Tuesday Temptations (a day late)

I know what you're thinking..."sheesh Joanna, you're only a week into this new weekly feature and you're already late??"  Yesterday ended up being a rather busy day once we saw the sign outside our neighborhood saying there was going to be a neighborhood-wide garage sale on Saturday (and this is the 2nd year in a row we had not been notified but that vent is for another time).  Anyway, I did not forget and I knew what 2 recipes I would be reviewing for a few days now.
First up, another recipe from Pinterest.  I'll link to the actual blog, not the pin itself in case someone out there still isn't on Pinterest (and seriously why aren't you?). 
So I know what you're thinking...Kale chips?  Really?  Those were my thoughts but all the comments under the pin swayed me to try them.  And anyone who knows me, should know that I love chips.  Like seriously love, would eat them every single day of my life if I could, love.  So I thought, why not try to make a healthy alternative. 

Kale Chips (no picture for this one as I forgot to take one)

Prep Time: 5 min.    Cook Time: 12-15 min.    Servings: Variable

Ingredients:
kale
1-4 Tbs. olive oil
sea salt (or other spices)

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Wash and THOROUGHLY dry your kale.  Tear pieces of kale off the bunch, discarding the hard ribs in the middle.  Line a cookie pan with tinfoil and spread your kale leaves out on top.  Drizzle olive oil over leaves and lightly toss with your fingers for even distribution.  Bake in oven 12-15 min. or until leaves are crispy (mine took 14 min.).  Remove cooked leaves from oven and sprinkle with sea salt or other seasonings.  Enjoy!

Nutrition:
I didn't bother calculating this one

Review:
So like I said earlier, I was pretty skeptical.  However when I tried the first one fresh out of the oven, it was actually pretty good!  So then I ate more and more and then actually felt sick from eating them.  haha!  I think I used too much olive oil.  I used 2 Tbs. which coated the leaves really well.   I think next time I might try just using an olive oil spray to see if they come out a bit lighter tasting.
Also, I could definitely tell which of the leaves were not all the way dry when I put them in the oven because those did not crisp up at all; ick.  And definitely make sure none of the stem is on the leaf because that part is like chewing grass; double ick.  So all in all, will these replace the salty goodness of regular potato chips?  um no of course not, nothing can.  BUT these will do to satisfy that crispy salty craving you might have late at night.  (and bonus, I got my kale for $1.29 and only used half of it to make one batch so it seems pretty economical too)

And recipe 2 is Quick Chicken Lasagna from the Trim and Terrific Cookbook by Holly Clegg.

mmmm looks good doesn't it?

Prep Time: 10 min.    Cook Time: 55 min.    Servings: 8

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken (or 2 large cans of chicken)
2 (26 oz) jars red pasta sauce
1 (8 oz) package no-boil lasagna noodles (also called oven-ready lasagna noodles)
2 cups shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese
2 (10 oz) packages chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (4 oz) package crumbled goat cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine chicken with both jars of pasta sauce.  In an oblong baking dish, spread a thin layer of the chicken sauce.  Top with a layer of noodles, one-third of the chicken sauce, Mozzarella cheese, half the spinach, and one-third of the goat cheese.  Continue with the remaining noodles, chicken sauce, Mozzarella, and goat cheese.  Bake, covered, for 50 minutes.  Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer, or until bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Nutrition:
Calories: 462
Fat: 16
Carbs: 42
Fiber: 7
Protein: 36

Review:
I must say this recipe was really really good.  I mean you can't go wrong with goat cheese!  If you really don't like goat cheese, you could probably use feta or just leave it out completely but I think it added a nice flavor.  Another plus was how easy this was to put together.  The only reason it took me 10 minutes was because I had to keep checking the recipe to make sure I was getting the layers right.  If you need more proof of the deliciousness of this recipe.....

Yes, that would be my 2 1/2 year old, a hater of all things vegetables and pasta, chowing down her lasagna.  I was shocked.  And I figured in true toddler form, she'd eat it the first night and refuse it the next.  Not this one!  Taylor gobbled up her leftovers the second night we had it as well.  Now that's a good review!