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These little baked potatoes are perfect to serve at all kinds of parties. From the Super Bowl to birthday parties to holiday bashes. Pass these Skinny Mini Baked Potatoes around and your guests will be happy. If you are having a serve yourself buffet table folks can load up their potatoes at a DIY topping bar.

Fresh Benefits

The potato has loads of complex carb health benefits.  It has a bad rep with the low carb community but they can be included in a balanced diet if they are eaten mindfully with regard to portion control. Potatoes are a good source of fiber, magnesium and potassium. It all depends on what your calorie requirements are, a small to medium potato makes for a nice side to your lean proteins and non-starchy veggies. Remember potatoes stay Skinny-Mini if they are properly prepared and eaten in small amounts. Livestrong & Organic Facts can teach you more about potatoes.

Fresh Tips

It’s all about flavor. With your Skinny-Mini Baked Potatoes or any food for that matter you want to get the most flavor with the highest quality ingredients you can find.

Dairy I buy nonfat cottage cheese, yogurt and milk.  With cheese, low fat or full fat cheeses have more flavor and a little goes a long way!   Sour cream I buy the low fat vs. non fat.  Companies tend to add sweeteners and weird stuff to their  non fat varieties.  I don’t want fillers and other ingredients in my cheese.

Less is more The fewer ingredients in anything the better!  Our bodies process natural better than manufactured.  If you buy cheese the ingredients should read: milk and/or cream & enzymes.  The list shouldn’t include gums, artificial colors and flavors or anything else wanky.

Don’t go fake If you use fake foods with wanky ingredients chances are you won’t feel satisfied because the flavor & nutrients won’t be true.

You need healthy amounts of fat If you don’t have any fat (which your body needs to run properly) you will crawl the walls with cravings. When I didn’t have enough dietary fat in my diet I whittled the time away obsessing on sugars and fatty foods.  Today, I have no time to waste on that kind of mind clutter.  To read more on healthy fats in your diet my buddy Nicole (a registered dietitian) just wrote an excellent post you should check out: The Ugly Truth About 2% Dairy

Toppings Talk

On these Skinny-Mini’s it’s all about the toppings.  With any baked potato or potato skin it’s all about the toppings.  You can go vegan, vegetarian or whatever you choose here.  Make some of each to suit everyone!

Potato Choice I used mini Yukon Gold, Red Bliss and a variety of Purple potatoes.  The red, yellow and purple made for a lovely presentation.  Trader Joe’s had a bag of mixed colors, so that is what I went for!

Healthy Fat Choice Low fat Sour Cream, Soy Sour Cream, Créme Fraiche, crumbly cheese (Goat, Blue, Gorgonzola, Feta,) grated cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Parmesan or Romano.) You could also use Non Fat Thick Greek Yogurt.  If you do that you could add cheese too!!  It’s all about the balance.  As always a little goes a long way in the way of fat.  These potatoes are so small that you have automatic portion control because they have very little real estate.  Again, use ingredients that have  loads of flavor and you will not need much of it.  Parmesan and Romano are excellent examples of this.

Meats On these potatoes I use nitrate free turkey bacon. Pork bacon or Prosciutto is great too. We use so little here,  just for flavor so there is no reason for guilt.

Seasonings: Paprika, Curry powder, Chinese 5 Spice, Tikka Masala, Herbs de Provence, Smoked Paprika, Italian Seasoning blend. Or simply Garlic Salt and Pepper…..the choice is yours!

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Skinny-Mini Baked Potatoes

Servings: figure about 2 Skinny-Mini Potatoes per person, so use as many you think you will need

INGREDIENTS

A few pounds assorted Mini Potatoes, cleaned and wiped dry (Yukon Gold & Red Bliss are good)
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Pepper
These are the toppings I used, or choose your own:
low fat Sour Cream
a few tbs Chives, finely chopped
nitrate free Turkey Bacon, finely chopped
Smoked Paprika

METHOD

Pre heat oven to 400˚ F with the rack in the middle. Toss potatoes with some olive oil, garlic salt and pepper.Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until cooked through, slightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Halve each potato.  Top each with a dollop of sour cream, turkey bacon, chives and smoked paprika. Serve warm.

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Baked Potato Recipe Links

• Baked Potatoes with Broccoli & Cheese Sea Salt with Food
• Baked Potatoes with Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Craftzine
• Parmesan Hasselback Bakes Potatoes MarlaMeridith.com
• Pizza Baked Potatoes Babble
• Steakhouse Baked Potatoes Chaos in the Kitchen