Making Kale Chips: A Photo Tutorial

Kale is a leafy vegetable that is part of the cruciferous family. It is packed with phytonutrients that support healthy liver detoxification.

Kale chips are a healthy and delicious snack. Never made them? Here's a handy tutorial that shows you how quick and easy it can be. Feel free to skip the potato chips and dig into these crispy treats instead!

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Start out by rinsing the stalks of kale, and you can let them dry out on a towel while you work. For one person, use about three stalks. For a family, clean up the whole bunch.

Tear the leaf away from the stalk, then tear the leaves into medium-size chunks.

When you have torn all of your leaves into chunks, drizzle with some olive oil and toss. Use about 1 tsp. if you're making them for one, or use 1-11/2 T. if you're making a bunch.

Spread the leaves out in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with salt and your choice of additional seasonings.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the edges turn brown. Enjoy!

Read more about the healthy benefits and nutrients found in kale at World's Healthiest Foods

Primal Eating

I started reading a new book, "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson. I've been following his blog Mark's Daily Apple for a while now. He follows pretty closely in line with the folks at Weston A Price Foundation, which is the standard I come back to for whether we should eat something. Were people eating this 500 years ago and were they rugged and healthy. While the WAPF recommends grains and legumes which are properly prepared (soaked, sprouted, etc), The Primal Blueprint does not. If you are more than 10 lbs overfat, then I would recommend you avoid the until which point you have healthy enough insulin and blood sugar regulation to add them back in moderation.
So you have to give up grains, what do you replace it with? How about meat, chicken and seafood and lots of veggies. I came across an article on oysters and their nutritional content as well as a recipe for lemon granita. It's basically lemon juice, salt, pepper and diced red onion. A spoonful on top of a raw oyster and bingo you have a delicious snack. I say snack because oysters are so nutritionally dense and low in calories. Below are the nutrition facts for the 3 I just had.

As you can see, loaded with Zinc, Selenium, B12, and Vit D all with only 30 kcals. Zinc status is very low in this country and zinc plays a vital role in sugar metabolism via insulin. It is also required for optimal levels of testosterone in men and progesterone in women. Both hormones keep estrogen from becoming over-dominant. Men think man boobs, women think PMS and both think increased cancer risk. This is my 4th time having oysters, the first 2 I had them on a saltine and kinda choked them down. But I am willing to try about anything if it's good for me. The past two times I used the granita and I really enjoy them now. I even chew them and slurp the brine.

Gym is open

I held the first workshop at Imprimis Kettlebell this past Saturday. A small but good group of students attended. The next workshop is scheduled for June 2nd. The workshop included the Functional Movement Screen, instruction on self myofascial release aka foam rolling, the kettlebell swing, get up and goblet squat. We wrapped up with an introduction of indian club swinging. The workshop is a prerequisite for our group exercise classes which meet Monday and Thursday evenings.
If you are new kettlebells or just want to see the gym join us on Saturday June 16th from 11-1 for an Open House. There will be demos of different techniques and equipment and some snacks.

What I'm reading

I haven't posted in almost a year. I am greatly improved since last post. It was probably December or January before I really felt back to mostly normal. I'm probably 97% there now. I have the occasional tightness in the right leg but no pain. I'm moving much better than I was before the injury because I'm really working on my hip extension. I have a new kettlebell gym opening in a couple weeks and I'll be offering group classes 2 evenings a week. I've decided to post some links to the information I'm reading on a daily basis so if you are interested you can see what material is shaping my life. Here is my list for today:
2 Samuel 17
Primal eating and gout at Mark's Daily Apple
Dan John talking about training goals and fat loss
Started reading 6 pack abs 365 by Geoff Neupert MRKC

Continued progress

Yesterday I saw 6 patients. I was pretty sore at the end of the day and my back was really tired. I got a good nights rest and am back at it today. I felt stronger on my first patients this morning so that is progress. I also got a chiropractic adjustment today and some quantum neurology work which really helped improve my gait. My chiropractor made the statement that he's never seen anyone as bad as I was recover without surgery. I'd say this is a testament to the strength training I had prior to the injury and to the power of chiropractic, nutritional supplementation, an attitude of not giving up and not considering surgery an option. And most importantly the power of prayer. Though I'm not there yet, I do expect a full recovery. My patients have been wonderful and very understanding. I have the best patients ever and love and appreciate them all dearly. Thank you for your loyalty.

