Nacho Loaded Potato Skins | Braces Friendly Super Bowl Snack

Have you heard of Nacho Loaded Potato Skins? What does that even mean? It means basically that this is the end all be all game day snack. Imagine a crispy potato skin stuffed with refried beans, bacon, topped with cheese, salsa, guacamole, and chives. Can you dig it? We thought we would provide the recipe for our patients who are looking for a braces friendly alternative to tortilla chip nachos during Super Bowl Sunday! Enjoy!

NACHO LOADED POTATO SKINS

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Russet Potatoes, scrubbed and pricked with a fork
• olive oil
• 6 strips applewood smoked bacon
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup refried beans
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Chipotle Guacamole (http://whatsgabycooking.com/chipotle-guacamole/)
• 1 cup salsa

Optional

• chopped scallions
• sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Drizzle the whole potatoes with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 60 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
3. While the potatoes are baking, cook off 6 pieces of bacon until crispy and then set aside to cool. Once cooled, roughly chop the bacon.
4. Remove from oven and let cool until they are cool enough to handle. Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise, and scoop out a most of the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch remaining.
5. Crank the oven up to 450 degrees F.
6. Place the cut potatoes back onto the baking sheet, flesh side up. Lightly drizzle the tops with olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic powder and red pepper flakes and place them back into the oven for about 10 more minutes. Flip them onto their other side and bake for another 10 minutes before removing them from the oven.
7. Arrange the potatoes on the baking sheet, cut side up.
8. Spoon equal amounts of refried beans into each potato, followed by equal parts bacon and shredded cheese. Place the potato skins back into the oven for 3-4 minutes until the cheese melts.
9. Take the potatoes out of the oven and top them with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, scallions, chives or whatever else you'd like to top them with and serve immediately.

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Honeydew Melon Cucumber Smoothie | NEW RECIPE

We know some kids can be fussy when it comes to eating healthy foods, especially when they're dealing with a new set of braces. Changing eating habits to better accommodate new braces, and health is not always easy as healthy food choices tend to look less appealing than a slice of pizza or hard shell tacos. If you want to ensure your kids will intake some healthy fruits and vegetables, we suggest making smoothies for them! Smoothies are a wonderful way to make fruits and veggies appeal to kids, and they're healthy as well as braces friendly. 

To help get you started on your smoothie journey, we're sharing a delicious recipe with you below! Try it out this weekend and let us know how you liked it!

Honeydew Melon Cucumber Smoothie

Our personal favorite, a lean green smoothie your teenager will love.

You Will Need:

• 1 honeydew melon
• 1 cup green grapes, preferably seedless
• 1 cucumber peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup mint leaves

How To:

• Peel the honeydew melon, remove the seeds and dice it.
• Add the melon cubes, green grapes, cucumber pieces and mint leaves to a blender and blend for a minute.
• Serve fresh.

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Servings: 4
Nutritional Value: calories – 86, carbohydrates – 21.2g, protein – 1.6g, fat – 0.5g, cholesterol – 0mg

Invest In Your Child's Future

Braces are an investment in your child’s future for their oral, facial and overall health. At Wentz Orthodontics we advise our patients of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommendation that all children have a check-up with an orthodontist by the time they reach age 7.

Find out some benefits of early orthodontics below:

• Improved appearance: Attractive smile for life after having braces is a great self-esteem and confidence booster, improving both your child’s emotional well-being, as well as their social life.

• Improved oral health: Following braces, the teeth are better aligned and much easier to clean and floss, making them less likely to decay over time.

• Good bite: A well-positioned bite reduces wear on and fracturing of the teeth.

• Correction of issues: These can be from previous thumb sucking or extended pacifier use, or craniofacial abnormalities.

• Better sleep: Many children who grind or clench their teeth during sleep experience a resolution of their symptoms after orthodontic treatment.

• Improvement or elimination of recurrent headaches: Misalignment of the bite can cause damage to the temporomandibular joint and headaches and earaches. Orthodontics can help correct this.

• Improved speech: Many children who experience an array of speech impediments notice a difference when their teeth are aligned properly.

Call us at Wentz Orthodontics today for a consultation for your child. It’s never too early to start exploring your options and with a comprehensive assessment,