I love movies. I love food. How can I not love movies about food? Movies for foodies. I have been researching movies about food and cooking and compiling a list. I have a wishlist over at Amazon.com so I can keep track of the films I want to order. I have a wishlist from my …
You have probably heard of replacing oil with applesauce in a baking recipe (if you haven’t it is very easy- simply replace measure for measure- equally.) I recently heard about ditching the eggs and using chia seeds instead which offer many health benefits equal or greater than that of eggs. I also learned that the …
Starbucks discontinued its Cool Lime and Very Berry Refresher flavors. Here is the original Cool Lime Refresher Copycat Recipe. Starbucks introduced their über popular refresher beverages in 2012. It all started with the Cool Lime and the Very Berry Hibiscus flavor, both of which were retired several years ago and replaced with the Strawberry Acai …
Have you ever wondered if you should wash your seeds and nuts before eating them? While it might seem like a bit of extra work, this can actually help remove harmful toxins and improve their flavor. Keep reading to learn more about why you should wash your seeds and nuts, and how to do it …
Chia seeds were big back in the 80’s- they grew green "hair" on a terra-cotta sheep or cat- who knew that we had such a healthy superfood just under our noses all along? Unless you were nibbling on your chia pet, you weren’t getting the most bang for your buck with these seeds. Last year …
It is always fun to take a road trip and get out of town- even if it is just for the day. Recently Chad had some work up in Gainesville, FL and I decided to tag along. We had gotten there a little early and decided to check out the University of Florida campus. The …
Somehow, as we grow up, our taste buds change and those nasty little yucky green leafy things we used to hide in our milk are suddenly good. Brussel Sprouts have now become our go to side dish. We LOVE them. At least once a week we buy them fresh and roast them for an accompaniment …
I was recently invited to attend a presentation by Florida Hospital which included a cooking demonstration by Paula Deen (she made healthy chicken fajitas) After, we were invited on the stage to ask questions and take pictures. I immediately went straight to the kitchen demo area and snapped these pictures- everything was neatly lined up …
My job requires me to report to work really early in the morning. And I don’t drink coffee. I did do the coffee once. And in order for me to enjoy I had to load it up with a lot of cream and even more sugar. But in general, coffee just isn’t my thing. However, …
A year ago I wrote a post about Ten Reasons Why You Should Sign Up for a 5K “race” and one reason I wrote was because of the great scenery. Most race organizers try to make the course interesting for the participants- maybe trying to route the race near a river or a lake or …
The Jacksonville Bank Marathon is a small race that is run just south of the downtown area in Jacksonville, Florida. It is small but popular among locals. This was going to be my first half marathon ever and Chad was going to be running his third full marathon. I had tried to run the Savannah …
Day two in Jacksonville and we were only a mere 24 hours away from the race- my first half marathon ever and Chad’s third full marathon. We had the full day to spend and explore Jacksonville but we really didn’t want to do too much walking before our big day.As I had stated in Jacksonville …
I was supposed to complete my first half marathon in Savannah in 2011, only I ended up with the flu. So I decided to make it one of my goals to try again and finish a 13.1 mile race by the end of 2012. I had also told Chad I was going to do my …
Chad and I love to run races- I stick with 5k races while Chad has ventured out into the world of full and half marathons. One of my favorite parts about running races is when you come upon the oasis better known as a water stop. Oh- water never tastes better than after you have …
So- I recently entered a contest sponsored by Clairol Nice n’ Easy haircolor. The contest was called “Conquer Your Fears” and basically you had to go onto the Nice n’ Easy Facebook page and just leave a comment of your biggest fear you want to conquer. After 5000 entries- the powers that be would pick …
Chad and I recently went up to St. Augustine to participate in a 5k race to benefit breast cancer. As part of our entry fee to the event we were invited to hang around the city and enjoy some of the sites after the run. Our first order of business after running 3.1 miles was …
Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile- I have been working on a few new exciting projects I will let you all in on once I get them off the ground. Recently, Chad and I took some time to participate in a breast cancer 5k in St. Augustine called “Pink Up The Pace.” St. Augustine is …
Back in the day I would down a Big Mac and not think twice what I was putting into my body. Nowadays, as the pounds have become harder to shed and reports of cancer and other diseases have increased I have started thinking more about eating healthy. However, trying to eat super healthy is not …
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?????? Chad and I went to the home opener at Raymond James stadium to watch our hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Carolina Panthers and we wanted to find the perfect healthy meal while there. (Right? What is more American than football and veggie burgers?) I have to give …
Why wouldn’t you? Why would you not go to Serendipity 3 while in NYC? FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE….need I say more? Our favorite hot drink in the winter can also be enjoyed in the summer. FROZEN hot chocolate you say? You may ask “ isn't this just a chocolate milkshake?” The answer is no…..no.....NO! You have probably had hot …
New York City is a very expensive place to visit let alone live……but you know what? There are things you can do in the city…FOR FREE. Go walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It is the oldest steel wire suspension bridge in the United States- opened in 1903. It spans the East River from Manhattan to …
