Finding a simple, delicious, and nutritious wintertime recipe is essential. Winter is the ideal time for warming foods that nourish your adrenals and kidneys, decrease your stress hormones, and keep you satiated without developing that holiday belly bulge. These ‘go-to’ meals are something that can be made in under twenty minutes and deliver a massive nutritional bang for your buck.

The cornerstone of this recipe is sweet potato. Similar to pumpkin, it contains extraordinary levels of beta-carotene which produces Vitamin A, an essential nutrient for healthy skin, which is prone to dryness over the winter months. It is a source of complex carbs that instead of boosting our stress hormones like cortisol (like simple carbs and refined sugar do), it boosts serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’. It is naturally fat-free and signals to our brain appetite satiation to prevent overeating during the holiday season.

The second ingredient that is essential for unlocking the high beta-carotene content is a healthy fat such as ghee or olive oil. Ghee and olive oil absorb the beta-carotene and make it more bioavailable because beta-carotene is a fat-soluble nutrient. This trick has been used by millions of health enthusiasts around the world (it also applies to the fat-soluble lycopene found in tomatoes) to get that extra nutritional punch from our food. The Vitamin E and linoleic acids found in these oils also have profound skin and hormone balancing benefits.

Finally, sea salt adds essential trace minerals, flavor, and pulls water up to our skin for hydration. Sea salt helps to restore our adrenal health, and far different from commercial sodium chloride, it replenishes us instead of depleting us.

When making this simple recipe it is best to boil the sweet potato (instead of bake) and preferably leave the skin unpeeled for its potassium and iron content. Be sure to use high-quality extra virgin olive oil or ghee. Sea Salt is ideal or a high-quality Himalayan Salt.

Simple and Delicious Wintertime Recipe

Ingredients: 

1 sweet potato
2 TBSP ghee or generous amount of olive oil
Icelandic Salt or Himalayan Salt
Optional: Add a small amount of Cinnamon for improved digestion and flavor.

Directions:

1. Boil the sweet potato until soft throughout.
2. Slice it down the middle. Scoop into a bowl, if you wish.
3. Drizzle olive oil or ghee into the center of the sweet potato.
4. Add 2-3 pinches of Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt.

Enjoy!