Clean Potato Chips

I am snack deprived. 
No chocolate, no cookies, no crackers, no popcorn.

Until today when I ate potato chips. 

No, I didn't fall of the clean eating wagon. My healthy lifestyle is still intact.  I bought an Epicure Chipster! 

I actually bought it 2 weeks ago, but it seemed like a lot of work to use so just stuck it in the cupboard where it sat while I dreamed of chips for 2 weeks.  Well today I decided I had time (when in reality in only took 4 minutes start to finish to use), so I pulled it out along with the mandoline I "borrowed" from my father-the man really has EVERYTHING and I don't even think he has used it once.

So I began the process.
1. Using a mandoline, thinly slice a clean potato.
2. Place the potato onto the Epicure Chipster mat without overlapping.

3. Sprinkle with Epicure Sea Salt (I also just bought the Chive and Onion flavor).



4. Place the mat in your microwave and cook 3-4 minutes.  I checked mine at 3, but they seemed soft so stuck them in 1 more minute.  They may have been slightly overdone because they got dark.
5. Let cool and then eat! The cooling part is important I found out, since the chips will crisp up even more if you let them cool for about 5-10 minutes.  Unfortunately most of my chips didn't last that long.

I loved them!  I have never been a "chip person", but since I have been snack deprived for months these were perfect.

My husband said they were good, but not great.  He on the other hand is a "chip person", and obviously these aren't fried and loaded with fat and sodium like the store bought kinds.

If you are clean eating or just looking for a healthy snack then take the time (4 minutes, seriously) to make a batch of chips!  

P.S. I am not affiliated with Epicure at all, but LOVE the products! 

Rainy Day

The weather lately has been miserable.  Last weekend we had a snow storm and all of the snow that had recently melted from our yard was back again.  It warmed up later in the week, and we are close to the snow being gone again but it has been raining all day and once the temperature drops it will turn to ice.  I miss the sunshine! 

Being stuck inside last Saturday in the snow storm, there wasn't a chance I was staying home this Saturday too.  I called up my mom to see if she wanted to come grocery shopping/errand running with me, and she was game (of course!).  After groceries we even clothes shopped for a bit and she bought me a bunch of stuff to "pay me back" for the three pairs of Lulu Lemon pants I gave her once I had replaced them with a smaller size during my Spring Break shopping trip.  I really am a spoiled 27 year old "Princess".

Since it was a cold, miserable day I decided I needed something warm and delicious for supper tonight so I picked up a roasting chicken at the store. Chicken has become my new favorite food.  Before my clean eating life began I would eat chicken, but it wasn't my first choice.  Now I eat chicken at least 5 days a week, and actually crave it.  It is so versatile and is great leftover in my salads. We usually have roast chicken on Sundays but today seemed like a perfect day to get the oven heating up the house and the smell is amazing!

Here is my beautiful roast chicken!

To go with our roast chicken we had potatoes of course.  I don't eat any grains (pasta or rice, etc.) so potatoes are the norm as well.  We eat some form of potato every supper because they are as versatile as chicken.  My favorite is a baked potato, and then homemade fries come in second.  But tonight I was craving something crunchy and cheesy so I planned on making potato skins. 

As I was scooping the flesh of the potato out of the baked skin I had an even better idea.  I would stuff the potato skins!  My usual recipe changed just a bit, and the end result was wonderful.  My husband loved the stuffed potatoes because it was something different for us and the flavor and texture was exactly what I had been craving.

Here are my recipes:

Roast chicken
1 roasting chicken
5 or 6 garlic cloves (grate 2 or 3 of them)
1-2 tsp. dried (or fresh) thyme
1-2 tsp. dried (or fresh) rosemary
2 tsp. Epicure Lemon Dilly mix (optional)
1 lemon (zested and cut into wedges)
pepper
2-3 Tbsp. butter

1. In a small bowl, mix butter, grated garlic, lemon zest, thyme, rosemary, and pepper.  I eyeball everything so my measurements are approximate.
2. Rub the butter mixture UNDER the skin of the chicken and massage it in to the chicken.
3. Sprinkle the skin of the chicken with more of the spices.
4. Stuff the lemon wedges and garlic cloves into the cavity of the chicken.
5. Roast in oven until done (mine usually takes approx. 2 hours, but check for doneness).


Stuffed Potatoes
1 large potato per person (you will want to make extras!)
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated cheese (I like cheddar, but use what you prefer)
1 Tbsp. Epicure Three Onion dip mix (or use chopped green onions and other seasonings) *Epicure Cheese, Chive, and Bacon dip mix would be fantastic if you can eat soy.
2 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt  (or plain yogurt, or sour cream)
salt and pepper

1. Bake potatoes for an hour in an oven to get crispy skins.
2. Remove potatoes from oven and cut in half lengthwise.
3. Scoop out the flesh of the potatoes into a medium sized bowl. Be careful not to tear the skins.
4. Mash the potato, greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, Three Onion dip mix, salt and pepper together until combined.
5. Brush the inside of the potato skins with a little EVOO and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Three Onion dip mix. (*This is how I make my potato skins.  If you aren't stuffing them, top the skins with cheese and bake now! Use the flesh of the potato for supper tomorrow.)
6. Stuff the mashed potato mixture back into the skins.
7. Top the potatoes with cheese.
8. Bake until warmed through and cheese is melted.

Roast chicken (skin removed), stuffed potatoes, and asparagus for supper!  I could only eat one potato so that means I have lunch tomorrow. 

I hope you had a wonderful Saturday!