Kale, kale, kale! I flippin love kale! It’s like spinach on steroids. Kale is not only one of the more beautiful cruciferous vegetables, but it also one of the most nutritious. Here are nine reasons to eat kale, and eat it often.
And there’s no better way to suck down a bunch of scrumptious kale than in a healthy well balanced pita pocket! It’s simple and easy to put together, eat it for lunch, dinner, or even a quick snack to give you that extra boost!
One cup of kale has only 36 calories and zero grams of fat, which makes it a great diet aid. Furthermore, one cup contains nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which promotes regular digestion, prevents constipation, lowers blood sugar and curbs overeating. Finally, kale contains the glucosinolate isothiocyanate (ITC) that fights the formation of H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori), a bacterial growth in the stomach lining that can lead to gastric cancer.
One cup of kale provides about 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids that helps regulate the body’s inflammatory process. A megadose of vitamin K further aids to fight against excessive inflammatory-related problems, such as arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and asthma. Not only do kale’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities work together to prevent and even combat cancer, a healthy diet of kale also provides glucosinolates, which have been shown to prevent colon, breast, bladder, prostate, ovarian cancers, as well as gastric cancer.
Cook Time: 10 Min. • Serves: 2 • Calories: 459 • Total Fat: 16 grams • Protein: 17 grams
Though greens in general are nutritious foods, kale stands a head above the rest.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Large Whole Wheat Pitas
- 4 Cups Kale, chopped
- 1 Cup Shredded Carrots
- ½ cup Red Onion, chopped
- 12 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup Raisins
- 2 tablespoons Sunflower Seeds
- 2 fl oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3 Sprays Olive Oil
- 2 oz Garden Veggie Cream Cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Wash, dry, and chop up the kale and set aside in a large salad bowl.
- Top the kale with the shredded carrots, chopped red onions, halved cherry tomatoes, raisins, and sunflower seeds.
- Throw both pitas into the toaster oven for about 3 minutes or place them in the oven at 150F for 5 minutes.
- Dress the kale salad with fresh lemon juice and a few sprays of olive oil then toss all the ingredients together.
- Once the pitas are nice and toasty remove them from the oven and cut them in half (this makes it easier to eat) and spread the cream cheese over one side per piece.
- Stuff each pita pocket with the kale salad and eat immediately!
ENJOY!
Look below for all the nutrition facts as well as a break down of the nutrition for all the ingredients!
Low Fat 
Low Sodium 
Vegetarian| Ingredient | Linked To Nutritional Value | Cal | Fat | Carb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PER SERVING: | 458.5 | 16 | 71.5 | |
| 2 Each whole wheat pita | Bread, pita, whole wheat, lrg, 6 1/2″ | 170 | 1.5 | 35 |
| 4 Cup kale | Cabbage, kale, fresh, chpd | 67 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 1 Cup carrots | Carrot, fresh, grated | 22.5 | 0 | 5.5 |
| .5 Cup red onion | Onion, red, fresh, chpd | 16 | 0 | 3.5 |
| .5 Box raisin | Raisins, seedless, mini box | 10.5 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 Tablespoon sunflower seeds | Seeds, sunflower, kernels, dried | 51 | 4.5 | 1.5 |
| 2 Fluid ounce lemon juice | Juice, lemon, fresh | 6.5 | 0 | 2 |
| .5 Teaspoon olive oil | Oil, olive, extra virgin | 10.5 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 Each tomato | Tomatoes, yellow, cherry, fresh | 19 | 0.5 | 4 |
| 2 Ounce-weight cream cheese | Cream Cheese, garden veggie | 85.5 | 7.5 | 3.5 |
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