Sometimes, it actually makes me sad that healthy food can taste so yucky. My Mom has instituted a new rule in our house: we have to eat fruit and vegetables before we can have any sugar. Hmph. So it is time to get working on what counts as “healthy” but still tastes sweet. The answer? Sweet Potatoes for kids!
I have some serious advice for all of your kids out there. If a parent or grandparent comes to ask you what you have eaten for the day, stop and consider your answer. Before you speak, really think. Your answer could cause a whole lot of issues for you in the near future. I wish I had known this a few days ago when I was asked. I just blurted out my entire day of bread, sugar, and cheese. The silence in the room made me scared. Then the questions started like bullets. You mean you did not eat any fruit? How about any vegetables? Uh oh.
Do Sweet Potatoes Count as Healthy?
We heard such funny stories about how orange our skin was when we were babies from eating baby food made of sweet potatoes and squash. We have already tried to recreate this with our butternut squash soup, so we figured we would try a more grown-up version by making crispy sweet potatoes. I mean, if they make baby food out of these, then they have to be healthy, right?
Turns out that with a bit of research, we can finally say that we have found a snack that is both healthy and sweet. You would never think that by looking at them!
Preparing the Sweet Potatoes for Kids:
After we peeled an entire sweet potato, the hardest part about this recipe was trying to cut the raw potatoes. These things are hard to cut. We suggest asking for help from an adult if you think you are going to cut your fingers off.
Then we combined the rest of the ingredients, including corn starch. This gave us a minute of confusion, but supposedly it helps to make these oven-roasted cubes crispy.
After mixing with some oil, into the oven they went. How easy is that?
After 15 minutes, we carefully flipped them, making sure not to break them apart. Then we put them back until they looked nice and crispy.
Healthy and Sweet:
This is such a great healthy snack or side dish for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised by how crispy they turned out, even being baked. Now, we confidently answer that we ate our quota of healthy food for the day. Now we are going to make some donuts to celebrate.
How to Make Healthy Sweet Potatoes for Kids
Finally, a healthy food that tastes sweet! Because of these crunchy sweet potatoes for kids, we can meet our quota of healthy food for the day and move on to dessert.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Peeled & Cubed sweet Potatoes 1/2 inch cubes (About 1 large Sweet Potato)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven (or an air fryer) to 425°F.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic, 1/4 tsp onion powder, and 1 and 1/2 tsp cornstarch; set aside.
- Add 4 cups cubed sweet potatoes to a large bowl and drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oil and the seasoning.
- Stir until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated.
- Spread the sweet potatoes onto a large cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes then flip them over with a spatula. Bake an additional
5-10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft on the inside and
golden and crisp on the exterior.
Notes
Adapted From: Dancing Around the Kitchen