Roasted Beet and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Directions

1. The night before: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Trim the beets’ stems and gently wash them. Wrap them in aluminum foil and bake them for around an hour. (If the beets are small, you can leave them in for less time, say 40 minutes.) The beets are done when you can easily slide a knife through the aluminum foil and through the beet.
3. Once the beets are cooked, gently rub them with paper towels. Their skins should slide off easily. Chop the beets into bite-sized piees. (I usually eat a slice or two with olive oil and sea salt at this point.) Set the chopped beets aside.
4. Wash and dry the spinach. Set it aside in a large bowl.
5. Wash and snap the ends off of the haricots verts. Cut them into bite-sized pieces. Mix them with the spinach.
6. In a saucepan, gently toast the pecans. Set aside in a bowl.
7. In the morning (putting the lunch together): Place a serving of the spinach and haricots verts in a tupperware container.
8. Add beets, walnuts and goat cheese to taste.
9. Add balsamic vinaigrette if desired.
10. Pack an apple and a knife with which to cut it.
11. Just before lunch: Cut the apple into bite-sized pieces and add it to the salad. Waiting until right before lunch to add the apple ensures it won’t become brown during the morning.