Sweet Potato Crisps

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am struggling with insulin resistance and anyone who carries our extra 'us' around our torso may be fighting the same battle. You may have slightly elevated fasting blood sugar even though you eat pretty darn well. Cinnamon has been shown to help our bodies with insulin resistance. My doctor says that the best way to combat the insulin monster is to lose the torso bunchiness and work out alot. Yay for CrossFit and cinnamon!!

The other thing I like about this recipe is that it does keep my hands out of the bag of traditional store bought chips. It will take a little time to make these, and the recipe is not very strict. (I promise, that will become clear once you read through the process below.) The more potatoes you start with, the more cinnamon you need and the longer the process takes. But, it is totally worth it.

This recipe inspired by a post on Whole9, http://whole9life.com/2010/10/stm-pwo-sweet-potato/, and served at the food fest following Barbells for Boobs. My mom took on the majority of the work for these chips and we made some observations along the way. Here is the recipe tweaked in a way that we think will serve you well.

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes. We used 6.
Cinnamon. We used several tablespoons.
Coconut oil. I could not find it. Mom says it comes in a can or a jar and it is more solidified, like lard or Crisco. Trader Joe's probably has it. Since I could not find it, we used Peanut Oil. You will need about a half cup of (liquidfied) oil for 6 potatoes.

Stuff ya need:
Baking sheets
Baking sheet liner
Small paring knife
Space to cool the crisps, and a cooling rack would move that process along.
Vegetable peeler
Zip top bag or air tight storage container
Small bowl to hold the oil when basting
Basting brush, or your fingers would probably work

Get started:
Spread your sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and cook them on the middle rack of your oven at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Turn the potatoes and continue to cook them for another 30 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, allow them to cool for one hour. We found that they are easier to peel when warm, not cold.

Crisp 'em!:
Gather as many baking sheets as you can and get excited to start your assembly line. Line the baking sheet with something - Silpat works great, other silicone sheets would be fine, or parchment paper on a traditional baking sheet worked good too.
Peel the potatoes.
If you are using coconut oil you will probably need to warm it so that it is liquid rather than chunky. Small pot, low heat, watch it so it does not scorch.
Slice the potatoes 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. The thicker you cut them, the longer the crisp process will take and the chewier they can be. Up to you, crispy or chewy.
As you slice the potato, place it on a baking sheet.
Pour oil into a small bowl so you can baste when it is time.
Up the oven to 350 degrees.
Fill the lined sheet as you slice your potatoes, and brush the sliced potato with the oil.
Dust the sweet potatoes with the cinnamon. Be brave, coat them well.
Get that sheet in the oven. They will need a good 30 minutes so you have some time to fill the other sheets you might have on hand.
Once those 30 minutes have passed, pull the sheet from the oven. Allow the sheet to cool for a few minutes. The potatoes will crisp as they cool. If they are not quite crispy enough for you, return them to your oven for a touch up.
Once the sheet of crisps has cooled a bit and you have decided they are crispy enough for you, move them over to your cooling station.
Once the crisps are completely cooled to room temperature you can store them in an air tight bag or container.

Eat Up!
If you wanted to serve these as a treat, a mustard sauce would be a great dip for them.

How Soda Affects your Body!

Since I can't get to video to post of our page, here is the link. I tried!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hbgv4q57yY

You need to hear this!

From fat to fit ~ it is so much more than physical

January 2009 I decided to lose weight. I knew I was unhealthy. The litany of health concerns were strikingly like that of an unaware 68 year old woman and no longer something I could ignore or excuse.

Elevated blood pressure – to the extent that Emergency Room visits occurred at least twice.

Elevated Triglycerides and Cholesterol. My blood literally appeared fatty

instead of clear and fluid. Gross!

Chronic dizziness. 2 car wrecks, walking into walls, multiple stops by police, and falling down at work. Not fun.

Chronic ankle swelling controlled by medication

Insomnia

Elevated blood sugar Decreased self esteem a generally crappy attitude and a self imposed level of stress that was sad.

For me to even spend the night out of town for one evening required an entire bag of medications that could have competed with most drug stores.

