sweet potato blues

Still groggy from sleep I haul my cranky and complaining body down the stairs for an early morning exercise DVD. Bless me Father for I have sinned heavily during the holiday season and now I must pay for my indulgences. My jeans are tight and after spying my swimsuit clad body in the mirror at the waterpark yesterday there will be no more excuses. I actually threw food out including half a Subway sandwich with extra cheese and the rest of a "sin-a-mound."  For those who don't visit our local farmer's market this delicacy is a hunk of cinnamon bread dough the size of a small pumpkin rolled up and topped with a sugar glaze.  The Sisters of Sinsinawa - aka The Mound -  due to the high flat hill the covent is built on - created this marvelous sugar lump and have named it with pun in mind. Who says Catholics don't have a sense of humor.  Well, yes, I have said that but then there are those "Nuns Having Fun" calendars that are prevalent this time of year.

I'm going to miss sugar.  I have had a love/hate relationship since my mother sweetened my formula with corn syrup as a baby to make me more interested.

And then there's the demon known as chocolate. In her book Feeding the Hungry Heart Jeneen Roth writes, "Chocolate is no ordinary food.  It is not something you can take or leave, something you like only moderately.  You don't like chocolate.  You don't even love chocolate.  Chocolate is something you have an affair with."  Strong words for strong stuff. I do not want to have an affair but I would seriously consider courtship and marriage. The house may be on fire but I'm not leaving without the leftover Bishop's chocolate pie.

More vegetables, fruits and grains, less grease and sugar. Jason tells me the healthiest way to shop for vegetables is not to buy what the recipe calls for but peruse the produce aisles and  buy what's seasonal and if that is not possible, then buy what looks good.  He also corrected my pronunciation on the word "produce" reminding me the "o" is hard and it is not prah-duce, my flat midwestern accent showing. With that in mind I purchased some carrots and a few tired-looking yams. Out comes the Moosebook cookbook and I think fondly of buttery marshmallow brown sugary sweet potato casseroles.  But mine will have ginger and cardamom, cinnamon and  orange juice. There's a new nutritional sheriff in town and upon Jason's return many months from now hopefully he will find a more vegetable-friendy household. And, maybe not.