Kale Two Days in a Row.....Oh My....

Happy Thursday...one day closer to the weekend. :o) As most of you know kale is NOT one of my favorite greens. Another one of my goals for this year is to try new foods and a secret inside goal was to learn to like kale. I know that sounds crazy, but I know how good kale is for you, therefore I want to like it.

Yesterday while I was at work, I left Maggie (dog) in charge of watching over some white beans that I had cooking in the crockpot. I knew we would be rushed for supper when I got home, because we go to church on Wednesday nights. I figured some white beans would be fast and also good for a change. I had also remembered seeing where someone had added kale to their beans, so this thought was in the back of my mind. I did buy some kale when I went to the grocery store the other day, so I was prepared in that area. Like I said, I am determined to like kale....ha

When I got home from work I took a large serving of the beans out of the crockpot and put them in a small sauce pan, where I added some kale, that had been steamed for about 5 minutes. I let it simmer together for about 15 minutes. I've never had white beans that tasted this good in my entire life...including my prevegan days! I was expecting the kale to be bitter, but I suppose it took on the flavor of the beans and spices, because it wasn't bitter one bit. It was delicious! Oh, when I put the beans on to cook in the crockpot, I added an onion, a cup of white wine, a veggie bullion cube, some thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.

My second round with kale was in my smoothie this morning, along with something else that I've never tried...coconut water. I saw where the edgy vedgy had used coconut water in a smoothie that she had made. She said it was really yummy, so sticking to one of my new year goals, I decided to give it a try also. Now, I've tried kale in a smoothie before and did NOT like it one bit. It was very bitter tasting, but I wanted to give it another go. The outcome this time was a success! The smoothie was great. It consisted of coconut water, 2 kale leaves, 1/2 banana, powdered ginger, cinnamon, wheat germ, a handful of frozen fruit (strawberries and pineapple) and a dab of honey....I think that's all.

About the coconut water, I bought one individual serving size container to try, because I wasn't too sure if I would like it or not. I realized today that I've never even researched coconut water to see what the health benefits were, if there were any.

I was pleasantly surprised at what I found out:

Drinking coconut water has many benefits. Coconut Water is naturally
• Low in Carbs
• 99% Fat Free
• Low in sugars

Coconut water contains organic compounds possessing healthy growth promoting properties that have been known to help:
1. Keep the body cool and at the proper temperature.
2. Orally re-hydrate your body, it is an all natural isotonic beverage.
3. Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells.
4. Naturally replenish your body's fluids after exercising.
5. Raise your metabolism.
6. Promote weight loss.
7. Boost your immune system.
8. Detoxify and fight viruses.
9. Cleanse your digestive tract.
10. Control diabetes.
11. Aid your body in fighting viruses that cause the flu, herpes, and AIDS.
12. Balance your PH and reduce risk of cancer.
13. Treat kidney and urethral stones.
14. Boost poor circulation.

Coconut water is incredibly healthy and one of the best drinks to hydrate the body. Besides helping to remove toxins from the body and aiding digestion, coconuts have amazing anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties.

• Coconut Water is more nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and no cholesterol.
• Coconut Water is more healthy than orange juice - Much lower calories.
• Coconut Water is better than processed baby milk - It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother's milk.
• Coconut water is naturally sterile. Water permeates though the filtering husk.
• Coconut water is a universal donor. It is identical to human blood plasma.
• Coconut Water is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level that we have in our blood.
• Coconut water has saved lives in 3rd world countries thru Coconut IV.
"Coconut water is the very stuff of Nature, biologically Pure, full of Natural Sugars, Salts, and Vitamins to ward off fatigue and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural", according to Mortin Satin, Chief of the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization.
• Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most Page 3/4 PDF generated by PHPKB Knowledge Base Script energy drinks.
• Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg.
• Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars.
• Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.

Pretty cool huh. Sorry for the long post, I guess I got excited about the kale and coconut water.

~Peace~Love~Happiness~