Sometimes a Good Workout is ALL You Need

While I didn't start the morning on a high note, sleeping through my alarm when I was supposed to meet Jen for a run, I did finish the morning off strong with a nice booty kick from Neil. It is amazing how sometimes a really good workout is all you need to start the day on a better note.


After the workout I made Carrot and Granny Smith Apple juice for myself. Mr. Man and Bean joined in on the vitamin action finishing every last sip of my con caution. Bean couldn't get enough of her juice, which was music to my ears. After the juice I was off and busy until lunch. Today was a salad with raw spinach, chicken breast from last night, goat cheese crumbles, cucumbers from Aunt Lori's garden, and finally peppers (finished the bag). On the side I had three figs that Bean and I picked up at the grocery store yesterday.


Dinner was another grilled chicken breast from last night. Since Mr. Man had started his business I no longer have the luxury of a grill master. That being said, before the summer started I made sure he gave me a crash course. It was my turn to take a shot at it. Thought I would start off with something simple.......Purdue Perfect Portion Chicken in the Italian style. On the side I made roasted eggplant.


This is the method I use to make roasted eggplant. The end result is perfectly moist, yet crunchy veggies:


1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Cut eggplant (my choice these days are Italian eggplant) into 1/2 inch slices
3. Coat eggplant slices in EVOO
4. Add seasonings of your choice (tonight I did fresh garlic and sea salt)
5. Back ten minutes on each side.

I also made Naptime Chef's Roasted Tomatoes with Parmesan & Herbs. You can access the recipe here. And dinner was served, but not without a nice glass of red wine.

Good night blog friends!

Opted for the Real Thing

Once again, I threw in the towel and opted for the real thing. I have always been a fan of beets, although this isn't something I grew up eating, but, I never had the guts to make my own. Instead of taking on the challenge I took the easy route and opted for the canned stuff. Not to say there is anything wrong with the canned stuff and I too will still continue to use it when I do not have the luxury to roast my own. Never the less, after going to the farmer's since June and seeing the beautiful beets sitting there I realized it was my turn to take the plunge and opt for the real thing.

Through the guidance of both Jen and Kelsey I took on my own challenge to once again prove the real thing is the best thing. Here is the process I used to roast the beets I purchased at the Brewster, NY farmer's market.

Step one: Preheat oven to 375

Step two: Take fresh beets and remove the leaves (many people save the leaves to create other dishes, but during this experiment I didn't save the green

Step three: Scrub the skin and cut off the root ( do not be surprised if you see a little beet juice when you cut the root)

Step three: Pull out aluminum foil and place beets on top. Coat beets in EVOO and add salt and pepper as pictured.

Step four: Wrap beets in the aluminum foil as pictured.

Step five: Let cook about an hour or until beets are soft.

Step six: When beets are soft use the aluminum to "scratch" off the skin.

End result looks like:

Use beets however you please. I added them to salads throughout the week. One way you can could make uses the beets is with oranges and goat cheese and dress with an orange dressing.

As mentioned, I have learned the important lesson that the real thing is worth the work. The only thing I would do differently next time is to wrap each beet individually. I think that will help when taking off the skin.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and please make sure you send me your own stories on roasting beets.

Naptime Chef and Babble.com

Don't forget to visit The Naptime Chef on Babble.com and read her post on how to make The Easiest Tomatoe Tart in the World.