Cavorting, crock pot and cookies

Yesterday I made a big step towards recovering. I walked around the house, without the chair or a cane, holding a watering can full of water and I watered all my plants . This may sound like a non such thing, but I have still heeded to support my self on the walls while walking , and carrying anything has been  out of the question. This was kind of like a mini marathon at this point. Yay me ...I am getting better !

I am constantly in search of some crock pot recipes that work well ! It seems that modern crock pots cook a lot quicker than their older models, and most foods turn not so nice when cooked in them. Especially true of any dish containing chicken !It takes a bit of experimentation with your own crock pot to discover just the right time table for the dish through trial and error. Happily, my guys are agreeable "guinea pigs"  in this process. These days I am also looking for recipes that use nourishing foods prepared in the proper way, so when I find on , I give it a whirl. Yesterday I experimented with quinoa in the crock pot for the first time. Quinoa is a very healthy, high protein whole grain, and to acchive it's full nutritional benefit it must be soaked in water and a small amount of whey or cider vinegar 8-24 hrs before cooking.( This step removes the phytic acid , which can block the digestive tract from fully absorbing minerals and other nutrients)

                                 Chicken and quinoa stew...or soup

Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa from The Nourishing Gourmet

1 cup quinoa (soaked overnight in water, than drained and rinsed in a strainer. If you don’t soak your grains still rinse to remove a bitter substance from the grain)
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2-3/4 cup of white wine (amount depending on your taste and wine used)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
4-6 carrots, peeled and cubed
3 celery, sliced
1 onion, minced
2 chicken breasts or thighs
3 Tablespoons of butter (opt, for added richness and flavor)

Throw all the ingredients in your crock pot, cook on high, 4 hours or on low, 8. Shred the chicken when done, and stir into the stew and you are done!

Verdict- quinoa seems to really break down in the crock pot !It became almost invisible, and the chicken did get overdone, sadly. It seems that the dish could have used a bit more flavor as well. However, it did come out tasty and very filling !

I also experimented with another cookie - a flourless Walnut Thumbprint using soaked walnuts and home made date butter

Walnut Thumbprints
1 1/2 cup walnuts
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 egg
1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
sweetener equivalent to 1/2 cup of sugar( I used Splenda)
fruit puree OR sugarless jam ( I used Date Puree- recipe follows)

In a food processor, combine walnuts and coconut oil. Process until it becomes walnut butter. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides once or twice. When that mixture is the consistency of a chunky nut butter, add the egg, coconut, soda and sweetener. Blend it until incorporated. Chill for 30 minutes.

Roll dough into balls or use a small scoop. Lay out 24 balls onto a cookie sheet. Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each ball as you press down. Fill this cavity with a small amount of jam. Bake for about 15 minutes at 325. Let cool on cookie sheet.

Date Puree
1 lb Majool Dates
water to cover

In a jar place dates , cover with water and soak at room temperature overnight, covered. In the morning drain the dates and place in a food processor. Puree till a jam like consistency. Store in refrigerator.

These were very good ! The date puree gives an almost chocolate taste, so you have a nutty, chocolate cookie that is not overly sweet, and satisfying. Definately a keeper !

Soaking grains day 2

It's funny how resilient the body can be when it is treated right ! I am noticing a reduction in my arthritis flairs and a general improvement in my overall mood already. I feel more calm and centered as a rule, and I am noticing the same thing in Nick. Sleep is also improved by us all- not where it should be  yet, but better than it was. Bob is noticing that something seems to have shifted in his metabolism as well, so overall I think so far the change has done us good.

Breakfast yesterday was scrambled cheese eggs with tumeric, pork sausage , a piece of whole wheat bread and an apple. For me french press coffee with cream and sugar was added.

