I’m a pretty healthy eater, once was vegetarian for a few years, but since I met my snack-crazy husband and since I become a mother I seem to have developed more of a taste for sweets and junk food. Three pregnancies and drowsy afternoons of nursing definitely have made me more indulgent: with this last pregancy I was big into chocolate and almond coated ice cream bars and enormous bags of SmartFood.

But now that my baby is nearing four months I’m trying to be more conscious about what I eat so I can lose these last pounds of pregnancy weight!  So while I’m still going through a bag of black licorice a week (!) I’ve been taking advantage of the fall harvest here in Ontario and eating a lot of greens. Which I happen to like.

But I must admit, kale, although pretty, is a tough sell around my home with my meat-loving man and two little boys. I once tried to put it on pizza, which even I found horrid. I’ve tried stir-frying it as well, but no matter how much garlic I sautee along with it, it still is hard to get down.

But I know it is so good for me and for baby too, so I wanted to share a kale recipe I’ve found that I actually love!  I find myself eating it even as I’m making it, it’s so good, and for kale, that’s saying something!

It was given to me by my friend Caroline, who eats kale all the time. Her mom grows rows upon rows of it in her garden up near Haliburton. Caroline even made this salad for me once late last spring when I was heavily pregnant. It’s super easy and flexible, and even if your kids won’t eat it (mine don’t) you and your partner probably will!

• one head kale (curly or black, although I like the black or dinosaur kale best)
• one avocado (or two if you want)
• juice of one lemon
• generous sprinkling of sea salt
• tablespoon of flax oil or olive oil (you can omit this if you want)

1. Wash kale, pat or spin dry, then cut away from the spines or stems and cut into thin ribbons
2. scoop out avocado flesh with your hands and squash and mush it into the kale mixture coating the leaves.
3. Add lemon juice. Mush some more
4. Add oil bit by bit, adjusting to your taste
5. Sprinkle with sea salt
6. Enjoy!

This salad tastes great a few hours later and into the next day as the flavours marinate and penetrate the kale.

Lately I’ve been trying to cook more with my two oldest boys (2.5 and 4.5). Not always together, mind you! But two days a week, my middle son is at home with me and Baby Boy, while my oldest is at JK. He has missed a lot of mummy-and-me time in his short life, always overshawdowed by his big brother who can do more, say more, jump higher, run faster etc. He probably doesn’t notice but now that Kai is in JK I’m trying to make up for it (while the baby sleeps ). So Fridays at our house have become Muffin Mornings.After JK dropoff, some playtime at the park or errands, we come home to bake muffins together while Baby Boy naps. Last week it was Cranberry Flax Muffins, the week before, Super Seedy Muffins, and today, with Thanksgiving this weekend and Halloween around the corner, we made Pumpkin Raisin Muffins.This recipe is quite healthy already, but I threw in 2 tbsp. of ground flax seed instead of a bit of the white flour, and it seemed to work well. There isn’t much sugar but they had a lovely flavour and the boys thought they tasted great! Making muffins at home saves money and packaging so it’s a win all around – fun time together, teaching skills like measuring and counting, being more frugal and consuming less packaging!If you have a suggestion for your fave healthy muffin recipe, I’d love to hear it!Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

Back in university I used to be a vegetarian. I am no longer, but still love legumes and many vegetarian cuisines. And now that I’m cooking for my kids, part of my mission to provide healthy meals is to provide a weekly meatless one.

Once a week we eat a vegetarian entree for dinner. The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health suggests just one day a week without meat can reduce your consumption of saturated fat by 15% and reduce your chances of heart disease.

The other night, as we were tucking into a tasty Red Lentil and Swiss Chard Stew over brown rice,  I explained to my two older boys (4.5 and 2.5) the reasons why we were eating a vegetarian supper:

• it helps reduce our carbon footprint. Less of the planet’s resources and energy is used to grow plants than to raise animals
• vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and some cancers.
• going meatless saves money. It’s a frugal, yet tasty and healthy way to curb your grocery bill, which is especially helpful right now during a recession

When my boys were babies and toddlers I would often just open a can of black beans or chick peas, rinse and serve as their protein that meal. It was quick and convenient, not to mention healthy, and helped vary their diet. Something must have stuck as now I’m fortunate that my kids love peas, beans, chickpeas etc.

I must admit, I’m not a tofu lover, so vegetarian night at our place tends to involve beans and legumes. Here is a great recipe we tried last week; easy, flavourful, cheap and nutritious. Plus, otherwise my sons won’t go near Swiss Chard (my husband is not a fan either), but they didn’t even notice it in this recipe!  It is quite thick, so you can serve it as is, over rice, or thin it out with more broth to eat as a soup.

 Red Lentil and Swiss Chard Stew

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-1 onion, sliced

-5 tsp. curry powder

-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I used 1/8)

-42 oz. vegetable broth

-1 bunch chard, chopped

-2 1/4 cups red lentils

-1 can chick peas, rinsed

-yogurt or sour cream for garnish

In a large soup pot saute the onion in oil over medium high heat for 10-15 min or until golden. Stir in curry powder and cayenne.

Add the broth and chard and increase heat to high. Bring to boil

Reduce heat to medium and stir in lentils and chick peas. Cover pan and simmer for 10 min or until lentils are tender.

Divide soup into bowls  and top with garnish if desired.