April 5, 2013

FitDog Friday: Kale - Good For You & Your Pup

SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place have gotten together to start a new blog hop - FitDog Friday. We love fit doggies around here and have often joked about opening a fat farm for pups, so we thought we'd hop along on this inaugural FitDog Friday. (If you want to hop along, see details here.)


They said we could post about any health or fitness topic, so I thought I'd post about what might be a lesser-known treat for dogs - kale chips! Kale is a "super food" and it's good for dogs as well as people. You can read more about it and other super foods for dogs/humans here, but basically it's taking cancer-cell names and kicking their butts, all for minimal calories. (Note that the link says not to feed kale to animals with certain types of bladder stones or kidney disease!)

Myself, I'm not a huge fan of kale - but once we started making kale chips, I realized it can be pretty yummy. And Rita agrees. Plus they are easy-peasy to make!

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (some recipes online cook them lower and slower, so you can experiment a little, but I like them done quickly so we can eat them sooner!)

2. While the oven heats up, wash and dry the kale, and then tear the leaves into bite size pieces, tearing them off the thick stem. (I toss the stems - but I'm sure someone out there in the interwebs has come up with a use for them. Now I feel guilty...) Try to make the pieces consistent in size so they cook evenly. (I'm not always great at this as you can see in the photo.)
I chuck the stems, but you could probably weave them into something. A basket maybe.
3. Sprinkle the torn bits with a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil (I don't measure - just eyeball it from the bottle). EVOO is also good for your pups and you can read more about that here. Then sprinkle with a tiny bit of sea salt. Mix it all together with your hands. (Then I just rub the excess EVOO into my hands. Instant moisturizer plus a little salt scrub exfoliation!)
All glistening after their EVOO bath.
4. Bake for 6 - 7 min. Definitely check after 6 min, cuz you don't want the little suckers to burn. (Burnt kale chips smell very bad. I mean, I'm just guessing....) It usually takes right around 6 1/2 min in my oven. (Like I said above, you can also try 350 degrees for 10-15 min.)
They shrink up and get really crispy and yummy!

5. Enjoy with your pup:
"Momma, could I please have all of those?" No, Rita. Fit doggies share.
"Yum!" Rita approved!

Rita LOVES them. (Okay, yes, she also has a taste for dead gophers, but don't let that sway your opinion before you try them!) Hope your pup loves them too.

25 comments:

  1. Yum! We love kale chips. We have a food dehydrator, so we throw some kale in there and leave it in for a few hours.

    What a great alternative to potato chips AND you can share it with dogs :)

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    1. I would like to get a dehydrator - need to figure out how to rearrange stuff in my pantry so I can make room for one.

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  2. You could make a brooch or a pterodactyl out of those stems.

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  3. I'm just not sold on this "yummy treat" ever since the infamous family gathering when kale chips brought by a guest with special diet needs went in the microwave by mistake and the odor ruined our Thanksgiving meal. Lou would ask, "What's wrong with a nice little Smooch bisky from Honest Kitchen?"

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    1. So dumb to put them in the microwave! When do you ever put something that you want to be *crispy* in the microwave??

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  4. Fit Friday sounds good. We won't eat anything green but it looks like a good idea. Have a fabulous Friday.
    Best wishes Molly

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    1. Rita doesn't like anything else green either (except cooked zucchini) so maybe you would like them, Molly!

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  5. I've heard a lot about kale chips recently. I'll have to give it a try. I keep kale around for my smoothies, so I've got all the ingredients. As an aside...I've heard kale can mess with certain thyroid problems as well.Something to keep in mind.

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    1. Yay! Taryn just gave me another good excuse for avoiding kale!

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    2. We also put kale in our smoothies, but you should definitely try these. They're really tasty. Didn't know about the thyroid thing.

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  6. Great recipe. I'm not a big fan of kale either. My daughter is a member of a CSA and they get a lot of kale in the spring, and she never knows what to do with it. So I'll share this recipe with her. This sounds like a healthy treat. Thanks for joining FitDog Friday!

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    1. We are in a CSA too. I had never bought kale on my own, so when we started getting it every other week from the CSA, I had to find things to do with it. I'm not a fan either - but I like it hidden in smoothies or made into chips.

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  7. I keep wanting to try those for me. Now I'll have to buckle down and make some for all of us. We will see if the hubs will eat them.

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    1. Our whole familial unit loves them. Hopefully you guys will too!

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  8. Smooches..great idea, we'll have to try them - they look yummy Thanks for joining the Hop!

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    1. Yes, definitely give them a try! Let me know if you liked them after.

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  9. Kale! Who would've thought! We will give these a try!

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  10. Anytime I hear that my dog needs to get fit, I hear that I need to get fit. I've spent all winter collecting and organizing the insulated layer around my middle and thighs. *LALALALALA* I'm not listening!

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  11. I had no idea kale was good for dogs too! Thanks for sharing!

    http://www.beaglesandbargains.com/luna-is-ready-to-run/

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  12. Thanks for the great post! Our dogs love kale and eat it almost everyday. Sometimes, when out walking, we have to be extra careful when walking past neighbors gardens or someone will try to sneak a bite!

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  13. We all love these at our house. Great post!

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  14. Does that require turning on the oven, Beach Bunny Love? Mommy doesn't turn on the oven or at least I haven't seen it in my lifetime here.

    I live and love to see your dreamy face in photos!!!!
    -Your LOVE MB

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  15. Great idea, my Mum was putting Kale in smoothies for a while, but gave up as she didn't really like it - this could be a great alternative way to eat it PLUS you said it's good for me too!! Yay :)

    Wags to all

    Your pal Snoopy :)

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