winter detox

every so often i like to do a cleanse for the body, primarily for my liver. i'm not necessarily a heavy drinker, but i can be if i want to. i always feel great after i do a cleanse and i decided to do one this week and Trevor decided to join me.

i don't juice cleanse. some people swear by it, but i know that my body cannot sustain any energy without the proper nutrients. before i even did research about the different cleanses out there, i made my own. for 7 days, i avoid alcohol, meat, dairy and gluten. i focus most of my attention on vegetables and fruit, and still allow myself eggs for lots of good protein. basically its like being a wheat-free vegan for a week (if you drink coffee, switch to green tea!). it's definitely challenging and your body will feel tired out, but the results are worth it. trim a little off your belly while also cleansing your system of toxins.

one of my favorite websites for all things holistic, nutritious and conscience-minded is www.mindbodygreen.com. i even found a page with links to a plethora of articles about cleansing, juicing, detoxing and healthy eating here. i HIGHLY recommend doing research on any cleanse you plan to try, and seek out advice from people who have done them before. talk to your friends, family, yoga teacher, or any other mentor for guidance and you will surely find the right way to detox for yourself.

enjoy and be a healthy Betty!!

                                            

                                                                                                      

the best thing i've ever cooked

OK, so by now we've established that i have a deep love for eating, vegetables, cooking and all things food-related. the other night, i made the best thing i've ever cooked. in a decade of living independently and learning how to cook delicious and nutritious food for myself, i swear this is the best thing i've ever made. and it was super easy! 

the other day, i got some organic chicken legs to roast with winter vegetables, and i found a couple of fennel bulbs in the fridge that were about to go bad. i looked up recipes with fennel and found myself this one. i made a few adjustments to the recipe, like i cooked it in a large skillet on the stovetop, so that the house would smell more like fennel and bacon, and so the oven wouldn't be crowded (the chicken and vegetables were roasting away already). instead of using spinach, i substituted chard that we had in the fridge from the other night. i meant to include the chard stems, like i've mentioned before, but i forgot and they can be used for something else delicious. 

the finished product: sweet, salty, fatty, crunchy, garlicky,
tangy goodness. 

maybe it was the organic, thick-cut bacon i used that i get from the co-op, or the slow simmer of the stovetop, but this dish became an instant classic that i will now cook many times in my life. 

to top it all off, we used the leftovers in our egg scramble, such as we love to do, this morning, with avocado slices and Udi's gluten-free toast. if you are vegetarian or vegan, you'll have to use a bacon substitute, and for your sake i hope it's comparable (because only bacon is as good as bacon). 

enjoy!!!

    

use every last bit

cutting the "spine" out of the leaf: make sure you
cut along the inside of it!

one of the current trends in restaurants right now is "nose-to-tail" eating, wherein the chefs use every bit of the animal possible to cook different dishes for your meal. i like to take this concept one step further to my use of vegetables. in the summer when we compost outside, it's easy to let go of a few leftover bits of fruits and veggies. in the dead of winter, we eat a lot more hearty greens like kale and chard. since the greens make up the majority of the leaf, it usually means throwing away the "spine" of the plant. i choose to instead buy chard over kale (Rainbow Chard for the fun colors, to be exact), and then use the tasty spine bits like any other vegetable in my dish. they can be sauteed, blanched, or fried, and will absorb any flavor you add to it (it can be bitter, so err on the side of extra flavor like garlic or ginger). 

cut the spine completely out and cut the greens
as you like

enjoy!!

save the chard stems for other dishes!! (optional
to store in a reused gelato container)

betty bakes

if you've read this blog before, it's pretty clear that i love food and i love to cook. one thing i'm not that great at, however, is baking. the measurements are exact, the mixing techniques require patience and the work to make a small baked good is not always worth the effort to me. today, though, i decided to try a recipe that i've been thinking about since i ate an oatmeal date bar at my favorite co-op, , The Wedge. they have an incredible bakery and deli so i figured with the same high-quality ingredients i could create my own.

i went to work finding a recipe online that would be simple, and i found this one. i used gluten-free flour for my own preference, and made sure to use organic dates. personally i like the pitted Deglett dates bates, but Medjool would work fine also.

