Fertility Friendly Braised Kale Recipe

Kale...trendy, polarizing, bitter and yes, incredibly helpful when it comes to fertility support. Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. And up until a few years ago, I absolutely hated it.

I knew all the stats- high in folate, iron for healthy blood cells, calcium, Vitamin A, even Quercetin and Vitamin C (shown to assist with COVID-19 prevention & support). All super for fertility support. But it doesn't really matter if you can't get it down your gullet. Luckily, Mr. Fertility Forest is a whiz in the kitchen and after several maiden voyages with different recipes, we found not only one but TWO that we will eat and we actually LIKE IT. And Baby Fertility Forest loves it as well! This is a recipe we come back to again and again...if you are struggling with inflammation and need something nourishing and savory to get you back on track, I promise you're gonna love this recipe. In fact, after putting these recipes in rotation, we actually can't buy enough kale. My standard answer, whenever Mr. FF asks me what I want for dinner is "braised kale." I swear this is true!

kale

Although there are lots of different types of kale, we tend to buy curly kale or Scots kale, which is the normal green kind with the curly leaves- although you can get fancier with purple or red kale if you like. But if you're looking for fertility support, this vegetable is one you really want to buy organic. In 2021 kale still held the the #3 spot on the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) 'dirty dozen,' a catalog of conventionally grown fruits & vegetables with the highest amounts of pesticide residue. (ICYMI, strawberries topped the list for the 5th year in a row - boo!). Super easy; here's the goods:

Ingredients:

-rinsed, stemmed & chopped kale

-extra virgin olive oil

-1/4 cup diced red onion

-1 garlic clove, minced

-1 tbsp salt & additional salt (to taste)

-1 lemon or 2-3 tsp of lemon juice

-2-3 tsp champagne vinegar

-Not an ingredient, but note, a cast iron skillet improves taste!

Recipe:

1. Rinse the kale to remove dirt. Remove leaves from ribs & stems, chop leaves roughly

2. Add to skillet on low to medium heat and allow kale to sweat

3. Dress the kale with the olive oil & add sea salt

4. Stir occasionally until wilted, approximately 10 minutes

5. Remove from heat & let kale rest for 5 minutes

6. Add the lemon juice - either 2-3 tsp or simply squeeze from a fresh lemon

7. Add 2-3 tsp of champagne vinegar

8. Salt to taste & serve

In case you need more motivation, a single cup of raw kale (about 67 grams or 2.4 ounces) contains (1):

• Vitamin A: 206% of the DV (from beta-carotene)

• Vitamin K: 684% of the DV

• Vitamin C: 134% of the DV

• Vitamin B6: 9% of the DV

• Manganese: 26% of the DV

• Calcium: 9% of the DV

• Copper: 10% of the DV

• Potassium: 9% of the DV

• Magnesium: 6% of the DV

• It also contains 3% or more of the DV for vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), iron and phosphorus

With powerful antioxidants, Vitamins C, A, K and beta-carotene & magnesium, potassium, lutein, zeaxanthin and MORE, even if you think you don't like kale; I would definitely recommend you give this a spin. Paired with some grass fed beef; you've got a healthy paleo fertility-friendly dinner. Now, dig in!