I just finished reading 150 Healthiest Foods by Jonny Bowden. Wow, I almost feel stressed out over having 150 great foods to try to incorporate more (14 super foods seemed MUCH more manageable).

New things I have tried so far:

1. Using more kale. Supposedly, kale is some sort of incredibly good food, so I bought a big head of it this week instead of my usual bag of spinach. So far, I have wilted it in pasta sauce and added it to salmon salad pitas (with sliced heirloom tomatoes). It has a good "heft" and is crunchy - winner

2. More fermented foods. Bowden is HUGE on the positive benefits of fermented foods. So far, I have bought a big jar of sauerkraut (but not sure if I bought the right thing now, I think I need an organic unpasteurized version) and some ume paste (pickled plum paste from Japan).

3. Acai juice. I bought some Acai/blueberry juice. It was actually pretty good - it was a fairly good sized bottle for 120 calories, I drank it over 2 days. Winner!

I also had an opportunity to try a brand new whole grain! I stopped at the Farmer's Market today and bought some beautiful corn, green beans, raspberries and blueberries. I also tried biscotti made with emmer. It was really really chewy and good. I would have loved to have tried some bread, but the guy was nearly sold out. I will have to go back again!

I might need to pick up this book, or at least check it from the library. It sounds great!

I like kale quite a bit, and have some in my refrigerator right now. I either sautee it, or chop it and add it to soups.

I've never heard of emmer, and am curious about the benefits of fermented foods.

Thanks for sharing!

I will have to check this out!

Jennifer reviewed this book, it's linked on the home page. I've not had a chance to look at it yet, but it sounds fantastic!

I have this one already sitting in my cart at Amazon, awaiting the magical moolah fairy to make her appearance. (Amazon loooves me.) Glad to hear it's as good as it sounds!

Kale is great! An easy way to toss it into things is to blitz it in the food processor raw, and add a spoonful to whatever: eggs, pasta sauce, etc. If you put it in a bowl with a damp paper towel over it in the fridge, it will keep for several days. I also like to use a whole bunch this way added to turkey meatballs. Makes them quite green!

You can also roast it until crispy, and eat it for a crunchy snack. Or crumble it up onto yogurt or (savory) oatmeal.

Roasted kale! Sounds very delicious, I'd have never thought of that, thanks!

Hey Glory87, you're my inspiration, ever since I read your thread on "goal" I've been concentrating on the 15 foods thing and had some success (7 pounds/5 weeks, not bad!)

I was wondering what you thought about the 150 foods book, I'm going to order that!

Hey if anybody's into gardening, last year I really got into the "Rene's Kitchen" brand swiss chard (grown from seed, VERY EASY!)

Not only is it DELISH sauteed in garlic and olive oil (with whole grain pasta and tomatoes) but it looks so pretty in the garden with the rhubarb-color streaks in it. Amazingly nothing bugged it bug-wise either. That and spinach and mesclun mix lettuce were by big successes last winter and they really did help keep the holiday weight gain at bay, cuz I didn't have to shop for veggies during that hectic time of year!

Savory oatmeal??? I never even thought of that, that's an interesting concept! An Indian vegetarian restaurant I go to did an interesting side dish using cream of wheat once....

I'm a big Jonny Bowden fan so I'm surprised I haven't seen it yet. Must check it out.

well, if you think about grits in the south, it's really the same kind of idea: creamy grains that are savory, not sweet.

I read somewhere (was it here?) about spooning canned pumpkin into oatmeal, which sounds great to me, and I can imagine the kale going nicely with that. I haven't tried it yet, but will let you know!

I'll have to check the book out; thanks for sharing

I grow kale in my veggie garden and I can't believe how big and hardy the plants are from a little six pack planted Memorial Day weekend and how easy and non fussy.

I put a few large leaves into the blender with my smoothie every morning. With the berries and other stuff I can't even taste it. I also put on my sandwiches in place of lettuce.

My cousin eats tons of kale and sautes it chopped with a few cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, sesame seeds, and a little Bragg's Amino Acid (it's kinda like soy sauce but healthy).

I just borrowed this book from the library, and found it interesting, though sometimes his attitude bothered me, but the info on the foods is great, and pictures too!

Great Book!! VERY detailed info. I found it at BJ's for $17.99...Reg. price $24.99.