Sunday, May 23, 2010

I Don't Eat French Fries

I don't have too many food philosophies but I can summarize my eats in 3 rules:
1. I have to know what's in it (except tart fro yo.  I don't want to know, so don't tell me).
2. It has to taste good- this encompasses the 'worth it rule for extra fancy chocolate splurges'.
3. It has to be good for me.

For these reasons, I am not usually tempted by things like french fries.  Perhaps it is my cultural upbringing in which potatoes were a central theme, or maybe my recently acquired snobby tendencies, but I am never crazy about french fries.  Chocolate or cake is another story.  Chocolate and cake together and I'm sold.

However, when we went on a trip to the Asian grocery store, I needed to buy this obnoxious veggie- which I later found out was a yuca root:
(The long potato-looking thing right in front of the sriracha)
Here is what my dear friends at Wikipedia told me:
Yuca is also known as cassava and is native to West Africa and South America. Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world. The soft-boiled root has a delicate flavor and can replace boiled potatoes in many uses: as an accompaniment for meat dishes, or made into purées, dumplings, soups, stews, gravies, etc.  
Pretty cool, right?  As soon as I realized this was potato-like, I figured fries were the way to go.  I chopped up the sucker- which was a workout all in itself, and created Coconut Butter Yuca Fries:
Directions:
-Cut up one yuca/cassava root into fry pieces
-Season with salt and pepper and 1 Tbsp coconut butter (I used my lonely Artisana jar)
-Place fries in a single layer on a sprayed cookie sheet
-Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until crispy- flipping throughout

I loved the subtle coconut flavor on the fries and ate them for breakfast this morning. 
They were quite starchy but extremely filling and good!  I can't wait to experiment more with this root!  For those who care, the veggie is extremely dense at 330 calories per cup.  I can see why it's such a source of sustenance throughout the world!

On another note, I needed this carb replenishment after I took a class at 24 Hour Fitness on Saturday morning.  They had a spin class on the schedule called "Last Chance Workout"- the name that the contestants kindly call the crazy workout session before their weigh-in.  I thought it would be lame, but went anyways.  I loved that our instructor, a very burly dude had no idea what The Biggest Loser even was but managed to kick my smug butt so hard that I looked like a wreck when it was all over.  We spent 7 minutes on the bike and did plyometrics and various other obnoxious things that had me wanting to toss my cookies halfway through.  I didn't quit and loved pushing myself.  I was instantly sore and spent Sunday finding new muscles that ache.  Awesome. 
Since I don't find enough ways to embarass myself in a public forum, here was the 'After':
That shirt was a much lighter orange when we started.  Another point- my hair.  Let's just say I got a little roughed up:
Yep, straight out of the mental hospital.  If this is what the Loser contestants do, hats off to them.
Questions for you: Do you like group classes? What are your favorites?
Do you like french fries?

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love french fries, but try to make my own when I crave them.

Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg said...

Oooh, I want to try Yucca! I've had it in restaurants, but never cooked with it myself.

Anonymous said...

HAHAH That picture is so funny.. YOU ARE STILL GORGEOUS!!
mmm yucca?! never had it! i LOVE me some fries tho! love you girl

Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/ said...

I took my first group class on Saturday and I loved it! I do love fries, but I usually make them at home. Yucca is so yummy!

Gabriela said...

Good food rules- I try to use the same mentality (especially when it comes to chocolate!), but I have to say that fries are the one salty food junk food that is absolutely "worth it" to be. Keep your onion rings, Doritos and nachos- just pass the fries with bay seasoning, please!!

Missy said...

Yumm I just had yuca fries yesterday from Whole Foods! For some reason I like them so much more than normal fries. I love group classes! I really need the motivation in a class so that I don't just stop and quit!

Mo Diva said...

yuca fries are my faves!

i think you did a great job on them!

I am impressed with your "after" look. Hardly ready for the mental hospital. you are adorable even when youre sweaty LOL

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

I love French fries - LOVE 'em. All kinds.

Katie ♥ said...

LOL!!!!!!!!!! Girl you are a hot mess!! love it! U look great always!!!! What a great class that sounds like, I love classes that make you wake up the next day and feel so sore! Def a great workout!

Im loving those fries! Was it hard to cut the Yucca? Im not good at cutting stuff, lol!

Thanks for the sweet comments! Love ya! Things are going much better now! Just stress related to my fiances work, love u!!

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

I'm not a huge french fry fan either. Sweet potato fries I love but regular fries are kind of boring. I need to try yucca sometime!

I want to try spin soooo bad!!!!

Rad Runner said...

Fresh CUT SWEET POTATO FRIES!!!Yummm, enough said....
Group exercise, not so much my cup of tea, other then spin class.....

Faith @ LovelyAsCharged said...

I rarely eat them, but I do actually like french fries. Same with almost all styles of making potatoes, come to think of it! The yucca, on the other hand, is AMAZING! I love it cuban-style, done up with loads of garlic and served with some spicy black beans. It's almost too good!

fittingbackin said...

i do like group classes - especially hip hop or cardio funk!

Um, yes, I can't have enough french fries which is why I seldom eat them! :)

Bitty Babushka said...

I've never been to a group class so I guess I'm not sure. I've always liked going to the gym and doing my own thing and my own speed. :)

I LOVE FRIES! Heaven help me I really do! HA!

Lindsay said...

I love a good kick boxing class!!!!

Simply Life said...

I actually looove yuca - boiled or fried it's a favorite of mine!

Mari said...

I love french fries! but you know this already lol

I am so proud of you for eating Yuca! Our worlds are colliding ha

Gina; The Candid RD said...

haha, your hair looks like mine lately! The humidity has done wonders to it......if you know what I mean.

You also sound like me "It has to be healthy, but if it's cake and ice cream that's ok!". haha I could never say no to cake and ice cream, but like you, french fries don't really appeal to me. I like your YUCA fries though!! Nice twist!

Katie ♥ said...

Just wanted to pop in and say I hope you had a great weekend love!! Miss you! xoxo

FoodFitnessFreshair said...

I love your food rules, and I try to abide by pretty much the same ones. Like when I eat a chocolate dessert (I'm a chocoholic too), it better be of good quality. However, I do like french fries, but only when they're thickly cut and the non-frozen kind, and I classify them under the "taste good splurge" category. I'm not a huge fan of yucca because it's a tad too starchy for me, but the coconut touch sounds great!

Dawn Dishes It Out said...

I love fries but only homemade too! I am a bit of a food snob too & need to know what is in the food I eat.