Tue 2 Feb 2010
Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese
Posted by RunnersKitchen under daily recap, running
[15] Comments
My plans for an early morning spin class were nixed when I woke up feeling less than stellar. More sleep and a coffee date with my girl, Frida were what I opted for instead.
I had some leftover pumpkin from the muffins I baked this weekend, so I turned it in to overnight oatmeal. I combined rolled oats, canned pumpkin, greek yogurt, chopped walnuts, and dried cherries the night before and then added a splash of milk and some cinnamon this morning.
Followed up by a piece of flax bread topped with peanut butter and raspberry jam.
Last night whilst doing my laundry, I roasted some beets. I love beets – they’re sweet like candy!
Roasted Beets
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees
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Wash, peel, and cube 4 beets
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Toss the beets with 1 Tbs canola oil and 1 Tbs rice vinegar
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Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes on a baking sheet
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After 20 minutes, remove foil, and roast for an additional 15 minutes (or until tender)
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Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
For lunch I tossed together chopped romaine, roasted beets, goat cheese, walnuts, dried cherries, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
The folks at popchips sent me a box of samples the other day (loved the way it was packaged!) and my stash is nearly gone. These chips aren’t fried or baked, but rather “popped” and I think they have a tremendous amount of flavor and crunch for a relatively healthy product. I saved one of my favorite flavors for last – salt & pepper!
Psst…I’ll tell you a secret – popchips didn’t really need to send me free samples, I buy these all the time because they’re SO good!
My afternoon snack was compliments of Chobani greek yogurt (yay, samples!). Last week I received a Chobani lunch bag packed with some of my favorite flavors. I added some toppings (coconut, granola, and crumbled oreo) to the plain variety.
And thennnnnn the afternoon never seemed to end. As much as I love running, sometimes my motivation disappears. Around 4:30pm I started to feel very blah and the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym. I thought maybe a little sugar would help, so I went downstairs and bought a Twix bar. Yes, even healthy food bloggers crave candy! 
Energy bars and candy bars are essentially the same thing, so I wasn’t too worried about having the twix bar before my run.
I wanted to run intervals this evening, but since I don’t have access to an indoor track, I performed the workout on the treadmill. Not ideal, but it got the job done!
1.5 mile warm-up
2 x 400m @ 5k pace (400m recovery after each interval)
2 x 400m @ 3K pace (400m recovery after each interval)
2 x 400m @ mile pace (400m recovery after each interval)
1.5 mile cool-down
No problems with my hips or back (yay!), but dang those 400′s at mile pace felt FAST. I finished up the last one in ~5:33/mile pace and I was just praying I didn’t fly off the back of the treadmill. Can’t wait till my running club starts working out on the outdoor track again….
Once I got home, I whipped up a super fast dinner salad: romaine lettuce, mushroom veggie burger, cheddar cheese, dried cherries, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
For dessert I melted some chocolate chips on a piece of whole wheat toast and topped it with mashed banana. Served alongside herbal tea to warm me up.
Have you heard about Michael Pollen’s new book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual? What are your personal “rules” for healthy eating? Do you limit red meat? Avoid HFCS? Buy organic?
15 Responses to “ Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese ”
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[...] other evening, I roasted the beets according to recipe suggestions I found at The Runner’s Kitchen. While peeling the beets was a bit challenging, the prep-cooking process as a whole wasn’t [...]
beets + goat cheese = divine. thanks for the roasting tips!
my food rules? don’t stress out too much about what i eat — it’s bad for your heart.
Wow! That sounds like an awesome workout! I did something similar to that last week (also on a treadmill!) and I always wonder if I’m working hard enough? How do you gauge your exertion level? I don’t do nearly enough speed workouts so I’m wondering if it’s just something that comes with time? Also, I’m always afraid of getting injured? I’m training for Boston and afraid of any possible injury! Anyhow, enough whining. Keep running strong!
Hey I’m hosting a secret Valentine’s Day exchange on my blog. I hope you’ll participate!!!
I have that book reserved at the library- my rule is not to worry about following rules. I get too wrapped up in trying to stick to them, and it just doesn’t end up well. I guess my rule is have everything but don’t be a pig
I loved that book – I definitely think my favorite rule is “if you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you’re not hungry.”
I think the only rule that I kind of follow, and I guess it pertains mostly to eating out, is that if something looks like it won’t fit in your stomach, it probably won’t. Sometimes I’ll get a burger or a plate of pasta that is so big I look at it wondering how it will all even fit in that pretty small little organ…
Beautiful eats (especially the beets) for the day!
I’m eagerly anticipating reading Pollan’s latest book, I heard an interview with him on NPR a couple weeks ago, and it seems like a worthy read that instructs readers and eaters to use more of a folk wisdom/common sense approach to diet.
For me personally, my food rules are all about balance. Keep the bulk of the diet rich with healthy and whole foods, with a sliver of space for treats and rich indulgences. I rarely consume meat (especially red), and get the bulk of my protein from rice and beans, tofu, dairy, and lean proteins (chicken, fish). I don’t think it’s wrong to eat meat, but eating it everyday and in large quantities is incredibly hazardous to both the consumer and the environment at large.
I am depserate to try Pop Chips. I have not seen them on our little island yet!
That dessert looks so good. I want to go out and buy Michael Pollan’s new book today! I haven’t read the other two yet (but seriously need to). I think this one sounds like a quick kind of manual. Definitely want it!
Awesome Meg…Twix is my all time favorite candy bar and I totally agree that sometimes simple sugar is just what you need!! haha!!
I ALWAYS have food-envy when I read your blog—even with the simple dishes! My basic rules to eating healthy are limiting my carbs (ie. if I have cereal for breakfast, then it’s all protein/veggies for lunch), and to nix emotional eating. I used to be the WORST emotional eater—even when I was happy. I finally learned to control it, and I feel so much better for it!
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
That salad gives me some serious salad envy….
I don’t have any hard fast rules about what I eat or don’t, but I do base it on eating things I know will make me feel good. I’d like to eat mostly organic, but it’s not really available here so I stick to farmer’s market produce (which is generally better than what the supermarkets have). I also don’t eat much meat (both out of preference and because the husband is a vegetarian). The one thing I REALLY try to limit are processed snack foods (cereals, breads, etc)–I feel WAY better when I avoid these in favor of whole foods!
Sometimes sleeping in is completely necessary. And that oatmeal looks so creamy. Yum.
When it comes to healthy eating, I try to avoid processed foods.
The roasted beets look great but I never cease to be amazed with how creative you are with your morning oatmeal. I definitely visit your blog at least a few times a week for new inspiration to spice up my breakfasts!
I really love goat cheese desserts, their are awesome. If I have guests, I just make goat cheese deserts and they love it. Are there any other good uses for goat cheese?