homemade healthy fast food

We don't eat fast food very often.  It's usually a special treat, or a "well, we're already out of the house, starving, and have no food at home".  Of course you wouldn't know it by talking to Liam.  He acts like we go all the time, and will point out every "Donald's" location he sees.

I'm not really a fan of fried foods, and I try to make everyone happy with their food, so I thought I'd make some healthy versions of fast food instead.  I came up with

• baked chicken nuggets
• baked fries
• chocolate covered strawberry shake (smoothie)

I used sweet potatoes for this recipe, they're just what I had on hand.  Russet potatoes or yams could be used instead.  Whatever you prefer.

Peel the potatoes and slice them up.  I like mine like steak fries.  Bonus if you cut them like steak fries because they take the same cooking time as the chicken so you can bake them for the same time.

Once the potatoes have been cut stick them into a freezer bag and season.  This makes the seasoning distribution so much more even.

I always let the kids shake the bag.  Next time I might have to video it.  They get really into it!

Classic breading station for the chicken.  Get a bowl each for flour, beaten egg, and seasoned breadcrumbs.  Work left to right covering fresh defrosted chicken pieces one at a time in the contents of each bowl.  Try to keep your fingers out of the contents as much as possible or you'll end up with "monster hands".  Liam thinks that part is hilarious.  Place the chicken pieces on a parchment covered baking sheet when they are ready.

 Once the potatoes and chicken are prepped, bake together at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  If you want to you can broil them for 2 minutes at the end for extra crispiness.

This is one of Liam's favorite ways to have chicken.  I only make it this way occasionally.  I don't want him to get too used to the idea of "fast food style".  :)

You know how people say that a great way to get kids to eat healthy is for them to cook their own food?  Liam's hands down favorite chicken is when I give him carte blanche of my spice drawer and let him season a whole chicken breast for himself.  My little string bean will inhale the whole thing that way!  Crazy.

This meal all came about from a few days ago when we had NO groceries at home, we were doing a million errands around town, and Liam was being an angel (I know, right?).  I promised him I'd split a milkshake with him on our way home, but the closet McDonald's milkshake machine was broken.  Liam was devastated, so I told him I'd make him one at home.  He had his heart set on strawberry, and I figured that would be the easiest flavor to make healthy anyway... 

baked fries

ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes (russets, yams, or sweet potatoes)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp oregano

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Peel potatoes and slice steak fry style
2. place potatoes slices in freezer bag with oil and seasonings. Shake well.
3. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 30 minutes.
4. (optional) broil for 2 extra minutes for crispiness.

baked chicken nuggets

ingredients:

• 3 defrosted chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 2 eggs, well whisked
• 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs (I like Italian seasonings)
• 2 tbsp parmesan
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• garlic, salt, pepper, basil, chili powder to taste

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Set out 3 bowls in a row.  Left to right fill with flour, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs with seasonings and olive oil.
2. Have a parchment covered baking sheet set out in easy reach of the bowls.
3. Quickly dredge chicken in the bowl contents left to right, keeping your fingers as clean as possible.  Place finished chicken on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.  Outside should be golden.

chocolate covered strawberry "shake"

ingredients:

• 12 oz. strawberry Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp honey (optional)

directions:

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend!  Pour and drink. Depending on the sweetness of the strawberries, honey may or may not be utilized.

potatoes and cauliflower 3 ways

I love both potatoes and cauliflower.  I could easily find ways to cook them differently and be able to eat them happily every day.  It recently dawned on me however, that they can be enjoyed together quite easily 3 ways.  Each way is good, but they all build upon each other.

level 1: roasted cauliflower and baked steak fries
level 2: veggie hash
level 3: corn chowder

All three of those dishes are great, and come on, you know you want to surprise someone by telling them you put french fries in your chowder!  You can make one of these dishes straight through, use leftover fries and cauliflower to make hash, use leftover hash to make chowder, etc.  Make sense?

Level 1: roasted cauliflower and baked steak fries

This is great for an easy weeknight dinner.  Just add a baked chicken breast on the side, or some seasoned beans or lentils.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut 2 large russet potatoes into about 12 pieces each (3x4) and lay them flat on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with black pepper and sea salt. Set aside.

Cut up a small head of cauliflower into florets.  Spread out on a parchment covered baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkles with black pepper and sea salt.  Pop into the oven with the potatoes and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove when fork tender.  If you prefer the potatoes and /or cauliflower to have a bit more crisp broil them for up to 2 minutes.

You can stop here and enjoy alone, or with some chicken, beans, or lentils on the side for a full meal.
OR

You can continue on to the next direction to make hash.

Level 2: hash

Chop up the steak fries and cauliflower into bite sized pieces (leave the potato skins on, it brings nutrients, flavor, and texture).



Set these pieces aside.

