Oven-Roasted Roots & Things

I don't know about you, but my life has been a little busy lately.


The holidays were one thing, but the pace of things is really picking up. Same goes for my friends and my clients. People are leaving jobs, going on interviews, welcoming babies into the world---or raising busy, active teenagers. How about trying to find a new therapist for life changes when you're LGBT and your health insurance is based in a politically conservative state? I know someone who was told yesterday, "LGBT--what is that?! Oh, no one in our practice has that speciality. Click."


When finding the right support to live better takes that kind of time and energy, who has time to make gourmet meals? Not I.


Here's what happened last night, because it was already 6pm, I was pooped from a long day and we had invested the time into buying stuff so it was sitting right there waiting for me.
Paired with a simple salad and leftover plain grains in the fridge? Awesome.


Oven-Roasted Roots & Things
serves 4-6


15 mins prep time (you can prep ahead of time or the night before and shave off some time at night)
40 mins bake time (approximate)

• preheat oven to 450 degrees. When it's ready, place 1-2 cookie sheets in there (depending on how many veggies you prep)

ingredients:
4 med beets, diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced
2 small white potatoes, diced
4 carrots, cut into coins (1/4" thick)
2 onions, cut into wedges
4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pinches dried rosemary


fresh salad greens or spinach
homemade salad dressing of choice (might I recommend organic options if store-bought--Annie's is a nice company)


whatever leftover plain grain you have kicking around the fridge (we used some leftover brown rice to round out the meal--you can also just have a veg-tastic meal)


preparation:

• put all the veggies into a big bowl and toss with olive oil and rosemary, make sure everything is well-coated 
• using an oven mitt, take out the cookie sheet and put the veggies on it, return to the oven
• boil hot water for tea and drink it, you've had a long day
• check on the veggies and turn them once or twice with a wooden spoon or spatula
• when the veggies are crisp or browned to your liking, serve on a plate with simple salad. Make sure the veggies are cooked through, not mushy but not crunchy, either.

Why you want to eat root vegetables:

1) they are in season which means alot of good things namely, you are eating in harmony with the season and not eating, say, watermelon in January. Yeah. Can you even imagine that?

2) root vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, complex (read: slow-burning) carbs and phytonutrients. 

3) speaking from a food energetics theory standpoint, root vegetables come from the ground and can ground you if you're feeling a little off your center. Holiday hustle got you spinning in circles and hooked on the sweet stuff? Many root vegetables are naturally sweet (especially when roasted) so they can help you come down from the sugar high slowly and naturally. Heck yeah. That's why I made them last night!

How is your food and your mood lately?