My tablet is coming! Going to be delivered tomorrow to my doorstep. +_+

Lots of website building to come for my professional portfolio. I will upload a couple of recipes for you to tie you over until then. But first, you much wait until tomorrow. c:

Purchased a $500 tablet today. Will be starting illustrations soon! :)

Haven’t been exercising. Tomorrow, I will be starting the 30 Day Shed at week 2. My goal is to get supersexyfit by the next time I get to visit my boyfriend!

Are you enjoying my recipes? I am! c:

Ingredients:

• 1 Bunch Kale, fresh
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Seasonings (garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, chili powder, anything!)

Directions:

The next time you go shopping, buy yourself a nice, fresh bunch of Kale. c:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Tear the leaves from the stems into chip-size pieces, about 2 or 3 inches. These will shrink and small pieces will burn quickly! Make sure your pieces are relatively close in size. Rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with a paper towel or use a salad spinner to remove moisture. Wet Kale will steam, not crisp!

On a greased cookie sheet, spread out half the kale (or less until you figure out how to make a successful batch with your pieces, seasonings, and tempermental oven!) and spray leaves lightly with spray oil. Drizzle your olive oil on top and sprinkle with seasonings.

Bake for 8 - 12 minutes.

WATCH YOUR CHIPS! It’s very, very easy to burn these babies. Depending on the amount of kale on your cookie sheet, the size of the pieces, how much oil you use, and your oven, these will crisp up differently for everyone. I burnt my first batch of about 1/5 the bunch at 15 minutes. The time that worked best for me, cooking 1/5 of the batch at a time, was about 8 minutes. Kale is done when the edges of your chips are crispy and they make a crispy swishing sound when you shake the pan back and forth.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds 
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Dried Cranberries and Raisins
• 1/2 cup Sweetened, Shaved Coconut
• 3/4 of an Orange’s Zest
• Juice squeezed from same orange

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oats and almonds.
3. In a small saucepan, stir together honey, brown sugar, canola oil, vanilla, and cinnamon on very low heat until warm and pourable. Pour into bowl of oats and almonds and add the salt. Stir until well mixed.
4. In a greased 9x9 metal pan, or on a cookie sheet greased or lined with parchment paper, spread the granola evenly and bake for 45 - 60 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes until granola is golden brown or almonds are toasted.
5. Remove from the oven and return to mixing bowl. Add cranberries, raisins, coconut, orange zest, and orange juice and mix thoroughly. Allow to cool before placing in an airtight container. Store for up to 1 or 2 weeks.

Notes:

This tastes just like Julie Ann’s Sweet Citrus Granola, which I purchased at Whole Foods when I visited my boyfriend in Dallas. Julie Ann’s granola is to DIE for. Seriously, so amazing.

Anyway, this is delicious and you must try it. I think that next time, I will bake my granola a little longer (I only baked for about 45 minutes) and it’s not quite crunchy enough. Also, I would recommend not omitting the salt. It makes all the difference. Really brings out the taste of the oats. I cannot stop eating this stuff!

Serve with lowfat milk, greek yogurt, or have it alone as a snack. It is very, very sweet, so don’t be afraid to put it with bland meals.

Makes about 3-4 cups.