kale Archives | Wholefully https://wholefully.com/tag/kale/ Fresh Family Meals - Made for Everyday Life Wed, 20 Mar 2024 21:18:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wholefully.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/favicon-150x150.png kale Archives | Wholefully https://wholefully.com/tag/kale/ 32 32 Kale Caesar Salad https://wholefully.com/kale-caesar-salad/ https://wholefully.com/kale-caesar-salad/#respond Sun, 14 Apr 2024 18:17:00 +0000 https://wholefully.com/?p=64680 Discover a fresh twist on a classic with this Kale Caesar Salad recipe. Perfect for a satisfying lunch or a light dinner! A large wooden bowl with kale caesar salad and crunchy chickpeas tossed in a homemade caesar dressing. A week rarely goes by in our house without Caesar salad on the menu! A great Caesar salad is a wonderful side dish to many meals, and it's a huge crowd-pleaser—many picky eaters who won't otherwise touch a salad happily enjoy a good Caesar salad! Our version of Caesar salad is boosted with earthy, nutrient-dense, chewy raw kale. We swap out the classic crunchy croutons for our homemade chickpea croutons—which add a great crunch and help round out the salad and make it more hearty. We recommend using our homemade Caesar salad dressing (it's so easy!), but you can also use your favorite bottled Caesar dressing for this recipe. Let's get cooking! Read the post »]]> https://wholefully.com/kale-caesar-salad/feed/ 0 Smoothie Booster Packs https://wholefully.com/smoothie-booster-packs/ https://wholefully.com/smoothie-booster-packs/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:15:29 +0000 http://backtoherroots.com/?p=7869
The recipe was originally published in August 2011. It was retested with reader feedback, rephotographed, rewritten, and republished for your enjoyment in May 2017.
It is no secret that I love smoothies. I especially love smoothies for an on-the-go breakfast. I can make them at home and then take them along wherever the breeze takes me. What I don’t like about smoothies? The amount of ingredients they take. You are probably saying, “Fruit. Milk. Ice. That isn’t that many.” And you are right, that isn’t! But to make my smoothies into super breakfasts, I load them full of powders, seeds, and other nutrition boosters. By the time I get out, measure and put away all of my additions, a smoothie can take upwards of 20 minutes to perfect. Ridiculous! And so not the speedy breakfast option I want it to be. So, a few years back, I came up with the idea of these smoothie booster packs—and they’ve saved me so much time over the years! These smoothie booster packs have all kinds of goodness in them, and they are just waiting in the freezer to be popped into whatever smoothie I’m making that day.
These smoothie booster packs are totally customizable to what you like in your smoothies and what nutritional goals you have. Looking for a boost of protein? Add protein powder. Want to get your dark, leafy greens in a drinkable version? Throw in some spinach. Looking to quell seasonal allergies? Toss in some local bee pollen. It’s up to you to craft your perfect booster packs! I have a basic recipe for my “normal” booster packs below, but here are some options (plus I’m sure there are a whole bunch I’m forgetting) that you can add in—I’ve added affiliate links for each of my favorite brands where applicable: Read the post »]]> https://wholefully.com/smoothie-booster-packs/feed/ 45 Kale Pesto Chicken Penne Pasta Recipe https://wholefully.com/chicken-penne-pasta-recipe/ https://wholefully.com/chicken-penne-pasta-recipe/#respond Mon, 20 Sep 2021 10:00:54 +0000 https://wholefully.com/?p=56319 Your family will love this one-dish meal that comes together quickly in one pan. This Kale Pesto Chicken Penne Pasta recipe has a healthy dose of protein and fiber, and it's packed with flavor! Overhead of a bowl of pasta with a fork loaded with a bite. Chicken penne pasta is a staple in so many of our recipe repertoires. It’s a quick, easy, and healthy meal you can whip up with only a few ingredients for a great weeknight dinner! Our favorite chicken penne recipe features the addition of kale and broccoli that gives your penne a boost of healthy nutrients and vitamins; while, the pesto adds a smooth, rich twist your family is bound to enjoy. The best part is, it’s super simple and can be whipped up in just over a half an hour. No fancy ingredients or hours spent slaving over a hot stove needed. Just a comforting, warm bowl of chicken penne that you know is chock full of healthy walnuts, kale and broccoli—without tasting like it’s full of kale and broccoli. Chicken pasta plated on a shallow white bowl with ingredients on a cutting board beside it.

Wait, I thought pesto was made with pine nuts and basil?

