Healthy Snacks for Active Moms: Kale Chips

Hi, my name is Lorna. I am a mother of a toddler, a recreational athlete, and I have an aversion to vegetables.

Of course I know better and know the reasons I should be adding more vegetables to my diet. Everything else I eat is healthy, I just hadn’t been able to find the motivation to add a veggie side dish to meals. Every day that a fresh home-cooked dinner makes it to the table with a toddler running around is a downright miracle. How am I to find the time to cook a vegetable as well??

Thankfully I was recently inspired by nutritionist and author of the ‘Simply Real Health Cookbook’ Sarah Adler who takes a simple, no-nonsense approach to healthy eating.

Her ‘Sarah’s Parmesan Kale Chip’ recipe promised to be easy and delicious so I (skeptically) gave it a try and had success! They are incredibly quick and easy to make and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese makes them a veggie dish I actually enjoy eating.

My 2 year old even tried a bite and despite giving them a “NO ach-OOOO” (translation: a polite no thank you) I’m sure she will try them again and now sees me eating my veggies.

Even if she won’t eat them (yet), kale as a dark, leafy green is packed with the nutrients needed to supplement a mom’s balanced healthy lifestyle including calcium, fiber and vitamins A, C and K. Baking them into a chip is great way to whip up a healthy snack to have on hand.

You can find the recipe below or on Sarah Adler’s Simply Real Health website where you’ll also find more healthy eating inspiration!

PS- This recipe also works GREAT for broccoli!

Sarah’s Parmesan Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 2 heads kale* (dinosaur, red or green or any combination of the two) The volume of kale will reduce to half after they’ve cooked
• Organic, extra virgin olive oil
• Organic parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Wash kale and remove inner stem. Tear kale into small pieces, or keep as a long leaf, depending on the look you want. Bite size pieces are less messy to eat and easier to store.
2. Add to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss with your hands, so each leaf is coated evenly.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bake until crispy, around 25 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and place back in oven until the cheese melts (3-5 minutes).
5. Enjoy! These chips will keep up to 4 days stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.