So here's what happened

The fourth weekend in January I experienced some tightness in my right hip. It progressively got worse as the week went on. I spent most of my nights up walking because I couldn't get comfortable. By the weekend it was excruciating and incapacitating. I couldn't sit or walk without severe pain in my right buttock and down the leg into the ankle. I usually have a pretty high pain tolerance and have pushed myself through some pretty strong muscular pain in the past and can take a lot of pressure on trigger points but nerve pain is a different beast all together. I would bawl from the pain. Tuesday I got a cortisone shot and some pain meds which didn't help. Thursday I got a lumbar MRI which revealed a disk bulge with possible herniation at L5/S1. I got flexion distraction chiropractic treatments daily for a week which only gave me minimal temporary relief. At this point I had to crawl through the house. I couldn't straighten my right leg or put any weight on it. I used crutches for get to dr appointments. At one doctors appointment my BP was 160/108 due to pain, normal for me is 110/70. After any movement (ie getting into the car, getting into the chiropractors office, etc) I required the application of a cold pack for 10-15 mins while lying on my left side to get the pain manageable. I was very blessed to be able to get pretty comfortable by lying on my left side, though sleep was difficult.
At this point I moved in with my parents because I couldn't do anything for myself. The third week I saw a neurosurgeon and we scheduled a spinal nerve root injection. They did L5 and I got no relief and it was a miserable experience. They looked at the MRI again and did S1 which almost immediately gave me relief. The second injection wasn't quite as bad because some of the anesthesia from the first one helped. After the injection I got probably 50% relief and I could at least sit for a minute or so at a time and could walk with a walker. I started using an inversion table which would get me some relief. But at this point I stalled out and didn't make any further progress for almost 3 months.
I also got acupuncture which helped balance the pelvis but made it harder to put weight on the right leg. Because of the lack of progress and the sharp pain in the right buttock I had a pelvic MRI looking for a cyst or tumor which might be causing the nerve pressure on the 2nd of May. It revealed nothing and I started to progress. I was able to do a few exercises and weight the right leg. I started getting chiropractic care again as well as Russian Stim on lumbar spine. I lost a huge percentage of the stabilizing musculature of the low back. My spinal erectors were nonexistent. I've been making steady progress since and continue to get chiropractic adjustments and cranio-sacral therapy which is really helping. The disk is mostly healed now, most of my trouble comes from lack of muscular support. I can sit for an hour at a time and drive again. I even started back to work seeing a couple patients per day.
It's been a long road but thank God for the strength to get through it and some wonderful people in my life to help me along the way. It's been a great learning experience and I'm definitely stronger because of it. I've been able to see many blessing come from what would otherwise be a miserable event.
I still am not sure what caused the problem. I didn't bend over or lift anything to trigger the pain. My best guess is that I had built strength without building the appropriate flexibility. I scored poorly on my ASLR and was working to improve flexibility in the hamstrings and hip flexors but not enough to keep pace with my other training. I think that imbalance caused a weak link. I've also been trying to heal adrenal failure for a couple years and feel that my body was tearing down quicker than it was repairing which allowed the weak link to become a problem. But the good news is I got plenty of rest and am now starting with a clean slate and can build a nice broad foundation for future strength gains.
Many thanks to all those who helped me mentally, physically and financially. The motto at the head of this blog has never been truer, I struggle and I emerge.

Cheat day

Yesterday was my cheat day. Biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast, scone for a snack, chimichanga for lunch, pizza for dinner, some morels and chocolate mousse with raspberries for dessert. Fasting from lunch today until lunch tomorrow.
Last night did a few sets of single leg DL with 16kg, mostly triples. Suitcase DL x 95# x doubles, can't remember sets. DL moves tested positive but not spectacular.
Did a couple horseshoe ISO's and they tested very well. Goblet squats x 16kg x 5 reps x 3 sets tested well too.

Yummy

I came up with a crazy concoction for dinner tonight but the flavors and textures were awesome. Nitrate-free bacon fried then add and sauté shallots, garlic and curly kale. Season with salt, crushed red pepper, top with Parmesan, avocado and sardines.

Past 2 days have been LOW carbs, tomorrow is cheat day. Looking forward to biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast.

Saturday's training. Snatches 16kg, :15 sec on :15 off. 4 reps per arm per :15 x 12 mins. 96 total reps.

