Jump Start

You guys posted so many fabulous lookin’ recipes last night that I just couldn’t resist making one tonight! 😀

Sophie from Yumventures, posted a recipe for the most amazing-looking sweet potato hash with poached eggs, and when I realized I had nearly every ingredient already on hand, I knew I just had to make this recipe tonight!

Consider this meal a “jump start” on the Reader’s Recipe fun!

I made a couple of changes to her recipe because I’m not very good with spicy food (so no jalepeños in my re-creation), but for the most part, I followed her recipe exactly.

While boiling the sweet potatoes for the sweet potato hash, I sauteed the onion and pepper until they were tender.

Sizzlin'

I combined half of the sweet potatoes with the onion and pepper mixture, while mashing the other half of the sweet ‘taters with plain Greek yogurt (I didn’t have sour cream) and a little bit of sugar (I didn’t have agave nectar).

Potatoes + Veggies

Mashed Up

Once the mixture and spices were all combined, I formed the mixture into patties and tried them up until they were brown and slightly crispy.

Sweet Potato Hash Patties

I topped the sweet potato hash patties with a dippy egg and dug in.

Dinner is Served

Oh WOW this recipe is delicious. Thank you, Sophie!!!

Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs (recipe from Sophie, aka Yumventures)

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, diced in ~1/2 inch cubes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced (I used a red pepper)
• 1 jalapeno, diced (I omitted this)
• 1/4 cup light sour cream (I used plain Greek yogurt)
• 2 teaspoons agave nectar (I used sugar)
• Cilantro
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
• Poached egg (Mine was dippy)

Directions:

Boil the diced sweet potatoes until fork tender. Drain.

While potatoes are boiling, sautee onion, green pepper, and jalapeno until cooked.

Add half of the sweet potatoes to the onion-pepper mixture. Mash the other half with the sour cream and agave nectar, then add to the rest of the ingredients.

Mix all of the ingredients together, along with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder, mushing the whole cubes of potatoes as well, until everything is well combined. Scoop out into a bowl. Form patties out of the mixture and pan fry until they become brown and crispy on the outside.

Top the sweet potato hash cakes with a poached egg.

Reader’s Recipe Selection

After looking at every single recipe and clicking every single link, Ryan and I decided we’ll be making Kelly’s Rosemary Chicken and Zucchini. (I wouldn’t be surprised if we make more than one of the recipes you guys submitted!)

Watch for this recipe to pop up on the blog within the next week. When I post about this recipe, you can comment with additional recipes (or the same recipe you already submitted!) that you think I should try the next week.

I’m already feeling more creative! You guys sure know how to get a girl out of the “cooking the same meals” slump!

Oh, and by the way, it’s FRIDAY tomorrow!!!

Ugachaka, Ugachaka

I can’t stop this feelin’, Deep insiiiide of me
Girl, you just don’t realize, What you do to me
When you hold me, In your arms so tight
You let me know, Everything’s all right

I-I-I, I’m hooked on a feelin’
I’m high on believin’, That you’re in love with meeee!

I heard this song on the radio on the way to work this morning and can’t get it out of my head! I’m not complaining though because I loooove it!

What song can you never get out of your head?

You know that terrible song by Adam Lambert, “Whataya Want From Me?” Gahhh, that’s the worst one for me because I don’t like it and yet I can’t stop singing it once I hear it!

Lunch

I “ugachaka-ed” my way through lunch today!

My mid-day meal was a roasted red pepper hummus and artichoke sandwich with a side of roasted veggies with garlic salt.

Hummus + Artichoke Sandwich

Thursday's Lunch

Dessert

While my meal was yummy, it was my dessert that stole the show.

I give myself a pat on zee back for this one.

I dipped a coffee bean dark chocolate Attune bar into a hot mug of General Foods International French Vanilla Café.

Coffee Bean Dark Chocolate Attune Bar

When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip

The chocolate melted a little bit and definitely satisfied my sweet tooth. I love day desserts. 😀

Drooling…

I cannot believe how yummy the recipes you guys are submitting look!!! I’m literally drooling at my desk today.

If any of you are looking for a yummy recipe, click here and check out the comments section of my dinner post last night. The recipe roundup is awesome!

Country Music, I Love You

I’ve tried to fight it for years… That country twang, those hokey lyrics…

Well, I just can’t fight it anymore! I flippin’ LOVE country music.

Yeehaw!

I don’t know when it happened… or if it’s always something I’ve secretly loved. My parents would listen to country music in the heart of suburban Illinois, where no one listened to country.

How about you? Are you a country music lover or a country music hater?

Country music was the music everyone hated in high school. I don’t think there even was a country music station in my town growing up!

As I was running at the gym this morning, it hit me that nearly every third song that came up on my iPod was a country song.

There’s something sweet and innocent about so many country music songs (Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, excluded). I love that so many country songs highlight the simple things in life that truly make life wonderful like ice cold lemonade, BBQs, sitting on your front porch and your family on a sleepy Sunday morning.

What are some simple things that make you happy?

If I were to write a country music song, a couple simple things I’d highlight would be:

• The way your dog will bring you every single toy out of their toy basket until you play with them
• The way it feels to get a real bear hug from a loved one
• The feeling of being truly “at home” when you sit down to your mother’s home cookin’

Strawberry Shortcake Breakfast

Today’s breakfast was quite a treat!

I enjoyed a hot bowl of strawberry shortcake oats.

Strawberry Shortcake Oats

My mix included:

• 1/2 c. oatmeal
• 1 scoop All the Whey cupcake batter protein powder
• 3/4 c. thawed frozen strawberries

Thursday's Breakfast

This mix was sweet, warm and filling!

Workout

Today’s workout was a hodge podge of different cardio machines, but it made me sweat!

• 25 min. run (6.5 pace, 1.0 incline)
• 5 min. incline walking (4.2 pace, 7.5 incline)
• 10 min. stair master
• 10 min. elliptical

I actually didn’t want to get off the elliptical because I was really into the latest issue of Real Simple magazine. The recipes in this month’s issue look phenomenal.

Speaking of recipes…

Reader’s Recipes

Thanks for all the delicious lookin’ recipes you guys submitted last night!

If you still want to submit a recipe for me to make next week, be sure to comment on this post. I’ll let you know the recipe I select tonight. I’m going to recruit Ryan to help me pick a good one! 😀