Sweet Potato Homefries

Good Morning all! Did you remember to turn your clocks ahead last night?? Derek and I talked about it, but never did it. He was an hour late for an 8 a.m. meeting and I missed my step class.....oops!!

I still went to the gym and did my first ever skip fit. What a great cardiovascular workout. I loved it and will be trying to catch that class whenever I can. Did you know that a 155 lb woman can burn between 563 and 844 calories by skipping for one hour (that sold me on this class!!).

My absolutely most favourite meal of the week is Sunday breakfast. Sunday is the one day a week that I usually skip a green smoothie and go with something more traditional. Since we ended being home with nothing to do, we I (it would be my dream if Derek would actually cook with me in the kitchen, but so far my hints haven't been sinking in :-) decided to whip up a delicious breakfast.

Are you a homefry lover?? We are. I love going out for breakfast and ordering a big mound of greasy homefries that I can smother in ketchup and salt. But, since I am trying out some healthy alternatives and I have been totally digging sweet potatoes lately, I thought I'd switch it up and make some sweet potato homefries for a change.

I made them exactly as I would if I were whipping up homefries with regular potatoes and they turned out great!

Sweet Potato Homefries
3 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 sweet onion
1 1/2 tbsp Earth Balance (butter would work)
salt & pepper to taste

I love recipes with 4 ingredients!! 

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and onion.

Steam your sweet potatoes for just a few minutes until they are fork tender. I have a microwave steamer that is so quick and convenient for a meal like this.

Meanwhile, melt the Earth Balance (or butter) in a medium sized frying pan on medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Keep in mind that I love carmelized onions (today they got quite dark while I was getting everything else ready). You can adjust your cooking times to suit your preferences on how crispy you like your homefries.

Add the sweet potatoes and continue to cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes.

Add additional salt & pepper according to your taste preferences and serve immediately.

I could have eaten this whole bowl myself. They were sooo tasty!

These are a fantastic side to all of your favourite breakfasts and they are so easy to whip up.

  

 Derek's Plate (check out the dessert - at least I was able to sneak some fruit in there)

Andrea's Plate (I would love the same dessert, but I was strong today)

What great fuel to get us through our day. I was full of energy and pizzazz when I got to skip fit!

What is your favourite meal of the week.

What is your favourite breakfast foods.

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

Andrea

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Happy Hump Day!!

So, I am having a little problem. I am starting to get myself psyched up and ready to start the 21 day cleanse this weekend, but instead of weaning off caffeine, sweets and processed foods, that seems to be all I am craving. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me to eat as much of the "bad" stuff as I can before I start the cleanse, but my logical sensible voice is saying that I am really going to regret it when I have my first sugar and caffeine withdrawal!!

Derek is not helping matters. Today he bought me a Cadbury Cream Egg. I love cream eggs. I spied them in the store a few weeks ago and they have been on my mind since, but I have held strong and kept them out of my cart....until today. Derek has good intentions, but really he is becoming my "enabler".

In order to be able to eat my cream egg, I have made a deal with myself. I have to have a healthy dinner first and no other snacking. So, the question is...what am I going to eat that will be satisfying yet very healthy?? I've got it!!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad w/ Cranberries & Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
2 c sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp rosemary (I used dried, but I think fresh would be even better)
1/4 c raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 c dried cranberries

Dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
pinch of pepper
additional pinch of rosemary (if you love it as much as I do)

Mix cubed sweet potatoes, coconut oil, sea salt, garlic and rosemary.

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes (make sure you flip halfway through). I like my sweet taters dark and crispy, so I left them the entire 30 minutes.

Those look so amazing; why they look good enough to eat .... hehe

Meanwhile, toast your pumpkin seeds. Place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for approximately 3 minutes until the seeds are golden brown. Do not let them burn!

Also, you can whip up your dressing while the potatoes are cooking. Add all ingredients and whisk together.

Once the potatoes are cooked, place them in a large bowl and let cool for approximately 10 minutes. Add pumpkin seeds and cranberries.

Toss with dressing and serve.

This salad is really delish!!  I enjoyed it warm, but I think it would also be really good when chilled.

