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Strawberry Kale Salad with Fresh Serrano Peppers, Pumpkin Seeds & Poppy Seed Dressing

An Unexpected Twist On A Simple Under-5-Minute Salad
May 15, 2022
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > 30 Minute Meals

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Strawberry kale salad with jalapenos, pumpkin seeds & Poppy Seed DressingStrawberry kale salad with jalapenos, pumpkin seeds & Poppy Seed DressingBaby kale salad with strawberries, pumpkin seeds & more via waitingonmartha.com

Lets be honest, salads can be boring.  So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make.  Enter my Strawberry Kale Salad with Pumpkin Seeds, Serrano Peppers and Poppy Seed Dressing.  

This four-ingredient Strawberry Kale Salad allowed me to get a little creative with my ingredients and almost fooled me into thinking I wasn’t actually eating a salad!  And it never hurts when the salad is this gorgeous. 

Nixing plain greens for baby kale with a touch of spinach, freshly sliced strawberries, pumpkin seeds, and fresh jalapenos for kick was the perfect combo.  The balance of flavors—sweet to spicy—and the textures—crunchy pumpkin seeds to the soft strawberries—is absolutely divine…even coming from someone who can’t always be satisfied with just a salad. I do wish I had some herbed goat cheese, that would have really made sealed the deal.

And with a salad like this one, I always love a good poppy seed dressing.  The tangy citrus flavor and thick consistency cool down the heat from the serranos, and pair perfectly with the fresh strawberries. Now I know not everyone likes heat, so in hindsight, I suggest putting the serrano peppers on the side for guests to choose if they want to add a little fire.  Since I wanted to keep this salad super simple and under-5-minutes-to-make, I opted to use this store-bought poppy seed dressing, though you can absolutely make your own!  Tell me, how do you think outside of the salad box?  Truly, MKR

P.S. Wouldn’t this make for a beautiful salad for an upcoming bridal shower?  I just love the pop of red and the fresh greens!  xo 

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Strawberry Kale Salad with Fresh Jalapenos, Pumpkin Seeds & Poppy Seed Dressing

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 6 minutes

Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 bags baby kale and arugula mix
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced thinly
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced or diced thinly
  • Handful of pumpkin seeds, to garnish each salad
  • Candied pecans, finely chopped (optional)
  • Herb goat cheese, molded into small crumbles (optional)
  • Dressing of choice (I used store-bought poppy seed!)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Pour dressing, toss and serve!
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How to Plant an Indoor Lettuce Cart in 5 Steps

A Convenient and Satisfying Addition to Your Salad Routine
March 28, 2022
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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How to plant an indoor lettuce cart, Waiting on Martha

I’m not sure if you remember, but this time last year I was falling in love with growing herbs in my garden.  That love for gardening, the taste of fresh-picked greens, and the fulfillment from seeing something grow and prosper at my very fingertips has only doubled, as can be expected.  So this year, I set out to expand my home garden by learning how to plant an indoor lettuce cart.  

The idea of an indoor lettuce cart struck a chord with me; I loved the thought of cultivating some of my most-used vegetables in the kitchen at home, and the wheeling the cart up to my counter whenever I wanted to use them.  And the fact that it’s INDOORS helps make it possible to enjoy homegrown greens all winter long.  I was in love with the idea of just with a little snip-snip-snip, having homegrown spinach in my salads, arugula on my flatbreads, cabbage in my slaw and broccoli on my plate!  

I did a little research, and after buying this super convenient salad garden on wheels, I set out to plant the already-sprouted varieties with fresh soil and fertilizer.  I visited my local nursery and bought already-growing vegetables: spinach, red leaf lettuce, cabbage and broccoli.  But you can, of course, grow the lettuce from seed and a seed starting mix (one that’s gentle enough to grow the crops from seed).   I really wanted to do arugula since it’s one of my all-time favorites, but sadly the nursery didn’t have it when I looked. And I know broccoli may be a little ambitious this time around, but I’m willing to give it a shot! 

You’ll find that lettuce is a very low maintenance vegetable to grow, but it does need a lot of sun.  One of my favorite things about this lettuce cart is that I can fit a lot of vegetable varieties on it, and since lettuce can grow pretty close together, I don’t run the risk of overcrowding the sprouted plants.  Since we may still get another frost here in the A before it’s truly springtime, it’s nice to have this cart that I can wheel in and out of my garage to get optimal sunlight. 

Tell me friends, do you have plans to grow an indoor lettuce cart this year?  Find a few essentials as you get started on your own indoor lettuce cart in the scrolling widget, and read a step-by-step tutorial below!  Truly, MKR


P.S. We just added these amazing Organic Grow Kits in the shoppe! Get started with your lettuce cart with one of these…so fun! xo

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Scout Your Location

Stack-n-Grow Light System

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You want to find a place in your house that gets 12 hours of bright sunlight every day. For lettuce especially, a south-facing window is apparently best.  Try to find a place that won’t have any cold drafts or too much heat (and of course, away from curious furry friends!).  If you can’t find enough light from a window, you can grow your crops under special lights like these. 

Gather the Container, Soil & Seeds

Organic Seed Starter

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Next, you’ll want to find good containers for your crops.  Look for flat, shallow containers that allow for good drainage. 

For the soil, stay away from “potting soil” – it’s usually too rough/course in texture for growing your plants from seeds.  Instead, this organic seed starter works great. 

