Kale Chips

Ok. I have to admit, I resisted the kale. I feared the kale. I know that it is the new in vogue super food. It is rich in calcium, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and K, manganese, fiber, folate, iron and potassium. You can use it to boost your metabolism, raise your energy, detox your body, slow the aging process, and help you to leap tall buildings in a single bound but, I still feared it. 

And just like any fear, you have to face it and I did: face first. I planted this in March and then put myself through a crash-course in Kale 101.

First, the harvest. Get close to the stalk and snap.

Then, rinse it in a basin of water:

Then, strip the leaves off of the tough stem because it is not good to eat:

It should look like this:

Take them for a spin:

Preheat the oven at 350:

Put the leaves on a baking tray and season them with olive oil and a little bit of salt (you can try other seasons like red pepper flakes, cumin, chili powder, etc. but I just like the salt) :

Put it in the oven:

For 15 minutes:

What you get is Kale Chips which are a GREAT replacement for potato chips or fries:

I have waaaaaaaay too much left over. So, as with all my veggies, I wrap it up in a paper towel.

And store it in a zip bag until I figure out what the heck else I am going to do with it!

Everyone complains about how expensive and hard it is to eat healthy. Sure, you can get kale chips in a bag at your local market at $3 for a 4 ounce bag that is loaded with sodium and who knows what else. Or you can spend a $1 for a bunch and make your own.

You can also put Kale in a juicer with apples and other things during a detox or saute it up in some olive oil and garlic for a great side. I have also snuck it into a table salad but, my daughter found it and didn't dig it raw. So, I am on a quest for what else I can do with this nutrient dense super food.

Chicken with Pomodoro Sauce

My bumper crop of tomatoes suspended in home cans is the start of this fresh and deep flavored dish.

I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie. Here is my menu this week:



Also, $5 Dinners inspires us all to make low cost dinners. In that spirit, I am taking what Pick N Save has on sale, pairing it with coupons and coming up with the tastiest money saving around! This week, they have chicken on sale for $1.88 lb. (normally $4.79/lb.) which makes it a perfect time to update my classic recipe:

Chicken in Pomodoro Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken
1/2 lb spaghetti
1 pint Pomodoro Sauce

Directions:
1. Prepare spaghetti according to package instructions.

2. Saute chicken.

3. Pour sauce over chicken. Heat until warm and serve.

Servings: 6

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (5.3 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 256.05
Calories From Fat (9%) 22.9
% Daily Value
Total Fat 2.61g 4%
Saturated Fat 0.48g 2%
Cholesterol 43.85mg 15%
Sodium 96.95mg 4%
Potassium 388.19mg 11%
Total Carbohydrates 33.73g 11%
Fiber 1.75g 7%
Sugar 0.97g
Protein 23.38g 47%

Recipe Type
Chicken, Harvest, Italian, Main Course, Simple Supper

Source
Author: Susan Ewing

Recipe Cost: $5.80 (on sale $3.00)
Serving Cost: $0.97 (on sale $0.16)



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Pomodoro Sauce

I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners and putting them together with great recipes:-)

Last week before school start which means...one more week of summer vacation. All of our back-to-school shopping is done. We got new glasses. Now, we just need an appointment for a flu shot and a hair cut and we will be all set for school. Yahoo!!

Thank goodness Pick N Save is helping me out with my menu planning! They have boneless pork loin on sale for $1.99/lb. (normally $3.99/lb.) !! I bought a bunch and I am going to top them with Pomodor Sauce (check out the recipe below). It is going to be super cheap because instead of canned tomatoes, I used my fresh tomatoes from my garden. We are going to eat like kings for months with what I have going on out there!!

Here is everything that I am serving this week:

Monday: Spaghetti (Cleaning Day)

Tuesday: Pork Chops with Pomodoro Sauce (See recipe below)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Chicken and Rice

Friday: Eat Out

Pomodoro Sauce
Ingredients:
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish later
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 tsp sugar
·Kosher salt or sea salt
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 cup basil, chiffionade
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Begin by heating the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Sautee the diced onions if you're using them, until they're soft but not browned. Add the garlic (in slices or paste) and sauté carefully and briefly, don’t let it turn brown; if you're using red pepper flakes, you can add that pinch now too. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
2. This sauce can be covered with a lid wholly or partially as it does not need to reduce too much; if you're making a creamier sauce your ingredients are mostly in puree and paste form and will not need much reducing; if it's a chunkier sauce with diced tomatoes, onions and garlic, you might leave the lid off so it reduces a bit better as it may be slightly watery. You can also add a small can of tomato paste with the diced tomatoes, to absorb some of their water.