It is pretty and festive and would be a nice side to serve your guests. I think you could really spruce it up and make it look fantastic if you had fresh rosemary for garnish.

Hope you have a wonderful evening ~ I am off to watch Survivor (I am team Rob all the way!!)

Andrea

Note: I drizzled just 1 1/2 tbsp of the dressing over the entire salad. I was afraid it would be too overpowering and take away from the taste of the salad ingredients. Next time I might add a splash of honey to the dressing to mellow out the taste of the vinegar.

The 21 Day Crazy Sexy Diet Cleanse

Happy Tuesday everyone - yayyy for short weeks (anyone who had a holiday yesterday knows what I'm talkin' about)!

Before I get all deep and thoughtful, I want to give a shout out to Angela at Oh She Glows --- I just finished downing a bowl of her Sweet Potato Oatmeal <Breakfast> Casserole it was sooooo good!! There are days when I just love having breakfast for dinner. I followed her recipe exactly, so I'm not going to reiterate it here. All I am going to say is if you love sweet potato casserole, duh ~ who doesn't?? and you love oatmeal, this casserole is for you.

....and now on to deeper more pressing issues:

Do you have any idea what it’s like to feel blissfully whole and comfortable in your skin? Do you know what it’s like to be centered and grounded yet filled with an abundant supply of zippy energy?

These are two questions that are asked by author Kris Carr on her website http://www.crazysexydiet.com/.

My answer: No!! I don't know what it would be like to feel blissfully whole & comfortable in my skin and No! I don't know what it's like to be centered and grounded nor have I ever felt full of "zippy energy (except when I was maybe like 5 years old)!!"

Do I want these things: Hell Yes!!

This weekend my sweet mom drove me around to 3 different Chapters bookstores so I could buy Kris Carr's book, Crazy Sexy Diet. I am just finishing Chapter 2 and already I am feeling really excited about the possibilities should I be able to follow the principles set out in this book.

My plan right now is to finish reading the book this week and then embark on the 21 day cleanse. I've never tried stuck to this type of plan, but I'm feeling ready and motivated and this time I am going to do it fully, completely and with an open heart and mind.

Body image has always been a sensitive issue for me. I have to work really hard and be very careful about what I eat in order to maintain a figure that I am happy with. I just have to look at a Boston Cream Donut and I swear that an inch is added to my bum.

I had a lot of success with Weight Watchers a few years back, but in order to shed the pounds, I primarily ate grilled cheese sandwiches using Weight Watchers bread, butter flavoured Pam instead of butter and light cheese slices. Healthy?? I think not. 

A few years have now passed since shedding the pounds and here I am a few pounds heavier finding all my pants to be just a little bit snugger. My dilemma now is that I am much more aware about what I am putting in my mouth and the long-term impact of the food choices that I make, so a Weight Watchers grilled cheese just isn't going to cut it. 

So, I am going to try to stick to eating healthy, whole, organic when possible foods to see if I can get myself and my body back on track. I really want to know, does this change in eating really give you the healthy glow I've been reading about from all my favourite bloggers? ~  because if it does I wanna get me some of that!!

There are no more "diets" for this chickie-poo - only healthy eating and conscious habits like less TV and more exercise!! I'm going to create a new page on my blog that is going to chronicle my 21 day journey - so check back often and chime in with your thoughts and encouragement...& appropriate recipes if you have some!

I'm looking forward to taking this journey with you!!

Andrea

Veggie Burger & Sweet Potato Fries

We all have some nights when we are either too busy, too tired or just don't feel like spending alot of time in the kitchen after a long day at work. I had one of those nights recently, so I decided to splurge and treat myself to my favourite ready- made veggie burger. Let me introduce you to the President's Choice Thick & Juicy Portbello Swiss Vegetarian Burger.

Ohhhh Yeahhhh....

I think these burgers are only available to us Canadians, but man are they good! They aren't as low fat & low calorie as I typically like, but once in a while a girl has got to go crazy and let loose...so what if you have to undo the button on your pants after dinner....we'll make it up with a good workout tomorrow right ;-)??

These burgers are great on the barbecue, but since our barbie is covered in 3 feet of snow, I decided to throw it under the broiler - it still tasted great!