 

Plant the Varieties

3-Piece Garden Tool Set

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For those of you (like me) who bought their crops already-growing, transfer them into the containers with the seed starter mix.  Otherwise, moisten the soil and fill the containers a few inches with the mix.  Next, scatter the seeds about an inch apart.  Top them with a thin layer of planting mix. 

You’ll want the containers to maintain moisture, so you can cover them loosely with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse-effect.  Keep the seedlings moist but not overwatered.

Watch Their Growth & Trim If Necessary

Easy Grow Fertilizer

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Check the crops daily for signs of sprouts, and once they appear, you’ll want to remove the plastic cover.  Thin the seedlings out with a pair of scissors so that they have about an inch around them to grow.

As soon as the plants start to have their first set of true leaves, you can give them liquid fertilizer like this one. Watch their moisture level, and make sure the seedlings stay moist but don’t ever get drowned in too much water.  

Harvest Your Crops

Gold Scissors

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Indoor baby lettuce will be ready to be harvested after 3-4 weeks (it will be about 4″ tall). To harvest, cut the outer leaves first, trimming the base about an inch from the soil.  You’ll want to leave the rest of the leaves to grow a few days longer.  When the plant is completely harvested, you can plant another from scratch.

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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4 DIY Immunity Boosting Tea Recipes to Try Today

Simple At-Home Recipes to Ease your everyday stress, detox & give your immunity a boost
April 19, 2020
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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4 Detox Teas to Try, Waiting on Martha

One of the best things you can do for your body and more specifically your immunity, is support its natural detox system.  Yes, that’s right; your body knows how to do it well on its own.  But the bonus here is that there are simple concoctions and DIY immunity boosting and detox tea recipes that can help your body get the job done even better, and kickstart healthier habits in general.  

After finally settling into a routine at home over the past month, I’m setting out to sip on these DIY immunity teas at home every night.  I’m thinking of it as a treat I’m giving myself to feel better from the inside out.  See, the teas—with their rockstar ingredients like dandelion root, cerasee, ginger, green tea and more—can do more than rid the body of harmful toxin buildup; they give you increased energy, stronger immunity, and even stress relief. That being said, herbal tea is one of my favorite ways to detox because it’s a simple, soothing addition to my daily routine, and it’s known to work wonders for the mind, body and soul.  Seriously, how good is settling into bed with a cup of hot tea in-hand especially with a slice of raw honeycomb to add a little bit of natural sweetness to my cup.

Check out the four easy recipes below, and tell me which DIY immunity boosting tea is calling your name!  And if DIY isn’t your thing, check out a few of our favorite teas you can get delivered to your door.  Truly, MKR

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Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Tea

Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

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In case you didn’t know, apple cider vinegar has an incredible ingredient called the “mother.” Not only will it help your detox, its countless health benefits can help cure even pretty serious ailments, and it can help you feeling better ASAP when you’re feeling under the weather. 

When using apple cider vinegar to detox in particular, you have to drink it; this easy detox tea makes it easier to go swallow. Drink this detox tea before meals for maximum benefits.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR DETOX TEA
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
1 teaspoon organic, raw, local honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed) 
1 cup hot water 

Directions:

Boil the water and allow it to cool off a bit before adding the other ingredients.
Mix in the apple cider vinegar and the raw honey.
Add roughly a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Dandelion Root Detox Tea/Water

Lakewood Pure Cranberry Juice

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Here’s a play on an excellent detox recipe that’s been popular for years now; a simple mixture of water, dandelion root tea and cranberry juice.  (Be sure to find the cranberry juice with NO sugar added.)  You won’t need to boil the ingredients, instead just mix them together and drink on a daily basis (one pitcher every seven days) to eliminate water weight. 

DANDELION ROOT DETOX TEA/WATER
Ingredients:
60 oz. distilled water
1 dandelion root tea bag
1 tablespoon pure cranberry juice

Directions:
Mix the water, cranberry juice and lemon juice together.
Add the dandelion root tea bag after.

Green Tea Detox

Yogi Teas Super Antioxidant Green Tea

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The MVP of natural detoxing is definitely green tea.  Green tea doesn’t detox toxins all on its own (your body has a pretty good system to do that), but it is packed with the natural polyphenols that support the body when it’s detoxin’. Polyphenols have a direct impact on your liver (the body’s major detox organ), and they’re antioxidants that fight free radicals. 

This detox tea is incredibly easy to mix up; simply add honey and lemon to your steeping green tea. 

GREEN TEA DETOX
Ingredients:
1 slice lemon
1 green tea bag
1 teaspoon honey
8-10 oz. water

Directions:
Brew the green tea bag in the 8 to 10 fluid ounces of water.
Add the lemon slice and honey.

Cerasee Detox Tea

Caribbean Dreams Cerasee Tea

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Cerasee leaves are grown in Jamaica, and known to be an excellent herb for your blood and has many overall health benefits. It has a bitter flavor and aroma, but it is an excellent source of calcium, iron, carotene, phosphorous, vitamin C and vitamin A.

The tea is known to protect your body from cold and flu symptoms, as well as headaches, stomach pains, fever and abdominal pain (including menstrual cramps). The leaves work to eliminate toxins, treat parasitic worms, liver conditions, skin problems and give constipation relief. 

CERASEE DETOX TEA
Ingredients:
Cerasee leaves with vines (or cerasee tea)
Ginger
Water
Raw honey

Directions
Boil the cerasee leaves and ginger in water. If you don’t have the leaves, boil water for the cerasee tea bags to steep, adding ginger once boiling.
Add honey and enjoy.

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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