Hello Kale, Zucchini, and Eggplants

We recently joined the air fryer family, and let me tell you…it is truly life changing! There have been so many times where I have tried to make veggie chips and they end up as a complete disaster, mushy, burnt, you name it, it probably happened. So here are a few of my current favorites!

Kale Chips

What you will need;

  • Kale
  • Garlic (fresh or powder works)
  • Salt (or I use the Trader Joes garlic salt in the grinder for more flavoring)
  • Olive oil
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese

If you use a bushel of kale, break it in to smaller sections, or you can also use one of the salad type kits of kale to speed up the process. Place your kale in a large zip lock bag and add in about 2-ish give or take tablespoons of olive oil, you want to make sure the kale is completely coated. Now, you will add in your garlic and garlic salt. If you have fresh garlic mince it up and add it, if not garlic power works just great! Add a little bit of salt, a little goes a long way and shake it up in the bag.

If you have an air fryer great! If not you can use your oven, it will take a little more time and a few more flips than the air fryer. For the air fryer place them in the middle on the rack (I have the Instant 7 in 1 fryer) I am not sure about other models. On 375 for 10 minutes. For the oven put them on the middle rack at 400 (it will take about 20 minutes, with a few flips to make sure they are fully crispy)

Zucchini Chips

What you will need;

  • Zucchini(s)
  • Egg
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Garlic powder
  • 3 Bowls
  • Coconut oil in a spray or olive oil

This one is so simple and so good! I can’t believe I hadn’t tried it before the air fryer (this you could do in the oven as well) cut your zucchini into thin slices place an egg or 2 depending on how many “chips” you want to make into a bowl, add breadcrumbs in to a separate bowl, and have a third empty bowl (you will place the breaded zucchini in here). Basically you want to create an assembly line for this process. Dip your zucchini in the egg so it’s fully covered, then into the breadcrumbs until its fully covered then into the last bowl. Complete this for all of your slices. When done, spray them with coconut oil and place them in your air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, for the oven I would recommend the same temp, but checking regularly and flipping a few times to make sure they are crispy. Dip them in your favorite dressing and enjoy!

Last but not least, this is a new one too! I’m still having fun experimenting with eggplants! So far, I’ve made eggplant parmesan, eggplant mini pizzas, and most recently eggplant chips. All of these have turned out great! These ones I did make in the oven, but am planning on testing out in the air fryer soon!

Eggplant Chips

What you will need;

  • Eggplant(s)
  • Garlic Salt
  • Pepper
  • Coconut oil in a spray or olive oil

Cut your eggplant in to thin slices the thinner the better especially for the oven. Spray the eggplant with the coconut oil or olive oil on both sides and sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on one side. Place in the oven at 375 on a cookie sheet and cook for 10 minutes, flip them over after 10 minutes, continue this process until they are crispy and to your liking and serve with your favorite dressing. I used a garlic pesto yogurt based dressing.

Enjoy!

x0_meagen

The Hummingbird Amongst

Where do I even begin with this…or how to I even describe this experience other than WOW! So a little background before I dive into this for those who don’t know. I lost my Mom, my best friend, my everything almost 2 years ago, on June 13th, 2018, it still feels like yesterday. We have never been religious or affiliated with a religion party, but believe in a higher power, after life, power of positive thinking, astrology, numerology, taro cards, etc. After my Mom passed away, I saw signs and still see signs from her on a regular basis. The top two were, exactly one month to the date on July 13th I received the regular magazine from AAA and it was a Maine lobster right on the cover (she was from Maine and LOVED her Maine lobster) I knew she was there, the second was I had always wanted to be pregnant by the time I was 30, Anchor made his debut 9 months after I turned 30. There are so many other things, but those two will forever stick out in my mind.

I was having an extremely rough day a week after having Anchor and missing my Mom immensely that day. I just sat and cried for hours wishing she was here. My husband had used a medium in the past to connect with his Grandfather a year or too prior and decided to book an appointment for me. The first appointment was almost 3 months out due to high demand (after my experience I totally get why!) The time started approaching and getting closer and closer and to be honest part of me wanted to cancel it. I was nervous, I was scared, I had no idea what to expect so I thought if I cancelled maybe that would be best. I kept the appointment and so glad I did. I called in at 2:30pm on Wednesday April 28th….

The medium first explained what the process was, he said it was like charades. He would connect and they would show him pictures and images to relay to me. After telling me what the appointment would be like and how it works he immediately was pulled and connected to someone. I was so nervous and scared that my Mom wouldn’t come thru. Michael (the medium) said I am seeing a possible older maybe grandfather figure coming through, does the name Bobby have any meaning? I immediately started crying, that was my Dad’s Dad, my Grandpa. He said he was with his significant other (My Grandma) and kept saying how proud they are of me, and he is one of my guardian angels. Michael picked up on the fact that I may have been one of the favorite grandchildren and kept saying they don’t want me to change and love the life we have built. Right after that Michael started seeing images from someone else, someone who I had helped and taken care of. I knew instantly that it was my Mom. She said she was forever so grateful and thankful for all I did to help her when she was sick. She was so proud of me, and had met Anchor before he came into our 3D world. She sits and touches his forehead and nose and plays with him often. She also showed many times that she was able to dance and move around and was not in any pain. And relayed many times how proud she was of me and that even if she is not here in the physical 3D presence she is with me every step of the way and will never leave me alone. During the conversations with my mom the medium was pulled in another direction. He asked if a name begging with Vir had any meaning…it was my husbands grandfather.  Virgil…wow…we had always known and felt that his Grandfather and Mom where the reason we met and are together. And this just verified it beyond belief. The medium said if I ever feel a presence of a male around me, its him. He is always keeping an eye on me and always around and confirmed what we had thought all along that he was behind us meeting. He also stated that at some point in time our paths had crossed, whether a past life, or other family member I am not sure. Michael went back to my mom who showed him a goldfish, and said I am not sure how to describe what this looks like, it looks like a Japanese large goldfish…Koi fish…those were her favorite tiles to create. She wanted me to know she is back to making her tiles again (towards the last couple years, she wasn’t able to create her tiles which was her passion. The tumors in her arms causes her to loose the ability to do so)

Souls come back in forms of animals which is the easiest form, I had seen a blue and green hummingbird the day before this appointment in the office window. I remember looking directly at it, it was a visual I won’t forget. It sat there for a minute and we just locked eyes. During the reading Michael said hummingbirds not the ruby throat ones will be around, and it is her.

Let me also say this is just a few minutes into the hour long session, but let’s be honest it is still raw and hard to truly talk about especially as we quickly approach June 13th which will be 2 years since she passed away.

What an amazing experience, and knowing that those gut feelings I feel when I don’t know the right answer or what I should do is her helping guide is so amazing.

I love you Mom ❤

x0_meagen lea