You know someone really loves you when they are willing to put their life on the line, day after day, for you. Every morning this week at 5:45am Kyle has been risking life and limb for me. He gets up at 5:30am, gets the coffee steeping, and no doubt steels himself for potential battle, before he walks softly back into our bedroom and wakes me up.
The terror of waking me from deep sleep is not a new one. When I was younger, my sister used to wake me up by flinging pillows at me from a safe distance, presumably with a safe exit strategy in mind, so I didn’t hit her. I don’t remember any of this, of course. And I recently heard a family legend that my Aunt Sue, my mom’s youngest sister, was awakened by their mother who would throw breakfast items at her sleeping form to avoid physical injury.
What, you might be thinking, could be so important that my wonderful husband would risk his life to wake me up at such a wretched hour? I have been exercising in the mornings. Before coffee, before my eyes are even properly open, I have been exercising. I am a fairly consistent exerciser. As consistent as a mom of two young kids with no childcare can be. Meaning I have the goal of getting a work out in every day during their naps. However, sometimes I have to prioritize: eating lunch, tidying up, prepping dinner, taking a shower, or eating Hot Dates with Olive Oil and Salt while watching an episode of Gilmore Girls. Then, of course there are the times when one of the girls skips a nap. When it’s all added up, I end up getting a workout in once, maybe twice a week.
Between my temperamental back, and my temperamental anxiety, I really need daily exercise. I recently had the realization that the only way I’m going to get more hours in the day is if I add one myself. And the only place to add one? In the morning. But, knowing how much I loathe alarms, Kyle bravely volunteered to wake me up each morning. He gamely puts up with my grumbles and glares and lets me steal nips of his coffee between lunges. He doesn’t know it yet, but soon he’s good man.
To reward his goodness, I’ve been cooking up wonderful food and snacks for our family this week. With all the exercise going on, and the excitement of getting the garden planned out and the new raised beds in place, I’ve been making quick, healthy snacks in the afternoons inspired by the vegetables that will soon be creeping up through our soil. One of my favorite, simplest recipes is for Kale Chips with Lemon Zest and Flake Salt. There are many, many recipes “out there” for Kale Chips, and mine is pretty basic. Except for the sprinkling of fragrant lemon zest and the squeeze of bright lemon juice, there’s nothing extraordinary about them. That being said, I can easily devour a bowlful of them by myself, not that my kids let that happen.
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Kale Chips are quick and easy to make, simply tossed with glossy olive oil, they are roasted until the kale crisps up and the edges of the torn leaves begin to brown and contract. Once pulled from the oven they are quickly showered with lemon, flake salt, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper, and equally as quickly, they are devoured. They melt in your mouth. They are crisp and salty and vegetal and bright. They inspire me to over-plant kale in our freshly turned garden beds.
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KALE CHIPS WITH LEMON ZEST AND FLAKE SALT
Ingredients.
1 bunch of kale
extra virgin olive oil
flake salt
freshly ground black pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon zest
Directions.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Strip it from the stalk into large pieces. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until each piece is lightly coated. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt, and a few turns of fresh pepper. Bake, tossing every few minutes, until kale has crisped up and the edges are a bit brown, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with lemon zest, a bit more flake salt, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy immediately.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
KALE CHIPS WITH LEMON ZEST AND FLAKE SALT
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