Baked Sweet Potato, Roasted Squash and Mushrooms

Tonight I had a real hunger for vegetables and really had a nice assortment. I only had a small portion (3 oz.) of meat, roast pork, so I had plenty of room for veggies. I baked a sweet potato in the microwave and, and roasted 2 large mushrooms cut in half and a nice yellow straightneck summer squash. Preparation of the mushrooms was easy as I chose not to use any seasonings at all. I cut the mushrooms in half, and the squash in chunks and put them in an oven proof bowl. I gave them a light once over with olive oil pan spray and put them in the oven at 425°. I stirred them every 7-8 minutes and they were finished in about 15. I loved the earthy taste of the mushrooms and the slightly sweet and soft/crunchiness of the squash. I am grateful to be able to taste these subtle flavors without additional seasoning because I have cleared my taste buds of salt. There is nothing in these vegetables to hurt my diet as they have only 57 calories, 2.44 g protein, 11.68 g carbohydrates, 5.3 g fiber, .74 g fat, and only 7 mg sodium.

Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes when I eat baked sweet potato, I sprinkle it with ButterBuds, cinnamon, and/or nutmeg. Tonight I ate it unadorned and it was delicious. Baking sweet potatoes is a great way to add flavor to a low sodium diet. When I first started, I ate them almost every night. A whole cup of sweet potato baked this way has 180 calories, 6.6 grams of fiber, negligible fat and only 72 mg sodium. The glycemic index of sweet potatoes is lower than any form of white potato, coming in at 77. It is also high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. According to Wikipedia, “the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato”. Also, 2/3 cups of sweet potatoes contain 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin E without the fat of other sources. It is also very low in sodium.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/4//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1374.67	77.42 g	232.25 g	1442.67 mg	18.25 g	11.95%

Summer Squash: How Sweet It Is

Tonight I pigged out on yellow straightneck summer squash. We are starting to get some really nice fresh vegetables in and I love squash. I usually cook it with butter, onions, some Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. With the remodeled recipe, two cups carried only 49 calories, 2.44 g protein, 10.52 g carbohydrates, .62 g fat, and 5 mg sodium.

Ingredients

1 Yellow Summer Squash (about 2 cups sliced 3/8" thin)
Olive Oil Pan Spray
3 T Rice Wine Vinegar
Onion Powder to taste
Poultry seasoning to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste

I sprayed a skillet with olive oil pan spray, heated it to medium heat, and put in the sliced squash. I sprinkled the squash with poultry seasoning and onion powder. I sprayed the squash with a little more olive oil spray and turned the squash until it was tender crisp. I then splashed the skillet with rice wine vinegar and stirred until the vinegar evaporated. Just before serving, I gave the squash a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.

The result was a sweet fragrant delight with some of the squash softer and some of it still crisp. Who says you have to have fat and salt to have flavor?

By the way, I weighed in at the fitness center today and my cumulative weight loss since January 3 is 32 pounds.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/27/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1185.3	67.18 g	197.15 g	900.98 mg	18.78 g	14.24%