Super Easy Meatless Monday

Like so many of you, we are doing our best to reduce the intake of processed foods, increase our veggies, and decrease our environmental footprint. One tactic that addresses all three issues at the same time is Meatless Monday. We eat a vegetarian diet at least once a week, although, our Meatless Monday is just as likely to be a Meatless Wednesday.

The great thing about this is that it starts our week off on the right foot. I've noticed that when we eat vegetarian meals on Monday, I am much more conscious of our veggie intake the rest of the week. Like all of my other week night cooking, I try to focus on simple, fast, and nutritious recipes that please the whole family, and also provide us with a balanced plate. (Speaking of which, don't you just love the new "food plate" that replaced the pyramid? It is so much easier to understand, and doesn't include "meat" at all, but rather "protein.")

Tonight we will be having one of my favorite Meatless Monday Meals - baked sweet potatoes (which some nutrition experts call the "most perfect" vegetable) with a mixed green salad topped with feta and pecans. It is so easy to prepare, but I've found a way to make it even easier! Being at work all day, I don't want to wait an hour for oven baked potatoes when I get home. I really don't like the results of microwaving potatoes - they seem to turn out so pitiful, with wrinkly skin - it's just sad. Enter the crockpot!

I've found that by prepping potatoes normally (punctured with a couple of holes to allow steam to escape, and then briefly rubbed with butter or a small amount of EVOO), I can wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil, place in a crock pot, and cook on low for about 4-6 hours. The result is a perfectly baked potato, and dinner that is ready to eat within minutes of getting home. Combined with a large salad of spinach/mixed greens, and anything from our produce drawer, we get a delicious, nutritious, quick meal, that is also incredibly inexpensive.

Check out The Produce Lady for more info on health benefits

  
Some Benefits of Sweet Potatoes:

• Excellent source of vitamin A, which is important for eyesight and healthy skin.
• Good source of vitamin C, which helps wounds heal and helps the body resist infection.
• Full of dietary fiber, which helps regulate the digestive system and lower cholesterol.

*Tasty Tip: Recent research has shown that a minimum of 3-5 grams of fat per meal significantly increases our uptake of beta-carotene from sweet potatoes. That is equal to a tablespoon of EVOO, or about 1/2 T of butter. Sounds like a good reason to top your sweet potato in a nice dollop of real butter - not margarine...that stuff scares me!

Let's end with a quote from the amazing Julia Childs..."If you're afraid of butter, as many people are nowadays, just put in cream!"