Howdy!

I hope everyone had a terrific Tuesday. I came down with a stomach bug last night, so most of my day was spent under the covers trying to recover. I just managed to keep down a few saltines, so things are looking up!

Monday's are my early days (meaning I get off work early), so I had some extra time to spend in the kitchen. I made baked chicken and veggies for Eric's dinner, and while that was in the oven, I whipped up some Asian stir fry to take for lunch this week. This weeks vegetable of choice is kale. I had heard of kale chips before, but I had never tried them before yesterday. They were absolutely delicious! They tasted kind of like potato chips. Lets just say, even Eric thought they were good and that is saying something!

Health Benefits of Kale:

• Rich in calcium, lutein, and iron
• High in Vitamins A, C, and K
• Kale contains 7x's more beta-carotene than broccoli and 10x's more lutein
• Contains the phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which research suggests may protect against cancer.
• High in the antioxidant Vitamin E.

Asian Veggie Stir Fry (makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• Chopped zucchini, eggplant, and carrots
• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. garlic
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. red chili paste
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Chop up the vegetables into bite size pieces.
2. Heat skillet on med/high and add olive oil, garlic, and ginger.
3. Saute the vegetables until soft around 5-8 minutes
4. While the vegetables are doing their thing in the skillet, cook the rice according to the directions on the package. (I cheated and used Uncle Sam's boil in the bag brown rice)
5. Combine the rice and the vegetables in the skillet
6. Add the soy sauce and red chili paste
7. Stir until well mixed

Kale Chips:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale (or a few leaves if you are making a single serving)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. seasoned sale (or sea salt)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner.
3. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
4. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10-15 minutes.

Both of these recipes are quick and easy and a great way to fit extra veggies into your diet!!

Food for thought:
What is your veggie of the week?
Does anyone know what they are going to be for Halloween yet?

Yours truly,

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