My doctors were polite enough about it. Not one of them ever said, “if you would just loose the weight” about resolving any of the concerns. No, they never said anything all that helpful. Instead, they prescribed medications and made more appointments. That was not really working, so instead I made appointments for myself at the gym.

The group I was working out with was varied. Some had physical injuries to tend to, some had emotional fears to get past, some were just trying to figure it all out. I was one of them. How had this happened? How had I gone from a spry 16 year old that played volleyball with enthusiasm, dated and had a fun circle of friends; to a wandering 20 something, US Amy Reservist, curious about what life would have in store for me; to a scared 30 something, knowing that I had somehow lost track of my strong suits and now literally wore very large suits.

From January 2009 – May 2009 I worked out as if my life depended on it, and I do think that it did. I was on a mission. I even had family come into town on surprise visits and would simply NOT skip a workout while they were here to share time with me. They were gracious; they respected that I had a lot going on with school, work, and my dedication to get healthy. But, the fact that I had gotten myself into such a mess spoke volumes, and still no one really said how far I had gone off track.

May 2009 came and the folks I had been working out with were faced with the opportunity to make one amazing change. We had the chance to stop working out and instead get CrossFit. Huh?

By then I was no longer taking the medication for blood pressure or for fluid retention. I had not yet learned a thing about my food choices, but I had gained a return to joy in JamieLand. I was finding that sweat was actually good for you, injuries were not a reason to not work out, and a committment to yourself is incredibly important.

So, this CrossFit thing came up. And I jumped in. I learned that being strong is not really impressive to me. Nor is the ability to run and run and run and run long distances. But, being fit is amazing! The chance to be strong AND be able to run long distances would prove to be invaluable. Turns out that CrossFit would rehab me right out of the majority of the dizzy spells far better than the drugs or therapy had done.

But, still, I had this thing with food. Ok, I have a big thing with food. When I am bored, or lonely, or stressed, or happy, or sleepy, I eat. Nachos are the best thing ever intented. They fill my tummy and my heart. While I was happier and healthier, the next key for me to turn would be my relationship with food.

And so, since September 2009 I have been working on that. Nachos will always have a place in my heart, but not in my hands. At least not every other day. It turns out that, at least for me, being fat was not the worst thing in the world. The worst thing was NOT being fit, not having my own self respect, not understanding why I chose the foods that I did, why I sometimes ate without even making that action a choice, and not knowing how foods impact my mood, and my health. It is amazing to me that I could actually lose 40 pounds, and then when hit with one too many life challenges, actually permit myself to gain all of that back. Clearly, I had had successes or I would not have lost that 40, but had missed out on something key. Food. It is a key, for me. Some people battle alcohol, some people battle with faith, I battle with food.

We all have a burden. Not everyone has CrossFit. For me, CrossFit has been more than just physical. It has been an amazing learning curve. It has taught me about measuring successes, being honest about your efforts, and that working out is better for us than just well defined abs or biceps popping out of your short sleeved shirt. It is about community, and team work, and change. We may all be seeking different changes - increased strength, decreased body fat, increased cardio capacity, etc. I am looking for all of that, and more. And, because I am looking for it within the CrossFit community, I will find it. And in the mean time I will continue to learn more about food, how it impacts me and my health, and I will continue to post recipes for you to try.

Given the way food impacts me, the recipes I try out are foods that serve me well. They do not generally include sugars or dairy. Until I get my blood lipds and sugars under control and my wishy washy relationship with food is more consistent, I am going to enjoy learning about what the alternatives are that leave me feeling full and proud of what I just ate.

What are you hungry for? Don't think just food, think about what fuels you, your inner athlete, your level of satisfaction with yourself. I am willing to bet that for each of us, getting fit involves far more than just NOT being fat and are not solely related to the amount of time we spend in the gym.

Sweet Potatoes and Flank Steak over Wilted Greens

Serves 4

Ingredients
Flank Steak, trimmed as needed
Spicy marinade of your choice

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons red chili flakes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 teaspoons cumin
1 can of purreed pumpkin

1 bunch of kale, removed from the stems and chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Get Ready -
Marinade your flank steak with some something a little spicy for a few hours.

Get Cookin'!
(Now would be a good time to get the steak out of the fridge and let it come up to temperature for grilling and start up the grill.)

