Claire Baker

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Ground Yourself: Warm & Spicy Pumpkin & Kale Salad

You know that feeling you get when you make a brilliant and clever decision for yourself?

A decision that that you reflect upon with a smile and a sneaky pat on the back?Well enrolling at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to become a qualified Health Coach is one of those shiny, wonderful gems of a decision that I've made in my 26 (and a half) years of life.I am absolutely loving the course. Macrobiotics, raw food, veganism vs animal products, grains, super foods  and carbohydrates, self care, relationships and spirituality.

I thrive on this stuff. I feel like every lecture was written just for me. It's not everyone's cup of tea but that's what so brilliant about it all. I'll be able to guide people to live to their full potential and achieve absolute health and happiness - even if their thang ain't studying a mountain of dietary theories. Awesome.

So tell me, have you ever heard of food energetics?

Well, you know the saying you are what you eat? Food energetics looks at food BEYOND vitamins, minerals and calories and instead focuses on the way food imposes different effects in our bodies and corrects internal imbalances. The qualities and temperaments that food holds.

How it makes us feel.

Picking up what I'm putting down?

Food can be warming or cooling, right? It can be grounding or it can create lightness.

I'll give you an example. You know how in summer you tend to want more cold smoothies and salads? That's because food like leafy greens, raw foods and fruit are cooling and light.

Whereas cooked root vegetables such as sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin and parsnip are warming, grounding and relaxing.

We need a combination of both sides of the energetic food fence to feel balanced. Light and dark. Yin and yang. It's really quite beautiful.

Where you get your food from is very important too. Organic, whole foods create a connected and harmonious temperament in our bodies, whereas factory farming, processed sugar, caffeine and alcohol cause us to feel tense and anxious.

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So as we enter May (oh my GAWD where has this year gone?!) and the weather cools down, we naturally gravitate towards warming, grounding foods such as pumpkin.

Which is why it takes prime position in today's salad. I've also added kale as energetically, it nourishes the heart because of its bitter taste and the liver because of it's green colour. And the orange of the pumpkin gives your sacral chakra a big hug.

Simply gorgeous.

Eating a balanced, colourful, tasty meal helps us feel satisfied which gives us energy for health, happiness and living a beautiful life.

This recipe is an easy, satisfying, tasty and balanced meal, perfect for the cooler weather and full of love.

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What you'll need

Butternut pumpkin, cut into chunks

1 bunch of kale

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 long red chilli, chopped

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp soy sauceCoconut oil

 What to Do

Roast pumpkin for 40min at 180 degrees.

Tear the kale leaves from the stems, massage and rip into pieces. Massaging the kale softens the leaves and is really quite relaxing.

In a pan on medium heat, add a glug of coconut oil, sesame seeds, chilli, honey and soy sauce and stir. Set aside.

Once the pumpkin is done, stir through kale and sauce and you've got yourself a sweet, salty, spicy, grounding bowl of delish.

Enjoy!

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Tell me, have you made an amazing decision in your life lately? Do you see how the energetics of food works in your food choices?

Let me know in the comments. And if you enjoyed this post, please share the love!

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