Air Fried Home Fries and Chicken Sausage 5 ww sp

I have fallen in love with my Bella Air Fryer!!!

My Air Fryer is by far the most used appliance in my kitchen.  It keeps things cool, can make small batches and prepares everything in a healthier way.  Starting back up on Weight Watchers, the Air Fryer helps me keep the points low but still enjoy that yummy fried taste.

I'm not always a huge breakfast fan, but love hash browns and breakfast potatoes.  Cooking potatoes in a skillet takes a lot of oil to keep them from sticking.  I used to prepare home fries in the oven quite often, but the time and the heat the oven produces in the summer, just didn't make it seem practical on a daily basis.  Potatoes are decent sp wise too.  A 5oz potato is only 4sp.  I weigh my potato each morning on my kitchen scale before dicing to enter the exact weight into my Weight Watchers App.

I throw an Aldi All Natural Chicken Sausage in the Airfryer that cooks along with my potatoes each morning.  The Chicken Sausage is only 1sp and is a great size.

Air Fried Potatoes

1 Potato, washed and cubed

diced onion, amount to your taste

diced green pepper, to your taste

non stick cooking spray, I prefer butter flavored

season salt

Add cubed potato, onion and peppers to your Air fryer bin.  Coat with cooking spray and season to your liking with season salt.  Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

On a side note, I'm pretty proud of the fact that I have earned a "Blue Dot" for each day for May so far.  Eating within my Healthy Eating Zone has got my weight loss back on track after a dodgy April.  Who would have thought if you follow the Weight Watchers program as intended it works that much better ;)

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

We had a snow day this week.  I don't know what it is about cold wintry days, but they just make me want to bake.  Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins hit the spot. 

 

 

Ingredients

2 cups Baking Mix (such as Bisquick)

2/3 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup Chopped Strawberries

1/3 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

1 large Egg

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly grease your muffin pan.

Stir together ingredients except fruit, until smooth.  Gently fold in strawberries.

Evenly spoon batter into greased muffin tin.

Bake 18-22 minutes until golden brown.

Biscuits and Gravy

I used to be one of those people who bought the powdered gravy mixes thinking making biscuits and gravy from scratch would be to hard.  My Father in Law actually showed me how to make this, it's more a process than a recipe.  I know I say that a lot, but cooking is an art, it doesn't always turn out the same and I think that's part of the fun of cooking.

Brown your sausage in a large skillet.  Mix in about 1 Tablespoon of flour for each serving of gravy your wanting to prepare.  Mix the flour into the grease, creating a rue.  Be sure to cook your rue for a few minutes, getting a light tan color.  This adds so much flavor and gets out that raw flour taste.  Also add some salt and pepper, a good few shakes.

Next add your milk.  Remember  you can always add more if it gets to thick, but you can't take it back out.  Start with a cup or so stirring constantly.  As it thickens, keep adding until it reaches your desired thickness.

Serve over freshly baked biscuits.  I admit, these still come out of a can, but the "real" gravy makes it totally ok.

Pumpkin Muffins and Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

This is one of the easiest recipes around.  Mix one box of Cake Mix, I used Butter Pecan, but Spice or Chocolate are both fabulous, and a can of Pumpkin.  Stir and scoop into a greased Muffin Tin.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes til cracks are dry or do a toothpick test.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Our favorite Muffin which I have posted the recipe in a previous post.  Yumm!

Thanks Schnucks for the Breakfast Deal

Thanks to Schnucks and yesterdays drive time special for this mornings breakfast.  English muffins with bacon, egg and cheese followed by a tall glass of Florida's Natural orange juice.  I don't care what anyone says, fresh, never frozen oj does taste better.

There really isn't a recipe to this breakfast, but I wanted to share my egg trick with you all.  Find a bowl or cup the same size or a tad larger than your muffin or biscuit.  I used a plastic bowl for the english muffins, but when I use those tiny buttermilk biscuits, a coffee cup is perfect.  Spray generously with Pam.  Break your egg into the bowl and break the yolk.  Salt and pepper, then put it in the microwave for about a minute.  Turn out onto your muffin/biscuit and build your breakfast sandwich.

Thanks again to Schucks for a great deal and an even greater breakfast!

Steel Cut Oats on the Fly

Our youngets daughter loves to eat a bowl of oatmeal before bed, and I love that it helps her sleep through the night.  She's moved from the baby oatmeal to the real stuff.  At night cooking steel cut oats just isn't handy, so I was making a batch and just refrigerating it.  On pinterest I saw this great idea of freezing single serve portions in a silicone cupcake pan.  I made a double batch and added a few chopped apples and viola!!!  Pop each one in the microwave for about a minute to defrost and we've got steel cut oats on the fly!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

 

1 C oats, quick cooking or instant

1 C buttermilk (or a Tbs of Vinegar with 1 Cup Milk)

1 egg or 2 egg whites

1/2 C brown sugar, packed

1/4 C canola oil

1 C all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 apple peeled and diced

dash of cinnamon

Pour the buttermilk in a large mixing bowl.
Add the oats and stir to be sure all the oats are moistened.
Allow the oats to soak in the buttermilk for 20 minutes.
After the oats have soaked add the eggs, sugar and oil.
In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the oats and stir just until moistened.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Grease a muffin tin with a non stick cooking spray.
Fill the cups 2/3 full of batter.
Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I found this recipe on hillbillyhousewife.com and tweaked it for our family.  Instead of buttermilk, I often times sub 2% milk with a tablespoon of vinegar.  I've also made this recipe without the baking powder to make awesome waffles.

Linked to Muffin Monday; Market Yourself Monday; Things that Make you say "Mmm.."; Mix it up Monday