Why tumeric ? It is a wonderful antioxidant that adds a bright yellow color to any food. French Press coffee is perhaps one step removed from morning Heaven and this handy little portable press just makes for one less dish to wash . The bread is the end of one of the last loaves of bread I will ever buy ! I make bread and do it well but stopped when the weight loss journey started, simply because I cannot slice a loaf consistently into 16 same sized slices- a very necessary step for calorie counting. Some loaves - in particular ones made with oat meal- were able to be sliced thinner and more slices. Others such as whole meal pumpernickel could not be sliced as thin and wound up with only 12. Had noting to do with over consumption, but everything to do with not wanting to drag a calculator into the kitchen every time I baked and making loaves according to flours by weight instead of the feel of the loaf. I gave up good bread made with real ingredients in favor of a "frankenfood " that was uniform in serving sizes and calorically calculated. Never again ! All breads in this house will be home made with soaked grains and real food.

After a morning with no cravings, plenty of energy and a very productive school morning we broke for lunch- a bed of romaine with tuna, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and wasa crisp bread with some remaining laughing cow lite on the side and an apple. Wasa, AkMak and a few other brands are the only crackers I will buy now because of their simple, basic ingredients, Laughing Cow lite cheese will be replaced with marscapone that I season with my own herbs and spices. Less chemicals and more real food. Dressing was a splash of balsamic vinegar- dressings are another thing that are going to start being home made to avoid things like high fructose corn syrup and questionable oils.

Dinner included another adventure in soaked grains, this time a mix of black and white quinoa that had been soaked for 24 hours

Soaking whole grains improves their texture and your bodies ability to digest them.(Soaked grains - information and directions  can be found here)  I used the two kinds of quinoa because I found two partial packs in the cabinet and wanted to free up some space. All grains besides brown rice require 12-24 hours of soaking to bring out their maximum benefit, so it takes some advanced planing for meals. Quinoa seemed to be the best grain to go with the planned dinner, which was one that looked very blah , but was incredibly delicious !

Creamy lemon chicken, roast fennel and quinoa. To make the chicken place chicken thighs in a pan, sprinkle with lemon zest, saute onions and mushrooms in butter and top the chicken with these. Whisk together cream and sour cream and pour over the thighs. Bake 375 for 1 hour. For the fennel, slice and place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roast at 375 for 40 minutes. The whole thing looks kind of beige, but it was very yummy ! Best thing about the day was absolutely no cravings or snack attacks ( something that Nick struggled with each and every day). There is a very long satiation with eating real food .


Today is going to involve making room in my freezer for the purchase of a turkey . I am finding a million little dribs and drabs of odd things in there , and while this could be a great sign of frugality, I have no idea how long most of these things have been in there, and some I have no idea what they even are . There is one of my very bad habits- not lableing what I put in my freezer ! At least it does not have to be defrosted !

Gluten- what is it ?

About six years ago , I learned about the positive affects a gluten free and casein free diet has had on many autistic children , but did not attempt to implement it myself for a lot of reasons. About 4 years later, after some real breakthroughs through supplements, I gave it a try , but it had minimal impact on Nick and so I dropped it. At the time I was not suspecting any connection with me, did not really notice any affects on me so moved on. I did, however, keep a lot of the information on gluten in my notes and files for future reference. Main reason I did so is because the whole idea of gluten is something that a lot of people do not understand.

What exactly is gluten ? Is gluten a starch ? No. Gluten is a protein, or a combination of two proteins called gliadin and glutenon. They combine with starches and consist of about 80 percent of the protein in wheat.You notice the affect of gluten in yeast breads when you bake because it is the substance that becomes elastic and allows the gases from the yeast to make the dough rise. Starch is a different substance, and it converts to sugar in the digestive process to provide energy to whatever ate it, plant or animal . Foods containing starch, an being gluten free is something that we just happened to be discussing at the moment in our homeschool, and a lab was in order. The presence of starch in a food can easily be identified with iodine- if the iodine turns blue, the food contains starch. The presence of gluten is not as easy to detect however. We did a simple lab experiment yesterday to uncover this starch presence. While it is no surprise that wheat crackers contain starch, it was very surprising to find the amount contained in plain, nonfat yogurt ! Milk however does contain starch because it is the result of a living organism processing sugars to create something else.

