Maple Turkey Sausage Patties(LC/DF/GF/SF)

Afternoon all, trust everyone has recouped from the after effects of watching the solar eclipse yesterday. I know a lot of folks were complaining of having headaches, eyes were burning, and feeling tired. If you’re still not feeling well I pray for speedy recovery soon, I know how draining those types of headaches can be. 

Yesterday I spent some time, post solar eclipse, making some breakfast meat for myself. I love maple flavored sausage, especially with extra maple syrup drizzled on top…mmmmm, the best! But carb wise it’s like the plague attacking my body, which is why I haven’t had that in quite awhile. I do miss regular sausage though…and bacon, deli ham, spam, kielbasa…😑I’ll stop. (Le sigh)

Most of what’s available in stores I can’t even trust. There are hidden sugars, preservatives, and msg in almost everything. I’m not being as strict with my anti-candida lifestyle as some folks have suggested. I still eat meat whereas others tend to become vegetarian. Nothing wrong with that at all, I personally cannot go without meat, which is why I think such things ought to be tailored for each person. There is no clear cut and dry protocol that will work for everyone. I’ve learned a lot in the last few weeks about the various candida protocols and have taken from each one customizing what I think will work best for me. So far, everything that I’ve been doing is helping and most of the die off on my chest has cleared up. PTL!! Since I have to resort to making my own breakfast meats, desserts, and meals, it does take a little extra time and effort, but the end results are worth it! 

I do want to mention that the maple flavoring is optional, I only added it because I personally LOVE it. 😍😉 However, you can use maple syrup if the carbs are not an issue for you. Ground chicken can also be used in lieu of ground turkey. Or you can mix ground turkey with ground hamburger, which I’ve done in the past when making meatballs. It’s just as good and the ground beef lends some fat to the mixture since ground turkey tends to be lean. 

What you’ll need: 

1 pound ground turkey

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tsp maple extract(optional)

1 tblsp granulated stevia(optional)

1/8 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp Cassia cinnamon(purchased from The Spice House)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Himalyan pink salt

Coconut oil, for cooking

Heat oven to 375*F, line sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium size bowl mix all the ingredients by hand thoroughly. There are a few methods with which you can make sausage patties. METHOD 1: on a clean work surface place a piece of wax paper down and add half of the meat mixture on it. Cover with another sheet of wax paper, then use a rolling pin to flatten out to desired thickness. Cut into 8 rectangular pieces and repeat with second half of mixture. METHOD 2: skip the wax paper all together and free form patties by hand. METHOD 3: on clean work surface lay down wax paper, place half of the meat mixture down and flatten out with hands to desired thickness. Use a biscuit cutter cut to shape the patties. Repeat with second half of the meat mixture. Cook in coconut oil over medium heat until browned on both sides. 

You can freeze these raw or cooked, I went ahead and cooked all of mine up to help cut down on my time in the kitchen each morning. I used wax paper to keep the patties separated and put them into a quart size freezer bag. 

Depending on the size and how thick or thin you make the patties will determine how many it yields. I was able to get 16 rectangular patties. The carb count for these is basically non existent. Using maple syrup would change that, so keep that in mind. If you decide to make these with maple syrup just remember to omit the granulated stevia. 

I had three this morning with a couple of egg muffins that I made, such a nice carb free meal! 

(Pictured above: Half of the egg muffins are dairy and meat free for me. The other half have ham, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese which are G-Man’s fave!) A simple and easy low carb breakfast that you can customize with any flavor and add ins. These were really fluffy, the almod milk added a nice light texture to these. I used cajun seasoning, turmeric powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, and dried parsley. Gave a good whisking and portioned it out to all the silicone muffin cups. Baked @375*F for 20 minutes, plan to make more to freeze. I love breakfasts that I can grab and warm up. Makes for a hassel free morning. 

Hope you give these sausage patties a try, play around with the seasonings and let me know what you think. I love getting feedback from you all! If you have any questions please email me at nightowlkitchen@yahoo.com. You can also follow me on Instagram: @nok_amandagayle, for more recipe ideas/inspirations. 

