Optimist Post

Today is one of those days where I am not, surprisingly, OVERWHELMED with how many options there are in the healthy-food arena (so many salads! so many smoothie options! sauteed green everything! fruit with so many protein options! nuts! grains!), or how you really have to work out about 3 hours a day or more to incorporate all the options and more or less 'necessary' workouts into your week (think about it: circuits, weight-bearing, yoga, interval, hill, long runs, speedwork, plyometrics, isometrics and functional - not counting the different TYPES of yoga, or weights to use, etc).

Instead, I am utterly thrilled with the fact that I can focus now on one set, and when it becomes necessary to switch up my routine or my diet, there are a bazillion different options. Keeping things interesting and new isn't a chore because there are just so many ways to do it!

We all know my fondness for kale, but here are a few other foods that I feel are SUPER wonderful for their intense nutrient packing and utter versatility.

Avocado:
Healthy fats galore! Not just for guacamole anymore! Use instead of butter in baking, or adorn absolutely any dish with slices of it. They also work great for texture in smoothies.



Coconut:
Also, healthy fats. Also - put flakes on cereals, puddings, soups, salads, use the virgin oil instead of butter for sauteeing or in oatmeal, whip it into a cream with a nut-milk to use in baking or instead of whipped cream! Or, just drink it. Also, great on hair and skin. And we all know how I love to use my kitchen for beauty products (mostly I'm too lazy to go to CVS, but whatevs).



Quinoa:
A complete protein in itself (which means they also have a complete set of amino acids along with the protein, as opposed to, say, soy), this grain was used as a primary food source for and revered by the Incas (god I love them) and come in many colored varieties. They are a natural pesticide, and terribly easy to grow in the right climate. It can be used as a cereal grain for breakfast, or in salads, smoothies, or as a dish on its own with meats or other grains or veggies. LIMITLESS PROTEIN PEOPLE!



Now don't you totally want me to cook you dinner?