Smokey Kale Chips

I know.  I knowwwww.  S'mores cupcakes are much more tempting than kale.  I must be losing my mind.  But stay with me for a second.

Some of you might not even know what kale is.  According to the blogosphere lately, kale is superfood and everybody is eating it and it's trendy and awesome and blahblah.  Kale is really high in fiber, iron, calcium, antioxidants and it's low in calories with 0 fat. 

It is also the most polarizing vegetable on the planet.  There are people who love kale in all forms (me) and those who would rather take their last breath than even look in its direction (my husband and comedian Jim Gaffigan).  I'm not going to lie, this snack isn't for everybody... but if you are interested in getting on the kale train or you overindulged this weekend and you need to get back on track, then this recipe is a good place to start.  When these are baked in the oven they crisp up like super thin potato chips, but they satisfy a salt craving in a healthy way.  They can be seasoned in all different combinations - I've seen one that calls for Sriacha that I'm dying to try - but this is a good basic recipe.  I'm not trying to convince anybody these are better than cookies or anything, but give them a try!

Smokey Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
sea salt, to taste

Wash the kale thoroughly and let it dry completely.  When the kale is dry, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Cut the kale into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces and remove the stems and tough center ribs.  Place in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and seasonings.  Spread the kale in a single layer on two cookie sheets.  Bake for 25 minutes or until crisp. 

Balsamic Chicken with Caprese Asparagus

Summer has finally come to PA.  We sort of fast forwarded through the Spring part, but hey... at least it's not snowing.

Summertime means lighter meals, colder drinks, and lots of time spent in front of the grill.  This is the quintessential summer weeknight meal.  It's light, healthy, delicious and packed with nutrients.  While pretty enough for company, it takes about 30 minutes start to finish for those lazy summer nights when it's too muggy to move.  It may not be a true caprese (where's the basil?!) but I took a little creative liberty with the recipe title.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get grillin'!

Balsamic Chicken with Caprese Asparagus:
Serves 2-4

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
4 oz reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Slice chicken breasts in half to create four thin chicken cutlets.  In a large Ziploc bag, combine 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic powder and pepper.  Add chicken to the bag and marinate for 30 minutes up to overnight. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Place asparagus on the sheet and drizzle with olive oil (I used my Misto) and garlic salt.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until the asparagus is tender.

When asparagus is placed in the oven, start to grill your chicken until done (165 degrees internal temperature).  While the chicken and asparagus are cooking, place sliced grape tomatoes and remaining 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a frying pan.  Cook on medium-low heat until soft, stirring occasionally. 

When everything is done cooking, place chicken and asparagus on plates and top with tomatoes and mozzarella.

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa

Can we talk about my painfully obvious quinoa kick lately? It might be up there with avocados and anything salted caramel as one of my top food obsessions. Quinoa is often touted a "superfood" because it's high in protein and it's a good source of dietary fiber, iron, and even a little calcium. Because it packs such a nutritional punch, I don't mind throwing cheese on top and calling it a deliciously rounded-out side dish. 

I never used to be very good at side dishes. I spent so much time menu planning for the week for just the main course, that sometimes I forgot that something actually needs to be on the plate with it. I've gotten much better at making creative sides now (goodbye lazily steaming veggies every single day), though I still prefer the quick & easy variety that have some nutrients are are easy to throw together while the main dish is finishing up. I served this with a chicken dish and it was delicious!  I don't even think my husband knew he was eating something healthy.   Mwahaha... trickery.

 

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa:
Adapted from Closet Cooking
Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth, chicken broth or water
2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar
salt and pepper to taste

Add the quinoa, broth/water and broccoli to a boil over medium heat.  Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender (about 15 minutes).  Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips

Much of my life is spent in a constant struggle between wanting to shove cake in my face every five minutes and wanting to live solely on green smoothies, salads & protein shakes.  And believe me when I say I fluctuate every day between the two mindsets.  This is the life I lead, people. 

So when I find something that is both healthy and lets me have chocolate (especially for breakfast), I am sold.  Enter these Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips.  These are pretty healthy & tasty and give you a great boost of energy in the morning.  Plus they are a great way to use up any bananas you have that are on the brink of extinction.  I like them warm so that the chocolate chips are all melty and glorious, so feel free to pop any leftover oatmeal cups in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before you head out the door.  Disclaimer: these are definitely not meant to be as sweet as a muffin or a cupcake, so if you like things extra sweet you may want to add a sweetener of some kind to the batter.  I added some sweetened shredded coconut to half this batter and loved it!

This recipe is also the perfect reason to introduce you to one of my favorite things: PB2 powdered peanut butter.  It adds all the flavor of peanut butter with but with less fat calories than normal peanut butter.  They have a chocolate peanut butter flavor, too, which is great mixed with plain Greek yogurt or in your

Skinny Jalapeño Popper Baked Stuffed Chicken

We are reaching the point with our weather in PA where we are all starting to get a little sick of being cold all the time.  Since daylight savings was just last week, it's even more of a tease that we longer days filled with sunlight, but it's still 30 freaking degrees.  Spring is definitely close, but there is still some time for some comfort food.  And since Summer and bathing suit season directly follow Spring, it's probably better if we start making that comfort food healthified!

That's when I turn to Gina from skinnytaste.com™.  She's amazing.  She pulls a mulligan on some of my favorite things to eat and gives them a healthy makeover.  And who doesn't love jalapeño poppers?  Those delicious, cheesy peppers that some people I myself have been guilty of making wrapped in bacon on multiple occasions.  This dinner combines all the flavors of the decadent appetizer into a pretty healthy main dish.  You get the creaminess of the spicy cheddar jack cheese and cream cheese, mixed with the kick of the fresh jalapeños and brightness from the lime juice it gets dunked in.  This is definitely one of my favorite dinners to make at home and made our regular rotation.  A serving is 2 pieces so it's perfect served with a side salad or some beans & rice. 


They may look like porcupines, but those toothpicks keep the spicy, cheesy goodness from escaping too soon.

I have made these without the scallions and swapped the cheddar jack for pepper jack and it's still mouthwateringly good.  To see the finished product and get the recipe (with nutrition facts) head over to see Gina at skinnytaste.com™!

Lemon Quinoa Avocado Chickpea Salad

I bake a lot.  I mean, I really like cake.  But my health is important to me, too.  So to keep everything nice & balanced, I have a few of these recipes up my sleeve. 

I found the original recipe over on The Diva Dish thanks to seeing a photo of it on Pinterest.  The colors drew me in and I knew by reading the ingredient list that it was going to be a winner.  One of those things where you obsess about the recipe for days and buy 20 avocados in preparation for it because they are ripe for exactly five minutes and you keep having to run to the grocery store to buy more.  Just me? Okay then.  The original recipe called for cilantro, but I am not a big fan so I simply omitted it.  I didn't miss it at all, but feel free to toss some in for an extra layer of flavor if that's more your style.