Tag Archives: potatoes

Healthy Cookie: Breakfast Incredi-bowl!

People argue that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, their logic being that it gives you the energy you need to get through your day.

I disagree.

If that were the reason for breakfast’s importance, then all meals would be equally as imperative. Is it not also the purpose of both lunch and dinner to fuel us with energy in order to complete our day? No offense to breakfast, but it does no better a job in completing said task than the day’s other essential meals do.

Now, I do agree on one thing: breakfast is the most important meal of the day; not because of the fuel it provides (although that is essential), but because it gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Did you ever find yourself lying in bed on a Sunday morning as a child, with no desire to rise from your slumber, only to experiences the smell of maple syrup or frying eggs wafting from the kitchen and twirling through your nostrils? The second you experience that rush, you catapult out of bed and into the kitchen. In a split-second, you go from “I never want to get out of bed” to “Hello morning, how are you today?”

Now, said motivation is harder to muster if you know you have a low-cal, low-fat breakfast waiting for you. That usually means something like plain oatmeal, fruit, a bland cereal, or some naked egg whites. I don’t know about you, but when there are treats such as sweet cinnamon rolls or fluffy pancakes to entice you out of bed, why would you ever want to wake up to any of that low-fat crap?

That’s where the Incredi-bowl comes in. Filled up with fluffy scrambled eggs, melted cheddar cheese AND a cheesy sauce, crisp broccoli, golden hashbrown potatoes, sweet onions, and colorful peppers (and juicy bacon if you’re a meat eater), this dish gives you a flavorful kick in the butt for under 300 calories (even less if you go the no-bacon vegetarian route)! Better yet, this bowl is packing 31 grams of protein!

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Roasted & Toasted Taters

Potatoes are awesome. There’s no other veggies/starch like ‘em. They’re the only veggie that don’t really taste like veggies. After all, most kids don’t refuse to eat their potatoes. String beans maybe, but not potatoes. Everybody loves them.

I have a faint recollection of sitting in my high chair as a child and being forced to remain in the kitchen until I finished my green beans. As soon as my mother walked away, I proceeded to spoon the beans onto the floor. I have no idea why, other than the fact that I just didn’t want to eat them. Potatoes though, they never gave me that issue. In fact, you could say I’ve always been potato-obsessed.

You’ve heard of chocoholics, I’m sure, or maybe peanut butter lovers or junk food junkies. But there is another breed of foodaholic, and that is the potataholic. I know there are others out there like me. We don’t just love potatoes; we LOVE potatoes. And we’ll take them served up any way: baked, twice-baked, grilled, mashed, roasted, oven-fried, deep-fried (french fries are potato ecstasy), whatever! It’s all amazing.

As a kid, my potato addiction was a legitimate problem, especially when it came to french fries. I’d eat potatoes every chance I got. I could inhale half a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips after school or make a meal out of potatoes alone. When we ordered pizza, I’d order cheese fries instead. It got to the point where my father said I could only have french fries once a week (you can imagine I was a little pudgy back in those days).

The good news is, I’ve long since gotten all that under control. But I still LOVE potatoes (and french fries). And I love to indulge in them from time to time. They make the perfect side dish. And the potato recipe I’m about to share with you is no exception.

Roasted & Toasted Taters are an easy and awesome way to serve up potatoes. Chop up some ‘tatoes, season them up just right, and roast until golden brown. They reach a point of crispy, toasted perfection where they’re still soft and tender on the inside. It’s just as good as deep-fying them and they don’t dry out like potatoes sometimes can when baked. They’re delicious on their own, but also fantastic if you’re a ketchup kind of person. Zesty and flavorful, they’ll make a great addition to any meal, any time of the year!

A few tips before you get cooking:

  1. If you aren’t a fan of any of these seasoning, you can switch them out for something else.
  2. In fact, you can switch this recipe up anytime, making your own mix of flavors!
  3. Easily double this recipe to feed a bigger crowd!
  4. Serve with burgers, tomato soup, meatloaf, salad, fried chicken, or whatever you please! You can even make them for breakfast to act as hashbrown potatoes and serve ‘em alongside The Classic Egg in Bread.
  5. You could use any kind of potatoes, but I love Yukon Golds. They’re soft and buttery.
  6. If you like having the skin on your potatoes, then save yourself some effort and don’t peel them.
  7. Use the good grated parm from your grocery store’s specialty cheese section, not that processed, sorry-excuse-for-cheese in the green shakeable canister. It really makes a difference flavor-wise.
  8. Chop up your taters before you get going!

Roasted & Toasted Taters

recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

  • 7 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2-3 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • dash red pepper flakes
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Place potatoes in a large resealable bag. Combine the parmesan cheese and seasonings. Pour into bag and shake until potatoes are evenly coated.
  3. Pour olive oil into a baking pan. Tilt pan until evenly coated with oil. Add the seasoned potatoes to pan. Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Yep. It’s really that simple. Potataholics, you will love these. The potato is the star, amped up with some serious flavor, but not overwhelmed. For a ridiculously tasty and easy side dish, make sure to try these Roasted & Toasted Taters!