"Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." - Hippocrates
When I was a child, my mother made me take daily vitamins. Despite being shaped like Flintstones characters, they were unappetizing and had a chalky aftertaste. This is probably not news to my mother but around the age of 10 I realized that I could fake taking the vitamin, hide the tablet in my napkin and later destroy the evidence. As an adult now, I actually enjoy taking vitamins. And no, it's not because my mother (in an attempt to stop me from growing up) recently upgraded my regular women's daily vitamin from the pill form to the gummy form. Vitamins give us a sense of security that no matter how poorly we eat, our bodies will still be nourished.
Why not simply eat healthier foods?
Salmon is filled with Omega 3 fatty acids, numerous vitamins and essential amino acids. It's one of the healthiest foods on Earth and arguably the world would be a happier place if everyone ate a little more salmon.
Potatoes are great sources of vitamin B6 and potassium. They are exceptionally low calorie when kept free from butter, grease and the frying pan. Red potatoes are high in fiber and studies support that they are highly effective in preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Kale is high in iron, low in calories and contains vitamin C. It detoxes the body, strengthens the immune system and results in healthier skin and hair. These reasons alone prove why kale has been the key "super food" for Scandinavians since the beginning of time.
For tonight's dinner, I pan-seared the salmon fillet in a little olive oil and then seasoned with ground black pepper and a hint of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. The kale mash was an easy and amazing recipe from my favorite modern Norwegian cookbook. I simply chopped red potatoes into chunks, boiled in water (with a hint of salt) for 15 minutes and added fresh chopped kale for the last 5 minutes. Once cooked, I mashed the potatoes and kale, added a hint of canola oil and seasoned with ground black pepper. The result was absolutely phenomenal.
With a glass of my favorite black tea brewed by the natural heat of the sun, dinner was complete. So next time you reach for a vitamin, think instead about getting those same nutrients from a more rewarding source. Cooking a healthy meal is a lot more rewarding (and tasty) than Flintstones vitamins
Trust me.
Until next meal,
Mary
The Final Product
Kale Mash: Red Potatoes, Kale, Canola Oil & Ground Pepper
Black Sun Tea with Lemon
The Cooking Station
