You gotta know when to hold 'em

As I sit here post workout (and shower), and yes, at 2 am (night shift nurse schedule, don't judge me), I ponder why I do this to myself. It something that Shaun T says at the end of Pure Cardio in Insanity. And I have to agree, I want to look good. But it's more than that. I want to be healthy, the healthiest me possible. 

Unfortunately, that's going to come with some bumps in the road. This isn't the first and it certainly won't be the last. I haven't been the kindest to my body over the years - whether directly or indirectly. Though interestingly, all of my injuries are right sided (wrist, rotator cuff, hip, knee). 

I'm interested in you, what has been a setback for you? What have you struggled with?

Sweet Potato Fries

Te adoro sweet potato fries! Seriously, I just love them! When I started clean eating in September 2013, I thought I had to give them up. Sweet potatoes are clean and good for you, but fries....ehh deep frying is not kosher with the clean rules 😞  

There were a couple other things going against me in September. As a traveling nurse my assignment took me to Boston (yea! Another dream assignment checked off the list!) however, with that also meant a studio apartment. And it was tiny. Like a shoebox. No joke, my traveling friend that was in NYC at the same time also had a studio - it was twice the freaking size!

So my kitchen was practically nonexistent. As was storage (but that's another story). I made it work and learned to make some really awesome clean eating foods (butternut squash ravioli ☺️), but did not tackle sweet potato fries. 

Back in Hartford for a repeat assignment (love my peeps here), I decided to finally tackle it. And I found a super easy recipe - I made it and couldn't stop eating them. Seriously, they are that good. Well except that I didn't really measure my spices and got a little heavy handed with the cayenne. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had left overs. And I burned them (oops), but that just added to the flavor (at least I'm convinced). 

Recipe found on simplyrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large)

1/4 c EVOO

1-2 tbsp sugar (I used honey per clean eating)

1 tbsp salt (I skipped it - not noticeable)

1-2 tbsp spice mix of your choice (I used cayenne, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder - but you can use anything)

Preheat oven to 450 (if using honey, preheat to 425, cook cooler and keep an eye on them so they don't burn)

Peel the potatoes, cut off the ends, and start slicing - mine were about 1/4 in thick slices that were then trimmed down to fry slivers (about 1/4 in all around)

Put your pots in a bowl; mix your oil, honey (sugar), and spices together, then mix with sweet potatoes in large bowl. 

Spread them out in a single layer (as best as possible) on a baking sheet (I did grease mine, but it didn't say you had to).  Put them in to bake for 25-30 min. Turn them after the first 15 min. 

 

Deliciousness 😋

Your Moment...

Listening to the National Wake-Up call this morning, the ending quote was my favorite - will you define the moment or will the moment define you?

It's still early in January of 2014 - for some reason everyone thinks that you need a new year to start something - or a Monday.

Guess what?

You just need a day - any day! Pick one! It's up to you! Make 2014 your healthiest year ever! Carpe Diem!