Baked Kale

I am definitely on the baked kale band wagon.  At first I was just looking for a healthy alternative to chips and other salty snacks when I have a craving for them.  But, now I actually crave these things. I prefer to buy Organic kale because kale is one of those items that you don't peel.  If it is a peelable fruit or veggie then it isn't necessary to spend the extra money on organic. Plus, at Kroger organic kale is only about .25 more than non-organic.  Kale is a leafy green. It has a little bit of a spicy kick, little. One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.  I suggest after baking you let it sit for a bit and dry out some, although you don't have to wait to eat it right off the pan. :) Thank goodness! I know I cant wait!  Then store it in a paper bag, this keeps it crispier than if you stored it in a plastic bag.  So here is my recipe. You can experiment with different spices if you like, i.e. paprika, garlic, ranch dressing mix, etc.  But, I prefer just the simple salt and pepper.


Baked Kale

1 bunch organic kale
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Wash and dry kale leaves.  You can place them whole or tear into chip size pieces. You won't want to eat the stems.  Place on a large cookie sheet, I usually need 2.  Drizzle olive oil over kale and then mix and spread it on top and bottom of kale as evenly as you can.  Lay it out in one layer on pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350* for about 8-10 min or until crispy, but watch and make sure it doesn't burn(every oven is different). It's OK to have a bit of brown on the edges, but not too brown. ;) Enjoy guilt free yummyness!!

My first juicing experience.

Yes! It was as good as it sounds. At least the juicing part was fun. I went to Kroger yesterday to stock up on some goodies to juice. My juicer came with a couple of books with recipes and ideas for me to try. Since I want to go all in healthy wish I bought organic kale, spinach and tomatoes, non-organic celery stalks, lemon, granny smith apples, nectarines and cabbage.  Unintentionally I had gotten a few things from a couple different recipes and all ingredients from none. So, in true Jennifer fashion I made a concoction of what sounded healthy with a few of what sounded good.  I went with kale, spinach, wheat grass (oh yeah, I found this too! :)), apple, celery, cabbage and a couple strawberries just because. lol. I ended up with a full glass of green liquid with a swirl of strawberry I thought was pretty. It took a moment to clean everything up, juicing is messy business.  Then I went to take a sip. BTW, they make it look like you can add a little fruit and it will taste like fruit juice but healthier.  It doesn't. Or at least mine didn't. But, its healthy and it is my breakfast so I will be drinking it and trying another mixture later.  If it gives me energy, takes off some weight and overall makes me feel better then it will be well worth it!