Air fryer has changed my world

When I got pregnant my number one craving has been chicken.  I want chicken strips and mashed potatoes (well potatoes of any kind) all the time but those little strips can pack a lot of calories.  And having french fries on the regular isn’t that healthy either.  I’m really trying to stay away from that stuff.  Then I got to thinking about an air fryer.

I watched the infomercials many times and I was intrigued but it wasn’t enough to make me want to get one.  After all, do they really work?  Does it really require no oil or little oil at all?  Is it really worth that much?  I was a skeptic but now I’m an air fryer believer.

Untitled

I purchased the Faberware Air Fryer from Walmart for $79 a few months ago and I was blown away by it on my first use.  It was life changing.  I could have the stuff I really wanted and craved without all the grease and unhealthy stuff.  I was totally amazed.

So what is an air fryer?

An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around the food.[1] A mechanical fan circulates the hot air around the food at high speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy layer thanks to the Maillard effect. Source: Wikipedia

Untitled
My first go in the air fryer was sliced chicken breast I breaded in panko.  I used no oil.  I set the timer for 15 minutes at 360 degrees and let it go.  The chicken came out looking like what I imagined it would look like.  Being a chicken breast, it was a little dry.  I think you should try marinating first because the second day it was kind of dry.  Straight out of the air fryer, it was good.  Willie was impressed but mentioned we should try some marinated chicken next time.  I never tried it after that.

Untitled

I’ve been using it on the regular for potatoes.  I’ll cut up Russert potatoes into strips and make some fries.  I’ve cut up sweet potatoes to make fries and chunks and just like that you’ll have some good stuff to eat with no oil.  I’ve never used any oil to make anything. My favorite has been red potatoes, but I have no reason to say way. I just love potatoes.

The air fryer comes with a recipe book which has things for cakes, pies, steak, seafood and much more. The air fryer is a very versatile appliance that is VERY easy to clean. Just ask Willie!

Untitled

Last night, I purchased some Applegate Farms Breaded chicken breast and put it in the air fryer and it turned out perfect. And there were some tater tots too which turned out crisp, just the way I like. It’s a quick way to get a healthier meal.  I promise it’s worth the money.

Untitled

It’s very simple to use. There is a handy picture guide on the side so you know what temperature and time to cook all your foods.

I was very skeptical about getting in in the beginning because it was a good chunk of change to spend on another kitchen appliance.  But we’ve definitely used it for full benefit and I think it’s worth it.  If you’re considering an air fryer, I can only recommend this one because this is the only one tried.  But it works and I love it.

Have you ever thought about trying an air fryer?  What would you cook in it?

The struggle is real but…

The struggle is real but…

The struggle is real to workout, eat right and just stay focused.  But there are other things in life that we all struggle with that sometimes makes things seems harder than usual, right?  I’m here to tell you to not let the struggle take over you.  The struggle is real but you can get through it. Sometimes we see struggle as a sign of weakness in ourselves, but we must realize that struggle is a natural part of life.  Without the struggle, we wouldn’t appreciate the joys of accomplishments.  Without the struggle, we definitely wouldn’t look back at the road…

View Post

Nothing is impossible

Nothing is impossible

It’s been said that Willie and I accomplished the impossible by losing so much weight and working hard to keep it off. I never saw it was something as impossible. I never saw it as something that we couldn’t accomplish in time. I never saw it as something that we couldn’t achieve. Nothing is impossible. Some things may take extra steps for achievement or may take longer than we may like, but you will still get there. Think of it as a ladder, you start at the bottom and work your way to the top one step at a time.…

View Post

Should you tell people you’re on a …

Should you tell people you’re on a weight loss journey?