From the bottom , clockwise plain nonfat yogurt, wheat cracker, potato, apple slice,mushroom and banana

A prime example of starches and gluten being separate things would be beans, corn ,potatoes, rice and oats. All of these are free from gluten but contain starch. All are incomplete proteins as well, which is why vegetarians must take extra care to include different forms of non animal protein sources in order to get a complete balance. Oats become a problem for many because they are grown close to wheat, often in a crop rotation with wheat , harvested and produced on equipment that is also used for wheat, so unless you are using oats that are certified to be gluten free( or have a lower sensitivity to gluten) , they should be avoided.


Food wise yesterday it was another gluten free day with hardboiled eggs and an apple for breakfast, bean soup , veggies and hummus for lunch and hall walking for exercise . My flair had gone down enough that I could walk them safely , without falling. Yay for improvement ! Dinner was pictured above- pork chop( actually pork loin cut into a chop), roast green beans with sesame seeds and sliced almonds and a salad with romaine, dandelion, grapes and walnuts. I made an accidental discovery- if you start cooking quinoa according to the package directions , turn the heat too high, walk away and return to find the pan almost dry and add additional water to prevent it from burning, quinoa swells HUGE ! Could be a handy trick for really hungry days !

Standard quinoa grains are gluten free, but quinoa flour and flakes may not be. They are often produced on a line that produces wheat products and cross contamination can result. If your sensitivity level is high, it is best to limit your intake to standard quinoa grains alone.Quinoa is an amazing grain that is a complete protein, unlike wheat, rice or beans which are incomplete.

Rabbits knocking at my door

I had a dream last night where a couple of bunny rabbits came to my door and asked that I stop eating to many veggies because I was taking veggies away from them. I think it had something to do with watching my son play Rabbits Go Home on the Wii and trying to use up greens yesterday. Sometimes dreams are just you mind repeating the events of the day in a colorful way.

Breakfast was cinnamon fruity oatmeal (pear, apple and blueberries) topped with a quarter cup of cottage cheese. I am not sure if I like this combo as well as oats with seeds or nuts.

Lunch was Quinoa Orange Basil salad over romaine, watercress and dandelion greens. Grains over greens seem odd ? It's really not, and with the right kind of grain you can get a wide range of nutrition. Quinoa , however is something else. While treated like a grain, quinoa is not actually a grain.Instead it is a member of the same family as spinach and swiss chard.
It was revered as an important food by the Incas. It contains a complete protien and is high in lyscine,which is needed for tissue growth andrepair.This could make a great breakfast alternative for growing children or those working on strenght training.Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and
phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis. Magnesium also relaxes the blood vessels, thus promoting cardiovascular health.One word of caution- if you are on an oxolate restricted diet, avoid quinoa as it is high in these. So Quinoa falls into the realm of other rabbit habits!

Dinner was attack of the vegetables- grilled chicken breast with roast veggies ( eggplant, asparagus,zucchini,mushrooms,peppers, broccoli and butternut squash mix) and Doubly Delicious Greens

Doubly Delicious Greens

1 large bunch bok choy -- chopped
1 large bunch Swiss chard -- chopped
1 medium onion -- coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic -- chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt) -- (15 ounce)
2 cups shiitake and/or baby bella mushrooms -- sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning

Place bok choy, Swiss chard, onions, and garlic in a large steamer and
steam until almost tender, about 10 minutes. In a large pot add tomatoes,
mushrooms, steamed greens mixture, and seasoning. Simmer over low heat
for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 8.

We got in more boxing, walking and ab work. I noticed yesterday that Nick is beginning to develop somewhat definable abdominal muscles and it looks cute ! He is also beginning to get noticeable muscles on his shoulders and neck ( cannot remember the names of these). It looks funny to see his body begin to get some kind of definition ! I am not so sure about my own body. Things feel tighter in my abdominal region and my clothes fit different, but I have not taken my measurements or dropped a size that I am aware of, so I am not sure. Just carry on, knowing that something is happening .

