Roasted Salt and Vinegar Sweet Potatoes

This is a recipe adapted from a Cook's Illustrated feature. New potatoes were used in the original. Here, I am using yellow sweet potatoes. A number of things had to be modified to make this work using sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes end up crisp and salty on the outside, but creamy on the inside!

Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

• 2 lbs. yellow sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into1/2 inch thick discs
• 1/3rd cup salt
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Place the sweet potatoes in a stockpot with enough water to cover them. Add the salt and bring to a boil. (I used far less salt than the original called for, as sweet potatoes will soak up the salt far more than new potatoes in the original recipe would) Boil until the potatoes are soft when you poke them with a knife; 20 to 30 minutes. Remove them and set them on a wire rack to cool and dry for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Prep a baking tray by brushing it with the oil. Set the sweet potatoes in the pan and brush them with vinegar. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Remove and brush with vinegar once again. Allow to sit for a few minutes, and then they are ready to serve.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 38g carb, ~5g fat.


Fruit Salad

Here is a simple template for a fruit salad that can be made in bulk. You can use your favorite fruits; the recipe features one I've been making this summer. Making a large batch of fruit salad on the weekend can really cut down on food prep work during the week!

Time: variable; about 45 minutes

• 1 watermelon, seeded and cubed
• 2 pineapples, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 large bunch grapes, washed and halved
• 4-5 oranges, peeled, segmented, and chopped

Wash and chop the fruit. Mix in a large bowl, and then transfer to containers for the week.

Nutritional info: this depends, but roughly one cup will be around 35-40g carb.




Squash Apple Oatmeal

With fall coming, here is a seasonal breakfast recipe.

Time: 15 minutes

• 1 apple, stemmed, cored, and chopped (peeling optional)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk (or replace with a second cup of water)
• 1 cup gluten free quick oats
• 1 cup butternut squash puree*
• 2 Tbsp. grassfed butter
• 2 tsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. raisins for each serving

*I usually use leftover squash. You can use canned squash, or far better to make your own if you have time. Halve and seed the squash, bake cut side down at 350 for about 30 minutes. Cool, then dig out the pulp and puree in a blender.

Bring one cup of water and the salt to a boil while you prepare the apple. Place the apple into the water and cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the apple has softened.

Add the cup of milk (or more water) and return to a boil. Stir in the oats and simmer for about a minute, and then add all of the remaining ingredients except for the raisins. Mix well and simmer on low for one or two minutes more, and then place into bowls to serve. Top each bowl with raisins.

Nutritional info: 3 servings at 43g carb, 6g protein, 10g fat.




Magnesium Lotion

This isn't an edible recipe, but since those interested in performance and health are usually interested in optimizing micronutrients, I thought I'd share this here. You can save quite a bit on magnesium supplementation with this recipe, and it may just work better than expensive oral magnesium supplements. Plus, it "cooks" just like any other recipe!

Magnesium is very important for hundreds of functions within the body. Unfortunately, magnesium levels prove very difficult to replete. I have two friends who are naturopaths, and both have largely given up on the idea of oral magnesium supplementation - it just doesn't work until a person gets their nutrient status improved. One now uses IVs to get the job done, and the other uses a lot of topical magnesium. Either way, you bypass absorption problems in the gut. This recipe features a choice of two topical preparations.

We start by making magnesium oil. You can just stop here and use the oil topically, but many find the oil can itch or be irritating at first. Making the lotion avoids this problem.

Time: 10 minutes

Magnesium oil:
• 1 cup magnesium chloride flakes
• 1/2 cup water

Magnesium lotion:
• 1/2 cup magnesium oil
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1/2 cup cocoa butter
• 2 Tbsp. beeswax

Magnesium oil:
Place the water and magnesium in a small saucepan. Heat to warm and stir; the magnesium should all dissolve.

Magnesium lotion:
In a small pan, melt the cocoa butter and beeswax. Add the avocado oil, and then transfer to a blender.

You want the oil/butter mixture and the magnesium oil to be about the same temperature so they will mix properly. Add the magnesium oil to the blender, and then blend on low, slowly increasing the speed until a thick, white lotion forms.

Scrape it out and into a container. It's ready to use.

Cleanup may be the most challenging part of this recipe. Use hot water and dish soap, and then return to the blender to make clean up easier.

Rub a teaspoon or two on areas of your body where there is little fat: forearms, feet, and the back of your knees are good options. Using it before bed may significantly improve your sleep!