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Favorite Cheezy Kale Chips

Kale is a leafy green that I try to get into my body at least every other day. It is the most nutrient dense leafy green and is full of all kinds of cancer fighting phytonutrients. I use baby kale in my salads & green smoothies, but my favorite way to eat kale is to make kale chips.

I have been making this recipe like crazy lately, and find myself eating the entire pan by myself! It is a great way to get a large amount of nutrients into the body, and at the same time satisfy any cravings for a salty, cheesy, crispy, crunchy snack.

I LOVE KALE CHIPS!

Here is my favorite way to prepare them:

Drizzle a little olive oil onto baking sheet. Use pastry brush to spread out evenly.

Wash kale. There are 2 types. Curly & Lacinato. I like to use lacinato, which is this large, flat type. If you use curly kale, you can use this same recipe but just toss in a bowl with tongs to coat.

De-veining kale by taking stem out of the middle.

De-vein kale by taking out the tough stem that is in the middle. It is bitter so make sure to remove it. I just tear it with my hands.

Tear kale into pieces…or not. Whatever shape and size you desire.

Trader Joe's ingredients including olive oil and soy sauce

Have ingredients ready. You will need olive oil, soy sauce (or tamari), any type of grill seasoning, pepper, & nutritional yeast (or Parmesan cheese for non-vegans).

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over washed kale. Can use a pastry brush to coat…I just use my fingers!

Then drizzle with a 1/2 tablespoon – 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Use pastry brush or fingers to coat leaves.

Sprinkle with nutritional yeast (or parm cheese) until coated to your liking. I use about 2-3 tablespoons for this batch. I just eyeball it.

Add about a teaspoon of grill seasoning –or any seasoning you like. Curry is good, Italian seasoning is good, but my fav is Trader Joes 21 Seasoning Salute. I used about half of what is in my palm in the pic.

After adding seasoning, use the pastry brush or your fingers to spread all together onto the leaves. Basically you are just wetting the seasonings with the oil and soy sauce. Nothing fancy, it does not need to be perfect.

Bake at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. Watch closely. The time between crispy and burnt is just a couple minutes. I can usually tell when it is done by my nose. It smells really yummy when it is crisped up and done. If it is crispy, it is done. Break into pieces and enjoy. Can also crumble and use on soups and to top salads.

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Cheezy Kale Chips

3-4 large kale leaves

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2-1 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)

2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese

1/2-1 tsp grill seasoning

pepper to taste

Wash kale leaves. Take large vein out of center of kale. Spread about 1 tablespoon olive oil onto pan. Lay kale leaves down on pan in single layer. Drizzle remaining olive oil onto kale, just enough to coat each leaf. Use pastry brush or fingers to spread onto leaves. Do the same with the soy sauce. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with seasoning and pepper, then spread seasonings into the oil and sauce using your fingers or pastry brush. Bake 250 degrees or 15-20 minutes or until crispy.

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Have you ever made kale chips?

What are your favorite seasonings?

GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating/ Meals/ RECIPES/ Sides

A Quick Lunch Salad & How To Keep Your Salads Interesting

Sometimes reaching my goal of getting leafy greens into my body everyday can get boring. Especially in a salad form! I have made it my mission to find ways to motivate myself to keep up the salads and buy ingredients to take them from boring to delicious!

Here are 2 key ways I do this:

1. I use a mandolin to slice my veggies, then store them in mason jars. Cut em’ once, store them for the week.

Click here –>A Peek Inside Our Refrigerator & Using Mason Jars To Keep It Organized & Pretty

2. Splurge on ingredients that make compliment greens and make them delicious. A couple ways I do this with seasoned/ glazed nuts & sesame sticks. I have even been known to crush wheat crackers and sprinkle on top for a little bit of crunch. I also like to do it with fruit, from dried cranberries to sliced apples & clementines.

Sliced colorful veggies including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and carrots

A mandolin is the best and fastest way I have found to slice veggies.

