I'm a personal trainer and mom of 4. Here are my 10 favorite meals and snacks to make in an air fryer.

As a health-centered and active family, we focus on nutrient-dense foods that provide us with energy, but at the center of that is the ever-pressing need to appease my four kids, two of whom are teenagers.

So making food that appeals to everyone's palate while still being mostly healthy is sometimes challenging.

We don't shy away from less "nutritious" foods (everything in moderation), but most of our meals are centered around lean protein, whole grains, fruits and veggies, dairy, and healthy fats.

I love that air fryers help create that crunchy-fried appeal without adding a ton of fat to a meal. Although fats are super nutritious, they are also better consumed in proportion to the carbs and protein in your meal.

Plus my air fryer doubles as another cooking tool when the stove or oven is in use, and my kids can use it to make food on their own without having to navigate burners and dials.

Here are some of my favorite meals and snacks to make in the air fryer :

Breakfast cups are nothing new in our house, but they require less time and effort to make because of the air fryer.

Plus, we can make them in small batches to suit each person's tastes — and my kids have no problem creating their personalized mini cups.

I recommend using silicone liners to make these egg cups.

Preheat your air fryer to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line each silicone cup with a slice of ham (or prosciutto if you want to be fancier).

Mix eggs with salt, pepper, and any seasonings you like, such as Worcestershire sauce and red-pepper flakes.

Carefully place the ham-lined cups into the air fryer and pour egg mixture into each. Add in any veggies you prefer, such as chopped asparagus or cooked spinach. Sprinkle on a cheese of your choice.

Let the egg cups cook for about 15 minutes. Serve hot or let cool a bit and store in the fridge to heat up later.

It can be hard to pack veggies into a breakfast, but not getting in a serving of them in one of three meals can put us behind when it comes to getting enough nutrients each day.

With the air fryer, I can easily cook fresh produce in the morning. I like to use asparagus and tomatoes and pair them with eggs that I've poached or "boiled" in the air fryer.

Line your air fryer with foil and preheat it to 300 degrees Fahrenheit with the timer set to 10 to 12 minutes.

Clean and snap asparagus, chopping into bite-sized pieces. Add cherry or grape tomatoes to a bowl with asparagus, spritz with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place in the preheated air fryer and cook. If you prefer crunchy asparagus, leave it out until the last four to six minutes, and then place it on top of the tomatoes to finish cooking.

Serve with eggs and some toast for mopping up all the yummy juices.

Chicken parmesan is one of my favorite comfort foods, and the air fryer helps me make it without having to pan-fry my protein in oil.

For two 8-ounce chicken breasts, you'll need about ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and 1 cup of breadcrumbs. We use panko for additional crunchiness.

You'll also need two eggs, marinara sauce, and mozzarella for topping.

First, pound the chicken breasts until they are of uniform thickness, about ½ inch. Then set your air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine parm and panko in one dish and add any seasonings you like, such as garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and chili flakes. Whisk your eggs in a separate bowl. Dip chicken in egg, then in crumb mixture.

Place the breasts in the preheated air fryer and cook for six minutes. Flip and top with marinara sauce and mozzarella. Cook an additional four minutes or so until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

We like to serve the cutlets on top of pasta with more marinara sauce.

We buy a lot of nuts and seeds in bulk, so switching up the flavor profile helps turn them into coveted snacks.

Squashes like pumpkins contain a lot of seeds that can easily be roasted and seasoned for such purposes, too.

Cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika are all fantastic choices for seasoning seeds, but get creative with whatever flavors you like.

Set your air fryer to 320 degrees Fahrenheit and the timer for 15 minutes.

Toss your seeds with a bit of olive oil and salt. Place them in the air fryer and cook, opening the machine to shake the seeds and give them a stir every couple of minutes to ensure even cooking.

After the time is up, check the crispiness and add more time if necessary.

Put the toasted seeds into a bowl and add additional oil and your seasonings. Store in an air-tight container.

Roasting fruit like bananas, pears, and apples is a delicious way to bring out their natural sugars and create a deeply comforting dessert that's nutritious and satisfies cravings.

Simply combine a tablespoon or 2 of a fat like butter or coconut oil with the same amount of oats, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or whatever you prefer.

Add a sweetener such as monk fruit, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, and some warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cut the apples in half to lie flat away from the element — don't scoop out the top like some recipes, as you might find your topping burns due to proximity to the heating element.

Top your apples with the mixture you've created and cook in an air fryer that's preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Top with vanilla frozen yogurt, ice cream, or whipped cream.

My kids love the idea of mini pizzas, and if you use fresh mozzarella, basil, and a balsamic reduction, you've got a fancy-ish hors d'oeuvre.

I make these with pre-cooked polenta in a tube that can be sliced. You'll also need marinara sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you'd like.

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then spritz the basket with olive oil.

Create 1-inch-thick polenta slices and place them in the air fryer, topping them with another olive-oil spritz.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. After five minutes, top polenta with marinara sauce and cheese of choice, as well as any other cooked toppings you desire. Cook another five minutes, then plate them with fresh basil and balsamic glaze if desired.

Pro tip: You can make a quick marinara using tomato sauce, a splash of balsamic and/or Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Heat this in the microwave (lightly covered) to blend flavors.

We make a lot of tacos with corn tortillas, but they go stale quickly when leftover. To avoid food waste while creating a tasty snack, we make chips.

Preheat your air fryer to 350 Fahrenheit and set the timer for five to seven minutes, depending on the thickness of your tortillas.

Cut small corn tortillas into quarters (you'll do more slices for larger ones). Spray with olive oil and season with salt.

Cook in batches without them overlapping, flipping after three minutes. Use a strainer to cool your batches of chips to avoid them getting soggy. Store in an air-tight container.

Fresh salsa is incredible, but roasted salsa is an easy way of using up bits and pieces to create a deep, rich dip for your air-fried tortilla chips.

The best part is you can adjust the heat, garlic, and seasonings to your preferences.

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set the timer for 15 minutes. You may need more or less time, depending on the vegetables you use.

Add garlic cloves, hot peppers of choice, tomatoes, and onion to the preheated air-fryer basket and spritz with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. You may want to remove the stems and seeds from your peppers before cooking them. Leave garlic cloves in their skin as they will roast and become deliciously mushy and caramelized.

Remove veggies from the basket when finished — they should be slightly charred.

Pulse your ingredients in a food processor to desired chunkiness. Add cilantro, fresh lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Cumin and cayenne pepper make excellent additions, too.

Tuna salad is a go-to protein dish in our house. It's quick and requires no thawing or cooking.

But sandwiches can get boring after a while and if we are craving something warm, turning tuna salad into a comforting meal is ideal.

I've put tuna into zucchini boats and tomatoes, but one of my favorites is to stuff bell peppers. Two bell peppers fit nicely into my air fryer to serve two people or do more in batches.

Set your air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stuff your peppers with your tuna-salad recipe of choice — we use mayo, Greek yogurt, green onions, diced pickles, and hot peppers.

Cook for 10 minutes and then sprinkle with cheese and cook for another two or three minutes until the cheese melts and bubbles.

This is another quick and crunchy savory snack that provides a ton of nutrients in a snap.

Strip the leaves off of the stems from a bunch of kale and rip them into pieces. Place in a bowl and spritz with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Massage the kale until it turns softer and bright green. Place in the air fryer preheated to 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.

Remove from air fryer and season as desired. We use garlic powder, salt, and pepper.