We’re BACK! & We’ve Got Kale!!

Hello fellow bloggers and fit and healthy friends! We- Katelyn & Victoria- are BACK!

Both of us just graduated (summa cum laude!! 🙂 ) from college with degrees in Nutritional Sciences-Dietetics!

Graduation selfie, check!

Here are a few more updates:

Victoria: I’m doing research with my school’s nutritional sciences department until February when I will be starting my one year dietetic internship with New York-Presbyterian Hospital in NYC! This summer I am also getting into a better mindset with staying physically active. When the weather is as nice as it has been, I can’t help but want to go outside and be active! I want to do a mini-triathlon by the end of the summer, too, so I’ll be keeping up with a variety of activities running, swimming, and biking which double as fun things to do in the summer!

Katelyn: I’m continuing my job as a research assistant on a lifestyle intervention study for women with breast cancer. It’s a great study that I will do a future post on once the preliminary data is published. I’m continuing to lift weights and get stronger. I am also discovering new and interesting ways to eat low FODMAPs.

We took a break from blogging this past semester to focus on closing out our college career, and we were kept fairly busy with other nutrition and fitness messaging for our final nutrition courses. But we are happy to get back to this blog and share with all of you more fit and healthy insights and truths, and we would LOVE to hear your feedback!

 

Victoria: So now that I have a degree in nutrition, it is about time that I got myself some KALE! This super trendy leafy green has been getting a lot of hype, but it deserves some attention! Once just a staple item for a backdrop on salad bars or plates of catered food, now people are actually eating it, can you believe it?!? 🙂 It has more Vitamin C than an orange, a great dose of Vitamin A, and loads of Vitamin K in addition to a bunch of other vitamins and minerals. But beyond what you might see on a Nutrition Facts label, it is very high in healthy flavonoids with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to keep you at your healthiest! Taking a break from work the other day, myself and some of my co-workers went to the local farmer’s market (the ideal break for nutrition employees 🙂 ) and I stumbled across this super veggie and felt inspired to try some. Since it’s super popular now as well as in-season, I got this huge bunch for only $3! And with my Kale mug given to me as a grad gift from one of my friends (see top photo), I knew it was time.

Dig in!! YUMM!

Instead of buying a ‘Green Monster’ smoothie at the market’s juicing truck for an exorbitant amount of money, I made my own version at home. And I was extremely satisfied.

When it comes to recipes that don’t require a specific science like baking and sometimes cooking, I love playing chef like Remy in Ratatouille– adding a little of this and a little of that until it’s just perfect.

Less of a recipe, more of a fun game- here’s my take on Drinking More Kale:

• a healthy handful of kale, rinsed
• pineapple (I used a handful of chunks from a can packed in 100% pineapple juice, not syrup)
• 1/2 banana
• blueberries
• stalk of celery
• water & milk
• vanilla extract
• spices: a ton of cinnamon (I could eat this on anything), ground ginger, and ground cloves (not too much, these pack a punch of flavor in just a pinch)
• natural peanut butter, too. In my opinion, peanut butter makes everything taste better.

Experiment with other items you have on hand- fruits, vegetables, nuts…just go for it! It’s fun AND delicious!

Even my dog Sheba wants to be trendy!

Reading more about kale, I found out that it’s healthful benefits are actually a little more available to your body when the kale has been steamed or lightly sauteed, just like tomatoes are actually a little better for you when they have been cooked. However, kale’s raw form is still a healthy choice, and I stand by my smoothie! 🙂

 

Read more about the health benefits of kale at WHFoods.