Ronnie Fein

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Easy Sweet Potatoes

I have to congratulate myself.

For two reasons.

First. because my husband came home from a meeting with a client recently (the client is in a health-related industry) with some great news (I am using quotation marks even though I can’t remember the exact words, but they’re close enough):

"Wow, I just read a newsletter at (so-and-so’s) office and it listed all the best, healthiest foods to eat and guess what? We eat all those things!"

No kidding.

I never told Ed we were cutting down on beef, that I was serving smaller portions, that we were going to eat more fish, chicken and turkey. That I would make sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. That I would serve more leafy greens and whole grains, dried apricots, avocados and bananas. And whatever else was on the list.

I just did it.

And he is such a good soul he just went along, never realizing. Of course, this was all very gradual. But somehow he had the idea that our diets were not particularly healthy.

Of course we go off now and then. And make pigs of ourselves. And eat things like franks-in-blankets and chocolate covered raisins and taco chips and sugar-coated jelly half moons.

Not usually though.

But he sometimes mentioned to me that we should should start eating in a healthier way, to which I always said “we actually do.” But you know how people are. People always assume what they have always assumed unless something comes along and changes their minds.

Like that newsletter I mentioned.

So my second reason for congratulating myself is that I still haven’t said “I told you so.”

Here is one of the healthy recipes for sweet potatoes. I always buy organic dark orange “yams” (which are really sweet potatoes). 

Easy Sweets

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 teaspoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup orange or pineapple juice

cinnamon

salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a sharp knife and place them in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tender. Cut the potatoes and scoop the flesh into a bowl (you can eat the skins separately). Add the butter and mash the potatoes until fairly smooth. Pour in the juice, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and serve. Makes 2 servings