Homemade Kale Powder...Sprinkle away!

AN EASY WAY TO GET YOUR NUTRIENTS IN EACH DAY!

Kale has become a popular way for people to get their daily dose of dark leafy greens and that's a wonderful thing.  Many people are jumping on the kale chip wagon and making their own chips at home or buying them at their local health food store.  Kale is great for skin and nails, it's full of vitamins A, K and D, it's an anti-inflammatory, it is used in detoxification and for weight loss and is used in many of the green smoothie drinks you see all over the Internet.  The question is, how do I get my kids to ingest it without the gag reflex kicking in? Kale has a fairly hearty (strong) taste even for those of us that can handle off putting greens.  I can easily put spinach in their smoothies or Nutriblast drinks but with kale, not so much. 

The solution that I discovered today is...kale powder!!  Last night I dehydrated 5 trays of organic baby kale, snacked on some and then left the rest.  When I woke up this morning I came up with the idea to mill it into a powder.  I grabbed my Nutribullet and the milling blade, dumped the kale in the container and ended up with a fine powder that I will sprinkle on and cook/blend into their food.  They won't know what hit them and no matter what amount they are getting of this beneficial plant, it will be more than they are getting now. If you don't have a Nutribullet with a milling blade you could also use a coffee grinder to get similar results.  I have posted the pictures of this beautiful dark green powder and I will update this later to tell you of the ways I used it and how long it lasted.  For more information on the health benefits of kale, click on this link.  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale

Some hydrated leaves and the powder from the dehydrated ones. Look at that beautiful green color!

I got a giant bag of Earthbound Farm Organic Mixed Baby Kale from Costco.  Because of pesticides, it's always best to buy organic Kale if you can.  If not, just wash it really well because as we all know sometimes you find it or afford organic.

The Nesco FD-75A 700 -Watt Food Dehydrator. You can get it on amazon or at least read about it, just click on the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-75A-700-Watt-Food-Dehydrator/dp/B0090WOCN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363275733&sr=8-1&keywords=nesco+dehydrator
I really liked that it got 4.5 out of 5 stars on 917 reviews and it was affordable!

     I currently have all 5 trays filled up again and will make more to fill up my spice jar.  The dehydrator takes about 2 hours to dehydrate but I left mine in about 45 minutes longer because I wanted it super crunchy.  Any leftover kale chips you have can be spritzed with a little oil and sprinkled with sea salt or the salt of your choice!  I will also try other veggies to powder like, carrots, bell peppers, spinach or anything else I can't get my little ones to eat.  For now I will start with a sprinkle in their smoothie and a sprinkle on their pasta.  Getting nutrients for them, one sprinkle at a time!  Goodbye!