Sunday, January 17, 2010

Stuck at The Starting Gate / New Recipe

Have you ever been to the horse races?? If you have, ever notice how sometimes the horse will kick, paw, and not want to go into the starting gate?....do you have a mental picture of that?...good...because that was me this week.

I had plans to really get out of the starting gate and run the race this week, and well....I was more like a lazy mare in the pasture, grazing on a warm summer day...minus the summer day....uhhh!

How embarrassing to have to admit that to myself and the world. I found myself in a funk this week, not motivated in any area. So of course I did not do my best in this race to get back into healthy eating and losing weight again. On a positive note, I did manage to eat breakfast six out of seven days, ate more vegetables than I did over the holidays, but that is about it.

January is typical a hard month for me emotionally. I seem to not do well after the holidays, and during the gloomy days of winter. I was thinking about that the other day, and it occurred to me that throwing foods that I am not supposed to be eating into that mix is certainly not helping my cause. Monday...new week....we will see how I do this week.

Goals: (1) Stay on task. (2) weather permitting, take the dogs walking at least 45 minutes (I will exercise with the dogs, they love a walk....me not so much) I hope to walk at least one day....I know better than to try for more right off the bat, remember I know myself better than anyone! (3) Pull out my diet plan and review and focus on one day at a time.

***For those who emailed me about a copy of the diet plan I am on, I did not have this loaded right in the attachment, thus the delay. I will forward this as soon as I have my son check to see if I have done this correctly....by Monday, I will have emailed you your copy...sorry about this....thanks for your patience.

Now, I want to share with you a recipe I tried a couple of weeks ago. It is a good side dish with roasted chicken or steak or shrimp, and it a healthy option to regular potatoes. The most important thing about this dish, is it is super easy, great flavor and not a lot of prep work.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes


You will need: Sweet potatoes, olive oil, Old Bay seasoning, Cinnamon and Kosher salt

In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a dash of kosher salt. Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil with the spices and stir well.

slice sweet potatoes into about 1 inch pieces, and put on a rimmed baking sheet. I used about 3 medium to large sweet potatoes, (recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs)

Sprinkle olive oil/seasoning mixture over potatoes

and toss until all of the potatoes are coated well. Bake in a 450 degree oven until potatoes are deep golden brown on all sides. Bake aprox. 30-40 minutes, be sure to stir and flip potatoes half way through cooking.

There you have it, a easy side dish that is so good, it will go with many meal options. This recipe serves 4 and has 178 calories per serving.

Have a great week everyone, and thanks for keeping me on task to record this journey and trying to move forward. Encourage on another....together we can do it.

24 comments:

  1. I think making major life changes is hard, and I think you're really brave for putting yourself out there and being honest about your struggle this past week.

    Dont be too hard on yourself. Eating breakfast and increasing your vegie intake is a huge change. Well done.

    By taking small steps you're more likely to meet your personal goals and make your changes long lasting. I think your goals for this week are realistic and sensible.

    You can do this Suzanne! One week at a time, and if you dont do so well one day or for more than a day then there is always another day or week round the corner!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How many sweet potatoes did you use? I didn't see it in the recipe, but I may have just overlooked it since I was drooling all over the place and paying more attention to the pictures ;) I LOOOOVE sweet potatoes!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Suzanne,
    Don't beat yourself up about this one week. It sounds like you are back on track and that's what is important. You have some very realistic goals for the week so I have a feeling you will be out of the gate and walking this week!!
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds delicious,I'll have to try the recipe!
    I understnad-I get into creative funks and have all kinds of plans that just don't go as planned~it's hard when the weather's all gloomy too.It's not very inspiring ~
    take care,
    andrea

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yummy recipe! I am going to try it! Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful Sunday! I am anxious to get my copy of the diet.Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Suzanne! That looks and sounds yummy! I must try that!