Grab a large sautee / frying pan and allow it to get hot.
Add olive oil to the pan. Sautee onions until they caramelize.
Add paprika, balsamic vinegar, and red chili flakes.
Add sweet potatoes, cover the pan with a lid and allow the potatoes to soften, stirring from time to time.

Throw the flank steak on the grill and cook to your preferred temperature.

While the potatoes are cooking, wilt the kale. In a warm skillet, put the kale, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of water. Cover. Allow the kale to hang out and wilt. It may seem like the kale wont fit but it will be fine. Just put the lid on and check it in a few minutes. As it wilts, turn the kale. Once wilted, divide the kale up over 4 plates. You are not going for mush here, no need to soften the kale until it is a glob in the bottom of your pan.

Return to your large pan of sweet potatoes and onion.
Add cumin and pumpkin purree. Stir well, and season with salt as needed.
Allow the pumpkin to heat through while the steak is grilling.
Remove the steak from the grill and set aside to rest.
Add the sweet potatoe to the bed of kale.
Cut the flank steak on the bias, and add to your plate of veggies.

Eat up!
I made up this recipe last week so I dont have a good calorie and nutrition count. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
If you are making this to heat up later for lunch at work, etc., then do not wilt the kale in advance. Instead put the kale in the bottom of your tupperware, top with the cooked sweet potatoes and sliced steak. When you heat up your meal to eat it, the kale will wilt in the microwave just fine. Also, you may want to cook your steak a bit less than to your preferred temperature so that when you reheat the meal, the steak will not be too overdone.

Roast Your Seeds

(Recipes inspired from links found at http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/roasting-pumpkin-seeds/Detail.aspx.)

Many of you have been working from a Paleo Plate, and still others are just trying to eat better using other plans. Turns out that Pumpkin Seeds are good for us! And now is the time to harvest the gourds, scoop out their goodness and roast them.

From now until the end of the month gasoline station convenience stores will be stocking roasted pumpkin seeds and you might feel like grabbing a bag. Well, I say you should do it one better, and just do it yourself. Get the kids involved, make a few different varieties, have some fun in the kitchen, and eat something you made yourself.

The General Goods:
1. Line a baking sheet with Parchment Paper. If you do not already have this stuff, it is worth a trip to the grocery store. You can find it in the same aisle as the aluminum foil and plastic cling wrap. A good substitute is a silpat if you have one. The point is that it makes it keeps your baking sheet from being ruined by a bunch of baked on stuff.

2. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out alot of the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)

3. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat.

4. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.

5. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.


Kick it up a notch!

Same recipe but use some extra seasonings for some Mexican Flair:
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Spooky Seeds:
Same recipe with the flavors of the season.
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice.

Slim Down for Good

#1-Keep it simple-Do not eat processed foods. Eat whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean protein.
#2-Eat often. Eat a protein (the size of your palm), carb (the size of your fist), and fat (the size of your thumb) PLUS as many green veggies as possible at each meal. Eat every three or so hours. Going too long between each meal slows down your metabolism.
#3-Fill up with Fiber. Eat foods with fiber all day. Your fiber intake should be 25-35 grams per day. Slightly more for men.
#4-Stay hydrated. Aim for 8 cups of water per day. Limit your intake of caffeine.
#5-Write! Keep a journal of your food and liquid intake each day will help you stay motivated and more conscious of your consumption.
#6-Sleep! Not getting enough sleep can cause MANY problems in our bodies. Strive to get at least 7 hours eat night.

I have currently been following this "diet" for a little over a week...no cookies, no sugar, no bread! I have honestly never felt better. I am not always happy, but I am sure my body will adjust to not having any sugar and I just won't want it anymore.

Have a great day!

Are you eating the right things??

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/exclusives/nutrition/healthy_eating/dining-out-tips.shtml

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/exclusives/nutrition/healthy_eating/lunch.shtml

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/exclusives/nutrition/healthy_eating/eat-regular.shtml

Here are some great and helpful websites to live nutritiously!

Spaghetti Squash Soup

The base of many lovely spaghetti squash soups start with this recipe from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/spaghetti-squash-soup.html

Prepare the squash for its meeting with meaty goodness:Start by following along with the Spaghetti Squash preparation.