You’re right, most pesto involves both pine nuts and basil; but this is no ordinary pesto! Have you seen the price of pine nuts in the grocery store? Yikes! Walnuts make a rich, creamy pesto without forcing you to mortgage your home in order to buy a handful. While basil adds a traditional pesto flavor, I find that this recipe is a refreshing change on the traditional. If you’re missing the flavor and you have access to fresh basil, feel free to toss some in. Read the post »]]> https://wholefully.com/chicken-penne-pasta-recipe/feed/ 0 Zuppa Toscana https://wholefully.com/zuppa-toscana/ https://wholefully.com/zuppa-toscana/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2021 10:00:03 +0000 https://backtoherroots.com/2010/12/06/my-own-little-piece-of-tuscany-zuppa-toscana/ In college, my best girlfriends and I had a weekly tradition of heading to Olive Garden for lunch on Fridays for their soup, salad, and breadsticks deal. We'd load up on endless peach iced tea, breadsticks, and hearty soups while we spent hours talking about classes, boys, and our hopes and dreams. It was our own little version of the family dinner table. The thought of those lazy Friday afternoons laughing with some of the best people I know still warms my soul. So even though I'm now more than 15 years removed from our Olive Garden Fridays, I like to bring a little bit of that tradition back to my own kitchen occasionally with my own copycat recipe of Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana soup. This rich, creamy soup is packed with hearty potatoes, sausage, and bright kale—it's sure to warm your belly and your soul (especially if you enjoy it with friends and endless peach iced tea).

Two bowls of zuppa toscana with spoons inside on a marble counter with slices of bread.

What is zuppa toscana?

Zuppa toscana is a hearty soup with a creamy broth base. It's packed with spicy Italian sausage, potatoes, bacon, and bright, colorful kale. In Italian, zuppa toscana literally translates to "Tuscan soup," but don't be fooled by the Italian name—this soup is a North American creation made most popular by Olive Garden. It is not a traditional Italian dish, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a restaurant in Tuscany that sells anything resembling it.

How do you make zuppa toscana?

Read the post »]]> https://wholefully.com/zuppa-toscana/feed/ 22 The Creamiest, Best Green Smoothie Recipe https://wholefully.com/green-smoothie-recipe/ https://wholefully.com/green-smoothie-recipe/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 12:00:01 +0000 https://wholefully.com/?p=54354 Are you ready for the best green smoothie I’ve done yet? This recipe is full of nutrient-dense goodies. It’s creamy, delicious, and leaves me feeling great. Green smoothies sound (and, honestly, look) like they wouldn’t taste the greatest, but if you do them right, they are sweet, balanced, and have no flavor of the greens! They are a wonderful way to get a nourishing boost of nutrition in a grab-and-go tasty snack! There are two main keys to green smoothie success: first up, you have to nail the ratio. You want the smoothie to taste sweet and delicious—not like spinach. The second key is to make sure you blend it until it’s completely smooth! No one wants to chew their smoothie. Read on to learn how I make my favorite green smoothie recipe. A green smoothie sits on a cutting boards with a honey drizzler and fresh spinach leaves beside it.

What do I need for a green smoothie?

You’ll need these four ingredients for a fantastic green smoothie:
  • Frozen banana. This will give the smoothie a thicker, smoother texture, and sweeten the smoothie. Plus, it will help chill the smoothie so you don’t have to dilute it with ice!
  • Leafy greens. I’m a lightweight and use fresh baby spinach in my green smoothies because you can’t taste it at all. If you’re a little more hardcore on the health food front, you can try kale, collards, or even chard!
  • Unsweetened milk. Use whatever milk you have in your house—cow’s milk, soy milk, coconut milk, nut milk. Any of them will work!
  • Honey or maple syrup. Because the sweetness of bananas can vary so widely, we’ll add this at the very end so that you can sweeten to taste.
Read the post »]]> https://wholefully.com/green-smoothie-recipe/feed/ 0 How to Freeze Kale https://wholefully.com/how-to-freeze-kale/ https://wholefully.com/how-to-freeze-kale/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2020 10:00:11 +0000 https://wholefully.com/?p=52913 Frozen kale works beautifully in smoothies, soups, and casseroles. We'll teach you how to freeze kale so you can stock up when it's on sale! You will always find a kale plant or two in my garden. They are incredibly hardy—often living through the entire winter in our area—and they keep on producing heartily for months and months. Because kale is so productive, you’ll usually find a bag or two of frozen kale in my freezer. Frozen kale is easy to drop into smoothies, sauces, and soups for a boost of color, flavor, and nutrition—and it’s incredibly easy to freeze. Even if you don’t have space to grow your own kale plant, you’ll want to stock up your freezer when kale is in season and on sale at your local farmers' market or grocery store. Let me show you how to freeze kale! Frozen kale in a closed, Ziploc freezer bag with fresh kale beside it.

What is the best way to preserve kale?

We highly recommend freezing kale to preserve it! Freezing locks in the nutrients, and, unlike other greens like spinach, kale is sturdy enough to retain a lot of its texture during the freezing process.

How do you freeze kale?

