Dish #1 & Eat This, Not That

Sorry I was lazy over the weekend and did not post. I kept myself pretty busy with work and the Winter Market on Saturday and family stuff and baking with Lori on Sunday. Both days I worked out hard at Fitness World West.

Especially important since Lori made pralines yesterday. Thank god we shipped all but four of what was left after we ate too many to friends on the east coast. They are pure sugar, butter and pecans. Not a single redeemable quality. There is even the chance that they are the devils work - but they are damn tasty.

Speaking of tasty, you will find our first side dish recipe of the week for the holiday. But first, I wanted to share a quiz with you that actually had me saying, "really?!" and shaking my head a lot. It is called "Eat This, Not That" and it is from one of my favorite magazines "Women's Health". It puts two foods in front of you and then asks you to choose which one is healthier. After you choose, it gives the proper answer and a nutritional break down of the options.

Now there are common sense decisions like - pumpkin pie or pecan pie - pumpkin of course, very little fat in the core ingredient there. But it also has a 'course' on fast food - you will truly be frightened into not eating a number of your quick fix and comfort foods after you see them broken down. So give the quiz a quick spin.

As for the side dish - I like my sweet potatoes roasted or mashed solo, no additives except maybe a little salt or pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. But, especially this time of year people want to sweeten this nearly perfect vegetable. Here is a way to avoid coating it in corn syrup or marshmallows and still get your sweet side.

Apple Sweet Potato Bake

Ingredients:

5 cups thinly sliced sweet potatoes (or yams), about 1 1/2 sweet potatoes
2 cups thinly sliced apples, such as pippin or Granny Smith (about 2 small)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons reduced-calorie pancake syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup apple juice or orange juice
1/4 cup walnut pieces or chopped walnuts

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes, apple slices, and brown sugar together. Spoon into a 9x9-inch or similar-sized baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, blend syrup with cinnamon. Stir in the apple juice. Pour evenly over sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle walnuts over the top.
4. Cover baking dish with lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 15 minutes longer (or until apple and sweet potatoes are cooked throughout).

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 128 calories, 2 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (0.2 g saturated fat, 0.7 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 2.2 g fiber, 24 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 21%.

This is from MedicineNet.

Yours in health, Kate