Happy National Sweet Potato Day! Pixel Shares 5 Fun Facts About the Sweet Treat

It might seem silly to celebrate a root vegetable, but never has a root brought so much joy to my heart, or to the world (in my humble Pixel opinion). Sweet potatoes are incredibly yummy and so good for you, they are quite worthy of having a day of celebration all to themselves! Sweet potatoes are nutritious, easy to cook in a variety of ways, and go good with just about everything, including whatever you might be wearing. I'm wearing sweet potatoes from dinner on my chin right now to celebrate this festive occasion. But don't let me keep yammering on about sweet potatoes, let's get to the root of this distinguished tuberous vegetable.

5 Fun and Interesting Facts About Sweet Potatoes:

1. Although often called "Yams", Sweet Potatoes are not the same as Yams.
That's right. Yams are not sweet potatoes. Yams are white potatoes from the Caribbean, while the lovely, orange sweet potato is originally from South America. The sweet potato can, however, come in colors such as white and purple.
2. Sweet Potatoes are high in LOTS of Vitamins and Minerals.
Vitamins A, C, E, Potassium, Fiber, and Beta Carotene are just a few of the good benefits your body gets from this root vegetable, plus they are low calorie, making them an excellent addition to any meal of the day.
3. Sweet Potatoes are believed to have healing properties.
Doctors and healers use them to fight diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Medical experts say the benefits from sweet potatoes come not just from the pretty orange fruit we love to eat, but the entire plant, including the skin, the shoots, the greens and the leaves. So from tip to root, this sweet treat is of benefit to every single body, whether you are two or four legged!
4. Christopher Columbus LOVED sweet potatoes!
The world traveler was introduced to sweet potatoes in 1492 while visiting the Americas. He thought they were so delicious and amazing, he brought them back home across the ocean to England. Great thinking on his part.
5. The Sweet Potato was "domesticated" over 5,000 years ago.
In fact, the sweet potato is one of the oldest vegetables known to mankind! That is one faithful staple for dinner. I bet dog loving pet parents have been slipping a little big of sweet potato under the table to their beloved companions for thousands of years. Here's an interesting article from NPR talking about how the sweet potato crossed the Pacific before Columbus.
Sweet potatoes are fun to eat & they look good on your chin too!

I love them pureed in my food, mashed like regular potatoes and cut up into wedges and baked in the oven. I eat them every day! In fact, I wear them on my chin quite often as a matter of fact.
Do you like sweet potatoes? Tell me how you enjoy eating your sweet potatoes friends.

Learn More:

All About Sweet Potatoes
Dr. Axe.com - Nutritional Facts on Sweet Potatoes
Library of Congress - A Sweet Potato History

Adventures in Snacking: Pixel's Top 5 Dog Super Bowl 50 Pawty Snacks

Super Bowl 50 Sunday is today, which means that the ever so fun Puppy Bowl 2016 is playing (and replaying) on TV, so no matter who you are, there's lots of exciting action to watch on television and the internet. Whether you will be attending a party, throwing a party or just hanging out with your friends and family at the house, there will be loads of snacks and fun foods for the humans, but what about the dogs? You'll want to have some fun snacks on hand for the dogs too, right?
Do not fret if you hadn't thought about it. Help is here. I have some wonderful and simple dog snack and beverage ideas you can do for your beloved canine companions that they will simply love.
Peanut Butter covered Rice Chex 
This treat is super easy to fix.
1. Lay out individual pieces of Gluten Free Rice Chex pieces on a tray or large plate.
2. Using a butter knife, spread small amounts of peanut butter on each little piece of Rice Chex.
Voila! Instant super fun snack for your dog that is absolutely delicious!
Chicken and Rice Pate
Ingredients:  1 lb. Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cooled
                     1 c. Cooked White or Brown Rice cooled (slightly warm) NOT cold
                     3 Tbsp. Instant Baby Oatmeal Cereal (Optional) for extra smoothness
                     1.5 - 2 c. Filtered or Spring Water
 1. Grind the chicken in a food processor until finely chopped
2.  Add 1 cup rice (and the 3 Tbsp. of baby oatmeal if you have it) into food processor
3.  Add 1 cup of water into food processor
4.  Place lid on top and grind all ingredients together
5. As it is grinding, add the additional half to one extra cup of water until you have a nice chicken and rice paste/pate that you could put on a cracker.
Keep refrigerated.
You will know it's done when you can scoop up some in a spoon and your face when you taste it.
Now, with this chicken and rice pate, you can do anything you like! Scoop it with biscuits, use as dip with Rice Chex, or form it into cute shapes like footballs, bones, flowers or other shapes.
If you create shapes, you can then use baby food puree squeezies like icing and create all sorts of fun designs and patterns. See the photos below as an example of one fun idea we did using Banana, Beets, and Blueberry puree for the flower color and Green Bean puree as the flower stem! It was DELICIOUS!!!

Sweet Potato Wedges
Super Easy and OH SO GOOD!!
Ingredients:  2 - 4 Sweet Potatoes
1.  Peel sweet potatoes 
2.  Cut potatoes into little bite-size pieces about 1 inch wide or larger (depending on dog size)
3. Place in microwaveable bowl and cover with either a paper plate, plastic wrap or a vented lid.
4. Microwave until fully cooked, checking every 3-4 minutes.
5. Once cooled, serve as doggie hors d'oeuvres or treats!
Chicken Broth Water
Ingredients:
Low sodium , fat free Chicken Broth
Filtered or Spring Water
1. Mix half chicken broth and half water in one or more bowls, and share away!
Fruity Water
Ingredients:
Baby Squeezable Fruit Packets, such as Bananas, Beets & Blueberries by Happy Baby, Strawberry/Apple, or any flavor that sounds good
Filtered or Spring Water
Mix 1/3 fruit puree and 2/3 water in one or more bowls...it will appear lumpy at first, just mix with a spoon or finger until smooth
Share and enjoy!
NOTE:  Normally, Mommy only lets me drink about 1/4 cup at a time of any kind of mixed/flavored water, because it's so good, I'll drink too much and get bloated. So keep that in mind for both the broth and fruity water with your dog.

These are favorites in my house any day of the week, for dog parties, weekend TV watching or picnics. So have fun and let me know which ones sound good to you! Also, I'd love to hear if you watched the Puppy Bowl or Super Bowl. Which team is your favorite??