Our Adventures with Kale.

I've been trying to make healthier meals and snacks now that Viv is eating so much more and I'm pregnant. 

We typically eat pretty healthy at home, don't eat fast food except for on rare occasion, and I try to vie for healthier options when going out to restaurants. 

I've started cooking with eggplant, brussell sprouts, and cauliflower (all three of which I never really used before) too which has been fun. 

One other new thing I've been trying to incorporate into our meals is kale.

I know, we're a little late with the whole kale trend.

I guess we're not cool enough. 

I recently heard about all the great health benefits that it provides and have been working it into our daily meals. 

It's been a slow process. 

Josh and Viv both hate the taste and the smell nearly makes me vomit but we're getting through it and it's not so bad anymore! 

So here are some recipes I've been using to kind of sneak it into our meals without really knowing it's in there.

We're babies...I know. 

It's terrible. 

Judge me, it's okay, really. 

My favorite recipe thus far are the infamous Kale Chips.

Josh and Viv: forget about it! 

But it's a good healthy snack for me being pregnant and all. 

You've probably already made kale chips like a million times because everyone has (or so it seems) but here's a super quick and easy recipe for the ones that I made!

- wash and dry kale

- lay out on a covered baking sheet

- drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt

- pop tray in the oven at 200 degrees for about an hour or so (until the leaves are crunchy but not burned).

That's it!

So easy and pretty tasty too! 

You can really put anything on your leaves to add different flavors - get creative!

Now someone just tell me how to get my (almost) one year old to eat them and not crunch them up in her hands. 

Here are some other recipes that I've used lately that we all really loved!

I'll just post links for the recipes because I always forget to take pictures for recipe posts when I'm making meals.

- Kale and fruit smoothie 

I try to make a smoothie everyday for Viv and I. I always make green smoothies but used spinach until I realized that I could use kale. They're so good and you can hardly taste the kale. I added some strawberries and blueberries (frozen) to give it more of a fruity flavor.

- Roasted Tomato and Rosemary Soup with Kale and Potatoes

This is a soup that I make pretty frequently - it's a favorite of all of ours - now I just add kale and no one notices. (Also, I skip the wine since I'm pregnant and don't have any in the house right now). 

- Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

These were Viv's favorite! But she loves anything with pasta sauce, cheese, or tomatoes! 

Can't even taste the kale.

Some other things I've used kale in:

Eggs - just chop it up and throw it in while they're cooking (scrambled)

Egg salad wraps (I also substitute the mayo with greek yogurt)

Regular salads - just mix some in with our regular spinach and romaine salads that we have everyday (though Josh is guilty of picking it out of his salads).

So there's my recipe post of the year month!

Now go eat some greens! 

Last Night's Dinner: Hawaiian Chicken and Veggies

This is probably one of the easiest meals that I make.

Takes a whopping 5 minutes to throw together!

Ingredients:

Skinless boneless chicken breast

any kind of Caribbean marinade (I use Wegman's brand)

1 zucchini 

1 bunch of asparagus 

1 can of pineapple chunks

heat oven to 350 degrees

cut your zuke and trim up your bunch of asparagus.

place your chicken breasts, can of pineapple (I use the juice too), and veggies all in an oven-safe pan and pour in enough sauce to cover.

Stir everything up and throw it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

and that's it!

I made rice to go with it but forgot about it...dang it.

You can also make this meal in a crockpot.

Just throw everything in and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

That's what I usually do!

So so easy and so tasty!

Last Night's Dinner: Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

makes 9 rolls

In our house we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables - like a lot, a lot. 

So, when I make these lasagna rolls I use a ton of spinach...I realize that most people may not like eating fistfuls of spinach...so just use a little if you want. 

What you need:

Lasagna noodles

15oz tub of Ricotta

jar of tomato sauce

1/2c. Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 bag of frozen spinach (I use the whole bag - which is a lot)

garlic salt (or fresh garlic if you have it)

italian seasoning

salt and pepper

(optional) mozzarella cheese

(Preheat oven to 350.)

warm spinach in a pot of boiling water until it's thawed out. 

If you over-cook it it will get soggy and gross...so I just warm it enough to thaw it.

strain and rinse.

---Cook your lasagna noodles while doing this step!---

1.

In a large bowl mix together:

Ricotta 

1 egg

Parmesan cheese

garlic, italian seasoning, salt and pepper

2. 

add spinach to the ricotta mixture.

You only really need to add as much spinach as you want to.

drain your noodles and lay out.

spread your ricotta/spinach along the noodles...not too much otherwise the rolls will fall apart.

just roll the noodles up and lay them in a pan with some tomato sauce.

Once you've rolled up all your rolls, cover them with tomato sauce.

I sliced up my mozzarella and put on top.

Put your pan in the oven at 350 for 25/30minutes until they're bubbling and the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

then make sure you check your teeth before smiling or kissing - spinach in the teeth is no good!