Kale and Kant

Healthy Body. Healthy Mind

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Crunchy Kale Chips

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Kale chips are all the rage now, and here’s how I personally make them.  They are incredibly easy and delicious, and you can season them up in fun ways if you like.  Did I mention that kale is a superfood?  To quote webMD’s analysis: One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.  See the link for even more info on its benefits.  Meantime, here’s a crowd-pleasing way to roast it up.

Unbundle your bunch of kale, and wash the leaves and spin dry.  Starting from the top of each leaf, run your hand down the stalk (toward the base), pulling all of the leafy stuff off the tough stem.   [Read more…]

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Afterschool Snack Ideas

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My Grandma always said that when you’re really hungry, just about anything tastes good. Take advantage of this when your kids get home from school, cranky and starving. Use the opportunity to serve them a couple of the recommended nine daily servings of vegetables and fruit, and initiate the process of training them to enjoy healthy food.

Here are some of the snacks I prepare for my kids. Yes, this does take a bit of planning, but it’s not terribly time-consuming; often, I’ll get this all ready to go in the morning while the kids are eating breakfast, so it’s ready to pull out or heat up at 4pm. If your kids need a bigger “sell,” try putting the veggies and fruits on skewers (a huge hit), using fun plates, or other gimmicks. As I’ve noted elsewhere, skip the “sell”: kids do not respond well to healthy food messaging! [Read more…]

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The Anti-Nutrition Onslaught

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Back in 2007, I wrote an essay on family nutrition that I never published. Rereading it this morning, the points still seem valid, so I’m posting the first part as today’s blog. Will post the rest later…

Weeks away from giving birth to my fourth child, I have begun reflecting in earnest on parenting yet another new life. All of the usual issues arise, but increasingly one issue has taken center stage in my mind, due largely to the difficulty I’ve experienced in dealing with it with my other kids. That issue is nutrition, or, rather, the wave of anti-nutrition that confronts them at every turn. [Read more…]