What the Kale?!
Filed under: Thoughts • Recipes • Snack Ideas
Phew! Ok, so I'm back. Naturally, I finally decide to start posting actual stuff here and an upgrade hiccup made it so I couldn't. Murphy and all that, I guess.
Anyway, it's been 2 weeks since I had my pity party here over 2 lbs and I'm happy to report that after 3 weeks on Weight Watchers, I'm down 6 lbs. This week I only lost .2, which normally I'd be upset about, but since the week before I lost almost 4, I decided to just ride it out. I'm hoping next week will show more generous results.
Tracking gets a little tedious, but I'm sticking with it. Water consumption is way, way up -- about 3 liters a day, thanks to MiO's new tangerine orange flavor.
I've been cooking a lot -- just about every night . I have several recipes I'll share, some hits, a couple misses (I'll spare you those), but despite hating the mountain of dishes I always seem to have, I'm enjoying cooking. I'd forgotten how much I liked it.
Source: everydaymaven.com via Joelle on Pinterest
Speaking of cooking, can we talk about kale chips for a minute? I've yet to make them, despite everyone's ravings, not because I'm not intrigued but because Weight Watchers counts them as FIVE points -- at least according to the recipe in this month's magazine (Weight Watchers Magazine, March/April, page 24). I think that has got to be some kind of error.
I understand that vegetables arent "free" when you incorporate them into a proper recipe (another thing I don't get), but if all I'm doing is misting some kale with olive oil cooking spray and roasting it in the oven, how exactly is that FIVE points? How much olive oil mist do you have to consume before it's five points? I tsp of olive oil is 1 point, which is what the recipe calls for per 3 cups of kale. So basically, they're saying they're saying 3 cups of kale somehow equals 4 tsp of olive oil? I call bollocks.
Here's the recipe, as they have it listed:
Weight Watchers Kale Bites
- Tear 3 cup of kale into bite-size pieces, toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper.
- Spread on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until crispy.
5 Points*
*Pointsplus Values were calculated by adding the nutrition information for each ingredient using the online recipe builder.
I used the recipe builder myself to see if that was accurate and indeed, it shows up as 5 points. If you remove the kale entirely from the recipe, it's back to 1 point. I personally would just use my olive oil mister, but kale is actually four points on its own? Lame.
I realize kale is healthy for you, but I don't really see how five points would motivate someone to go through the trouble of making kale chips when cracking open a bag of beloved baked Cheetos "costs less". Are they 5 points good?
They Said Stuff!
I too have been meaning to get on the kale wagon for a while now, but I seem to have a hard time mustering enthusiasm for it. Or maybe there’s just no excitement left for kale after my lusty affair with roasted Brussels sprouts. Er… but what I meant to say is that I wish I could tell you if it was worth it, but I can’t. I’d eat the kale chips anyway though. They’re vegetables so they’re always better than Cheetos in my mind, points be damned.
Also, I got one of those olive oil misters (finally!) for Christmas after I saw you mention it before. It’s kind of quirky like you mentioned, but I’m really liking it for misting roasted veggies. So thanks :)
This is why I think WW needs to adjust their system. The idea is to help people lose weight, yes. And we know it works. However, if you are going to elicit real change in people and teach them how to make good choices…. their calculations on healthy vegetables like kale should be altered.
Why would anyone pick Kale over a bag of baked cheetos? No one I know gained too much weight eating kale or any other kind of vegetable.
They ARE really good (just be careful not to burn them) but if it’s between kale and cheetos, I’m always going to choose cheetos. lol
I’m assuming it has something to do with the amount of carbs in the kale since carbs are so demonized now? Just another reason why I’m not a fan of this new points system at all. There’s something wrong with a system where kale with heart-healthy olive oil on it is more points than cheetos!
I’ve made kale chips just once, and it’s been a while. They were decent. They were good when you first put them in your mouth and give it a couple chews, but by the time you swallow it the bitterness factor kicks in. If you try it, go for the more relaxed looking leaf variety vs the more tightly curled. And 5pts is just silly.
I don’t know how they can be considered 5 points. I looked up Kale on it’s own, and by itself, 3 cups of cooked kale came up 0. I would consider it a 1 point dish myself.
I know WW wants us to count veggies as points when we add them to recipes but I have never done it that way (unless its corn or one of the other starchy ones) I don’t see why there needs to be a difference if I eat the ingredients separately vs if I lump everything together? So I just eyeball it.. and it has never failed me.
As far as eating kale vs potato chips or Cheetos… I would go with the Kale. :) It has better nutrition, it’s all natural and not filled with junk and chemicals, and it will satisfy you longer. Also potato chips and Cheetos have lost their umpf with me.. I can’t have more then 3-5 anymore at a time because they just taste icky after that. Oh the joys of eating healthy! lol
Since Kale is a free veggie, I would just count the oil and be done with it! If I was making that I wouldn’t have even put it thru the recipe builder, just listed them separate. Silly WW.
OK! I’ve heard all about Kale… but what the hell does it taste like? It looks like salad? or Spinach?
I have a very picky fiance… He doesn’t mind veggies, just as long as it’s cooked!
We are on the new WW plan, also… and sometimes, it’s just plain confusing!
I eat kale almost daily. It’s kind of a new obsession for me (along with kale recipe hunting). I love kale chips. I also follow WW and have never counted kale at 4 points. Never. And, did I mention that I eat kale daily? And, I have been losing weight, every week (except for one week that encompassed St. Patrick’s Day:) I had lots of green, but it wasn’t in veggie form).
But, back to kale chips. The grocery store near me only sells the curly variety of kale. The chips turn out just as good, you just need to watch them a little so they don’t burn. You’ve got to learn what works in your oven. There are a variety of kale chip recipes, too. I’ve made them with parmesan tossed on for the last few minutes of baking; there’s also a Chili-Lime version.
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