My own food revolution- 4 bushels of produce for the week

Yesterday was our weekly Shop and Chop day.We go as a family for a couple of reasons. First, it makes a terrific learning opportunity for my son. He knows how to follow a list, how to identify more kinds of produce than most adults , how to read a nutritional label and is now learning about price per unit and how to make a substitution. Second reason is that in shopping together there are no arguments about where the money goes. Shopping together can be a lot of fun and many hands make quick work. It seems that my son is not the only one learning . We have been watching Jamie Oliver's Food revolution, and my husband thought Jamie was perhaps exaggerating about the sugar content in flavored milk or picking on an isolated brand. He has started reading food labels himself ( house rule is that if it has more than 13 grams of sugar per serving it does not get bought ), and has discovered this problem to be true. He has also discovered this truth about many "lite" yogurts and so forth. He has also become shocked at the sodium levels in things. It's a whole different food revolution going on in this house !

After breakfast we headed out , and did our usual use of the store's boxes instead of bags ( easier for us to get in the car, put on a cart and use to bring out the scraps from chopping) and Bob noticed that we had bought 4 bushels of produce for the week. No more or less than we have bought every week for quite some time. There is rarely anything that gets tossed, and he is beginning to agree that we are becoming rabbits. 6 hours of chopping and cooking later, I had it broke down to ready to go veggies and salads for the week. Here are the salads being offered in MY "school lunch "program.

Quinoa with Orange and Basil serves 8

1 cup dry Quinoa (prepare according to package)
1 Handful chopped fresh Basil + some for garnish
3 Oranges: cut into small pieces with pith and seeds removed
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans or sliced almonds
1/2 Lemon or 1 Tbs Lemon juice
juice from 1/2 Orange
1 T Olive Oil
Salt to taste
chopped Green Onion (Scallions)
1 Dash the following spices:
ground Black Pepper
Cinnamon
Tumeric

Prepare quinoa according to package.
Let quinoa cool and toss with all of the above ingredients.

Coconut Fruit Salad

1 cup cantaloupe -- cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup honeydew melon -- cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup pineapple -- cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup green grapes -- cut in half
1/2cup red grapes -- cut in half
1 pint organic strawberries -- cut in half or quarters
1/2 pint blueberries -- (1/2 to 1)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Mix all ingredients together

24 Hour Cole Slaw

2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 onion, chopped
1 golden beets, shredded
2 carrots, chopped
1 apple, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups splenda
1 teaspoon celery seed
Toss veggies together. Heat , vinegar, water and spices,Bring to boil.
Pour over cabbage - onion mixture. Chill 24 hours.

Broccoli Slaw (because I had several huge broccoli stems )


5 large broccoli stems, peeled and shredded
3 carrots shredded
1/4 c mayonnaise
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T honey mustard

Combine and refrigerate

After all that chopping , it was time to make dinner. Happily, I took care of that prep while I was doing the other chopping

Chicken and roast vegetable salad

1 zucchini , sliced
1 fennel bulb sliced
1 red pepper cut into strips
1 onion cut into wedges
16 baby bella mushrooms sliced
1/2 lb asparagus sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
9 cups mixed salad greens
dressing of your choice

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Place all veggies but salad greens in a zip lock and toss
with the vinegar, garlic, rosemary and pepper to coat.
Place on cookie sheet and roast for 30 minutes, or till tender.
Meanwhile grill the chicken breasts and season as desired.
Cut chicken breast in strips. Divide salad greens into 3 portions,
top with 1/3 of the roast vegetables and 1 sliced grilled chicken breast.

After dinner we settled in for an evening of Huggermugger . I love playing these kinds of board games with my son especially ! Bob is another word geek and we always have a great time , but with my son it serves to be a better indication of knowledge mastered than a paper test. It always calms any anxieties I have about what he is actually retaining or understanding , and it makes for a lot of family laughs ! All in all it was a very good day !

