Make These Super Easy and Healthy Kale Chips Tonight

Kale chips are delicious and nutritious. I used to think they would taste like butt, but after making a batch at home last night, I am fully converted. I have taken the first steps to living a healthier life by joining the awesome program at Tuscaloosa Weight Loss, and it has me thinking critically about what I eat.

I never did that before. I've always been the kind of person who grazes on junk food all day without considering how rapidly those calories were adding up. Like, I'd be sitting at my desk and seriously nom nom nomming on some potato chips and then thirty minutes later realize I'd eaten at least three servings worth. Not cool.

I saw a vegan friend of mine raving about kale chips on Facebook. My initial reaction was like, "Girl, please. You are 50 Shades of Cray. I would never eat that." I thought kale was only used for garnishing dinners at casual dining establishments and not a nutritious super food. I was certain that kale would taste like dirty grass. Gross. I Googled Kale Chips and saw bags selling for eight bucks each. Hahahaha. Like I have that kind of money.

I was doing my grocery shopping this weekend at Winn-Dixie and saw a bag of pre-washed kale. It was cut into bite-sized pieces already, so I figured why not and picked up the bag to check out the nutritional deets. One serving of kale is less than 50 calories and has 205% of your daily value of Vitamin A and 134% of your Vitamin C! It's also considered to have anti-inflammatory properties, too. I was all, whaaaaa? and put the bag in my cart.

Last night, I decided to make the kale chips about which Little Miss Vegan had raved. I tweaked the recipe a bit and VOILA: awesome, healthy, addicting, crispy, crunchy snack.

Meg's Super Easy Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 2 cups Kale, washed, dried, and cut into bite sized pieces
• Cavender's Greek Seasoning (aka my crack)
• Smart Balance Cooking Spray

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread kale in single layer on baking sheet.
• Spray with Smart Balance cooking spray.
• Shake on a little bit of Cavender's (you can use as much as you like, but watch the sodium)
• Gently toss kale to coat.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until kale is brown and crunchy.
• Allow chips to cool for five minutes before eating.
• Decide you can't wait that long and taste a piece and end up burning yourself on the cookie sheet. (THIS STEP IS TOTALLY OPTIONAL, BTW.)
• Eat and enjoy!

I'll be making these kale chips on the reg from now on. They're so simple and taste great. If you're craving something crunchy, they are the perfect thing to eat. Most importantly: they do not taste like dirt or butt. They are 100% awesome. I bet kids would love these, too.  Mine's not old enough for solid food yet, but when she gets there... she gets kale chips! Kale Chips for everyone!

Author's note: Cut back on the coffee, Meg.