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Winter Veggies!

Winter Veggies are my Rave Fave!

I love root vegetables and the fall harvest is full of beets, parsnips, fennel, onions, garlic, turnips and what else?  I’m sure I’m missing something!

Second Rave Fave?  Guesses?

Apples!  We eat several apples a day in our house.  I never liked apples as a kid and most of my adult life–then a few years ago I started juicing a blend of apples, carrots, lemon and ginger.  I love that combination.  It seemed like overnight I looked years younger and felt amazing.  I don’t juice as frequently now but I do have a portion of an apple each day–usually as I’m cutting them up for kids lunches.  I get these huge honkin’ apples from Farmer’s Market–eating an entire apple would be a meal, they are seriously huge.  In a house with many different ideas on what tastes “good” Honeycrisp are our favorite followed by Mutso apples.  Everyone agrees on apples!  I like  apples because they are sweet, crunch and salty when I dip them in peanut butter.  My perfect food (sweet, crunchy, salty).

Applesauce

When I was offered a bushel of apples from a friend I jumped at the opportunity to make a huge batch of apple sauce–but you don’t need a bushel–you can make just enough for dinner!  or your kids lunch.  I shared my Aunt Clara’s recipe on my very first blog (In Everything Give Thanks) but you can find it here.  It is so easy to make without all the extra junk in it.  (My crockpot is as old as the hills and it works perfectly–you can pick up a crockpot at GoodWill for a few bucks making slow cooking real food simple.  No excuses.)

https://instagram.com/p/9FDeVnOmux/

 

How to Roast Veggies?

Preheat oven to 400-450 degrees.  Then you have two options:

  1. place a little oil on a roasting pan, place all veggies on the pan and start checking to see what it finished cooking every 15 minutes  OR
  2. put each different vegetable in it’s own “pan” made out of foil.  Then when that veggie is finished cooking take it out and the other can take their time roasting.
  3. you can add spices to the roasted veggies . . . makes the house smell amazing.
  4. this is the key to my awesome soups–roasted veggies.

https://instagram.com/p/9Gpuujummj/

Be Blessed as we eat and live with love, gratitude and compassion.

One last thing

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Can’t Beat, Roasted Beets

Just Beet It

I have a running shirt that says “just beet it”.  It makes me smile when I wear it.  Beets are just fun that way.  I bought my shirt at the Engine 2 Retreat  I attended this past summer, a big step in honoring my intention to eat healthy.  It was an incredible weekend of food, friends, learning and beets.  Not only did I buy a super cool shirt, I found several other beet lovers who were happy to share their recipes with me.

Where do I buy beets?

I have been blessed to have beets in my CSA box.  (read more here on how I picked my farmer! for my local readers–check out these local options.)  Currently, I support 3 local farms–2 of these are less than 5 miles from my house.  Ok, I know I’m weird when I get excited thinking that my beets are growing just a few miles from the house.  (Then again, I am the lady who suggested that I make myself a dress out of Swiss Chard on a video!)  My local farms Radical Root and Sandhill Farms have been alternating weeks of having beets in the boxes–completely unintentional yet it has let me “pace myself” on my beet consumption.  I urge you to find your own CSA options.  My third farm is Tomato Mountain Farm in WI, they actually deliver to my door!  I love them just for that.

If you don’t have a CSA–then go to the grocery store.  They seem to always have beets available.  Even my Super Target has beets!  So really–there are no excuses for not buying beets.  

How to Cook Beets

So simple.  

  • wash them
  • cut the “tail” off so they will “stand up” on the baking sheet
  • line them up on a foil lined baking sheet
  • roast at 400 for a good 40 minutes.  I prefer my beets to be a little firm.
  • I wrap the beets in the foil and store them in the fridge up to a week.  (they NEVER last that long.)
  • I peel them as I need them.  Having beets prepped ahead of time is very helpful during the busy week.

roasted beets

 

How to Eat Beets

I eat them just warm out of the oven.  I have simple tastes.  But you could also:

  • serve them cold with a vinaigrette (your can try my recipe.)
  • mash them (like potatoes) add salt, pepper and Earth Balance vegan spread.
  • cut into cubes with feta cheese sprinkled on top (I serve this side dish warm).  Vegan option:  I use some panko bread crumbs instead of the feta.
  • add them to salads–it turns everything pink, so if that is a deal breaker . . . eat them on the side.
  • juice them–this is done with raw beets and it is one of my most favorite, amazing ways to eat beets!  Beets, carrots, one apple and ginger–this is a wonderfully grounding juice.  When I feel scattered or just need to breathe–this juice does that.  It offers me quiet energy.

Share with me!

How do you eat beets?  Share your recipes in the comments!  Then tweet it out so we can share the love of beets!roasting beets

[Tweet “I shared a beet recipe on Renee’s Kitchen! Come see it!”]

Be Blessed as you eat with L.O.V.E.!

Renee

 

Roasted Brussel Sprout-Cranberry-Pecan Salad

Roasted Amazing!

This could not have been more simple!  Three ingredients–Brussel Sprout, sweet and tart cranberry and the crunchy pecan.

I placed cranberries, Brussel sprouts and pecans on a roasting sheet.

Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let it cool.  Toss in fig vinaigrette.  

It was incredible warm . . . an cold.  

For another great BS roasted recipe, go here.

[Tweet “I am going to make this salad for Thanksgiving! Yum.”]

Roasted Brussel Sprout Cranberry Pecan Salad

brussel sprout cranberry pecan salad