When I have a good veggie burger, I don't like to overpower it with all sorts of toppings. I am not very exciting when it comes to topping a burger: I like carmelized onions (doesn't everyone??)...I actually put an entire onion on my burger ... I just couldn't help myself :-) I also like a little mayonaise (you can use your favourite vegan version if you'd like)  and a handful of baby spinach.

Doesn't this burger look amazing ~ I know my mouth's watering  :-)

As a side, I whipped up some baked sweet potato fries. These are so easy to make!

Sweet Potato Fries

serves 1

1 sweet potato

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or oil of your choice)

1 tsp of sea salt

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick spray.

Chop your sweet potato up into wedges or fries - I was watching Hawaii 5-0 while I did this, so mine are cut a little funky, but they still tasted great.



Add the oil and salt and mix thoroughly.

Place fries onto cookie sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes making sure to flip the fries halfway through. You may find that they take a little longer depending on your oven and how crispy you like the fries to get, so keep an eye on them.

I am a lover of the salt shaker, so I do add more salt once they are cooked ~ it really depends upon your taste ~ personally I think everything tastes better with salt.

If you realy want to get crazy, you could make a larger batch of fries and mix sweet potatoes and regular potatoes - this is quite a hit at my house because it satisfies my sweet tooth and love of sweet potato fries and Derek still gets his normal, "not fancy" taters.  

Voila! An easy and delicious meal without much effort or clean up.

Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday evening!

Andrea

Vegetable Stew with Heart-Shaped Biscuits

Stew is something I have always loved. Before becoming a vegetarian, I would whip up a big pot of beef stew from scratch---I just loved the stuff! Lately I have found myself craving stew, but I've never attempted to make a vegetarian version, so yesterday I thought what the heck, I was home alone so if it didn't work out, no one would be the wiser....but I have some fabulous news....it turned out absolutely amazing!! I am feeling like a proud mama about this stew because it is the first recipe I have developed completely from scratch that I can call my own!! Of course, in keeping with the Valentine's Day theme and my new cookie cutters, I had to whip up a batch of whole wheat biscuits (cut into cute little hearts) to serve on the side.

This stew is full of delicious, healthy veggies, which are smothered in a red wine mushroom gravy....are you drooling yet??

Vegetable Stew

2 Tbsp Earth Balance (or butter)

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 potatoes, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 c. mushrooms, sliced

¼ c. dry red wine

5 c. mushroom or vegetable broth

1 – 2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp rosemary

4 tbsp cornstarch

½ c. water

Place Earth Balance in a large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add in onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and 1 tsp salt and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

I could eat this mixture with a spoon - adding the salt brings out the flavours just perfectly.

Add in carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, celery and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.

You will have to stir frequently so the veggies don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Add red wine and stir to coat veggie mixture.

Add mushroom or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. You can add rosemary while the pot is simmering.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until dissolved. Once veggies are tender, add to simmering pot. Allow to cook for a few more minutes until stew is at the desired consistency. Add additional salt and pepper, if desired.

This stew is rich and savoury and very filling. Derek came home several hours later and asked what was cooking...the aroma was still mouth-watering!

Heart-Shaped Biscuits

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. white all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 c. Earth Balance (or butter)

3/4 c. unsweetened original Almond Milk (or regular milk)

Pre-heat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Blend together flours, baking powder and salt.

Cut Earth Balance into the dry ingredients.

Add the milk and stir. Once you get it started, you will need to finish mixing with your hands. Knead the dough until all of the ingredients are mixed and the dough is smooth.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out until to a 1/2" thickness. (the easiest way would be using a rolling pin, however mine seems to be MIA, so I pressed it out with my fingers which worked as well)

Cut biscuits into squares or circles or use your favourite cookie cutter (mine of course were cut into little hearts ;-))

Place onto baking sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with the stew. These little guys are best when served immediately.

Mmmmm....I guarantee you are going to love this meal....& if you're lucky (like I was) you will have just enough leftovers to have for lunch the next day. I have a feeling the stew might even be better on day 2.

Wishing you a happy Sunday....put your feet up and get in some good ol' rest & relaxation.

Andrea