Today I’m going to show you how to roast whole beets without foil. I found an even easier and less wasteful technique, where the beets come out perfect, flavorful and tender every time, and that is to just put the whole beets on a layer of parchment paper, and roast them away. Easy peasy!
If you’re looking for an easy, healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, grab and go breakfast that will keep you full for hours, then you have to try these overnight refrigerator steel cut oats with chia and strawberries. This is my go-to travel and weekend breakfast. I make these oats all the time to take to Tahoe, so I have an easy breakfast to eat in the car on the way to the slopes.
This chocolate mousse is one of our favorite desserts, and we actually call this Zoe’s mousse because she’s the one who makes it all of the time. Well, actually Zoe’s the one who originally found this recipe years ago in a William-Sonoma kids cookbook. I first featured this chocolate mousse recipe back in 2012 (wow, so many years ago) in a series I was starting up called, “cooking with kids.” It was a series where Zoe and her peeps would make a kid friendly recipe, take photos and then write and put the post together. We did 2 posts in the series, one featuring this chocolate mousse and another one featuring, easy 2-ingredient homemade dark magic shell. After that, Zoe got busy with life and school, and the series sort of ended. I would love to bring the series back, because I would love to have more recipes on the blog that kids can make on their own (with parent supervision of course).
I’ve recently taught a few small cooking classes/demos and come to the realization that a lot of my local readers and friends are on the lookout for simple, tasty, easy, no-fuss recipes to add to their repertoire. Recipes that I think are simple and not exactly blog post worthy, are really what most people want to make, and have time to make. I’ve always assumed that everyone had a go-to guacamole recipe, knew how to make brown rice, or de-stem kale, but I’ve come to realize that not everyone knows these things, and most of the time will not admit it.
WAIT, before you scratch your head and wonder to yourself, “what the heck is Marin mama posting and making these days,” just read through this post a bit and you will gain a bit of insight into my insanity.
Smoothies are a year round thing in my house, not as much with Zoe, but Eli and his peeps love them! It can be cold and pouring out and Eli and his peeps will still want a smoothie. That’s why I always keep a batch of frozen bananas and some fresh or frozen fruit on hand, so when the troops come home, I’m ready to go!
Don’t you just want to take a fork and dig into that salad? I mean look at all that color and texture. There’s roasted beets, hemp seeds, diced avocado, broccoli sprouts, sprouted sunflower seeds (good source of protein, magnesium & Omega 6) and sprouted pumpkin seeds (good source of protein, iron & Omega 6). Lot’s of good stuff going on! I’m totally craving this salad now as I write up this post, so I think I know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow night…
If you’re looking for a nutrient dense, vitamin packed, vegan, naturally gluten-free topping to replace the standard old croutons for your next salad or soup, then you have to try these roasted matchstick beets. Yes, I said roasted matchstick beets (because they truly look like matchsticks)! They’re the cutest and simplest things to make, and add a pop of flavor and texture to any soup or salad. I’m all about adding in extra nutrition where I can, as well as showing you all simple recipes that incorporate seasonal produce. Hey, if we could all learn to eat seasonaly and locally, then we will not only be helping our bodies and our wallets, but our local farmers as well!
These roasted sweet potato halves are honestly one of my new favorite things of 2016 (it’s only been 10 days since the New Year and I’ve already found something new to love, pretty cool). I know you’re all looking for easy, weeknight, tasty, healthy, kid approved recipes, and these sweet potatoes hit every mark!
This is a BIG year for Marin mama! I’m going to be finishing up Natural Chef school in March, and I therefore need to figure out my next career move before I finish school, YIKES! It’s super scary, but exciting at the same time, but a little more on the scary side, as I’m not sure what’s out there for little old me. I’m going to be spending the next few months researching, networking and getting a feel for what’s out there career-wise for me. I have some ideas brewing, but I’m not entirely sure yet what’s the best path, so I’m just going to keep following my heart, intuition and gut and see where it leads me. I will be sure to keep you all updated on where I’m heading.
