Healthy Snacks

View at Picasa Popcorn Board jAugust 2004FUJIFILM FinePixS2Pro, 8.0, 105.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100

Are you glued to the Olympics? We are! During the past week, (once again), we’ve become enthralled with the talent, interesting stories, the variety of sports, the competition and the judging. To prepare for a weekend of viewing and cheering on the athletes, here is a healthy snack.

Roll back the clock to make popcorn the old-fashion way – on the stove top! It’s healthier, budget friendly and delicious – the ideal Mama Says recipe combination:

Stove top Popcorn with Olive Oil

Makes 8 – 10 cups

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup popcorn kernels

Preparation

In a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and olive oil and popcorn kernels, stir to mix. Cover partially with lid to create a vent for the steam.

Allow to cook over medium heat until popping slows; about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover completely and let stand until popping stops, about 1 minute.

View at Picasa

Salt or season, as desired, with a few shakes of garlic powder, your favorite herb, cinnamon, brown sugar or nutmeg.  For other topping ideas and popcorn recipes visit popcorn.org.

Photo credit: Popcorn Board (www.popcorn.org/)

Olympic Gold. EVOO + popcorn kernels!

Kale Chips

I picked some end of summer kale earlier this week.  The leaves were bright green, curly and tight.  I didn’t have enough to make a stew, or soup, and quite frankly, I didn’t want to ruin the sweet taste of the fresh leaves.

So a friend suggested that I make Kale Chips.  A little oil, salt and pepper, 15 minutes in the oven.

Oh yeah, baby.  These were good.  We’ll be having them again.

View at Picasa 09-Sep-2009 19:03, 3.2, 5.9mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 800

Update:  Joy Bauer, nutritionist, made kale chips on a recent Today Show segment. During the segment she gave junk food a healthy make-over and shared 5 healthy choice recipes, including her take on kale chips. Enjoy!