5 Ingredient Sweet Potato Fries & Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Some days are just crazy.

Like "why are my keys in the fridge" and "who put the firefighter helmet on the baby" CRAZY.

These are the days that I could really care less about what my kids eat so long as they are full. The days when I would really love to just throw a box of microwaveable mac-n-cheese at them and call it lunch. Please tell me I'm not the only mom who has these kind of days! And by these kind of days I kind of mean... all the time.

There. I said it. Every day is crazy at our house. Maybe it has something to do with having three kids in three years (thank you, twins). But, regardless, I have to have something quick and nutritious in my reporatoire that will not be met with a toddler eating strike if I'm going to survive this phase of parenthood. Soo...

French fries! Everyone likes french fries. Even my super-picky-I-liked-carrots-yesterday-but-not-today-todders. These are sweet potato fries (so more nutritious) and baked (so not as many fats). Did you know: a serving of sweet potatoes contain 400% of your daily Vitamin A? The yogurt dipping sauce is also a better alternative to traditional fry condiments. It has the sweetness of ketchup and the creaminess of mayo without the same fat content and refined sugars. When in doubt, my twins will usually eat sweeter foods over savory ones. Plus, in my experience, toddlers will eat anything that has a dipping sauce! 

5 Ingredient Sweet Potato Fries & Yogurt Dipping Sauce

1 sweet potato

1/4 cup plain yogurt*

1 tsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

salt

**optional olive oil**

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Peel and slice your sweet potato into fries. Keep baking time in mind when you decide the size. Thinner fries will bake up quicker than thick ones. You can also do this the night before, but you will want to toss with a drizzle of oil before sealing and refrigerating them if so.

3. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out fries on it. You can choose to bake plain or drizzle with oil (about 2 tsps) for a crispier texture. I always opt to bake with olive oil because a) I prefer the texture, b) kids especially need good fats, and c) there's some research that beta carotene (Vitamin A) is absorbed better when eaten with fat.

4. Bake for 15 minutes and then check. The thinner the fry, the faster the cook time.

5. Meanwhile, mix yogurt with maple syrup, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. (If your yogurt is sweetened, omit the maple syrup).

6. Remove fries from oven, sprinkle with salt, and cool. Enjoy!

*Greek yogurt has a nice texture for dipping. Coconut yogurt has a good flavor as well if you are going paleo/vegan. Shy away from soy-based yogurts as they have too strong a flavor to work well here. 

My Favorite Soup from My Favorite Food Blog

Back when my husband and I first started our journey to cleaner eating, we had no idea were to start! Initially, we started by thumbing through some Abs Diet books he had sitting on the bookshelf. (Of note: neither of had or currently has abs!) This was a decent warmup as we learned about superfoods, protein sources, and alternatives to sweeteners. Eat This Not That was my personal favorite because if you're still going to binge on ice cream from time to time, knowledge is power! Knowing what brands did the least amount of damage to our bodies when we succumbed to the siren call of junk food was supremely helpful!

But we still had a long way to go. 

The abs diet incorporated a large amount of meat in its repertoire. And, though we gradually toned down our meat consumption as a natural result of boosting the amount of produce and plant-based foods we were eating, we were still frequently enjoying red meat, sausage, etc. Then the study came out from the World Heath Organization which concluded what we were already beginning to suspect - that processed meat (sausage, bacon, lunchmeat..) is carcinogenic to humans and that red meat is a probable carcinogen as well. That was the kick in the pants we needed to truly start delving into some vegan and vegetarian recipes that were nutrient dense and caloric enough to support our active family lifestyle. 

Enter Angela Liddon's easy to follow and simple ingredient recipes on her blog Oh She Glows! (And, no, I'm not paid to promote her! We just love her food!) My husband actually found her site while researching one night. Unlike many other vegan bloggers, her recipes are high in fat and very filling - a must when you're also feeding tiny people with monstrous toddler metabolisms!

While we still eat fish and organic, free-range chicken once a week, many of the dishes we rotate through our monthly meal plans are vegan and come from her blog. Below is the link to my absolute favorite soup of hers, rich with Indian flavors!

Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

I make this with her Cilantro Speckled Basmati (substituting brown rice for the basmati) and I add 1/2 a cup of carrots to round out the soup!

NOTE: If our toddlers aren't eating with us, by chance, I will also substitute 1 can of rotel for the can of tomatoes to bring on heat I associate with curry!

Simple Summer Salad with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

The thermometer may have maxed out at 50 degrees yesterday, but the cool weather hasn't stopped me (if you read my latest post) from longing for summer. Right now, I'd give anything to trade our blustery spring week for a few days like these:

However, while I may not be able to conjure up warmer days for my family, I can create a little sunshine in the kitchen at least!

Last night's dinner was Portobello Steak Fajitas from The Oh She Glows Cookbook - brightly marinated mushroom slices with all our favorite fajita toppings! I substituted a 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder for the 3/4 tsp of regular chili powder. It brought up the heat just enough to please the adults (although the tiny food critics made it known that they preferred the original version).