Monday: Ring pushups, sets of 3, pinch block DL 35# , chest expanders

Tues: 1 set of 15 20kg rows R/L , reps done quickly. Farmers walk 2- 24kg 70-80 yds

back to the blogging world

I've been MIA for a while but all is well. I've really found my groove with the biofeedback testing. I train 3 days per week, usually Monday is a pressing day of sorts, KB presses, barbell MP, dips, etc. Wed has worked really well as DL day. I get some of my best training on this day. Big gains in volume and weight. Last night I pulled 255# conv DO for the first time in a very long time. Friday or Sat has been more of a play day with emphasis on circuit training. I've been using Battling ropes some, I'm not sure I like the undulations or rope pulling better, both are a LOT of fun. Doing some swings and snatches also. I do some active recovery and core stability work on Tues, Thurs.
I was trying to do some running in my VFF but have slacked off. By end of summer I'd like to complete a 5k in them with a respectable time, for me, under 25 mins. I'm in a race with a friend to see who can sculpt the best 6-pk abs by August. And just for fun I'd like to pull 300# DL by then.
My training will probably add in a little more interval training with explosive moves such as sprinting, snatches and swings. I'm going to play around with some diet stuff also to achieve these results.
Overall I'm feeling good, both physically and mentally and I'm making good progress. The plan is to stay a little more current with posting my training logs.

New Links

Added a couple new links. Great content, be sure to check them out.

Newest update

Last week I had trouble getting anything to test well so I've mostly abandoned the 40 day concept and am just going with what feels right and tests well. Generally just having fun with it. Last week I had a day of nothing but BB MP and BB curls. I haven't done curls since my mullet days, with the exception of plate curls and gripbell curls. But intuition struck me and it tested well. Had another day that chest expanders tested well when nothing else would. I'm still sticking with general principles of a hip hinge movement, a squatting move, pressing and pulling. I test a couple of these first each time. I try to find two opposing moves if I can, such as goblet squat and chins the other day or conventional DL and BB MP yesterday. I go until they stop testing well or I feel I've had enough, whichever comes first. I then typically test a swing or snatch, perform 20-50 reps using the above principles. If I still can get a good testing response I throw in some fun stuff like bending or grip work. I must say this new strategy is very liberating. I train 4-5 days per week, sometimes continous.
Hopefully my Gym Movement DVD will arrive today, it's been over a week and a half now. Though I'm getting a grasp on this I still have a bunch of questions.

The saga continues

It's been a while since I posted and I have completed my 14th day of training on the 40 day program. A couple weeks ago I took off 4 days in a row, with the exception of bending a SCF ultralite #2 to 180 degrees and rolling a frying in a demo I did for some students. Having that time off I came back strong on Monday, the rest of the week though I backed off a bit, went lighter than usual and focused on movement. This week I'm back to pushing the numbers a bit.
I'm noticing some things with the biofeedback. Initially chins, then pullups tested the best. Now they aren't testing well but 1 arm rows are. I am still testing pretty well with my soft tissue and stretching work but joint mobility is testing well now where as it didn't a few weeks ago. Kalos Sthenos style get-up give me a huge testable increase in ROM.
My DL numbers are climbing significantly and pressing numbers are going up slowly but consistently. I'm also testing well for adding in some grip work or bending at the end of a session.
I'm just barely 1/3 the way through and seeing good changes. I have a feeling things will progress faster for the rest of the program. I'm also noticing an increase in my appetite.

Day 4

I'm now 4 days into the 40 day workout. I've had 3 on 1 off 1 on and scheduled for another day on today. Posterior chain has varied between conventional DL and single leg DL. Pressing has been BB press and ring push ups. Pulls have consistently been chins and kneeling ab wheel roll out have tested well daily. And snatches testing well every day.
In the past I had shied away from stretching and foam rolling because of what I had read from the folks promoting Z health. But since Adam and the folks behind the biofeedback movement challenged me to test everything I've added it back in with very positive results. Warm ups consist of movement prep with primarily FMS drills and a couple sets of light goblet squats. Not the mention the testing itself provides some warm up. Yesterday was able to get in a few shoe iso's and gripbell curls, meaning they tested well.
Goals for the next 6 months:
DL 300+ lbs
MP 32kg kb
Snatch 16kg bell 100 reps in 5 mins
Body comp under 10% - current 14%
and Adonis Index, which is shoulder to hip ratio, to 1.42 - currently 1.36

Thing a day

Starting the new year I'm starting a new routine. Hopefully this weekend I can get my hands on a bigger bell to test the results of the Radiant Dawn program I finished.
But this week begins an idea from Dan John, the 40 day workout. Very similar to PTTP concept, you perform the same exercises daily at sub-max levels to perfect your movement. I'm doing this with biofeedback so it may not be the exact exercise daily but at least similar movement patterns. The plan is to warm up with some kind of squat movement. Then a posterior chain move such as DL , an upper body push and upper body pull. Then a ballistic ala swing or snatch and wrap it up with an anterior chain like the ab wheel.
Last night goblet squat tested well. Single leg DL beat out conventional and sumo DL. Ring pushups beat BB press and kb push press. Chins trumped pullup and 1 arm row. Snatches tested well at 16 kg and ab wheel kneeling roll outs. Which I've been feeling all day. 1 set of 5 sure beats 200 crunches.
I am going to try to test to see if performing exercises in a certain sequence tests better. Not sure how that will work out but I'll keep you posted.

