Super Easy, Fast, Friendly Cheesy Kale Chips

Hooray for Vegan Mofo!  We participated last year and had a lot of fun!  This year we are aiming to provide our everyday life recipes that are simple, fairly quick and remind us of meals we used love.  He works and a hospital and I own my own business, so it gets hard to find time to stay healthy, but I think we've found our groove!

Super Easy, Fast, Friendly Cheesy Kale Chips!

OK, if you're like me, you LOVE LOVE LOVE you some chips!  I used to love a big ol
 bag of fresh potato chips once upon a time.  But alas, I know better, so I found a way to replace them.

After much experimenting, we found a kick-ass way to make "chips" really fast and delicious!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 bunch kale (organic) washed and dried well
• 3 tbs nutritional yeast
• 1 squirt lemon
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews  (you can pre-soak for an hour or 2 or not)
• 1 red bell pepper (small)
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• water
• appetite
• Pre-heat oven to 405-425 depending on your oven
• cookie sheet with foil, silpat whatever you have
• Vitamix/good blender

Preparing the Kale:
You will want to wash and get them DRY.  I just rip them where they contour, to make small chip size pieces and put them in a large bowl.  You can be a little more professional than me and use a knife to make clean cuts.  Make sure not to use the middle rib and that you are just ripping off the leaves.  Save the middle rib for your juice or smoothie later!  Add a swirl of olive oil to the kale and get your hand in there to start tossing!  (I can usually get 2 bowl of kale chips out of one thing of kale - don't over flow your bowl save half for the next batch)

Preparing the Cheesy Saucey deliciousness:
I use a Vitamix, I am not sure a regular blender will get you the right consistency for this sauce...   In your blender ad cashews, red pepper (without stem or seeds), nutritional protein and lemon.  I like to add a splash of water so everything gets blended up smooth.

Now taste it!!!!!!  Sometimes I end up adding up to 6 tbs of nutritional protein depending on my batch of cashews.  The more NP you put in the "cheesier" it tastes. 

Making the chips:
Pour HALF of the cheese sauce you made into the bowl with the kale.  I enjoy tossing it with my hands to coat all the pieces.  You want a light to moderate coat so the don't get to soggy.

On your cookie sheet, use foil - or I highly recommend a Silpat if you have one.  Spread the chips evenly out over the sheet trying not to over lap too much.

After you have put them on your sheet, add salt and pepper to taste.

Stick that guy in the oven for a bout 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven and start working or your second half.  You will know when they are finished because the will shrink and turn a little darker.  I like mine with crispy edges and a little bit of a chewy middle.  You can also use a dehydrator if you are not in a time crunch.

Presto!  Delicious chips you don't have to feel guilty about!  So pop in that movie and snuggle up with your significant other and snack on a nice big bowl of cheesy kale chips!!!!!! 

Get The Kiddos To Eat Their Fruit! Fruit Flies!

We know sometimes it's hard to get the kiddos to eat the way you want or the way they should.  Here is a cute little trick to get them to love the good stuff!  You eat with your eyes first, who could resist these fruit flies!? 

All you will need are:
Bananas
Strawberries (cut long ways and in round slices)
Blackberries
Raspberries
Almonds
And of course, add any of your fruit ideas to make your own fruit fly!  Like kiwis, tangerine slices or grapes!

AMAZING ALOE

ALOE!! 

Aloe is beyond amazing for you. It does so much.  It is super powerful with super powers!  I have 2 oz. of aloe every morning when I wake up before I eat or drink anything and I feel great all day.  Aloe is also SUPER alkaline so it's great to take daily to get back on track.  I also use it on my face daily, and my zit problem has drastically reduced (also from my juicing and smoothies).  You can also find whole big leaves and blend them up in a drink!  Aloe should be a daily staple in your lifestyle. \

We Fell Down the "Got Busy" Hole.

Annnnnnd we're terrible.  We have had so much going on from family emergency health issues, to my personal business booming and Tommy's music getting very popular, that this fell down the list!  Fortunately, we have stuck to our diet all through this and found some even better recipes, smarter ways of living and exercising and even some great mentors.  We will happily begin sharing this all again soon as we slowly but surely begin to build a website as well.  Oh and my green smoothie this morning was awesome! 

So we got a Ninja...

I know you are thinking maybe we got ourselves our own Jackie Chan, but no.  Since the Vitamixes cost as much as it would to get a new laptop, we opted to try the Ninja.  And boy are we happy!!

First off, we got a killer deal.  It took me 2 hours to research, but in the end we paid about $75 for it.  I purchased it from Kohl's, who at the time was running a sale $179.99 for the 1200 watt Ninja.  I also had a 20% off coupon.  Additionally, they were running a $15 Kohl's cash back for every $50 spent (I added on a nerf toy for our friend's kid to get back to $150).  I then ordered online through eBates.com - which was giving 6% back on all purchases on Kohl's.  And then lastly, in the paper that week there was a $20 rebate coupon in the coupon section.  When it was all finished (and you subtract all the money and coupons) we paid right around $75.  SWEET!

Performance-wise, this machine is a breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze.  It came with 2 different sized pitchers, which was great when only one of us was making a smoothie.  Our smoothie test consisted of fresh picked spinach, banana, frozen mango and strawberries and fresh blueberries.  A little water and almond milk too.  (Oh and a some of my herbal potions we droppered in).  I was surprised at how well it blended everything.  I was worried about the spinach coming out leafy in the drink, but it ended up being a super thick creamy green smoothie with ZERO chunks of anything!  So, that's hat we got it for, and it did it.  And I saved $325.  Shazaam!

OH MY Have I Been Busy!

What a crazy month it has been!  I picked up new work clients, went on a Cruise (and Orlando), did house construction - it's been crazy!  However, I am DETERMINED to make it back into the blog world on a personal level - not just for my clients! 

Coming up, Tommy and I want to discuss the ups and downs we have while being on a 7 day cruise with food at every turn!  It was a monster challenge, especially with how pretty they make everything look.  Check back soon, we'd love to have your input on how you handle vacations and vegan diets.