So here is a great tip- if you are planning on going out of town sign up for Groupon in the city you are going to visit. Simple right? I was getting ready to go visit New York City with my honey- I have lived there before but my Mr. Chad had never been to …
My last few posts were all about our tour of the factory at Whetstone Chocolates of St. Augustine and lunch at Casa Maya, but there was a lot more to see and do in this adorable historic town. Just down the street from the chocolate factory we came across this enormous and beautiful Spanish-style building……… …
(edited: shortly after this post was published, Casa Maya moved into a larger location. All photos are from the original spot.) My last post we took a tour of the Whetstone Chocolates factory. Well, after all that sampling of sweets we wanted to eat something a little more substantial so Chad consulted Urbanspoon to find …
Mr. Beet and I spent the weekend up in St. Augustine for another one of our 5K races- but I think the highlight of the trip for both of us was touring the factory of Whetstone Chocolates of St. Augustine. The Whetstone business started as a small ice cream store in 1967 in the Old …
One of the best things about living in Orlando- the theme parks!! I LOVE Disney, I LOVE Universal…..but my favorite theme park in Central Florida by far is SEA WORLD. On a hot day in February I went to visit Sea World with a good friend of mine- Lacey. She is fairly new to the …
Sorry- it has been awhile since my last post. We had a bit of a scare with one of the animals. Zoey (our tuxedo angel) was losing a lot of weight and was losing clumps of fur- we took her to the Vet and they put her through a series of bloodwork and other tests. …
One word to describe the new Blue Man Group Orlando show……AWESOME! Blue Man Group Orlando has been at Universal Studios with the same show for several years now. Universal Orlando has now decided to change the show up in accordance with all the new changes happening at Universal Orlando- including a new parade and new attractions. I was …
Well…I love me a good bargain. I subscribe to Groupon, Living Social and ODeals (a local site in Orlando). We don’t often buy anything but occasionally we find a deal too good to pass up. On Living Social they were offering half-off a two-hour bicycle rental for two near our house. I have been begging …
So after watching the movie Forks Over Knives I have started doing some research on circulatory diseases and prevention. There is so much information out there it boggles the mind. Check out these three charts I found and notice how consistent they are with one another- There are many studies that have proven the benefits …
Forks Over Knives is a horror movie. Not your typical horror movie- there aren't any monsters or mass-murderers jumping out from the dark- but there is horrifying information in it. As a wanna-be-vegetarian/vegan, this is a movie I have wanted to see since it came out last year. The release was small, only playing in certain cities. Now …
Strawberries are a keystone in our healthy diet - we ALWAYS have frozen strawberries in our freezer as we make fruit smoothies 3-4 times a week. However- we take advantage of the year-round availability of FRESH strawberries in the produce aisle of our friendly local grocery store. And this gives me a chance to use …
I found some interesting whatchamacallits in the local K-mart while visiting Indiana recently. Apparently, since I live Florida, I did not understand the proper use of these doohickeys- for instance- the sled supposedly works better outside in snow than in the middle of K-mart.... but I had fun......until I was asked to please either buy …
I recently visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands Of Adventure with my family. I have read a few of the Harry Potter books and seen a couple of the movies, but I am not a Harry Potter fanatic like the rest of the world it seems. Let me start with the …
They call them a race - but unless you are an elite runner, there is no race. Here are 10 reasons YOU should still sign up for a 5K: 1. You get a free T-shirt - After you pay the entry fee (usually about $20) you get a free T-shirt AND you get free exercise. …
Left.. right.. left.. right.. left.. right......sounds so easy..... This past weekend was the OUC 5k and Half Marathon. Every time my alarm goes off at the pre-rooster hour I think "WHY????? WHY????!!!!??????" But after Chad drags you to downtown Orlando and you see thousands of other runners- you kinda sort of start getting into the spirit …
I have never attended Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios as I am a self proclaimed chicken and I cry easily when scared........ so naturally this year I decided to audition to be a part of it- this way I could make other people cry. This event has been dubbed the world's largest and best …
As you can see, my staff and I have been working hard over this long Thanksgiving weekend trying to get the updated version of the "Beauty and the Beets" website up and running. This is a picture of a typical business meeting with me and three of my staff members- here we are designing and …
The Hollywood Studios - formerly known as The Disney/MGM Studios. Back in my day we called it MGM. It will always be MGM to me. My ol' stomping grounds. I worked in entertainment here - I marched down Hollywood Boulevard in the parades, I danced across the stages in a couple of shows, greeted guests …
Ah- the perks of living in Central Florida - we can spend a day at any of the area theme parks without needing plane tickets or hotel rooms - today we chose Disney and our adventures started at Epcot. The very first thing we did was go snag some fast passes to Test Track. We …
In this case the Savannah Marathon was a bust..well sort of....I was planning on completing my first half marathon (notice I used the word completing as opposed to running.) Unfortunately, I had been battling the flu the few days before so we decided it was best that I don't run/walk/over-exert myself. Chad was running his …
The child can eat- did we adopt a kitten or a little piggy? Oh well- either way- Lenore is cute, adorable and she loves her Daddy. Although I have to remind Mr. Beet that we are trying not to eat meat- Well there is certainly something about Mr. Beet that animals just love- and Lenore …