Progress and worthwild pain

Busy day ! Best to begin it with something healthy- quinoa and frozen berries !

Then school, exercise, housework and a lunch break for some leftovers

Colorful salad and leftover Polenta casserole. Leftovers are something that I am trying to once again embrace. Having a family of 3 makes it hard for cutting down some recipes. You cannot cut some things smaller ( an egg for example), and not everything freezes. The polenta casserole kind of deconstructed when it was reheated ! In the afternoon it was a trip to the DMV to renew my license. I hate driving, but as much as I hate the act I hate the thought of having to redo the whole behind the wheel test even more, so I renew it. I have to say, the pain of this activity was infinitely less than the pain one of my nieces was experiencing at the same time. I got a new license for my trouble , but she got a brand new Abigail Marie !

7 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches long. Ready for the world, and will not have to deal with the DMV for at least 16 years !

Dinner was veggie lasagna in the crockpot- a MUCH better outcome with texture, but it seems all my lasagnas want to slide off their stack and deconstruct. It does not bother the guys, but it bothers me ! I served it with a salad of assorted greens , apple , pear and walnuts.

I noticed yesterday that my walking gait is more stable, even and a little faster. Working on my abs is helping my head to feel a little more connected with the ground when I walk ( hard to explain this one) , and that makes me feel a little less tentative about the terrain under my feet. That has been something that has really bothered me with arthritis. Because of the pain in movement it seems your focus tries to go to places not in pain, and in time you sort of lose your "connection" with things that the painful parts connect or engage with. When a step causes pain and you must constantly step, the survival mechanism does what it must to keep us alive.I think the abdominal work helps to increase the blood flow in my lower body, and with blood flows a certain "cellular awareness" or something, and you begin to be more alive. At least that seems to be what happens. Not sure, but I am looking forward to another opportunity to get out to walk in the woods again ! Perhaps one day I will be able to even consider running if things keep improving.

Quinoa double take

Busy day here today, so just a post with yesterday's food and a recipe.

Breakfast was quinoa with tropical fruit salad - yummy !

Lunch was leftover lasagna and grapes

Dinner was the last of the quinoa fruit and nut salad, a grilled garlic pork chop and Garbanzo Avocado salad

Garbanzo-Avocado Salad

1 can garbanzo beans -- (15 oz) rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado -- cut into small squares
1 fresh tomato -- cut into small squares

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.Serve on top of greens if desired

Polenta, hummus and weigh in-Oh My !!

First, the food. Yesterday was a pretty much normal day of school, exercise routine and Reiki work. Yay for ordinary , for it makes up so much of our actual lifetimes .

Breakfast was instant polenta cooked with a tablespoon of raisins and then topped with 1/3 of a cup of cottage cheese and frozen blueberries. The decision to use the cottage cheese was made in an attempt to use up the last of the container. Bob takes cottage cheese and cereal 2 mornings a week ( 1/2 cup each time) and Aldi's only sells cottage cheese in roughly a pound container. It means that we either do not have enough or get surplus that carries over to the next week , leaving not enough so buy more and run the risk of the new stuff going bad before it is used. Having a family of 3 and measuring portions can cause some weird little annoying things. I am still looking to find a half egg- which is what you need when you reduce a recipe for 6 people ( using 1 egg) TO FEED 3 !

Lunch was Green Monster soup from the freezer ( kale, broccoli, leeks, sweet potato, white potato), baked sour cream and onion crisps that have been lurking in the cabinet and falling out whenever I go in there for the last 3 months, veggies and 3 different kinds of hummus. Red pepper, walnut and eggplant. Why 3 ? Two were all ready in the fridge and the 3rd was made to use up some leftover baby eggplant

Eggplant Hummus

2 baby eggplants, roasted at 375 for 1 hour
1 can garbanzo beans drained
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
water as needed


Place all in a food processor and blend till smooth

Dinner was Turkey spinach burgers( ground turkey, frozen spinach, 1/4 c oat bran, 1 chopped onion) , tossed green salad with walnuts and cranberries and Quinoa Bean salad. This one you can make ahead, stores in the fridge for about a week and makes for a very different, colorful, tasty dis to pass at gatherings.

