FlexTrades has lunchbox hacks because FlexTrades believes that those who eat better work better. This blog is our effort to improve the American workforce one lunchbox at a time. We want you to feed yourself with something that fuels you better and we have tips, tricks, and recipes to make that possible! If you missed our last lunchbox hack, check it out on our blog page now.

With Thanksgiving barely behind us, and Christmas just ahead, many people are making (and eating) more sweet potatoes now than the rest of the year combined. That means an awful lot of those tasty tubers are probably finding their way into your lunchboxes as leftovers too. How do you freshen up such an old staple and are you choosing them correctly to begin with?

Tip

Thinner, longer sweet potatoes and yams (Is there even a difference? You bet there is!) are easier to cook due to more even heat distribution while cooking. So, next time you’re at the grocery store, skip the fat ones. Your results and prep time will both benefit.

Trick

Slashes > Pokes! Most people like to stab their sweet potatoes with a fork. However, if you treat your yams like Michael Myers (think BIG knives) by deeply slashing them you’ll thank us. This happens because the larger surface area of a slash allows heat to penetrate more quickly and evenly than little pokes. A secondary benefit is that more water can escape too so you’re also less likely to end up with a watery side dish.

Recipe

For those who really want to make an impression, try something you’ve never thought of before to change up tradition. A great option is this Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe with Crunchy Peanut Butter we received from Ilse, at Culinary Ambition. It’s a great way to mix things up at your next holiday spread. We promise you won’t be able to wait to get the leftovers into your lunchbox for your next workday either!

We hope you find these tips and tricks helpful and the recipe tasty. If you like what you learned, skim through our other blog posts here the next time you’re hungry for more knowledge. Have a tip, trick, or recipe of your own? Send it to our Writing Team and we’ll be happy to feature it in a future Lunchbox Hack too!