Kale is one of the easiest veggies to get stashed in the freezer. Here’s how: Read the post »]]> https://wholefully.com/how-to-freeze-kale/feed/ 11 Kale and Walnut Pesto https://wholefully.com/kale-walnut-pesto-8/ https://wholefully.com/kale-walnut-pesto-8/#comments Thu, 07 May 2020 12:00:00 +0000 http://backtoherroots.com/?p=26729 Ah, the things you learn from years of gardening. When we first started gardening, we got a little carried away, and planted sixteen kale plants. SIXTEEN. Now, those of you who don't do a lot of gardening might not know this, but kale is incredibly prolific, easy to grow, hardy, and pretty much impossible to kill. So we had to get creative. We were eating kale smoothies for every breakfast. Kale salads at every lunch. Kale hash for supper. I made kale chips. I froze kale. I donated kale (by the bushel—literally) to our local food pantry. I came *thisclose* to setting up a kale stand at the end of my driveway. If that's not a thing, it totally should be. Washed kale and chopped nuts sit together on a white background. One of my favorite discoveries from the summer of kale is this kale and walnut pesto. Now, kale pesto is nothing new, and I'm not even a little bit claiming it to be "mine." In fact, I was making kale pesto way before the Year of Kale. But what I did do was really perfect my kale pesto recipe that summer. And I've been making it ever since.

Do I need pine nuts for this kale pesto?

Negative, captain. Pine nuts can be super pricey, and more difficult to find, so I skipped them entirely here, and used walnuts instead. I also like that the walnuts have a more earthy, deep flavor, which goes well with the kale. So no need for expensive pine nuts! Get the recipe »]]> https://wholefully.com/kale-walnut-pesto-8/feed/ 4 Turkey Florentine Meatballs with Pesto Spaghetti Squash https://wholefully.com/turkey-florentine-meatballs/ https://wholefully.com/turkey-florentine-meatballs/#respond Tue, 15 May 2018 10:00:19 +0000 https://wholefully.com/?p=33017 When I was first told that I had to go grain-free, it's not an understatement to say that I was devastated. In fact, it took me a few weeks to get over my denial and actually try living without grains. And it took me a few more months before I started to realize that a grain-free diet can be just as satisfying, comforting, and nourishing as a grain-loaded diet. I guess when I heard "grain-free," I envisioned that my life would henceforth and forever be filled with only salads and smoothies. But when I started to explore the world of grain-free cooking, I was pleasantly surprised at the breadth of hearty, filling, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meals available. I've been happy to say that except for a few notable exceptions (I'm talking about you, pizza and buttermilk biscuits), I haven't missed grains in my life at all. This dish—Turkey Florentine Meatballs with Pesto Spaghetti Squash—is a big reason why the transition was a simple one. This is one of the first recipes I made during my early grain-free days (inspired by this recipe from Dr. Amy Myers), and it's been in constant rotation ever since. Everyone in the family loves it, and I love that it makes enough leftovers for me to have it for lunch the next day! Overhead shot of the ingredients for Turkey Florentine Meatballs with Pesto Spaghetti Squash Overhead shot of wilted greens in a white bowl with a wooden spoon This recipe is grain-free, dairy-free, and nut-free (yes, even the pesto), and it's packed full of so much flavor and texture! I just love the combination of the creamy, silky spaghetti squash noodles with the hearty, garlicky meatballs. Now, if you've ever cooked spaghetti squash before and thought meh, well, I hear you. I used to feel that way about spaghetti squash, too. It was always a mushy, watery, terrible substitute for real pasta. But then I discovered my friend Beth's tutorial for how to properly cook a spaghetti squash for the longest, most pasta-like noodles, and I haven't looked back. Head over to her blog for the full run through, but the basics: cut the squash into crosswise rings to get the longest noodles, salt liberally and let rest to draw out excess water, and then BAKE the squash (no Instant Pot here—unless you want Mush City). For a grain-free alternative to spaghetti, I prefer properly cooked spaghetti squash over zucchini noodles every time! Read the post »]]> https://wholefully.com/turkey-florentine-meatballs/feed/ 0 Superfood Sweet Potato Hash https://wholefully.com/sweet-potato-hash/ https://wholefully.com/sweet-potato-hash/#comments Tue, 16 Jan 2018 11:00:00 +0000 https://wholefully.com/?p=32312 Overhead view of white plate with sweet potato hash, sunny side up eggs, and avocado slices This post is brought to you by a Wholefully partner. If you follow me over on Instagram, you know that 9 times out of 10, my breakfast plate looks very similar to that picture right up there (I share a lot of my meals on my Instagram Stories, by the way). I am 100% a savory breakfast kind girl, and for me, the Queen Bee of all savory breakfast options is the sweet potato hash. It's easy to make. It's delicious. I always have all the ingredients. And, maybe best of all, it's packed full of CUPS and CUPS worth of nourishing veggies per serving. I know a lot of people get their green leafy veggies in by having giant salads—and I do that sometimes too—but my favorite way to get in lots of kale or spinach or chard is in hash form! Each serving of this hash has around two cups of green leafies! And they cook down so it doesn't feel like you're just eating like a bunny rabbit. This is just my favorite way to kick off a healthy day. Get the Recipe »]]> https://wholefully.com/sweet-potato-hash/feed/ 6 Apple Walnut Salad in a Jar https://wholefully.com/apple-walnut-mason-jar-salad/ https://wholefully.com/apple-walnut-mason-jar-salad/#comments Wed, 03 Jan 2018 11:00:45 +0000 https://wholefully.com/?p=50195 https://wholefully.com/apple-walnut-mason-jar-salad/feed/ 2