Sweet Pot, Beet, & Kale Chips

Happy What The Fork Wednesday!

Heeelloooooo! How is your 2018 healthy eating resolution going??? We are three weeks into the new year already & my hopes are high!!! I just know you're still going strong, staying on track, taking each day & meal one at a time. & I don't say that lightly... Changing the way you eat is no joke, y'all. It's a physical AND mental cleanse. I mean think about it...you live and breathe because of food & water. Whatever you put into your body will directly affect...everything. Going through this new journey with food, remember to be patient & kind to yourself. ONE day & meal at a time. This will be a learning & discovering process about yourself, one that will take time (like all good things, yes?) & one that will hopefully spark new interests about how nutrition will really affect your entire being of existence. Mind, body, spirit kind of stuff. I know it did for me. Yes, it's tough. But you know what...a lot of things are tough. So be the boss of you AND that fork day in and out. Keep grindin', You've GOT this.

One of my healthy eating resolutions is: "If I'm gonna snack, I'm gonna snack SMART."
I love the idea of snacking on vegetables. Low carb, good fiber, a lil protein, & low fat so I can dip it in something creamy. Strategy, people.

I had a crap ton of vegetables left over from prep this weekend, sooooo yesterday I sliced a sweet potato and a beet to make "chips", & also threw some bagged kale onto a sheet pan for kale chips! I highly recommend buying a mandolin for making chip snacks. You HAVE to have the raw slice thin enough or they won't crisp up. Still delicious, sans crunch. You can chip almost any hard root vege. Potatoes of any kind, squash, carrots, parsnips, beets, etc. it's awesome. All you need is a little olive oil & spices. Recipe for these babies below!

Sweet Pot, Beet, & Kale Chips

Ingredients:
Root veg of choice.
1 sweet potato
1 beet
Few stalks of kale or a couple handfuls
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Seasonings

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375-400. Everyone's oven is a little different.
Slice your veges as thin as you can get them. Like, they should start to curl after you cut them. So important! Use a mandolin if you're unfamiliar on how to thinly cut hard veg...beets are slippery & you need ya fangers. This is one of the few "tools" that actually makes prepping 5x easier and won't just take up space in your drawer. Get one!

Toss each vegetable (slices) in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, and spice of choice. I sprinkled in rosemary & lemon juice for the beets. (The lemon makes a big difference!!) Cinnamon & smoked paprika for the sweet pots.

Lay each slice flat on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes. (The kale will take about 5-8 depending on crispness level desired). Yeah, a big time gap, but every oven is different and mine took the full 25...**weak sauce oven. Start watching them closely at the 15-17 minute mark, they can burn quick. They're best fresh out of the oven (so crispy and flavorful) but can last for 2-3 days in a paper baggy. I still will eat them room temp/cold/kinda soggy the next day. The flavors are still SO good because they are roasted. Dipped in some avocado (my fav way of eating them) you've got a snack of champs.

Enjoy! Come back next week for more Cooking with Chels :)