...smells bad together! Although that's not untrue, its not the point I was hoping to make. This has been the summer of family physical activity so far. My seven year old son has joined Tasha and I on our morning jogs around the lake. He's so much faster than I am, its really embarassing.
On the days we don't jog, we do a yoga or pilates video and the whole family has been joining in. Its been a lot of fun to see everyone gather together like this. I'm sure if anyone peeked in our windows they'd think we were nuts but that's ok.
The kids also take several bike rides, roller blading and scooter trips everyday as well. Jim and I join in when we can. I really love the way we've built exercise into our daily life even without me going to the gym.
All this talk of exercise has made me hungry! The goal of Wednesday's meals is to cleanout the fridge to make room for the veggies that Jim will be bringing up from the CSA tonight. That means tonight's meal needs to include beets, turnips, kale stems, and beet greens. The beets and turnips will be cut into strips, sprayed with a bit of olive oil and roasted in the oven. They'll resemble French Fries when they're cooked. I think this is the most delicious way to enjoy beets and turnips.
The kale stems need to be cooked a long time to soften them up. They work best as a substitute for celery in stews, soups or chilis. I'm still on the fence about what dish I'll use them in. Whatever it is will be going into the slow cooker. This same dish will probably wind up with the beet greens in it as well.
Viola, lots of room for the veggies Jim's bringing up.
6 comments:
What a great idea for the beats and turnips. I'll have to give it a try sometime. I'm so happy that you and your family are exercising together. It's a great way to bond. My husband and I always used to talk about how we never saw kids outside playing and doing any kind of physical activity. We were afraid the TV had swallowed them all up!
Do you have a trick for peeling the fresh beets? Last time I tried cooking beets, you would have thought I was in a horror film (my hands were "beet" red)!
My poor kids get stumped whent he teacher's ask what their favorite tv programs are because they haven't watched tv in ages. They just watch movies and most of the time, its with us. I think that's one of the things I like best about spending the summer here. It seems like all the kids in the neighborhood are more active.
I wish I had a trick for peeling fresh beets but I too look like the star of a slasher movie. My best advice is wear an apron because it will ruin your clothes.
Katie,
You're inspired me to start jogging, starting this morning! :) I didn't go very far, but I did get a good workout. There are so many trails through this town, it's just beautiful. Russell and I have both noticed how the bicycling and hiking together has made a world of difference in our health and additude in just these couple of weeks!
Here's my best tip for peeling beets: boil them with their skin on. The skin slips off pretty easily under cold running water once they're cooked. I pressure cook small beets for 6-8 minutes on high and they turn out beautifully. I got this from the vegetarian cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon. It's very good for veggie lovers, by the way. :)
I dont think the boiling method would be good for making fries though, because, of course, the beets get cooked.
I just had another idea about the kale stems. Have you ever tried using them in bread stuffing? That dish has a lot of celery in it. :)
Ruthie
Ruthie,
Congrats on jogging, the first time is the worst, although even after four weeks, I'm still a long way from any sort of an endorphin high. It definitely helps improve my mood, especially if I've woken up cranky, which I often do.
Thanks for the tip on peeling beets. I agree that it wouldn't work well on beet fries but it sure would help when I want to cook beets another way.
I think the kale stems would work well in bread stuffing. Great idea!
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