3. Cook approximately 30 - 60 minutes, until the sauce slightly thickens. Stir and check it occasionally. Add sugar and salt according to taste during the process. Don't over-salt it but make sure it's not bland either, a common problem of poorly-made sauces. Taste it! as you go along, don't guess! Cook it longer if it seems to need 'more taste', as the reduction and mixing of the ingredients progresses over more cooking time, as is true with almost all sauces.

Servings: 12
Yield: 2 quarts

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/12 of a recipe (7.7 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. One of the recipe's ingredients was not linked. This ingredient is not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 195.9
Calories From Fat (29%) 56.56
% Daily Value
Total Fat 6.45g 10%
Saturated Fat 0.88g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 271mg 11%
Potassium 805.05mg 23%
Total Carbohydrates 32.98g 11%
Fiber 5.03g 20%
Sugar 1.82g
Protein 6.57g 13%

Recipe Type
Italian, Sauce

Tips
Experiment with the tastes and consistencies of the tomatoes you use, since they are the most important ingredient; some chefs will mix fresh tomatoes in with canned tomato paste, some will try a can of tomatoes, mixed with fresh tomatoes, and add some tomato paste.

Experiment with different herbs and seasonings... though experiment carefully. You are usually safe to try adding small amounts of herbs that are generally known to be good in Italian red sauces... but first put the tiniest pinch of any herb on a spoonful of the sauce to see what you think, rather than dumping it straight into the main batch. If it seems to go well, you might try a pinch in with the sauce to begin with, and add more if you're liking the taste.

Common other additions include, to your taste: mushrooms of various kinds, colored bell peppers, hot peppers, and meats. Pomodoro sauce and pasta are especially famous and recommended to go with chicken, but other meats, seafood, and meatballs are used.

A secret ingredient of some chefs is to add a little cream to the sauce to make it... er... creamier.

Source
Web Page: http://www.pomodorosauce.com/

Recipe Cost: $4.32 ($1.32 with fresh tomatoes)
Serving Cost: $ .36 ($0.11 with fresh tomatoes)

Grape Jam

Check me out over at At Work, At Play or At Home All Day talking about girlie stuff:-)
Here, I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners .

Well, I survived last week only to get hit again this week. My older daughter is flying off to Spain for a semester so, the first half of the week is devoted to her. My younger daughter is starting kindergarden next week so, the second half of this week is dedicated to her. Not to mention, my mom has appointments and my grapes are coming in!!
Thank goodness Pick N Save had canning stuff on sale this week. I picked some up to make my grape jam. I use the SURE.JELL® Concord Grape Jam recipe from their site. So, I don't have a recipe this week. However, if you are wondering what the difference is between jelly and jams and everything else, I have a breakdown for you at the bottom of this post.

Here is what I am serving this week:
Sunday: Paella (Older Daughter's Going Away Party)
Monday: Eat Out (Older Daughter's Last Night here)

Tuesday: Eat Out (Take Older Daughter to Chicago)

Wednesday: Leftovers (Mom's Doctor Appt.)

Thursday: Chicken and Pasta (Younger Daughter's Dentist Appt. and Haircut)

Friday: Fish and Fries (Younger Daughter's Meet and Greet at School and Mom's Dr. Appt.)

What is the difference between jelly and jam?
Here it is from smoothest to chunkiest:-)
Jelly is made from fruit juice and is smooth.
Jam is made from a puree of fruit but it does not have fruit chunks.

Marmalade is made with the flesh and the rind of the fruit (usually citrus) but it remains smooth like jelly.
Preserves is made by cooking down the fruit so that it is chunky and not smooth like jelly.

Chutney is made from fruit or vegetables and has the consistency of a relish and not a spread.
Happy Canning:-)