In a large pot on medium heat, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil, then add a small diced yellow onion, and 4 diced garlic cloves.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and stir occasionally to prevent burning.  After about 3 minutes add a diced red bell pepper.  Once softened add the potatoes and cauliflower.

Combine well.

Add 1 1/2 cups of corn kernels and stir often for several minutes until everything has softened and warmed.  Season lightly with more salt and pepper.  Add in 1/2 teaspoon each thyme and cayenne.

You have now just made hash.  You could enjoy this now, serve with some chicken for a full meal, refrigerate it and heat it up in the morning with eggs mixed in for breakfast...

OR you could continue on and make corn chowder.

See?  So many options just from the original potatoes and cauliflower?

Level 3: corn chowder

Add three 14.5 oz cans (a little over 5 cups) of chicken broth (preferably low sodium) to your hash.  Add 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne.  Mix well.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and put the lid on the pot.  Walk away.  Yup, you heard me.  Walk away.  Set a timer for 1 hour.  Come back once or twice within that hour a stir briefly.  Otherwise, leave the pot alone until that timer goes off.  When it does, stir quickly (if any skin has developed a brief stir will get rid of it) and remove from heat.  Pour in a cup of milk , stir and serve immediately.  If you didn't know better you'd think this soup was soo bad for you.  It's thick and rich and delicious.

The chowder picture above is before simmering for an hour.  You CAN eat it then if you're really hungry, or like thinner soups, but it thickened beautifully, and the flavor gets better (I swear) after the hour of simmering.  See below, so much thicker!

potatoes and cauliflower 3 ways
(roasted, hash, corn chowder)
serves 4

ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes
• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 4 tsp olive oil, divided
• sea salt
• pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 C corn
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp thyme
• three 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth
• 1 C milk

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Slice potatoes into roughly 12 long slices each (cut 3x4) and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.  Set aside.  Cut cauliflower head into florets and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil, and sea salt and pepper.  Bake both sheets for about 45 minutes, until both vegetables are fork tender with crispy edges.  Remove from the oven.
2.  In a large pot on medium heat, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil and add the onion and garlic.  Stir around until soft, a few minutes.  Add the bell pepper and cook until that softens as well.  Add the corn, potatoes, and cauliflower.  Mix well and season with 1/2 teaspoon each of thyme and cayenne.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.  Add chicken broth and remaining thyme and cayenne.  Turn out down to medium-low and pot the pot lid on.  Set a timer for one hour and stir briefly only once or twice before timer goes off.  Remove from heat and add the milk.  Serve immediately.

All three levels of this recipe store in the fridge well for up to a week, and reheat easily.

potato leek soup

I love potato leek soup.  You can make it quickly, it tastes divine, and my favorite part... my version tastes like a million calories, but is actually pretty healthy.  Woohoo!

I used to always buy fresh leeks, but between a crummy selection most of the time and the ease and availability of frozen leeks, I get them frozen and sliced at Trader Joe's.  So much easier and now I always have them on hand to use whenever.

Saute the leeks with a little olive oil and salt until they are soft and fragrant.

Rough chop about 4 medium yellow skinned potatoes.  Why yellow skinned?  They aren't as starchy as russets, plus Jeff likes his soup with the skin still on (keeping all the nutrients).  If all you have is russet, that's fine, just peel them.

They don't have to be pretty, just try to get them sized the same as they will cook through evenly.

Once the leeks are soft add the potatoes and the chicken broth.  I prefer using low-sodium broth because I can always add a bit of salt later on and I don't like my soup extra salty like many canned soups tend to be.  That's why I love making my own instead.

There should be enough broth to completely cover the potatoes, but not so much that the potaotes are drowned under a few inches of broth.

Keep the soup on medium heat until the potatoes are at least fork tender.  You can ignore the soup completely until the potaotes practically fall apart on their own if you want to.  Yeah, this is the easiest and laziest soup ever.

Use an immersion blender or a blender to puree the soup.  The consistency should be thick enough to stick on the spoon, but still liquid enough to drip.  Don't worry about the soup being too thick though, the milk still needs to be added.  Add in the black pepper and the parsley.  I like to use fresh parsley normally, but I ran out, so dried parsley will do fine.  When using fresh parsley make sure you use Italian flat leaf, not the nasty garnish kind.  Yuck!

Take the soup off the heat and stir in the milk.  It will marble the soup at first, so be sure to mix it in completely.  If you don't like your consistency you can easily change it.  If you want thicker soup add in a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed into a tablespoon of water.  If you want thinner soup, add a bit more milk or broth.

Add a bit more parsley on top for decoration and voila!  This soup is delicious and makes great leftovers.  It will thicken in the fridge, so add a bit of broth or milk to it when reheating.

This soup tastes like it's so bad for you with the potatoes, salt, and milk making it thick, starchy, and very creamy.  Most versions of this soup use butter and cream, which sound good but would most likely make me feel sick and fat after eating a single bowl.  I'll take my version any day.