Quinoa Bean Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa
15 oz can garbanzos or white beans drained and rinsed
1 carrot finely chopped
1 cup rasins or currants
1/2 cup raw walnuts chopped
4 plum tomatoes chopped
1 small red or white onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup goji berries
2 teaspoons soy sauce or braggs annimo acids

Place in a bowl and mix well. Store covered in refrigerator for several hours to allow flavors
to blend

And it is Saturday Morning, so the contestants step up to the scale.

Me- DOWN 2.4 lbs
Nick- DOWN 2 lbs
Bob- DOWN 3.0

Another week down, another week to go !

Evil moms love new kinds of peppers and use peanut butter in different ways

Yesterday was the first full day back to normal. and it can best be summed up by walk, school, walk, more school. exercise with Wii, more school and walk. Peppered by numerous reminders to put your glasses on, showing how to clean them, reminders to wear them so you look through the lenses and not over them- all the things any person who wore glasses as a kid had to be told for a million times when they first started wearing them. The make a HUGE improvement in his reading skills , so the rule is we enforce wearing glasses when he is reading , on the computer or playing video games, but it is his choice for TV watching, exercising, outside play and so on. My logic with this one is it may also make him a little more eager to exercise. Ah, being an evil mom is fun !!!!

Breakfast was quinoa cooked with dried cranberries and topped with the last of the tropical fruit and strawberry mix. For some reason, I am really liking the taste of papaya with quinoa. Papaya is a less sweet fruit and something about it's flavor complements the nutty sort of taste of quinoa for me. Must experiment with that combo further

Lunch was 15 bean soup with garlic hummus and veggies. One of the selections was Mexican Sweet Orange Peppers. These taste a little sweeter than red bell peppers and have a bit more of a crunchier texture. They were sold in a bag of about 20 peppers in our market. Several of the newer varieties of sweet bell peppers make a really nice addition to raw veggie options, as well as working perfectly in any recipe that calls for bell peppers.

Dinner was two favorites combined for the first time , and they hit it of rather well. Golden Sweet Potato saute with Peanut Noodles and a side salad of romaine, watercress, apples and pears.

Golden Spinach and Sweet Potato Sauté

1 medium onion -- chopped
4 medium cloves garlic -- minced
1 cup + 1 TBS chicken or vegetable broth
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cardamom
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 cups sweet potatoes -- peeled and cubed
6 oz frozen spinach -- thawed
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

Chop onions and mince garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting
benefits.Heat 1 TBS broth in a large stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute. Add seasonings and lemon juice and stir to mix thoroughly. Add broth and sweet potatoes. Simmer covered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover to allow sauce to thicken and cook another couple minutes.
Press water out of spinach and add to sweet potatoes. Cook uncovered for a few more minutes to
allow sauce to thicken. Add cilantro, salt, and pepper.
Serves 4

Peanut Noodles

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar -- or 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup natural peanut butter

Boil water for noodles and cook according to package directions.
Meanwhile, peel and coarsely chop the garlic. In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic,
oils, vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, and optional red pepper flakes. Process until smooth, and
then season to taste with salt and pepper.Drain pasta and toss with peanut sauce. ( can be served with mandarin orange sections and or cilantro if desired)

Rainy morning here, and my priorities this day are cleaning the house, planning next weeks menu, school and probably more indoor hall walking. It's lower on the list today because the other things are must do and I can afford to take a rest day.It's all about balance in the end .