    Happy Sunday!
    Dorothy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Suzanne, I know exactly where you are! I was feeling the same way last week. But, it is the start of a new week and we move on. This week will be a good one!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sweet potatoes are the best potatoes!!! Interesting recipe - will try it. I like EASY!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Suzanne,
    I would like a copy of the diet plan when you get it up and running please. I so need a plan...something to go by. And I am going to buy sweet potatoes tomorrow and try this recipe! They look yummy! Thanks for both the plan and the recipe! And you hang in there....I think January is a hard month on most of us....it is just hard to be motivated when all of the sparkle of Christmas is done....I am pulling for you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. We can't all be racehorses, sometimes we have to start with a gentle trot around the pasture when we're ready. The speed will come.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sweet Suzanne, I just love reading your blog, you are such a honest inspiration. I can't wait to try your sweet potato recipe. I like adding red pepper flakes to mine but the family says it's too hot, they would like the sweet/hot though...
    And honestly, you already look great, so don't fret on returning to the gate again, I think you have alot more horses in there with you! ha ha... ly, Sandra

    ReplyDelete
  12. Suzanne, thanks for sharing your journey with us, including recipes, wow, the sweet tater's look really good. I would appreciate it so very much, if you could email your diet plan my way. I've been trying hard since the beginning of the new year...but motivation waivers as you know.
    Thanks in advance, Susan alias Corgidogmama

    ReplyDelete
  13. YUM!!

    So glad you found us over at Texas Gals!

    Be sure and holler over at my homesite soon!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Monday...a new week...a fresh start. I am expecting a baby so I am not working on the diet plan, but this message is applicable in other areas of my life. It's never too late to TRY AGAIN! :)

    The recipe looks yummy! I'm going to try it. Thanks for sharing.

    Blessing on you today...and in this new week's journey.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I never use white potatoes, garnet yams are better for us! I roast mine with S&P, olive oil & balsamic vinegar, they carmelize yum yum!We need to stay away from the white stuff, rice ,flour etc the complex/colored carbs are tastier anyway.Don't get discouraged every day is a new day, Suzanne.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love baked sweet potatoes, and that recipe sound delicious. I'm going to make them.

    Stay on task with your dieting. You've done a great job so far. I'm not even able to begin!

    Blessings to you,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a great looking recipe. I've just given you a Sunshine award at my blog. Pop on by to collect!! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  18. If it weren't for my birthday being in January I would rather skip this month. I know I put too much pressure on myself to want to make things happen now. Sounds like we both need to take it one day at a time and give ourselves credit for what we do. The sweet potato recipe looks too good to pass on...I'm going to try this.
    Also, I've been reading your posts from my reader and hadn't stopped in to see what you've done to the place. What a beautiful look.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey girlie... here is a website for you to check out. It is called TOPS.org. Have you ever heard of it? It is a weekly weight loss group kinda like weight watchers. It is a lot cheaper though. I think it cost like $20 a year and about 3 to 5 bucks a month. You enter in your zip code on the website and it gives you a list of meeting places near your home.
    ~Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  20. How are you doing in this area dear friend? Maybe you would like sparkpeople.com. You might want to check that out. Your personality seems like it would really fit there. Its free. I dont work for them, I just like what they offer and it is really helping me to break it down. Either way, keep up the great work.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Well, I just discovered you from "The Long and Short of It All" and aren't we both glad to hear that Joey is recovering! And as an added bonus I'll be making these roasted sweet potatoes for Rosh HaShanah this coming Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Someone at my weight watchers meeting said she uses Acorn Squash in lieu of Sweet Potatoes for some recipe. I don't care for either, so didn't pay much attention. With WW Acorn Squash is zero points, so she was pretty excited. Good luck with your weight loss journey. Connie

    ReplyDelete
  23. Is it weird to profess my platonic love to a blog? I was JUST thinking to myself yesterday "if only I could find a really GOOD recipe for sweet potatoes" and here it is!

    Thank you SO MUCH!

    As someone who has reached a milestone age that seems to come with an extra "caboose" I didn't have before, this is a great resource!

    ReplyDelete

Sometimes someone says something really small, and it's like it fits into this empty space in your heart!

Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts here, they really mean a lot to me!

Suzanne

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...