed.

 Want to be Blessed by Breakfast?  Please go to http://blessedbybreakfast.com and sign up! I send updates that include; family tested and approved recipes, video tutorials, tips and tricks on how to begin your day with the blessing of food.

cookbook coming soon

Books I suggest: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat,

Young Readers Edition The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet

Some of my friends have also joined the 31 day challenge:  

Anastacia Maness  http://rocksolidfamily.com/31-days-building-commitment/

Racquel Narciso http://howtomakeitinsanfrancisco.com/…/

Pamela Hodges http://ipaintiwrite.com

I’m linking up to these blogs