How to Make...Kale Chips (4 Easy Steps to Delicious Kale Chips)

I love kale. Kale is amazing. It's delicious. It's guilt-free. It's just an incredible vegetable that is so versatile and probably one of the healthiest leafy greens you can add to your diet. 

For those of you who have no idea what the heck kale even is, here's a definition:
Kale is a vegetable closely related to the wild cabbage and can be in the form of green or purple leaves. The leaves are thick, textured, and perfect for eating raw or cooking. Kale is being called "the queen of greens" due to its powerhouse nutritional benefits.

You can get kale at any supermarket or local farmer's market but I find that the best kale always come from local farmer's market. They're also usually half the price so why not support your local farmers? :)

Look for thick textured leaves vibrant in colour. If it feels limp or looks like it's yellowing on the edges, leave it.

Here are four steps to easy peasy homemade kale chips!

1) Wash your kale leaves thoroughly in cold water. Make sure you hit all the areas between the leafy edges where dirt can hide.

2) Remove the leaves from the stem by holding the end of the stem with one hand and pushing the leaves outwards with your other hand. You should be able to slide the leaves off pretty easily using this method. 

Tear the leaves into bite size pieces and dry them with a paper towel. Remember, they will shrink in the oven so don't make them *tiny*.

3) Pour a bit of extra virgin olive oil to the leaves (about 1-2 tablespooon) and MASSAGE them into the leaves. This part is so important because you want each leaf to be covered in a thin film of oil. This will not only ensure crisp kale chips but will also help the spices stick.

Rub it in gooood. :) Next, crack salt and pepper and give it a good shimmy.

 4) Preheat the oven to 300F and bake for 10 minutes. You want it at a low heat like 300F so it doesn't burn the chips and make them bitter. After 10 minutes, take it out, reassess, and flip the leaves if some look like their are crispier than others. I usually do it for another 5-10 minutes and it's done!

The final product! It's so delicious and if you ask me, it can curb any salty late night craving. You can either make these in a small conventional oven like me or a regular large one with a full size baking sheet.

I will now leave you with some health benefits of kale chips (as if you need any more reason to make them)

1) Kale is low in calories, high in fiber, and has zero fat

2) Kale is high in iron, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A

3) Kale has powerful antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids to help protect against various cancers

4) Kale is high in calcium

5) Kale can be a great detox food due to its high fiber and sulfur content (keeps your liver healthy!)

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! 

Other popular healthy recipes:

• Healthy Banana Bread Recipe here
• Berry Greek Yogurt Recipe here
• Apple Pie Baked in Apple Recipe here
• Mango and Avocado Quinoa Salad with Blackened Shrimp Recipe here

Happy Eating!

 

courtesy of www.quickmeme.com

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Strawberry Banana Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

I had an amazing vacation at Dominican Republic filled with all you can eat food, room service, bar, drinks, and naturally I ate EVERYTHING. I didn't hold anything back when I was on vacation!

Now that I'm back, I have to revert back to my healthier lifestyle and eating habits (and surprisingly I really missed it while I was stuffing myself with steak and alcohol everyday). I tried this chia seed pudding recipe for the first time and it was absolutely delicious! It's super simple, quick, and acts as a great filling and clean breakfast.

 All you need is: 5 strawberries, 1/2 a banana, 1/2 cup of almond milk, 2 tbsp of Daily Cleanse from North Coast Naturals, and 3 tbsp of chia seeds.

 Blend all of the ingredients besides the chia seeds (leave one strawberry to cut up in chunks if you like a getting chunks of fruit in your pudding).

Once blended, stir in the chia seeds and fresh strawberry chunks. Leave overnight in the fridge to let the chia seeds expand to its fullest (that's what makes this pudding so filling for breakfast).

I made this on two different occasions and it was delicious! Next time, I'm going to try it with mango and matcha to make a Mango Match Chia Seed Pudding so let me know in the comments if you want to see the recipe for that too!

Happy Eating!!

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Easiest & Healthiest Cookie In The World Recipe!

I am going to introduce you to the easiest and healthiest cookie recipe in the world. Not. Joking. The basic cookie formula consists of: bananas, and oats. That's it! If you are thinking... 'how could this be?' or 'you're lying!!', keep scrolling down and I'll show you. 

Even though the two ingredients I mentioned are all you need, I actually like to put a pinch of other ingredients such as dark chocolate chips, cinnamon, or peanut butter to spruce it up a bit.

Mash up one and a half ripe large bananas with a potato masher. Fork works fine if you don't happen to have a masher on hand. Mash it up real good until you can barely see any banana chunks.