Deglett dates, chopped

one thing the recipe doesn't state is how long to cook the dates, sugar and water (to make the filling). i let mine simmer for a good long while (40 minutes?) so everything would be nice and thick and mushy. also, to ensure that your crust is solid (mine was too dry), measure your butter exactly and be sure that it is soft when you add it to the dry mix.

the finished product: not exactly as i'd hoped but
still extremely tasty!! (next time: more butter)

the filling sits between the 2 layers of crust and when cut into 1-inch squares, these little bars make a great snack!! enjoy and be healthy.

a new year

well, 2012 has ended and the world has not. we are still alive and kickin' indeed. i'm not really one for new year's resolutions, but as a practicing yogini i believe in reflecting on the year that has passed and setting intentions for the year ahead. i recommend this practice to anyone, especially those who may be at a crossroads in their life, or are searching for some clarity in this crazy world.

Betty Paige wishes you a super resourceful and
successful new year!!

for more ideas about goal-setting, clarity, intentions and general emotional health, check out this amazing website:
www.mindbodygreen.com

enjoy and be well in 2013!!!

holidaze, travel and sanity

this week we are in the midst of the annual holiday season. Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and the New year co-exist during the month of December and give us a good reason to get together (being with the ones you love shouldn't be reserved for a few days out of the year, however). this year we traveled to Wisconsin to be with my family for Thanksgiving, so we made the even longer trek to Michigan to be with Trevor's family for Christmas. after working so many years at the ski resorts and not having a "real" Christmas, this one's been a doozy!

we drove about 11 hours to get to Northern Michigan (a very beautiful, quaint place on the north shore of Lake Michigan) and have been making the rounds to see family members and friends, all while trying to enjoy our first holiday season together. to maintain our sanity, we make sure to do a few things:

1. don't burn yourself out. I REPEAT: DO NOT BURN YOURSELF OUT. this is crucial to maintaining your cool when faced with any potentially embarrassing or offensive situation. give yourself time and space to cool off so you can be on your best behavior with everyone around you. even your servers and retail workers who are spending time away from their loved ones to work (speaking as an experienced server, of course).

2. travel with your necessities. we always make sure to pack healthy snacks for the road so we don't have to eat gas station crap while traveling. this has saved us many times and we pack a small cooler and/or grocery bag with food that will help us maintain our sanity. i also always pack a box of assorted teas, since i have my own preferences.

3. indulge, but don't OVERindulge. it's the holidays, there are sweets everywhere and lots of meals to share with family. it's certainly OK to indulge, but i try to at least limit myself somewhat. reward yourself for all those yoga classes and days at the gym!!

4. always stay POSITIVE. we all have people in our lives who challenge us. it is always important to stay positive, but especially during a time when you are surrounded by family, some of whom may be the very people who challenge us most. family gatherings can be overwhelming, so be sure to take time for yourself when you need to re-charge and see the bright side again. your family loves you!


...and with that, i wish you well during this busy but joyful time. i'm off to enjoy my organic peppermint tea that helps with digestion (see numbers 2 and 3 above) and take some time for myself with a good book. Happy Holidaze!!

more love for dogs

remember when i told you how much i love dogs and how much joy they bring me? well i want to add to those sentiments now that i'm living with Datsyuk and my parents' dog, Bettie White. Bettie came from a farm in Iowa and never had a good home until this past July. for a lot of the time she was in shelters, she missed out on a whole lotta love and support. my parents aren't necessarily "dog people,"  but they wanted a companion and some new life in their home (my step-dad is semi-retired and has the time to watch a needy puppy).

Syuky and Bettie White playing in the fresh snow

let's get one thing absolutely straight: Bettie White is totally crazy. i mean, she's CRAZY, always getting into mischief, running every which way, tearing apart toys and now that Syuky is here, terrorizing him. even though i know he is often annoyed, Datsyuk also likes the attention (he is still a full-on male, testosterone and all). imagine a teenage girl living in the same house as her handsome, older man crush. yah its like that.

Datsyuk being so gracious as my
cousins dress him up as a wizard

what else is special about Bettie is the way she loves. she is a little behind, she doesn't always behave, but she always, always wants to be loved and will love in return.  as crazy as she makes me some times, i can never be too upset, knowing that where she came from was probably much worse than our nice home in calm Northeast Minneapolis. it's hard for me to describe what its like to have my boyfriend and our dog here with me while i go to school, but if you can think of the best possible situation for yourself at this moment, you can relate. i have all the support in the world and for that i am forever grateful. Syuky and Bettie can always put a smile on my face, even when i want to smash faces after a tough day with over-pretentious grad students. their simple joy and love is contagious.