Lunch on August 12

 I went to the farmer's market this morning and bought beets with leaves, Swiss chard in 2 colors, tomatoes, peaches and some bakery treats.  I already had spinach, onions, etc. on hand.  So here's a photo of lunch, which we ate on the deck because the weather was wonderful--chicken tetrazzini, fresh cooked beets, steamed spinach, and a raspberry scone.  All very yummy.  But in the middle of the afternoon, I remembered I hadn't taken my Xarelto (blood thinner), which I remembered I put on the plate so I wouldn't forget it. Apparently, I ate it with the chicken.  To be sure, I enlarged the photo, and see it sitting there trying to look like part of the rust colored flower on the plate. So, I'm trusting I ate it.

Today’s smoothie is a beautiful color

Carrot juice

fresh beets from farmers’ market

strawberries (also farmers’ market, locally grown)

banana

mango slices (frozen)

This is a very bright color since I didn’t add any greens, but probably not the powerhouse it would be with spinach or watercress.

When I went to the small, local grocery, Ray just gave me a bunch of brown bananas, so I cut them into slices and froze them for another day.  And he also had that home made carrot cake, delicious and moist, so that added another vegetable for dinner!

Beets and Brexit

I'm making a huge leap here, but I'm guessing the Friday Foreign Affairs discussion at Lakeside today will be on Brexit. It's always whatever has been in the news. Although Lakeside leans left with so many pastors and academics, probably 90% who will be at the discussion live on their pensions/investments, and I think we're in for quite a ride until this settles down.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/britain-shocks-world-breaks-with-european-union-british-leader-steps-down/

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/historic-brexit-vote-sends-dow-futures-plunging-650-points-2016-06-24

I just saw this on a noon TV segment--beet butter--but she said peel the beets and cook. Really? I've never heard of peeling beets before cooking, and this recipe just says scrub them. Anyone ever try this? Really pretty.

http://www.momseveryday.com/test/homes/headlines/Beet-butter-383161851.html

Protect the betalains--steam them.

        
"Beets are a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains. Betanin and vulgaxanthin are the two best-studied betalains from beets, and both have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. The detox support provided by betalains includes support of some especially important Phase 2 detox steps involving glutathione. Although you can see these betalain pigments in other foods (like the stems of chard or rhubarb), the concentration of betalains in the peel and flesh of beets gives you an unexpectedly great opportunity for these health benefits.

Unlike some other food pigments, betalains undergo very steady loss from food as the length of cooking time is increased. For example, one recent study has shown the red betalain pigments in beets to be far less heat stable than red anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage. The difference between 15 minutes of steaming versus 25 minutes of steaming, or 60 minutes of roasting versus 90 minutes of roasting can be significant in terms of betalain damage. For these reasons, we recommend that you keep beet steaming times to 15 minutes or less, and roasting times under an hour."

From the World's Healthiest Foods Newsletter
 http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49

Most lists of "super foods" don't include beetroot juice, but maybe they should.

Beet juice may boost stamina to help you exercise longer, improve blood flow, and help lower blood pressure, some research shows.

Why? Beets are rich in natural chemicals called nitrates. Through a chain reaction, your body changes nitrates into nitric oxide, which helps with blood flow and blood pressure.

 http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/truth-about-beetroot-juice