Today conventional DL, BB press and chins tested best. Squatting as a warmup didn't test well today. First set of DL and chins for reps didn't test as well so I adjusted the amount of tension I was using and both improved on 2nd set. Snatches and swings tested equally well today so I went with snatches. Kneeling ab wheel tested well again today. Finished up both days with frog stretch and it tested well also. My warm-ups usually consist of ASLR and toe touch drills from FMS, Brettzel, etc if they test well and they usually do. I also do some stick work to quads, TFL and ITB and it always tests well. I throw in some joint mobility such as ankle tilts, toe pulls and thoracic AP glide if they test well but they've been all over the place. Some work, some don't , some only work on one side. I've seen several folks saying that static stretching, massage and foam rolling are bad and joint mobility is good but for me, that doesn't seem to be the case. But like Adam says, don't believe anyone because what works for them might not be the best for you. TEST IT before you take someone's word for what's good or bad.

My experience with Biofeedback

So for the past 2-3 weeks I've been using biofeedback with my training. I'm still following the Op Radiant Dawn program to get me pressing the 32kg bell. This is based on video posts started by Adam T. Glass. Be sure to check out his site for full details but here's the quick and dirty - test a range of motion, perform and exercise, retest. If it got better then that move is beneficial to your nervous system. If you only perform exercises that are best for you, then you will get the most efficient results with your training.
So I've learned a few things. Weights that are too heavy for me to complete a rep still tested well. This doesn't mean I stuck with that weight, just interested that it was still "good" for me. When a particular weight tested poorly I did not continue to bang out sloppy reps, I lowered the weight, retested and continued if it tested well. Sometimes, but not that often I had to veer off course and mix up exercises to find one that worked for me, that day. Some days I was actually able to add a few fun exercises such as gripbell curls or leverage block curls or some Iso's on horseshoes.
This past week I've even taken it to the point of testing my movement prep. Surprisingly more than a few times even the basic Z health R phase drills tested poorly. Now I'm no expert, just following some high payoff areas from the the DVD. On the other hand the FMS corrective stuff tests well 95% of the time. This is not intended to reflect badly on Z health, and as I said, I have had very little instruction with a certified Z trainer. Just stating what worked for me.
This week I also attempted to test maxing out my sets and the few times I tried it actually ended up not even getting to numbers that tested well in previous weeks. To clarify, I would stop sets before if they tested poorly, but if the day called for 5 sets I would stop there. Now I'm trying to see if I can perform 6-7 sets and still test well.
I trained strength on monday and tues. this week. Yesterday wanted to do a little bit of a cardio type session. Swings tested poorly, rope jumping tested poorly, box steps tested poorly. At that point I settled for testing some corrective drills. Naked get-ups tested well. Don't get too excited, naked meaning bodyweight. Did several of the Kalos Sthenos varieties. Half kneeling lift, leg lock bridging, prone bow stretch. Pretty much everything focused in hip flexor/ hip extension issues. My left side is lacking. So just a little moving was all I needed yesterday.

Over half way done

Two weeks of Op Radiant Dawn are completed. And half way through the 3rd week. Feeling pretty good, my muscles are tired the next day but not sore and I'm able to perform well each day. This week I've gone up in weight on stacked pressing and LPP.
Also got my VFF, it's a very interesting experience. I've been wearing them with the Injinji socks and they are ok but much more comfortable without socks but that's just too cold this time of year. I've been wearing Sanuk shoes for over 2 years now and they have very flexible sole and not much padding or support but they don't even compare to how my feet feel in the VFF. It's like barefoot but better. In the Sanuk's I still have a tendency to heel strike but not in the VFF. Just this week I added a pair of SoleMates to them, these are adhesive pads that correct for Rothsbart foot which is what the PCI's do. Instead of attaching them to the ball of my foot I stuck them to the inside of my VFF and hopefully will get a lot of use out of them.

week 1 in the hole

Wed - swings, 20kg 7/7 on the minute for 6 mins
Thurs - 1/2 get up stacked bells (25+18) 43# , 2/2
stacked press 43# x 5 sets x 2 reps
Sat - 1/2 get up 24kg 2/2
Stacked press 43# x 3 singles
LPP ( long push press) with walkout 20kg x ladder (1,2 x 5)
swings 16kg

This week went pretty well. It was a little bit tough and I could definitely feel it when I finished but recovered and was ready the next day.

