Sweet, Sweet, Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are nature's perfect food. They are loaded with nutrients - fiber, potassium, carotenoids, vitamin C - and they are delicious. In fact, the sweet potato is so nutritious that it inspired a class project that I once worked on as an undergrad at University of California, Davis: a dehydrated sweet potato product for infants living in Peru. It was called Nutri Wa Wa and was nothing more than flecks of dehydrated sweet potato packaged like a shiny box of CapriSun. Mashed potatoes are on the menu tomorrow but since sweet potatoes are in season, I am going to mash them and pack them for Caroline's lunch for tomorrow. Mashed sweet potatoes are easy to prepare. I peel them, cut them into large chunks, steam them until they are soft, and then mash them with a fork. I bought the sweet potatoes from Steve Gross of Green Eagle Farm last Saturday at the Meridian Township Farmers' Market. Green Eagle Farm is located in Onondaga, only 17 miles from Lansing. Steve and his partner Chela grow a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Their produce is always beautiful and these sweet potatoes are no exception. Unlike the huge, bruised, and often stringy sweet potatoes that I usually find at the grocery stores, the skin of these ones are perfectly smooth, blemish-free, and the flesh is super-sweet and creamy. Our first sweet potatoes of the season!

Caroline's Lunchbox Menu, October 17: Breakfast - O's, blueberries (frozen from Walton Orchards); Lunch - tofu, broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes, 100% whole grain bread; Snacks - Honey Crisp apple, Ak-Mak crackers

Childcare Center Menu, October 17: Breakfast - pineapple, French bread, strawberry jam; Lunch - BBQ chicken, peas, carrots, cantaloupe, bread, mashed potatoes; Snacks - cinnamon bun crackers, carrots