The Versatile Sweet Potato

(skip down if you just want to read about my workout)

Yesterday I mentioned the kitchen situation at my new office. Last night I finally had time to prepare something to take for lunch. Making lunch is great for a few reasons:
1) better control of ingredients
2) freshness
3) cost savings

I'm a fan of rice bowls - combining rice with veggies, legumes and other good for you ingredients - and because they are portable and filling, it's a great option for office lunches. Here's a version that takes advantage of one of my favorite foods: sweet potato!

Sweet Potato Rice Bowl
Ingredients for 1 serving:
1/2cup rice (Trader Joe's Rice Medley)
1/4cup chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/2-3/4cup veggies (broccoli and avocado squash)
1/2 medium sweet potato, baked
6 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp sliced almonds or sunflower seeds (optional)
1 tbs hummus (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350* 
2. Cook a pot of rice
3. Chop veggies
4. Cut sweet potato into quarters lengthwise and slice into even sized pieces. Place each half on sheet of tin foil, wrap and place on cookie sheet in oven. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, stirring twice to keep potato from attaching to the foil.
5. If preparing for later use (like lunch the next day), let rice and sweet potato cool.
6. Mix all ingredients in a bowl or reheatable container.
7. Add tomatoes, hummus and nuts/seeds just before eating.
8. Either eat right away or store in fridge and then reheat slightly just before eating.

It looks like a lot, but it's actually really easy to put together, especially if you already have the rice prepared. Plus, the combinations are basically endless!

Last night, I tried Trader Joe's pomegranate nonfat Greek yogurt for the first time.

I've been eating the non-fat plain Greek yogurt for a while now and like it. Not as great as Chobani, but not bad either. The pomegranate flavor was really nice, not too sweet or sugary. The container is a bit smaller than usual, I think in order to keep the calories down to 110, but it was just the right amount for me last night. It's very creamy and a bit lighter than other Greek yogurts. I added a bit of cinnamon which I liked as well. It does have a few extra ingredients since it's flavored, but it didn't taste overly sugary like many flavored yogurts, so I give this a thumbs up and will likely get it again when I'm craving a flavored yogurt with a little more flavor**

Random question: have you ever watched Burn Notice on USA? It's a great show that Woody and I watch every Thursday. USA actually has a few great shows, especially if you like crime-mystery shows. Jeffrey Donovan, who plays the main character, is trained in martial arts and is very physically active, performing the majority of his stunts.I also like that they shoot on location in Miami.

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workout stats -

13mile bike

3x10 leg press

3x10 glute kickback

3x12 seated row

3x10 hip abductor

3x10 squats

stretching