Benefits Of A Dry January

I’m not a crazy drinking girl; at least since I turned 21… A Dry January has been a thing for a little while and I’m sure people were doing it before the internet came around. Dry January is essentially putting down the alcoholic drinks for 1 month. January seems to be the best time to do it, after the holidays, it’s a new year and a new you! Why not start it off healthy. That’s exactly how I feel and being a health nut anyway it made sense.

There are plenty of articles out there that explain it’s roots and benefits, one being here: https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2017/alcohol-dry-january-fd.html

My personal goals and journey though January have been positive and I do feel I see a difference. One thing that stands out for me is my skin/face isn’t so red, and dry. Alcohol actually dehydrates your skin! I don’t feel bloated in the morning. Sometimes I would after drinking with dinner. Sleep is a big plus for me! I do like my sleep and being healthy a good night sleep is a must. Not drinking improves it even more for me. I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night if I had a drink and be impossible to fall back asleep. Overall the month of dry is something I don’t mind and enjoy. I don’t drink a lot in the first place but this yearly routine centers me and gets me ready for the rest of 2018. After doing this in the past I’ve really curbed my drinking and stick to it with just a couple drinks on the weekends.

Are you ready? Pick any month and just keep note of how you feel and interact with people.

Recipe: Roasted Beet Hummus

I know we all love hummus but do you want to kick it up a notch? Use beets! Especially in the cold months where are body needs immune-boosting nutrients, beets are high in vitamin C, and potassium. We had a much earlier recipe posted using the greens of the beets which also are very healthy. So all around it’s a great vegetable to cook with.
This recipe is super easy and not much different than your average hummus recipe with chickpeas.  What’s great about hummus is you can really cater it to your specific taste so have fun.

Ingredients
    •    2 small roasted beets (peeled)
    •    1 15-oz. can (1 3/4 cup) cooked chickpeas, mostly drained
    •    zest of 1 lemon
    •    juice of 1/2 a large lemon
    •    healthy pinch salt and black pepper
    •    2 large cloves garlic, minced
    •    2 heaping Tbsp tahini
    •    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
    1. Roasted beets:
        Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  loosely wrap beets in foil tossed with oil. Cook through for about 45-50 minutes. Let cool then peel and cube.
    2.    Once your beet is cooled and peeled place it in your food processor. Blend until only small bits remain.
    3.    Add remaining ingredients except for olive oil and blend until smooth.
    4.    Drizzle in olive oil as the hummus is mixing.
    5.    Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt, lemon juice, or olive oil if needed. If it’s too thick, add a bit of water.
    6.    Will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Memorial Day Weekend Recovery!

What a crazy, jam packed, long, restful weekend I had! We started by seeing the new movie Mad Max which I highly recommend. Also ordering the pretzel bites with cheese (that took me way back). I continued the weekend by cooking with Joe making a huge tray of lasagna for a really fun personal project I’ve been working on. I can’t say anything yet because I’m still working through it and don’t want to spoil any of the fun! Among the BBQ’in, drinking frenzy I managed to make some of my favorite eggplant.

It’s good because it’s so darn easy. For me eggplant is healthy candy. I could eat it all day anyway. If there’s one way though I would cook it for the rest of my life it would be pan seared with breadcrumbs. Just slice the eggplant about 1/2in thick or thinner and let rest on some paper towels for 20min. While the eggplant is resting scramble 1-2 eggs in a bowl and pour italian breadcrumbs in another bowl. Heat a all clad skillet with vegetable oil until it’s hot! Take a fork a dip the slice of eggplant in the egg than into the breadcrumbs till both sides are covered. TIP: You can add an extra step and do flour between the bread crumbs to add extra flavor and crunch. Repeat the step until you fit enough eggplant flat in the pan and cook each side until browned. Remove the slices from the pan and drain on a brown bag. Once they have cooled and the extra oil has seeped out enjoy a crunchy slice of goodness :)

Eating Well Tears

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to photography Eating Well's Healthy In A Hurry section with my food stylist Brian Croney and Prop Stylist Geri Radin. It was an ambitious list but in the end we made great imagery for their section.

The issue hit stands a couple weeks ago and wanted to share some of the tears: