Quick start guide to Spud Living

Many of you have asked a lot of questions about how to follow the Spud challenge and what it looks like on a daily basis.  Here is a collection of pointers from Shelly as well as a few things I have learned.  Recipes to come in the next blog.  This will get you by until then!

Do NOT:

• ·         Eat any potatoes with green on them.  They will make you sick
• ·         Go hungry!  Always have a plan and a spud on the go.
• ·         Don’t forget to supplement your Vitamin B12.  Grab a bottle from the store or get this.  Your brain will thank you!

Tips on Taters

• ·         The smaller the sweet potato the sweeter it is
• ·         The Japanese sweet potato is worth fighting over.  Cliff and I did this morning.  It was unpleasant but I won… I felt bad about it.  After I ate it.  They taste like cake.  I plan to add fruit to them when the 21 days is up and pretend it’s pound cake J
• ·         I plan to do a blog very soon on the nutrients and answer many questions people have on the health of the potatoes so hang in there.  Until then just mix it up.  Make sure there are sweet and white potatoes in the mix.  Sweet potatoes are great for the vitamin A and white potatoes are higher in protein.  Both rock in fiber so the digestive system is happy which makes you happy.

“On the go” and Travel Tips

• ·         If you have an instant pot or crock pot, pack em.  All you need is a plug.  If you use them both at the same time you will blow a fuse… likely.
• ·         Restaurants that are spud friendly in most cities:  Wendy’s, Jason’s Deli, Huddle House, any steak house and Waffle House if they are willing to cook hash browns with little to no oil.  Bring your own sauce or just use the salt and pepper to death.  I took cocktail sauce today to Wendy’s and it made me happy!  Don’t be afraid to order two…or three if needed.
• ·         Pack some cooked spuds in a cooler for the road.  The sweet potatoes (especially Japanese) work best since they need nothing.
• ·         Some grocery stores also sell potatoes ready to steam in the microwave.  Publix has a bag of 5 sweet potatoes that are small and really sweet that steam up in 8 minutes.

Quick (sometimes) and easy ways to cook a spud

•  Microwave on the potato setting (poke holes)
• Bake in the oven (poke holes)
•  Instant pot for 12-15 minutes, depending on size (poke holes)
•  Cut into fries and bake on a baking stone or parchment paper with spices.  No oil needed.  There are some mats and such you can use to crisp them up This one from Bed Bath and Beyond.  Also this one from Amazon.
• Skillet hash browns – you need a non-stick skillet or you can put a little oil on the skillet and wipe it out good before adding the potatoes.
• Potato cakes – recipes to come

Spud toppings for baked potatoes, baked fries or mashed potatoes

• ·         Sauces with no oil or high fructose corn syrup – Barbeque sauce, cocktail sauce, most any mustard, ketchup with no HFCS, salsa, vegan cheese dips (recipe to come), sweet chili sauce, sriracha
• ·         Season salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, any other spice or herb you want
• ·         Garlic – roasted, minced, whatever
• ·         Nutritional yeast – this is a deactivated yeast that comes in the form of flakes that has a nutty, cheesy flavor.  It’s also packed with Vitamin B12!  Think vegan parm cheese.
• ·         A drizzle of maple syrup on sweet or white potatoes.  Don’t go overboard.
• ·         Use a little plant based milk or veggie broth to mash up potatoes then add your spices.
• ·         This is what I do since non-dairy milk is allowed.  Not sure if it’s legal -  Non-dairy plain yogurt in place of sour cream.  With a little salt and pepper you have a yummy and simple baked potato.  Go ahead and have two!

A Day in the Life (for me)

Breakfast – one to two sweet potatoes depending on size and hunger level.  Mashed with some cinnamon and nutmeg.  A little maple syrup if the potato is not sweet enough.
Coffee with plant milk and half a truvia

Snack if needed – small Japanese sweet potato, whole as is

Lunch if home – cut up a large white potato into fries on the baking stone with season salt

Snack if needed – small Japanese sweet potato, whole as is
Kombucha

Dinner – mashed or baked potato with spices/salsa/yogurt/vegan cheese dip

Notes
My appetite has shrunk considerably so the the snacks are not really needed anymore.  Or I will have one with me and eat half when I’m hungry and the other half later.  I pushed through the dread of eating potatoes and now it’s just normal.  We have the hang of it and are feeling great!  So days 1-6 are the hardest.  Adjustment period to eating one food and adjustment to losing the cravings.  Keep the questions coming so I can get the answers and help others!