Down the slippery slope

Being the Mom means managing most of the food intake for the family members. (I guess because I have boobs and have used them to feed my offspring, I'm supposed to be an expert on food an nutrition?) Anyway, I try to limit the junk intake in our house because I DO care about the health and well-being of my loved ones. I also try not to be TOO Nazi-esque with junk food because it can lead to dangerous binging.

I once had a friend whose mother was a nurse and wouldn't let her eat things like chips and ice cream because of the potential damage to her health. This friend admitted that she once snuck to a corner market near her home and bought a can of Pringles with her allowance. She then proceeded to shove as big a stack of Pringles that would fit into her mouth and chew and chew and savor the salty, fatty, crunchy goodness.

My mom was also a nurse and while my Sis and I were growing up Mom was a careful monitor of the family's food intake. We had treats, but they were divied up and rationed out. Mom would put the treats for the coming week into the large freezer in the basement so we wouldn't snarf everything at once. One of the rare times my Sis and I were ever in cahoots was to look for the freezer key so we could sneak some of the treats.

We also got to have a few more treats when we were on vacation. That was definitely a special time. We didn't get to go hog wild or anything, but the restrictions were relaxed a bit.

Earlier in the month ONO and I took the mini-muffins on a little vacation. It was the only official one of the year. We spent a night camping at the Indiana Dunes, a day at the Dunes beach, and then a night in a hotel (ONO is SOOOO smart!) And, true to form, I relaxed the snack restrictions for the sake of the vacation. Being mostly vegetarian, meat is a big treat. So for camping we had hot dogs and brats and for breakfast we had some sausage. We also had those little powdered sugar donuts as well as Smores. How can you not have Smores camping??? At the beach we had TWO kinds of chips and a taco dip and ONO and I each brought along a 6 pack of our favorite soda. His is diet Coke, mine is full-powered Pepsi.

I REALLY enjoyed our get-away -- in many ways. It was a mostly relaxing, fun time with few worries. But, even after a few weeks, I'm still struggling to claw my way back up to the top of the Food Pyramid.

Here's what we all know we're supposed to be eating:



Here's what my eating habits looked like on vacation:



Of course it would be "Pepsi" not "Coke," but still, the image is about right.

The problem with this slippery slope is that it's so nice and squishy (or crunchy, depending on your cravings) down at the bottom. But I keep reminding myself that I really don't need anymore squishy than I already have.

What's Cookin' Wednesday

This recipe has quickly become one of our favorites. It is SO easy it's ridiculous. I decided to try it after getting a hankerin' for California Pizza Kitchen a few weeks ago. Oddly, CPK doesn't offer this pizza any more. It was what I ordered every time I went there.

Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

1 refrigerated pizza dough (I used Pillsbury)
6-8 slices of Provolone cheese
2 pears, thinly sliced
6 oz of Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Mixed salad greens

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Spread pizza dough out on lightly greased baking sheet
Lay Provolone on top of pizza dough
Top with sliced pears
Sprinkle walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese on top of pears

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees. All cheese should be melted and bubbly and crust should be golden brown.

Top with mixed salad greens.

Enjoy!

In the not-so-cold ground

So my experiment with the milk jugs didn't work. They kept blowing over in the windy-ness of March and they didn't stay moist and warm enough for the seeds to sprout. Next time I'll remember to weight the bottoms and make sure I have all the lids for each container.

I would have re-planted long before now except that for the last week the weather was entirely uncooperative. Thankfully, today Mother Nature gave us a nearly cloudless day with temps in the 60s. All I can say lady, is.....IT'S ABOUT TIME!

We got a bag of mushroom mulch from our fave nursery and I "worked the soil." As always, there was a lot of "help," mostly in the way of finding big, fat juicy worms and telling me where I should put them. No, not in that sense -- Brennan just has a strong sense of where things should go ("Back in the garden, Mommy! Not in the compost bin!") This one apple sure didn't fall far from the tree!

Here's what should be poking their cute little heads up above ground in 7 - 10 days:

Sugar Peas



Spinach



Red Russian Kale


Radishes (one of ONO's favorite)


chamomile (I had no idea it was such a pretty flower. Gravy!!)


basil


cilantro

[If you're not a gardener, these probably all look like the same green stuff. Sorry to bore you.]

I'm a little disappointed that things didn't work out as planned, but even with this "traditional" planting we should be feasting on our own tasty, organic produce by late May to early June. Delish!

Random (not deep) thoughts

I ran 8 miles today. That's my farthest yet. Good for me.

Why is it so hard to have a reasonable conversation with a 16 year old boy?

I love Cheetos.

If only I was a 16 year old boy.

How many Cheetos can I eat after running 8 miles?

There should be a support group for moms of 16 year old boys.

I should marry Cheetos.

Better run tomorrow.

I do NOT like track running

Just so ya know.

I was looking forward to running yesterday when ONO got home from work. Twice a week I spend the entire day the mini-muffins, and by the time he gets home I need to run away (pun intended).

