A friend brought a similar salad to a potluck. Everyone raved about it and I helped myself to more than one serving!! It had the perfect harmony of flavors. She told me what was in it and I just had to make it the next day. This is a fabulous, delicious and healthy 4th of July recipe to bring to any party. It will surely be a hit, even to the non-health-conscious folks...the best of both worlds. You can sneak greens into your friend's lives and they'll still love you the next morning!! 

Even my girls who are not the most likely to eat a salad with anything dark green in it, loved it. 









Kale Salad, serves 6

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale 

1 teaspoon coarse salt, such as Celtic (amazing source of minerals)

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 red apple, chopped ( I use Gala)

1/3 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 TBS red wine vinegar, preferably raw wine vinegar (inexpensive and excellent for your health!)

1 TBS raw honey, barely melted on very low heat. Honey is one of the most healing foods on the planet. If you heat it past 115 degrees F, it will lose much of it's healing properties. Raw honey is great to use on wounds because of it's antibacterial properties. My favorite brand is Honey Gardens Apothecary Honey.

1/8 tps stevia powder, optional (only add if you like the salad to be very sweet. I have not added this when I make it.)

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Wash and dry kale. Tear it off from the stalks in bite size pieces. (the stalks are bitter and hard to chew)
Place torn kale in a bowl. Add olive oil and salt and massage kale for 2 minutes until it softens considerably.

Add other ingredients except feta cheese, finishing with vinegar and honey. Mix very well until all of the salad is well coated with dressing. Offer feta cheese on the side for those who care for it as not all people love it:)




 




 

If you are a cupcake lover, you will be so thankful you tried this flourless chocolate cupcake recipe! I served these last summer and my husband liked them so much he asked me to bake them for his birthday! This is a great healthy desert to indulge in on the 4th of July when there is a plethora of less-than-healthy options.





What you will need:

1 cup of almond butter ( I use Trader Joe's Brand)

2 medium zucchini, chopped.

1/3 cup of raw honey or Whole Cane sugar (Rapadura)

1 egg for brownies, 3 eggs for cupcakes

1 tsp of vanilla 

½ tsp Celtic or Himalayan salt

1 tsp of baking soda 

1 tsp of cinnamon 

1/8 tsp stevia

1 cup of dark chocolate chips. I used gluten free chocolate chips. Alternatively,
use ½ cup cocoa powder.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients into a blender and mix everything together.
Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
If making cupcakes, pour into cupcake baking cups in muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes.

Looking for great, healthy recipes for the 4th of July?
Have I got some to share with you!
This one is from Elana Amsterdam's new book, Paleo Cooking.
My sister Lisa shared it and it looks so good I thought it was perfect for sharing
in my 4th of July Healthy Recipes series.

Avocado Kale Salad
Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale (remove leaves from stems), sliced crosswise
into 1/4 inch strips
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 very ripe avocado- diced into 1-inch cubes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper;
1/4 tsp Celtic or Himalayan salt.
 
Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine the kale, olive oil,
and lemon juice. Use your hands to massage the ingredients together until the
kale is tender. Massage the avocado into the salad with your hands until it is
completely mashed and mixed into the salad. Spinkle with the pepper and salt,
toss to combine and serve. Cheers to a delicious, healthy salad!

Ingredients:

3 eggs

¼ cup coconut oil

2 medium bananas

2 TBS Rapadura (organic whole cane sugar)

10 drops Whole leaf Stevia Liquid

¼ cup coconut flour

¼ teaspoon salt

 ½ teaspoon baking soda

Place eggs, oil, bananas, rapadura and stevia in a Blendtec blender ; blend on medium speed until combined. Add in coconut flour, salt and baking soda and blend until smooth. Scoop ¼ cup batter into a lined muffin pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes (my batch takes a little over 25 minutes; all ovens are slightly different). Cool and serve with pasture butter, Kerry Gold butter, Strauss butter or raw milk butter. Enjoy!! Makes approximately 8 muffins. I always double the recipe and then there are leftovers after my whole family eats them for breakfast!

 


So much money is spent yearly on anti-aging and health products. Little do people know, a simple thing such as bone broth can make an enormous difference in the appearance of the skin and the health of the body and immune system. And... it can improve cellulite! Bone broth will make the skin
supple. We’ve all seen a thin person with cellulite. It doesn’t come from having
excess fat, it comes from a lack of connective tissue. Collagen in the bone
broth can reverse this problem because where there is sufficient connective
tissue, the skin will be smooth. Collagen has also been known to be healing for
the lining of the intestinal tract. This will help greatly with digestive
issues. Bone broth is incredibly mineral rich, meaning that it is important for
your bone and teeth and immune health. In my experience, after a few days to a week of consuming bone broth twice a day, you will see a noticeable difference in your skin and you will feel very hydrated. This is the greatest anti-aging/body transforming secret I know of and it is very inexpensive. 

Chicken contains and amino acid called cysteine, which can thin the mucus membranes in the lungs making it less sticky so you can expel more easily.*
 
Here is my recipe:                    
                                                    
Fill a large stock pot half to ¾ full of bones of choice. Most stores have soup bones they sell. These are great. The most important thing is to use bones from organic, pastured, grass-fed animals.  Use a variety of different bones. I make
chicken broth, beef stock, fish stock, etc… 

Cover bones with water. Add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Allow to sit for one hour.


Turn stove on to medium low heat. Allow stock to come to a simmer very slowly. Once simmering, turn heat down so
the broth is a continuous, but low simmer for 12 – 24 hours. After 12 hours, add one onion, chopped, 5 cloves garlic, 5 carrots, 5 stalks celery and a couple handfuls of any greens you have in the refrigerator. 

Allow to simmer about 2 – 10 more hours. Once finished, strain broth into glass containers. I use ½ gallon ball jars. Make sure to carefully pour in in. I usually strain it into a big bowl first and then pour or ladle it into the jars using a jar funnel. At this point, add my secret ingredient. This gelatinous substance will change the appearance of your skin! It is 100% beef gelatin which you can purchase here. I add about ¼ cup of gelatin to each batch of broth, or you can add 1 tsp – 1 TBS to each cup of broth you drink. This is best to drink immediately upon arising and right before bed. It is incredibly hydrating and lubricating for the intestinal tract, you will see the difference!