Greens!

Until this afternoon, I hadn't had a salad in over a week. In fact, I think most green veggies, raw or cooked, had mysteriously left my diet. I will say the excuse was being on vacation last week which lends itself to eating food that tastes good but not really good for you.

But really, my health won't accept excuses.

So today I broke my green fast. Before I left the house this morning, I went and picked a bunch of the kale that is still growing in our garden (yes, we have an abundance of kale in the backyard and I was ignoring it - ridiculous!).  At lunch time, I washed the kale and cut it into small pieces. Then added some olive oil and did what makes kale the best: massaged it.

I only discovered kale a few years ago but soon learned how squeezing and kneeding the leaves makes the hard fibers more limp and easier to consume. Plus, as a massage therapist, such an intimate relationship with my food felt natural.

Well, when I did this today I was reminded of another reason why I love this vegetable: the smell. When you start massaging the kale it emits a smell of earth and life. Its like if the smell of dirt was yang, this smell it its corresponding yin.

I topped it off with some cilantro, chicken, seseme seeds, and sliced almonds with a miso-ginger dressing.

And how did I feel afterwards? What do you think? Awesome! Trying less to wonder what took me so long and more to remember how good it tasted and felt.