Summer Meets Fall: Sweet Potato Refreshment!

Tiny is looking forward to the start of a new season, because it means a whole new world of fruits and vegetables to explore at the market! Although summer vacation may be at an end, there is still a lot of sunshine to enjoy... and nothing helps keep Tiny cool like one of her favorite warm-weather treats, a yummy, healthy milkshake. This week, Tiny tried a new Fall veggie in her shake: the sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes (just like carrots and beets) are root vegetables, the edible roots of a plant. Sweet potatoes grow best in warm weather, which means that while Tiny and her friends were playing outside in the sun all summer, the sweet potato crop was nestled safely underground, getting ready for the fall harvest. And just like the sun helps this vegetable grow big and strong, the sweet potato is full of vitamins and nutrients to help kids grow up strong, too! 

Beta-carotene, which is what gives sweet potatoes their bright orange color, turns into Vitamin A inside your body - it is an important vitamin to help keep your eyes and immune system healthy. 

Sweet Potato Milkshake

1 sweet potato, medium to large

4 dates, pitted

2 medium bananas, frozen in chunks

1 1/3 cups milk, or any milk substitute of your choice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Whipped coconut cream (optional)

Next, an adult can chop the pitted dates while the potato is cooling in the refrigerator.

This recipe makes enough for 2 snack-sized portions.

Variations:

* The sweet potatoes can be cooked in the oven rather than the microwave, if desired. Heat the oven to 400F, poke holes in each potato with a fork as directed above, wrap in foil, and cook for 45 minutes. Or just use up your left-over sweet potatoes from dinner this way!

* Fresh bananas can be used instead of frozen bananas in this recipe. If so, simply add a few ice cubes to help keep the shake cool and creamy. 

* Dashes of allspice, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and/or cardamom would all be great substitutes for or additions to the cinnamon - you can try making your own combinations!


Visit us at www.TinyTastesWorld.com

With Cassie Sciortino and Kat Craddock