In just over a week, we are heading out on our second road trip of the summer. While our first summer road trip (see HERE) took us to points west, this time we will drive east: driving from Colorado to Michigan. We’re all excited to visit our Michigan family, and spending two weeks on the shore of Lake Michigan will be a lovely bonus.… Continue reading
All Natural Super Fruit Milk
The other day we were at story time at our local library and one of the kids had a sippy bottle full of strawberry milk. It had the distinctive bright pink color of the Strawberry Quik I drank as a child. I found myself surprised that stuff was still being sold (I thought it went the way of Tang – is that still around too?).… Continue reading
Simplify Saturday: Culling Cookbooks
When I was still in school, especially when I was in graduate school, I would read through cookbooks like I read a novel: from front to back. (Honestly, I’m a front-to-back reader with any book I pick up – I’ve never been one to skip sections.) My roommates would frequently tease me, “That’s now how you read a cookbook.” To which I would generally reply, “You mean, it’s not how YOU read a cookbook.”… Continue reading
Healthy Snack: Cucumbers with Soft Goat Cheese (Chevre)
This week’s healthy snack of choice is Sliced Cucumbers with Soft Goat Cheese. The goat cheese is loaded with healthy fats, as well as giving a nice tangy taste and creamy feel to the snack (For information on the health benefits of goat cheese, please see HERE). The cucumber is crunchy, juicy, and wonderfully refreshing. Together, these make a great combination, and the rounds are simple and quick to prepare.… Continue reading
Still Alice, by Lisa Genova
Still Alice is at once heart-breaking, riveting, and terrifying. This book hit home for me. Hard. I’ve watched a great-grandfather, a grandmother, and now my mother-in-law slowly lose their minds to this currently incurable disease. As I read, I cried, and I cried, and I cried.
You need to read this book. Everyone needs to read this book. Alzheimer’s is becoming increasingly prevalent in this country, and if you don’t currently know someone with this disease, at some point you will.… Continue reading
Greens Cake: A Mixed Greens Side Dish
We’ve been eating a lot of braised greens lately (Garlic Braised Greens (recipe HERE), Braised Greens with Cranberries (recipe HERE), Eggs over Braised Greens (recipe HERE), and so on). So I was looking for another way to prepare them to add a little bit of variety into our greens consumption. As I was thinking about this, I remembered seeing this recipe on Elana’s Pantry years ago.… Continue reading
Thought for the Day: May
Our everyday decisions make up who we are, as well as having a huge, cumulative impact on all of the living things around us. Let’s make our choices mindfully.
“People attain worth and dignity by the multitude of decisions they make from day to day.” — Rollo May… Continue reading
Life: When Chaos Descends
Every once in a while, I feel like chaos simply descends upon our house. We’re all going through life, fairly normal and happy and in a routine of sorts, and then, one day, seemingly from out of nowhere: chaos. This week it was ushered in by the conjunction of two things. First, my 2 year old is both teething and has a nasty cold.… Continue reading
Making an Edible Fruit Flag for the 4th of July
While discussing the significance of the 4th of July in American history, my 6-year-old had the idea of making an edible flag entirely out of fruit to eat during our celebration. He loves fruit, so he was excited to be in charge of preparing a big tray of “yummy treats.”
His preparations for this undertaking gave us the opportunity to talk a bit about the American flag, what it looks like now, and how it has changed over the course of our country’s 239 year history.… Continue reading
Simplify Saturday: Create a Daily To-Do List
As long as I’ve known him, my husband has kept a daily list of priorities. He even numbers them, with the 1s being things that need immediate attention, on down to those things that will only happen when there’s abundant extra time. He modifies this list frequently, and refers to it daily.
I’ve seen that practice for over 13 years now, and I’ve decided to give a modified version of it a try.… Continue reading