Calling All Sweet Potato Lovers

BY ELISA WALLACE COPPEDE

Celebrate North Carolina’s official vegetable, the beloved sweet potato, this upcoming February by learning more about this nutritious and delicious crop, as well as a few quick and easy recipes. Think you know all there is to know about this delicious veggie? Read on for a few new facts.

The sweet potato is naturally high in fiber, making it important to leave the skin on. Another interesting fact about this crop is that sweet potatoes are roots, unlike regular potatoes which are underground stems. Many enjoy this crop because sweet potatoes can be eaten in many ways, including baked, steamed, boiled, mashed, microwaved, fried, pureed, raw or juiced. Not only are these vegetables delicious, they are also nutritious. They are high in beta-carotene, vitamins E and C, iron, potassium and vitamin B-6. Since the sweet potato is NC’s favorite vegetable, our state is the leading sweet potato producer in the United States. If all these facts have you now craving a dish featuring our state’s favorite veggie, why not learn a few new sweet potato recipes? Read on for three quick and easy recipes featuring our beloved crop!

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

A Thanksgiving staple for many, the sweet potato casserole is surely a dish that all can enjoy year-round. Try this one for a twist on the classic casserole.

INGREDIENTS: 4 cups sweet potatoes (cubed); ½ cup of sugar; 2 eggs, beaten; ½ teaspoon salt; 7 Tablespoons butter; ½ cup milk; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ cup brown sugar; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; ½ cup chopped pecans.

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash. In a large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9”x13” baking dish. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Sweet Potato Lasagna

Try this twist on the classic lasagna recipe. Not only will you enjoy the new flavor, it will also cut those calories you usually have with regular lasagna in half!

INGREDIENTS: Cooking spray; 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8”-thick (about 2 lb.); 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; I large onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; I lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed; Kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 2 c. marinara; I (5 oz.) package baby spinach; 16 oz. ricotta; 1 large egg, beaten; ¾ c. freshly grated Parmesan, divided; 1 tsp. dried oregano; 1½ C. shredded mozzarella; freshly chopped parsley, for garnish.

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375° and grease a 9”x13” baking pan with cooking spray. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour in marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly, 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, ½ cup Parmesan, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of marinara mixture evenly across the bottom of prepared dish. Layer sweet potatoes on top of sauce, slightly overlapping. Spread about 1/3 of ricotta mixture over sweet potatoes, then pour 1/3 of remaining meat sauce on top. Repeat to make two more layers. Top lasagna with mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until sweet potatoes are almost cooked through, about 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake until sweet potatoes are forktender and cheese is lightly golden, 15 minutes more.

Garnish with parsley and let sit to cool.

Sweet Potato Chili

Warm up on those cold February days with this delicious chili recipe!

INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 bell pepper, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 Tbsp. tomato paste; 1 lb. Italian sausage; 1 Tbsp. chili powder; 1 tsp. dried oregano; ½ tsp. garlic powder; ¼ tsp. cayenne; Kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1” pieces; 3 c. low-sodium chicken broth; 1(14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes; freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more, then add tomato paste and stir until well coated. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, 7 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper.

Add sweet potatoes, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

The Power and Science of Love

BY LISA S.T. DOSS

The urgency arrives, arms extend outward and wrap around those to whom we want to express the language of love. Six seconds releases the maximum levels of oxytocin and serotonin—the best type of feelgood hormones. Science can measure the biochemical changes derived from the brain. In the need for physical touch to lower anxiety and stress, we cuddle, hold hands, and accept companionship from family, friends, and pets. Love truly is empowering, for one moment to many years. In the expanding list of objects, places, and living creatures, each of us can connect with something that our hearts define unconditionally as love.