Have a blessed week! 

Health Update and Recipe

Since the new year began, I’ve had some highs and lows. Who doesn’t, right?! The lows have been outweighing the highs lately and so much so it had started to take its toll on me. What I am about to share may gross some folks out, so if you’d rather skip to the recipe below that’s quite all right. 

A year ago I discovered a massive bruise on the side of my right breast. It was the strangest thing, I remember going to bed without it and the next morning it was there! It never hurt though from it’s black-purple color you’d think otherwise. After a few weeks it finally went away and I never gave it another thought as 2015 pressed on. Fast forward to February 2016…I’m used to funky things happening to me thanks to my PCOS. Honestly, most things never surprise me or gross me out anymore. I’ve learned to deal and move on, except when I woke up one morning with dried blood around my right nipple. You bet I thought what the heck! After a mild freak out I hit Bing search engine up for a possible explanation. 

Now, I know what many of you are thinking, why haven’t you gotten your fanny to a doctor?! Well, a little thing called insurance…yeah, I don’t have it and not enough money to pay out of pocket at the moment. So, after spending an hour perusing the possibilities as to what it could be I decided to wait it out and see if could be the first option: hormone imbalance. For some women it can occur during their monthly cycles, I personally have never had that particular symptom happen before. I decided to give it four days to see if would go away on it’s own as per many online GYN’s  had said it should…but it didn’t. I won’t lie, I did panic at first and my mind began to reel with the possibility of ‘what if’. What if it’s not just a clogged milk duct? What if this isn’t just a serious bout of hormone imbalance? What if I have breast cancer? That last thought scared me the most. 

After talking with my parents, I came up with a plan to see if I could in some way alter certain symptoms. I have always shared on social media how cancer needs sugar and an acidic environment to thrive. Now it was time to start putting my own words to good use, live a low carb lifestyle and incorporate alkaline aspects(water, certain veggies, etc.). I knew it wasn’t going to be easy going cold turkey off of sugar, gluten, and dairy but with the idea of breast cancer hanging over my head as a major possibility I knew that once I start there would be no going back. No giving up. No starting and two weeks later giving up. It’s serious this time, and even IF it’s not breast cancer I ought to live as though it were. 

So, for two weeks I have been living an extreme low carb lifestyle. No sugar. No gluten. No dairy. Increased my water to 2L a day, every morning I drink a small cup of warm lemon water sweetened with stevia. Cut my caffeine consumption back to half a cup a day. Increased my usage of turmeric, ginger, and cayenne pepper. I add it on EVERYTHING throughout the day. Yes I was a total grumpy mcbaggy pants last week, an absolute bear because all week I was craving doughnuts. I didn’t care what kind homemade, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin…If someone had brought in a dozen I would have eaten the entire box! But I didn’t cave in, I stayed the course and munched on pork rinds any time the craving hit. It helped! My chronic fatigue is improving, I still get tired during the day but I’m not crashing on the sofa every afternoon like I had been. Slowly things are beginning to improve which is good! 

Even this morning I weighed myself and found that I’m 9 pounds down and the inflammation is lessening. Here’s a little tidbit of info for women with PCOS, dairy causes inflammation seriously consider reducing or cutting it out completely and notice an improvement to your overall health. I am starting to get around with better ease, my joints ache less, my lower back doesn’t hurt as much, and walking in general isn’t as tiresome. Turmeric and cayenne pepper have helped tremendously! I strongly suggest you start adding that to your daily diet and lifestyle. 

I’ll just tell you this, only time will reveal if what I am doing is truly improving my health and putting a stop to these weird symptoms. All I ask from you amazing people is to please pray for me during this time. 

