Beet Treat

I've been diggin' beets lately. Not only are they tasty but they provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. What could be better! I've also recently learned you can throw beet greens into the juicer, for more bang for your buck.

One of my favorite local restaurants, Maple Ave has a fantastic Organic Beet Salad. While you're there try the Dr Pepper Short Ribs and Peach Saketini. Yum!

Another tasty beet treat I've been enjoying is Tera brand Sweets & Beets chips. After being fried, dried and salted, they probably don't have the nutritional kick that fresh beets contain but they're "all natural" and I'd like to think a better option than your standard white potato chip. I like to crunch them into little pieces and throw them into a salad.

Beet appetit!

Good Eats

All those years working in Alexandria and I never once went to The Majestic in Old Town – until now! I always assumed it was some crappy diner, based on the huge neon retro style sign. Oh no. It's a fantastic little art deco styled fine dining establishment with strong drinks and delicious food.

I had the Fried Green Tomatoes, Amish Chicken 'Hunter-Style', and Red's Crispy Treat - a crepe filled with Chiboust cream, caramelized banana, rice crisps, and chocolate 'milk'. Yuuuuum. I highly recommend.

In further food news, I've been snacking on Popcorn Indiana's Cinnamon Sugar Kettle corn. It's "all-natural" and only 130 calories per serving. The only problem is, it's tough to stop munching. So be warned. 

Crazy Sexy Diet

I just finished reading Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet. This book is a fabulous introduction to why the SAD (standard american diet) does not work, and why eating a fresh, plant-based diet is the way to go. Kris' writing style is so entertaining and down to earth, it feels like you're getting advice from a good friend, not like you're being lectured on why your favorite foods are crap.

Much of this book was a refresher course for me, based on some of my learning in the past couple of years. But it's always good to get a pep talk and to learn new tidbits to keep you on track. While there is a lot that is covered in the book, here are a few points that I especially want to focus on:

1) Ditch the "crack" (aka sugar) - This has been a constant battle for me. Even though I think smoking is nasty and drugs are dumb, I can totally sympathize with people who have addictions. If I can't say no to a cupcake, it's gotta be pretty tough to kick a drug habit. Kris lays it out plain and simple—sugar is yucky and addictive. She also gives some great alternatives to say, eating a roll of cookie dough. Not that I've ever done that…

2) Dry brushing -  I started dry brushing about 6 months ago. I've been kinda up and down with this but it does feel invigorating. It really helps me to stop and connect with my body for a minute. You can read more about dry brushing here.

3) Meditation - you can eat right, exercise, and take a butt-load of supplements, but if your mind is whack, you're gonna fall off the wagon. I have experienced the power of meditation, and what a difference my mood can be if take even 1 minute to close my eyes and just breath. But, admittedly, I'm more of a yoga class meditator. This book has inspired me to make mediation a part of my daily routine. Yes, it's one more thing on the to-do list, but I think my mind and body will thank me.

All I Want

Last week, after our fun day of skiing, I came down with the flu. You know, the yucky kind. NO FUN. I couldn't eat for almost 2 days. All I could even think about ingesting was coconut water.

I discovered the wonders of coconut water sometime last year after a Bikram yoga class. It is so delicious and nutritious, I can't get enough.

An interesting tid-bit I just learned from ZICO's website:

In times of famine and war, coconut water has been used as an intravenous fluid and saved many lives. It’s the only natural substance that can be safely injected into the human blood stream.

Hmmmm. Mark my word – coconuts are the way of the future!

Tea Time

Yesterday I returned from my little California getaway to celebrate my Grandmother's birthday. My Aunt reserved a room at the Rose Tree Cottage for an afternoon Tea. We surprised my Grandmother with a limo ride and the party was a success.

 

 

 

 

And remember the painting I made for the invites? I popped in a photo of moi (Grandma's like that kinda of stuff, right?) found a great little frame, and gave it to her as her gift.

Happy Birthday, BaBa!

So Long, Summer.

I have always loved summer. No school, celebrating my birthday, basking in the sun, road trips, no school... Alas, the end is near. I KNOW, it's not completely over, Labor Day weekend is here. Still the sadness is creeping in.

One of the many things I will miss is the abundance of Farmer's Markets in the area. About once a week for the past two months I would walk down the block from my office to BEC Farm Market. Coming to the market would be a great break from my day, and they always carried delicious, local produce. This year the peaches were perfect and the blackberries were to die for!

For now, back to the grocery store. See ya in the Spring.

Mad Fox Brewing Company Review

Mad Fox  and I got off on the wrong foot: there was a bit of a snafu with our reservation so we had to wait an extra 30 minutes before we were finally seated. Hungry and mildly irritated, we perused the menu and were greeted by our waitress. She was friendly, knowledgeable and provided us with beer recommendations. It was all uphill from there.

What I ordered:

80 Shilling – Although the menu compares this beer to Guinness (which I normally wouldn’t order) this beer was not too heavy, with complex flavors and a smooth finish. Try it!

Frickles – aka fried pickles. If you like pickles and you like fried food, check em out. Not too greasy and seasoned just right.

Soft Pretzels – These aren’t your store bought pretzels. Soft with a little bit of crispiness, these are the perfect compliment to any beer.

Sausage Sandwich – If you like a little kick to your meal, give this sandwich a try. Normally I opt for lighter fare, but the fact that they make their sausage (and everything else for that matter) in house had me interested. It was the perfect portion, served open faced on toasted bread. DE-LISH!

Bread Pudding – What can I say, they had me at bread pudding. The perfect way to end a great meal.

To sum it up, the food was fantastic and the beer was tasty and unique! Even though it would have been nice to have been compensated for their mistake (free app perhaps?), I can’t wait to go back! If you haven't been yet - GO! And don't forget to make a reservation!

Raw Foods "Cookin'"

When I was in NYC a few months ago, I had the pleasure of visiting an amazing restaurant called Pure Food and Wine. Although I've done a little reading and experimenting with "raw foods" this was my first RF restaurant experience. We sat on the patio and enjoyed some yummy sangria, then ordered from the prix fix menu. The food was FANTASTIC! And even filling! Mike, who is more of a hamburger and fries kind of guy was even impressed.

A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled to find chefs' Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis' book "Raw Food Real World". Their story is fascinating and the food is even better. So far, I've only tried one recipe, but it was so yummy I made it twice! Each time, I played with some of my own variations (mainly because I didn't have all the ingredients) but both times, it came out great! Here is the recipe:

Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho

3 cups watermelon - seeded and pureed in a blender
1 cup seeded watermelon - diced small
1 cup seeded tomatoe - diced small
1 cup peeled, cucumber - peeled, diced small
1/2 cup red or green bell pepper -- seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 small handful cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
1/2 small jalapeno -- seeded and minced
1 scallion -- white and 1-inch of green, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt -- or to taste ( I used less )
black pepper -- to taste

The book gives more detail, but you basically combine and serve! I refrigerated the leftovers and ate the next day.