Holiday Eating Tips + Spicy Peppered Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Holiday Eating Tips + Spicy Peppered Sweet Potatoes Recipe
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Holiday Eating Tips + Spicy Peppered Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Recipe by Amy SungCourse: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Calories

120

kcal

While the holidays are a boisterous time to enjoy great food, friends and family, it can be difficult not to eat everything in sight (it all looks so good!).

Definitely indulge a little bit, but be mindful of what and how you’re eating, not just to spare some extra holiday pounds on the scale, but to keep wasting food to a minimum as well.

Camp Shane at Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts recently shared some holiday eating tips that I’m taking to heart this holiday season, and hope that it will help all of you get through the holidays feeling healthy yet satisfied too, so come New Year’s, your resolution will be to continue eating mindfully while enjoying every bite.

Holiday Eating Tips:
Don’t be overwhelmed! There might be a lot of food present, but remember that you, and only you, are in charge of what you eat.

If it is a potluck party, bring a dish that you know is healthy, like a roasted veggie platter with low fat dip, and mainly eat off of that.

When filling your plate the first time, get a very small amount of all the things you want to try. Then pick out the things that you want seconds of, but try to stick to just two plates!

Eat slowly. The longer your plate stays full, the less likely you are to get more food. Also, it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full. If you eat fast, you will keep eating before you realize that you don’t need any more food.

Don’t show up starving. If the party or family meal is at an odd time, have a snack beforehand. Being overly hungry can cause you to overeat.

Help your children develop healthy eating habits by modeling them yourself. If you don’t inhale your food and go back to refill your plate 10 times, they are less likely to pick up these unhealthy eating habits.

Don’t let others peer pressure you to eat more. Explain that you absolutely loved what they cooked, but are full. Keep emphasizing that you already ate more than you should and you will be uncomfortable if you eat more. Again, eating slow will avoid this.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs sweet potatoes

  • ½ small red onion, cut into wedges

  • 2 tbsp light extra virgin olive oil

  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped

  • ½ red bell pepper, sliced

  • ½ tsp ground cumin

  • ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper

  • 1 tsp light extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

  • ¼ cup chopped almond slivers

Directions

  • Heat oven to 450°F. Line bake pan with foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Wash and cut sweet potatoes into 2-inch chunks.
  • Combine sweet potato cubes, onion, olive oil, garlic and bell pepper in baking pan and toss to coat. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Sprinkle cumin and cayenne pepper over mixture to coat. Add 1 cup of water. Roast veggies on center rack of oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, combine olive oil, sage, and almonds in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and use to garnish vegetables.

Notes

  • Calories are per serving
  • Nutrition information per serving (3/4 cup): Calories 120, Total Fat 3.5g, Saturated fat 0g, Trans fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 30mg, Carbohydrate 23 g, Sugar 5g, Fiber 3g, Protein 2g

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