Now, if I haven’t grossed everyone out with my health update, let’s move on to a fabulous lunch idea that’s full of good for you fat, will tackle inflammation, and is perfect for a ladies get together or brunch! 😉

  

You’ll need::

6 boiled eggs, peeled and mashed

2 leftover chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 c homemade mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp dried chives

1 avocado, peeled

Spanish Paprika

Cayenne powder

In a large bowl add peeled boiled eggs and use a pastry blender to chop it down as finely as you can. Set aside. Place leftover chicken breasts in a food processor and whiz it down until it resembles a fine texture, almost like a dry pate. Add to the chopped eggs. Mix with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and dried chives. Cut a ripe avocado in half and carefully remove the seed with a sharp knife. You can leav the skin on if you wish, I prefer removing it. Fill each half with the egg chicken salad mixture, don’t be stingy! Sprinkle the top with cayenne pepper and paprika and enjoy! 

This is truly a deviled dish! That kick of cayenne is amazing with the smoky flavor of paprika. You can serve this with a side salad, gluten free low carb bread and almond butter, add chopped bacon on top, and of course a tall glass of lemon lime water! 

The carb count is low which is great for induction. You can use any leftover chicken, I just happen to have two pieces leftover from a low carb chicken paprikash that I made earlier in the week. Don’t be afraid to try new things and hope you all have a blessed weekend! 

Italian Chicken and Kale

  

Italian Chicken and Kale

Serves 1

Prep Time: 6 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes

2 Tblsp oil (coconut, palm, olive, or peanut whichever you like)

2 chicken thighs, with bone and skin

Half packet of Good Seasons Italian Seasoning

Pinch of kosher salt

2 handfuls of kale

1/8 onion sliced thinly

Set oven temp to 350*F. 

Over medium high heat begin heating up your oven safe skillet. Season chicken with Italian seasoning on both sides and under the skin. 

Add oil to the pan and place the chicken skin side down first. Let it sear for 3 minutes to get a nice crust and color. Do the same to the other side. Move chicken to one side of the pan and add kale, onion, and a pinch of salt. Watch out, this will pop like crazy so keep a lid handy. Place covered pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until meat nearest to the bone is thoroughly done. 

  

I have it plated on a dessert plate, trying to trick myself into thinking it’s a lot of food, honestly it mostly worked! I feel pleasantly stuffed and will seriously be making this again! 

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 440kcal

Carbs: 9g

Fat: 31g

Protein: 30g

Sodium: 696mg

Sugars: 2g

Salad in a Jar

I know many of you have seen the posts about salad in a jar, some of us have thought what a neat idea and others have cocked their head to the side going “huh?” But that’s ok because today it’s all going to make sense!

It’s not very often that my Dad will make a request for me to make him something for lunch. He had a certification class he had to take at work and wasn’t sure about his lunch time allotment, so he asked me to make him a salad in a jar. I. Lit. Up! Shocked that he knew about such a thing, he must had seen one of my posts on Facebook about it 😉 It worked out that Tuesday night I had made some chicken for dinner and could incorporate that into his salad!

How much of each ingredient do you add? Well, I didn’t measure (of course) and just went with it. Since I had about 4–5 small pieces of chicken leftover I just cubed those up. The mini sweet peppers I used were 1 sweet red, 1 sweet yellow, and 2 sweet orange(since they were really small). As for the lettuce, I packed in two big handfuls of romaine mixed lettuce. I pushed it all down into the jar and for a second I thought this might be too much but as you’ll see in a picture below that it was actually the perfect amount!

Ok, enough hype…let me break it down, or rather show you a diagram, of how to assemble a salad in a jar. Mind you, your choice of ingredients are limitless, the picture is JUST to show you the ‘how’.

 

How do you eat such yumminess? EASY!

You pour the contents out into a bowl or onto a plate and enjoy! This is the picture Dad sent to me during his lunch break. The next time you know you won’t be able to go out to lunch or if you’re trying to save a few bucks (and inches from your waistline) consider making a salad in a jar! The best part, you can make these salads according to your nutritional needs. Doesn’t get much better than that 🙂

Be sure to check out All Parenting‘s website for more ideas and recipes for salads in a jar!

