Tasty Tuesday

So lately I have been trying to have our family eat more vegetables, more well balanced meals...just over all more healthy. I think having a child now changes how you view food because I really want to put good stuff in him and also make sure he is a healthy strong boy who is getting the vitamins he needs. So I have made a couple changes to our diet. First, we have started including some organic foods to our diet. I have heard that meat and dairy is the best to switch to 0rganic first, so we decided to start there and see how it goes, because we couldn't afford to change everything at first to organic being it's expensive. The other thing I did was about a month ago I purchased the book The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. I have the hardest time including a good rainbow of veggies in our diets and this book does it by giving you recipes for veggie purees that you can mix into sauces and recipes. I LOVE it! I just set aside time one day made three different ones, divided them into 1/4 cup bag portions and froze them. Now all I have to do it pull one out of the freezer and add it to whatever I am making. I really tried to tell if I could notice the taste of whatever vegetable puree I added but you can't.

So what is the purpose of this whole post? Well I have decided to make each Tuesday be a "Tasty Tuesday" entry with a recipe for a puree, some food info tidbit, a recipe, or something fun to do with food. I love to cook and try new things so I thought it would be fun. I hope you enjoy!

Orange Puree
By Missy Chase Lapine

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks
3-4 tablespoons water

In a pot boil sweet potatoes and carrots until very tender. Drain water and put veggies into a food processor with 2 tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth, stopping occasionally to push down chunks to bottom. Add more water if necessary. Yields 2 cups. Stores in fridge up to 3 days or freeze into portions in plastic bags.

Add to spaghetti sauces, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, meat loaf, taco soup, tomato soup, pizza sauce, etc.

Here are some of the benefits carrots and sweet potatoes provide:
Carrots are known as the "king of vegetables" due to being rich in carotenes and antioxidants. They are high in fiber, boost immunity, strengthen the heart, and protect against most cancers. Sweet potatoes are packed with antioxidants, vitamins C and E, carotenes, calcium, potassium, and iron. They are also a good source of B vitamins and folate, which strengthen and protect the heart and have been proven to boost brain power.