Tag: healthy food

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Homemade French Fries

french fries

We call Friday’s Free Fry Friday in our house for a silly reason.  When my 2 big kids were little, we made it through those LONG winter days by going to play at open gym on Friday afternoons.  Afterwards, we always stopped and grabbed free fries from McDonalds.  I have no clue why, but they offered a free medium fry with the purchase of a $1 drink so obviously we made it part of our routine.  The name for Friday’s has stuck and always makes me yearn for those simpler days.

 

Anyways, that story has absolutely nothing to do with this recipe, but it seemed like a good intro, so it’s what you get.  This recipe was born when I was craving a burger and fries.  There is a restaurant in town that makes the BEST burgers, which is really what I wanted but decided to try it at home instead. Burgers turned out so good, but the fries were even better!  I’ve read a bunch of recipes, all a bit different but the two things they had in common, was to be sure to soak the potatoes before making them and double fry them.  Since I wanted to make these healthier, I knew I was going to be utilizing my air fryer.

Here’s how I made them

First, slice the potatoes into equal size pieces.  Honestly, using a french fry maker, would be 100% easier than cutting them by hand, but I don’t own one, though may invest soon :-).


Next, soak the potatoes in cold water in a bowl for 20-30 minutes.  Do not salt the water! I’ve read several recipes that say if you soak them longer, the fries will turn out crispier.  I soaked mine for 20 minutes and they came out just fine!  If I had more time, or planned ahead, I would absolutely try to soak them longer. After they were done soaking, I rinsed them well in cold water and patted them dry.

Then, I arranged them on a cookie sheet, and tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I baked them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until golden brown and soft.  I finished them off in the air fryer, 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

 

Seriously, these are SO good!  Fresh from the fryer fries and definitely healthier than fast food!

french fries

 

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Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash

Who needs a quick, easy, family friendly, week night dinner.

A couple weeks ago, my girlfriend told me about this seasoned ground chicken from Schnucks Market called Mighty Spark. They donate one meal for every package of meat purchased, so that’s cool.  It’s also delicious.  For tonight’s meal, I used the Bruschetta, it’s ground chicken seasoned with tomatoes, basil and garlic (heavy on the garlic if you ask me).  Here’s how I made it!

Ingredients:

1 lb package of Mighty Spark Bruschetta ground chicken

1/2 onion grated

1/2 c gluten free oats

1 egg 

Spaghetti Squash “Pasta”

1 spaghetti squash

olive oil

salt and pepper

No sugar added pasta sauce, I used Good & Gather Tomato Basil sauce 

Prepare cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper. Mixed well by hand, do not over mix.  Roll into 18-24 even balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping half way through.

Meanwhile, prepare spaghetti squash by washing and drying squash.  Cut off the ends to make a flat surface, then cut in half.  Scoop out the seeds. Place on prepared baking sheet.  Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake for an hour at 350 degrees until tender.  Once the squash has cooled enough to handle, scrape with a fork to create “spaghetti”.  Coat with tomato sauce.

Serve in a bowl with 2-3 meatballs and enjoy 🙂

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Recipes

Blender Banana Muffins

Okay, so one thing you need to know about me, I can’t follow a recipe to save my life!  I’m just not good at it. When I make a cake from a box mix, I cannot throw the box away otherwise I have to get it out of the trash at least 5 times.

When I see a recipe I like, I use it as a guide and make it my own, which is why I don’t bake.  Anytime I bake, it’s a fail.  I don’t enjoy it, it’s not fun and nothing ever turns out. When I discovered I could make muffins AND they tasted good, sign me up!  Here’s the recipe, hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Blender Banana Muffins 🍌
• 1 c. Rolled oats
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c. maple syrup, honey or agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (or more if you want :-))
• 1 tsp baking soda
• chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first 6 ingredients in blender or food processor. Be sure not to over mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into muffin tin and bake for 13-15 minutes. This recipe only makes 6 muffins, I haven’t doubled it but I’m sure you could!