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. 

Puppy Chow Popcorn

One of my fondest memories of being on the summer swim team while I was growing up was... the snack bar.  Ha!  I really wish I was joking.  Swim star, I was not.

Every once in awhile they'd have homemade items that a few of the moms would sell along with the other goodies.  I'd always jump at the chance for the ubiquitous little plastic baggies of peanut butter & chocolate covered Chex® cereal that was coated in a nice thick layer of powdered sugar.  I grew up calling it "puppy chow" although it is also pretty well known as "muddy buddies".  Neither name sounds particularly appetizing if you ask me.  By the way, if you're going to google "puppy chow" for the original recipe, do not click on the first link that comes up.  Because that is actual dog food and that would be a mistake.

In a recent conversation with my husband, he let slip that he'd never actually had puppy chow.  Um, excuse me?  How is that possible?  I thought that was pretty much a childhood requirement, not to mention he is literally the king of anything chocolate + peanut butter.  If there were literally kings of such things.  He swears we've had this conversation before, but I think I would remember something as sad as someone never having puppy chow! 

Since I don't always have Chex® on hand, but we pretty much always have popcorn, I decided to look for some sort of Puppy Chow Popcorn creation.  Apparently, I'm late to the party because everyone and their mother has already had this ingenious idea.  This version I found on Tasty Kitchen is the same as the standard puppy chow recipe, but you swap popcorn for the rice cereal.  Try this chocolaty-peanut buttery-salty-sweet creation when a snack attack hits or when you're simply feeling nostalgic for a childhood treat. 

Puppy Chow Popcorn:
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen, adapted from Chex®

9 cups popped microwave popcorn
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Prepare your popcorn according to package directions and set aside in a very large bowl.  Be sure to remove any unpopped kernels at this point to avoid covering them chocolate and eating them whole later!  Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter together in the microwave until completely melted.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour melted chocolate mixture over popped popcorn.  Stir until everything is evenly coated.  Add the powdered sugar and stir again until everything is evenly coated.  Spread the popcorn mixture onto cookie sheets, and allow the chocolate to set.  Serve and transfer any leftovers to an airtight container.

Just a heads up: this has gotten my wheels turning for other puppy chow inspired ideas: Cake? Truffles? Cupcakes? Stay tuned!

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

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn

This is one of those recipes you should probably just never make.

Because once you do, it'll be something you crave on the regular.  It hits the big 4: it's easy, it's fast, it's made with stuff you most likely already have on hand, and it's delicious.  And this is coming from someone who is generally not a big popcorn person.  On the rare occasion we go to the movies, I'd rather get something sweet (who's shocked?) than the neon yellow-coated stuff in a jumbo bucket.  But this is a fun treat you can make at home that satisfies both your sweet tooth and your snack craving, and it is definitely decadent enough to double as dessert.  All you need is popcorn, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

You combine everything but the popcorn in a small saucepan over low heat.  This is the part where you stop and send me a thank-you e-mail because your house smells like all things heavenly.  Pour the