Sweet Potatoes & Post Weekend Detox

I hate the feeling of regret. Regret that you had absolutely no self control the entire weekend, and even devoted an entire day to the making and eating of chocolate (don't judge, I'm only human ok). So I decided that today I really needed to get back into the swing of things. With a self-proclaimed snow day I stayed at home and tried my best to eat the best because I need all the brain power I can get this week with a million things to get done by Wednesday. Basically overloaded on veggies which in my opinion is a great way to "detox."

Made one of my most favorite salads ever:

(All organic)

Mixed baby romaine

Red cabbage

Carrots

Cucumber

Garbanzo Beans

Dried Cranberries

Hemp seeds (love-great source of omegas) 

Any dressing you want

This literally took me 5 minutes to make- I keep all of these ingredients in stock at all times since I eat this salad multiple times in the week.

Dinner was a homemade veggie burger I had in the freezer, made from black beans, brown rice and onions, with a side of avocado and sweet potatoes two ways: 

Sweet Potato Fries & Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes

So these sweet potato recipes are the easiest ever, I make the fries or just plain, whole baked sweet potato in its peel at least once a week. There is just something so delicious about sweet potatoes, and I don't think I've met one person who dislikes them.

Sweet Potato Fries

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place your baking sheet in the oven to heat up
• Peel and slice sweet potato into fries shapes
• Toss them in salt, pepper and some cornstarch 
• Place them in the hot baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil
• Bake about 15 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking time, until tender but crispy on the outside

Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
• Cut sweet potatoes crosswise, but not too thick
• Place them in a baking dish
• Drizzle maple syrup, melted coconut oil or a little butter
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until tender

Benefits of Sweet Potatoes:

•  High in iron, Vitamin D, E, C, B6, potassium
• Manganese in sweet potatoes plays a huge role in blood sugar regulation and can be extremely beneficial to diabetics or those at risk for diabetes  
• Extremely high in beta carotene which converts to vitamin A, an important antioxidant for preventing many diseases, including heart disease
• Contains twice as much fiber than regular potatoes and keep you full for longer than regular carbs
• Great for maintain beautiful skin and hair due to the combination of beta carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C
• Can reduce any sort of inflammation