BBQ Chick’n Sandwich & Sweet Potato Chips

It’s Saturday, and after a week of work, cooking and fitness, I think a little good carbs are in order.  I was craving a sweet potato, but I did not want to bake it and then add (30 minutes on the elliptical)butter to it!  Then, I thought about making sweet potato fries, but they always turn out too soft, and I would want a dipping sauce too (more cardio).  Ah ha! Thin sliced crispy sweet potato chips! No oil, no butter, no ketchup. Just sweet potatoes, cooking spray, the oven, and a dash of cayenne.  Although, next time it will be a dash of paprika, my nose is still on fire from the cayenne. 

I preheated the oven to 400, then using a mandolin and a handy cut proof glove, I thinly sliced 3 small thin sweet potatoes into 1 3/4 trays of chips.  I spayed the trays with cooking spray, then placed the potatoes into a single layer.    I still had some room on the tray, so Mya dug up a small russet potato to fill in the spaces.  I sprayed the potatoes with olive oil spray once they were all laid out. Then, one one tray (thank goodness only one) I sprinkled a dash of cayenne. I put them into the oven for 15 minutes before rotating the trays and flipping the potato slices over.  I will admit, somehow, a few burned, but they were still gobbled up anyway.  Once they were browning, I took them out and placed them on a paper towel for a few minutes  to cool and crisp up.

While they taters were cooking in the oven, I made Andy a Gardein  burger and me a Gardein chick’n filet.  They both only take about 8 minutes to cook, so after about 7 minutes, when I put the cheese on Andy’s Gardein burger, I added 1 tbsp. of sweet and spicy bbq sauce to my chick’n.  I grilled us both a whole wheat sandwich thin and topped them with spring mix and thin sliced purple onion.  Sadly, I was all out of tomatoes.  This lunch was so good. Just what I was craving.  I mixed up the spicy and plain chips, but spicy was definitely over powering the plain. 

My lunch nutritional stats for 1 whole sweet potato made into chips and my sandwich with all the fixings was: 309 calories, 4 grams of fat, 22 grams of protein, 39 carbs and 11 grams of fiber. No too bad for a carb heavy lunch. 

Even though today is my “off” day and I don’t plan to workout, I still did my elliptical for 30 minutes before breakfast, and I still plan on doing another 30 minutes as soon as I’m done this divine cup of coffee and posting this blog entry.  Have a happy Saturday!