Sweet Potato Casserole... guilt free : )

Sorry, no marshmallows in this one, but its so good you won't miss them.  Its like grownup sweet potato casserole.

5 large sweet potatoes or yams
2 apples peeled and cut into large chunks
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 tbs of organic grass fed butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans

Peel and cut yams into approx 1" chunks, boil until fork tender. Strain and place in a large bowl. While still hot, add apples, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and maple syrup. Mix well. Spread mixture in an 11x7 glass baking dish. Sprinkle with pecans and bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

I generally cannot tolerate dairy, but a small amount of butter in a large dish like this does not seem to bother me. I have tried to sub grape seed oil, which is not bad, but not quite as good as the butter in this one.

Merry Christmas!

Thinking about 2012...

San Diego Zoo

Holiday prep is pretty much done for me... just a few things to tie up last minute, so I've begun to think about my goals for 2012. I  don't like to call  them "resolutions," because no one actually sticks to their new year's resolutions. Goals are something that you should have all the time, and the new year is a good time to evaluate where you are vs. where you want to be and make a plan to get there!  Write them down somewhere that you see often and track your progress.

My 2012 goals are:

 *  to learn yoga and be more diligent about stretching.  I  want to be flexible and balanced so that some of the movements in my workouts are easier and injury is less likely.
 *  to be present.  I have been working on this and want to get better at it. How often is your  head  full of an nonstop narrative- recounting past  events, imagining future events, etc. I have almost finished reading Ekhart Tolle's book,  "A New Earth," which makes you very aware of when you are living in the past or the future rather than enjoying and absorbing the moment you are currently in.
 *  to be able to do 5 pullups.  Confession... last year, one of my goals was to be able to do 10 pull ups.  I can currently do one very ugly pullup with a big kip.  I have lowered my standards. I will be thrilled with 5 pullups unbroken one year from now.  I blame it on my long ape arms : ) Too far to pull!  But seriously, I need to  really work on upper-body pulling strength.
 * to not sweat the small stuff!

We're having our clients write out their goals  for the new year also,  and I can't wait to watch them all  exceed them.  It is so  fun to watch everyone grow in strength, health and confidence.  Need help reaching your fitness, nutrition or health goals? Get ahold of  us!  For those who live a little further away (or  for everyone in 'cuse that thinks that driving this far is crazy) we  have an email nutrition package that  you should check out!  We also offer remote email  programming for  everyone who goes to the gym but doesn't know what to do when they get there.

I wish everyone a low stress, happy and healthy holiday season! I'll post a good Christmas recipe soon!