just beet it.

hello Monday.
Hope everyone had a beautiful and exciting weekend!

I have been on such a beet kick lately. I constantly want to stuff my face with deep red slices of heaven. Hey, that's probably where the the phrase "beet red" comes from! Durrr. Anywayyy...I've been putting slices on my salads or just eating a few straight out of the can, I even ordered a panzanella salad at CPK last night purely because there were beets (and avocado) in it : ) Yumm.

I have been eating beets since I was little. My parents would always crack open a can, and i would be the first to dive into the juicy goodness. Not only are beets good for your physical well being and a good source of iron, but it has been shown to be an immunity booster and guard against cancer. They are also great for your workout! Andy Jones, physiologist and advisor to Paula Radcliffe, discovered that a nitrate found in beet juice decreases oxygen uptake (a.k.a. the oxygen cost of workouts). The study compared performance after cyclists consumed 500 ml of beet juice for 6 days straight. Another group consumed a placebo. The cyclists who consumed the beet juice were able to workout for 16% longer, equivalent to a 2% reduction in time over the same distance. That means a 4-hour marathoner would be able to take 5 minutes of his time – just by consuming beets juice! The nitrates in beets can increase your endurance and shave minutes off your race times. Hello!



I want to wish my good friend a very happy birthday today...
happy birthday, Amanda!

Amanda had a very cool wine and chocolate party on Saturday night. Lots of yummy things to sample.

I couldn't taste a lot of the chocolate (unknown ingredients, i.e. peanuts), but everyone seemed to enjoy what they were eating!

Since there is no threat of food allergies in wine, I was all over that : )

Thanks for another fun weekend, friends!