French Fry Swap

Love French Fries.....

Sweet Potatoes & Yams - No surprise, these are delicious and bake up nice and crispy. And the stats aren't too bad, with 24 - 33 calories per ounce. But it is EXTREMELY important to weigh your spuds if you are counting calories. My sweet potato was large -- a whopping 20 ounces (480 calories)! And the medium-sized yam I got weighed in at 12 ounces (396 calories).

Russet Potatoes - If you crave real potato French fries, bake these into fries instead of hitting the drive-thru! About 22 calories per ounce. But just like the others, you MUST weigh these things. The potato I bought weighed in at 12 ounces, for a total of 264 calories.

Carrots - Really sweet and delicious and a LOT easier to prep than the squash options. They didn't get super-crispy, but their low calorie count (12 per ounce) made up for it. I cooked up 6 medium carrots (12 ounces) to get a good serving size -- so only 144 calories total.

Turnips - I took a chance on these things, and it COMPLETELY paid off. They tasted really good -- ever-so-slightly like cabbage (which is only a problem if you're sensitive to that flavor!). The baked fries were a touch floppy, but still impressive overall. And turnips are crazy-low in calories (8 per ounce). My turnip weighed 12 ounces -- just 96 calories!!! But be sure to scrub your turnips very well or peel them.

Fuji Apples - Two words: EPIC FAIL. Sure, the baked apple spears tasted good, despite their limp texture. And the stats are fine, just 15 calories per ounce. (About 120 calories in an 8-ounce apple.) But a French fry swap they aren't. No biggie. Still love ya, Fujis!!!

So what have we learned? Take advantage of those supermarket scales and WEIGH YOUR PRODUCE. And, um, try the turnip fries... DO IT! P.S. In case you're wondering, my beloved kabocha and butternut squash have 10 - 13 calories per ounce.

Hungrygirl.com