The entitlement factor.

                             
The day I started working out (spinning) again (Friday, January 27th, to be exact), was concluded by a night out with friends, a "hearty" meal (you know you're in for it @ a place called "slaw dogs"), a couple a' glasses of wine, & several bites of ice cream (since we *had to try almost every. single. flavor.).  The following day, my grandma came to stay… & we proceed to eat our way through the weekend.  Monday mornin' came… another grueling spin class.  That night, we all went out for another "hearty" meal.
                    

The next day, I was googling "average spin cost" to justify [to my grandma] my membership cost.

Somehow, I stumbled upon an article entitled:

Bethenny Frankel Says Spinning Classes Make You Fat! Really??

First of all, I am not a 'Real Housewife' fan, so believe it or not- I had no clue who Bethenny is.  But WHAT??  How does working my ass off (literally) make you fat??  So, of course I had to read further.

And although her statement is pretty ridiculous & far-fetched, it actually woke me up- from my mindless-eating-stupor.  The basic premise is this...

High calorie-burning cardio workout = increased appetite = eat whatever you want (post workout) to satisfy said appetite (because you worked out, after all) = more calories inhaled than burned = no weight loss, & potential gain.

If I actually wanted to lose weight, I needed to be conscious of what/how much I was eating... not entitled.  And although it isn't a new concept by any means, it's one that I apparently needed to "re-visit"... & I'm sure glad I did.

Since both of those meals in which I scarfed down post workout involved french fries, I decided to arm myself with a new version- more suitable to ass-burning.  So, without further ado~ this week's tried & true recipe {& a great tip!}...

{this week's recipe isn't actually a new recipe- since we've baked "fries" several times before.  Jillian's version is new [to us] but similar to the ones we usually make... just a little less olive oil, & a higher oven temp.  BUT, the **big tip/secret to getting perfectly crispy fries actually comes from Tyler's oven fries... see below for more...}

roasted russet fries

*adapted from the master your metabolism cookbook {& tyler's ultimate} 

serves 8

4 large russet potatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

a "bit" of salt (kosher or sea salt) & pepper

Preheat the oven to 475.

**Preheat a large baking sheet in the oven for at least 5 minutes.

Cut 1 potato lengthwise into quarters. Cut each quarter lengthwise into 2 to 3 wedges. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.  Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl, along with the olive oil, s&p and toss gently until thoroughly coated.

Dump them onto the hot baking sheet, spreading them into a single layer.

Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping once midway through, until the potatoes are cooked through, brown and crispy. 

                       

*COOK'S NOTES

• When you check the fries and flip them midway through, get a feel for how fast they are cooking and finish accordingly (depends on your oven & the size of the potato/cut).
• The ones in the photo above were peeled- & cooked at a lower temp... I had to return Jillian's book to the library and went by memory!
• In case you're wondering, I did end up ordering the book (borrowing it & using it for a few weeks showed us that it was in fact worth yet another cookbook purchase).

                    

We're all entitled to a little healthy indulgence :).