Kale...Kale...Kale
It amazes me how my little social media community continues to inspire me daily and has allowed me to connect with people all over the country. I want to introduce you to Nutrition With Chelsea. I came across Chelsea’s IG account about a year ago, and her page has been my go-to for recipe inspiration. Daily she is posting photos of what she is eating, all of which are whole foods and very nutritious. She also has a beautiful website, podcast (one of my faves), and health coaching business.
She started posting a lot of photos with her CRISPY KALE SALAD. I had to try it, and I was immediately hooked! I make this recipe almost daily, it’s a great way to eat more dark, leafy vegetables. Since it is something that I love so much, I had to share it with you all. I also wanted to interview Chelsea as I am always curious what my favorite health & wellness gals eat on a daily basis. Chelsea is very knowledgeable about whole foods and what we should be putting in our bodies. I learned so much from the interview questions below, and she inspires me every day via Instagram how to fuel our bodies effectively. I know I am a different person when I am taking care of myself from the inside out, and for me, it all starts with my diet. So here is Chelsea, and here is her delicious CRISPY KALE SALAD.
Ingredients
2 cups kale (I like using curly kale, and red kale is my favorite) de-stemmed and leaves broken by hand into smaller pieces
1/2 tbsp. coconut oil (+ more if needed)
sea salt to taste (+ any additional spices you’d like)
Method
Heat a large pan to medium/high heat
Add the coconut oil so it melts & covers the entire pan
Add the kale & move it around in the pan with tongs till cooked down and well incorporated in the oil (takes a few minutes)
Sprinkle with sea salt
Let the kale sit for a few more minutes (time will vary based on pan size) till bits become crispy and then move it around in the pan a bit more adding extra coconut oil if needed
Meet Chelsea
Hi! I’m Chelsea and I’m a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach. I own nutritionwithchelsea.com, a virtual 1:1 coaching business and I help women to break free from restriction, dieting and deprivation and instead find the way of eating that works for them so they can feel calm in their mind and confident in their body.
My love of health and wellness comes from my own struggle with my health and relationship to food for many years. In 2014 I hit the point where I was really tired of feeling unwell and unhappy and wanted to nourish myself and mend my relationship with food. I was also dealing with chronic back pain and really difficult digestive issues and it was truly the perfect storm and a message from the universe to re-invest in myself and turn things around. I knew that all the tough stuff I was going through was making me more compassionate and relatable and I wanted to turn my mess into my message. That’s when I found the Institute of Transformational Nutrition and I started right away! It helped me with my own relationship with food, my health and gave the me the training to help other women finally feel better too.
I love being a part of the real food community and helping other women feel better in their skin 🙂 You can find more recipes, my blog and information about working with me 1:1 (I coach people all over!) at nutritionwithchelsea.com and I’m also posting daily over on Instagram @nutritionwithchelsea.
Start to finish, what would be your ideal food day?
I talk a lot about my Core4 philosophy which is protein, healthy fat, fiber-rich carbs and starchy carbs on social media and in my newsletter. I have a blueprint for how I eat those 4 things throughout the day but my main focus is on protein and healthy fat at every meal because those keep me super satiated and I love that feeling! In college and my early 20’s I was hyper focused on calorie counting, always trying to eat less and also restricted fat. Once I went to nutrition school and really learned the truth, like fat does not make you fat (it helps you thrive!) and all calories are not created equal I got rid of the eat less mentality and instead put my focus on nourishing my body- especially with lots of healthy fat. I quickly started seeing changes in my mood, energy and body and I truly started experiencing food freedom which I never thought would be possible due to my past. I was no longer obsessed with counting, measuring and didn’t beat up on myself for eating something “bad”. So my ideal food day is one that focuses on super nourishing foods that keep me full and happy!! Like I said I put a priority on protein and healthy fat at every meal- at lunch and dinner I up the fiber with veggies and at dinner I love to include a starchy carb like cinnamon carrot fries or plantains.
My ideal day make look like this…
Breakfast- scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil, smoked trout and crispy kale.
Lunch- Protein smoothie with Califia farms toasted coconut almond milk, bone broth chocolate protein, collage peptides, nut butter or chia seeds, spinach, frozen zucchini, frozen blueberries and tons of cinnamon.
Dinner- chicken thighs, roasted broccoli cooked in tons of ghee and plantains dipped in more ghee 🙂
Dessert- Green & Blacks 85% dark chocolate.
What is your go-to weeknight recipe?
I love baked salmon. I usually buy a big bag of frozen wild salmon and defrost 2 or 3 filets at a time to bake all at once and have that night, for breakfast the next day and dinner the following night. I bake them in my toaster oven at 400 degrees for 13 mins, sprinkle with sea salt and they turn out perfect every time. So easy! Roasted veggies are also always my go-to. Beets, broccoli, brussels- whatever you like! Chop them, put them on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1-2 tbsp. of melted ghee or coconut oil and sea salt and roast them also at 400 for anywhere from 20-25 mins. Super easy and always delicious! I can eat that combo every single night!
