Some Beets .. Beta Vulgaris

 I grew more beets this year.  I didn't have much last year and thought to add more this year.  Although I struggled to  grow them earlier because of the frost, birds, and slugs, it finally  took off  after reseeding twice.  I will try to can  the beet roots since I planted enough to preserve and cook.

Beets are good  source of folate, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. They also contain some protein and a good amount of fiber. Given their rich nutrient composition, beets have some great health benefits so including  in my regular diet is awesome.  I guess not many people  grow beets because  they are a little pricy when you buy it from the store, that's why I love to grow them myself.  

Aside from pickling and cooking, I also love making beet juice.  Hubby and I love  beets.  This is the one that he always request for us to grow in the garden.

According to this book I am reading, Beets are rich in betaine, which stimulates liver cell function and helps keep the bile ducts healthy and flowing so that the body can properly eliminate toxins. Beets also protect against heart disease because another benefit of betaine is its ability to reduce homocysteine levels.

Beet greens are a great source of phytonutrients such as lutein and zeazanthin , these two are are critical for the health of our eyes.  My vision is getting weaker as I age so I am consuming more beets  for that reason.

The roots are sweet so I like it plain, I like   steaming it  and eat it like a dessert.  Great to pair when you are eating steak as well.

Have you ever tried cooking beet greens?  It is delicious when you saute it with bacon, garlic, and shallots.

My Jack Russel Terrier Seems very impressed of our harvest.

Gardening is a continuous learning  process for me.  Every year, I try to grow  different plants  and see if we like it.  If we do and I can grow it well, I keep planting it every gardening season just like this beets.

Newly Arranged Home Office

It is nice to have a functional office once again.  Since we replaced all the flooring in our main floor, everything has been taken down the basement.  It was a hard decision for me coz we have a lot of stuff and I do part time job online so not having a proper place to do it is chaotic. The good thing about it all though is that, I got the chance to rearrange everything.  

I changed the set up of our two computer desks.  Instead of it facing the walls, I put them in front of our big windows that way we can look outside while we work.

It took me a while before I got it all set up but I am glad that it's all straighten out now.  

As a person who love plants, I had to incorporate some plants in the new setting lol.

I got all these plants on 50% off sale at Lowe's .  This is my side of the office.  

I decided to removed all the curtains in the window  to allow  the natural light inside.  I love how bright it is here now.

I also found a budget-friendly hanging basket at TJMaxx which I think matched well with the planters with plants that I got from Lowe's.   These hanging planters are made in India and I was surprised of how cheap they were so I grabbed a bunch of them.

I'm not even sure why these were on the clearance rack but hey, I am not complaining, it was a perfect opportunity for me to bring them home lol.  They are thriving so well at my office so it's a  big score for me.

I set up my husband's stuff on the left side of the office and hanged  some of his certificates and military stuff on the wall.  Since he has been in different part of the world, I thought this world map is a good piece to put on top of his desk.

I eliminated a lot of old files.  I tried buying shredder twice but we returned them as it gave yup on me so easily.  Considering how much it cost, I thought it was ridiculous that it stopped working after just five shredding.  Then we replaced it with another  brand but when I opened it, it has been used so I said just forget it and returned it.

I transferred my avocado into a bigger pot and I think it suffered shock.  I haven't seen a new growth since.  I hope it bounced back.

This mirror was in our eat-ibn kitchen before but I relocated it inside the office that way I could use it when I am doing yoga .   It's also the reason why I changed the setting in the office because I wanted to have a big space in the middle.

I got these two philodendron plants on clearance as well.  I spray-painted these containers that I recycle  so I don't have to buy pots for the new plants.

These plants rows in the wild in my country origin and never thought that I would be buying it here lol.

I love the shape of the leaves but if you pluck them, it smells lol.

This rubber tree is one of my husband's gift to me  for Mother's day.  The other plant that he got me died when i repotted it which is a bummer because I really wanted it to live ha ha.

I have plenty of indoor plants but I don't want to put them outside.  There are so many bugs and insects this year.  I don't want them to get infected.  A friend of mine from Texas  sent me  a lot of indoor plants for my birthday as well.