PEOPLE

“Good relationships don’t just happen. They take time, patience, and two people who truly want to be together.” ~Unknown

What is love? This puzzling question has had anthropologists and neurobiologists seeking an explanation for decades. The scientific answer is both simple and complex. Think about a person you find attractive. Perhaps moisture develops in your hands and heat rises to redden your cheeks. Science has categorized three types of hormones:

1. Physical attraction increases levels of testosterone or estrogen, which drives the need to reproduce. 2. Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin create giddiness, energy, and a feeling of euphoria. 3. Oxytocin and vasopressin surpass the overpowering feelings of infatuation and aid us toward entering a longterm relationship. Love is chemical and chemistry!

Most of us can define their perception of why we have a romantic attraction and constant affection. Needless to say, the answer continues to be a work in progress, and perhaps for you, too!

ANIMALS

“Animals touch the most intimate parts of our hearts: our need to nurture and protect, our need for companionship and love.” ~Unknown

According to the National Pet Owners’ Survey, conducted across 2019 and 2020, 67% of American households, roughly 85 million families, own a pet. That is the one form of love we can give and receive unconditionally. A pet provides love with no concern for our wealth, habits, job, or emotions. A simple wagging tail or purr; the pressure of a cold nose or warm body leads to contentment in the human psyche. Any definition of a pet, whether it’s a dog, cat, rabbit, fish, chicken, or cow offers powerful health benefits. The act of caring for an animal plays a role in healthy aging by relieving anxiety, lowering stress levels, and improving heart health!

TRAVELING

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Have you ever wondered why you love particular locations, such as the mountains, a particular city, or a tropical paradise? The exposure to a familiar place with beloved people creates time for self and reflection, and presents a joyous new memory far from home. Remembering a place in which you felt relaxed, happy, and loved encourages the mind to return to similar or new locations.

NATURE

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~Frank Lloyd Wright One picture of a nature scene can boost psychological wellbeing, and lift the spirits. We find connection, hope, and healing through pictorial scenes, whether painted, viewed through a window, or televised. Do you wonder why you love the beach or the mountains? It derives from the senses of sight and smell, and psychologically, color. We tend to choose experiences that reflect our emotional needs. For example:

• Blue is a hue of power and purity, reflected in the sky, mountains, and sea.

• Yellow signifies purity and brightness.

• Green, combining yellow and blue, is a mixture of perfect equality. The ideal activity is to walk among a forest of green.

Go outdoors and find a place of the heart to be among nature. In the light, connect to the purple mountains, the green flowing grasses, the small to tall flowers, and the journey of waterways. Find glory in the colors of a breathtaking sunset and let your soul transcend beyond the glowing stars toward the heavens. Biologically, your pulse rate, nervous system, and blood pressure will slow, just from being present in the natural world.

February is a month to fall in love, awaken passions, and find something beautiful in each day. Discover the thousands of reasons your heart beats rapidly, your eyes tear, and your smile broadens!

February is American Heart Month! Last month when we turned that calendar and finally said “good riddance” to 2020, many of us made some resolutions to make healthy changes to lower our risk of developing heart disease.

Some of those changes may have included: • Losing weight • Quitting smoking and staying away from secondhand smoke • Controlling cholesterol and blood pressure • Limiting alcohol consumption or being more mindful about moderation • Get active and eating healthy

Controlling and preventing the above risk factors is important for mitigating heart disease, but did you know that limiting stress can also reduce the risk of heart disease?

According to the American Heart Association, more than 1 in 3 women has a form of cardiovascular disease. And heart disease is the leading cause of hospital stays for men in the United States. Due to the prevalence of the disease, the AHA recognizes each February as American Heart Month in hopes of raising awareness about the disease and how to prevent it.

Stress and Heart Health

While there are risk factors that contribute to heart disease that you can’t control, reducing stress is one thing that you can help control.

When stress is excessive, it can contribute to a host of health problems, including high blood pressure. If high blood pressure goes untreated, it can result in heart disease.

Reducing Your Stress

Family Services has put together a series of videos from our Counseling division to help you find some calm in this topsy-turvy world. You can find them at TinyURL. com/findingcalmvideos.

Family Services is here to ensure that anyone who needs our help—for safety, early childhood education, or just to talk through an issue—can afford to get it.

