Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Sweet Potato Soup, and an Update on Fueling for Exercise

I loved reading all of your comments on my blog yesterday. Apparently you all agreed with me about how annoying some people can be at the gym. If there is one thing you learn about me fairly soon after meeting me, it's that I speak my mind all the time, and I'm very opinionated. This is both a good quality, and a bad one, as sometimes it can backfire.
Ok, now for some food!

NEW DINNER

Dinner #7 Sweet Potato Soup

Check out my soup, from scratch! I'm considering it part of Melinda's "From Scratch Weekends" (or weekdays??).

Ingredients
(makes 1 serving)
1 sweet potato
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 ounces chicken
1/2 cup spinach
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
dash of garlic and pepper

Possible Modifications
  • Add any other vegetable you would like, if you don't like spinach
  • Add any protein you would like, if you don't want chicken
  • Omit some or all of the protein for a lighter, lesser calorie meal/snack (before an early workout!)
  • Use low fat sour cream instead of Greek yogurt
  • Use beef broth or vegetarian broth
  • Use any kind of milk you want
  • Use any spices you wish!

Directions
Heat your sweet potato in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until soft enough to mash.


Cut into cubes, add to blender, food processor, or Magic Bullet. Add in the broth and milk. Blend until you reach desired thickness.


Dump into a small saucepan, add spinach and chicken. Heat until desired hotness is reached. Pour into bowl, add spices and dollop of Greek yogurt! Enjoy.



Nutrition Facts
(For one serving)
My Rating: 9 out of 10
It was super delicious, but kind of bland. Yet again, it perhaps could have used a tiny bit more salt.
Nick's Rating: None, he hates soup. What a weirdo.


PRE-WORKOUT FUEL; MORE INFORMATION!

I realized I forgot to say something when I posted this information about eating before a workout:

Do you workout in the afternoon? Eat larger meals when you have at least 4 hours before workout. Use this time to incorporate some fat and fiber into your diet. Fat and fiber are both necessary in the diet, but are meal components that you don't want to eat right before a workout. So when you have plenty of time before your workout, focus on whole grains and healthy fats (vegetable oils, nuts, seeds).

** Here is what I forgot to say; your meal should be relatively high in carbohydrates, and moderate in protein. You want the carbohydrates because you need to maximize the maintenance of blood glucose. If you have plenty of time (at least four hours) the carbohydrate can be complex and contain fiber. If you don't have much time, stick to the more simple carbohydrates, which are digested more easily. **

Coming Up
Today we are presenting our services to some more employees that work for Franklin County (the county in which I live). I have a Power Point presentation and I'm ready to go! Stay tuned for my next post, which will include my Biggest Loser Review. Did you watch last night?! My goodness.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.

46 comments :

  1. Your soup looks fabulous! I have never used my magic bullet to make soup, but I guess it would be great for 1-2 people, huh? Great idea!

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  2. I'm going to workout in about an hour, thanks for reminding me to eat. I got busy and forgot-that's a first!

    I did watch TBL last night. Lord, I hate myself for watching. It is such a guilty pleasure. Even my husband who despises the show was getting into the drama. (Although I think he may have been feigning the interest to get a peek at Jillian's toned little body!)

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  3. YURMMM! This soup looks so creamy!

    Have a great day!!

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  4. That soup looks good. I make homemade soups all the time and they normally are my main feature at lunch time.

    As far as BL...will be watching it later tonight. Interested in seeing what drama this week has brought us.

    Good luck with your presentation!

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  5. dude you're the man. haha first of all that soup looks off the hook. maybe some cinnamon added in? idk i just feel like everything tastes better with cinnamon no? haha

    this morning i had a yogurt before spin and it was the besttt workout snack ever well for me atleast. idk if its really "the best" but it was light and didn't move around in my tum like grossly andd i had enough energy to do it up good with the weights. so you're a genius.

    i'm realllllly interested to see how you feel about tbl this week. and btw i'm feelin these more frequently occuring posts haha

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  6. I love pureed veggie soups! They're really so creamy in themselves that they don't need much else, such as heavy cream/whole milk/etc.

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  7. I did watch last night! Holy moly! There are some strong personalities on there!

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  8. Great SP soup, I'll have to try that!

    also - thanks for the info about carbs before working out. I always do my exercising in the evening, so when I have a lot of time to digest I eat a big ol' dinner full of carbs!

    Have a great Wednesday!
    Lexi

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  9. sweet potato soup sounds delish~~~ How's possible that Nick didn't like it? well... man have weird taste! ;)

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  10. I love sweet potatoes and I love soup so I will definitely be giving this one a go!

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  11. Your soup sounds great! I want to make that! Hopefully it works okay in a blender! Thanks for the tips! Good luck with your presentation.

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  12. That soup looks delish, and I love all the variations you can do!!!

    I have not watched Bigest Loser this season, boo me!!!!

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  13. That soup looks great! I love sweet potatoes.
    Glad you're getting use of your magic bullet. I just might have to get one.
    Have a good day!

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  14. hey sweetie!! Awesome looking soup recipe. I just love anything with sweet potatoes. Tastes awesome and such a power house food I think. I love that you made it up in the Magic Bullet! This would be great for a quick and healthy lunch. Thanks!!

    Loved all your information on workout fuel. I am always trying to make sure I eat enough of what my body needs before and after a hard workout. So this was awesome info. Hope you have a wonderful day!

