Sweet Potatoes on the Side

Sweet Potato Memories

Remember that  side of sweet potatoes often served at holidays. And the gooey marshmallow topping that turned yams and sweet potatoes into pie?  When I was a kid, I scraped the marshmallows off the delicacy and smeared the orange vegetable that people said was good for me aside.  I loved my sweets, but vegetables? Yuk.  I grew up thinking that sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkins and the like had to be sweetened in order to be palatable.

And yet, I could devour regular potatoes--no sugar of course but mashed, baked, fried, you name it.  I still love potatoes, but because of their high starch avoid them in order to keep my blood sugars in balance.  Today you will not find a single white potato in my house.  Unless it is Christmas time and I am making lefsa.

In recent years I have converted from white potatoes to sweets and usually have them available every day. (My husband is a runner and sweet potatoes are a terrific recovery food.) They are excellent baked, steamed, oven fried and one of my favorites, sweet potato fries. Since the sweet potato casserole is still a popular dish, I thought I'd share my healthy version.

A Healthy Easter Treat

These days I resist the urge to add sugar to sweet potatoes. Okay, maybe a little maple syrup with the butter on a baked sweet. More and more though I find that they are delicious with nothing on them at all.

Now instead of adding all that sugar, I've created something even tastier. Of course you can simplify this dish even more by leaving out the eggs and serving the sweets mashed. I included the calorie laden version below so you could see the changes. Enjoy!

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole 

4-5 sweet potatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C clarified butter or coconut oil*
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
2 T coconut milk (canned)
3/4 C pecans (Chop most but reserve some whole for topping.)

*you can eliminate the butter or oil and it still tastes great.

Directions for the healthy version

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a suitably sized baking dish.

2. Bake or steam sweet potatoes until they begin to soften, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then peel and mash.

3. In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and coconut milk. (I use the food processor for this.) Fold in chopped pecans, then pour into baking dish.

4. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until top is slightly browned. Place whole pecans on surface as desired for presentation.

5. Pecans can be candied by mixing them in a little raw honey and then sprinkling them on the top of the dish.

Original Recipe 

5 sweet potatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C sugar
2 T heavy cream
-------------------------------
1/4 C butter softened
3 T flour
3/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 C chopped Pecans

Original recipe from All Recipes at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gourmet-sweet-potato-classic/detail.aspx

It's In Our Genes

The  Healthy Norwegian

I spent most of my life trying to lose weight and eat healthy.  I thought my weight, along with my medical problems, high cholesterol  borderline diabetes, high blood pressure, intestinal problems and heart problems were all genetic. I thought I probably was destined to be overweight and to suffer the kind of unhealthy existence my mother had.  I tried to eat right and exercise, but no matter what I did, the weight kept creeping up. I tried numerous diet plans and nothing worked.

Then, through some friends, I learned about the Paleo lifestyle. I read all the books I could find, checked out websites and found a simple and basic way of eating that has changed my life.  And it's not about dieting--it's about eating real food.  The kind of food that God created us to eat and provided for us.

I'm happy to say that the excess weight is gone. I went from 155 pounds and am now maintaining at 125. My blood pressure is lower, though hypertension does seem to be a genetic problem. My "bad" cholestrol has dropped significantly and I am leaner and have more energy.  And I look good.  At least that's what people tell me. I still have heart problems (that too is genetic).  And sadly, intestinal problems led to colon cancer and several years later that resulted in removal of my colon and an illeostomy.  Some things can't be fixed, but some things can.

For me, getting truly healthy has taken a lot of years. I only wish I'd known the truth early on. Sadly I'm not alone.

We eat to live. 

We are designed to eat foods that keeps us alive and healthy and feeling good.

But something has gone terribly wrong. The way we eat and what we eat is affecting our health and well being. We are plagued with obesity, intestinal ailments, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, depression and cancer to name a few.  Most of the problems affecting us today can be traced back to our food choices.  I have or have had many of these ailments, but am finding solutions and learning to differentiate between foods that can heal and those that can hurt.

I decided to create a blog about food and health for a number of reasons.

• The first is that I have learned a great deal about maintaining a healthy diet amidst the chaos of bad food choices. 
• I was once the constant dieter, but the pounds kept coming and I could not seem to lose weight. I found the secret and it is not tucked away in a pill or a drink or a so-called weight-loss-diet. 
• I have found and created some fabulous dishes that are not only healthy, but delicious. And I would love to share the recipes.
• In the past few years I have gone from being a very unhealthy Norwegian to being about as healthy as I can be under the circumstances. I unknowingly ate foods that nearly killed me and I am striving to correct whatever I can in the years I have left. 
• I am a two time cancer survivor and finding the healthiest way to live in order to build my immune system to fight cancer and other health issues have become a vital part of my life. 
• Finally, I am one of those people who feels a strong desire to share what I have learned with others who want to achieve these same goals. 

Coming Up:

I'm excited to share my experiences, recipes, thoughts and tips with you over the next few months along with some great recipes and ways we can improve our health.