BEETS! It’s What For Dinner

I really need to try more foods. I am such a plain eater. It works for me, but every now and then I try something new and I think to myself, where have you been all my life? I discovered beets during my cooking class, and I really can’t believe I have gone this long without making them a weekly staple!

Beets can definitely be intimidating. They look kind of weird, and they turn pee your pink, but they are worth it!

 

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I stumbled across a bunch of beets at whole foods the other day and decided to buy them because they were decently cheap, I think around $2 for 3. I had no idea they had those long stems because I have only seen them already prepared. I started by chopping off the stems and washing them in water. After I washed the beets. Then I peeled each beet and chopped them into tiny pieces. I roasted the beets at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes with a little salt and pepper. They came out perfect! I also had a random craving for brown rice, so while I was roasting my beets I made a batch of brown rice and decided to combine the two. I came up with a lovely dish.

Brown Rice with Beets and Cannelloni Beans (Serves 4)

3 beets

1 cup of beet leaves

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 can cannelloni beans

2 TBS balsamic vinegar

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Salt + Pepper to taste

 

Directions:

First start by washing, peeling, chopping and roasting beets as explained above. While beets are roasting prepare your rice by the directions on the box. Once beets and rice are done, steam the beet leaves in a pan. Drain and rinse beans. Then combine all ingredients in a big pot and heat on low until everything is heated through.

 

 

Look at those beets! Delicious! I have been eating this all week for lunch and will be sad when I finish it off tomorrow.

Have you made beets? Any beet recipes you would like to share?

Ten Minute Dinner

Today I decided to skip the AM workout and sleep in. I did this because I hurt my tailbone and wanted to take a week off from spin to let it heal. I ended up  taking a butt and abs class after work that was KILLER. I am sure I am going to be SO sore tomorrow, but good, I deserve it! I am happy I went because it’s the first strength session I got in this month and it’s my goal to do it twice a week. After the class, I did arms so I could count it as a full body workout

Once I got home I was hungry and needed food fast. I came up with a very healthy meal that only took me ten minutes.

First I put some water on to boil for the corn. I had a bit of green pepper, onion and zucchini leftover from a dish I made earlier in the week so I quickly chopped it  and then cooked it up in a frying pan with some cooking spray and water.  Then I actually used a new type of brown rice that takes only one minute to cook. While that was cooking, I sliced up a tomato and added some feta cheese that I had to use up. After about 7 minutes every thing was ready to go!

This was a great meal because it was healthy, delicious, and came together in under 10 minutes. The only thing it was missing was protein.  I was originally going to use quinoa, but then I wanted to try the rice out so I just went with it.

Have you tried this?

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I think these are fairly new, but I am not sure. I saw them at the store the other night and figured why not? I had been wanting to buy brown rice for a few weeks but I don’t have the patience to cook rice for 45-50 minutes and that’s the only rice they have at whole foods. While it tasted good and was ready in just a minute, it was $2 for two servings and it did have added salt and oils. I am not positive I would buy it again but I do think it’s a great idea for people on the go.

In other news, I am looking for a weight loss buddy to bond with as I try and lose another 30ish pounds. If it’s something you’d be interested in please email me at ablake586@gmail.com or send me a tweet. I got the idea from a fellow blogger who seems to be doing well having a pal to bond with. One of the reasons I think I was so successful at weight loss before was because of the weight watchers meetings. I had people to bond with who could relate to my successes and my slip ups and now I’m alone and it’s not going so well. I need the extra push!