Kale Chips! Cheap and Nutritious!

Guess what, everyone?!?  I’m jumping on the kale chip bandwagon.  Probably a couple months too late but better late than never.  Our family is trying to eat healthier foods  and as you know, at first you are all excited about it and really motivated but after awhile, you grow tired of it.  You start to get grouchy and want to eat everything in sight.

My family loves to eat potato chips and dip.  I love it when people tell you, “Oh.  Just eat a carrot instead.”  Come on now.  Eating a carrot will NEVER be chips and dip, people!  I am better when I have a substitute that actually reminds me of what I want to eat but also cuts down the calorie count.  Introducing…Kale Chips and Spinach Dip!

Kale has tons of health benefits!  It is known to lower blood pressure, helps with digestion, and produces healthy skin and nails.  Kale is very high on the list of the world’s healthiest foods.   It is an anti-inflammatory food which actually helps fight autoimmune diseases, asthma and arthritis.   There are tons of ways to serve it and it’s so cheap!

Kale chips and spinach dip is the best replacement for chips and dip that I’ve found yet.  The trick to really good kale chips is getting them as crispy as you possibly can!  You can make any spinach dip you like.  Just make sure to use fresh, low fat ingredients, and swap sour cream or mayo for greek yogurt!  That should be easy too since you can buy generic greek yogurt now too!  A bunch of kale is around $1 at the store.  Try to find a bag of chips for that price!  Plus, this recipe makes a ton!

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale

olive oil

sea salt or pink Himalayan salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Rip your kale into bite sized pieces and remove the stem in the middle of each leaf.  Wash your kale really well and use a salad spinner to dry (or a dishtowel).  Here is one of the secrets to kale chips.  You need to dry them really well so that they crisp up in the oven!

Put your pieces on a baking sheet and spritz them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. I use one of those little misters from amazon or a kitchen store.  It comes in handy a lot and it doesn’t cost too much.  DO NOT put tons of oil since this will make the kale soggy and again, they won’t crisp up.

Place these guys into the oven for 20-30 minutes.  Check them after 20 minutes and see if some are crispy enough.  You’ll be able to tell since it will feel crispy to the touch.  Let them cool and I store mine in a freezer bag (if there is enough left over).  Not sure how long they keep since they go really fast in our house!  Enjoy!

Also, a word to the wise.  Kale is a superfood and these chips taste great alone or with spinach dip, but you do not want to overeat them.  You will pay the price later since it cleans out your colon.  Just a tip.

Have you ever made kale chips?  What’s your favorite healthy food that is also inexpensive?