Baked Crispy Kale


There's so many wonderful benefits of kale (see picture above). Better yet, it's an easy and inexpensive veggie that can be integrated into many recipes, or cooked or tossed in a salad as is.  Below is one of my favorite ways to prepare kale, even your kids will love this! 

Baked Crispy Kale Recipe (from Steamy Kitchen)

The biggest secret to getting the kale super-crisp is to dry them in a salad spinner. If there is moisture on the leaves, the kale will steam, not crisp. Also, do not salt the kale until after they have come out of the oven. If you salt beforehand, the salt will just cause the kale to release moisture...thus steaming instead of crisping. I've also found that the convection setting on my oven works really well too - I set the convection on 325F and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Have fun with this recipe, I sometimes mix the salt with Cajun or Creole seasoning.

Ingredients:

4 giant handfuls of kale, torn into bite-sized pieces and tough stems removed (about 1/3 pound)1-2 tablespoons olive oilsea salt or kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the kale leaves into a salad spinner and spin all of the water out of the kale. Dump the water and repeat one or two times more just to make sure that the kale is extra dizzy and dry. Use a towel to blot any extra water on the leaves. Place the kale on the baking sheet.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the kale leaves and use your hands to toss and coat the leaves. Bake in the oven for 12-20 minutes until leaves are crisp. Take a peek at the 12 minute mark - the timing all depends on how much olive oil you use. Just use a spatula or tongs to touch the leaves, if they are paper-thin crackly, the kale is done. If the leaves are still a bit soft, leave them in for another 2 minutes. Do not let the leaves turn brown (they'll be burnt and bitter) Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and serve.

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Coconut Brown Rice


I love brown rice, but often times it can taste a little bland without something served with it.  One of my favorite websites to find delicious gluten free recipes is Gluten Free Girl and the Chef.  This is one of my all time favorite rice recipes.  Not only is it healthy, but incredibly tasty with a hint of coconut and a little spice with the curry powder.  Enjoy!




Ingredients
2 cups brown basmati rice
1/2 can (7 ounces) coconut milk
juice of 1 medium-sized lime
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper


Soaking the rice. Soak the rice in 4 cups of cool, fresh water. Let it sit for at least 1 hour, preferably longer, if you can. This helps to remove some of the starchiness from the rice. Pour the rice into a large strainer, draining out all the water.

Cooking the rice. Pour the rice into the rice cooker. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, coconut oil, curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Stir it all well. Add 3 1/2 cups cool, fresh water. Stir it all up. Close the lid. Turn the rice cooker to the brown rice setting, then turn it on.

When the rice cooker says it is done cooking, you may eat.

H2O and You


I am always encouraging my clients to consume more pure water.  People should drink at least half their weight in pure water.  For example, if you weight 150 lbs, you should consume at least 75 oz of water a day.  Sound like a lot?  Read this article and learn why.

"Our bodies need water to survive and we use water to process several functions in our bodies which are designed primarily to run on water and minerals. All the natural healing and cleansing systems in our body can only work properly with water. It has only been recently that the medical community has weighed in on how important water is to normal body function.

We are comprised of mostly water; over 70% of our bodies are water. To break it down even further our brains are over 75% water, blood 80%, and the human liver which is our main filter is 96% water.

Our nervous system which is responsible for sending the electrical signals to every cell in our body is really a system of minuscule waterways. A lack of water can lead to dehydration of the fluid inside our nerves or even lead to the nervous system being damaged from excessive chemicals and heavy metals due to their not being flushed out of the system. Many scientists and medical doctors now are in agreement that this condition can be the cause of some degenerative diseases and neurological disorders such as ADHD, Chronic Fatigue, and even Alzheimer's which means they may be preventable just by drinking more pure water.

Knowing how important water is to the proper function of our body we should also realize that the purity of the water is essential as well. Our digestive system requires adequate water intake in order to properly digest our food as well as get the optimal nutrient absorption we need to be able to utilize the nutritional value of the foods we eat.

Water intake can also either positively or negatively affect our energy levels depending on whether or not we are properly hydrated, in fact it has been proven in clinical studies that even a 5% reduction in body fluids can cause as much as a 30% loss of energy and a 15% drop in body fluids leads to death.

If you are trying to lose weight the lack of proper hydration will actually derail your weight loss efforts. Our liver uses water to metabolize fat and turn it into usable energy so it is obvious that a lack of water will hamper its ability to do this. It isn't going to hurt you. Increase your water intake to roughly 64 ounces a day and you will see the results for yourself plus you will have much higher energy levels.

Another huge issue for our bodies is detoxification. It may well be the most important factor in our long-term health. Water is the only way for our body to flush toxins from our system which is also a major key to preventing disease. We can't avoid exposure to toxins in our world today but by taking in enough water we can help our bodies get rid of them.

The quality and purity of the water we drink is just as important as the amount. If water already contains chlorine and other chemicals it has less of an ability to carry toxins out of our body. If we consume water that contains traces of synthetic chemicals then we force our liver and kidneys to be the filter... ultimately damaging or destroying two of our most vital organs.


Article by Gregg Hall 

Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

As the summer winds down and kids go back to school, many of us begin to focus on our health.  I'm a believer that you can have your cake and eat it too; so long as you also have moderation and use the best ingredients for your sweet treats.  I recently found this amazing recipe for Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake from One Green Planet that's to die for! The best part is that it's Gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free, raw and vegan.  Enjoy!



Makes one 9 inch or 12 individual cakes

Crust

The Filling

Chocolate Sauce


Preparation:
The best pan to use for this recipe would be a Flexi-pan or other type of silicone mold. Otherwise a spring form pan works great. If you don’t have a Flexi-pan but want individual cheesecakes, use a muffin pan, lightly oiled.

Blend all ingredients for the crust together in a food processor until it comes together. Remove from processor and press the crust into the bottom of desired pan, about 1/4 inch thick.
Set aside while you making the filling.

In a food processor or mixer blend together cashews, maple syrup, water, and salt. Run until totally smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary. Add cocoa powder, hazelnut butter and coconut oil to cashew mixture and blend together, scraping down again, until mixture is uniformly combine.

Spoon or pipe the filling on top of crusts. Stick cheesecake in the freezer until solid all the way through (at least 2 hours for individual cheesecakes, 4 for large cheesecake).
Once frozen remove cheesecake from pan. If using silicone mold, they will easily pop out. If you have a muffin tin, run a sharp, hot knife around the edges of each cheesecake. Using the knife as a lever, pop the cheesecakes out. If they don’t come out easily, turn muffin tin upside down and give it a few whacks. Place the removed cakes in the refrigerator while making the chocolate sauce.
Mix the sauce ingredients together with a fork. Scoop a little onto cold cheesecake. Place back in fridge and let sauce harden.

Top with hazelnuts. Serve cold