Stir in one cup of 100% unprocessed dry oats. That's it! Once you mix both ingredients together, the result is a clumpy delicious mess that can be scooped onto a baking sheet for baking. I wanted a bit more sweetness to it so I added a tiny bit of dark chocolate chips and a pinch of cinnamon spice.

Bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins or until slightly golden brown.

The result is an absolutely healthy and guilt free cookie that you can eat any time of day! I actually dislike oatmeal a LOT so this recipe is perfect for a person like me because now I can consume whole grains in a different way! A much more delicious way as well, in my opinion. :D

I made these cookies again on another occasion and I put in two bananas instead of one and a half which resulted in a more moist, banana-ey, bread like consistency. I enjoy this softer texture more so I might stick with two bananas from now on. As well, I added 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter in the mix so the result was a scrumptious peanut butter chocolate chip cookie but with no added fat, sugar, oil, gluten, or soy!! Say, what?!

This cookie is extremely versatile so feel free to mix things up and add in dried fruit, nuts, or even fresh fruit. :) If you do happen to try this recipe out, please leave a comment on how it went and if you like it or not!

Here is the original recipe by blogilates (favourite youtube fitness guru at the moment).

Happy Healthy Eating!


courtesy of http://themetapicture.com/so-you-drink-diet-soda/

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Easy Chocolate Tofu Quinoa Cake Recipe- Vegan and Low Fat

Listen up guys. I'm going to share a secret recipe with you that I've had for almost 10 years but have never revealed. It is RIDICULOUSLY easy. And healthy. All you need are 3 ingredients. You heard that right.

Ingredients:

1) Box of Chocolate Cake Mix (doesn't matter what kind, I've tried every kind there is)

2) One Package of Dessert Tofu 

3) One Cup of Cooked Quinoa (you can omit this- measurements of the other ingredients will remain the same)

4) 1/4 Cup of Water (I didn't really count water as an 'ingredient')

That's it! See? I told you it was super easy!

I cooked by quinoa in a rice cooker and it always works out fine. Half a cup of uncooked quinoa will yield approximately one cup of cooked quinoa.

I just used a standard 9 inch round cake pan and lined the bottom with parchment paper to ensure easy removal after baking.

I used to do this by hand but I have come to realize what a waste of time that is since I had a blender that could have done the work for me! Just dump your dessert tofu, quarter cup of water, and cooked quinoa and blend in a blender until there are no longer any large chunks of quinoa. Don't blend it for too long however as it might deflate your overall product.

Follow the baking instructions on the back of the cake mix box but I just put the cake in the oven for about 20 minutes and it came out like this! All perfect and chocolatey looking... and summoning me to have a taste.

The finished product is a delicious, moist, reduced calorie, low fat, vegan chocolate cake with added dietary fiber from the quinoa. Dessert tofu is used to substitute oil and eggs which makes this dessert virtually guilt free!!

Here are some hard facts for those people who want proof in 'numbers'.

'Chocolate Tofu Quinoa Cake' as compared to 'Chocolate Cake made with Eggs and Oil'

• Cholesterol free
• 12% calorie reduction
• 71% fat reduction
• 25% saturated fat reduction
• 2% increase in iron and calcium

I hope you enjoyed this post and as always...

Happy (and Healthy) Eating!! 

courtesy of http://www.memecenter.com/fun/647954/eating-healthy

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Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe- Get In The Holiday Spirit!

What better way to celebrate the holidays than eat a slice of warm guilt-free pumpkin pie!?

Since I've been feeling festive lately, I decided to bake a healthy pumpkin pie to satisfy my sweet holiday cravings. :D This pumpkin pie recipe from oh she glows seemed to be healthy and easy enough for me to tackle so I gave it a shot but made some modifications of my own.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

(no butter, no oil, soy free, little sugar)

Ingredients:

1 premade pie crust

1/2 cup sliced almonds + 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

 2 cups pumpkin

12 ounces Silken tofu

1/2 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (for filling)

1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (OR: 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ginger; 1/4 teaspoon cloves)

1-2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Take 1/2 cup of sliced almonds and 1 tablespoon maple syrup and mix in a small bowl. Spread mixture over the base of the pre-made pie crust. Set aside crust while you make the filling.

2. Filling: Blend the silken tofu in a food processor until smooth, stopping often to scrape the sides of the processor. Once that is smooth, add pumpkin, sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt, and spices. Blend well. 

3. Pour the filling into the pie shell and place in the oven and cook at 400F for 42-45 minutes.

5. Cool for at least 30-45 minutes and then enjoy with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

I actually mixed all of the batter in the blender but you don't have to. I was just lazy and didn't want to transfer it to a mixing bowl.

It'll end up looking like this! For next time, I would cut the sugar by half as I found it too sweet and increase the cornstarch so the filling would be harder/thicker.

