Kale Caesar
Kale Caesar! One of my favorite quick and easy salads.
(Sorry for the blah picture. Our kitchen lighting at night is a little rough.)
All you do is mix 1 cup of your favorite hard white cheese -I rolled with the giant manchego mountain we’re climbing-
chopped anchovies in olive oil (I think the can is 1.6 ounces?), juice of 1 lemon, 1 finely minced garlic clove, salt pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. I massaged the mixture into the kale to break it down a little, and topped with a little more shredded cheese. Garnish 😉
Dinner was a team effort last night. The Pilot grilled some BQQ chicken drumsticks while I made the salad and sweet potato hash.
We’ve been enjoying chicken drumsticks on a weekly basis over here; Livi LOVES them. I’ll cut the meat off the drumstick for her and she’ll “dip dip” into BBQ sauce. She also loved the sweet potato hash and kale salad.
After she crashed for the evening, this is what happened:
(How insane is that choreo?!)
Usually after her bedtime, it’s a blitz to get some writing and/or chores done, but last night, I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes, choreographed a new Zumba dance (using the song above) and shared a chocolate bar with the Pilot while catching up on blogs. A night of rest is good every now and again 🙂
(The TJ’s PB&J chocolate bar is AMAZING!!!! Reading Purely Twins in that photo)
I was excited to tell you guys about a new meditation technique I tried before bed, but I ended up having crazy nightmares and slept horribly… so there’s that.
How do you wind down before bed?
Favorite quick salad recipe?
Hope you have a wonderful day <3 See ya later with a burpee post!
xo
Gina
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Yum yum!! Will have to try that recipe out!!
And if I weren’t a huge 9 months pregnant, I would totally be trying to learn that choreography RIGHT NOW!!
YES to that dance video. I have some time with no dogs or spouse tonight and I may make an ass of myself doing that in the living room.
This salad is a great idea! I actually have some manchengo in the fridge leftover from a Guy Fieri recipe. That was the first time I’d used it. I’ll have to give it a try in a caesar salad too.
Favorite simple salad, I normally pack something like this for lunch! (Pack a salad about every day!)
2-4oz/1-1.5 servings mix greens
1/2 greeen and 1/2 colored bell pepper
1/2-1 c cabbage slaw 🙂
Salsa or tomatoes
1/2-3/4 c beans
1/2-1 oz seeds
Topped with spices(cumin, oregano,chili etc) with Some sort of vinegar for dressing 🙂 seriously
seriously delish!! and super easy if you cut peppers/cucumbers etc on the weekend!
Love the looks of that salad! I am going to have to give it a try!
Yum yum + HOLY YUM PB + J bar is my all time fav… lots of love C
I love Manchego sooooo. Delicious :)!
I like your mini succulents/plants — where did you get them?
Mmm, that salad looks good!
I am realy digging kale salads lately! Definitely need to put this one on my recipe testing list. I like to read a magazine or watch tv to wnd down at night. I’ve made a rule to not use computers or devices after 8. It helps me relax and sleep. I’m on the computer all day long at work anyway.
“I was excited to tell you guys about a new meditation technique I tried before bed, but I ended up having crazy nightmares and slept horribly… so there’s that.”
I definitely lol’d when I read this. sorry about the nightmares but what a hilarious sign-off! :p
strange and probably lazy-sounding non-meditation I do to fall asleep: close my eyes and mentally go through yoga poses. imagine myself in downward dog, move into plank, and go from there – yep, not actually doing it but imagining it and following through with the breathing as I’m laying in bed with my eyes closed. it sounds super lazy but it works! namaste, my friend.
That kale caesar looks amazing. I will definitely try this recipe because I love caesar but the dressing can be SOOOO unhealthy. I like to read before bed every night. It relaxes me so quickly I often only make it 10-15 pages before I fall fast asleep.
Love that dance video!
I can’t believe a meditation technique gave you nightmares! That is terrible! I usually stick with focusing on relaxing each body part until I fall asleep. Also, counting backwards with a deep breath in between each number helps. But honestly I find that a relaxing restorative yoga sequence is the absolute best before bed.
Very impressive at how much you tackle after putting the little one to bed. After our little guy (3yrs old) goes to sleep around 7-7:30pm, hubby gets his work stuff together I catch up on e-mails/blogs and then we make some tea and watch some shows previously DVR’d, and off to sleep by 9ish. I find once I sit down for more than a few min, I am done. I’d love to meditate before bed but I have been crashing as soon as I hit the people these days. Mind you I am 8mths pregnant too. As always you inspire me in ways such as to squeeze in a workout or simply just put your mind to something and get it done. .
I am LOVING Kale Caesar Salads! The kale holds the dressing so much better 🙂
I made an Egg-free, Gluten-free Kale Caesar with Polenta Croutons on my blog – check it out if you’re looking to mix it up!
http://yourkindofsalad.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/kale-caesar-salad-with-polenta-croutons/
I feel like I need to learn that dance. I don’t know where I’ll ever use it (since I avoid da clubs and I have yet to hear a ballroom studio play Talk Dirty), but between that dance and Soli, I can be awkward in my living room to my heart’s content.
I decided to start meditating recently, and I really like the Omvana guided meditation app (it’s free!). I don’t like the morning one because it’s supposed to be an hour long and I don’t have that kind of time, but the good night one is 30 minutes and so far I’m liking it. I prefer guided meditation to me just thinking about my breathing. Hopefully that changes one day!
i’ll check that out, thank you!!
and same. maybe i’ll bust it out in the random occasion we go clubbing 5 years from now and the song is old haha
I just double checked the app on my phone and it’s actually the Silva Meditate app. I can’t seem to get Omvana to download.
Ooh, yum, I saw the picture you posted last night of your kale Caesar salad and that’s definitely what I’m having for lunch today! I’m really impressed that Liv likes it – that’s awesome. Your succulent and flowers are so pretty!
If I can’t fall asleep, I have a few go-to techniques I use. One came from a great yoga instructor I had in college. During savasana, she would have us flex/ clench one body part at a time, and then relax it and “melt into the floor,” starting with our feet and moving up until we got to our head (jaw, bridge of nose, forehead, etc.). By the end I always felt totally relaxed and melty, haha, so this can help if I can’t fall asleep. Another thing I do, which is a little strange, is envision the lake house where my family goes on vacation. One of my favorite things about going there is walking around barefoot pretty much all day, so I’ll think about the different textures that I feel when I’m walking around (i.e. wood floor, carpet, the mat outside the door, the concrete front step, the black top on the driveway, the wooden deck, the grass, the stone patio, the sand, the dock, the water, etc.). I don’t know how I started doing this, but I think it’s kind of a meditation for me, because it quiets my mind.
i’ve done that technique before and had totally forgotten about it! will try it tonight 🙂
the lake house sounds glorious
I love every element of this post, thanks for the video! I wish I could attend your Zumba classes. Last line of your post cracked me up! Sorry you had nightmares.
Fav salad =
Chopped Kale
Cranberries
Shredded Carrots
Chopped Celery
Chopped Red Onion
Maple Roasted Almonds
Dressing = 2 parts Almond Butter, 2 parts Olive Oil, 1 part Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 part Maple Syrup. Chop veggies and add to large bowl. Mix dressing and massage into salad, let break down a bit. Good for 2 days in fridge. Recipe credit = Leanne @ http://www.healthypursuit.com/.
Off to watch the video again 🙂
i wish you could, too!
and that salad sounds AMAZING
One of my favorite salads? The use-all-the-leftovers salad! I can come up with some wacky concoctions of random vegetables and proteins in the fridge and they end up being some of the most interesting ones!
i love doing that, too! my favorite is the enchilada leftover salad 🙂
OMG the same thing definitely happened to me when I tried a new meditation technique a couple of weeks ago… then I went back to herbal tea (kava when I’m really stressed).
i’ll have to try that!
