Woman in Real Life

*This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareYourBrilliance #CollectiveBias



If you're like me, you love beets but you don't often prepare them. They can be messy right!? They turn your hands red. They stain your cutting board and maybe even your clothes. And the thought of storing them in a normal storage container brings visions of a plastic container forever lined with beet markings. But I think we need to give beets a second chance. The pigments that give beets that rich colour are antioxidants that may provide health benefits. Beets are especially great in winter. They are energizing for your body and they're high in immune-boosting vitamin C, as well as fibre, manganese and potassium.

I'm going to tell you how to roast and peel beets with minimal mess. We'll put them on top of a healthy mixed greens salad with other beneficial ingredients like avocado and pumpkin seeds. (Pumpkin seeds provide you with zinc to help you ward off colds this season!) And we'll store our salad in Rubbermaid Brilliance storage containers, which are stain resistant and therefore not afraid of no beets!

Of all the many things that I love about Christmas vacation, not having to make school lunches is pretty high on the list. On the face of it, you wouldn't think it's such a difficult task. But when you consider picky eaters, the desire to provide healthy, portable lunches and the necessity of packing nut-free snacks, the day-to-day of it can become quite tedious.

If you have some time off work this month (or maybe a patient grandmother around to help with the kids), it might just be a good time to re-consider how you handle school lunches in the new year. In that spirit, I recently re-organized my lunch cupboard. By the way, actually having a lunch cupboard is my top tip for making lunch preparation simpler.

Meal planning for the week on Sunday is always a great idea. It means you still have groceries and ideas by the time Wednesday roles around. What's even better? Actually making your meals for the week ahead of time! While it can't always be done (busy weekends and all), it means a beautifully easy week if you prepare at least a couple of your dinners on the weekend.