Raspberries and Pecans

Since I am clearly thinking salads today, I thought I would share one of my favorite salad recipes. It's very simple, but the combination of flavors is delicious!
I have to admit, this salad has a special place in my Meal Memory Bank. A wonderful man made me a fancy Italian meal several years ago, and he made this salad as an accompaniment to one of his famous pasta dishes. That man eventually became my husband, and this salad became my favorite lettuce treat. Enjoy!

Raspberry & Candied Pecan Salad

1 bag: spring greens salad mix
1 bottle: fat-free raspberry vinaigrette
(My favorite is Maple Grove Farms Fat Free dressing)
1/2 cup: pecan pieces
1-2 Tblsp: butter
1-2 Tblsp: brown sugar
1: ripe pear, cut into bite size chunks (do this right before serving to avoid
browning)
Note: Sliced apples or strawberries make a great substitute for the pear in this salad.

*To candy pecans: Melt butter in small skillet/pan over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar has melted. Add pecans and stir until pecans are mostly coated in the sugar mixture. You can add more sugar, depending on how buttery the
pecans look. (You don't want a buttery pecan, you want a crisp, sweet one!) Once the pecans are coated, pour them onto a sheet-pan covered with wax paper. Let cool.

*Toss greens, pecans, pears, and dressing in salad bowl. Serve. Enjoy. Laugh.

A Happy Little Salad.

I am channeling Bob Ross with that title. I am also channeling Edith Zimmerman's photo entry from thehairpin website.

I enjoy digging into a really fresh salad, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed a salad so much it caused me to break into delighted laughter at the site of lettuce. Actually, I can honestly say that has never happened. Never.
Apparently, I am not eating the right salads! For your entertainment, I bring you...

Women Laughing Alone With Salad
by Edith Zimmerman on January 3rd, 2011

A Quick and Healthy Snack

"Mom, can I have a snack?"
I hear this question, and multiple variations on that question, at least twice a day. Probably only twice a day because my girls know the answer would be "no" to any added attempts.

I used to rummage through the fridge and cabinets in search of healthy snacks. The snack-finding process frustrated me, and I'm pretty sure it frustrated my kids when I would hand them a fistful of stale Wheat Thins or a dried clump of raisins. Edible? Sure. Satisfying? Absolutely not!

I found the solution to our snack issues on a blog, many months ago, and if I could remember the name of the blog I would cite it here. Oops. As much as I would love to take credit for the ideas I am about to post; I cannot. Some brilliant mind in Internet Land dreamed them up first!

Personalized Snack Containers:

* I purchased two school boxes (one for each child), and a variety of foam stickers at the dollar store. I let the girls decorate their snack boxes to their liking, and we included their names on the front of the box.
* While at the dollar store I purchased snack-size ziplock bags.
* At the beginning of each week I fill several snack bags with a variety of healthy foods. This week the kiddos are munching on Craisins, raisins, cheese flavored mini-rice cakes,pretzels,Special K granola bars, Cheerios, Goldfish crackers and marshmallows.
* When the girls want a snack (only at designated snack times) I just tell them to get a bag out of their snack containers. I keep the containers on a shelf that both girls can reach. They love choosing a snack because it gives them a little taste of independence and I'm happy because the snacks are ready to go, fresh, and healthy!

I have carried this idea over and into the fridge. I have a plastic container on the bottom shelf and the girls can choose a snack from this container if they feel like something cold. Because it's winter and fresh fruit is in short supply, I mainly keep apples, segmented oranges (in bags), low-fat string cheese, and celery. I also fill small tubs (baby food jars work great!) with soy butter, honey or Nutella. One of the only ways my kids will eat celery is if they can dip it, so I provide them with lots of choices. Celery and baby carrots are dipped in soy butter, and pretzels are often happily dipped in honey and Nutella. We try not to eat McDonalds very often, but when we do, I save the leftover honey or caramel packets for the girls' snack containers. They work great, and we already paid for those little packets of honey!

I actually use the snack container idea to help myself eat more fruits and veggies too. If I wash, measure, and cut carrots, apples, oranges and celery as soon as I return from the grocery store, it saves me a lot of time later. I can grab a bag of something nutritious and quick when I get the munchies.

Enjoy!

What Once Was Old Is New Again

Being lovers of books, my family has multitudes of reading material. We have bookshelves intended to hold our collections, but often those books never make it to the shelf. We all have our favorites, and even our girls seem to gravitate towards a handful of the books they own.
We love reading to the girls, but we are getting a bit tired of turning the same pages of the same books over and over. After a trip to our local library, I came up with a solution to the "same old book" habit! Each month, our wonderful Children's Librarian sets out books that have to do with the current season, or upcoming holiday. Why couldn't I do this at home? Well..



