This post was brought to you by our friends at Litehouse, all opinions are my own.

There are two things that are near and dear to me, my health and great food.

There are so many things that I’ve never tried and so many things I didn’t know existed.

[Tweet “In order to discover great foods, you have to be willing to try new things. @aidajingram”]

Exploring healthy options with Dr. Janer Brill and Litehouse was a great way for me to find some healthy new choices.

Kale Has Become A Staple

After this outing, I found three new ways to include kale in our diet.  Kale chips, kale salad, kale and quinoa salad, yum!  Kale has become one of my favorite go-to greens.  I eat kale 4-5 times a week.  It’s a great source of Vitamin K, C, A, and manganese, it also is a great source of fiber.  Not too bad for a healthy and delicious treat.  After years of pleading, my family has FINALLY  developed a love for kale so, now my big job is keeping their love of kale fresh and growing?

 

Just A Few Small Additions

Creativity is key if you are looking for new ways to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.  Finding new options means I have to come out of my comfort zone often and that is okay.

As I sat at Ela and watched people add Ranch and Blue Cheese dressing to their kale salads I was shocked, until I tried it myself.  How did I not know that blue cheese and ranch paired well with kale?

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

My husband and daughter are more of the blue cheese and ranch fans in the family.  I usually try blue cheese and ranch with my wings and celery, but could it really work with kale?  At first, I was apprehensive but boy was I surprised when I realized that both dressings work well with kale and then I discovered something even better, mixing the two is even better.

Explore The Options

I got some great tips and recipes from Dr. Jarner Brill, she shared great tips and recipes that I can’t wait to put into practice.  Buffalo Cauliflower was just one of the goodies she shared.

This Quinoa Tomato salad was another goodie that I can’t wait to try at my house.  I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks easy enough.

My conversation with Dr. Brill was a great reminder that there are endless options.If you want variety you need to be willing to try something you haven’t tried before.

Here Are a Few Takeaways I Think Will Help You

• Take a chance, you never know what could be lurking behind “door number 1”.
• Ask friends about their favorites healthy foods and then ask them to share those recipes.
• Take a walk on the wild side, if you like the way something tastes on one thing, try it on something else.
• Try sample batches just in case you don’t like what you create. (This is a super important tip).