When watching these videos, keep in mind that it may be helpful to envision stress reduction and finding calm with two distinct layers or components. Think of it as giving more space to the “ceiling” of your blowup/breakdown point. The idea is to stay in a more balanced range on the stress meter before letting it creep too high.

One layer involves general self-care and things you can incorporate into daily life. You can work these in anywhere and at any time — whether you are stressed at that moment or not. Secondly, there are what we refer to as “inthe-moment” techniques that can reduce movement up the stress meter when you are in a traffic jam, or you’ve received one of those emails that get you worked up, or you’ve just learned you or a loved one have potentially been exposed to COVID. In-the-moment techniques simply involve using the techniques when you need them most. TOGETHER, these two can complement each other. Daily stress management habits give you a better starting place, and then, in-the-moment techniques help you stray less from that point, maintaining better balance. When you don’t have either of these layers, you reach your upper-stress zone more quickly. If you have only one or the other, it also helps, but not as much.

When to Seek Help

If the stresses in your life become more than you can bear or manage with these simple techniques, consider seeking professional assistance. A knowledgeable professional will be able to work with you to devise time management skills and stressreducing techniques.

Family Services has been here to help this community for more than 100 years — through two worldwide pandemics, and we’re still here to help with ongoing appointments available for telehealth.

Our Counseling division is available for anyone who needs help dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and more. It’s important, now more than ever, to take care of our mental well-being and to encourage the same in our community. We are here to ensure that anyone who needs our help—for safety, early childhood education, or just to talk through an issue—can afford to get it.

New to Yoga or Meditation?

TIPS FOR QUIETING A BUSY MIND

BY MARTIE EMORY

Yes, even the title is a little daunting, isn’t it?

From the point of view of this writer—whose mind is admittedly cluttered with details, deadlines, and countless worries—it’s a skill I know I need to master also: Quieting my mind. I’m fine with the exercise aspect of yoga, for example, but clearing my thoughts for a calmer presence is another story entirely.

Whether you’re setting aside your “me” time before work or later, after a long day, it’s hard not to keep going over your to-do list in your mind, thinking ahead to what’s for dinner that night, or even zeroing in on a little pain here and there while you’re bending and stretching. Happily, there are tips to head you in the right direction, whether you’re new to yoga and meditation or simply scheduling a much-needed “relaxation break” with yourself during a day of occupational madness!

• Put your phone down at least a half-hour before a yoga class. Sure, it sounds simple, but down means literally nowhere within reach!

• Spend a few minutes outside in nature to clear your mind and reduce your anxiety level. Consider a short walk before beginning a class or take a seat outside somewhere after work to start fresh again.

• Listen to calming music on the drive from work to your next destination. (Hint: humming along can also be self soothing!)

• Visualize what you’re trying to achieve: If you’re aiming for that sense of calm and relaxation you might only experience at the beach, close your eyes and picture the ocean. Or, simply close your eyes and pay attention to what you see (we bet you won’t see just a black space!) • Reset your breathing. If your concentration is waning, first pay attention to the pace of your breathing. Try this easy breathing pattern to start:

Breath in through your nose for four seconds, hold the breath for three seconds, then release the breath through your mouth for another four seconds.

• Focus on the quiet and calm of the space you plan to exercise or meditate in. Look around for a focal point to center your thoughts.

• If you’ve come from a negative situation at work, take a few minutes to count your blessings—out loud. You’ll instantly feel calmer!

• Develop a list of “peaceful” words to repeat to yourself throughout the process—thoughts that will pull you back to a more relaxed state.

Practicing both yoga and meditation can totally change the way your body reacts to stress, and although it can be a challenge to let yourself “rest,” doing nothing can be amazingly good for the soul! But it takes time—and practice—so, above all, be gentle with yourself, and don’t expect perfection right away. Don’t fight your active mind so much that you contradict its amazing abilities—but learn to balance the ebb and flow of your thoughts with a goal of restoring and energizing both your body and soul!