Wow-Wee

Wow-wee, today is flyin’ by! I guess that’s what happens when there are a million things on your “to do” list!

This week I’ve been tackling my daily assignments at work, while also training two new employees and handling about a billion additional content requests… Phew! Thank goodness I actually like what I do. 😀

Lunch was a cheesy pasta bowl including:

• Carba Nada egg fettuccine noodles
• Broccoli
• Yellow squash
• Laughing Cow light French onion Swiss cheese wedge
• Parmesan cheese

Cheesy Veggie Pasta Bowl

Friday's Lunch

Nice ‘n’ filling.

Friday Night Plans

Tonight Ryan and I have plans to do dinner with my parents. They’ve been in Jacksonville all week, while my mom went to appointments with doctors at the Mayo Clinic for followup tests to the end of her breast cancer treatment and my dad worked out of his Jacksonville office. Since Orlando is halfway between Jacksonville and their home in St. Pete, they’re stoppin’ by for dinner!

What do you make when you have people over for dinner?

Before work this morning, Ryan and I put ground chicken in the crock pot for tacos for all of us to enjoy. Tacos are a crowd pleaser and such an easy meal. I’m looking forward to a nice night with my fiance and family (and Sadie too, of course). 🙂

My Oh My, Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

I used to hate sweet potatoes. My sister and I would scoff at the orange tater when my mom would serve it at dinner. Sometimes we need extra time to develop our taste buds.

I’ll never forget the moment I realized sweet potatoes were delicious. Ryan and I were on a hot date to Boston Market in college and ordered the sweet potato casserole as one of his sides.

Sweet Potato Casserole (Picture from jbarhtexasfoods.com)

Ryan offered me a bite and I promptly told him I hated sweet potatoes. He encouraged me to try them several times. Eventually I became intrigued by the streusel topping and gooey marshmallows and gave in.

Wow-zaa! This casserole was amazing!!! For a while I had to doctor up my sweet potatoes with cinnamon and brown sugar, but these days I enjoy the tasty tater all by itself.

At dinner tonight sweet potatoes (in the form of cinnamon sweet potato fries) stole the show. I began by cutting a sweet potato into strips and soaking it in cold water for 20 minutes. Apparently this helps the fries become crispy when baked in the oven (not sure if I believe this).

Soaking Fries

I then tossed the fries in some olive oil before spreading them out on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprinkling them with cinnamon. After baking in the oven at 450 degrees for approximately 15 minutes, I flipped the fries and baked them for an additional 5 minutes until they were crispy and fragrant. Yum!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

While I was making the fries and roasting some yellow squash, my meat man grilled up some teriyaki chicken to add some protein to our meal.

Baked Fries

Squash, Ready for Roastin'

My Plate

Dinner was easy and yummy! Not a bad combo if you ask me.

Tasty

What’s your favorite way to eat potatoes? Yes, French fries count. 🙂