The One with the Kale

This is what I get for figuring out how to add multiple vegetarian and eat-clean blogs to my Google Reader. It seems like everyone is posting lately about their new favorite snack, and it intrigued me.

 

I mean, seriously. Who in their right mind would ever stand in front of the leafy greens in the produce section and think, "Oh man, I just have to take those home and see what they can do in the oven!"

 

But based on all the reviews, I decided to give it a try.

 

It, being Kale Chips. Yes. I voluntarily roasted a member of the cabbage family.

 

Matt wasn't home. So don't tell him. He already thinks I'm loopy.

 

Kale Chips

 

What you need:

 

1 bunch of kale

1 T olive oil

1 T apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

sea salt

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the kale leaves off the stems and tear them into bite-size pieces. Throw the stems away...they're not so good cooked.

 

 

Put all the leaves into a gallon zip-lock bag with the oil and vinegar. Toss it around to coat all the leaves.

 

 

Spread the oil-and-vinegar leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet. It's important they are in a single layer, or else they won't crisp. Sprinkle them with sea salt.

 

 

Bake for 10-11 minutes, then take out of the oven and let sit for one minute.

  

 

I was skeptical to the point of being very happy to see that each kale bunch was only .99 at the store in case this recipe would turn out to be a total waste. However, after making these weird looking things, I think I've found a new favorite snack. They have that great salt-and-vinegar taste and crunch exactly like potato chips...yet I'm getting a full serving of veggies in, too. Bonus.

 

Knuke apparently thought so too. I didn't get them in an air-tight container fast enough, and the silly dog licked up 1/4 of the tray before I could run into the kitchen and tackle him.

 

Tackling is just about the only way I can control that big oaf anymore. He's taller than me. Which, if you ask my husband, isn't really saying a lot.

 

PS: For those of you who receive these blog updates via email, I apologize if the pictures aren't lined up right. I'm trying to fix that. Also, I have a new customized blog layout if you want to check it out online!

 

 

 

 

The One that will Bore You to Tears

82 days until nursing school starts.

 

I would freak out about that, but I'm on so much cold medicine that the most my brain can process are things like, "Hey! That shirt is red!" and "Hey! My pen is purple!"

 

That's about it today, folks.

Which is rather frightening because I have a microbiology test tonight over microbe nutrition and growth, along with bacterial disinfection and sterilization. All this cold will let me remember is that my instructor mentioned in our last class that Lysol can have a toxic effect on cats.

 

I highly doubt that little tidbit of information will be on the test.

 

My instructor also mentioned that you have to look carefully at labels of cleaners. Just because something is a disinfectant (i.e. Lysol) doesn't mean it will disinfect your counter tops if there is a layer of grime it has to work through. That's what's known as a two-step process - you have to 1) clean the surface and then 2) disinfect it.

 

I about have the patience of a one-step woman. If it doesn't take care of the bacteria the first time, well, that's the bacteria's problem.

 

That sounded gross, didn't it? For anyone who cares to care, I do clean my house.

 

Dogs licking things off the kitchen floor totally counts as cleaning.

 

I love Clorox Wipes. Just so you know.

 

To bore you even further, let's talk about bleach. Bleach is a great disinfectant, but a bad cleanser. And I was curious. What makes bleach, bleach?

 

It has to do with electricity, believe it or not. When you buy a gallon of bleach at the grocery store, what you are buying is chemical sodium hypochlorite mixed with water in a 5.25-percent solution. You're basically buying salt water that has been changed slightly by electricity. 

According to howstuffworks.com, there has been a lot of discussion about the safety of chlorine in drinking water. It's not really clear how safe or unsafe chlorine is, but two things stand out:

• It's a whole lot safer to drink chlorinated water than water contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. Millions of people have died from water-borne diseases, and these diseases are largely eliminated in modern water systems through the use of chlorine.
• If you are worried about the chlorine in your water, all you have to do is let the water stand for a day or two in a loosely covered container in your fridge and the chlorine is eliminated. How cool is that?

You can read more here.

 

Ok, I'm done with the science lesson. But you have to admit that the lysol/cat thing is pretty interesting.

 

Probably why some lysol-loving people I know (you know who you are!) wake up every morning to find cat yuck on the hallway carpet.

 

Yesterday was Day 2 of baseball practice, but I didn't see Matt until right about 10:00 last night. After practice, he went with the basketball team to Cabool to watch them play in the first round of Districts. 

 

I kind of remember him calling and telling me he would be home late. I also kind of remember doing my best to intelligently contribute to the conversation with things like, "Ummmmm, yeah. Soooooo, heeyyy (Yes. Like The Fonz). How are yoooouuuu?" 

 

He called me back later to let me know the team won. Then, when he got home, I brilliantly asked him if they won or lost.

 

Seriously. Cold medicine has a concussion effect on me.

 

And I love it when he looks at me like I'm a fruitcake.

 

Despite not feeling well at all this week, Tina and I have completed Day 3 of our three mile mornings.

 

The alarm clock going off at 4:45 am totally drills the point across that our "lets-take-a-break-from-exercising-over-the-holidays" hiatus is definitely over. And yes, I realize that our "holiday break" lasted about three months. And it felt good. And we didn't care. Sort of.

 

Except now I feel really guilty and yucky. I think I still have a couple Christmas cookies hanging on to my backside that refuse to let go.

 

I've set a goal for myself: lose 10 lbs by time I go visit my sister in Houston in 43 days. That's roughly six weeks...completely doable.

 

My Polish brain will not sabotage me into having no control over the ingestion of all things sugar and white flour. Dang those Poles. Why couldn't they have based their national food traditions on sprouts and tofu? Not everything has to be perogies and babka. And kolaches. And halushki. And paska.

 

God bless my carbohydrate-laden heritage.