Up to speed

Finished 2 weeks of PTTP with deadlifts and side press. Warmed up with sumo DL with kbs. I've never really tried sumo but after some practice I think I like it. Work sets were 2 sets of 5 conventional DL. Side press took some getting used to but started grooving much easier after a couple days. I did 2 days of PTTP followed by one day of VO2 max snatches. Use 25# and 6 reps per :15 x 20 sets. 24 sets by end of 2 wks. That was a good weight for me and reps. I don't know how these guys get 8 reps in :15. Anyway, was a good change of pace and now I'm doing a program by Adam Glass, Operation Radiant Dawn. The goal is which is to progress to pressing the next heavier kb. My goals for the end of 4 wks is to press the 32kg bell and do a bottoms up press with 24kg bell.
Day 1: half get ups x 24kg x 2/2
BUP x 16kg x 4 singles
LPP with walkout x 20kg x (1,2 x 3) ladders
swings x 24kg x 10 reps at top of min for 5 mins

Day 2: half get ups x 24kg x 3/3
BUP x 16kg x 5 singles
stacked press x 43# ( 25+18) x 3 singles

These are definitely tougher than it looks on paper.

Hiatus

So I've been very slack in my posting. I've finished a couple rounds of 3 wks diets and now onto a 3rd. Eating with that much structure felt like a job, seemed all my time was spent prepping food, cleaning up and eating. I'm going to continue a little while longer but that style of eating seems too obsessive compulsive to be mentally healthy. I took about a week between diets just to relax a bit. It is all a learning experience as I form ideas about how I want to do things. My newest interest is intermittent fasting or IF. Just read Eat,Stop,Eat. Decent info but a bit disappointed with the cost per amount of info. Seems it's only geared toward weight loss and though it is referenced it repeats the same 4-5 benefits for 90 pages. The same information could have been presented in a 3 page bulletin and people could have followed it. I would like to have seen more info on applying to other areas than the weight loss crowd. Would also liked to have seen info on it's effect on the endocrine system. He does mention the effects on insulin but at the same time dismisses the effect food has on insulin. And as one of the benefits of fasting lists increased epinephrine and norepinephrine production. To me, that's not a good thing. Too many people are walking around in sympathetic dominance the way it is, fight or flight, never relaxing. Granted this is only 1-2 days per week but seems this added stressor to the adrenal system in todays population would be counterproductive. But hey, that's just me. But in any case I've started experimenting with IF, just came off my first 24hr fast. Felt alright, energy seemed to be ok, but I didn't have a super busy day nor did I do any training. I've decided to do this every 5th or 6th day as I don't want to eliminate too many calories from my diet as I am trying to gain muscle. I do think it has the potential to assist with blood sugar/insulin regulation and fat burning. Plus I've always been more of a "eat to live" guy than the inverse so it does appeal to me from the standpoint of avoiding a day of food prep and eating.
Training is going well. Still doing ROP, as I approached 5 x (1,2,3,4,5) I got pretty burned out so backed off to 3x and 4x again, then some missed training, blah, blah, blah, excuses. Anyway, back on and hitting 4x (1,2,3,4,5) today and feeling as strong or stronger this week, maybe time off did me some good. But needing a change of pace so will start a couple weeks of PTTP next week with DL and Side Press and maybe some snatch conditioning thrown in the mix. I also started doing some renegade rows on variety days and realized I had forgotten what an amazing exercise that was, a bit humbling even. I've been working on improving my shoulder overhead mobility with some drills from RTK with good success. I've always had a lot of lat tightness and apparently limited T/S extension but things are starting to open up.
On a final note, ordering vibram FF this week, the KSO's and will be posting my experience with them. Went and bought the injinji socks yesterday and getting my little piggies used to being separated. Interesting feeling.

day 5

Digestion improving and stomach expanding. Got in 3200 kcals today and felt the best yet. Actually getting hungry between meals.

training: variety day, warm up ASLR, toe touch, ankle mobility, bretzel

5 swings followed by 5 goblet squats x 5 x 24kg, pretty long rests between sets

a single BU press , 20kg on each side though couldn't control decent on Left.

ended with hip flexor stretching