WAKE UP PEOPLE
What smart choices
can we make for our bodies?
ROOT VEGETABLES
MOM'S SWEET POTATO BAKE
"Mom loves sweet potatoes and fixed them often in this creamy, comforting casserole. With its nutty topping, this side dish could almost serve as a dessert. It's a yummy treat!"
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups cold mashed sweet potatoes (without added milk and butter)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- TOPPING:
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cold butter or margarine
DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat sweet potatoes, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
ROOT VEGETABLES
FOR COMFORT
There is a theory that suggests starting your day with food that grows higher up (citrus and nuts) for high energy and gradually moving back down to earth (potatoes and onions) to settle down for the night. Roots vegetables are the ultimate comfort food. Think mashed potatoes, fried turnips, creamed onions, roasted garlic, pumpkin pie flavored with ginger. Serve it all up with turkey, and it's no wonder we all end up passed out on the couch.
WHAT EXACTLY IS
A SWEET POTATO?
It's not actually a potato, but rather a member of the morning glory family. One of the oldest vegetables known to man, sweet potatoes have been around since prehistrtoic times.
High in fiber and rich in antioxidant beta-carotene, this vegetable is also a great source of heart-healthy potassium, and calcium. Furthermore, it also contains quercetin, a powerful anti-inflammatory. When you reduce inflammation, you feel better, AND you reduce the chances of coming down with diseases related to inflammation, i.e., cancer.
Sweet potatoes are not just for Thanksgiving. Bake a week's worth of sweet potatoes, wrap individually, and refrigerate, because they make a perfect after-workout snack. They are also a healthy subsitute for potatoes in clam chowder - adds a subtle flavor of sweetness. If you have never ordered sweet potatoes fries when you've seen it on a menu, consider trying some next time you have the option. More about sweet potatoes at gone-ta-pott.com
My main source for nutritional information is a fabulous book titled The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. C.N.S.
Follow along as I trace back our roots in the story of August.
