a simply delicious {and chock-full of nutrients} snack and some random thoughts to wind down the week

a visit to a dear friend's house is always sure to result in new inspiration and ideas, especially when she has three kids and lots of tips and tricks to share about mommyhood.

my favorite of the five or six take-aways from last wednesday's day trip visit... a simple, quick, healthy and delicious snack... kale chips {or crisps}.

seriously... it's the easiest thing in the world to make.

and worth every second you spend doing it.

just get yourself some fresh kale.

{"they" recently raised prices, probably because dr. oz had to go and make it wildly popular by praising its many health benefits on his show... chock-full of vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants. i mean, i get that a new health craze will affect supply and demand, and thus, cost. but you can't tell me it costs over $2.00 to grow one small bunch. sheesh!... i should be in the kale-farming business!}

anyway, rinse, spin-dry, and spread the kale out on a baking sheet.

drizzle with canola oil {or grapeseed oil, which is more resistant to heat oxidation}.

season/flavor to your liking.

{my friend was going to only salt her batch, but after she mentioned that some people use cajun spice flavoring, i tried to think of how i might like them flavored and suggested using grated parmesan cheese. so she made a half-parmesan and half-salt-only batch. so delicious! in the days to follow at home, i simply sprinkled the kale with garlic powder and kosher salt. i'll be experimenting more with my next several batches.}

place into a 350º preheated oven and bake for anywhere between five and fifteen minutes... depending on how crispy you like them or how accurate your oven temp is. until you've figured out an appropriate time, just make sure to check on them so they don't burn... which could easily happen with these delicate greens.

{i found that with my oven, i have to take them out after about six or seven minutes or they over-cook. i like mine to have a little bit of moisture in the leafy areas near the stems, while the leaf edges are crispier. i feel that doing it this way preserves more of the nutrients in the kale... it's not all cooked out. plus, it gives it a perfect combination of textures... a little chewy and a little crispy.}

follow those steps, and voile!... you have...

before i tried them, i thought maybe they would taste like grass or something. but not at all!

{thank you, ese!!!... for such a wonderful treat idea to bring back home to my family. even mr. b. and isaac like them!}

if you are really feeling adventurous, you can try something i did on my own... a sort of happy little accident. when i made my chips yesterday, i undercooked them a bit, so they were more like crisps than chips. but they were still delicious. and they are especially good when you can eat them while still warm.

  anyway, i happened to have some dried cranberry and pistachio trail mix nearby while eating my crisps. i thought, "huh! i wonder what it would taste like to eat a crisp and then pop a few cranberries and pistachios in my mouth."

do you want to know how it tasted? REALLY GOOD! crazy, i know!... garlic seasoning with sweet dried cranberries? but, yes. it was really very tasty! so it made me think, "wow! this would make a great warm greens salad for a dinner course. some freshly baked under-cooked kale crisps with pistachios and dried cranberries sprinkled over the top. i'd order something like that in a restaurant. although, i have to say... this is where mr. b's adventurous eating would come to a halt. but that's okay. i was lucky to have him try and like the chips on their own.

okay... i ramble. but i get excited when i discover something new that i really like... especially when it's good for you. perhaps this is all old hat for you. maybe you've heard of these long ago, and i'm just preachin' to the choir. but if not, try the kale chips {even if you pass on the salad idea}. they really are so delicious.

. . .

okay, now for the random remainder of my post...

i thought i would be posting here frequently throughout the week. but the week got away from me.

first, thank you to those of you who left such lovely and thoughtful comments on my last post. such kind words that i was to savor in days that followed.

i also wanted to thank sweet kim for featuring my photo on her kim klassen cafe texture tuesday blog post last tuesday. it was an honor to wake up and discover that!

i had hoped to catch up on some blogs and respond to comments that readers have been leaving, but i really had an off week.

i guess you could say i was in a bit of a funk. i think it has to do with feeling like i can never finish anything i start... the life of a mother of a young one, i guess. i accept and embrace that. but some days, it gets the better of me. it's just a bit wearing. so i had a difficult week focusing.

but there were other factors. some things i read that stirred up some hardships and emotions in my life.

the onset of a cold for isaac and me. {today is our worst day yet... should have started those kale chips weeks ago! *wink*}

disturbing stories in the news. {i rarely watch the news, because of time, but you could hardly miss the national media attention that a couple horrific stories were getting this past week.} they were gut-wrenching and sad, to say the least. it is difficult to process things like that... especially when you are raising a little one and disheartened about what kind of a world he was born into.

but i don't want to end on a sad note. it's not all gloom and doom. in fact, if you look in the right places, you will see a lot of hope and good things to ponder. and in my case, i need only turn off the television and look downward towards the floor. there i can observe my son or my husband interacting with my son... which is why i wrote about the misters in my last post. {i still have some more cherished images to share of them. i thought i would get to this week... hahaha.}

it's tough to see isaac sick for the first time. i feel so bad for him. but his mood is great, and he is handling it like a trooper. and somehow, it makes him even sweeter than when he's not under the weather... just that much more docile.

me, on the other hand? i'm a real baby when i'm sick. this is the first time in forty years that i have had to take care of someone else while i'm sick... where i'll just have to push on through it. it almost seems a little like a test... one that will reveal whether or not i am truly a good mom. you know... even when it's not all fun and games. i just hope i can pass the test. and even if i don't ace it this time around, i'm sure i'll have many more chances in the years to come.

unless, of course, we keep on eating that super-food, kale!

happy weekend to you.