Garlic and Herb Potato Wedges

I've made many potato wedges in my life, and always thought a recipe for something so simple was overrated. However, you've got to try this one. It's perfect! I love the tip of putting the potatoes up on their skins--it results in just the right amount of crisp, everywhere, without having to flip the potatoes halfway through. Plus, laying them out on the baking sheet with the skins down allows me to fit all my potatoes on one sheet. This recipe is simple, delicious, and I've made it three times already.

The ingredients are very flexible. I have used up to 8 'regular sized' potatoes. 2 T. oil instead of three is sufficient. If using more potatoes, just up the herbs a little.

You can really fit a lot of potatoes on a sheet when they are standing up on their skins!

Garlic and Herb Potato Wedges (the red changes indicates how I usually make them)

OP BasilPerfume

Makes 8 portions

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed (I use 8)

3 tablespoons olive oil (I use 2)

4 cloves garlic, minced and mashed against the cutting board with the flat of a knife (I use 1 t. garlic powder)

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed fine (3/4)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (3/4)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (3/4)

1/2 teaspoon paprika (3/4)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (3/4)

1 teaspoon salt (1.5)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Cut each half, lengthwise, into 4 equally sized wedges. Add the potato wedges to a large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Toss meticulously to coat the potatoes evenly.

Line a sheet pan with foil.(I just spray the pan with a bit of cooking spray and I don't have a problem with sticking.) Place the potato wedges, skin side down, on the foil. Be sure to space evenly, so they cook uniformly. Bake for 35 minutes, or until well browned, crusty edged, and tender. Serve immediately, sprinkled with more salt if desired.

Brownie Bites

Here is a super quick chocolate fix that all the kids loved. Baking them in a bread loaf pan makes it easy to cut them into fun sticks (I hope you have two bread pans. Doubling the recipe is, simply, a MUST). Stirring all the ingredients in one pan is kid-friendly, which is a huge bonus to me. We had these ready to eat within an hour, and everyone's chocolate monster was satisfied. For at least two minutes.

We left out the walnuts (one of my daycare kiddos has nut allergies), but I think it would add so much flavor (I'm a huge walnut fan). Next pan I make will be for mama and will include the nuts. I will try to share.

Brownie Bites
Tattoedmomma aka Leda
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 3 pt
Calories: 103.9 • Fat: 4.3 g • Protein: 1.3 g • Carb: 15.6 g • Fiber: 0.6 g 

2 tbsp margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
nonstick cooking spray
1 tsp powdered sugar

In a small saucepan melt margarine, remove from heat. Stir in sugar, vanilla and water. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in chopped nuts.

Spray the bottom of a 8x4x2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray coating. Pour batter into pan.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. Remove from pan. Cut into 8 bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Healthier Berry Crisp

This was so delicious it flew out of the pan. Luckily I was able to sneak in a few pics (nothing weird around here about mom pulling out her camera in the middle of eating supper!). With or without ice cream, my family went insane over this, and have been requesting it ever since.

I really love that I just dump the frozen berries into the dish and let them thaw. I microwaved the dish for a few minutes to speed it up, because I was in a hurry to get it in the oven. This was one of the healthier recipes I found when googling 'berry crisp', and fortunately, it also ended up tasting amazing! This will be our go-to berry crisp recipe this summer!

Healthier Berry Crisp

(originally called Any Season Berry Crisp, posted here)

Ingredients for the Fruit Filling:

• 24 oz frozen berries, thawed but not drained
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 1 Tbsp unrefined granulated sugar

Ingredients for the Crisp Topping:

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (again, whole wheat flour)
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp neutral-flavored vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9 (or 8) inch baking dish.

For the fruit filling: Pour the thawed berries + any accumulated juices into the prepared baking dish. Add in the flour and sugar and stir until well-combined.

For the crisp topping: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a fork until combined. Pour in the vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until well-incorporated.

Sprinkle crisp topping evenly over the fruit filling. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the fruit filling is hot & bubbly and the crisp topping is golden brown.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

311 calories, 9.6 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 14.6 grams fiber, 18.7 grams sugars, 4.8 grams protein

Apple Jacks Pancakes

This recipe comes from Peas and Thank You (a kid-focused cookbook that is also filled with amusing side stories). We have kind of renamed them Apple Jacks around here--one, in honor of the My Little Pony, of course, and two, because while the kids help me stir the dry ingredients, we agree it smells just like the cereal of that name.

This is a wonderful recipe to add to our pancake collection; it's simple, fun, and so tasty! Oh, and I can't forget to mention this: the flavor is so good that I can actually use ALL white whole wheat flour instead of mixing in a portion all-purpose flour. Nutritional bonus!

The batter is somewhat thick, so I used my cookie scoop (two scoopfulls) and flattened out each pancake with the back of the scoop.

Apple Jacks Pancakes (source: Peas and Thank You)

1 3/4 c. white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pasty flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1.5 T. baking powder
1 T. ground cinnamon
1.5 c. milk (can use nut milks or non-dairy)
1 large apple, peeled and grated (about 1.5 c.)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.

2. Slowly add in milk, whisking just until batter is combined. Gently fold in chopped apples. Do not overmix.

3. Coat a large skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium heat (I like to use a bit of coconut oil and spread it around with my spatula). Scoop 1/3 cup batter into pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes until pancake edges start to brown and bubbles start to form. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.

4. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup.

Pasta with Creamy Butternut Sauce

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this dish. I wondered if the squash flavor would overpower everything and if the family would turn up their noses (squash is not the favorite around here). I was pleasantly surprised, however, at the creamy sauce that resulted. I will be making this recipe again, for sure.

I did leave out the spinach so that my middle son would try it, but wow, that would add some great flavor. Next time, I think I'll add it. Cause I'm a mean mom who makes her kids try things over and over. ;)

I'm including a vegetarian label on this because it could easily be turned vegetarian by omitting the meat or substituting a 'faux' sausage!

Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Baby Spinach and Creamy Butternut Sauce

Ingredients:

11 oz (4 links) spicy chicken Italian sausage

1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 tbsp light butter

10 oz casarecce, or pasta of your choice

1/4 cup shallots, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fresh shaved parmesan cheese

4 sage leaves, sliced thin

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving at least 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, set aside on a plate.

Reduce heat to medium-low and melt the butter, sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and golden, about 5 - 6 minutes.Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water (I used about 1 cup) to thin out the sauce to your liking. Add baby spinach and stir in parmesan cheese and sage.

Sweet Potato Hash

This is more of a method than a recipe, and you could change it up however you want: different spices or different veggies. The sweet poato, apple, and spinach went together so well. I used up green peppers that I had frozen, but fresh would be even better. This made an awesome, filling lunch!

Note: Just one handful of spinach is sufficient if it's all you have, and I am very partial to using smoked paprika...mmmmmm I LOVE that stuff!

SWEET POTATO HASH - mylilsopapilla

peel and dice one sweet potato
Peel core and dice one apple
Dice one green and one red bell pepper
Dice half of an onion
2 handfuls of baby spinach
2 cloves of garlic
Seasonings (I mix it up each time. Last night I used chili powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cumin)

Heat EVOO over medium heat in saute pan. Add two cloves of garlic and saute till fragrant. Then add all ingredients except spinach. Add seasonings. Saute over medium heat till potatoes start to soften. Add spinach at the end till it starts to wilt.