Crunchy Sweet Potato Chips

One of my weaknesses is chips, I can never get enough. I especially love the thick, hard, crunchy ones like Kettle Chips. But every time I eat them all I can think is "I shouldn't be doing this, I need to stop, no more Lindsey no more, holy crap I ate the whole bag" wah wah wah! So to fulfill my craving of crunchy yummy chips I made myself some sweet potato chips.

Supplies:

Sweet Potato

Potato Peeler

Mandolin Slicer

Lite Salt

Mrs Dash Garlic Seasoning

Mrs Dash Onion Seasoning

Peel the sweet potato then slice it with the mandolin slicer. 

Slicey Slicey

 Spray some of the olive oil spray onto a cooking pan then sprinkle a bit of each seasonings onto the pan. Line the sweet potato slices onto the pan. Spay the slices with more of the olive oil spray and sprinkle more of the seasonings on top. Bake for  minutes in a  degree oven flipping twice.

So yummy and fulfilling!

Cheese Burger Burrito

Two of my husbands favorite foods are burritos and burgers so one night I decided to combine the two of them.

 Supplies:

Whole Grain Mission Wrap Tortillas

Diced Dill Pickle

Shredded Cheese Blend

Ground Turkey

Mustard

Ketchup

1/4 of an Onion Diced

The first thing I did was saute the onions using a bit of olive oil, I looked them until they were clear.

I then added the ground turkey to the pan with the onions. I seasoned the meat with my husbands McCormick's Steak Seasoning and cooked it until it was totally cooked through.

I grabbed one of the wrap tortillas and sprinkled some of the shredded cheese in the middle of it. I topped that with a bit of the diced pickles.

Over that I squirted a bit of the ketchup and mustard.

Then I added the turkey onion mixture and topped everything off with a bit more shredded cheese.

I then folded the burger burrito (side, side, roll) and placed it, seam side down, on my grilling pan. I let it sit until the seam was sealed and the tortilla had some nice brown grill marks on it, then I flipped it to grill the other side. 

These were seriously so delicious, my husbands first response was "put this on your must make again list" which is always a good sign. 

Fantastic Carrot Fries

My family loves fries, especially my husband. So when I saw that I could make fries using carrots I was stoked to try out this healthy alternative to our not so healthy favorite french fries.

 All I needed was a bag of whole carrots, salt and olive oil.

 I peeled and washed the carrots then I cut them into fry like strips.

 

 I poured a tiny bit of olive oil onto a baking pan then dumped my carrot strips onto the sheet. I sprinkled a bit of salt over the carrots then mixed everything together with my hands making sure every carrot strip was covered.

I placed them in my oven which was heated to 350 degrees and let them bake until they were crisp, about 15 minutes.

They were incredibly tasty and made the perfect side to our barbequed chicken.

Vanilla Coffee Creamer Recipe

"Would you like some coffee with your cream?" Ive heard this many times! I am one of those people who has to have my coffee almost white in order to drink it, black coffee is just to much for me. I love flavored coffee creamers that you can buy from the grocery store but its pretty much never in my budget, I always have so many other must haves to get. So I decided to make my own fat free vanilla coffee creamer.

What I Used:
One 14 ounce can Fat Free Sweet Condensed Milk

1 cup Fat Free Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

An Empty Container

(this was an old soy sauce container)

I poured all of my ingredients into my empty container then shook it to mix everything together really well...ta da Fat Free Vanilla Coffee Creamer.  

Easy Peasy!

Simple Dried Strawberries

I love eating dried fruits as a healthy morning snack but they can be pretty expensive, so Ive decided to start drying them myself using my oven. There are lots of fruits that I was to try and dry but so far I have only done bananas and strawberries, you can see my dried banana recipe here.

All you need are ripe strawberries and some salt.

Cut off the stems of the strawberries then cut them in half.

Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet them place your halved strawberry pieces on the rack. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the strawberries. Place the pan in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours flipping the strawberries after 2 hours. They will be done when they are crisp and juice free.

And there you have it... simple, sweet, dried strawberries.

Waffle Taco

 I have been hearing about and seeing the commercials for Taco Bell's new breakfast menu non stop so of course I had to check it out. The only thing on the menu that really appealed to me was the waffle taco but as soon as I saw the picture my brain went "I can totally make that!" so I did...

For Four Waffle Tacos I Used:

4 Multigrain Frozen Waffles

4 Frozen Turkey Sausage Patties

4 Eggs 

Reduced Fat Mexican Blend Cheese

The first thing I did was cook the turkey sausages.

 Then I scrambled the eggs and sprinkled the cheese on top of them and mixed it in to make it all nice and melty.

As for the frozen waffles I put them in the toaster for a little bit to defrost them. But after I toasted them I put them in the microwave with a tiny bit of water in a plastic bowl then covered them and cooked them for 30 seconds in order to make them soft enough to fold in half like a taco.

Now it was time to assemble the waffle taco so I cut each piece of the turkey sausage in half, folded up the waffle like a taco shell, placed a piece of the turkey sausage on either side of the waffle then filled the middle with the egg and cheese mixture and....

 ....this is what I got, a healthier homemade version of Taco Bell's Waffle Taco complete with a side of fat free maple syrup.

Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese

I love me some macaroni & cheese, those Kraft commercials where the adults steal their kids mac & cheese totally reminds me of myself, but unfortunately macaroni and cheese is not on my diet since its pasta and some powdered cheese...if you can call it that. So I decided to make my own healthier version.

Ingredients:

 Medium Spaghetti Squash

2 tablespoon Flour

3 tablespoons Butter

2 cups Whole Milk

1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella

1 cup Reduced Fat Shredded Mild Cheddar

1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan

Chopped Chicken (optional)

Salt and Pepper

The first thing I did was cut the spaghetti squash in half, if you have never cut into a spaghetti squash before be prepared to use all your strength because this is one tough vegetable!

I then put both pieces on a backing sheet which I had covered with foil. Next I drizzled a bit of olive oil on each slice. I finished it off with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

I placed the baking sheet in my preheated 375 degree oven for 35 minutes.

When the spaghetti squash had about 10 minutes until it was done baking I started to make my cheese sauce. 

First I melted the butter in a pan over medium heat. 

I then whisked in the flour.

After the butter and the flour were combined I poured in the milk and whisked everything together once again. I stirred until the sauce started to thicken which was about 5 minutes.

I then poured in all of my cheeses and stirred everything together until it was fully combined and the cheeses were nice and melted.

I sprinkled in a bit of salt and pepper then dumped in all my chopped chicken. I then mixed everything together again really well.

By the time my cheese sauce was done my squash was ready. 

I scrapped out all of the spaghetti squash into a large bowl then poured my cheese sauce over it and mixed all the yummy goodness together.

My Mommy Mac & Cheese turned out so well and was so delicious, no more stealing bites of my sons macaroni and cheese for me!

Breakfast Bonanza

Since I am now pretty much back on track to eating healthy, and because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I thought that I should make up a healthy breakfast menu for the week. Like I said in last Wednesday's post, Ready To Get Re-Motivated...Again, making a meal menu really helps me stay on track because I know exactly what to make and I know I have the ingredients to make it. Since a lot of people reach for the same thing every morning, I thought I would share the 7 different breakfast meals that I came up with because some times the same ol' breakfast can be a bit boring.

Day One: I had a bowl of Kroger's Carb Master Vanilla Yogurt topped with a bit of Cascadian Farm Organic's Ancient Grains Granola. I also had a small bowl of sliced strawberries and some blueberries.

around 124 calories

 
Day Two: I made a breakfast burrito using one of Mission's 95% Fat Free Medium Soft Taco Whole Wheat Tortillas, one large egg, a small slice of Jennie-O's Lean Turkey Ham, a tablespoon of Pace's Mild Salsa, a tiny bit of shredded mozzarella cheese and a 1/4 of an avocado.

about 357 calories

Day Three: I had 2/3 cups Cascadian Farm Organic's Ancient Grains Granola Cereal with 1 cup skim milk. I also had half of a honey glazed baked grapefruit which I saw on Simply Taralynn.
about 390 calories 

Day Four: I had one of Kroger's 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins with about a tablespoon of Kroger's Crunchy Peanut Butter on each slice. I then drizzled a bit of honey over the peanut butter on each slice. I had a sliced banana on the side.

about 302 calories

Day Five: I had two eggs scrambled, three slices of Jennie-O's Turkey Bacon and a cup of coffee with a splash of non fat milk and a couple scoops of sugar.

about 327 calories

Day Six: I had a bowl of quick oats. I made them using one cup of skim milk and 1/2 cup quick oats. I sweetened it with a pack of Trivia and a bit of fat free maple syrup. I washed it down with a cup of coffee.

about 354 calories

Day Seven: I made 3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes which I had seen on Pinterest. I topped them with a tablespoon of  Justin's Classic Natural Peanut Butter and a drizzle of fat free maple syrup. I also had a small bowl of sliced strawberries and a few grapes.
about 426 calories

Whats your favorite healthy breakfast recipe?

Healthy Homemade Pot Pie

I love chicken pot pies and I used to buy the frozen ones from the store all the time until I found out just how bad they are for you, I haven't bought them since. Instead I started making my own healthier version.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1 1/4 cup Fat Free Milk

1/2 cup Chopped Onion

1 can Fat Free Cream Of Chicken

1/4 cup Light Sour Cream

2 large Cooked Cubed Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup Frozen Peas

1/2 cup Frozen Carrots

1/2 cup Frozen Corn

1 Pie Crust

In a sauce pan over medium heat mix the flour, salt, pepper and milk together using a whisk. Stir until well blended and then stir in the onions. Let cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Pour the soup and sour cream into the sauce pan and stir until well mixed. 

Now add the chicken and vegetables and stir well. Let cook, stirring frequently, until everything is heated through.

Pour the mixture into a round casserole dish, I only had this small metal pie pan so I poured my mixture into this pan then placed the pan on a baking sheet. I knew that the mixture would boil over the sides of the small pan and I really didn't want to have to clean me oven after fixing dinner.

 Unroll the pie crust and place it on top of the mixture. Fold the edges of the crust then cut a couple slits into the center of the crust to ventilate. 

Place in a pre heated 375 degree for about 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

This recipe is so yummy and really easy to make and the best part....it tastes so yummy!