What’s this sweet potato hash situation?
Fav simple salad is usually just spinach, tomatoes, carrots, hummus, and either olives or whatever berries are lying around the fridge (unless my boyfriend is over, as he thinks putting fruit in a salad is a cardinal sin……………. clearly he knows nothing. 😉 )
it’s a book recipe! if you want it, i can email it to ya 🙂
LOVE berries in salads!
Yes please! onapinktypewriter@gmail.com 🙂
Oh no! Meditation backfire!!
I always always have to open my kindle and read for a bit before sleep, even if only a paragraph!
i love reading before bed, too!
That video is crazy! I would love to be able to dance like that!
right?! SO GOOD
Reading that your daughter says “dip dip” made me smile because my two year old says “dunk dunk”
aww i love it!
I have yet to try kale with caesar dressing, but I have some great vegan caesar from Whole Foods that I could use 🙂 I unwind before bed by reading a book (usually a spirituality one) and I make sure to not watch TV and turn off my computer at least an hour before bed. I find that not only does it help my mind calm down and not be influenced by technology, but I also stay in my own energy (which is kind of hippy thing) but it really helps me focus on me.
what is the main ingredient in the vegan one? if it’s dulse or some type of sea veggie, i’m all over it
i need to start turning the phone and tv off earlier for sure
I didn’t see dulse or anything similar on the ingredient list, but I bet Gena’s recipe is good (it uses kelp). http://www.choosingraw.com/raw-caesar-salad/
If you like aromatherapy, I also recommend Aura Cacia’s chakra blends. I really love the expressive throat chakra blend with vanilla and chamomile–so relaxing! I use that a lot when I’m stressed out and need to sleep.
i’ll check them out!! thank you!
I’m jealous you can bee-bop outside and use the grill this time of year! We are usually pretty good about using it throughout the fall and some of the winter since it’s kept in the garage, but currently our weather has been -17 actual temp on and off since the first of December. Totally sucks but I try and keep my attitude in check by thanking God we have working heat.
Every night I think about what I’m going to wear the next day as my way of falling to sleep. I’ve found it helps me if I have something concrete to focus on instead of allowing my mind to wander through all my troubles. Plus it works great at making my morning more smooth 🙂 I also keep a pad of paper and pencil on my nightstand to write down anything I think of so I can fall asleep knowing it’s all ready for me in the morning.
-17?! i don’t even know what i would do. yes, i’m glad you have heat! YOWZA
i don’t think your technique would work for me. “which yoga pants do i wear tomorrow? the black ones.” haha
i could definitely try the notebook idea! i write in one each day (to-dos and blog ideas) so i could take it upstairs
Today’s its 10 above, but feels like -10 with the wind chill. Fun living in Iowa.
Yeah… depending on how many pretty colored yoga pants you have it might not work too well 🙂
The notepad works great and it’s always fun to see my handwriting in the morning since I don’t turn on the light!
I watch tv but that’s not good lol
tv wakes me up!
I’m yet to jump on the kale salad bandwagon, I’m still having misgivings about the flavor. But I love a salads that are colorful and have a bunch of everything in them.
same! the more ingredients, the better 🙂
GAH! Amazing choreography (lovin that song right now!). I got an itch in my dance pants that needs to be scratched!!!!!
SERIOUSLY. i may or may not be trying to learn it
I would love to hear more about your at home spin workouts. Do you follow any sort of routine or program or anything or do you just spin? We are looking into making a purchase of an at home spin bike and I couldn’t be more excited!
i used to teach spin, so i teach my own little class based on what comes up on my playlist. orrrrr, i pedal slowly while watching downton abbey 😉
I like to read before bed.
I have never had Manchego cheese and it sounds fabulous to go with the kale in the fridge!
omg, made this salad tonight using TJ’s “cruciferous crunch” mix and I can’t stop eating it!!!