But yesterday, the predicted one inch of snow turned into 4 inches, with a sprinkling of sleet. I thought hard about it and I realized it wasn't a good idea to run outside. It's not the snow, so much, or even the sleet. It's the stupid drivers not slowing down, not seeing me, suddenly seeing me and then spinning out of control, right into me. Perhaps a little hyperbolic but entirely possible.

So, I opted for the U of I armory track again. Bleeechhh. There just wasn't anything interesting about it this time. And for some reason my legs felt blocks of lead. It might have been the generous plate of tofu Pad Thai I'd eaten only an hour before, or the shoveling I did before hand so I could get to said armory. At any rate, I felt slow. Slower than slow. Slow as molasses. In Alaska. Slower than a sloth in the Amazon rainforest. In summer. I think you get the picture.

And it didn't help that I was the oldest person on the track by say....25 years. OK, maybe 20. But still! I really psyched myself out by focusing on all the young, trim, fast college students lapping me. And it wasn't until about mile 3 that I realized I was doing that. Oooohhhhh. Riiight. This is why running is said to be a mental sport.

I finally stopped watching everyone else and started paying attention to my breathing, my form, my music.

And then I went home and had hot chocolate and a bunch of Oreo-Minis.

Worst EVER (so far)

I look forward to my long Sunday runs. This week was no exception. I had spent most of the weekend painting the basement (more on that to come) and I was ready to get out of the house and work the bottom half of my body.

The weather had been a little milder than usual and I was tricked into thinking that I would only need a base layer and light, track jacket. It wasn't long before I discovered that the wind was as brutal as it always is on the prairie.

I changed my route to manage the wind better, a disappointment as the original route took me through a lovely prairie restoration park. Instead, I ran toward the U of I campus thinking their sidewalks would be clear of the six-plus inches of snow that had fallen a few days ago. They were and all was going well until it started to rain....33 degree rain. This, with the wind, made cutting things short soooooo worth it.

Ok, time for another route change. I started back towards the car thinking I could go through the graduate student housing. What a crazy mess of mazes that was! That alone would be irritating enough but the sidewalks weren't clear, the road was in early flood stages, and the cold, cold rain was coming down harder. I swear if I'd had any money, I'd have gotten on one of the many buses that went by me. (Go ahead and say it....I know I'm a woussy).

I FINALLY got back to the car and was seriously chilled and shaking. I didn't even bother stretching. All I could think about was what was waiting for me at home:




The Super Bowl and a little bit of crunchy heaven.

What's Cooking Wednesday

We eat a lot of soups in the winter, and lately, soup has really been hitting the spot.

This recipe is one of ONO's favorites, along with some warm, crusty bread.



Kidney-Kale Soup


1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can kidney beans, drained
2 cans (15 oz) of vegetable broth
1 can of diced tomatoes in sauce
1-2 cans of water from broth can
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp seasoned salt
Pepper to taste


Sauté onions, carrot & red pepper in olive oil till almost soft, than add the
garlic and sauté till the other veggies are soft. Add beans, corn, broth,
tomatoes, 1 can of water and bay leaves and simmer for 30 minutes, adding
additional water as needed. Add kale and cook till kale is wilted. Remove bay
leaves before serving. This is really good with cornbread.
Serves: 4-5

Yes, chock full of nutrition, but sure as you're born, the kids probably won't eat it. Too many green things.

Yes, it was worth it

I ate 7 of these for breakfast today.....

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Candy Cane Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1/2 cup peppermint candy canes, crushed
• 1/2 cup white sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, white sugar and confectioners' sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Cover or wrap dough and chill for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Divide dough into halves. Color one half red by mixing in the food color. Roll a small amount of each dough into a 2 inch long worm. Roll them together in a twisted rope and curve the end like a cane. Place onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 1o 10 minutes in the preheated oven. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed candy cane and remaining white sugar. Roll hot cookies in the sugar mixture. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed candy cane and remaining white sugar. Roll hot cookies in the sugar mixture.

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As always, I had lots of help. Maybe he'll be a naked chef?

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Fall has definitely arrived and as it gets cooler I find myself wanting warm, cozy, comfort food. Here's a soup that's easy AND tasty. I put it in the crock pot and skip the puree step -- that makes it even easier. Serve with crusty bread. Yum!

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Cheddar Potato Soup

• 4 cups peeled, diced potatoes (about 4 medium)
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• seasoned croutons

In a large saucepan combine potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree in small batches in a blender until smooth; return to the pan. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted. Serve garnished with croutons.

Stocking up on basics

I try to grocery shop once every 2 weeks, but I noticed we were getting low on some very important items so the boys and I went to the store while George worked on the basement. We came back with

chocolate syrup
chocolate Teddy Grahams
chocolate chips
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate coffee

Hmm. I'm noticing a theme.

Not to worry, folks. I also came back with 100% juice, whole wheat bread, almonds, dried apricots, prunes, reduced fat Wheat Thins (with 0% trans fat!) and Kashi Pumpkin Spice Flax crunchy granola bars. We eat pretty healthy most of the time, but a girl's gotta have her chocolate!