Soup Ingredients, other than the Spaghetti Squash:

4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 Garlic clove finely chopped
½ cup parsley
1 chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
1 box of low sodium Chicken or Vegetable stock
Diced Carrots and Spring onions
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the soup:

In a stock pot, heat some olive oil, add the chopped garlic and onions, sautee them till they soften and brown.
Now add the tomatoes and the other vegetables with parsley and sautee until the tomatoes soften.
Add the baked and then raked spaghetti squash and mix all ingredients well.
Pour the chicken stock in and stir well.
Heat the mixture on a low flame till the soup is of a thick consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Eat Up!
Mix this soup up a little.
If you like your soup creamier, add one can of coconut milk.
Add thawed chopped frozen spinach for a heartier soup.
Add Oregano and/or Red Pepper Chili flakes when sauteeing the onion for more flavor.
Diced cooked Chicken would be a nice addition.
Many spices, like Nutmeg, would be nice in the soup also.

Spaghetti Squash stuffed with Ground Turkey

Yay for a hearty, simple, seasonal meal! Recipe inspired by a similar recipe found at http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--2773/harvest-stuffed-spaghetti-squash.asp.

Prepare the squash for its meeting with meaty goodness:
Start by following along with the Spaghetti Squash preparation. You will need 2 medium spaghetti squash for this recipe. In this case, it would be ok if the squash does not seem completely done, it will cook another 15 minutes once the meat mixture is prepared and has been sprinkled on top of your good gourds.

Stuffing Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey or turkey sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ cup figs, craisins, raisins, or dates
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons teriyaki, soy, or Worcestershire sauce
sprinkle of favorite herbs - Rosemary and or sage would be nice
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup roasted pine nuts

While the squash is cooking, prepare the turkey stuffing.

Start by cooking the turkey product, breaking it up well as it cooks. Add the cut onion, apple, mushrooms, garlic, and the figs (or craisins, raisins, or dates).

Cook this until the meat is slightly browned and then sprinkle in the flour. Stir this well and then add the teriyaki, soy, or Worcestershire sauce. Bring this to a boil, reduce heat, stir, and allow the sauce to thicken. Season with herbs, salt and pepper.

Remove meat mixture from heat while you wait for the spaghetti squash to finish its initial cooking. Once the squash is done cooking, divide the meat mixture on top of the four squash havles, and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.

Remove from oven, top with toasted pine nuts and serve hot.

Eat Up!

This turkey stuffing could also be paired with other squash or even prepared as a skillet meal with other veggies served on the side.

Eat some Spaghetti!

No, not the pasta. I mean the squash!

Gourds are in season now, so it is time to eat up something hearty and healthy that you might not be able to get year round.

Spaghetti squash is great in a variety of recipes and meals. Some of you have heard of it, and I know some of you have even grown it. I am on a mission to give you all enough reasons to make sure that by the end of this beautiful fall season, you all have EATEN and ENJOYED some spaghetti squash. It is easy to prepare. Once cooked it can be added to other recipes or served as is.

Get Cooking!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Please be careful, it is easy for that knife to slip when going through such dense goodness at such a long distance.

Now that you have the gourd in half with the insides facing up, place it on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish. Yes, I do realize it may fall over since the gourd is not flat on the outside. It will be fine if your squash flops around a bit.

If you are going to put the cooked spaghetti into a soup go for the casserole dish with a small amount of water. If you are going to serve the squash as a pasta or a side item and you want it to come out with less liquid to run all over your plate, use a baking sheet.

Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds from each half. (They are great roasted, or you can toss ‘em. Up to you.) Now you should have two halves, each with a small well where the seeds were.

Lightly baste the fleshy squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake until fork tender and spaghetti like strands appear when raked with a fork. If you are baking it covered in the casserole dish, the water will create steam and decrease your cooking time. I am generally pleased with the outcome close to 45 minutes. If you are doing this on the baking sheet, it may take a little longer.

Once the squash is done, carefully remove your goods from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Take a sturdy fork and rake the strands loose. The majority of that gourd is up for grabs, so dig deep.

Stay tuned for some recipes!

Eat Up!