Cranberry Pomegranate Holiday Salad

     Before I get into the super yummy salad recipe I wanted to give you an update on my health and what I am doing right now. I have been kind of frustrated lately because I want to lose the last 10 to 15 lbs I feel like I should lose, but I have not been able to do this. I believe its because of some other life choices that I have been making. For instance I work a lot and I have chosen to get my master's degree so I am also taking classes. I leave my house at about 6:30am and have not been getting home till about 6:00pm (sometimes earlier and sometimes later) plus I take work home most days with every intention of getting it done, but end up using the rest of my time to make dinner, juices and smoothies for the next day and eat. I just don't know where the time goes. So the only time I get enough sleep is on the weekends and I can tell a difference in my belly size when I get enough sleep versus when I don't. That is just one example. I also am not able to get enough exercise, because I have to get up at 4:30 am at least to get in about 20 to 30 min of exercise in the morning. So many things, 'sigh.' I have been looking for a diet that allows me to not worry about how much I am eating, gives me tons of energy, makes my head clear, and helps my belly stay relatively flat without worrying about how much sleep I get. I have embarked on the 80/10/10 by Dr. Douglas Graham or Low Fat Raw Vegan Diet (LFRV) (sort of). I am not perfect and am giving myself cheat days, but would love to have the clarity and energy that the people who I see on this diet claim to have. I first got curious last December when Rande from http://thevegetablecentrickitchen.com/ tried the diet out for about three months or so, and then when I did my month of raw and had to try some different things I realized how my cravings lessened with the more fruit I ate. So I was intrigued. Now my plan is to try it out for about three months and see if my mood and energy levels change and if they do, great! and if they don't, I will try something else.

Today I had my first LFRV moment. I went to King Soopers to get some bananas and all they had was very green bananas so I asked one of the employees if there were any bananas which weren't so green. He went into the back and came back with two bunches of yellow bananas and asked if I wanted more. I asked how many more he had and he told me a whole case so I bought the case (later I calculated I bought about 38 lbs of bananas). When I was leaving after buying the bananas the cashier asked if the bananas were for Dairy Queen. I told her nope they were just for me and she looked totally confused, but (oddly for my shy self) I didn't care cuz I felt as excited about my case of bananas as my preschoolers feel about getting bubbles and water out for the sensory table. I was really ecstatic!
We will see how long this lasts :)

Now for the amazing salad!!!

Christmas Kale Salad

Can be fat free and raw if you want. 

3 small bunches kale

1 1/2 cups cranberries (you can use fresh or dried, I dried my own by soaking the cranberries in orange juice mixed with cinnamon overnight, then poked the cranberries with a knife and dehydrated them at 105 degrees for about 2 or 3 days. If you have a better dehydrator than I do you probably won't have to dehydrate them as long.

3 pomegranates

1 medium kabocha squash, thinly sliced, tossed in coconut oil and cinnamon and baked until soft. (you can leave this off if you want the salad to be completely raw, it is still amazing without the squash)
You could use fuyu persimmons instead of the squash or in addition to the squash :) (This is a later edit based on a super yummy salad I just made--Nov. 2014) 

Cut the kale off the stems and chop the leaves as small as possible. Blend the dressing in a blender and massage into the kale.

Dressing:

1 cup orange juice (about 2 oranges juiced)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (can soak cranberries in juice and cinnamon then use the juice for the dressing)

1 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup cilantro

2 medjool dates

salt to taste

After massaging the dressing into the kale layer the pomegranate, cranberries, and squash on top. 

This salad is very good. All of my family really liked it and I think that I will continue to make it for the holidays. I hope you enjoy!

Happy Juicing!!!