Massaged Kale with Fennel Salad

This salad is delightfully nourishing and gives you all the benefits of kale, without the digestive distress. When you massage kale you break down some of the tough fibers in the cell wall that make raw kale hard to digest. 

If you normally have trouble digesting kale the solution is to either steam your kale or massage it. This recipe is one of my clients favorites! You still get all the amazing benefits of raw kale: the enzymes, magnesium, vitamin C and more. 

Massaging nourishing oil and lemon juice into the kale also help make the nutrients more bioavailable and easier to assimilate. Plus, it tastes delicious and can be paired with grilled chicken or fish for a classic healthy meal. 

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, chopped

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

• 1 cup shredded carrots

• 1 cup chopped celery

• ½ cup thinly sliced fennel (optional if you don’t like the taste of licorice)

• ¼ cup pine nuts
  
  

Directions

1. Add kale to a large mixing bowl along with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Using clean, bare hands, massage the kale until it is wilted (about 2 to 3 minutes).

2. Once the kale is ready, top your salad with carrots, celery, fennel, and pine nuts. No extra dressing is needed.

If kale is something that’s hard to digest for you, there might be a deeper issue that needs to be addressed. If you want to be able to eat whatever you want and have no digestive issues, you need to check out my gut health program. These principles have truly transformed my life as well as countless others. 

Check out my new 6 week program Stop Dieting and Live Your L.I.F.E - Discover your #YOUtrition launching February 11! Or join me for one of my upcoming webinars where you will learn more about your #YOUtrition and have the chance to ask me any questions!!

3 steps to stop the yo-yo cycle TODAY

Hey Hey Diva friends!

So this is a pet peeve of mine and I just REALIZED it's a pet peeve...so idk...does it count as a pet peeve if you haven't had it for longer than a few days?! Anyway ;P

As you know, I'm a personal trainer and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner helping people achieve success in their gut health, weight, hormones (and more!) through natural, holistic practices...ones that don't include extreme dieting, counting calories, portion control, or old "diet" mentalities....My greatest desire is to give you FREEDOM. Freedom from the scale, freedom from cravings, excess weight, bloat, and up-down up-down weight cycles. 

I especially want to help you navigate the holiday season without THIS as a result:

So here it is...here is my pet peeve: I hate that people gain 20 pounds just because they know if they "diet" a very specific way they can then lose it again. In the body building community it's called bulking and cutting seasons.... But in our world it may simply be yo-yo dieting or, "crash"dieting for specific events or occasions....or even no reason at all except habit.

This tells me two things: 1) The way you normally eat isn't comprised of the right balance for YOU because if it was, you wouldn't pack on the pounds in the first place. Your cravings would diminish, your weight would balance and you would find your perfect homeostasis.  I call this #YOUtrition.

2) You're setting yourself up for health concerns down the road if not ignoring them already. (i.e. metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, hormone imbalances, intense cravings, fatigue.....) It's never ok to binge on garbage food...no matter the reason or the end goal! Your body doesn't say "oh she's drinking this coke for this reason, so I'm going to shunt this over to muscle because in a few months she's going on a "cutting" program and we want to see abs...". If it's bad for you on Tuesday it's bad for you on Wednesday. Simple as that.

"If you can't maintain your weight then either it's not a healthy weight

in the first place, or you're choosing the wrong foods for your body."

I even see many health coaches sharing posts on social media that they have "fallen off the wagon" and show pictures of how they have gained weight and need to "get back on track". They will share these pictures when they are advertising a new program, health product, or workout while asking you to join them. They are trying to be relatable and may, in all honesty, be struggling right along with you. But to me that just says they haven't figured out how to really maintain a healthy lifestyle in the day to day...

Here's the truth:

"When you find what works for you then your

before and afters stop because you live your after forever." 

Once you Stop Dieting and Live Your Life  sure you might fluctuate here and there - hello water, stress, and periods....but anyone that consistently gains and loses 10+lbs or more needs to go back to the drawing board because clearly something isn't working for them it's working AGAINST them.

So instead of keeping it a pet peeve, I'm going to tell you how to fix it in 3 steps:

1) DITCH grains.

Yep I said it. Ditch em....you may find you can indulge occasionally based on your own body chemistry and personal health on things like rice and quinoa, but for now if you haven't stabilized your weight, your blood sugar, and your energy levels... ditch the grains and don't look back. And no you don't need them for fiber ;D, I'll address that in a future blog!

Try this for 30 days and watch the results pour in. If you don't see results, the toaster pastry will be waiting for you on day 31.

2)  Fill your plate with vegetables.

AT. EVERY. MEAL. Literally. Make a CRAP ton of vegetables over the weekend if you have to. Heat up organic frozen veggies if that's what works. Make recipes that incorporate them into the main dish. Just MAKE IT HAPPEN. (By the way, there's your fiber!)

3) Move your body and move it frequently.

Now don't freak out, I don't mean become a cross-fitter. NO! In fact, for many with chronic health complaints excessive workouts can exacerbate instead of help the situation! When I say move I mean get that blood flowing in a way that encourages healing. If you have been a chronic dieter then chances are you have some metabolic issues, some underlying health complaints, some achy joints, some fatigue etc..... so I encourage you to move in a way that encourages healing.

By that I mean take long, brisk walks. I love that the fitbit motivates so many people to hit 10,000 tips a day! That's the perfect place to start. If you feel good abut it add some restorative yoga to your week as well and work on some deep breathing practices. You can d intensity from there once you feel energized and balanced!

So there you have it!! Ditch the grains, add more veggies, and walk your brains out for the next month and see what happens! 

If you're ready to take YOUR health to the next level and you want some recipes, fun, and accountability along the way, join my Facebook group "Stop Dieting and Live Your Life!" I'm running my FREE Holiday Survival Guide event now through December and you can download that here!

If you really want in-depth support, 1:1 attention and guidance on gut health, balancing your micro biome and restoring your heath from the inside out, check out my new 8 week program "Get Gutsy With Me" Launching January 15, 2018!!!

I'd love to hear YOUR story below! Comment below with any thoughts or questions!