This pie was so easy to make and took barely any time. It's great for a potluck because you can easily whip this up and put it in the oven in 15 minutes. While it bakes, you can get changed, get pretty and by the time you're done getting ready, voila! The pie will be done! 

Happy Eating!

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Raspberry Bliss Oat Bars Recipe- Vegan & No Sugar, Oil, or Butter

I’ve recently found a wonderful and motivating website called “Oh She Glows” and her recipes are the healthiest recipes I’ve seen. :D It’s not so healthy that it repulses you or makes you go ‘oh gross, that looks like something a rabbit would eat’. It actually looks truly appetizing and sinfully delicious!

I tried out her “Berry Bliss Oat Squares” recipe a week ago and made quite a few modifications. This new Kirby version is called “Raspberry Bliss Oat Bars”!

Raspberry Bliss Oat Bars

(vegan, soy free, refined sugar free, no butter, no oil)

Ingredients:

·         2 cups raspberries

·         1 ripe banana, chopped

·         1/4 cup pure maple syrup (for berry mixture)

·         1 tsp pure vanilla extract

·         2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp warm water

·         3 cups regular oatmeal, divided

·         1 tsp ground cinnamon

·         1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

·         1/2 tsp kosher salt

·         1/2 cup + 3 tbsp (6oz) unsweetened applesauce

·         1/4 cup + 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

·         1/4 cup  + 2 tbsp water

·         1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a 8inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper. In a small bowl mix together cornstarch with warm water to form a paste. Make sure all clumps are gone. Set aside.

2. Berry Filling: In a small saucepan, combine the berries, banana, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and stir well. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and the pre-mixed cornstarch. Whisk until all clumps are gone and set aside.

3. Base: Place 1.5 cups of oats into a food processor and process until a flour/fine powder forms. Add this processed flour, remaining 1.5 cup of oats, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Stir. Now add in the wet ingredients (applesauce, maple syrup, water, vanilla) and mix well. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and push down firmly with fingers to smooth out. Grab the prepared berry filling and spread over the top of the oat base until smooth. Now crumble the remaining oat base mixture on top.

4. Bake for 30 mins. at 375F or until the top is slightly golden and firm. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares

My carton of fresh Dole raspberries.

Make sure to break the berries and bananas apart when you’re cooking the berry mixture.

I used a circular cake pan instead of a square pan but it still worked out fine. The only thing was that I didn’t get perfect squares bars. :P

The top should be a nice golden brown.

These tasted very healthy and I felt so good eating them since I knew exactly what I was putting into my body. For people who despises oatmeal (Like me! I know... so bad cause they’re good for you =.=), these squares are perfect since you get the benefits of fibre without having to eat oatmeal.

The original recipe by Oh She Glows can be found here.

Happy Eating!

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Berry Greek Yogurt Parfait w/Honey Recipe

Ever since I came back from Asia a month ago, I wanted to get back into the lifestyle I had before I left which was exercising often (3-5 times a week) and eating healthy. However, I gotta admit, it has been hard. My willpower has given in a few times so I've experienced quite a few food comas since I've been back. BUT. No more.

I am confident and determined to set myself back on track and resume a healthy lifestyle! From now on, I will try to cook and bake as often as I can with as little artificial, sugary, and fattening ingredients and I’ll also share my recipes with you guys. My first recipe is quick, simple, and delicious as a snack or breakfast. It’s called Berry Greek Yogurt Parfait w/Honey.

You only need five ingredients for this recipe. See? Told you it was simple.

You need some 0% fat greek yogurt and granola. I’m using greek yogurt because it provides double the protein of most regular yogurts (and thus can also be a post-work out snack!). Greek yogurt is also a great source of calcium, probiotic bacteria, and has less fat than regular yogurt.

You will also need a honey bear :P, a cup or glass, and whatever berries you have on hand. I happened to have blackberries so I made it a blackberry parfait. :P

First step is to fill the bottom of the glass with greek yogurt, and then drizzle it with copious amounts of honey. I find greek yogurt to be too sour and bland on its own so I always like to put a little bit of extra honey in mine.

Next, sprinkle on some blackberries (or whatever berries you are using).

You just repeat the previous two steps again so put another layer of greek yogurt, honey, and then berries.

The last and top layer is the granola. Try to find granola with lots of nuts, seeds, or raisins as they are healthier than just plain clumped oats. I used regular granola that I got from Superstore and mixed in a handful of sliced almonds for an extra crunch.

FYI- I have been eating this for breakfast for the past three days now! It’s really healthy and keeps me satisfied until lunch. No need for greasy breakfasts anymore! 

Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!

Happy Eating!

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