What to do with a bag of potatoes

I get a little OCD about wasting food.  I hate to throw out food that has gone bad before we have had a chance to eat it.  This week I delayed making my favorite butternut squash and apple soup because I did not have enough apples.  Finally yesterday I got the apples, to quickly find out my butternut squash was BAD.  Really bad.  I had to throw out 2 pounds of butternut squash.  It killed me.

I went into overdrive looking at all our food to make sure there was not anything else that was going to go to waste.  And, I saw a big bag of sweet potatoes.  I cleaned them ALL and put them in the oven to bake.  (350 degrees, for about 30 minutes).   But what to do now with a bag of baked sweet potatoes?  

Sweet Potato Soup

2 cups of baked sweet potatoes (about 2 potatoes)

1 cup of low sodium veggie broth

1/2 of a chopped, sauted, onion (I sauted mine with a little veggie broth until they turned translucent)

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (this makes it VERY spicy) - I loved it, but beware

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or other plant based milk

And, you guessed it - put it ALL in the vitamix (or similar) and blend away!

Voila - a tasty, filling soup.  This is a great base, you could really add any spices, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I was craving something spicy.

Saute half of an onion in a little veggie broth

Yum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soup took care of two potatoes.  I put two more baked sweet potatoes in the refrigerator for lunch this week.

And with the rest of the potatoes I made sweet potato chips with cinnamon and a little salt. (350 degrees, lightly spray with olive oil add spices) Bake for about 20 minutes, then broil for a couple of minutes.

Last summer I was obsessed with pumpkin seeds.  I roasted some while I was baking all my sweet potatoes.  I put them on a baking sheet in my toaster oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.  Sprinkled with a little salt.  What a great topping for the soup and a handy snack.  Pumpkin seeds rock.  They are a great source of protein, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, and have a ton of great health benefits.  Read more here.

Quick Healthy Dinner

Trader Joes seaweed snacks - I had no idea these would be such a hit in my house, but Ry can eat an entire package in one sitting!  So, last night, I prepared a healthy salad - spinach, carrots, avocado, pumpkin seeds and sprinkled the crunchy seaweed on top.   It was spicy, crunchy, and had lots of flavor.  I used a light, light lemon vinaigrette to top it off.  So healthy!  Chad did not try but S and I loved it. 

Mine and the girls dinner was super simple but good.  Brown rice, black beans, this salad and seaweed on the side.  (Chad brought home BBQ).  I promise I do try to include him in meals, sometimes though I just strike out!







Pumpkin seeds have become my new obsession.  Read what this website has to say about them "natures almost perfect food"!
http://health.learninginfo.org/herbs/pumpkin-seeds.htm

And seaweed - "all of the minerals required by humans are present" see more at:
http://health.learninginfo.org/seaweed-benefits.htm


Impressive - I want to eat perfect foods and ones that contain so many great nutrients.  And, they taste good too!

Pumpkin Seeds

Always on the quest for easy summer dinners filled with fresh veggies, but looking for a little added flavor, I have stumbled upon toasted pumpkin seeds.  Yes, my favorite lunch place, Lotta Frutta and a root canal helped me with the discovery.

I love nuts, but after an almond recently split my tooth resulting in a less than fun and incredibly expensive root canal and a crown I decided to give up nuts for awhile.  I was dining at Lotta Frutta and Myrna suggested adding toasted pumpkin seeds to my salad.  Delicious!  So, last night I whipped up a salad with lots of veggies, grilled some asparagus with seasame oil and GF soy sauce and baked polenta topped with veggies.  I threw some pumpkin seeds in a pan with a little spray olive oil and just mixed them around a bit.  They turned out perfectly.  The seeds added a smoky, crunchy lift to my salad.  And, I sprinkled them over the asparagus too.  All vegan, all GF.  Yum.  But this dinner did fail the family test.  Not one taker.

Speaking of Lotta Frutta, the girls finally got their picture posted in the restaurant.  This was a HUGE deal to the girls.  I think it might have been the best day of their short but adventure packed life.

Beyond pumpkin seeds - and on to smoothies.  I used to be intimidated by smoothies, did I need to get a recipe?  Follow it precisely?  No and No.  I am no longer afraid.  I threw in one frozen banana, one big handful of frozen strawberries, a scoop of vegan protein and about a cup of water.  Perfect afternoon snack!  Another tip I learned recently - if you are freezing fresh fruit (I am trying, trying to be that organized and proactive), cut the fruit lay it out flat on a baking sheet, and freeze them not touching one another.  After they are frozen, then throw them into your freezer container, glass or zip lock bag, and they wont stick together!