Sweet (Lord Jesus) Potatoes

If you know me then you know I go on cleanses a few times throughout the year when my body needs a reset.  These cleanses tend to happen after a nice long (over indulgent) vacation or as summer comes to an end since we celebrate both our birthdays and our anniversary within a month’s period.  You can imagine the amount of food and wine that gets ingested during July and August, just believe me when I say it’s a lot….like really, really a lot.

When I do a cleanse I go all in.  I’m not the kind of person that can say, “Oh, I’ll only have wine on the weekend or oh, I’ll only have one glass.”  Moderation is not my strongest suit so when I cleanse it’s pretty intense and strict (which my hubby just loves, NOT!).  Cleanse or no cleanse I still cook very yummy, albeit healthy, food while on a restricted eating plan.

My go-to breakfast while cleansing (especially when doing the Whole 30) is sweet potatoes.  I’m a huge advocate of breakfast and I tend towards sweet, not savory, meals in the morning.  This sweet potato concoction fits the bill and satisfies my sweet tooth.  I enjoy this dish so much that it has become my standard breakfast even off the cleanse since it’s packed with nutrients and provides necessary energy for high intense exercise days.  Another great thing about this breakfast is that you can prepare the potatoes at the beginning of the week and have a healthy complete meal in a matter of minutes during the weekday, bonus!

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon of cashew or other nut butter (I switch between cashew and peanut butter)

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

1 heavy teaspoon of cacao nibs

1 to 2 tablespoons of cinnamon (I love cinnamon but use as much as you like)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of unsweetened cashew, almond, or dairy milk

a couple packages of stevia

Wash and brush the sweet potatoes.  Pierce the skin a few times on all sides and wrap each separately in aluminum foil.  Place on a pan that is also wrapped in aluminum foil (sometimes the potatoes leak sugar so I always wrap my pan sheet for easy clean up).  Place the potatoes in the oven for 65-75 minutes.  Potatoes are done when they can be easily pierced with a knife.

Let the potatoes cool and place in the refrigerator.  In the morning peel the skin off the potato, mash it in a bowl, add the milk, sprinkle with salt, and microwave for 1.5 minutes.  I top mine with the nut butter, syrup, cacao nibs, and a couple packets of stevia.  This meal seriously makes me so happy in the morning and the night before knowing I get to eat this healthy “dessert” for breakfast.

Wine to pair?

Okay even I can’t pair a wine with a weekday breakfast meal so I say stick with tea or coffee for this recipe.  However if you find a wine that pairs well I’m always open to suggestions! Enjoy.