How do you always start your day? What is your go-to breakfast?
I start every single day with a huge glass of room temperature water with a whole organic lemon squeezed in. Often I’ll prepare this the night before and set it on my bedside table so I can start drinking it right when I get up. It wakes my body up and jumpstarts digestion! I usually then go for a walk outside and listen to one of my favorite podcasts. When I get back I usually whip up crispy kale and eggs, or a protein I have prepped from the night before like fish or chicken, or sometimes I’ll do ground bison- so good!
What’s a common misconception about healthy home cooking?
That it has to be complicated or time-consuming!! My recipes aren’t really recipes because they’re so easy. It’s usually a protein and veggies plus my healthy fat (ghee or coconut oil) and sea salt. Simple. A lot of us think we have to spend hours in the kitchen, following recipes and creating complex meals. I make sure to stock my fridge and pantry with staples that add a lot of flavor- like healthy fats and spices and then I just interchange my proteins and veggies (fish, chicken, grass-fed beef…sweet potatoes, carrots, greens, zucchini, etc.!) I always refer back to my Core4, when I look at a plate, do I see those things? Cool, moving on! It does not have to be intricate!
I’m also a huge fan of short cuts, I love clean lunch meats dipped in mustard, organic rotisserie chicken, canned wild tuna or salmon mixed with Primal Mayo and Applegate frozen turkey burgers (seriously good and often a life-saver!) I give you permission to make things easier for yourself! Also know, it will get easier if you’re just starting out cooking more at home. I promise! You’ll find what works for YOU what makes things easier for yourself with trial and error and practice 🙂
What are your food vices, if any?
I love anything cereal-y and granola-y. Even healthier granolas or cereals with almond milk…I could eat SEVERAL bowls so I don’t usually bring it in the house haha. Also self-serve frozen yogurt- omg.
What would your last meal be?
Well after answering that last question…haha, I guess it would be endless cereal OH and dates. I love, love, LOVE dates and I would get them from this vendor at my local farmers market and just sit and devour them all. And maybe put peanut butter or almond butter in between them…wow, yum. I would also get frozen yogurt with all of the toppings! I guess I’m going sweet!! But savory would probably be the skirt steak from one our local restaurants here in LA called Jar- it’s unreal.
What are 5 essentials any healthy person should always have in their fridge? What’s always in your fridge?
Unsweetened almond or coconut milk- to put into tea, coffee and smoothies.
Primal mayo- by Primal Kitchen Foods. Most mayos are made with canola oil or soybean oil which are inflammatory vegetable oils that sneak into a lot of ingredient lists and this one is made with avocado oil and rosemary extract…it’s so good. I didn’t like mayo before trying this! It’s great to add to canned wild salmon or tuna for a really easy and healthy lunch or snack.
Greens- For salads, soups and smoothies! I love kale, arugula and romaine.
Eggs- Scrambled eggs are a go-to and I love the brand Vital Farms since they’re from chickens that are raised on pasture. The yolks are so bright and I know that means they’re full of nutrients. I’ve also really been into soft boiled eggs lately too- 7 minutes in boiling water, then into an ice bath to cool. Oh and of course I have them so I can make my paleo pancakes! I have that recipe on my site- 1 banana, 2 eggs and 1 tbsp. coconut flour. So easy!
Mustard- I use mustard all the time! It’s a great way to flavor things. I love mustard-glazed chicken thighs, mashing it into canned wild tuna and also use it as part of a salad dressing with olive oil or nut oils! I love brown mustard and Annie’s Dijon mustard. Just be sure to check labels for added sugar and junky extra oils!
Bonus…
These are pantry items so I’m kind of cheating- but I can’t not mention coconut oil and ghee since they are necessities in my house! They’re my go-to cooking fats. They add great flavor and are best for higher heat cooking. Coconut oil is anti-bacterial and ghee is lactose-free and high in anti-inflammatory omega-3’s and vitamin D. The cool thing about fat is that it’s neccessary to absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K so that’s why it’s so great to cook your veggies in these so you can absorb those great nutrients. I recommend my clients always keep these on hand!
I definitely keep all of those things on hand all the time! The other thing I’ve been digging lately are nut oils to use as a salad dressing. I usually massage a spoonful of mustard and a tbsp. of macadamia nut oil or walnut oil into my greens. I also like chilling cans of wild tuna or wild salmon (love the brand Wild Planet because they source sustainable fish and are in BPA free cans) in the fridge, other veggies like zucchini, cucumber, carrots and sometimes a gingerade, trilogy or original flavor of GT’s Kombucha!
