A Little Indulgence

In an effort to improve my eating habits (and shave off some of the winter weight everyone puts on while hibernating) I've been trying to come up with healthy alternatives to my favorite snacks.

Case in point... the french fry.  Salty and Delicious... yes, slimming?  Definitely NOT.

My solution?  Homemade sweet potato fries, and they are AMAZING.

One large sweet potato makes two servings, and the easiest way to make these is to prepare them early, and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to snack.

Directions:
Peel sweet potatotes, and cut them into thin slivers.  I like to do two or three large sweet potatoes at once, and save the extra for another time.  Take what you don't use and put them in a zip log bag in the refrigerator.

Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil, and liberally season with salt and pepper.  I also add a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for heat.  That's optional, but it's delish.  Spread out the sweet potatos on a flat cookie sheet, and cook them in a hot 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes.

While those cook, make your dipping sauce.  In lieu of ranch dressing, I make a healthy version using greek yogurt and ranch seasoning.  Make a whole batch at once, and use to dip raw veggies in it all week.  It's 60 calories for half a cup, so feel free to dip away without guilt.

The combination of sweet potatoes and greek yogurt is high in protein and fiber and low on calories, and I promise you won't even miss french fries with this little treat.

I know what I'm making tonight!!