Have a blessed day!

~Homemade Tang~

Afternoon everyone, hope you’re all doing well. My thoughts and prayers go out to those up in the New England area. Praying you all have enough supplies and stay warm.

Here in my neck of the woods we’ve been inundated with illness. A lot of my friends and their families have been sick with stomach bugs, the flu and the cold. We, ourselves, have the cold going around in our house at this time. Dad purchased a bag of clementines(Halos) and instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to make a vitamin C boost drink to help our immune systems.

With homemade tang? What??!!

Yes, it may sound strange but Clementines(aka Halos, Cuties, pick a name) are 60% Vitamin C. That’s pretty good for a little fruit, and coupled with lemons which are 51% Vitamin C you have a super boosting mix that is sure to shock what remaining cold virus is left in your system! I have run into some conflicting information concerning concentrated lemon juice. While fresh lemons contain 51% Vitamin C, it is said that ReaLemon Juice from Concentrate(which is a brand we prefer) contains 60.5% Vitamin C. I’m not going to get into a debate about fresh or concentrated juices, but I found it odd that one would have more than the other. Could be that ReaLemon Juice is more concentrated than fresh and therefore would contain more Vitamin C. Purists however may opt for freshly squeezed lemons in the end. Whichever you prefer to use  I leave that up to you, I won’t judge you one way other another.

JJ was leery at first of my concoction, I’m not a beverage making gal. He was raised on the powdered tang, powdered gatorade, and powdered lemonade. We’ve gotten away from all those chemical laden powdered drinks since G–Man came along, but on occasion I get to hear how much so and so misses tang and various other flavored drinks. I braced myself for some harsh criticism…

 

(It’s so pretty! just love the color of it!!)

1 cup ReaLemon Juice from Concentrate(or 5–6 freshly squeezed lemons)

7 clementines, squeezed

1 1/2 cup Stevia in the Raw(less if you want it more tart)**

6 cups water

In a 2 quart pitcher, add lemon juice, clementine juice, and Stevia. Whisk to combine and add water. Continue whisking until all the Stevia is completely mixed in and enjoy over ice.

NOK Tips

**Stevia in the Raw– Why not sugar or some other sweetener? It’s a personal preference in my book, feel free to use sugar or other sweeteners that you may prefer. I’ve read the pros and cons about Stevia in the Raw, I’ve also used Pure Stevia powder in the past. To me, the powder was more bitter and difficult to use. However, using Stevia in the Raw takes all the guess work out of how much to use since it measures cup for cup like sugar. Stevia in and of itself is a very alkaline all natural sweetener that is actually good for our bodies. Unlike aspartame, which is synthetic and causes many health issues, Stevia comes from a plant. 
Again, I leave the sweetener up to you. I just find that using alkaline foods when sick actually help to knock out the virus or bacteria more quickly. Viruses and bacteria need an acidic environment to thrive in, neutralizing the body will make it less habitable for the cold and flu survive.

JJ was in love with this homemade tang and is wanting me to make it again!! He said it tastes better than the powdered stuff. That is high praise coming from the powdered drink king 😉
This recipe can be altered to make a Lemon–Limeade. Instead of Clementines, squeeze 5–7 limes and add the remaining ingredients as listed.
For an all out citrus blast, squeeze fresh lemons, fresh limes, and clementines for a NOK Citrus Beverage. Freeze concentrated lemon, lime, and orange juices into ice cubes(adding a little water or another fruit juice to aid in freezing), add fresh slices of each fruit into the pitcher, and serve over ice. Pomegranate ice cubes would look amazing in this drink, just add the juice to an ice tray and freeze. It’s a yummy treat on a hot summer day!

Have a blessed day!!