I love this soup because it is forgiving when you make it, it tastes simple and happy, it reheats well, and it is made with few ingredients which tend to be staples of mine, so I can make this even when I'm in desperate need of groceries.

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potato leek soup

by Liesl September-16-2014

simple, easy, and delicious

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (fresh or frozen) leek slices
• 4 medium yellow potatoes, rough cut, skin on
• 4 cups chicken stock (low-sodium)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp parsley (plus more for topping)
• 1 cup low-fat milk

Instructions

1. Saute the leek slices in the olive oil and salt until softened and fragrant. Add in the potatoes and chicken broth. Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are also soft. Add the black pepper and parsley. Puree the soup with a blender or immersion blender under soft, velvety, and completely smooth. Take the soup off the heat and slowly stir in the milk until mixed in completely. Add more salt if desired. Ladle into bowls and top with a bit more parsley.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins 
Cook time: 35 mins 
Total time: 40 mins 

Yield: 4 servings

corn chowder

I love soup.  All kinds of soup. Well, okay, most kinds.  I'm not really a fan of the buttery, heavy cream-filled, gain 10 pounds from one bowl kind.  My version of corn chowder is a little more waistline friendly.

Healthy soup justifies dipping some fresh bread in it, right?

Cook the onions with olive oil and salt until they soften before you add everything else.

Add everything else (except the milk).

I like to cut my potato chunks small enough to eat in a single bite, but big enough that they won't break down to nothing.

Take the soup off the heat and add the milk in.  Enjoy!  Especially if you have some best bread to dip into it!

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corn chowder

by Liesl July-24-2014

healthier chowder

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups corn
• 4 yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup milk (I used skim)

Instructions

1. Cook the diced onion on medium heat with the olive oil and salt until softened. Then add the remaining ingredients, minus the milk. Stir occasionally, cook about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.2. Remove the pot from heat and pour in the milk. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for several days.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: serves 4

grilled veggie skewers

If I could eat grilled veggie skewers everyday I would.  They meet ALL my favorite food criteria.

• easy
• tasty
• cheap
• quick

Great, right?  Plus the produce can easily be switched around depending on what you've already got, and what your favorite produce includes.  I like sweet and savory.

These are some of my skewer standard veggies.  I cut these into large bite sized pieces, then added some pineapple chunks and marinade.  Although I did microwave my potato chunks for 5 minutes before marinading them, as they need to cook longer than everything else I used.

Freezer bags are so awesome.  Cut up the produce, stick it in a freezer bag, and toss with marinade.

I couldn't get a picture this time, but shaking the bag is Liam's favorite part.  It is a fun job and a way for kids to be a big helper.  Let the bag sit out for at least 30 minutes.

My skewers are all really random.  They are all a little different.

Jeff is the family grill master.  He grills them until they are lightly browned on the edges.  Perfection. 

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grilled veggie skewers

by Liesl July-15-2014

mix and match your favorite produce for some easy and delicious skewers

Ingredients

• 4 small small potatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 small can pineapple chunks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cut the produce into large bite-sized chunks. Microwave the potatoes in a small bowl with a little water for 5 minutes. Add the produce and marinade into a freezer bag and seal well. Shake until everything is evenly coated. Let sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes.2. Skewer the produce and place on a large plate or tray. Grill for a few minutes, until the ends are lightly browned. Enjoy immediately.

Details

Prep time: 40 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: about 8 skewers

egg bake

I can see why these are so popular.  I don't eat them myself because honestly, I don't eat a single ingredient in this one in particular.  But I can see why others with "normal" food likes would love this.  First off, it's easy, fairly quick, and contains only a small amount of ingredients.  Intrigued?  You should be.

I used a square pyrex dish for this and served out what I thought was a decent sized piece, but then Jeff inhaled it and went back for another square.

I decided to go super basic and not add seasonings, to let the flavors of the food speak for themselves.  I tend to go crazy on seasonings, so I thought I should try making a dish or two without going overboard.

Without trying to sound gross, there is no need to prep the pan for this dish because the sausage grease will do the job for you.  When you cut into the egg bake to serve, it should easily separate from the pan.

ingredients:
1 roll of prepackaged frozen breakfast sausage
2 C thawed O'Brien potatoes
4 eggs
1 C cheddar cheese

directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cook the sausage in a skillet until browned and crumbly, then dip it out into the square pyrex, covering the bottom as evenly as possible.
2.  Evenly pour out the potatoes over the sausage.
3.  Whisk the eggs lightly and pour them evenly over the sausage and potatoes.
4.  Grate the cheddar and sprinkle it over the top of the dish.  Place it in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the eggs appear to be cooked fully and the cheese has melted.  Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve.  It will still be rather hot.

Serves 2-4