When Noah booked my ticket for Boston – we had no idea that we would end up in a blizzard and then it would take us 3 days to drive to Nashville.. We made the best of it and had a great Valentine’s Day in the snow!! He made a rezzy at a GREAT place that I would definitely recommend if you’re in the area. It was a little hairy getting to and from the restaurant (especially in my V-day outfit – haha!) but we made it. We ate at an amazing place called Puritan and Company in downtown Boston….not healthy, and not paleo, and totally worth it.
You can tell that I’m not from Mass… I wore heels in a blizzard. NBD. Hey, anything to make the outfit, right? Sacrifices. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about!
Even in the midst of a blizzard, we still managed to get a couple of workouts in. I’ve been working on some new workouts that I’m planning on sharing with the world soon (I hope!) – so exciting!!! So, I planted myself on the treadmill with my headphones and went to “work.” Dang, I love my work!!! I had a beautiful view of the snow and the Boston Fire Dept while I was at work that day…
We headed out the next day once the streets were cleared enough, and started making our way back to Nashville. As we drove, I saw a sign for Winchester and I just had to stop to say hi to my grandpa and step-grandma!! I hadn’t seen them in years. My grandpa is almost 89, and I just felt pulled to go and see him. I’m SO glad that I did! It seriously made their day, and made mine too. Grandma Mona reallllllly liked Noah… Hahaha!
We made it back to Nashville safe and sound after getting stuck in Virginia overnight. I mean there are worse things than being stuck in the snow with this one…
When we hit Nashville, we went right to Kroger where we found…well, pretty much nothing. The shelves had been wiped out! I had seen pictures on Facebook, but we saw it first-hand. We happened to find some veggie sausage, which wasn’t too bad… all of the bacon and meat – GONE. I figured that I had some sweet potatoes and enough stuff to make waffles, and eggs, so again – breakfast for dinner! The star of the plate ended up being the Sweet Potato Tater Tots…YUM YUM YUM!!! The whole dish was 2 eggs over-easy, Paleo Belgium Waffles, veggie sausage and Sweet Potato Tots! The eggs and sausage are easy-peasy, so I’ll give you the recipes for the tots and waffles!
I found the Sweet Potato Tater Tots recipe on Minimalist Baker, and these were a hit!! I put the modifications I made below.
- 2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed + washed (organic if possible)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp sugar (I use coconut sugar)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs* – I used 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 Tbsp sugar – I used coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave the taters for 4-6 minutes both sides until fully cooked.
- While sweet potato are cooking, prepare coating. Add all ingredients EXCEPT butter to a food processor and blend until incorporated. While mixing, stream in butter. Dip your finger in a give it a taste. If you prefer it more savory, add more salt. If you prefer it sweeter, add more sugar or cinnamon.
- Peel sweet potatoes ( I left the skins on) and add to a mixing bowl. Add cinnamon and mash – you’re not looking for a puree, but rather a rough mash. If your sweet potatoes are already pretty sweet on their own, omit the sugar. Otherwise, add it in and mix.
- Set in fridge to chill and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Scoop out scant 1 Tbsp amounts of sweet potato puree and form them into a “tot” shape – an oblong circle.
- Transfer to coating and use a spoon to gently toss to coat. Transfer to baking sheet and spritz the top with olive or canola oil to help them crisp up (optional).
- Bake for 20 minutes, then gently flip. Bake for 20 minutes more then serve immediately. If you want them firmer, just bake them an additional 10-15 minutes. The longer you cook them the crispier they’ll get!
- To freeze and bake later, form into tots, roll in coating, then transfer to baking sheet and freeze. Once thoroughly frozen, add to freezer-safe bag or container to store for later. When ready to bake, place on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flip, then bake for 25-30 minutes more or until they reach the desired doneness.
- You really don’t need dip for these, but if you want, ketchup or a spicy aioli of some kind would be lovely.
I found this recipe on Cook Like a Cavewoman – such a cute site, so check it out! These are good really warm with some organic butter, fruit and maple syrup!! I didn’t change a thing on this one!
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ⅔ cup raw cashews
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- A little less than ⅓ cup almond milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
- coconut oil cooking spray
- Preheat your waffle maker.
- In a small bowl, mix together your coconut flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and sea salt. Set to the side for a minute.
- To a blender, add your raw cashews, eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract, honey, and coconut oil. Blend together until smooth and creamy.
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the blender of wet stuff, and blend it really well until smooth and creamy again. Use a spatula to scrape down any dry stuff you see sticking to the sides, and blend again. You can even repeat that a third time, if necessary.
- Spray your pre-heated waffle maker with coconut oil.
- Pour some of your batter into the waffle maker, a little less than you normally would with the wheat-based kind, because this batter really puffs up.
- Allow the waffle to cook for only about a minute or so. This batter does not take very long, so keep an eye on it!
- Remove the waffle from the maker as soon as it’s browned, and top with your favorite toppings!
- If not eaten right away, extra waffles can be kept covered in the refrigerator for about 2 days. Simply reheat in a toaster!
Be safe out there, my friends!! The ice and snow are dangerous!! Be smart, and use the stuff that you already have in your cupboards to make food – get creative, and have fun with it!! You’ll be surprised at what you can do with what you have. Happy snow days friends!
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