Coconut Crusted Chicken Patties

It’s not too often that I will use canned meat to make a dinner with. The occasional can of spam or canned ham have made their way into casseroles or soups in a pinch but tonight I was in a bind needing something fast since Dad had to be at a meeting. I spent over an hour tearing the internet apart looking for a quick low carb chicken recipe that was also low in sodium. That’s when I ran into Linda Sue‘s delicious recipe of coconut crusted chicken patties. Oh yes, they are every bit as good as you can imagine! Very tender, juicy with a lovely crunchy outer coating. The recipe calls for unsweetened coconut, if you aren’t concerned with carbs feel free to use sweetened coconut for a different flavor sensation 🙂

 

Sweet Pepper Corn Salad with Coconut Crusted Chicken Patty

12 1/2 ounce can mixed white and dark meat chicken, drained *
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 egg white
1/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut **
Oil for frying

In a medium bowl, break up the chicken with your fingers until it’s finely shredded. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients, except the coconut, until well blended. Divide into 4 equal portions on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Gently shape into patties with your hands. The mixture will be very soft. Put the coconut in a small shallow dish. Carefully set one chicken patty in the coconut and gently turn over to coat both sides; place back on wax paper. Repeat to coat all of the patties. Chill at least 1 hour. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties 4-5 minutes per side, flipping carefully, until golden brown on each side.

Makes 4 servings
Can be frozen

* A 12 1/2 ounce can will yield about 7 ounces of chicken

** You will only use about 2 tablespoons, but it will be easier to coat them if you have extra coconut in the dish. The counts reflect only 2 tablespoons of coconut for the batch.

Per Serving: 277 Calories; 23g Fat; 16g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 1g Net Carbs

 

For our family I doubled the recipe and discovered I didn’t have anymore Old Bay(heartbreaking but it did not stop me). In place of the Old Bay I used a six pepper seasoning blend which lent a nice spice to the recipe. Instead of just using an egg white I used the whole egg, might a well(or in my case used two eggs). Instead of fresh green onions I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes, 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic, and instead of cayenne I added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Doubling this recipe gave us 10 patties, I used 1/3 cup to measure out each patty. You can certainly make these larger, smaller, or make them into nuggets. You can definitely use ground chicken instead of canned, just be sure to add a little salt to your meat mix.

For the salad I used a Cesar salad mix minus the croutons and dressing. Sliced up a few mini sweet peppers and sprinkled on a little corn for added color. You can use and dressing you like 🙂 Feel free dress your salad as you like, I personally prefer to keep it simple and not loaded with too many simple carbs. Have fun with your food!

Happy Eating!

~Favorite Food Post~ Taste the Rainbow…

If I had to actually have a favorite food post, it would have to be the one that Tori Spelling shared today(click HERE for post) which is an article from POPSUGAR Moms. I love the vibrant colors of the vegetables and fruit, the various ways one could enjoy the rainbow colors in a single meal or snack!

For me this is beyond enticing! I love pairing bright vegetables with low carb pasta and putting them on low carb/high fiber wraps.

What are some of your favorite rainbow meals?

HAPPY EATING!!

Why THIS and Not THAT…a Look at What Makes Most PCOS Women Fat

Good morning, hope everyone here in the USA is staying warm on this chilly snowy morning. It actually snowed here in North Alabama, enough that it’s not melting right away and there’s more to come tomorrow afternoon! Yes, I am extremely happy 🙂 Now if only it could be like this year round!! I know, y’all think I’m crazy hehe!! I craved turkey bacon this morning. Yes, CRAVED it, and fried it up in some regular bacon grease for extra flavor and because turkey bacon has virtually no fat of its own which causes it to stick to the pan.

Tonight I’m thinking about doing up zucchini and squash noodles with marinated chicken for my dinner. It’s been a recently popular post of mine on Pinterest. I just plan to add squash to change it up. It’s a different option to noodles, I’m also a fan of Dreamfields pasta but even I find I have to be careful with it, I have a strange addiction to grains. Last year I made a big bowl of pasta salad and could literally eat the entire bowl by myself it was that good! This is why it’s a good idea to use a low carb vegetable in place of a grain pasta when I get those cravings. True it’s not the same as if eating the “real deal” pasta but it is filling!

