It may not be January anymore, but a large percentage of us are still trying to eat healthier, and to be more mindful of the things that make the cut.

While on the search to find some healthy snacks to munch on, I stumbled across these. Upon my first glance at the recipe, I had the thought of, ‘no, there’s no way it’s that easy.’

I’ve had kale chips before, purchased from ‘that’ section of the checkout line that seems to get most people.

That little impulsive section that you see right as you’re getting hungry from your shopping trip, and, “oh look it’s on sale,”and there it goes right into your cart.

I’m not blaming anyone, it’s creative marketing at its finest and honestly I’m happy that there are healthy options such as dried fruit or kale chips, which make that impulsivity just a tad safer.

However, when you do have 15 minutes to spare, or for some reason you can’t find the kale chips you’re looking for, rest assured that you can make them at home with just a handful of ingredients.

It may not be as easy as the homemade brown sugar that I recently shared, but it’s close, friends, it’s really close.

Not to mention, abundantly better for you than sugar.

The first batch that I made was a test batch, as I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. They turned out far better than I had hoped, and they had a great crunch to them.

A couple of tips that I think are worth mentioning, are to firstly make sure that your kale is completely dry, and not to over season.

You really only need a little pinch of salt, and/or black pepper, and if you bake the kale while even a bit wet, it will turn into a terrible gummy texture. I know because there was one piece that was definitely not dry, and that piece got spit right back out.

I want you to have edible chips, not like that one.

As always, thanks for reading, and happy healthy eating from hbk!

Homemade Kale Chips

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch kale

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Pinch of sea salt, and/or freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Wash and dry your kale, then rip up into smaller pieces.

3. Arrange kale on baking sheet, then drizzle olive oil and any seasonings on top.

4. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from oven. I have read some recipes that suggest flipping the kale halfway through, but this wasn’t necessary when I made my small batch.

5. Allow to cool, and enjoy!

Katy Wise is a Fredonia resident.