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One Handed Snacks for Busy People October 20 2017
I just read a great post about snacks you can eat with one hand. While it was intended as for new mothers with little or no time on their hands, I feel it can also be applied to those of us who are generally busy. I have found that being organized and planning ahead makes everything better especially when it comes to meal planning and putting healthy food in your mouth. All of these suggestions are for items that can be prepared ahead of time. Here is a list of some of my favorite one-handed snacks (or meals as it may be!).
- Mini Muffins: Take your favorite muffin recipe and bake them in miniature sizes. Don’t forget to adjust the baking time since they are smaller they won’t take as long to bake. These also make great snacks for kids.
- Smoothies: Mix veggies, fruits, yogurt, and milk in a blender and puree. This is perfect for using any fruits or vegetables that you don’t think you’ll eat before they go bad. Some combinations turn out better than others but you can drink it through a straw quickly and get lots of energy.
- Trail Mix: This is one of my very favorites. I typically mix almonds, raisins and chocolate chips but feel free to add other nuts and dried fruits.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Eggs are an excellent source of protein and you don’t always have time to whip up a fancy omelet. Cooking them hardboiled in advance makes the perfect breakfast, lunch, or snack. I started eating hard boiled eggs when I tried the Paleo Diet many years ago and it is one of the habits that has stuck.
- Pre-cut vegetables, fruit or cheese: pair these with a healthy dip like hummus or eat on their own. As a chef, I used to think it was silly to cut something up ahead of eating it but when you’re really hungry and barely have a hand to eat with it can be a lifesaver.
Let me know if you have any other tips for snacks that are easy to eat on the go.
Happy Friday,
Julie
Getting Fancy at the Food Show June 30 2017
This past week the food scene took over New York when The Summer Fancy Food Show arrived at the Javits Center. In case you haven’t been the Fancy Food Show highlights amazing food products from around the world. I love going to see what is new and hot in the food world and to search out some amazing culinary artisans and products for our marketplace. This year’s show did not disappoint. There were two floors filled with food and there were not two booths that were the same.
I was able to check in with some of our current artisans at the show and find out what is new and exciting with them. I don’t want to give too much away but you’ll be seeing some new olives in the marketplace straight from Hellenic Farms. Hellenic Farms is an amazing importer and distributor of Greek foods and they took great care to keep the olives of the highest quality on the market. Tiny But Mighty Popcorn has an amazing new package design and also a new flavor of microwave popcorn! They also found a way to make the butter popcorn taste more buttery! The Matzo Project now has Matzo Ball Soup Mix available and they are debuting some chocolate covered Matzo in the fall. There is a lot of excitement to come with these great vendors.
I also had some time to explore and look for new gems amongst the many exhibiting at the show. Marshmallows, pretzels and cookies were among the favorite new lines I tasted. I also sampled a lot of different salsas looking for the perfect one. The show was filled with a variety of cold brew coffee options which kept me going as I marched through the many aisles. There is a trend currently of green or raw products. I also saw a lot of food produced for specific diets … paleo, gluten-free, etc. While it is amazing what they can do with some food ‘substitutes’ I definitely like to keep our products full of real ingredients. I’ll be sure to post about new products when they hit the marketplace. If you subscribe to our newsletter you’ll also be one of the first informed.
My legs and feet are glad the show is over. My taste buds are excited and my mind keeps imagining all the new gift sets we’ll be able to offer for your needs once the new products arrive. Until then….
Happy Friday,
Julie
Summer Camp Fun June 23 2017
This week my oldest son started summer camp. It has been really fun for him which is great! The tricky part for me has been figuring out what to pack in his lunch that he will actually eat. Now I’m sure you are thinking the son of a culinary professional must have a great palette. Not to disappoint you too much, but he’s three and is in a bit of a picky stage. He’ll eat almost anything if it can be dipped in ketchup and mayonnaise but condiments don’t pack particularly well in a lunch box. I turned to the internet for some ideas on how to make my child’s lunch more exciting and appealing. Here are some of my favorites.
- Take a traditional sandwich and make it interesting by cutting it into a favorite shape with a cookie cutter.
- Have a color theme for the lunch like orange with carrots, cheese, orange & goldfish crackers.
- Let your child order their lunch like from the room service breakfast menu that you place on your door.
- Don’t stick to traditional lunch items… try waffles, pancakes, or breakfast cereal to keep it interesting.
If anyone has any other ideas I am definitely open to suggestions.
Happy Friday,
Julie
Summer Heat is Here! June 16 2017
We had a bit of a heat wave in New York this week and as luck would have it, my air conditioner broke right in the middle of it! During the days of 90 degrees inside I discovered a box of melted chocolate wafers. It wasn't too upsetting as I put them to good use making some delicious brownies. What it did do was get me thinking about summertime shipping.