There are several other options, one of my absolute fall favorites is spaghetti squash. Make a light garlic mushroom sauce to serve over it and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with chicken or meatloaf for a little extra protein and you’ve got a wonderful guilt free meal! I never feel bloated after eating vegetable noodles. However, if you absolutely have to have noodles and you’re trying to eat less carbs here’s a link to lower carb noodle options (click HERE).

I love getting the Insulite Laboratories emails every week and one that I’ve been chomping at the bit to share, just been too sick and too busy to do it, is a great email about Why Pasta, not Bacon, Makes you Gain Weight. I’ve known for many years now that pasta is my nemesis, actually any grain and yeast product is my enemy, and that cutting those things out of my daily diet is actually better for me. Now, Insulite Laboratories isn’t condoning a high bacon diet, but their findings are showing that many PCOS women do fair better when they cut out the pasta and stick with a lower glycemic lifestyle.

Here are the charts within the email…I love charts, especially ones that I can print out and keep.

Below these same charts can be found and enlarged at Fast Co Design.

So just what is wrong with carbs themselves? Basically, they cause insulin levels to go crazy. That, in turn, causes cells to pull in more fat, resulting in the onset of our old enemy, weight gain.

~quoted from Insulite Laboratories email November 26, 2013~

I think we can all agree that diet fads have come and gone over the years. Do they work for everyone? Nope, why? Because we’re not all the same! Not everyone can handle to carbohydrates, just as there are those who can’t thrive without the carbohydrates. Some can do without all that fat and others need it in order to burn off stored fat. But it’s true, there is no cookie cutter diet for everyone, we cannot all survive on the Food Pyramid/Plate that has been pushed down our throats since the early 90’s(when it was introduced here in the USA).

I’m sure most of us PCOS Cysters have tried the Atkins and South Beach diets at one time or another, lost the weight only to pack it back on later. *raises both hands high into the air* I’m guilty, guilty, guilty…not only gained what I lost but then gained a whole lot more! Why is that? Mostly because neither one of those fads has ever taught us how to eat to live, it just teaches you how to eat to lose. Then once you’re at your goal weight you celebrate…for the next three years and find yourself back where you were. Don’t deny it, I’m not gonna lie it’s happened to me! What I discovered is that I cannot follow the Atkins or South Beach diets because of the soy. That is detrimental to my health and compounds the weight issue.

I’ve had to learn over the years to also bite my tongue when I’m in mixed company of women…mixed company meaning that some are all about low fat, low cal, skim milk, multigrain, while others were all about lean meats, no red, lots of fruits and vegetables….and I will say, that there is nothing wrong with any of that, I’m all for doing what works best for you. My beef is, when one way of eating gets pushed onto the masses as “the only way to lose weight” and then you have about 50% of the population that’s overweight, diabetic, infertile, and health issues running amuck…SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE!!!

What can this spell for PCOS women? Understanding that we’re all different and yes that there are skinnier women who suffer with PCOS as well, we have got to find something that works specifically for each of us. I cannot write on this blog and tell you all that you HAVE to eat the same things as I do, for one I’m not permitted to(not an expert) and secondly I’m not insane enough to push what I do onto other people. I can only share what I’m doing and the research that backs it up that proves it works. You have to listen to your body, if you solely listen to your doctor or what the latest health expert(s) is touting you could very well being doing yourself more harm than good. The doctor and health experts do not live inside your body! They do not know on a daily basis, second by second, minute by minute what is going on in your body. Hence the tests, blood work, the wringing of hands, second opinions, third opinions, loss of sleep, countless medications, and thousands of dollars going down the drain without any more knowledge of what’s wrong with you.

Only you will know what your body needs in the end, learn to listen to its needs, the signals to what is wrong and know how to treat it naturally first. A lot of the time what is wrong is a result of a deficiency in minerals or vitamins, a build up of toxins to which a detox would be appropriate to follow, or could be a side effect of a medication(s) you’re currently taking. Take back your health while you still can!