Add beans for protein…or hard-boiled eggs.

Splurge on the extras. These Sweet & Spicy Pecans from Trader Joes are amazing, and I also love their sesame sticks. It may add a few extra calories, but to me it is so worth it when I think of all those flavonoids, anti-oxidants & vitamins I am getting from the veggies.

Coming soon—>How to make your own salad dressing using no oils, only the natural oils from nuts!

More Ways To Get Your Greens From New Nostalgia:

Salads/Salad Dressings:

Amazing Apple Candied Pecan Salad

At Home Salad Bar

Cranberry Apple Citrus Vinaigrette

Cranberry Spinach Salad

Salad Dressing So Good You Will Want To Drink It

Spinach, Tortellini & Grilled Chicken Salad

Strawberry Kiwi Spinach Dump Salad

Veri Teriyaki Bowtie Spinach Salad

Cooked Greens

Easy & Oh So Healthy Swiss Chard

Baked Kale Chips

Smoothies & Juices

Green Smoothie Popsicles

Easy, Everyday Green Smoothie

Green Smoothies

Mean Green Juice

My Go To Super Green Juice Drink

Tropical Green Salad Smoothie

GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sides

Sauteed Green Beans With Honey Almonds

Anytime I can get all 3 of my girls to happily eat a green vegetable is a very exciting time for me. I know you Moms know what I mean. Just getting them to eat vegetables is hard, but GREEN vegetables? AND a green vegetable they all 3 like? Impossible.

Until…

I discovered their love of fresh green beans. They don’t like soggy canned beans…and I don’t blame them! They are ok with frozen. But they all LOVE fresh and eat them like a snack.

This recipe is very simple. It just uses beans, garlic, butter (I use Earth Balance), salt, pepper & sliced honey roasted almonds from Trader Joes. These almonds are a dream in this recipe and add just a hint of sweetness. I’ve even cooked up a batch and put a big bowl out on the table as an after school snack.

Enjoy!

Sauteed Green Beans With Honey Almonds

1 lb. fresh green beans, ends popped or sliced off

2 tsp butter (or olive oil, or Earth Balance for vegans)

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup sliced almonds, honey roasted preferably

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a sauce pan or skillet on medium heat with olive oil or butter. Add garlic and cook for 60 seconds. Add green beans and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until crisp tender. Do not overcook! Add almonds. Season with salt & pepper.

Health benefits of Green beans (source)

Fresh green beans are very low in calories (31 kcal per 100 g of raw beans) and contain no saturated fat. Nevertheless, the lean vegetables are a very good source of vitamins, minerals, and plant derived micronutrients.
They are very rich source of dietary fiber (9% per100g RDA) which acts as a bulk laxative that helps to protect the mucous membrane of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. Adequate amount of fiber has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing reabsorption of cholesterol-binding bile acids in the colon.
Green beans contain excellent levels of vitamin A, and health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin and ß-carotene in good amounts. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
Zea-xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid in the beans, selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it thought to provide antioxidant and protective UV light filtering functions. It is, therefore, green beans offer some protection in preventing age-related macular disease (ARMD) in the elderly.
Snap beans are a good source of folates. 100 g fresh beans provide 37 µg or 9% of folates. Folate along with vitamin B-12 is one of the essential components of DNA synthesis and cell division. Good folate diet when given during preconception periods and during pregnancy helps prevent neural-tube defects among the offspring.
They also contain good amounts of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1), and vitamin-C. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.
In addition, beans contain healthy amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium, which are very essential for body metabolism. Manganese is a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

Brunch/ RECIPES/ Sides

Fruit Salad With Honey Lime Glaze

This Honey Lime Glaze is the perfect go-to recipe to make your fruit shine–literally! I love taking a fresh fruit salad to a party, and this glaze keeps it just sweet enough and moistened. It allows the fruit to show off its beautiful texture, color and flavor.

Fruit Salad With Honey & Lime Glaze

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Inspired by Oh! You Cook!

