Confessions Of A Picky Eater: Kale

In retrospect, 2014 was quite a year; I enjoyed a variety of delicacies, including the cannoli in Sicily (while avoiding the horse meat pizzolo), ravioli in Muskoka (while avoiding temptation from the farm-to-table chicken parm), and sorbet at The Frieze in Miami Beach (while simultaneously turning down some Cuban delicacies). Suffice it to say, this picky eater had to ramp up her workouts on the treadmill and the tennis court.

As frequently as I travel and view menus through the prism of what my taste buds will savor and what's visually pleasing, I began to wonder: what if I could be picky in a different sense at home? With an almost endless list of culinary options, from the grocery store to take-out menus, New York is also a place one can be both picky and healthy.

Sure, my travel schedule will pick up again but in the meantime, as I enjoy actually eating at home (notice I didn't say "a home-cooked meal"), I've started becoming selective in a smarter sense.

I'm talking about kale. For only three dollars and change at the local grocery store, I whip up a salad of it with walnuts, raspberry vinaigrette dressing, and blueberries (again, notice there's no stove involved). Voila! An instant power pack.

Here's the thing – it's incredibly high in vitamin K, vitamin C, and calcium, not to mention beta carotene. Along with broccoli, it's chock-full of anti-cancer properties. And as so many people have health-driven New Year's resolutions, I feel really proud about being picky, about chomping down regularly on kale and actually enjoying it, too.

So, the next time I'm on the road avoiding some shi-shi concoction that's outside my comfort zone, I'll go back to staples and the best color of them all: green.