Parsnips and beets make up these delicious Crispy Rosemary Winter Chips. Another of Holley's recipes, she informs me that these were actually a f***-up, as she was just roasting vegetables and forgot about them. “How's that for a happy accident?”
Yes, Holley and I are still in Cuba for another day or two (I wrote this before we left). Actually, it's more likely that we're in the middle of the long transit home bouncing from flight to flight, enjoying airport food and napping on airport floors…. Hopefully, the experience is more like Jerry's than Elaine's:
Still thinking about all the things I want from this year. I was planning on making a list (on the beach, of course) of everything I want to accomplish this year. All the things I want to experience. This isn't gonna be like previous years. I'm going to live more this year. If I used Facebook as a bragging wall, mine would be the one making everyone jealous! I want you to join me in this activity….
Stop what you're doing.
Turn off the TV, the radio, your phone's ringer, send the kids and your spouse to another room (or you could move to another room I suppose). Grab a pen and paper (I have a beautiful leather-bound notebook that my sister gave me for Christmas), and paint me a word picture: Describe what your ideal year looks like. Does it involve improved health and/or fitness? Do you meet the love of your life? Does it involve travel? Is money coming your way? Is there some activity that you've always been interested in like scuba diving or learning how to make the perfect omelette? Accomplishments? A new job? Taking a break?
For some of us, this might be a difficult assignment. I find that I often get stuck on the logistics of how could that happen? but I don't want you to get hung up on the realism. Just tell me your fantasies for the year. I'm not going to force you to make them happen. Just consider them. Close your eyes and imagine these scenes. What does the air smell like? What do you see and hear where you are? Be as detailed as you can. Is it the spray of the ocean? A comfortable chair? The sun on your skin? The warmth of a love-filled room?
Like I said, I'm not going to force you to make any of these a reality, but are any of these things what you really want to happen this year? Isn't it exciting to think that they are possible? You can probably tell that I subscribe to Law of Attraction philosophy. I plan to keep my list somewhere visible, to remind me that every day has the potential to be something cool, so why not hold a higher expectation for my everyday?
So? What did you write down? To make and enjoy the perfect Crispy Rosemary Winter Chips? Good start, now let's go bigger!

Crispy Rosemary Winter Chips
- Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
Description
Parsnips and beets make up these delicious Crispy Rosemary Winter Chips
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beets (we used golden beets)
- 2 lbs parsnips
- 4 Tbsp ghee or butter (or make this vegan by using coconut oil)
- 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cut beets and parsnips thinly (1/8 inch or thinner medallions, or 1/8 inch fry-style).
- Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Spread rosemary over top, sprinkle with salt and peppter, and scoop ghee/butter on top.
- Bake 10 minutes, stir/flip, and repeat for 50 minutes. First they get soft, then they dehydrate a bit. At this point turn on the broiler to HIGH for 5 minutes, flip, and broil for another 2 minutes-ish (until crispy but not burnt).
Notes
Delicious with Holley's Fresh Tomato Paleo Ketchup or Paleo Tzatziki.
- Cook Time: 67 min
Wow, yet another awesome idea for what to do with all of my beets! Yeah, I had seen bags of “beet chips” in the grocery store, now I have a diy recipie. Hope your trip was fantastic, and I love your assignment, it is so timely for me, as I have The Secret movie queued up in my Netflix list. This is what I call the Law of Attraction in action. 🙂
The Secret. Yes, I found that book when I was in Thailand and it helped me get my head right when coming to terms with my back injury.
The video though, I found soooo cheesy (not in the good way). Almost so cheesy that I if the video had been my first exposure to Law of Attraction I probably wouldn’t have embraced it at all.
As for the assignment, I only part did it on the beach (since there was very little sunny weather while we were there), so I need to do it still too.
Looking forward to cleaning up the eating in February. Thanks for being in on the challenge with us Aimee.
Ah, good to know! Thanks for the tip and for hosting the challenge!
Two days Aimee! What have you done to prepare? Shopping and food prep for week 1? Big batch of Paleo Butter Chicken? Thrown out all your non-paleo cheat foods? Have some Paleo Breakfast Sausage in the freezer? Make some emergency snacks, like Holley’s Paleo Candied Nuts?
Me? I haven’t prepared anything yet haha. Measurements tomorrow. And grocery shopping.
Raj! Yeah tomorrow is the big day! Ah what have I done, well I have started prepping for this first week by making some of my favorite paleo foods, a big batch of veggie soup, and a butternut squash soufflé, also making a eye of round beef roast so I can have that as my protein for the week. For me, I know my biggest weakness is coffee, I LOVE it, but it does me wrong and sets me up for cravings all day. It is like a bad boyfriend, I know it is no good for me, but I want it anyway. So my biggest goal for Feb is to kick “joe” to the curb, and then hopefully sticking to a sugar free, alcohol free, gluten free and dairy free menu will be a piece of paleo cake . And I am sure as with most people who try this type of challenge, and as I have done in the past, my other goal for myself is to take time to understand why some of my stress eating triggers start in the first place. Another big goal for this next month is to take some time every day for me to really try and understand what is going on in my mind, and why it is always racing, so, perhpas some journaling, yoga and meditation practices as well.
I am psyched to begin being an awesomer (that is a word right) version of me, thanks for your support, this is my primal desire.
Day 1 done and held strong! Not gonna lie, brain fog city this morning, but had my water with lemon juice and dealt with the morning caffeine withdrawal headache, it was worth it! Made my lunch that I took to work, and no cheating, dinner was pork loin chops, and zucchini noodles with pesto and sundried tomatoes. Now I just have to go to bed early before the cravings set in! ;-). Raj and Holley, how as your first day?
I’ve been working on improving my Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken yesterday and today, so I’ve got lots of that kicking around (about to do one more batch right now). Planning on making some Chocolate Chia Mousse/Pudding as a ready-to-eat snack/breakfast tonight as well. I know Holley is working on another chicken wing recipe for Super Bowl Sunday, and maybe I’ll go for a drive and sample those later….
I ordered that pressure cooker too, should be delivered Wednesday, can’t wait to try that new recipe. The chocolate mousse looks Ah-mazing! But I don’t like stevia, so that will be on the menu March 1 when I allow myself some natural sugar.
Yeah I’m not a Stevia fan either. No natural sugars for you either?
No, I know natural sugars are paleo-OK, I want to reduce the amount of sugar I usually have in my diet. I also read your post from the 2014 and 2015 experiments, where you noticed you didn’t see the same extreme results as In 2014, and that your cravings were more than the past year while allowing for natural sugar. Probably due to insulin spikes. They don’t call this a challenge for nothing!
Good move!
Hey Aimee, I had hard boiled eggs for breakfast (thank you instant pot) butter chicken for lunch and some dried apples as a snack, I was STARVING when I got home from work. I have to pack more food I think. I downed a can of caveman canned peaches while I made chicken broth and veggie soup, candied nuts, and recipe tested a new wing flavour for super bowl. One day down… We got this Aimee!
Awesome! I am going to make a beer can chicken and some of the Greek rice(d cauliflower) for dinner and paleo pizza for lunch – hungry just thinking about it!
With beer?
I haven’t got out of bed yet but now I’m starving and drooling!
No beer silly – it’s just called that because you prop the chicken to stand up on a beer can as you cook it whole on the grill – no gluten in my challenge! It is actually a sparkling water can if that makes it any better.
I’ve made beer can chicken in the past, but I assumed you weren’t using beer.
I want cheese.
Good write-up, Raj. Did you come up with new plans while away?
Lots of new plans for sure. Any time I have time to think there are new plans.