We are halfway through our nutrition challenges and many of you are spending your Sundays (or one day during the week) shopping and prepping. I hope one day to be zen like in my food prep, eat delicious fresh veggies from the farmer's market, perfectly zoned, and freshly prepared each day. Some of you DO manage that, and props to those of you who do! My method of food prep, on the other hand, includes a massive cooking session, prepping for both my husband (with a black hole stomach) and myself. I've found some staple foods that go a looong way for families, or people who just like to have a lot of their cooking done before the work week starts.
1. SPAGHETTI SQUASH
Why it's Delicious: This is the perfect carb quencher as its texture, taste, and appearance is very much like, well, spaghetti. You can make pots full of your favorite "pasta" dish that will keep giving til at least mid week!
Best Nutritional Attributes: Glycemic load of a mere 2, 4 g of sugar per serving, so you can eat a ton of it without worrying about eating too many carbs (however, Zoners may find this very annoying because they need to get 10 pounds of this down to make a dent in their carb intake)
Favorite Way to Cook It: Pressure cooker. Slice in half. Spoon out seeds. Pressure cook it. Fork out "spaghetti" goodness.
Lasting Power: 10/10
2. ACORN SQUASH
Why it's Delicious: There is something very warming to the soul, and decadent about this squash. The texture is dessert like, and when spiced right, is very satisfying. Admittedly, this is a total hit in the fall. But I partake in this goodness throughout the year.
Best Nutritional Attributes: Decent amount of potassium and magnesium, both nutrients required for optimal workout recovery. Also, 9 grams of dietary fiber per serving (1 C).
Favorite way to cook it: Oven. Slice in half. Spoon out seeds. Put some grass fed butter or olive oil in center. Spice with whatever fits your fancy. Bake for about 25-30 min at 350 degrees F. So. Easy. And I'll take down about one half per meal, they are small and easy to fit 3-5 in the oven per cooking session.
Lasting Power: 6/10
3. SWEET POTATOES
Why it's Delicious: It's a potato. 'Nuff said.
Best Nutritional Attributes: Make sure it's orange because the orangier the more beta carotene, a pigment that the human body converts into Vitamin A. Beta carotene is also and anitoxidant, so basically assists in reducing damage caused by free radicals, oxidation, and/or basically being alive on this planet. Depending on what source you use, sweet potatoes have more vitamins and minerals than regular potatoes and rate lower on the glycemic index. But, there is a A LOT to that story. Depending on how you cook your sweet potatoes the GI increases per serving. Read this article for more info on sweet potatoes vs potatoes than you ever wanted to know. Turns out regular potatoes aren't that bad in comparison, but that's hoping a little keeps you satiated more than green, leafy stuff, always a more nutritionally dense option than both sweets and pots.
Favorite Way to Cook It: Honestly, throw about five or six in a glass baking pan* with some water at the bottom, and bake. That's a lot of food cooked in a short time, that will go the distance for a few days in my house. I could eat a plate of grilled grass fed steak or burger, a baked sweet potato, and salad for days. But, boiling sweet potatoes will actually keep GI lower than when baked.
Lasting Power: 8/10
*I personally avoid aluminum foil because it is a neurotoxin. Mainstream science promises aluminum foil used in cooking will not harm you. I'm a skeptic, what can I say. I could write more on that but since aluminum is all over the place already, and scientists do agree that it is a neurotoxin, I try not to deliberately contribute to my or my family's intake as much as possible.
**Disclaimer: Eat your green, leafies, too. We add ready made salads and berries to any meal with the above mentioned foods. But, these three staples make Mama and Papa Hoss feel full and satisfied without a lot of hassle, and without sacrificing nutrition or tastiness.
