Sweet Potato

I've been on a sweet potato kick lately.  I used to eat baked sweet potatoes all the time when I was little.  But for some reason haven't had it in years!  I totally forgot about them.

When I lived much closer to my gym and was working out in the morning before work, I would have fish and veggies for dinner, so pretty much no carb.  But now that I'm working out at night, I need some carbs afterwards so my body doesn't start breaking down protein - I am trying to get more lean muscles and lose more body fat after all.  But I obviously don't want to load on pasta or bread.  So it came down to a yam or a sweet potato for me.

Aside from the taste of sweet potatoes which I love, it's also very nutritious and low cal. A whole baked sweet potato has about 100 calories, depending on size, and it's a great source of vitamin A (beta carotene), C, and B6, not to mention tons of fiber and potassium.  It's got protein, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties.  And it's just yum!  It satisfies the sweet tooth craving I tend to get when it gets closer to bed time as well.

I've been trying out different ways to make it, and I've found the easiest, laziest way to do it.  I just wash it, wrap it in some foil, and put it directly on the rack of the oven at about 400-425 degrees for about 30 minutes.  And it comes out perfect!  I eat the skin too, and the inside is soft and sweet.  It's really the healthiest way to eat it since I don't add anything to it!

But of course I have also tried making sweet potato fries because who doesn't love them??

I think I have perfected this as well.  I just wash and cut, with skin and all.  Then put a little bit of olive oil (2 tbsp-ish?  I don't measure) and minced garlic (the kind you can buy in a jar from the store) together in a plastic bag.  Put the fries in the bag, zip it, and shake until the fries are covered evenly in the mixture (I don't like my hands covered in oil).  Then I lay them on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, then turn it up to 425 for another 10 minutes so the outside gets crispier.  Sometimes I also add some cracked black peppers or a tiny bit of salt.  And YUM!  So easy too!  I love healthy and low maintenance type of recipes because I really can't be bothered with too many steps and don't have much time.  And I love how the fries taste just as good as if they were fried but without the artery clogging effect. Gotta experiment and keep looking for more recipes like this!