Crispy and salty but not bad for you... it's a miracle!

So I have started changing some things diet wise and after Valentines Day I will be cutting out sugar again but this time for longer than a week. After Christmas I cut it out for 1 week and lost 2 pounds in just a week! I was good this last Christmas with the sweets but I still felt nasty, and again I am starting to just get that urge to cleanse myself again. We don't eat that much sugar or bad foods but with diabetes in my family I feel I need to be extra careful, also I don't want to get bigger with each kid I have so in between my goal is to be a hot Mom!! So today I made two healthy but awesome alternatives for snacks, I made baked Kale and Garlic Lemon Hummus:

Baked Kale:

Ingredients:

1 Bunch of Kale
1-2 Tblsps of Olive Oil
Salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 300F. Cut out the centre stem part of the kale and then cut them or tear them into chip size pieces, do not cut them too small because they shrink down when they are baking. After cutting rinse the kale and use a salad spinner to dry the kale. To make sure it is completely dry place on a dish towel and let sit for 5 minutes.
2) Add kale and 1 Tblsp of olive oil to a large ziploc bag a massage the kale to coat it with the olive oil, if you need more olive oil add so all of the kale has an even coat on it.
3) Line a large baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat, lay kale on the tray so that it is only one layer. Sprinkle with salt, if you like it saltier you can add whatever floats your boat.
4) Bake for 20 mins, but make sure to check on it through out that time because you don't want to over cook it. Once the kale appears to be dried up then let it cool completely. This can be stored for up to two days in a ziploc bag.

*Note: If you have any other spices that you would like to add go ahead and experiment! Also I am telling you right now it won't last the 2 days, it's that good.

Garlic Lemon Hummus:

Ingredients:

1 Large can of Chick Peas
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
2-4 Garlic Cloves
2 Tablsps of Lemon Juice
1 Tablsp of Peanut Butter
Dash of Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1) Open can of chick peas and drain all the juice into a strainer, save some juice for later, rinse and remove all shells. 
2) In a small sauce pan add chick peas and fill with water so that they are covered. Bring to a simmer and cook them so they are soft, about 10 mins.
3) Once cooked drain and put in a food processor add all the other ingredients plus some of the reserved juice. Just add a bit of juice at a time till it is silky smooth. 
4) When done blending place in a bowl and refrigerate or eat right away. Serve with pita bread, veggies or anything else you would like to dip into it.

*Note: I use peanut butter because I don't know anyone who actually has Tahini paste and so you want that bit of nutty flavour and so peanut butter works great. Also if you like it more garlicy or lemony just add more to suit your tastes. I like more garlic hence the up to 4 cloves.