Kale Chips

When I attended the Whole Foods tour several weeks back, the nutritionist mentioned making kale chips. I was intrigued, and a little skeptical, because she said her kiddos loved them and they tasted just like potato chips. Anyway, I picked some up at Kroger (I had to read all the labels in the general vicinity because I had no idea what kale looked like!). Just to clarify...it's a large, leafy, dark green lettuce looking plant...like this...




Take the kale and remove the leaves from the ribs. Place the leaves on a cookie sheet, coat well with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Bake 225 degrees for 20 minutes until the kale is crispy and brown.

I served the kale chips with chicken wings to try and counteract the badness of the wings :)

Conclusion...kale chips definitely do not taste like potato chips. I thought they were nice and crispy and had good flavor, but my family disagreed. Liesl turned hers over and over before taking a very tiny bite and declaring she didn't like it. Gavin just looked at his and threw it on the ground. So, our family is probably not a kale family. Let me know what your family thinks!

Applesauce Bites

I'm always looking for healthy, all-natural and easy-to-eat snack for the kiddos, since both of them are grazers, and seriously could eat all day long! I saw these on Pinterest (of course!) and they were a hit with the kids. They're applesauce bites and all you do is take a piece of parchment or wax paper, put dabs or circles of applesauce on the paper and freeze. When ready to serve, take out of the freezer and give to the kiddos. Caution...they do melt within 5 to 10 minutes, so have the kids eat quickly or only get a few out at a time. I'm going to try this with some of the flavored applesauces too. Stay tuned :)

Ooey Gooey Cheerio Treats

I saw this on Pinterest and thought they looked great until I checked out the ingredients...the original recipe called for 1 cup sugar AND 1 cup of corn syrup! Holy sugar high batman! I decided to "clean" them up a bit and they turned out great! There were actually a little two sweet, so I am going to use less honey next time. 

While they tasted awesome, they were pretty messy to eat, so not a great snack for toddlers. 

Training plan called for: 45 minute run
I did: 4.12 miles in 38:36




Cheerio Treats
1 cup honey (use 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup for less-sweet version)
1 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups Cheerios (I used Mom's Best Honey Nut Cheerios)

In a large sauce pan, combine honey and peanut butter until smooth. Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat. Add vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth. Add Cheerios and mix until all coated. Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool.