All posts by Sandi Richard

Cheap Beets- Lazy make ahead!

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WOW!!! I am feeling the Love from my last post!!

I will get back to you individually, as best I can in the next days! But thanks SO much! xoxo

Now for the beets, as promised!

I don’t know about all of you but to say beets were not my favorite when I was a kid, is a gross understatement…but as an adult I am in Love! Even before the beet craze started, I would find any way I could to incorporate this yummy root veg into my weekly repertoire. I mostly use them in salads, but I also love them roasted like a carrot or spud! Soooooooo when a bag of beets is at my local grocer for a few bucks, at this time of year, I scream “Halleluiah sister” (in my head, in case two big men in white jumpsuits want to take me away!)

So what do we do with this monstrosity of beets! Oh my Oh my!! First thing you need is a great little veggie brush. My sister-in-law, Jane, recommended my favorite. They come in a pack of 10 from Lee Valley and they are called nailbrushes. (Yes I have one in the bathroom for after gardening too) But I always have them under the kitchen sink! I throw the brush in the dishwasher once I’m done and it looks like new for the next time! NOW….

  1. Empty your bag of beets into the largest pan they fit into. Now that you know how many fit, empty the pan of beets into a clean sink.
  2. Take out a cutting board and a large weighty knife.
  3. Put a very long piece of foil on the bottom of your pan one way and another the other way, so that there is enough foil to tightly seal the beets when you are ready to put them into the oven.
  4. Set the oven to 400’F
  5. Put on a pair of rubber gloves and lightly scrub the skin to remove dirt and impurities. Cut the ends off each beet and place them into the foil-lined pan. (Note: if some of the beets are really big I cut them in half so the size is a little more consistent and place large beets closer to the outside of the pan and smaller to the inside) Wrap them up tight once you are all done. Place the pan into your preheated oven for 1 hour. Once they come out of the oven, leave them covered, let them cool naturally for 2-8 hours.

 

Now that you have done, what I call, the hard work…you have choices. When you are ready to freeze them, you can toss them with the skin into freezer bags if you don’t have the time to cut them right away ooooor…. remove the skin with a paper towel or paring knife if the skin is too stubborn-then cut them into desired salad cubes or leave them whole so you can choose what you are making with them at the time!

For a quick calculation it cost me $4.97 took me 30 minutes to scrub, waited one hour for them to bake, while I showered, cleaned up and got ready for work, then went to work for 8 hours while they lay resting on the stove. Came home poured a glass of red, but on a sappy Christmas movie and before I knew it, I was set for salads and roasting for months. Now that’s what I call good time and money management all at the same time! Hope you love your beets!! xoxoxo

Do written goals really work? I mean really?

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As I return from my long social media sabbatical, I would like to kick off my first blog with a non food topic! Do Written Goals Really Work?

Just so you know… taking a break from social media came with a plethura of feelings… scary, crazy, inconsiderate, out of sorts, kind to self, to name just a few!!! As I return I’ve decided to keep things simple and stick mostly to Facebook and Instagram! I feel like Facebook is a very personal platform and I relate more to that  than feeling like I’m running in a race , no one really watches to get to the never ending finish line that does’t really exist or matter!

Soooooo with all that said let me get to the topic “Do written goals really work?” In the last 15 months my work and personal life were filled to the MAX-no room to spare! I have been helping companies shift their thinking in a positive way in the pursuit of helping families on the go!  I want companies to really help them…not just for their own financial gain and yes… there really are companies out there that want that too! I am opening my first retail outlet within the next months-that’s exciting! This, of course, comes with a whole wheelbarrow full of organization, planning, permits, construction and design  planning you name it! (exciting but crazy) And then on the personal front (and business front) I have taken on a Tiny house project with my husband Ron.  This is one of the coolest things we’ve ever done personally, but man talk about taking a good look at yourself, your needs and your family’s needs!  Sounds like a lot going on right?  Well… I have always advocated that if you really want to manage your work and home life you need to have written goals and you need to have an annual updated vision board. Every year come rain or shine, I take the time to look at my goals, write them down, pull my vision board out of the frame, recreate my new one and voila…my year is set! I read those goals every day and stare at the visual reminders on my vision board as I enjoy my first cup of coffee.  It always makes me feel like my compass is set on the right course! But with my busyness in the last 15 months-for the first time in years, I did’t create my new vision board or write down and reset my goals!  Although I have been accomplishing my deadlines and enjoying my projects, I kept feeling off…so about one week ago I proclaimed to the office that I would be scheduling a day to focus on my written goals as well as my vision board! That day is today, June 1st!

Let me change gears for a minute and you will understand why as you keep reading! Every year on Ron’s goal sheet…one line reads…Sandi’s office overlooks water! As my business partner, Ron knows how much creative energy I expend each day! He also knows how much I love water and how it seems to open up my brain for creativity! (Smart Business partner to put that on his list right?) Well… last night I arrived home to my tiny house project. Our amazing carpenter Aaron D’eon, who specializes in tiny house carpentry, had completed my desk. It folds down from a shelving unit that houses all my files. The shaker detail on the outside drops down to become legs when I need my desk! When flipped up it hides my workload for the day so that I can relax!  It’s not quite finished…I’ll send pictures along when it is! As I sat down at my new desk to get all my paperwork done, happy that I no longer had to do all my work at the kitchen island or sofa, I looked up! My desk has a direct line of site to the living room window which overlooks water!!!

Office overlooks water

My eyes began to tear up, while I sat stunned and amazed! You see the desk is in a different room. It never even dawned on me that I would have this advantage! It was like God was saying…seeeeeee…that’s why you need to put your goals on paper and get your vision board done! Like the old joke about the guy who keeps asking God to help him win the lottery. God finally replies…”but you never buy a ticket”!!

Soooo …as I enter back into the world of social media…loving Facebook for all the right reasons (connecting with all of you)… Today, I do so with my vision board hanging proudly by my desk, with my written goals on the back page of my agenda book! It is so inspirational to know that in the crazy, busy world in which we live…when we take a minute to concentrate on what’s important…we really are all connected to the greater world and hopefully the greater good! We’re not alone…someone is quietly  listening! Pretty frikin amazing isn’t it!