If you’ve ever wanted your toddler {and the rest of your family} to eat kale, but didn’t know how to prepare it, or got the thumbs down on the way you did prepare it, this is for you.  Not only are kale chips fun to make with munchkins, but if your little ones are anything like Gracen, they’ll munch them up by the bowl full.  I’ve always liked kale, but I must admit, the first time I tried kale chips I was not a fan.  I’m not sure what it was, but I’m so glad I tried them again recently.  For me, the key to delicious kale chips is that they are very crisp (who wants to eat soggy chips?!), not overly oily, and slightly salted.  And eating them when they’re fresh out of the oven increases the deliciousness even more. Here’s how Miss G and I whipped up our batch this morning…

{Scroll to the bottom to see our updated method…  But in the meantime – Baby G – GAH!}

First, start with a couple of bunches of kale. The fresher, the better.

Fill your sink with cool water and give the leaves a good washing.

Rinse your leaves under cool running water, shake them out, and place on a clean towel to dry.

Place another clean towel on top of the leaves and pat gently to remove excess water.

Next, remove the stems and chop the leafy parts into chip-sized pieces.

Although the chopping part is obviously not toddler-friendly, while I did the chopping, Gracen’s job was to collect the soon-to-be chips and place them in a large bowl.  In order to keep her little fingers safe, we stuck with the same rule we always use – no touching anything on the chopping board.  This is something I’ve reinforced since I started cooking with her and she’s very good about waiting for me to move things onto the counter before she touches them.

Next, drizzle a small amount of oil on the leaves (a little goes a long way). We used grapeseed oil because it’s flavourless, but olive oil works too.

Mix well.

With the oil evenly distributed, move about half of your leaves onto a large baking pan (Judging by her heaping pile, G got a little excited).

Arrange them so that they are in as close to a single layer as possible…

And grind just a very tiny touch of sea salt on top.

Do the same thing with the other half of your leaves, and pop both pans into the oven.  Be sure to watch them quite closely and flip them every now and then to ensure an even crispness.

Voila! Done.  They may not look like the prettiest things, but I promise they’re yummy.

Serve them on their own as a snack, or in this case, as a side with lunch (smashed avocado and chickpea roll ups).

Homemade {Toddler-Approved} Kale Chips

• 2 bunches of kale
• 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Wash, rinse, and dry your kale. Remove stems and chop leafy parts into large chip-sized pieces.  Drizzle kale with oil, sprinkle on salt, and mix well until oil is evenly distributed. Using 2 large baking sheets, arrange leaves so that they are in as close to a single layer as possible.  Bake at 400 degrees, flipping them every now and then.  Remove chips as ready to avoid over-browning. Eat immediately or store at room temperature.

Enjoy!

UPDATE:  After years and years of making kale chips at home, a) they’re still a favourite and b) our method has changed just slightly.  First off, we’ve discovered lacinato kale – the kind that has fairly flat leaves {we get it at Nature’s Fare here in Vernon}.  WELL.  Game changer.  It cooks much more evenly which means that you always get the perfect, crisp kale chip.  We also add garlic powder {and sometimes nutritional yeast} because… YUM.  As far as prep goes, we now use a salad spinner (so much faster and easier) and we’ve switched to doing just one bunch of kale at a time which I think helps the chips crisp up better.  With two bunches / pans in the oven at once I was finding that it sometimes got steamy in there, which is not really what you want when making crisp chips.

Here’s our updated recipe {though the first one does still work just fine}…

Crispy Homemade Kale Chips (UPDATED VERSION)

• 1 bunch of lacinato kale (approximately 10 leaves)
• 1 tablespoon of olive or avocado oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• sprinkling of nutritional yeast (if desired)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash your lacinato kale leaves and dry them fully using a salad spinner.  Using a knife, remove the stems and cut each leaf into 4-6 big pieces.  Dump the kale onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner and drizzle the oil on top.  Use your hands to toss the leaves and evenly distribute the oil.  Sprinkle on the garlic powder, sea salt, and nutritional yeast if using, and toss them with your hands once again.  Arrange the kale in a single layer and pop them into the oven for 10 minutes.  When the timer goes, remove the pan, flip each individual chip, and bake for an additional 3 minutes.  

Serve fresh out of the oven or let cool completely and then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Enjoy!

Before going on vacation, I had washed, chopped, and frozen a bunch of fruit we hadn’t yet gotten around to eating. Well this morning, when a bag of strawberries landed at my feet as a result of opening the freezer door, I decided it was time to put some of that fruit to good use.  I did consider making a smoothie, but I wanted to try something we don’t make all the time already.  I ran through a couple of options and quickly settled on applesauce when I saw my dish rack full of apples from washing them the night before. Miss G really enjoys applesauce and although you can easily buy organic ‘just apples’ applesauce at most grocery stores, nothing beats the real thing.  I gathered my {always enthusiastic helper} and a few ingredients and we got busy in the kitchen.

The line up of ingredients: strawberries, apples, pure maple syrup (optional), vanilla, and water.

Get started by peeling and coring your apples. (I haven’t yet taught Gracen how to peel things, so I peeled and cored our apples while she gathered all of the scraps and placed them in a bowl for composting.)

Next up, chop your apples into smallish pieces. (We both did this job – Gracen using a regular butter knife, of course. FYI: I’ve done this several times with my Kindergarten classes and decent-quality plastic/wooden knives work too.)

Then, chop your strawberries.

Dump everything into a large pot.

Add a little bit of water…

Just a touch of pure maple syrup… (Only if you want some extra sweetness – turns out ours could have easily done without.)

And a good amount of pure vanilla.

Give everything a quick stir and pop it on the stove at medium heat.

Slowly cook the fruit, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft and easily mashed with a fork. 

Remove from the heat and mash until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. If you like a smoother texture, an immersion blender works well.

Dish out a small bowl…

And give it to your extremely excited toddler. Watch her gobble it up and ask for more.

Strawberry Applesauce

• 2 large apples (the sweeter they are the better – we used Fujis)
• Approximately 10 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 4 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon of pure maple syrup (completely optional – ours would have been plenty sweet without)

Peel, core, and chop apples. Chop strawberries. Add all ingredients to a large pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pot from heat and mash or blend fruit until it reaches desired consistency. Serve warm or refrigerate for later.

Enjoy!