Did you know there are lots of ways to cook beets?
Well, of course you did!
Did you know you can wrap them foil and roast them at 400 degrees for about an hour?
Daniel knows! And I’m so glad he told me. It’s super easy.
I scrubbed up a few and then shaved off their hairy, scary bits before wrapping them in foil.
Into the oven – one, two three –
when you can stick a fork in them, they’re done you see.
A clean refrigerator feels really good.
Like a sneeze, only better.
I just cleaned out my fridge (and I just sneezed). It wasn’t even that bad (the fridge), but I can’t deny that it looks and feels pretty amazing now that I’m done. Putting away groceries was an extremely pleasurable, mind blowing, out-of-body experience.
(ok, I admit it. I’m trying to make this post climactic.)
I’ve got Swiss chard coming at me from all directions – it’s like Swiss chard is trying to take me down or something.
Well forget it, Swiss chard. I’ll wipe the floor with you! Or I’ll dry your leaves and make a broom to sweep the floor with you at the very least.
Anyway, I’ve figured out a couple more sneaky things about Swiss chard.
Swiss Chard Secret #3: Fresh is best.
Obvious? Maybe. But really, the chard that’s ripped from the ground mere moments before it’s sliced and prepped is proving to be the least bitter.
Welcome to CSA Jeopardy! The answer-and-question game where you choose a prize value from one category and Alex Trebek gives you an answer. You know, the one where your response has to come in the form of a question?
Yeah, you know it. And you’re totally gonna play.
Or should I say “What is, You’re Totally Gonna Play?”
Today we’re playing the CSA version because that’s where some of the ingredients in this recipe for Asian Coleslaw came from. And because CSA seems to be my favorite overused acronym lately.
Enough with the chit chat, let’s get started.
Let’s not call her the picky one.
No, let’s call her my muse. A source of inspiration. A fruit and vegetable avoiding force to be reckoned with.
See, I can make a fruit smoothie for Ava – no problem.
Frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, banana, a couple glugs of almond milk. Sounds good, right?
For Ava, yes.
For Maxine?
No.
But!
Thanks to a bit of experimentation, I have come to discover that Maxine will eat that exact same fruit smoothie when it’s poured into a mold,
I usually sketch out exercise plans a couple days in advance, taking the weather forecast and our schedule into account when coming up with a loose idea of what I’ll do in the days ahead.
I knew I was going to “ride Saturday, run Sunday” – but when I woke up this morning, I felt the need for a little *something* to make today’s run more interesting and fun.
Swiss chard is your friend.
Hi, friend!
(That’s not the secret.)
Actually, Swiss chard has TWO secrets to tell you. One for now, one for later.
Psst!
Swiss chard is super easy to grow.
No, really. You throw the seeds in the ground, water them if you think of it, spit on them even! Walk away and BAM! Swiss chard.
Remember that secret for next spring. I’ll probably remind you, so don’t worry.
The other secret – the one you can use right now – is that Swiss chard is just like kale in salad.
I don’t know about you, but the recently released 2011 Obesity Report bums me out. In fact, it downright scares me.
Clearly, there is something wrong with the way America eats. I’m left shaking my head and wondering “what on earth are we going to do?”
We can tell people about the dangers of processed junk and frankenfoods until we are blue in the face, but ultimately – nobody changes until they are personally motivated and ready to do so. No matter how much you’d love to see dietary habits of the nation, your family or your friends change, it is of course up to each of us to decide for ourselves what we’re going to eat and put into our bodies.
I recently finished Jillian Michaels’ latest book, Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life.
This book could also be titled “Unlimited: The Book I Didn’t Know I Needed to Read.”
To be honest, I wasn’t really looking for tips on How to Build an Exceptional Life, so while I knew she had a new book out, I hadn’t given much thought to reading it. But then I listened to her talk about Unlimited in a podcast from May and my curiosity was officially piqued. I snagged a copy from the library and after reading just the first page, I didn’t want to put it down.
We were out of town for the long holiday weekend, but I was excited to get back knowing the black raspberries in the backyard had probably started to ripen while we were away.
We didn’t get home until nearly dark last night, so I accepted the fact I was going to have wait until sunrise to see what berry surprise awaited me for breakfast this morning.
That is of course, until I remembered the reason they invented flashlights:
to spy on your ripe berries in the dark.
More Mama’s Weeds
