Eat more sweet potatoes!

[LauraMax]

I had my first nutrition session yesterday. He won't give me a diet til I get my thyroid checked again--he wants to see the blood work. I'm very impressed by this young man--evidently he's some kind of "metabolic therapist," besides PT he works in a couple of hospitals w/docs who treat people w/eating disorders.

Anyway, he said until he sees my blood work the one thing I can do is replace my morning fruit w/one or a half sweet potato, & also maybe add it to my meat & veggie dinner. He said fruit is water based, so it won't fill me up much. The yams will be more satisfying & hopefully I won't be hungry ALL THE TIME! Also he calls them the "perfect food." Low cal, low carb & high protein. So hopefully the extra protein will prevent further muscle loss.

You know, I'm not much of a sweet potato fan--I just never really liked the taste. Guess I'm about to learn to like them. I baked 5 of them last night. I cut one in half, put both halves in separate containers & sprinkled a little cinnamon on them.

Hopefully next week I can start working on this thyroid thing--I'd already had my meds adjusted 4 times in the past year & had kind of given up in frustration. More doc appts & blood tests for me!

 

[bitmover]

Try putting cooked yam/sweet potato in smoothies -- you don't notice the taste but it makes them creamy.

-Beth

 

[goldenpath]

I love sweet potatoe when I put them in stews or stir fries, etc. but when I bake them they seem to be really dry.

How did you make them. Maybe I am doing something wrong. I wash them, then poke with a fork then wrap them in tin foil and put them in oven.

 

[aproudfit]

I love me some sweet potatoes! I nuke it and I put some brown sugar splenda, spray butter and a little salt on mine. NUMMY!!!!!!!!


ETA - I poke mine with a fork and nuke it for 5ish minutes - turning it half way to get it done all the way around. Quick and easy... I have also cubed it and roasted them in the oven. I have also found them at a few stores prewrapped in a heavy plastic that you nuke them with and it keep the steam in and I think cooks a little faster.

 

[netsnotes16]

My receipe, shhhh it is a secret....
Bake taters until done, slice in1 1/2 first.
Sometimes I'll rub a little butter on the skin and wrap in foil

After done, take a spoon and oven mitt. Taters are very hot.
Scoop taters into bowl.
Add a dash:
cinammin (I usually go heavy)
allspice
nutmeg
ginger
vanilla (real-none of the fake stuff, fake stuff smells like PlayDough-one cap full)

Then add and mix:
raisins
walnuts or pecans
cocunut

to the mixture with spices. Put mixture in skins, bake for about 10 minutes. Around 350 or 375

Stuffed Sweet Taters!

Oh, yeah sweet taters go good with collards and baked pork chops. Yep I suthern!

 

[LauraMax]

I baked 5 of them for about 2 hours. I did the fork & foil thing too. They're soft & mushy, not at all dry.

That said, I'm eating it right now & if not for the cinnamon I think I'd be dry heaving.

 

[MAYNARDSMOM]

Thanks for sharing his advice with us Laura!! I also always have fruit for breakfast, maybe I will try your sweet pot idea. I do like them, little butter & cinnamon for me.
You mentioned he was young, does that mean he's good looking? Gotta have a plus somewhere right?

 

[LauraMax]

Good looking?????????? He is one of the most beautiful boys I've ever seen! I'd post a pic but I don't think it'd be appropriate.

I don't think he likes girls though.

 

[DDRdiva]

I thought I read somewhere that sweet potatoes have more nutrients per calorie than any other food.

 

[lrayburn]

To make sweet potatoes yummy...

I hated sweet potatoes until I found this recipe:

Take your sweet potatoes (you can peel them if you like) and dice them into 1-inch pieces or slice them into fries.

Toss them in a little olive oil and roast them in a 375 oven until they are done and a little charred on the edges/corners.

Then toss them again with a little more olive oil, some fresh lime juice, coarse salt, cilantro and cayenne pepper to taste.

YUMMY!!!

I can't stand them with sweet flavors but the acidity and salt make these tasty - I call them crack in a bowl because I can't stop eating them.

Lisa

 

[fit44]

I love sweet potatoes!

Great recipes in this thread. I like them sweetened with honey, and I like them baked into fries

 

[orphylea]

Great ideas here. I love sweet potatoes- the ultimate comfort food for me is sweet potatoes with cinnamon and a few marshmellows on top. I usually do without the marshmellows, though. I like the sweet potato fries baked with a bit of BBQ sauce on the side, too.

 

[mj476]

I don't like sweet potatoes either but I'm willing to give them another try with the great recipes found here. Thanks.

Thanks Laura for sharing your nutrition tips. Please keep them coming!

Marcy

 

[kathryn]

I thought I read somewhere that sweet potatoes have more nutrients per calorie than any other food.

I'd guess Kale has it beat, but potatoes are very nutritious.

I have some sitting on my kitchen counter now. Thanks for the reminder to eat them!

 

[MAYNARDSMOM]

I don't think he likes girls though.

Hee Hee Made me chuckle.

You mentioned the protein in sweet pot. I buy mine that are wrapped in plastic where you bake them right in the microwave. According to the nutrtion information on the wrapper a serving only has 2 grams of protein. Wondering if that's close to what your guy told you.

 

[atgood]

Two more sweet 'tater options!

1) Sweet-potato French fries (baked, of course!).

You can make them yourself if you're willing to cut up/julienne the potatoes,etc. But I buy them packaged just like regular french fries and just bake them on a cookie sheet (lightly oiled or sprayed with Pam) til they are golden and crunchy. De-lish! No need for ketchup, I find!
Pretty much any good full-scale health food store will have them in the frozen foods section. And a lot of mainstream stores (like my local Safeway) have started to carry them. And some restaurants now offer them as an alternative to the tired old white-potato variety.

2) Sweet-potato fingerlings.

These are little new, baby potatoes, (fresh, not frozen) that I just discovered at my local Whole Foods. They bake up a lot quicker than the fully grown variety, are sweet, tender and tend to be less stringy. (I'm having a love affair at the moment with "baby" vegetables -- lima beans, broccoli, potatoes, you name it. So sweet and yummy.)

 

[fit44]

1) Sweet-potato French fries (baked, of course!).

You can make them yourself if you're willing to cut up/julienne the potatoes,etc. But I buy them packaged just like regular french fries and just bake them on a cookie sheet (lightly oiled or sprayed with Pam) til they are golden and crunchy. De-lish! No need for ketchup, I find!
Pretty much any good full-scale health food store will have them in the frozen foods section. And a lot of mainstream stores (like my local Safeway) have started to carry them. And some restaurants now offer them as an alternative to the tired old white-potato variety.

I agree, No ketchup required, BUT.....
I ordered some sweet potato fries at Sloppy Joe's restaurant in Florida. The waitress brought me a small container of honey for dipping. It was just too good to be true

 

[beautifulsoul]

I like mine diced and cooked on the stove with some coconut oil and cinnimon. Yummy!

Lisa - The way you make them sounds good too, can't wait to try it.

 

[Bubachick]

I had sweet tater fries for lunch, yummy!

Bri.

 

[NY25]

I LOVE sweet potatoes. Try this: cut them into matchsticks or wedges, toss with a little olive oil, salt and either chinese five spice or garam masala. Toss them in the oven at about 350 for about 20-25 minutes, stirring/tossing once. They cook faster because their sliced. They are delicious this way. The spice mixes are yummy, the outsides get tender crisp and the insides are tender. YUM!!