We served the vegan fajitas with a large side of my mom's Simple Summer Salad dressed with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette. I adored this salad growing up. It's like July in a bowl :) And the great thing is that it's totally versatile. Yesterday's version was true to my mom's recipe: 

• 1/2 English cucumber, diced
• corn off 2 ears*
• 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
•  and about a dozen grape tomatoes, sliced

But I've been known to toss in diced bell pepper, jalepenos, black beans, avocado, and even mango! Top salad with a good sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

*Note: You can cook corn in the microwave in a pinch. Microwave still in the husks, 3 minutes per ear.

The Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette is just a simple!

• 1 oz apple cider vinegar (Bragg's is our favorite!)
• 1/2 oz olive oil
• 1/2 oz maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• a good pinch of salt

Happy Summer (if only in your kitchen)!

A Better PB&J Two Ways

My love affair with the convenient, affordable, totally-packable PB&J ended abruptly two years ago when we discovered one of our twins - O - had a severe peanut allergy. I was eating peanut butter and jelly for lunch to try to keep up with the caloric toll of nursing two 5 month-olds. Without washing my hands, I bent down to pick up O (who was shirtless at the time.) Huge, angry welts in the shape of handprints instantly swelled where I had touched his bare tummy and back. Hello, peanut allergy! Seven months later at his one-year appointment, it was confirmed. Severe -very sever- peanut allergy. There was nothing I had done "wrong" (although strangers still like to inform me that I either overexposed or underexposed him to peanuts in utero and as an infant). Two babies had grown in exactly the same environment and one twin had peanut antibodies off the charts (literally off the charts - they stop measuring at 100) and the other had 0.03 reaction.

We immediately stripped the house of everything peanut and after that, it was on like Goldilocks and the Three Bears trying to find a nut butter replacement. Nothing suited.

• Name brand almond butter - too pricey.
• Store brands - nonexistent 
• Sunbutter - cheap, but too salty. 
• Cashew butter - too fattening. 
• Justin's Almond Butter - delicious! But processed with peanuts. 
• Jiff alternative nut butters - surprisingly not processed with peanuts, but full of additives. 

Sigh.

We didn't even have a health food store in town to help us out.

Then - all hail Kroger - their Simple Truth brand came out with an affordable almond butter. Nothing could match the economy of peanut butter, but as a store brand this fell within the realm of "reasonable". It was smooth and creamy with just a little mixing (not rock solid on the bottom and all oil on the top). And the ingredients? One: "Dry roasted almonds". We fell in love. We now use this brand in all our thai dishes, oatmeals, smoothies and ... sandwiches. Because, let's face it, when you're a busy mom the PB&J (or AB&J in our case) is just too convenient to give up. How else are you supposed to one-hand lunch while nursing a baby with two hungry toddlers wailing in the background and only ten bucks left in your grocery budget?

But I ramble. Besides containing deadly poison PEANUTS, the other looming problem with the traditional PB&J is its sugar content. Read the labels on your jelly, nut butter, and bread. The average peanut butter and jelly sandwich can contain nearly 20 grams of sugar. That's an awful lot for a little tyke's lunch. So here are my three suggestions. They are extremely simple. But, then again, so is the humble PB&J.

1. Go for a natural, one-ingredient nut butter. If your child is used to regular nut butter, this can be a slow transition because the all one-ingredient brands lack the sweetness they've come to expect. But if you find one in your price range with a good creamy consistency and mash it with banana (about 1/4 a banana per Tbs of nut butter), with a little patience you can overcome!

1. Ditch the jelly. Jelly is really where all the added sugar is at. Try fresh berries instead. You lose the sugar and gain antioxidants. My kids love arranging their own berries on sandwiches and wraps. 

1. Use whole wheat. Whether it's bread or a wrap, don't be fooled by the sneaky "whole grain" label. This is NOT the loaf you are looking for. Look for "100% Whole Wheat" and carefully check the nutrition label for sugars and syrups. (Note: If you've ever baked you know that some sugar is required to start the yeast.)

The simplest way to better your PB&J is just to mash 1/2 a banana with 2 tablespoons of natural nut butter, spread on whole wheat bread of your choosing, and top with fresh berries. But, I'm the first to admit, it's a little messy.

The second (and better IMO) option is to make "banana dogs" loaded with "strawberry ketchup" and "blueberry relish"! Not only are they whimsical and fun to make, but they are neater and wrap up tidily for picnics or lunches on run. Simply spread your nut butter on a whole wheat wrap, top with half a banana (sliced lengthwise), and add lightly mashed strawberries or blackberries* and whole blueberries if desired. This has the added bonus of being a "recipe" that even a toddler can feel very grown-up following.

*Strawberries and blackberries are rather big for a wrap. They have the tendency to "pop" out when my kids try to bite them leading to an empty tortillas, berries all over the table, and MELT. DOWNS. Simple crushing the berries a little first with a fork saves all the sanity! Plus, mashing things is fun when you're two.

**Coming soon for my paleo friends will be the the PB&J non-sandwich option ;)**