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  15. This is a great soup idea! Nice and simple (and easy!).

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  16. Oh, I love sweet potato anything!

    I love that you speak your mind. We're two peas in a pod ;)

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  17. I love it!!! Great soup and that is totally from scratch. Good work!!! I just finished the last of my cream of broccoli soup from last weekend.

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  18. Yummy soup! I was so impressed yesterday when you told the annoying gym guy to stop. I would have probably just given him the stink eye but would have been mad at myself later for not saying anything. I am trying to speak my mind more :)

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  19. That soup looks really good. I bet if you didn't want to add salt you could season it with some cinnamon and/or curry powder...both flavors go so well with sweet potatoes! I'm loving your recipe posts, keep them up.

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  20. Good luck with the presentation! The soup looks wonderful -- I need a new Magic Bullet. They've gotten a lot more heavy duty since my first one many years ago! I do believe it caught on fire in my dorm room!

    BL: Oh man. Crazy. That challenge was CRAZY!

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  21. I actually saw BL last night, so I am ready for your review. My review? I HATE THE RED TEAM!

    That being said - you reminded me about a soup I made and forgot about, which happens a lot to me. I loved this soup and I don't even like sweet potatoes!

    http://biz319.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/sweet-potato-bisque-and-filet-mignon-with-texas-toast/

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  22. My husband hates soup and he is also a wierdo!

    I LOVE sweet potato soup and will be sure to use this recipe ASAP.

    YUMMO!

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  23. I love my magic bullet...
    and i think its hilarious that the red team is acting like they aren't throwing off their weigh ins.

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  24. The soup looks so good...and so simple! I'll be trying that!

    Good luck with the presentation!

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  25. I want...
    #1. A Magic Bullet
    #2. To make that soup!

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  26. I love the ingredients in that soup. I'm quite intimidated by making my own though!
    I should whip out my magic bullet and make some though!

    Thanks for the workout tips. I do my workouts in the evening, at around 6, so I eat a later snack of delicious carby goodness and I'm good to go!

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  27. I am a big fan of Sweet potato, squash soup... This looks like a easy recipe. :)

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  28. Bookmarked! Great recipe :)

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  29. Beautiful soup, Gina!!

    I always look forward to your Biggest Loser reviews!!

    I have an award for you at Angie's Appetite :)

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  30. Wow that soup looks delicious! Eric and I make sweet potato soup with carrots and ginger- I like the idea of adding protein and yogurt/almond milk to make it a meal. I love soup but I have never actually made it a full meal...I have to try that.

    So...on pre work out meals. On Mondays I get home at 5:40 and I have to leave by 6:05 for my spinning and then lifting work out. I don't get home again until 8:30. I CAN'T wait until then to eat a real meal, so I've been doing tuna sandwiches (just tuna and greek yogurt and bread). Do you have any other suggestions? I don't tolerate any of those bars well. I haven't had any major problems with the tuna, I'm sure it would be different if I was running- but I wasn't sure if there was something better I should be eating...
    I do refuel with more protein/carbs post work out before bed. It's not an awesome schedule but I can't really change it.

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  31. do you create these recipes? Looks pretty good...I dont have a blender though...guess I could just cube the potatoes and toss it all in as a "chunky" soup :)

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  32. Gina, I'd love your input on my latest post. I try to pull together information from different sources and my own experiences into a comprehensive fuel plan, but I sometimes worry I might be missing something? Or just plain misinformed? I'd be very grateful if you'd shed some wisdom on my blog. Cheers, Laura

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  33. Love the soup, it is something I would love to try!

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  34. Thanks for a great recipe! I appreciate the nutritions stats too. Just look at that protein !

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  35. I love that you are trying new recipes!

    thanks for all the great info...as always =)

    (btw I am glad you liked the video lol)

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  36. I hope the presentation went well! I can't believe Nick doesn't like soup. Soup is a staple in my life.

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  37. ha, I love that Nick's rating is "none" :) Does he like cold soups like gazpacho?

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  38. if I work out in the evening or afternoon i cannot do it on an empty stomach. In the AM first thing, thats a different thing , but when I have already been up for 5+ hours I need fuel!! thanks fro teh info!

    the soup looks AWESOME!!!!

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  39. I have never made sweet potato soup. And I don't know why since I LOVE soup! Sounds great!

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  40. Mmmm, your soup sounds so yummy and creamy! I love love love almond milk - SO cool that you put it the in soup! Heaven! :-)

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  41. AWESOME AWESOME soup recipe! I can very easily just switch the chicken broth for veggie.. and voila!

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  42. I've never even thought about making sweet potatoe soup! Recipes looks quite amazing.

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  44. Your sweet potato soup in the bullet looks awesome! :) :)

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  45. Well I assent to but I dream the post should prepare more info then it has.

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  46. The best results, always stay hydrated and eat after the workout and recovery performance. After the event, eat a meal high in carbohydrates absorbed, pasta or rice and chicken, fish, tofu and beans. Get your muscles powered by the next day. Eating after training on a regular basis to ensure that the next day you are ready for use. Lunch-long event is critical. Eating 2-3 hours before the event and choose a combination of fat, protein and complex carbohydrates. For example, whole wheat bagel, peanut butter and bananas. Fat and protein slow digestion and flour to make you feel more fuel.

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