Superfood Brunch with My Mini-Me!

Wait till you see what we invented!  They’re called Bressert Chips!

I thought this week on my semi-spring break that I would have time to relax toward the end of the week. What actually happened is that I’m left wondering how I would have gotten my work done if I was not on break from one school!  It’s all great—in fact, I love the feeling of being productive (even better when I’m getting paid for my productivity). I’ll have the opportunity to be productive again all day on Sunday too (do you like how I upcycled that thought?!)

I met Wendy (remember her success story?) for lunch on Thursday at Lovin’ Cup, and it was great—you know how you just click with some people?!  Wendy is one of those people who is just a great person, and I always enjoy chatting with her and hearing her updates on life, working out and food. I totally should have taken a picture of us—I’m such a terrible photog!

Yesterday, I ran into Katelyn at the gym, and we did a little spinning together (well, more like next to each other–on the spin bikes in the cardio room). I had to cut my workout a little short so I could get back to work, but that’s ok because it left me time to plan and prep for our brunch!

We came up with this awesome fabulous idea to make Bressert Kale Chips- breakfast & dessert kale chips! We were brainstorming about what to make, and that idea just jumped out at us. The varieties we thought of were Cashew/Maple/Cinnamon/Raisin and Chocolate.

As soon as I began making the batter, I knew they were going to be awesome (I may have tasted it once or twice…or ten times).

Maple/Cinnamon/Raisin Bressert Kale Chips

1 cup water
1 cup cashews (soaked for a few hours)
1tsp vanilla
20 drops stevia (I used vanilla)
1/4 cup maple syrup (local, please)

blend this till smooth, and then add 1/2 cup raisins and blend on low just to mix them in. Chop 1 bunch of kale into “chips” and massage the batter into it. Dehydrate for at least 5 hours at 115 or lower (I did overnight).

Chocolate Bressert Kale Chips

1 cup water
1 cup cashews (soaked for a few hours)
20 drops Cocoa Bean Extract (I love NuNaturals)
1tbsp cacao powder (or you could use carob)
1/4 cup maple syrup (local!)

Blend all ingredients till smooth. Massage into 1 bunch worth of kale “chips.” Dehydrate for several hours at 115 or lower (I did overnight).

Next, I wanted to make juice—I had a ton of produce in the fridge, and it was just screaming to be juiced. I love my Greenstar juicer because once you make juice, it stays “good” for up to 72 hours in the fridge. I put two in the fridge for brunch, and put the rest in the freezer (I just take it out and put it in the fridge the night before I’m going to drink it). This stuff is pretty strong!

I was thinking—maybe we should serve our juice like a spritzer! The juice itself, full of beet greens, dandelion greens, beets, lemon, parsley, green apple (I usually leave out the fruit, but this is a special occasion!), carrot, celery…is quite strong tasting, and I happen to have some Zevia Ginger Ale…

The main dish on our brunch menu was waffles. High protein pseudograin (sprouted buckwheat) waffles, to be specific!

The toppings we came up with were: Pom Acai Chia jam (I started with a recipe from Julie Morris and Navitas Naturals—but I subbed in Pom juice for the apple juice it called for, and the amounts I used did not match her recipe at all), Cashew Cream (I cannot get enough of this stuff!!!), and some muddled fruit (yes, it was frozen. I didn’t plan ahead on that one).

Katelyn is my Mini Me—we have a lot in common!  I wish that I had known as much as she does when I was her age. But, regardless of me being technically old enough to be her mother (!) we had a great time.

Do you have any friends who like to eat like you do, who you can do meal get togethers with? In general, I usually have the most in common food-wise with friends who are quite a bit older than me (with a few exceptions—Ali and Kyle!), so it’s nice to have a younger friend too!

I’m off to grade papers and then head to Penn Yan to visit a friend that I inherited from my sister—It’s so nice to hang out with people who knew Jen. I’m so lucky to have Carol in my life. Hopefully, I’ll remember to take a pic or two!

I have (soon) more hormone info to share—about stress and metabolism—and I’m designing round 2 of my Personal Improvement Plan (PIP). Honestly, I’ve departed from it today and yesterday, and I feel super puffy. It’s ok to fly of the wagon occasionally, and I’m containing my flight to 48 hours (I’m sure I’ll have wine tonight!).

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend—any fun plans? Are you getting together with friends? Drinking wine? Making cookies?  Tell me 🙂