One potato, Two potato, Three potato, Four!

May 13, 2009 10:27 PM

If I had ½ cup of sweet potato and ½ cup of potato, boiled and mashed (w/ 1 tablespoon of full cream/fat milk) with 1 cup of frozen vegetable (peas, corn, carrot) for dinner what type of nutritional value would it hold?

So, if I had this for dinner each night for a week would this be a really, really BAD thing? What should I be adding if it is (even if only 2 out of 5 work nights)?

I just ask because cooking food for myself at the end of a very long day is getting hard, yo. I seem to end up doing this dinner a lot and I don't want to have limbs suddenly fall off* because I'm eating too much sweet potato / not getting enough of something.

*Or just general unhealthiness

posted by latch24 to food & drink (14 comments total)

Fitday will let you figure this out more precisely.

I think you should probably add some more protein and maybe some leafy greens--a spinach salad with a hardboiled egg or some chicken (which you can buy pre-cooked, even) would probably cover it. But based on my totally NOT A NUTRITIONIST just a person who has had reason to think a lot about how to get maximum nutrition out of minimum food options (because I have these kids with strong food opinions) opinion, I think you're not doing too badly.

If you like broccoli, that would be a great addition to your frozen vege rotation. Some beans in there would be good--maybe a little chili on your taters?

But really, both potatoes and sweet potatoes are pretty damn nutritious. If you can say you're getting some protein and some leafy greens at other times of the day, you're probably doing okay.
posted by padraigin at 10:34 PM on May 13

Dinner doesn't have to be a big thing. Maybe there is another time of day that you can concentrate more on to get that nutritional punch you need. Maybe some extra protein for breakfast, salads at lunch, and make sure you have fruit around the house to eat after dinner when you are winding down. I am not a nutritionist, but lots of people eat only one thing for breakfast every morning, why can't you have only one thing for dinner?

I would get really tired of your dinner up there. I bet this thread will be full of similarly easy to make options soon, going by askme history.
posted by Mizu at 10:43 PM on May 13

Veggies are good but there's almost no protein at all in that meal... try adding a small portion of lean meat, eggs or cottage cheese or even beans or something... if you're in a hurry canned tuna is really easy. Or just cook up a big batch of food on the weekend and freeze portions. I don't know what your calorie requirements are like but you might need to eat less of the potato stuff when you add protein... www.nutritiondata.com is handy to check the calories and nutrients in your meals.
posted by Chrysalis at 10:51 PM on May 13

Most people exceed the recommended daily intake for protein, which isn't a good thing. I don't know what your diet is like, but just because your dinner doesn't have protein in it, doesn't mean that it needs to.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 11:02 PM on May 13

Unrelated, but for variety (and because I can't sleep): try slicing up and roasting the potatos. Toss them in a bit of oil, add seasonings and cook. I can garantee it'll taste better. You're basically making homemade fries, which sweet potatos are awesome for. (yum!)
posted by Decimask at 11:09 PM on May 13

Yeah, boiling vegetables is a great way (in general) to deplete them of nutrients. So definitely bake or roast those potatoes instead.
posted by telegraph at 12:07 AM on May 14

I would plug the food into DailyPlate (free). It will give you an idea of the real values of what you actually eating. You need some protein, so I would suggest beans or a lean meat. Chicken is good and easy. You can cook it in advance and just add some to your meals as you want.
posted by fifilaru at 2:02 AM on May 14

I would recommend Steaming the Vegetables rather than boiling. And fresh Carrots / Greens / etc would be better than Frozen.

I think eating that every night could be fine. (Assuming you had a decent Lunch).

More protein is just not necessary if you had some during the day. Most westerners over eat and dont' eat enough vegetables as it is. So I think it would be fine even 5 nights a week if you had say a ham Sandwich for Lunch and maybe a steak on the weekends.
posted by mary8nne at 3:51 AM on May 14

Frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh. Sometimes better. Look for vegetables without added salt.

Don't worry too much about protein - especially if you eat meat. If you feel like you're crashing soon after eating dinner, then you might want to consider upping the protein a bit. My college's dining hall was weird and served mashed sweet potatoes with a black bean and corn relish type thing, sometimes with silken tofu mixed in as well. It was good.

Additionally, I would leave the skin on the potatoes for more nutrition, and probably cook everything in the microwave, because I'm lazy and ravenous when I get home from work.
posted by giraffe at 6:21 AM on May 14

Ah, christ. I just uninstalled the dietary analysis program used by some of the folks in our lab. I could have given you exact information on the dietary composition of said meal.

But I do have a suggestion: Grab a bag of Bob's Red Mill TVP (Textured Veggie Protein). Throw in some of that, let it boil and it'll soften up into protein with essentially no flavor, just soaks up the taste of whatever it's in (I like to use it as a filler in meatloaf, works better than bread crumbs or oatmeal - the texture isn't much different than meat, so it doesn't feel like there's any filler there).
posted by caution live frogs at 6:38 AM on May 14

Sounds pretty good! Quinoa is a good source of protein, and would mix in well with mash. You can cook it the same as you'd cook rice, or even boil it with the potato.
posted by tomble at 7:22 AM on May 14

Well, what are you eating for breakfast and lunch?
posted by polexa at 7:35 AM on May 14

Well, your dinner is mostly healthy carbs. I don't see any potential problems with eating that most nights - you're not eating anything bad for you, and assuming the rest of your meals are relatively balanced, you should be fine. And sweet potato and the veggies have vitamins, and unprocessed plant foods are generally pretty good for you.

If you find that you're getting hungry again before bed, or too hungry through the day, I'd add protein and/or healthy fat to the meal. Tofu is really, really easy - I'm happy to eat it straight out of the fridge with some soy sauce. You could microwave/boil/steam/pan-fry it if you want. Or you could add a handful of nuts, any kind, or a glass of milk. Eggs also make a great, really easy dinner or part of a dinner.
posted by insectosaurus at 8:54 PM on May 14

Thanks everyone, will check out the links after work! Am planning a proper grocery shop this weekend.
posted by latch24 at 9:33 PM on May 14