Sometimes even the healthiest of eaters miss the things they used to eat before they cleaned up their diets. That's true for us, anyway.
Both my husband and daughter react negatively to good old fashioned potatoes. You heard that right. No mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving; no French fries or potato chips.
So, we've cleaned up their diets and have committed to (usually) healthy alternatives. And I'm along for the ride, potato-wise.
For us, one part of healthy eating has been finding ways to replace what we used to enjoy.
Fortunately, not only are Japanese yams healthier than standard potatoes*, but they also taste better, in our opinion.
They're white on the inside, and easy to mash and put on the table next to the turkey (or tofurkey). Next to regular potatoes, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell them apart by looks alone. Kind of like Gwenyth Paltrow and me. (Kidding. Sigh.)
As an added bonus, this healthy alternative to potatoes has just a single ingredient. If you've seen my homemade almond butter, you'll know I like to use as few ingredients as possible.
They're one of the easiest crowd pleasers I know how to make. Everyone who's tried these at our house, loves them. And once again, I'm almost embarrassed to share the recipe because it's so simple. Consider it a gift from me to you!
Note: We also like using red garnet yams and prepare them the same way. Another delicious and healthy alternative!
My husband and I like them baked like a regular baked potato, as well, but the little fiber strings they sometimes have deter our texture-sensitive daughter. She jumps for joy at the chips, though, so it's a win for the whole family!
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*Source: https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-eating-sweet-potatoes-yams-4562.html
Gluten free pumpkin spice muffins are amazing. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest we rename autumn "Pumpkin-Fall." And if you're anything like me and want delicious pumpkin-flavored treats year-round, we can also rename Winter, "Snowy Pumpkins" and Spring, "Blooming Pumpkins." What about Summer, you ask? I want to hear what you think we should call it. "Hot and Sweaty Pumpkins" doesn't sound quite right.
That aside, I've been craving warm breakfast foods lately. Plus, I want to boost my immune system this time of year--especially since I spend most of my week traveling to various schools with their wide variety of kiddos and alllll they bring into it. Perhaps most importantly, I want a breakfast that tastes good while still starting my day off right health-wise.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Use two bowls: one for your wet ingredients and the other for your dry ingredients. One bowl should be large enough to hold all the ingredients when you combine them. I like this one (afflinks) since I can put a lid on it if I need to take a baking break.
Dry Ingredients. Combine the following:
Wet ingredients. Combine the following:
Combine the contents of the two bowls. Mix just until combined. Get your muffin pan, and then for the easiest cleanup, use a large spoon to fill baking cups fairly full. These muffins won't rise much. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
And then eat until your heart's content, no matter the pumpkin season! These gluten free pumpkin spice muffins stay good in the fridge for a couple days or a couple of months in the freezer.
If you like them and/or are looking for something similar to try (at least as far as the health profile goes -- the flavor is quite different) -- you will undoubtedly enjoy our gluten free zucchini bread. They, too, work well as muffins and are SO good. We don't hesitate to eat them for breakfast to start our days off right!