Beets

Beets are a vegetable that I have always been biased against. For some reason, I just thought they were a vegetable that I didn't like. I happened to read a few nutritional facts on beets, and I thought I would give them a try. I was happy to find that I do not dislike beets!! :-)

I cut off the beet greens, washed them, and put them in a pot with a lid. Then I cut the tops and bottoms off the beets, placed them in an oven-safe dish, covered them with foil, and baked them for two hours at 250 degrees. When the beets were almost finished, I turned on the beet greens and let them steam. Once the beets were done, I peeled them and sliced them. Then I put the wilted greens (I chopped them first) and sliced beets in a bowl and tossed them with butter and garlic. Evan actually said that the beets were the best he's ever had. I don't ever remember actually eating beets before.

This site explains how beets protect against heart disease, birth defects, and certain kinds of cancer. I was fairly impressed with the beet. :-) I am hoping to incorporate beets into our diet at least once every two weeks, and Evan doesn't mind at all!! I will warn you, though, that seeing red whenever you go to the bathroom is normal after eating beets. Just so you know. ;-) Anyone want to try some beets?!

A few ideas for yogurt

I was talking to a friend about my success with my homemade yogurt, and she just wasn't too sure about the plain yogurt. So, I thought I would share my ideas on using my homemade yogurt.
Now, Nathan (my two-year-old) loves to eat my yogurt just as it is. He doesn't know any different, so he thinks it is wonderful. I, on the other hand, have taken some time to grow accustomed to eating yogurt that doesn't have extra sugar in it. However, as I was eating some yogurt today, I thought, "Hey, this is pretty good; I think I could even eat it on its own!" The thermos-made yogurt is just wonderful. :-)
Here are my ideas:
1) Dip - Use fresh orange, apple, peach, or most any kind of fruit slices and dip them into the yogurt. We love the orange slices dipped in yogurt.
2) Smoothies
3) Yogurt cups - When we went camping I made Nathan his own yogurt cups using little Rubbermaid containers. He loved it, and I had a quick and healthy snack for him!
4) Avocado dip - 1 avocado, 1 cup of yogurt, 1/4 cup green onions, and a dash of red pepper. Process in food processor...Yum!
5) Topping for oatmeal or soup.

Okay, my brain quit. I've also heard of people mixing yogurt with honey, which could be good for you if the honey is raw (having the natural enzymes and such). Also, it is quite a bit cheaper to make your own yogurt than it is to buy yogurt. One gallon of milk costs $4 (although I rarely pay more than $3.60), and a quart of good yogurt costs at least $3.50. One quart of milk plus 1/4 cup of yogurt makes one quart of yogurt, so you can get four quarts of yogurt out of one gallon of milk.
Enough? Oh, if you have a baby or toddler, I highly recommend starting them on plain yogurt. I believe infants 9 months and older can have yogurt. My whole goal has been to start Nathan out with healthy food so he will hopefully not have the cravings for junk food like I do. :-)