Recipe Type: Brunch

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 pt. container strawberries
1 pt. container blueberries
1 bunch seedless grapes (about 1 1/2 lbs. - green, red or a mixture of both)
3 clementines (or an orange)

Lime Glaze

1/3 cup honey
2 Tbls lime juice (about 2 limes)
zest from 1 lime

Instructions

Rinse strawberries, blueberries and grapes.
Gently pat dry the fruit. Hull strawberries, then cut each in half; if large, cut into quarters.
Remove stems from blueberries, if any.
Remove grapes from stems.
Peel & separate clementines. (or peel and chop orange)Gently combine all three in a large bowl or aluminum tray. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey and lime juice. Pour over fruit.

RECIPES/ Sides/ Sponsored

Healthy Homemade Onion Straws

Every year we go out to eat for my husbands birthday, and every year he chooses the same restaurant because he loves their onion straws. We just celebrated his birthday (quite a few months late–been busy!) and he decided we go to the same restaurant, but only get onion straws as an appetizer, then head over to a different place for dinner. I was relieved as the place is a burger joint and I would much prefer the Blue Sushi and Sake Grill that we ended up at. It was a super fun night out with my sweet man! It was a stormy night, which made it quite fun and romantic. We drove an hour to Omaha to hang out in their downtown area, and ended the night at the best European dessert cafe called Delice, sitting next to a fireplace. So much fun.

We devoured our greasy, delicious onion straws and a fun fruit drink, and honestly I felt quite sick right away! I love onion straws, but my body is not used to the grease. I knew I would have to try and figure out how to make them minus the grease & stomach ache, and I have done just that!

I started by slicing my onion thin with one of my favorite kitchen tools–my mandoline. This is not necessary, as onions can be sliced thin easily with a knife…but take my word for it…if you get one of these you will eat more vegetables. I use my mandoline daily and it takes just minutes to slice up a whole bunch of vegetables. My kids love it when I slice apples with it…nice and thin!

I searched the web for some baked onion straw recipes, and came up with one of my own using them as a guide. My recipe is close to this recipe from Closet Cooking.

I thought I had bread crumbs, but I didn’t. I decided to use the Triscuit Wheat crackers I had on hand ( I used Trader Joes brand) and it really gave them a good crunch & added some great fiber to the recipe. This is optional though…you can use regular bread crumbs, italian bread crumbs or panko crumbs.

The process was very easy, but messy. I used my hands to dip the onions. The mess really was no big deal and took just moments, but it kept me from taking pics of the process!

These were not greasy or overly salty like most onion straws you get at restaurants. They are full of flavor and nice and crispy, and really hit the spot without all the heaviness of your typical onion straws!

My family all ate them and loved them, and I will make them again for sure! My man was quite appreciative that I thought about him and took the effort to make a healthy version of one of his favs.

Ingredients for healthy homemade baked onion straws

Healthy Baked Onion Straws

1 large onion, sliced thin
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup crushed Triscuit type wheat crackers (I used a food processor for crushing) (or bread crumbs or panko crumbs)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp salt

Soak sliced onions in cold water for 10 minutes. In the meantime, get 3 bowls out. Beat egg in one bowl. Mix flour and baking powder in another bowl. Mix crushed cracker crumbs or bread crumbs and seasonings + salt in the 3rd bowl.

Spray or coat a baking pan in oil to prevent sticking. I used Earth Balance and spread it out over the pan.

Drain onions well. Dip in flour/baking powder mixture. Then dip in egg. Then dip in breadcrumb/seasoning mixture. Place on pan. It is ok if the onions are not entirely coated…they will crisp up.

Bake at 450 for 7-10 minutes. Watch closely as they can get too brown very quickly. Enjoy!

RECIPES/ Sides

Maple Cinnamon Butternut Squash

When eating the Nutritarian way, vegetables are a BIG part of everyday meals. Because of this, I am always looking for the most simple but delicious ways to make them. This recipe certainly qualifies for simple AND delicious!

I ate this butternut squash with a side of lentils and a green smoothie for lunch today. It was so delicious I felt like I was eating dessert!

I bought the squash already cubed, fresh in a bag from Trader Joes. The bag it comes in allows you to steam it right in the bag. If you don’t have a Trader Joes and want the convenience of already cut squash, I know most grocery stores sell frozen, cubed squash.

The cinnamon and maple syrup are the perfect sweet to go with the squash. Add butter and salt and you have the perfect salty/sweet side dish. Delish!

Maple Cinnamon Butternut Squash

12 oz peeled, cubed butternut squash, steamed
3 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Toss cooked butternut squash with the rest of the ingredients & enjoy!

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This makes 4 servings. In just 3/4 cup serving, you get 180% of your vitamin A! It is also a great source iron, potassium & vitamin C.

RECIPES/ Sides

Fruit Salad With Honey & Lime Zest Dressing

This recipe for fruit salad is my kind of recipe. Healthy, beautiful, simple & easy!

I invited a group of women over today and this fruit salad was on the menu. These women are friends of mine, and we all had a wonderful experience together at a weekend retreat called Jumping Tandem Retreat.

I’m excited to share with you all what God has been doing in my heart since the retreat, but that is for another post. Let’s just say that the theme for the retreat was “your big, amazing, ridiculous dream” & I have been dreaming ever since I got home!

I was too nervous to do much dreaming there, as I was one of the workshop leaders and public speaking is something I’m just getting used to doing, so my brain was preoccupied.

But, something I was not too busy to notice was the authenticity of each and every woman there and the beautiful connections being made.

It was a place where we could all just come, be who we are, be encouraged that we can be all that God made us to be, and lay down whatever was weighing on our hearts.

In one of the sessions we were encouraged to anonymously write down our prayer requests, and today this group of women and I ate together, then spent time in prayer over these precious prayer requests.

It was an honor to be in possession of them and to be trusted to lift them up to God. There was much need in some of these stories, some have stayed on my heart all day and I will be taking them before God more than once, that is for sure!

Back to this lovely fruit salad…I wanted to keep things light but also knew our meeting time of 11:00 was a time that stomachs start growling. I kept the food simple, here is the menu:

~Fruit Salad With Honey & Lime Zest Dressing
~Pretzels Chips & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Trader Joes)
~Tortilla Chips & Peach Salsa (Trader Joes)
~Wheat Thin Type Crackers & Fiesta Lime Chicken Salad (Trader Joes & Health Food Store Deli)
~Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds With Sea Salt (Trader Joes)
~Hot Coffee
~Hot Tea

I told the ladies they were welcome to bring a snack to share, or just show up…whatever was best for them. I had a friend bring some scones which rounded out our menu quite beautifully!

Notice the only thing I had to make was the fruit salad & coffee, and that was SO easy. The fruit salad was delicious.

The dressing adds a touch of something special, a tangy but sweet citrus flavor. It also gives the fruit a great shine.

Our time of eating and prayer together was beautiful. I’m so very blessed to have such great women in my life!

Fruit Salad With Honey & Lime Zest Dressing
{Inspired by Oh! You Cook!}
1 pt. container strawberries
1 pt. container blueberries
1 bunch (about 1 1/2 lbs.) seedless grapes (green, red or a mixture of both)
3 clementines (could use an orange)1/3 cup honey
juice from 2 limes (about 2-3 tablespoons)

zest from 1 lime

Rinse strawberries, blueberries and grapes.
Gently pat dry the fruit. Hull strawberries, then cut each in half; if large, cut into quarters.
Remove stems from blueberries, if any.
Remove grapes from stems.
Peel & separate clementines. (or peel and chop orange)Gently combine all three in a large bowl or aluminum tray. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey and lime juice. Pour over fruit.

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To meet my wonderful friends who joined me in prayer today, see below:
Michelle DeRusha
Lelia Chealey
Helen Fagan

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