"I forgot how good kale tastes!"

Quoted from my kid tonight at dinner.  I know ... more hip hip hooray about kale!  You're probably so tired of hearing about it if you see me around town but I just wanted to pass on a new product I found this week at Trader Joe's.  They currently have "Organic Lacinto Kale" already washed and chopped for use.  Yes, there are so many uses for kale such as sauteed kale with olive oil and garlic or stir-fried or even hidden in chicken noodle soup ... but my favorite is just plain old kale chips because the kids really do eat them!  I like this bag of kale because it is so easy to do.  The chips are definitely smaller and there are a lot of stems in the bag (I usually don't use stems), but sometimes easier is better.  Plus they are organic ... that's not always easy to find and kale is one of those that you should try to buy organic as the pesticides are high on conventional varieties. 

Kale Chips

*1-2 bunches of kale (aka "King of Calcium and "heavy hitting” crucible)
*olive oil
*sea salt or other spices you like (I use Gomasio, curry, garlic  or cumin)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Remove kale from stalk, leaving the green in large pieces
Brush or use your fingers to lightly oil the kale
Put the kale on a baking sheet and bake for 4 mins. or until it starts to turn a bit brown.  Keep an eye as it can burn quickly!
Remove and serve!

Enjoy!

Ok, done.

Lots of goodies in this one!

"I love carrots!"

I swore I died and went to heaven!  Coming home from a ridiculously hot soccer practice on the turf in Summit, NJ (97 degrees at 6:00 pm) with my daughter's friends ...I try to offer the good stuff ... I TRY and hope that if they are desperate for food, they will eat the good stuff first!  So I pack grapes, carrots, and Cheerios.  Exciting right?  I couldn't believe my ears when my daughter had to actually ask for her Cheerios back when they were being inhaled by her 3 teammates in the car.  Just cleaned out the vehicle ... and those grape stems and empty containers were on the ground ... ok, not the neatest kids but I didn't care because I heard those words!  And yes, after the 30 minutes of swilling water and eating healthy I stopped at our famous ice cream shop in town.  Here they are ... young people are amazing with their never ending energy.  They just got out of the pool a few minutes ago and I'm still trying to get mine to bed.  Wish I had that boundless energy!

Stay Cool!
Krista

Walking on Sunshine ...

Hydrangea Angel ...
She's watching over all the flowers here in my perennial garden ... we haven't had rain in a long time here in NJ.  Hope she can keep watch during the next heat wave coming next week.

Just an update to those of you who didn't see my facebook post two weeks ago (see below picture) ... I had a follow up appointment with my neurosurgeon just to go over the latest mri done 3 months post-radiation/cyberknife.  There is nothing new to report ... the tumor hasn't shrunk as of yet (maybe it will with the radiation) but it hasn't grown either so that is great news!  I am now on a "come back in one year" regimen - yippee! I'm so grateful for those who have supported me through the last 2 years and 6 months! Wow I just can't believe it's been that long!

NYU Medical Center - Dr. Chandraneth Sen's office

I've been busy learning the ropes of book publishing the last few months.  It has been a really good experience and I highly recommend it for those of you who have thought about writing a book and just gave up on the idea as it seemed too overwhelming!  I'm currently sending my book files to be formatted to be an ebook (Kindle and Nook)!  The book and ebook will be available for purchase very soon ... in fact I have a shipment on the way to my house right now!  I can't wait to hold it in my hands and read it!  My book is a manual ... it is designed to help busy moms who need some guidance in feeding their young athletes healthy food while maintaining a bit of sanity!   I'm not saying it will ever be the easiest job in the world ... it never will be!  Busy moms will always be busy if their kids play sports or are engaged in other activities.  But, in this day and age of never ending sports, fast food and limited time, we sometimes just want to feed them something! Bonus points if  it is easy and healthy!  So, that's what I'm all about ... quick, easy and helpful to growing athletic bodies (and us parents too)!

 So, go out and enjoy summer and when the back to school thoughts kick in (shhh, not yet) my book will be ready for you to get your kitchens, cars and fridges in order!

Summer Love,
Krista

PS  If you have young athletes check out the www.youth1.com website for news in sports!  I get to contribute an article every Sunday on athletes and nutrition!