Stay-cation

We interrupt this diet journey to bring you the following mini vacation ! Opening fuel was provided by

Quinoa and berries. It seems that any grain and fruit combo works very well on my palette ! Quinoa is a nutty, chewy texture that pairs well with the sweetness of berries. Bob had a funeral this morning, and off he went while Nick and I played some Wii Walk it Out. Poor family of the deceased was a little scrambled ! Catholic Church law says that there can be no funerals preformed during Holy Week, and so the funeral was sort of rushed...as if any of them are a long time in planning !.

When he returned , we went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch( forgot to take pictures, but it was lots of salad, a cup of soup and 3 mini muffins) , and then we headed to the woods for the afternoon.

Slowly signs of spring are making their appearance.

A few early flowers are beginning to bloom. I am not totally sure what these ones are , but I plan on looking through my field guides to find out

Patches of lily of the valley, jack by the hedge and more are starting to appear through the brown.
We walked around, talked, investigated and I got a nice pink beginning of a semi sunburn. Thank you Irish Ancestors for giving me a complexion that gets burned with pictures of the sun !!! I don't care though. It felt good to be out in the woods and in the fresh air and sunshine. We may not be able to afford a trip money or time wise, so sneaking off to our local woods is the best that we can do some times. It's kind of a Staycation day trip- something that has become more and more popular.

We had all gotten well filled at lunch so dinner was a quick, healthy go to meal

plain nonfat yogurt, granola, blueberries and pumpkin seeds. Sort of a variation of breakfast for dinner. It was a good dsy

So many choices, so few mealtimes !

I was talking to a friend yesterday about dinner and lunch ideas and a thought crossed my mind- life is too short to eat bad food ! We were talking about different recipes and several were things I would want to make and could make according to my new way of eating. Problem is there are only so many meals in a given week and I am afraid that I might forget some of these ideas before I can try them out. We all have the same problem in life. We eat three meals a day, seven days a week and there are a couple of billion different ways to combine healthy, flavorful ingredients for these. Why should we waste an opportunity on something that comes out of a can, is served at a fast food counter or is packaged after being altered for maximum appeal in color and taste ? Last I checked, nothing coming out of Hostess, Stoufffers or Chef Boyardee looks as remotely appetizing as mixed baby greens or a fresh cut ripe papaya.

Perhaps the thought was brought on by a moment of panic and freezing. We did several hallway walks yesterday and we were joking and being silly the whole time. Mynew goal is to get my son to love movement as much as he loves fresh fruit, veggies and whole grains, so there must be some amusement involved. For reasons I am not totally sure of, I decided it would be fun to make a quick dash between entrances on the outside while in our stocking feet ( and son without a shirt). It was sunny but an incredibly stiff, cold north wind was blowing. We got out, dashed to the other entrance, only to discover the lock was not working and we were temporarily stuck outside , freezing. The situation was remedied in less than a minute and we both laughed about how mommy had a dumb idea and we got rosy cheeks out of the day. It was bracing !

Breakfast was quinoa with frozen blueberries and walnuts. It seems if you put frozen berries in hot cereal it helps to cool the cereal, thaw the berries and the temp mix is just right.

Lunch was the last of the lentil soup, the last of the celery, more carrots than normal , rye crisp crackers and hummus. I am oing to have to make another batch of lentil soup this coming week, and to do so I need a ham bone. Good thing ham is dirt cheap this week due to Easter !Lentil soup seems to be our favorite, with minestrone coming in a close second.I may make a batch of each to stock the freezer with.

Dinner got a little out of hand , due to a need to use up some veggies that have been sitting in the fridge for a little while now. The meal was 15 minute garbanzo salad ( garbanzo, tomato, celery and fresh herbs on a bed of salad greens) , Sesame Orange Kale and Chard, roast rutabega, carrot and sweet potato and a pork loin chop seasoned with ginger , tumeric and garlic. Somehow I bought too much of a couple of things two weeks ago and rather than toss them I determined to find a way to use them up. We go shopping on Saturday where a new stock comes in so I am kind of pressed to use it up. It happens some times !