Roasted Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts

I cannot get enough Brussels sprouts.  They are most amazing little veggie!  I don't know I would do without them.  Ironic, because I grew up knowing them as the fabled ultimate bad guy of the veggie clan.  Like, in the books?  The little boy or girl would sit at the table all night long, refusing to eat the hideous Brussels sprouts on their plate.  Nasty little sprouts. I had never tried them, but I just knew those authors wouldn't tell me lies.


Wrong.

Mom made them last year (or maybe the year before that, I don't know) and I was hooked.  They are delicious!  They're mini cabbages, I mean, come on people - mini. cabbages.  What is not to love?  And sweet potatoes are uh-mazing.  They're actually good raw because they have that natural sweetness and I like them crunchy or cooked. 

 

 

You know what else I've realized I can't do without?  Internet connection.  Our Internet provider has it's issues (I think it and the receiver had a major falling out a couple years ago ... ) and sometimes, it just dies.  Wham, no recipe search, no emailing checking, *gasp* no blogging (did I have a life before blogging?  Wait, do I have a life now that I blog?  Hmmm.)  Anyways, when the Internet dies, I die, too.  Pathetic.  Do you realize how much of our lives are spent on the Internet?  Waaaay too much. 

Here is what I shouldn't be able to live without - a daily time with God. I invest countless hours in blogging, and pinning, and commenting, and liking and yet I balk at the 15 minutes of uninterrupted prayer time.  Seriously, what does this say about my heart?  Matthew reminds me, where my heart is there, my treasure will be also.  And then he not so subtly tells me, hon, your blogging?  It ain't gonna last in heaven!  If I'm brutally honest, I'm not investing in eternal things.  I've fallen for the lie that they aren't as valuable - or fun.  And they will continue to not be fun as long as I choose to view them that way.  Building up my heavenly treasure will be fun when I let God change my heart to look forward to opportunities to go treasure hunting. I think part of the reasons I find it so hard is heavenly treasures don't get me wordly attention.  I want the pat on the back, the thumbs up, the affirmation. I like to ignore the fact that the world's affirmation is not going to last. It's going to die and if I'm relying on it, I'm going to die, too.  A lot of affirmation is virtual these days. Comments, likes, pins (oh my gosh, I seriously squeal when I see my stuff in Pinterest. See - there it is again!  How often do I have squeal moments while in reading the Bible?  A lot less frequent.)  Maybe I need my Internet to die more often. Maybe I need to "die" too … die to my selfish, worldly desires and let God rewrite my want list.

 

 

 

Anyhoo, this is the perfect side dish.  It is easy and flavorful and I love the textures of the Brussels sprouts (mini cabbages!) and the sweet potatoes (they soften up during the baking, but still have a little crispiness on the edges that gives way to a soft and sweet inside.)  Even Brussels sprouts haters might give this one a try!  It's really pretty and the smells from the oven while it is baking?  Heavenly. 

 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts 

Recipe Souce: Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

1 lb bag of Brussels sprouts
2 sweet potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
1/2 teaspoon salt*
1/4 teaspoon pepper*
1/2 teaspoon sugar*

Preheat oven to 350. 
Clean Brussels sprouts and chop sweet potatoes, so that the sweet potatoes are in cubes that are similar in size to the Brussels sprouts.
Place on baking pan.  Drizzle with oil and spices.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Enjoy!
 

*These are approximations. I just sprinkled it on and didn't really measure. #bloggerfail. So feel free to play around with it and adjust to your taste.