Going to a body and nutrition expert with my husband is one of the best things we’ve done for ourselves. What was the key take away? Warning! Turn Alkaline!

Turn Alkaline? Are we magicians? Well according to biochemists we are! You can change your body chemistry with what you eat!

Chemicals have seeped into foods, air, and water, which in turn lower our system’s ability to control the chemistry of our body fluids, increasing illness and chronic disease.

The sad fact is that most food consumption in the wealthiest nations has shifted from nutritious raw foods to low nutritional value processed foods and we need to shift it back. Now that our total biological terrain is at risk, we urgently need to do some clean up by shifting our body chemistry back to the raw, organic foods it was designed to function on as we’ve evolved.

Below I’ve listed out a quick list of the good foods (alkaline) to treat your body to often…

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A federal judge in San Francisco ruled that the USDA illegally approved Monsanto’s genetically modified, Roudup Ready beets.

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“Summer signifies a time of high energy, spending time in the outdoors and strong creative and social output,” explains Charlene Torchia, co-owner of Journey Inn, a green bed and breakfast in west central Wisconsin where she and her husband, John Huffaker, lead workshops helping folks connect with seasonal living. “Fall ushers in a time of slowing down, building our energy reserves, reflection and renewal.”

Our food choices play an important role in embracing this seasonal lifestyle. “Eating local and fresh directly connects you with the season,” explains Torchia. “In the peak of summer, our menus focus on raw, fresh items like salad greens or outdoor grilling. The fall crops naturally bring our cooking indoors, with soups and stews simmering on the stove.”

But in today’s 24/7 world, such natural, seasonal transitions can often be neglected. Between the busy, advertising-hyped “back to school” season and the bustle of the holidays around the corner, our fall schedules are often no different than the peak of summer. Here are some tips from Journey Inn to embrace the autumn season and savor the inspiration of fall:

1. Show Gratitude
“Draw inspiration from this harvest time of year and express gratitude, especially for the abundance of food and flavors we’ve enjoyed all summer long,” suggests Torchia.

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Think red bull has it going? Try “purple bull” (i.e. beet juice). Nothing compares to the greater physical endurance beet juice can give you.

Beet juice increases endurance and can help to extend time of excercise by as much as 16%, a new study says.

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Beets are rich in in iron, calcium, and Vitamins A and C. They are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of manganese, potassium and fiber.  They are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and Vitamin B6. Throughout history, beetroots have been used for medicinal purposes, especially for liver disorders because they have stimulating effects on the liver’s detoxification processes. Studies have shown that beets contain anticancer properties.
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Betacyanin is the pigment that gives beets their rich purple-crimson color; the pigment is a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Research found that the fibers in beets have a favorable effect on both the bowel function and cholesterol levels. Beets’ protective role against colon cancer is probably due to the combination of its betacyanin and fiber content.

This recipe is a favorite in our family and we usually have them every week.

Ingredients:
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3 organic beets, roasted (you can do more and freeze them, which cuts down on prep time)

3/4 cup organic ricotta cheese

1 cup whole grain organic pancake mix

3/4 cup water

1 banana

2 tsp cinnamon
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Directions:
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1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
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2. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake on a hot griddle. When bubbles start to form and sides appear cooked, flip and cook until no longer doughy.
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3. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar. (Seriously–they are eating beet pancakes! Give them the sprinkle of sugar!)

Enjoy! Don’t you love the bright pink color?

If that isn’t enough to make you cringe, consider the following: most of those engineered beets were Roundup-resistant, courtesy of agri-tech giant Monsanto.  Last autumn under the Bush administration, the USDA approved the Monsanto seed without preparing a standard Environmental Impact Statement.   But certainly President Obama, with an organic garden on the White House Lawn, would have done things differently.

Wouldn’t he?

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Here’s my guide to making the most of these five fabulous winter veggies:

1. Play Squash

I actually look forward to winter just for its squash varieties. Acorn, banana, butternut, spaghetti, delicata, hubbard, sweet dumpling, buttercup, and turban squashes—not to mention pumpkin—add a colorful and sweet accent to your plate. Plus, they are among the healthiest types of complex carbohydrates (the best kind of carbs), with high fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C content. Roast ‘em, mash ‘em, or slow cook ‘em into a heaping bowl of soupy goodness for the perfect warm winter meal.

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Which led us to developing this Beet Burger recipe, a new twist on the veggie burger. It’s a very adaptable, forgiving recipe—feel free to modify and experiment with ingredients, like substituting carrots for some of the beets. The burgers freeze well (freeze them on a tray before placing in a freezer bag so they don’t stick together) and taste surprisingly good cold. The recipe is a bit complex, so I usually make a triple batch in a jumbo bowl and stock up for a while.

Recipe after the jump.

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Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes
designed to showcase produce gathered
from local farms or grown in my own garden.  

With the rising costs of food (and everything else to boot), I’m sure I’m not the only one who has vowed to be more frugal with menus by using up what’s already in the fridge before heading to the market.  To this I say, “here, here!!”   That was until I started looking around my own fridge and realized I should have taken on this resolution about four months ago - moldy cheese, sad-looking shriveled carrots, and dried out halves of onions that I was sure I’d use up the next day but forgot all about and ended up cutting a fresh onion.   Frugal I am not.

Instead, those bright and shiny new bunch of beets I’d plucked from the farmer’s market immediately caught my attention.  I know I had opened the fridge with the intention of salvaging something that might otherwise go to waste, but as it was, I thought I’d give the beets a chance before they too shriveled up in the crisper drawer.  After all, the spring beet season is fast drawing to a close. 

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Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes
designed to showcase produce gathered
from local farms or grown in my own garden.  

I love eating with my eyes first.  I know many a foodie has said that before, but the look of a dish can often mean more to me than the taste.  Lucky for everyone, this post’s recipe has it all - vivid color, dramatic presentation and refreshing deliciousness.  The flavors in this beet salad were meant for each other, although I wouldn’t have thought to put them together myself if Chef Bill Telepan hadn’t suggested it.  By the way, Mr. Telepan is a man after my own heart, using lots of citrus and unusual seasonal ingredients like kohlrabi in his own special style of ”lovin’ fresh” recipes.   

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I have an abundance of fresh mint from my herb garden. Drinking Mojitos with every meal seemed a little impractical, so I did the next best thing and combined my mint with chocolate. While scouring the internet for a basic chocolate cake recipe. I was so excited to find this great recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen that included an unusual ingredient: beets!

Beets are admittedly not high on my list of favorite vegetables. But a co-worker brought me some from his CSA and assumed the office vegan would know what to do with them. They’ve actually been sitting in my crisper for weeks, so I was quite happy I got to use them before they went bad. Here’s the (only slightly modified) recipe for this delicious cake, published with permission.

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I have been noticing more recipes in the past month or so that incorporate raw beets, which appeals to me greatly. Beets are one of the most nutritious foods a person can consume. With high levels of folic acid, soluble and insoluble fiber, iron and potassium, beets are healthy no matter how they are cooked. However, when left raw, beets offer the most complete nutrition, including a complete form of betacyanin, which has been found to reduce cholesterol, help prevent colon cancer, and detoxify the liver. I always juiced them to eat raw, but - frankly - beet juice gets old.

But why raw to begin with?

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