Let’s talk about weight loss again for a minute. I’ve been contemplating the subject of telling people you’re on a weight loss journey when you’re starting and it’s really opened my mind. Of course, Willie and I did tell our friends and family we were embarking on the weight loss journey. We’ve been discussing this a lot lately and we wouldn’t have told people we wanted to lose weight. We should have just done it. Willie and I aren’t attention seeking people so we felt like it put a little bit more focus on us. That is a one of…

View Post

Recipe Roundup: My need for chicken has reached …

Recipe Roundup: My need for chicken has reached a new level

Hello all!  I hope you know what I’ve been doing: working out, working and watching the Olympics.  There is no surprise there.  I thought today I would do a recipe round of chicken recipes because my need for chicken has gone to all new levels.  It’s the one thing I haven’t steered far from during my pregnancy so I do spend a lot of time looking up delicious recipes to try at home. At our home, there tends to be an leaning towards an asian profile in our foods. This would be something we would eat on the regular. Korean…

View Post

Transform your thinking to be grateful

Transform your thinking to be grateful

My blogging schedule has been interuptted by the Olympics. I love the Olympics so hard that I spend all my free time watching it.  Diving, archery, rowing, fencing, volleyball (surprisingly), gymnastics and weightlifting have been occupying my time.  I’m sorry for all the delays.  This post should have been up yesterday.  Now back to blogging. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes spend so much dwelling on the things I haven’t done or don’t have.  It can really set your mind back and it lessens the accomplishments that I have achieved.  I blogged about how pregnancy messed with weight…

View Post

Pregnancy after weight loss played with my head

Pregnancy after weight loss played with my head

This is a very hard blog post for me to write.  In fact, I’ve been putting it off for a LONG time.  I took a period off from blogging when I found out I was pregnant because what I wanted to write about I couldn’t.  It was a secret that I couldn’t share…yet.  I aim to be as transparent as possible with my blog when I finally decide to talk about something.  This is my Thinking Out Loud post.  This one is going to be hard. When I found out I was pregnant, I was happy but at the same…

View Post

Recipe: The land of Zuchinni Bread

Recipe: The land of Zuchinni Bread

I haven’t spent enough time in the kitchen, it’s time for me to go back.  Now I have a bit more time on my hands since I’m not constantly in training for something so I thought it would be the perfect time to start experimenting again.  I’ve been wanting bread of some sort and the idea of zuchinni bread came to mind. Everyone seems to love it; I should give it a try. Let’s be honest, zuchinni tastes like nothing.  That’s why healthy eating people put it in their foods as a filler and a way to get some veggies…

View Post

#MondayMotivation: Attitude gives you strength

#MondayMotivation: Attitude gives you strength

Happy Monday!  This post is coming at you very late because I haven’t been feeling well today.  Since I was busy this weekend, I planned on working on my blog today but my body had other plans.  I didn’t want to miss out on a Monday Motivation post for you, even if you don’t get it until Tuesday. Attitude is everything. Attitude will change everything. Don’t let a bad attitude stand in your way of accomplishing your goals. After Fitbloggin, there was a session on mental health and the speak told us to believe what will make you happy. If…

View Post

WIAW: Eating in Indianapolis at Fitbloggin

WIAW: Eating in Indianapolis at Fitbloggin

Welcome to What I Ate Wednesday focusing on the food I ate in Indianapolis at Fitbloggin.  I didn’t expect the food scene to be that amazing in Indy but there was some great stuff there.  Lots of different varieties of food to choose from so it was always an adventure. Thursday I went on a pre-conference excursion to Lifetime Fitness.  They had food for us to enjoy after our workouts.  Of course, it was stuff made in-house and is sold at the gym.  There was chicken salad and other lunch meat sandwiches which I can’t have so I just enjoyed…

View Post

My pledge to my blog readers

My pledge to my blog readers

It’s time for me to face reality.  I’ve failed all of you.  Once upon a time I planned out blog posts.  I talked about relevant topics.  I actually put the effort in and then something happened.  I started traveling more and doing quick fixes.  I stopped actually making time for the blog in respects to self-improvement, eating and just overall fitness.  I wish I could say planning was the problem, but I know I felt like I lost my voice along the way. Willie and I gained a lot of publicity in a short period of time, again, which kind…

View Post