***Don’t forget to wear your teal on Tuesday***

How to Heal with Food (PCOS Post)

Afternoon everyone, getting back to a healthier lifestyle has been difficult for me. Especially with all this winter weather and single digit temps, I especially love creamy soups during this time and those are not always the best choices for me health wise. But my body is screaming for nutritious food and today I decided to listen to it.

Choosing to eat the right foods that are not only good for you but will ultimately heal your body of ailments and aches can be difficult in the beginning. Sometimes it can be even harder to get back into if you haven’t stuck with it. This is why I have found a handy website called Heal with Food, there they have a list of 15 foods that help fight against the PCOS symptoms. One such food I enjoyed today was kale and below I have the recipe for you to enjoy as well!

#10:  Kale

One of the most interesting health benefits of kale is its broad nutritional profile. This nutritional heavyweight is loaded with a wide range of vitamins, and it is one of the best plant-based sources of calcium. Calcium is important for women with PCOS as it plays an important role in egg maturation and follicle development in the ovaries. The tender young leaves of kale can be eaten raw, for example as a substitute for iceberg lettuce in salads. This beautiful, green leafy vegetable can also be transformed into a hearty warm dish by sautéing the leaves and mixing them with chopped onions, crushed garlic and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. When buying kale, it is advisable to choose organically grown produce whenever possible. According to research, conventionally grown kale is among the most contaminated vegetables in terms of pesticide and chemical content.

Kale Stir Fry

1/2 onion, sliced

2 turkey sausage patties, cooked and chopped

5 slices turkey bacon, chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

2 handfuls of chopped kale

low sodium soy sauce

Turmeric

In a saute pan add sliced onion, chopped turkey sausage patties and bacon with a little pat of butter. Cover pan with lid and cook over medium heat. Give a few tosses with kitchen tongs, add kale and cover again to cook till kale is cooked to desired doneness. Chop hard boiled eggs and add to pan, drizzle with soy sauce and sprinkle on some turmeric. Give a few more tosses to coat everything and allow the eggs to warm up. Serve hot!

It’s not your typical wintery afternoon lunch, but it’s low carb, full of protein, calcium, and vitamins. You can add other vegetables such as radishes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, and asparagus. Try adding kale to a vegetable and lentil soup, to casseroles, or take the young leaves and enjoy them on low carb sandwiches. Kale can also be added to smoothies (click HERE for recipes)!

I know I feel better when I eat this way and the pounds do melt off. If you’ve never had kale before be sure to grab an organic bunch the next time you’re at the store. It’s a tad bitter but it’s not noticeable when paired with other ingredients.

Happy (low carb) Eating!

Quick Meatless Meal

Lately I’ve been craving kale with onions. So here’s a quick meatless meal that’s great any time!

You’ll Need:

2 Tblsp cooking oil of your choice

3 Tblsp butter

1/2 bag of prewashed and chopped kale

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, peeled to the core

1 handful radishes, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1 Tblsp soy sauce

(This recipe can go by quickly depending on the doneness of the vegetables. I just happen to like mine to be just tender with enough crisp for some added texture.)

In a large saute pan melt butter in with cooking oil over medium heat. Thinly slice onion, add into pan. Peel and thinly slice radishes, add to pan. Peel the carrot, cut it in half and with each half peel the carrot down to the core and add to pan. Sweat the veggies for a bit until the onions begin to soften. Add in kale, you’ll have to do this in two steps. Fill up the pan with kale, put the lid on and let cook for a couple of minutes. Give a light toss with kitchen tongs and add the rest on top. Sprinkle with seasonings and soy sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes giving a little toss with the tongs every couple of minutes. Serve hot!

This is a tasty dish, not too heavy on the soy sauce. You can always add some chicken strips to this if you want to make it hearty. If you want a creamier version leave out the soy sauce and add tahini. This is my go to meatless meal, it’s low carb, alkaline, and great for getting your weight loss back on track! Happy Eating 😀