Roasted Carrot, Citrus, Mint and Avocado Kale Salad

Bright, light and extremely, dangerously delicious, this citrus kale salad will have you longing for spring, farmers markets and much much warmer weather. Bonus, it is so easy whip up!
+ why kale made me mad
+ your healthy is not my healthy, my healthy is not your healthy 

I don't know what it is, but I used to be so against kale. I think it was because I always thought most people ate it because they thought it was healthy. Like my dad, I would get so mad when he ate and I would argue that he can't actually like kale because it is n-a-s-t-y and bitter and that he was only eating it because of the 'health benefits'. I would tell him, EAT SPINACH it is just as healthy but tastes so. much. better and then he would argue that he actually enjoys the taste and we would go back and forth every time he bought it or ate it around me. yada yada yada!

Well, our tastebuds are ever evolving. Everyday we begin to enjoy things we didn't once before and I guess you could say I have finally come to accept that YES I enjoy kale....sometimes. No, I don't enjoy it without lots of 'stuff and things' and it has to be throughly and I really mean throughly massaged with olive oil and sea salt if eaten as a salad or raw or cooked down in a delicious, thick soup or rich red sauce (my fav!) and yes kale is fullllll of good things for our bods, but so is spinach 😉

When I really think about why kale made me so mad it boiled down to my own issues and honestly this may be the most ridiculous thing I will ever write, but I was worried that since I didn't like or consume kale I couldn't be considered healthy. I couldn't be on the same level as other wellness bloggers, influencers or whatever you may call them. This boils down into something bigger and my struggle with body image, over eating and restrictive eating.

I was so hesitant to start doing this, starting about to sprout, because I thought there is no way I should be allowed to blog about health and wellness because I don't look like your "typical" health & wellness blogger. True, I guess I don't. But I am also not typical. I am so beyond typical. I have had a journey, I am still ON a journey. I have learned SO much about health; healthy products, 'good & bad' cleanses, 100,000+ different diets, superfoods, alternatives to healthy baking, non-toxic living, homeopathic medicine, intuitive eating and movement. That's the thing though. I have no intention on stopping this journey & this learning that I have been doing. I LOVE IT! I love learning and reading about all things health and wellness and I will continue to expand on my knowledge everyday.

I have had to learn my own kind of healthy. We are not all one in the same. Everybody is different, just like every body is different. My healthy is not your healthy, your healthy is not my healthy. We have to do what is right for our bodies. We shouldn't conform to what other people, family, friends, significant others or influencers (the gram is filled with them) are doing for their healthy. I used to be a huge culprit of doing just that! I used to be obsessed and I mean really obsessed with the newest wellness trend, diet, health food, super food etc etc. Now, I worry about myself and what my body needs.

I am still working towards a place where I am okay with my healthy. I am practicing my healthy daily. Doing things that my body enjoys, giving my body the love it deserves, because I can say for certain that I didn't always give it the love and nourishment it needed.

So, with that,
do what you need for your healthy. Honor your body and its cravings. Eat what makes you feel like a damn queen & king and move your body in ways that make you feel like the badass you ARE!

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Roasted Carrot, Citrus, Mint and Avocado Kale Salad

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Active Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 30 minute dinner, Dinner Ideas, Easy Meals, Easy Recipe, salad

Author: rylee

Ingredients 

• 8-10 large carrots
• 6 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 2 teaspoons sea salt divided
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 cups baby kale
• 2 citrus of your choice see notes
• 1-2 avocados sliced
• ½ cup fresh mint chopped
• ¼ cup shelled pistachios
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Flaky sea salt to finish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet.
• Place carrots on baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon sea salt, pepper and garlic powder and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked through to desired consistency.
• While the carrots are cooking, place kale in a bowl with the rest of your olive oil and sea salt and massage it really well for at least 5 minutes and let it sit while the carrots finish roasting.
• Chop your mint, slice your avocado and peel and cut your citurs into slices or chunks!
• Remove carrots from oven and once cooled cut into chunks.
• Add your mint, avocados, citrus, squeeze of lemon and flaky salt to your massaged kale and give it a nice toss!
• This can be split into two entree sized salads or 4 side salads!

Notes

I used blood oranges for this salad, but it would be so delicious with cara-cara oranges, sweet oranges or tangerines, and mint gives this all sorts of flavor so don't skimp!