Twice Baked Potatoes, Healthy Style.

I wont lie and say this recipe is quick or easy, but it is absolutely fantastic! I had broccoli in my fridge that I needed to use up, so a search on food gawker brought me to this recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes with broccoli.  With a little revamping I also realized I still had a number of Sweet Potatoes that needed eating. Mr. Gaunt LOVES Sweet Potatoes (especially Sweet Potato Fries) and they are so full of good nutrients, why not add them to my Twice Baked Potatoes?

I’ve never made Twice Baked Potatoes before, but I did know that baking a potato in the oven takes a million years, that’s why man invented the microwave! 2 Large potatoes in the microwave for about 10 minutes (make sure you poke them with a fork). After they were soft I took them out and rubbed em down with a little olive oil and Kosher Salt, then threw them in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes.

While they are baking in the oven I cut up 4 small Sweet Potatoes and boiled them, drained them, and set them aside. When the potatoes are done (they are freaking HOT!) I used an oven mit to hold them while I sliced the top off and threw it (the top) in with the Sweet Potatoes. Then gently scoop out all the potato and throw that in with the Sweet Potatoes too. Add 2 cups of raw cut up broccoli, a tablespoon of butter, milk, salt, sour cream, cream cheese (really whatever you usually use to make mashed potatoes) and mix A LOT with a hand mixer. Because the broccoli is raw you really have to give it a good mixing.  When it’s all nice and blended (yet chunky with broccoli) I put it in a gallon zip lock bag and cut the corner off so I could pipe it into the shells of the baked potatoes. Sprinkle the top with a little cheddar cheese and throw it back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so. Serve with a dollop of low-fat Sour Cream…yum!

Mr. Gaunt and I have been practicing Softball a lot lately getting ready for our first game on Wednesday (if it doesn’t snow) today we went to the batting cages which is uber fun! When we first started I couldn’t even make contact with the ball, now two years later I would say I’m an ok hitter.

Play Ball!

I think I mentioned it before but Mr. Gaunt and I have joined a new softball team! We are very excited, we played for a few years in Boulder, but it will be so nice to play down here. Mr. Gaunt is pretty good and plays 1st base. Im kind crapy (although I have gotten much much better) and play catcher. I have a pink mit, its bad ass. We have been practicing when the weather is nice. Today it is a very sunny 62 degrees! I think we will go get laundry detergent and practice a bit. I think this will be good casual exercise for us. These are from last week:

BBQ and Baseball

Well no weight has been lost, none. Thats fine though. I’m still really trying to enjoy myself and my achievements and not freaking out about not dropping weight so fast. I know this summer when the pool is open and Mr. Gaunt and I can walk the trail in the evenings that the weight will still come off. Today we got a call from a friend of ours about joining a Softball league by our house. Mr. Gaunt and I played on a Home Depot team for 2 seasons up in Boulder, but havent played really in about a year. I LOVE softball even though I kind of suck at it. I get to play catcher which is my favorite position.  Mr. Gaunt plays first base because he is tall and fast. Anyways we will be playing catch at the park now and hopefully hitting up the batting cages a couple times a week now. I’m very excited.

Last week we made BBQ chicken Pizza which was delish! It’s just a basic Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza from Whole Foods, with BBQ sauce, Chicken, onions and cheese topped with Cilantro. Oh and I just noticed we also put dollops of fat-free Cream Cheese on it too! It was splendid.

The drink in the first picture is my new favorite! Its called Steaz Zero Calorie Sparkling Green Tea, and I buy it at Big Lots or Whole Foods! It’s a lot like Izze Esque only it has Green Tea in it, and its cheaper (at Big Lots), Im a big fan.