We have our own seasonal selection now! I found a box that wasn't being used in our house, and gave it new purpose. I searched every bookshelf in our home, and found every book dealing with winter, Valentines Day (love), and President's Day. I pulled the books from the shelves, and put them into the box. I plan to decorate the box tomorrow to reflect the theme for the month. A little double-sided tape, a few foam snowflakes & hearts, and voila! A February reading box! When March rolls around, I will put the February books back on the shelf and search for stories related to St. Patrick's Day, luck, gold, Ireland, etc. The books will go into our reading box, and we'll redecorate it with shamrocks.

I have set the box in our living room, and if the girls would like a story (with the exception of bedtime stories), I will request they choose something from the box.

My hope for the Seasonal Book Box is that our girls will enjoy choosing a book they haven't read in months (maybe years), and I won't be reading Santa stories well into summer!

I hope you enjoy this tidbit!

Comfort Food

A friend shared this article from PBS, and I want to share it with you. http://www.pbs.org/parents/kitchenexplorers/2011/01/13/caring-for-others-bereavement-meals/

Another reason to keep those meals in the church freezer, and maybe a few extras at home. You never know when comfort might be needed in the form of a 9x13" pan or freezer bag.
I was touched by the author's obvious comfort and thankfulness for her friend, and the extra effort her friend put into the meal. In moments of sorrow and grief, sometimes keeping the details simple is best.

The Price of Produce

It was a rough day. Nothing in particular made it rough, just one of those "the cards are stacked, and you're gonna lose" kind of days. I woke up grumpy, and that factor alone would be survivable. However, my children also woke up grumpy. Need I say more? Our day was filled with very sweet moments, followed (and outnumbered) by screaming and chasing one another around the house. I have yet to understand why, for 364 days of the year, my daughter (I will not say which daughter) is content with the blue-eyed baby doll, but one day she decides the doll with the green-eyes is her destiny, and she will do everything in her power to win THAT baby doll. This pretty much sums up how the rough day began. Over a baby doll. And I should mention the fact that we have many, very cute, baby dolls in our house, but only one of THAT baby doll.

Anyway, I know you all have days like this. We are human, and in God's design; we are far from perfect! Whether it's stress caused by a tender-hearted and slightly stubborn child, ourselves, a spouse, co-worker, relative, boss; I think we all have a way of re-energizing, and sorting through it all. I used to think I was an emotional eater, but I have decided I am an Emotional Cooker! Justin came home from work, and I took off for a trip to the grocery store. I usually dread the grocery shopping, but I needed a break, and well...we needed toilet paper. I left the store feeling energized and excited to prepare a meal. I returned home to two beaming little girls, happy sounds, and a tired husband.

As I cooked dinner, I found myself enjoying every single task. Cooking wasn't a chore. Dare I say it? It was actually therapeutic! Chopping, washing, separating, peeling, boiling, baking...everything! This is when is occurred to me; I don't always eat the meals I prepare. I get tired of smelling, or seeing, the food cook. Often times I don't even enjoy eating my own cooking (and I'd like to think it tastes fine). I know, it's weird, but I chalk it up to overexposure while cooking.

After a rough day, we all settled around the dining room table together, and enjoyed our dinner. There was laughter, conversation, and happy people. I do love being in the kitchen, and from now on, I will bask in the quiet, satisfied sounds of my family enjoying dinner together. A dinner I took every pleasure in preparing.

Because the quality of produce is hit-and-miss and the prices are always sky-high, I have started making my own applesauce. Our family (especially our girls) love apples, and I refuse to pay the grocery store price for a jar of applesauce. I don't really think I'm that frugal, but I did the math, and I can make ginormous batches of applesauce at home for a fraction of the cost of the store stuff. My applesauce is healthier, and quite frankly, a lot better tasting than the expensive jars! I wanted to share the recipe I use for applesauce because it freezes really well, and is quick to make. I make a batch whenever I see apples on sale.

Sarah's Applesauce (from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:

4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped 3/4 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.	In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Also, do you remember when I said I am an Emotional Cooker? Cooking makes me happy, and eases stress? Well, that's all true, but I would like to add consuming apples to that list. I love apples, and nothing tastes more comforting. I try to eat most of my apples raw instead of cooked because of health reasons, but let's face it, an apple pie is an apple pie!

I will end this post now. I have a serving of warm apple crisp waiting to give me a food-hug.

Coffee Cups and Casserole Dishes

January made its brisk arrival, and with it many inches of snow and a new year. Our meal swap meeting this month was held at our local coffee shop, Mochavino. We all gathered around a functionally small table to converse, sip coffee, and nibble toasty sandwiches. It was a wonderful way to salute a year gone by, and celebrate this wonderful new adventure called 2011!