Tuesdays GREEN Lunch

Tuesdays lunch was one of those meals that actually made me smile. I just feel so good when I eat sprouts and raw kale. I would have to say they are my top raw foods. Knowing how incredibly good they are for my health makes me smile inside and out. I put together a "Sprouty Sprout Medley" and a very simple kale salad I have named, "Eric Jr.'s Favorite Raw Kale Salad". I only got one helping, he ate the rest over the past two days. The longest  that a raw kale salad lasts in this house is two days. Gotta love it!!
Here are some pics of my red clover sprouts, sunflower sprouts and even some pea sprouts. This is the first time that I have sprouted pea sprouts on soil; usually I just sprout them in my sprout bag. I am going to harvest them young and just eat them as is. If you want to juice them, just let them sprout a little longer.

Red clover Sprouts

Sunflower Sprouts

 

My Yummy Chlorophyll

Pea Sprouts Ready to Eat

My sprouty salad was a medley of five different sprouts that I grow right in my kitchen. These are my staple sprouts, the ones I always have on hand. I always have adzukis as well but the last batch didn't turn out to my liking so I got rid of them. I think I may have gotten a bad batch of beans.

I made a very quick and easy citrus dressing to top the sprouts. My kale salad is so simple and so good. It is Eric Jr.'s favorite, so I have named it after him. He eats it without the tomatoes lately, but I added them to my serving. Here are my simple but nutrient dense recipes. Enjoy!

Citrus Dressing

Juice of 1 naval orange

1 T rice wine vinegar

1/2 t Dijon mustard

1 t raw honey

drizzle of first cold pressed EVOO

pinch of sea salt

fresh ground black pepper (optional)

pinch of onion powder

Whisk all together till well combined. Drizzle over sprouts.

Sprouty Sprout Medley

sunflower sprouts

brown lentil sprouts

mung bean sprouts

red clover sprouts

broccoli sprouts

Arrange on plate and drizzle with Citrus Dressing. Enjoy the healing powers of fresh sprouts!

Eric Jr.'s Favorite Raw Kale Salad

1 bunch of Dino Kale, remove stem and fine chop

first cold pressed EVOO, drizzle over kale

2 T Coconut aminos

fresh lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon

pinch or two of onion powder

1-2 T sesame seeds, soaked and drained

grape tomatoes, cut in half

In a large bowl, massage the kale that has been drizzled with some EVOO. Massage for at least 3-5 minutes. The longer you massage it the better. You are breaking down the cell walls in the kale, allowing the body to digest the raw kale. Now add in the coconut aminos, sesame seeds, onion powder and tomatoes. Gently toss till well mixed. Enjoy!

Remember when eating raw kale the key is to chew, chew, chew. You will not get the nutritional benefits if you just swallow it whole. You may get the cleansing effects from the fiber but you'll miss out on the nutrients that dark leafy greens provide. This type of salad is one that you eat sloooowly. Sometimes I even nibble on it throughout the afternoon just so I can make sure I chew each bite until it becomes mush. That is the best way to enjoy the wonderful phytonutrients that these dark greens provide.

~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for potty training success. It has been a looooong haul with our 4 year old. He has struggled the past year with very difficult GI problems that totally sabotaged our potty training efforts. Now that he is responding so well to the dairy/wheat free diet and eating a higher percentage of RAW, we are back on track and he is doing great! Yeah!!