Snacks

Normally I reach for an already prepared food when I am in the mood for a snack:  Greek yogurt, string cheese, baked chips, a Fiber One bar or fruit.

I have been on the hunt for some different kind of snacks that I can eat that don't take a lot of time to prepare.  I keep hearing about kale chips so I made some.

Oh my gosh you guys, have you ever had kale chips?  No?  Well run!  Go buy some kale and make them NOW!  They are amazing!

Super duper easy to make (win!) and taste yummy (double win!).  I don't want to say that these are going to replace your potato chip cravings but they come awfully close.

Here is how I prepared my chips:

1. Wash and dry your kale.
2. Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
3. Tear the kale into bite sized pieces and place on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Lightly spray the kale with the olive oil spray (key word:  LIGHTLY).
5. Sprinkle seasoning on the kale.  Any combination of spices you want will work here.  I used seasoned salt and it was divine.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until they start turning crispy.

It's amazing how a vegetable that is like a lettuce turns into a crispy yummy snack!

The kale all ready to be baked:

Mmmm, my bowl of kale chips:

These are super addicting.  I will admit though that the first one I tried I wasn't immediately sold.  It took the second and third bite to realize that these are GOOD!

The other snack I made was Roasted Chickpeas.  

I don't care for chickpeas in their virgin form.  If they are in soup, chili or another recipe, I am fine with them, so this snack was definitely going outside of my comfort zone.

I don't have a picture of how the chickpeas looked when they were done but mine turned out exactly like the picture shows in the recipe.

I do have some hints though:  Bake the chickpeas for the longer length in the recipe.  Mine weren't done even though my oven runs hot.  I needed to bake them longer.  Lesson learned.  Also, if you aren't a fan of Indian spices, you could use any combination of spices that you prefer.  Garlic and salt would be yummy, as would cayenne, cumin and chili powder for a Mexican flavor.  Also, I will definitely double this recipe for next time.  That way, I have a few servings on hand to snack on.  I will probably divide them up into individual ziploc bags as well.

I am so glad I branched out and tried new snacks.  Now that I have some new ones in my rotation, I won't be bored!