Kale Chips

Kale is an affordable vegetable that is usually available year round. It makes a great addition to stir fry and soups but my favorite way to prepare it is in the form of kale chips.

These are really easy to make! They keep fairly well and are great to keep in mind if you have kale in the refrig that needs to be used. Kale is full of vitamins and minerals. All that adds up to make kale chips a very practical recipe!

To make kale chips 

you'll need:

Kale

Olive Oil

Salt

(Other Optional Seasonings)

Start by washing and thoroughly drying your kale. I spread it out on a big tea towel and blot the leaves dry. Pull out the tough stem and then separate the larger leaves into manageable pieces. You can do this all by hand - grasp both sides of the leaf in one hand and gently tear the stem with the other hand.

Place your dry and de-stemmed kale in a big bowl. Spray or sprinkle olive oil over the top. Using tongs or your hands, toss the oil to cover all the leaves as thoroughly as possible. Add a little oil at a time until the leaves are fairly well coated. You'll be working with teaspoons of oil here, not cups.

Now sprinkle salt or other seasonings on the leaves. Toss again to cover the entire bowl full.

Place the kale in a dehydrator at about 130 degrees until dry and crispy. The time will vary based on your kale and dehydrator but you're looking at 2-3 hours for this.

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dry the kale chips in your oven. Preheat the oven to the lowest setting possible. Spread your kale in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven. Once in, turn the heat off. Remove the chips when they are crispy. If you have a lot of kale, you may need to turn the oven back on after it cools below 130 degrees to get to the desired crispiness!

That's it! Store kale chips in a sealed container so they stay fresh and crispy.

Seasoning Suggestions:

Salt and Pepper

Nutritional Yeast

Italian Seasonings

Herbal Tea That Promotes Restful Sleep

I've had mixed results with herbal remedies, but this tea is one that has worked well for my family and me. It only has 4 ingredients and works wonders when you are feeling too keyed up to fall asleep. It's not the greatest taste combination in my toolkit, but it works well enough that the flavor is easily accepted!

Sleep Tight Tea

Ingredients

Equal Parts of each herb:

Hops flowers

Lavender flowers

Chamomile flowers

Valerian root

Break up the hops flowers so they are close in size to the other ingredients. Combine everything together and mix well. Use 1 tsp. of Sleep Tight Tea in an 8-10 oz. cup. Add boiling water and steep for 5 - 10 minutes.

Drink just before bedtime and enjoy a really good night's sleep!

The hops, lavender and valerian all have a relaxing, calming affect. The chamomile flowers are great for a nervous stomach and improve the somewhat "herby" flavor of this tea.