Hey guys,

I recently tried kale and loved it. I've had so many negative associations around eating more veggies, so when I first started to change my eating back in December, it was a big challenge to go more green. I guess you could say it was a tooth and nail struggle to get back into eating healthier after years of indulging in sugary and fatty treats. But when my body started to rebel and made it clear that my eating habits were making me really unhealthy, I knew that I had to change, and change I have.

In working with my nutritionist and friend, Susan Holmberg, she suggests that a great way to eat more veggies is to enjoy them with either butter, oil or a sauce. My daughter, Cara is a chef and she had a recipe for a walnut, raisin kale salad that she used to prepare often. I used to think that I didn't like kale until I tried her salad. It was great. Today the salad is on this evening's dinner menu. I've already done the prep and she'll do the dressing. We like to use the ratio of 3:1; cider vinegar to olive oil. Then all you do is toss in some chopped walnuts and a handful of raisins and you've got a sweet treat that's packed with plenty of antioxidant goodness. I've reduced the oil calories even further by substituting a reduction of some sodium-free chicken broth. Delicious.