Spinach bites and new thoughts on skinny

I was reminded yesterday of a whole new reason not to"idolize" the concept of thin bodies. I believe it can help serve as a wake up call to others that are questing to find themselves looking fashionably thin as well. I am the oldest of 5, and for a lot of reasons we do not get together as much as a group as we once did. Happily, we can still keep fingers on the pulse of others through things like Facebook. Through status updates and pictures, you are at least in the know about each others lives. One of my sisters posted some pictures of a casual sort of gathering that took place, and two of the family members were looking incredibly thin, and not well. My son was looking over my shoulder and saw the photos, and exclaimed "good ! They are skinny now !". These people were never obese. One is thin from a serious substance abuse problem and the other is that way because of cancer in the lungs, kidneys and brain. I explained they were thin because they are not well, and that thin can mean not well at all.

Now try to imagine how to break down our societies obsession with thin and separate it with the evidence of disease wasting away a body, and frame it in terms an autistic child, whom only sees all things in the literal sense, can understand. Try to rationalize how thin can be healthy on any level ! Kind of makes you think, doesn't it ? If you see someone who is overweight, you may think things like they are lazy or stupid, but when you see someone Heroin Chic thin, you instantly think unwell- so why is there such a strong desire to make oneself look like they are on the path to unwellness ??

Meanwhile, here at the ranch I thought about the affects of diet on not only our physical bodies but emotional ones as well. There have been a few articles out in recent weeks about the connection between a lack of fat and fatty acids and things like depression and violence. I believe substance abuse is one result of this imbalance as people choose to self medicate. Serious alcohol consumption ( one substance of choice) can lead to several debilitating diseases over time. It just gives me that much more reason to feed my family a nourishing diet, do all that I can to respect and nurture them and make our home a refuge and place of restoration. It is my contribution to the war on drugs. Meals are relatively easy to make balanced, but snacks become tricky. Children snack throughout the day- it is a natural fact. If they are allowed to have unlimited quantities of nourishing foods, they learn to listen to their natural appetites. Statistically it has been shown that children who are restricted to quantities of snacks are more likely to become overweight because they are disconnected with their natural hunger sensations and lean to view food as something other than nutrition.Best thing a parent can do is provide snack items with real nutrition . This is one that I made for snacks this week. Store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for a week. Makes a good party appetizer as well.

 Spinach Ricotta Bites

  2 Tbsp  butter
  1  small  yellow onion -- chopped
  1 garlic clove -- minced
  2 large  eggs -- beaten
  1 cup  Ricotta cheese (full fat)
  1/2 cup  Mozzarella cheese -- shredded
  1/2 cup  Parmesan cheese -- grated
  1 pkg  frozen chopped spinach -- (10 Oz) defrosted and drained WELL
  1/4 tsp  Celtic Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes until tender.
Add the garlic and cook an additional minute then set aside to cool.
Whisk eggs in a bowl and stir in cheeses.
Once combined, stir in spinach, salt and cooled onion and garlic mixture.
Pour the mixture into lightly greased mini muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set and golden on top.
Cool and Serve.

Today I am going to start working on some nourishing Super Bowl Snacks. Meatballs, chicken wings, ribs, dips and some cupcakes using a real vanilla bean- how decadent ! I have used one to make vanilla sugar long ago but never to bake with. Should be interesting ! As to the game I think The Packers will win, but I am most interested in watching the commercials ! So many creative ones ar shown for the first time during these games !

Do you watch the Superbowl , and do you have any must have snacks ???