Foodie Friday: Tasty Kale Chips

Photo Source: Honest Fare

I have been wanting to make these kale chips for quite some time. Alterations I'd like to try sometime on this recipe: switch sugar with sucanat or raw honey or even better raw agave nectar (or leave it out) and either dehydrate or bake at degrees a lower temp to prevent converting oil into a trans fat. I love the photos that they took over at the wonderful site, HonestFare.com. I love finding snacks that are the better option.

The recipe calls for 6 ingredients:

1. Bunches of Kale

2. Paprika

3. Salt

4. Sugar

5. Cayenne Peper

6. Olive Oil

The ingredients use very small amounts (except for Kale, which calls for 2 bunches) and most of it you probably already have so, this is a very budget friendly recipe. If you try it out, please let me know! Delish!

Foodie Friday: Apricot & Lavender Fruit Leather

Photo Source: Roost

I found this incredibly beautiful blog, Roost, through Pinterest (my favorite obsession, currently). It is a most lovely blog. I encourage you to go look at it! I am a great lover of fruit leather and to find one that brings in some unique herbal flavors is just perfect! I will probably be featuring this blog a lot. The author Caitlin or "Coco" has a wonderful "about me" which is under the tab "Coco". I feel like we have a lot in common.

This recipe is one that I wouldn't think about altering (which I usually do). I can't wait to try it, I need access to a dehydrator (summer time + 3rd floor apartment + oven to dehydrated = I'm not going to attempt this recipe right now).

There are 5 ingredients (how easy is that!):

1. Ripe Apricots

2. Honey

3. Pitted Dates

4. Dried Lavender

5. Filtered Water

If you try the recipe, let me know (or the checkout the blog)! You can even share it with me (smiles)! Delish!

Foodie Friday: Preserved Lemons

Photo Source: Plan to Eat

I really want to make some of these preserved lemons. I LOVE lemon. I want to make some preserved limes too, because I might love those even more. I found this on the blog for the website, Plan to Eat, that I will talk more about later (hopefully, soon-ish). It's quickly becoming a new favorite thing! It was written by Erin (wish I could find more info about her!). She got the recipe out of one of my favorite cookbooks, Nourishing Traditions. I still don't own this book although, I checked it out of the library more than a few times and I have given it a a gift. Someday... hopefully soon... I will have this glorious cookbook. The only thing I would try to change is trying a non-dairy substitute for whey, since my son and I are allergic to dairy. However, there is an excellent explanation for this in the article, which is very informative.

Photo Source: Plan to Eat

This recipe only contains 5 ingredients! Which are: lemons, sea salt, cinnamon sticks, whey, lemon juice. I can't wait to have my little pantry someday stocked with homemade good filled Ball jars. Bliss!

Head on over to the Plan to Eat - Blog for the recipe! Can't wait to try this ... delish!

Inspire Me Monday: Deals That Matter

Although Deals That Matter currently only serves 2 states, Utah and Arizona (which in include 5 ares or counties), Deals That Matter has a great mission. They plan to expand to all the major areas in the United States. There mission is to encourage 3 important things, buying local, saving you money and supporting a cause. I like anything that tags a cause along with it. Why not? It's a win/ win for everyone! For more information on how it works, click here.

The thing I love most about the site is that you can use it for fundraising. It is not exclusive to huge causes, they just have to be legit! The best part is that "anyone with a worthy cause" may fundraise, you don't have to be a non-profit! So say you want to raise money to help out a family who's house has burned down, or your friend's cancer treatments (more on that later!), then you can sign up with Deals That Matter and raise some funds!

Here is what they have to say about what "constitutes a worthy cause":

What constitutes a worthy cause? We aren’t the judge. If you have at least 50 supporters, it’s worthy, and 15% of all our proceeds that come from sales to your supporters are donated directly to your cause. (In fact, you can kickoff a special 30-days-only promotion in which Deals That Matter donates 100% of its proceeds!)

And if you want to watch a video about it:

Check it out! I'm going to try to set something up with them soon... I'll let you know how it goes if I can get that going!

Let's all do what we can to make a difference in the world, big or small! Let's Love!

*Heart*

Foodie Friday: 5 Herbal Sorbet Recipes from The Herb Companion

Photo source: The Herb Companion

I LOVE sorbet. I LOVE herbs. So when I saw the newsletter in my inbox entitled, "5 Easy, Delicious Sorbet Recipes" from The Herb Companion, I almost leapt for joy. I knew they would incorporate herbs somehow and I've had a goal to use herbs more in my meals in a less traditional way. I want to use them more as a focal point.

This article talks about that in particular. It also tells you two basic methods for how to make it, one uses a blender and the other a saucepan to create an infusion (I'll be talking more about what that is later). I would like to modify these recipes to make them a little healthier, but I'll have to test that out later when I have a little better access to a kitchen (relocating for the summer). As soon as I have a chance to try these recipes I will let you know how they turn out!

Here are the 5 easy sorbet recipes linked in the article:

1. Basil-Lime Sorbet

2. Lemon Verbena Yogurt Sorbet

3. Rosemary, Lavender and Ginger Granita

4. Strawberry-Rose Geranium Sorbet

5. Honeydew Melon and Tarragon Sorbet

I will probably try Basil-Lime or Lemon Verbena first. I can't wait......