Cheddar-Potato Bites

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baked hashbrowns, cheddar cheese, cooking, cooking with kids, food, gluten free, healthy breakfast side, potato bites, potatoes

Healthy remake #7 this month is inspired by the McDonald’s hash brown patty. By the way, doesn’t that McRib sandwich just fascinate you? When I saw the ads announcing it’s reemergence from the classic fast food chain’s kitchen, I couldn’t help but run straight to my Google bar to search the ingredients. To my surprise I found a whole article about this amusing sandwich “meat” called, “What’s the McRib made of Anyway?” If interested in reading the entire article click the title, it’s fascinating.

To my dismay, I found from the above reading the McRib is made of roughly 70 ingredients, 34 alone just in the bun! I won’t go into detail on what they actually are because this is a food blog and that would be unappetizing. Let’s just say some aren’t real food. To make matters worse it contains 500 calories and 29g of fat.

I’m off my soap box now and back to potato bites. Here’s the recipe redo comparison:

The golden arch fast food version of a classic hash brown patty = 150 calories / 9g fat / 1.5g sat fat

Baked Potato-Cheddar Bites = 70 calories / 2.5g fat / 1g sat fat

That calorie savings is over half, not to mention the probable chemicals that were eliminated. That leads into Healthy tip #7: Check product food & ingredient labels. If an ingredient list is longer than a college term paper, or you can’t pronounce the words, it’s probably not the most nutritious option or should be very limited in your eating plan.

These potato bites crisp up as they bake in their own little muffin cup. A great recipe to make with kids, and fun for any age diner to eat. Add to breakfast, brunch or dinner. Easy to make and can be elegant dinner or weeknight ready. To make it a meal, serve with my Roasted Vegetable Crustless Quiche and Skewered Mint Fruit Kabobs with Berry Yogurt Dip or Fruit Nachos. Also, a wonderful appetizer for upcoming Super Bowl parties or side for grilled chicken or my Turkey & Black Bean Sloppy Joes.

Simple and freezable, gluten-free options below.

Potato-Cheddar Bites
makes 12

• 20 oz SHREDDED HASH BROWN POTATOES, frozen (thawed)*
• 2/3 cup FRESH SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE, reduced-fat*
• 4 EGGS, large
• 1/4 cup RED or YELLOW ONION, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp GARLIC POWDER
• SEA SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

*Gluten-free option: Check your hash brown potatoes and cheese for added gluten stabilizers or ingredients (look for pure potato hash browns, or shred own potatoes, and real cheddar cheese).

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a regular 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl combined thawed shredded hash brown potatoes, 2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 4 eggs lightly beaten, 1/4 c. chopped onion (optional), 1/2 t. garlic powder, sea salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a spatula until well combined.
3. Place even amounts of potato mixture into each prepared muffin cup; gently push down tops with the back of a spoon to compress. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, crispy and cooked through. Serve hot from the oven or cool and freeze (reheat 20-30 second in microwave). Makes 12 – serving size 1 potato bite.

VARIATIONS: Add chopped lean, cooked turkey bacon or other cheeses. Make in mini muffin tins (reduce cooking time).

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 70 calories, 2.5g fat, 1g sat fat, 75mg cholesterol, 9g carb, 0g sugar, 4g protein

Slightly adapted from the Family Kitchen Blog – Breakfast Potato Bites To Go recipe.

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Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken & Vegetables

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carrots, cooking, food, fresh herbs, garlic, gluten free, healthy comfort food, healthy dinner, lemon, parsley, potatoes, roasted chicken

People are often scared of the whole chicken. I admit, my first roasting experience was slightly intimidating, but once you take the plunge it’s actually so simple (and the flavor doesn’t compare to that of a typical boneless chicken breast).

Today’s healthy redo is taken from the oh-so classic baked pot roast, potato and carrot dish. Growing up in the Midwest this was a family staple, especially Sunday afternoons. Crock pots and ovens all over my tiny town of 1,000 were bubbling up with this down home, soul comforting recipe. My remake replaces the high fat beef roast with a whole chicken including a gourmet twist… lemons, garlic and herbs.

The healthy adaptation still has the rustic look of the traditional version, but contains better for your body stats. Here’s the breakdown:

Pot Roast, Potatoes & Carrots … 550 cal / 13g fat / 5g sat fat

Lemon-Herb Chicken, Potatoes & Carrots … 390 calories / 10g fat / 2.5g sat fat

Now that’s a recipe remake, an easy, one-pot comfort meal for under 400 calories. Gluten-free option below.

LEMON-HERB ROASTED CHICKEN & VEGETABLES
serves 8

• 4 lb WHOLE CHICKEN, good quality
• 10 cloves GARLIC, peeled
• 1 large YELLOW ONION, sliced
• 10 oz BABY CARROTS
• 1 1/2 lbs GOLDEN or WHITE POTATOES, cut into cubes
• 3 FRESH LEMONS
• 2 tbsp OLIVE OIL, EXTRA VIRGIN
• 4 tbsp MIXED FRESH or DRIED HERBS (parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage – 1 tbsp each)
• SEA SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
• 8 oz CHICKEN BROTH or STOCK, LOWER SODIUM*

*Gluten-free option: use GF chicken broth.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray then layer onion slices, carrots and cut potatoes; sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

2. Combine zest of 3 lemons,

6 cloves grated garlic,

2 T. olive oil, 3-4 T. fresh herbs (or 2 T. dried herbs) in a small bowl, set aside.

3. Wash whole chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Cut one lemon in half and stuff with 4 whole cloves of garlic inside the cavity of the chicken (remove any giblets first if inside), sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on the vegetables in roasting pan and season outside with sea salt and pepper. Rub the lemon-herb mixture over the entire skin of the chicken.

4. Pour 8 oz chicken broth or stock over the vegetables, cover and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours until chicken breast reaches a temperature of 180 degrees and thigh reads 190 degrees. Serves 8, 4 oz chicken and 1/8 of the vegetables.

VARIATIONS: Substitute chicken breasts for whole chicken and reduce baking temperature to 375, and time to 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 390 calories, 10g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 28 carb, 5g fiber, 4g sugar, 32g protein

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