The Monday Morsel - Massaged Kale Salad

Weekly Monday Report:

Pounds Lost = 3

# of Diet Cokes Consumed = 11

# of Times Exercised = 2 (1 Zumba, 1 walk)

Pounds lost is exciting; diet cokes and exercise, not so much.  I had previously commented that my brain and life can only handle 3 goals at this time, but maybe I need to adjust that to 1!  If I can flip the exercise and diet coke numbers, I would be in great shape, but that's probably a bit unrealistic.  Baby steps.  I was a bit bummed about the pounds lost this morning, since throughout the week, I had actually lost more than 3 pounds, but obviously one's weight fluctuates on a day to day basis.  Must keep motivation high, so I've decided to be proud of the 3 pounds I lost and move forward! 

Our topic this week for Eat. Live. Be. is "Baby, It's Cold Outside".  Well, not really in San Diego.  Yesterday, my husband and I enjoyed a beautifully warm walk to our local farmers market at a glorious 75 degrees.  Before you get upset, I'll just say that we don't have that every day in January and I'm sure sometime soon it will drop back down to the 60's.

Fighting off the winter blues is hard at times, even in San Diego.  I like to conquer the doldrums with a bright, refreshing salad, complete with fruit and citrus notes.  Aarti Sequeira from Aarti Party on the Food Network has an amazing kale salad recipe, Massaged Kale Salad.  I'm not a big fan of the show, but her recipes are unique and flavorful.

I've never liked kale.  My iguana (from years past) would eat kale, but after him, my kale purchasing ceased.  That is, until this salad.  It's called Massaged Kale Salad because after drizzling the kale with a bit of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt, you massage the kale with your hand until it wilts slightly.  There are only two other components to the salad - mangoes and pepitas (pumpkin seeds).  The minimal ingredients allow them all to be shining stars in this salad.  The simple dressing is a perfect complement of lemon juice, honey, freshly ground pepper, and oil.  If the fruit and citrus flavors bursting in your mouth doesn't remind you of warm weather, then just move to San Diego :)

Next week's topic is "What is your biggest challenge?" where I'll be sharing one of my biggest challenges and how to tackle it.  Please join me and the other ELB bloggers on the journey to better health!

Sarah at Cucina Bella
Cate at Sweetnicks
Maris at In Good Taste
Chris at Mele Cotte
Faith at Bon Appetit
Kristen at Dine and Dish
Emily at The Anderson Crew
Joanne at Eats Well With Others
Casey at The Starnes Family
Patsy at Friends, Family and Food
Tri-Fit Mom at Tri-Fit Mom
Claire at Cooking is Medicine
Allison at Sweet Flours
Jen at NJ Epicurean
Jenna at Stop, Drop, and Blog
Rivki at Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
Sarah at Sarah’s Sweet Creations
Denise and Lenny at Chez Us