Sweet Potato Fries With A Little Spice!

Sweet Potato Fries with a Little Kick! Served Kid Style!

Almost all kids love fries but we all know that we can only feed so many of those to our kids without feeling too guilty about it....right? Well, here's a solution. Sweet potato fries have become a huge hit these days and there's definitely a reason. They are delicious and.....sweet potatoes are soooo good for you! Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A and are a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.

And guess what, kids love them too because they are sweet! My son and I bought some sweet potatoes from a local farmer the other day and last night I fried up some of those babies and my son gobbled them up! Here's a little twist on the popular sweet potato fries:

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries:
2-3 sweet potatoes (we peeled ours because my son doesn't like the skin left on, though if they are organic, you can eat the peel!)
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar

You can slice the sweet potatoes however you like. The more orange your sweet potatoes are the more beta-carotene content. The beta-carotene in orange-fleshed sweet potatos is what our bodies use to produce vitamin A. And make sure your sweet potatoes are not bruised or have cracks in them when choosing them at the market or grocery store.

I have a deep fryer at home but if you don't have one , you can fry them up in a pan on the stove, just make sure you have enough oil in the pan to cover the fries. They will sink to the bottom when you first put them in.

In just about 3 minutes they rise to the top and are done. Drain the fries on a paper towel and sprinkle your seasoning mix on top before serving.

I love having a nice already blended Cajun seasoning in the house (hey..I can get pretty busy....I need some shortcuts here and there, too!) :)

You can make your own by mixing:
1 tablespoon granulated garlic or powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground hot red or cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons oregano

This will make more than you need for this recipe but you can store it in a jar with a tight lid.

I like mixing the Cajun seasoning with sugar so you get that sweet and spicy flavor that goes so well with the already sweet potatoes.

These really were a hit last night....you've got to try them. And if your kids don't like spicy, you can just mix a little salt and sugar together to toss on the fries. But because the potatoes are already sweet and you're adding sugar to the seasoning, they don't end up being spicy....just really flavorful!

I served my fries in these snow cone cups that we already had in the house. Come up with fun ways to serve healthier food to your kids so they notice that before they notice it's something they've never tried before. It works....and I'm all about tricking kids into eating healthier!

For more information and for more benefits of sweet potatoes, go to:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

I love this site! It teaches you so much about eating healthier foods!

Food Coma

Avesta, Tiffany & Hollister having dinner at Chicago's Club Lucky

I have been friends with Tiffany since we were three. It's amazing that we met....I was a Kurdish refugee that just happened to end up in a small town in southeast Ohio and she was born in Alaska and just happened to be adopted by a woman who was from southeast Ohio. We met in pre-school and became friends right away.

She says it was because I would tell her these stories about where I came from that impressed her so much. For example, I told her that it was going to be my birthday next week and then I'd have another birthday the week after and the week after that....and on and on....and poor three-year-old Tiffany, she not only believed that Kurds had birthdays every week, she decided that she had to be best friends with this girl who amazingly had birthdays every week. And that's how it all started.

I wanted to share some photos her son Hollister. He's such an awesome kid...so full of love and laughter.....and he has an amazing palate for being so young....Tiffany and I have raised our sons to like food. We feed them what we eat and boy do we like to eat...so of course our sons appreciate good food....all kinds of food. We take them out to eat to all kinds of restaurants, not just fast food, but ethnic restaurants, fine dining...you name it...we take them. I don't understand parents who feel that they can't take their kids out to eat....if you don't teach them then of course they won't "behave." And if they do cry or get impatient...well then take a walk outside or just leave....but don't even attempt it for fear of how your kids will act in a restaurant. And please don't fall into that horrible trap that some parents fall into thinking "oh my child only eats chicken nuggets" or "my child hates vegetables" I believe that's only because of how we all have been feeding our children in this country.

Tiffany, Hollister & Ingrid

Hollister is so happy when he sees a fresh baked piece of bread!

If I was a child and could cry for McDonald's and would get it...then I would. Our sons eat not only vegetables, but also sushi and spicy food and dark chocolate (my son has been eating sushi since he was two), Mexican food, Middle Eastern food, Cuban food.....and on and on.... My point of this post is to open your minds to feeding your children healthier, more diverse food.......read the boxes of the food you feed your children...if there's too many ingredients of things you've never heard of or don't know how to pronounce...well that's a bad sign....go natural....organic when you can and try to make simple foods at home.

How do you think children in other countries eat? They eat what their parents give them....so if it's beans and rice or raw fish or spinach and potatoes or hot dogs and mac n cheese......it's not what they're programmed to eat....it's what we've been teaching them to love to eat. And I'm not saying don't feed your kids hot dogs and mac n cheese, I eat that stuff sometimes and so does my son, but what I'm saying is moderation....and help your child expand his/her taste buds...to appreciate food and other cultures.....it's about a healthy, well-rounded diet.....not a restricted diet.

Avesta & Hollister having fun at the restaurant.

How can you not just love this child...he eats...till he sleeps.....talk about food coma.