When I’m short on time and I need to make a nutritious meal, I always go with sweet potatoes with kale. It doesn’t require much prep work since it’s only 2 ingredients. In addition, I always pair this powerful duo with some sort of protein (whether that’s quinoa, buckwheat, chicken breast, lentils, beans et cetera).
Sweet potatoes and kale alone have a ton of nutrients. Here are some of the nutritional benefits they provide:
Sweet Potatoes contain:
- Beta-Carotene (an antioxidant rich in Vitamin A)
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Vitamin C.
Kale Contains:
- Fiber
- Folate
- Vitamin B
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Zinc
- Vitamins C&K
To read more about these vegetables and their nutritional benefits, please refer to the following links:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/5-winter-superfoods-sweet-potatoes-nutrient-profile
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/kale-nutrition-and-cooking#1
You will need 4 medium Organic Sweet Potatoes and 3 large Organic Kale
Thoroughly wash and/or scrub the vegetables under cold water.
Very important to thoroughly scrub and clean your vegetables. You can notice the difference between the scrubbed and unscrubbed vegetable. The left sweet potato has been cleaned and scrubbed.
Peel the skin off of the sweet potato using a vegetable peeler.
Cut the ends off of the sweet potato.
Stand it up straight on the flat side and carefully cut thin slices
Then cut it into strips.
Then cut the strips into the size cubes you feel comfortable feeding your toddler.
Place the cubed sweet potatoes into the steam basket.
Add water to your saucepan, place the steam basket over the saucepan, and cover it with a lid. Make sure the steam basket doesn’t touch the water when placed inside the saucepan.
Once the water starts to boil, decrease the heat to low/medium ( a temperature to where you can hear a low boil). Allow it to steam for about 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are a little soft but not fully soft.
NOTE: Cook times may vary since the sweet potatoes can cook faster if the steam basket is larger.
While the sweet potatoes are steaming, let’s prepare our Kale.
Remove the leaves off of the stem. The stem can be a bit tough so I don’t use it.
Cut the leaves into strips
Cut the strips into smaller pieces.
Carefully chop the kale into finer pieces.
Once the sweet potatoes are a little soft, add the finely chopped kale. Cover it with a lid and allow it to steam for an additional 10 minutes.
Once the 10 minutes is up, turn off the heat. I like to allow it all to rest for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Carefully spoon the sweet potatoes and the kale into a glass food storage container or into glass jars. Let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator for use when needed.
Serving:
Please keep in mind, these are rough estimates of measurements. Every child’s appetite is different.
When it comes time to serve this nutritious meal, I like to combine it with some form of protein (whether that’s cooked chicken breast, quinoa, or buckwheat) and some form of calcium, like yogurt.
If serving in a bowl:
- Combine 1/4 cup of buckwheat and 1/4 cup of organic pasteurized whole milk yogurt to the bowl.
- Mix the two together.
- Add 1/2 cup of the steamed vegetables to the the buckwheat and yogurt mixture
- Mix them altogether and serve
or
If serving separately in a sectioned bowl:
- Combine 1/4 cup of buckwheat and 1 tablespoon of organic pasteurized whole milk yogurt to one section.
- Mix the two together.
- Measure 3 additional tablespoons of organic pasteurized whole milk yogurt to a separate section.
- Add 1/2 cup of the steamed vegetables to the last section.
SO good, he couldn’t wait!!
Recipe
Sweet Potatoes with Kale
Ingredients:
- 4 medium Organic Sweet Potatoes
- 3 large Organic Kale
Instructions:
Thoroughly wash and/or scrub the vegetables under cold water.
Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes using a vegetable peeler.
Cut the ends off of the sweet potato. Stand the sweet potato up straight on its flat side and carefully cut thin slices. Then cut the thin slices into strips. Finally, cut the strips into size cubes you feel comfortable feeding your toddler. Place the cubed sweet potatoes into the steam basket.
Add water to your saucepan, place the steam basket over the saucepan, and cover it with a lid. Make sure the steam basket doesn’t touch the water when placed inside the saucepan. Once the water starts to boil, decrease the heat to low/medium ( a temperature to where you can hear a low boil). Allow it to steam for about 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are a little soft but not fully soft.
NOTE: Cook times may vary since the sweet potatoes can cook faster if the steam basket is larger.
While the sweet potatoes are steaming, let’s prepare our Kale.
Remove the leaves off of the stem. The stem can be a bit tough so I don’t use it. Cut the leaves into strips. Cut the strips into smaller pieces. Carefully chop the kale into finer pieces.
Once the sweet potatoes are a little soft, add the finely chopped kale. Cover it with a lid and allow it to steam for an additional 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes is up, turn off the heat. I like to allow it to rest for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Carefully spoon the steamed sweet potatoes and the kale into a glass food storage container or into glass jars. Let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator for use when needed.
Serving:
Please keep in mind, these are rough estimates of measurements. Every child’s appetite is different.
When it’s time to serve this nutritious meal, I like to combine it with some form of protein (whether that’s cooked chicken breast, quinoa, or buckwheat) and some form of calcium, like yogurt.
If serving in a bowl:
- Combine 1/4 cup of buckwheat and 1/4 cup of organic pasteurized whole milk yogurt to the bowl.
- Mix the two together.
- Add 1/2 cup of the steamed vegetables to the the buckwheat and yogurt mixture
- Mix them altogether and serve
or
If serving separately in a sectioned bowl:
- Combine 1/4 cup of buckwheat and 1 tablespoon of organic pasteurized whole milk yogurt to one section.
- Mix the two together.
- Measure 3 additional tablespoons of organic pasteurized whole milk yogurt to a separate section.
- Add 1/2 cup of the steamed vegetables to the last section.
