Don’t sideline the sides, make them a meal priority. One of my family favorites is roasted Brussel Sprouts. EVERYONE in the family eats them!!! The oven has to be on high at 425 degrees. I have tried to buy fresh brussel sprouts (even organic) and wash, clean, and cut these, but I have not had great success with the quality I find locally, and the washing and pre-boiling is very time consuming. I tend to buy frozen brussel sprouts. I will microwave them according to the package, and slice each one in half and put them on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil. I add a good amount of extra virgin olive oil and a hint of sea salt and cook on high for about 15 minutes until golden brown and a little crispy. Then, I add more salt and serve. YUM!

 

Another delicious and nutritious side is potatoes. These are fingerling potatoes which I wash and scrub with a vegetable scrubber, and then boil until a fork pierces them easily. Then, I put them on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt and Italian seasonings. I put the oven on a high temperature about 425 degrees and bake until golden brown and crispy about 20 minutes maybe longer. Then, I add more salt when they came out! They are crispy and spicy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside.

These sweet potatoes were made extra sweet with a drizzling of brown sugar sauce (no butter required). I wash and scrub with a vegetable scrubber about four large sweet potatoes. Then, piece them with a fork on all sides. I microwave them for about 10 minutes or so or until the fork pierces thru them easily. Then, I put them onto a cutting board and slice each one into 1/4 or 1/8 depending upon their size. I added them to a large cookie sheet with olive oil. I mixed about a tablespoon of light brown sugar with water and drizzled onto the sweet potatoes. I then added olive oil and seasoned well with an Italian seasoning blend and sea salt, of course! I love salt! I bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes maybe longer or until they are tender.  These are melt in your mouth goodness!  I did not add any butter, so they are very healthy and filled with vitamins.