We want to make sure all of our products get to you in the best possible condition. While all of our products are shelf stable, some are heat sensitive and require special shipping when the weather heats up. If you live in Phoenix, Arizona, like my sister, this applies for more months of the year than if you live in New York, where we are based. We’ve created a special section of Summer Gifts which will arrive in perfect condition no matter what the weather is. The items that are especially sensitive to the heat(mostly chocolate) have a note in their description so you can choose summer shipping at checkout. This allows us to pack the products with cooling elements and insure they don’t spend too much time in transit. We’ll be sure to reach out to you if you miss this part of the order. At the end of the day, we just don’t want you to be disappointed with our products.
The moral of this story is you can still enjoy your summer filled with delicious artisan products from Julie’s Beet, we just need to be careful on how they ship. So go out to the beach, the country, camp or stay in the city and we’ll have your orders there in great condition.
Happy Father's Day to all of the amazing Dads celebrating this weekend, including lots of our artisans.
Happy Friday,
Julie
Father's Day Gift Guide June 09 2017
With Father’s Day just over a week away I’ve been thinking about what to get my dad and my husband. For some reason dads are more difficult to shop for than moms. Here are some suggestions on what to give your dad this year instead of a tie!
For the GRILLING Dad: The Coco for Garlic and Tamarind Oh! Sauces from EssieSpice make great marinades and finishing sauces for anything you want to grill… chicken, beef, pork, even vegetables. You also cannot go wrong with a little bag of Pure Flake Salt from Jacobsen Salt Co. The perfect way to finish a nice juicy steak or piece of fresh fish.
For the SNACKING Dad: Does your dad just likes to chill out in front of the television watching the big game or movies? The microwave popcorn from Tiny But Mighty comes in a Butter and Kettle Corn version and is ready in 2-4 minutes. The Ranch Salad Almonds from Nuts About You also make a great snack and don’t forget a piece of Matzo from The Matzo Project topped with dad’s favorite cheese or spread.
For the DRINKING Dad: Does your dad start the day with a Bloody Mary or finish the day with a Martini? We have gifts for him too! The spice blends from La Boite make excellent cocktails, especially the Bloody Mary Spice Master Collection. The Green Olives from Artion Greek Foods are perfect in a gin or vodka martini.
Please place your orders by Monday June 12th for guaranteed delivery with standard shipping before Father’s Day.
Happy Friday,
Julie
Healthy Eating can be Delicious too! May 05 2017
This week at school they were handing out blue and white cookies in celebration of Israel’s Birthday. One of the parents said ‘No thank you, I’m doing The Whole 30 Diet.’ He only looked slightly disappointed as the cookies passed him by. The truth is we sometimes go on these extreme diets with the hope that in the end they will modify our eating habits. The good news is no matter what your eating habits are, healthy doesn’t have to equate to tasting bad.
At my house, we did The Paleo Diet almost 6 years ago. That meant for 10 days we had no caffeine, alcohol, carbs, dairy or salt. We did get to eat a lot of protein, fruits, and vegetables. The diet made me realize that some of the meal choices I made weren’t giving me the energy I needed. From this 10 day experience I made some changes for the better. Our house is now mostly carb-free. We rarely have pasta or potatoes as part of a meal and I must say I don’t really miss them. Here are some tricks to keep your healthy eating delicious.
- Season Your Food – The spice blends from La Boîte add an amazing amount of flavor to vegetables and proteins. That means you don’t need a heavy sauce to coat what you are cooking to make it taste delicious.
- Stick with Dark – Chocolate that is. Dark Chocolate doesn’t have any dairy mixed in which makes it much healthier for you to consume. The single origin bars from Palette de Bine take dark chocolate to the next level and really are out of this world. Now you might thinking, chocolate isn’t healthy. When you eat a bar as amazing as these you need just a little bit to satisfy even the biggest sweet tooths.
- Go Nuts – Almonds, Walnuts and Pecans make a great snack and pack a lot of energy into something easy to take with you. Our Ranch Salad Almonds are perfect for keeping your energy levels up during the day with something delicious and tasty.
I hope these tips will help you keep to your healthy eating goals and be the in the shape you desire before swimsuit season begins 😊
Happy Friday,
Julie
Visit our Showroom This Sunday October 21 2016
Is it summer or fall? The weather this week has me thinking of June or July but not October. As it turns out the weather will be more seasonal for our Fall Open House this Sunday. I’ve been busy all week getting the showroom ready. I hope you’ll be able to join the fun as we open our doors, welcome the fall and the busy holiday season ahead.
Here is a preview of all the excitement we have in store...
Due Cellucci Tomato Sauce Sampling: From 1:30-3pm, Stefanie, the creator of Due Cellucci Tomato Sauces, will be on site with her delicious sauces warmed up and ready to taste.
