Good Eating Monday: Beets

 Finally---it's been raining yesterday and today. Though I've been watering the veggie garden and flower beds, the grass has been in bad need. I was outside picking blackberries this morning and everything looks so happy!

I've been able to return to my normal exercise class schedule this week at the Y and went back to the Interval Training class this week.
Before I get to the food, I want to give you a cool home recipe for a Foot Detox Bath!

The basic premise is toxins picked up throughout the day in your body can be pulled out through your feet by the bath.

It's the basic premise of those Japanese foot-pads, though

the home-made mix of sea salt, Epsom salts & baking soda is much cheaper! I think is works.
This recipe is one part sea salt, one part Epsom salt to two parts baking soda.

Basic Recipe:
1 cup Sea Salt (Morton is a common brand)

1 cup Epsom Salts

2 Cups Baking Soda

Directions:

Combine in a container and keep covered.
Add 1/4 cup to your foot bath of comfortably hot water.
Soak for 25 - 30 minutes, adding more hot water as needed. Then after, give feet a light scrub with soap, rinse and dry. Apply a moisturizer that doesn't have artificial chemicals in it. (I use coconut oil, but you can use aloe, grape seed oil, vitamin E oil, olive oil,)
First 7 days: Soak Daily.

Next 30 days: Soak Twice a Week.
After that: Once a Week

I keep a jar of pure coconut oil on-hand for cooking, so I just poured a little into a smaller jar to keep in bathroom for moisturizing use. It only takes a little dab.

I recommend soaking in the evenings before bed.

The Good Eating topic for today is: Beets!
We're talking about that red bulbous root that is just loaded with vitamins and really quite sweet when cooked.
Interestingly, they are one vegetable that doesn't lose nutritional value regardless of how it's cooked.

*You can add them to a New England Boiled Dinner instead of turnips.
*Make Harvard Beets which is a sweet-sour recipe suitable for either whole baby beets or sliced beets:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Harvard-Beets/
*They can be grilled, wrapped in a foil pack with a little oil, salt & pepper or chopped into chunks, combined with other root veggies tossed in a seasoned oil dressing and oven baked.

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However, since I have them in my garden, I pulled some ripe bulbs and tried something entirely new:
Stir-Fried!
First, the bulbs needs a good scrub and the stems & root cut off.
Then cut the bulbs into thin slices.
In a hot frying pan, I added a little olive oil and a minced clove of garlic, allowing the garlic to cook 15 - 20 seconds in oil to permeate it.

Stir garlic & oil around, then add beets and stir-fry till tender.
I also added thinly sliced onions & mushrooms.
Give a shake of salt & pepper and serve as a side.
My husband couldn't stop raving about how tasty those beets were!
So, I planted a bunch more!