Dr. Deb's Blog
Can You Say Delicious?
MAY 4TH, 2011Last week I went to the Optimum Health Institute where I spent 7 days giving my body, mind and spirit a restful and healing detoxification. It was a luxury to unplug from technology and enjoy time for meditation, prayer, journaling, yoga, walking and sleep. In fact I took 3 naps every day!!
I also enjoyed a 3-day juice fast followed by a diet of raw food. One of the raw foods that was new to me was Kale Chips. Can you say delicious?!
At first I thought the kale chips were only delicious because I had been fasting for 3 days. But when I came home and made them, I realized they were delicious even when I was eating full meals. There were so good that I wanted to share the recipe with you so you could enjoy them, too.
Ingredients
- 4 bunches of kale (I made a lot because I knew they would get eaten quickly)
- 3 red bell peppers
- 3 tablespoons unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups sesame seeds
Directions
- Remove the kale leaves from the thick stems and tear them into bite- sized pieces and put into a huge bowl.
- Clean the bell peppers and remove the seeds.
- Put the bell peppers, apple cider vinegar and sesame seeds in a powerful blender or food processor.
- Blend until it becomes a sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the kale and mix in with your hands until all leaves are thoroughly covered.
- Spread the kale onto the sheets and dehydrate them in your dehydrator OR cookie sheets in a pre-heated oven at the lowest temperature it will go.
- My dehydrator took only 6 hours. The oven will take MUCH less. At 350 degrees it will take 10 minutes. I’m not sure how long it will take at lower temperatures, so you’ll need to experiment.
Here’s another recipe that is also delicious and super simple.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Directions
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
- Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.
Have you got other yummilicious kale recipes to share? Or have you tried these? Let me know in the comments below. Thank you!
Emergency Practice
FEBRUARY 28TH, 2010In my desire to always combine business with pleasure, I recently took my family with me to Colorado on my way to a Team Northrup Retreat. The plan was to ski for a few days as a family and then I would head to Denver for the retreat.
On the first day, my husband and I dropped off our son, Micah, along with his friend, Sam, at Snowboarding School. My husband and I then decided to have a nice quiet day alone instead of going skiing. But about an hour after dropping off the boys we got a call from the school saying they were bringing our son down the mountain on a stretcher. NOT THE CALL ANY PARENT WISHES TO RECEIVE! [Click to Continue...]
The Pleasure of an Edu-Vacation
JUNE 27TH, 2008One of my heart’s desires is to expose my son, Micah (10 years old) to different cultures and help him learn other languages. Early on in my parenting I realized that if I wanted him to learn something he often responded by not wanting to learn it. So, despite the fact that I used to teach middle school Spanish and French, I have forced myself to be low-key about wanting him to learn a language.
This summer, however, I found a way to achieve my dream. I took Micah to a Spanish Immersion program in Veracruz, Mexico (see www.VeracruzSpanish.com) where we lived, cooked, shopped, danced, played and made friends while learning and practicing Spanish. I was thrilled the first time Micah responded in Spanish to a question I asked and my heart overflowed with joy as I witnessed the expansion of his worldview.
While in Veracruz, we took a bus 3 hours south to a town called Catemaco. From Catemaco we took a long motor boat ride across a pristine volcanic lake to an Ecological Reserve called Nanciyaga. This reserve is replete with iguanas, crocodiles, birds, snakes, monkeys and, of course, mosquitoes. They have recreated an ancient Olmec ritual ground deep in the jungle and there are 10 small cabins for guests. We spent the night there and received Olmec healing treatments such as massage, mineral mud baths and a spiritual cleansing from the Shaman. At night we could hear the crocodiles making soft roaring sounds and in the morning we were awakened by the sounds of the entire jungle waking up!
The main reason I wanted to share this with you is because many mothers have told me that they feel trapped by motherhood – unable to go on adventures and devoid of thrills. I admit that I have felt this way, too. But this trip showed me that I can have adventures with my son that are thrilling and educational for both of us.