EssieSpice TamarindOh! Tequila Sunrise Punch: We are always looking for new ways to use our products and this recipe from EssieSpice is perfect. We’ll have a kid-friendly version as well.
Special Markdowns: We have a few specials cooked up for Sunday including Rococo Chocolates Bee Bars for just $1 each and Tiny But Mighty Popcorn at half-price!
Raffle Give Away: Enter to win a Big Apple Gift Set featuring all or our local artisans.
I hope to see you on Sunday. Here are the details one more time!
Julie’s Beet Open House
Sunday October 23rd, 11a – 5p
210 West 80th Street
New York, NY 10024
Happy Friday,
Julie
NYC Open House October 07 2016
In just a little over two weeks, we will be hosting another Open House at our NYC Showroom. This year, we will be highlighting all of our NYC based artisans. We hope you will be able to join us for a day full of amazing artisans and delicious food New York City Style!
Stefanie, the creator of Due Cellucci Tomato Sauces will be tasting her newest sauce, Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce. Be one of the first to taste this delicious addition to her already wonderful line of tomato sauces.
Sample a delicious cocktail using the sauces from EssieSpice. You’ll be able to take home the collection of all three sauces at the reduced price of $25. We will also feature samples from our local artisans La Boite, Cacao Prieto, Empire Mayonnaise Company and Rick's Picks.
Lots of other wonderful products will be available at reduced prices including Tiny But Mighty Popcorn and Rococo Chocolates. We will also be giving away one of our Big Apple Gift Sets featuring the amazing artisans from New York City.
We hope to see you there!
Here are the details:
Julie’s Beet Open House
Sunday October 23, 2016
11am – 5pm
210 West 80th Street
New York, NY 10024
Happy Friday,
Julie
Extreme Valentine's Day February 05 2016
February is a very busy month for my family as it includes my husband’s birthday, both of our mothers’ birthdays in addition to Valentine’s Day. I usually cook dinner for my husband on his birthday and on Valentine’s Day. I am often stumped on how to make each menu unique while still being a meal he, and I, will enjoy. This Valentine’s Day I’m thinking I’ll just do a mix of canapes and finger foods. Hopefully he will think they are cute, fun and perhaps romantic when paired with a bottle of wine?
When working at Rococo Chocolates I was often tasked with preparing canapes for the different events we had. One of my favorites is from Chantal Coady’s book, Rococo, Mastering the Art of Chocolate. These canapes, a pairing of cheese and chocolate, are thoughtfully called Extreme Canapes as they really test your taste buds. People are often hesitant to try them but always love the combinations. Rococo Chocolates Wafer Thins are thin chocolate disks, which are treated just like a cracker in this case. Top the chocolate disk with your favorite type of cheese and enjoy. Some of the best pairings I’ve tried are a salty blue cheese on the 65% Dark Chocolate Wafer and a soft goat cheese on the Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Wafer.
We carry the wafers in our marketplace and you can get great cheeses from your local cheese shop. If you are in New York City, here are my favorite cheese shops:
Murray's Cheese – multiple locations around the city but I prefer the west village shop. Enjoy tasting your way through their cheese case. If you have some extra time, they also have cheese classes!
Ideal Cheese – 942 First Ave at 52nd Street, This East Side cheese shop is a destination. It stocks some really unique cheeses and the staff has all of the information needed to assist you in finding the perfect cheese.
Lucy’s Whey – I love their stall in Chelsea Market but you can also find this great shop on the Upper East Side. They have really delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. I suggest munching on one while you do your shopping. This ensures your cheese will make it home for the extreme canapes.
Go ahead and take your Valentine’s Day menu to the extreme!
Happy Friday,
Julie
College Football Season, We have Your Snacks Covered September 11 2015
College Football has begun and I’m sad to report my Purdue Boilermakers are starting the season with a loss. Hopefully they will turn that around next week against Indiana State. One thing that comes with football season are lots of Saturday afternoons spent watching the games. Even if your team isn’t winning you can always get excited about some delicious snacks during the game!
We are thrilled to welcome Tiny But Mighty Popcorn to the marketplace at Julie’s Beet. Tiny But Mighty Popcorn is an ancient heirloom popcorn grown in the great state of Iowa. Any Hawkeyes or Cardinals fans out there? The tiny popcorn has been preserved to stay small resulting in tiny kernels with an extremely thin outer hull. That means you have a delicious tender popcorn that won’t get stuck in your teeth! We are carrying Tiny But Mighty’s Microwave Popcorn, so in less than 4 minutes you’ll have the perfect snack ready for your crew. Try the traditional butter flavor or the sweet and salty Kettle Corn. Read more about Tiny But Mighty here.
Have a great weekend watching football and enjoying some delicious snacks.
Happy Friday,
Julie