Dinner Time

First, I want to start this post by sending a Tuesday Morning Shout Out to Mel at Tall Mom On The Run. I've become a huge fan of Mel's blog (she really has it down) and have gained a lot of inspiration from her over the past few months I've been reading. Mel set a goal for 2009 to run 1000 miles. I could not believe this when I read it. 1000 miles!?! Seems like a highly unattainable goal for me, but I'm sure some people can do it. Well, one of those people is Mel! She went for a 3 mile run and then celebrated with her cheering section (her family). You can read about it here. Congrats Mel!!

On with today's post...

You may have heard already that I LOVE potatoes. I have not met a type of potato that I haven't liked and hardly any preparations that don't make me happy (over buttered, practically raw shredded 'home fries' don't do it). The sweet potato, a root vegetable which is actually a distant relative of the standard potato and often refereed to in regions of America as a 'yam' are exceptionally great - they taste fantastic and are very healthy.

Nutrition Facts of a Sweet Potato:
Low in sodium
Very low in saturated fat and cholesterol
Low on the glycemic index
Good source of dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin B6
Very good source of Vitamins A & C and Manganese
Great anti-inflammatory


As much as I love the sweet potato, I need to add a few new recipes to the rotation because I tend to stick to two preparations -
1. The loaded sweet potato with veggies, a little cheese, sometimes a little bit of meat (like ham, turkey or chicken) and ketchup (yet, I put ketchup on it!).

2. Sweet Potato chips - slice the potato, brush each side of the slices with a little bit of olive oil, add a bit of fresh crushed pepper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes each side then finish up with the broiler.

I went with option #2 last night. Woody isn't a big fan of version 1, so I will often make the 'chips' so I can share with him. He likes them a bit crispier than I do though, so sometimes I'll take what I want and then put them back in and broil for another minute or two.

Here's a picture as I'm flipping them over.














This was my dinner. A Gardenburger Blackbean pattie on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin with avocado, lettuce & onion, sugar snap peas, a pear, and sweet potato "chips." YUM!















If you're ever wondering how many calories are in a sweet potato, pear, apple, whatever it is you're about to eat, check out Calorie King. It's a pretty cool site where you can just plug in what you're eating (they even have nutritional info for fast food and chain restaurant items) and it tells you all you need to know. Definitely can help you keep on track through the holidays or help you make sure you're getting enough calories while training for your next marathon!

If you're traveling today or tomorrow for the holidays, I wish you best of luck on a smooth trip and very happy holidays! Our countdown to Minneapolis is on and I'm crossing my fingers that the predicted winter storm doesn't turn up!

Have a great day!