The Kids Are Eating Well, but What About You?

Backpacks..check…new school clothes..check…getting up early…ughh. So the new school year has begun and we are all struggling to get back into a routine. We are making sure our kids are well prepared and ready to start the year off right, but are we as moms taking care of ourselves? I can think of a number of days where I run around doing all sorts of things for everybody but myself. One thing I always seem to skip is lunch and most of the time it is because I want something good for me and something fast. So this year I decided to make sure I am eating well for myself or at least. So here is a list of easy things to make and think of when you are running around crazy like me. After all, moms deserve good lunches, even if we have to make them ourselves!!

• Salads…you can add anything you like to salads. The more the merrier. Meat, cheese, nuts, fruit, and of course veggies! All you really need is lettuce and your imagination.
• Wraps. Get a package of tortilla wraps and add turkey, cheese, lettuce, and your favorite condiments, like sour cream or salsa or guacamole. Wrap them up and go!
• Veggies and dip. I love hummus and guacamole. They are great with carrots, celery, and broccoli. Pico is also a good companion with corn chips.
• Sandwiches. Turkey and Cheese, BLT’s or when all else fails, PB & J can’t be beat. You can make it with banana instead of jelly and try to use whole wheat bread and a pure fruit spread.
• Protein and Granola bars. They are better for you and usually have fewer calories than anything you will find on a value menu! They also fit in your purse!!
Another tip, make your lunch while making your kids and then it will be there waiting for you when you need it!!
So now that I have a list of choices, I don’t have any excuses. And neither do you!! So here’s to good lunches to ALL this school year!

A Delicious Treat For Any Occasion

Yesterday I attended a wonderful shower for a sweet teacher friend of mine. My good friend Monica hosted the event at her house. We had cake and games and presents were opened, but the one thing that stands out was the incredible appetizer I gobbled down. Before the games started, all of these delicious treats were gone. What were these tasty delights you ask? They were asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough. These light tidbits would be wonderful for any occasion of gathering. Her recipe came from Paula Dean, and when I did a search I found many options available. Here below is a recipe from recipetips.com:

- 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
- 1/2 package (16 oz) frozen phyllo dough sheets, thawed
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup asiago cheese, or parmesan, romano blend

Preheat oven to 375°.
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus.
Unwrap phyllo and cut the stack in half lengthwise.
Wrap 1 stack back up and place in the refrigerator.
Keep the other stack that you will be working with covered with a damp towel.
Take 1 sheet of phyllo, lay it out flat, and bush it with melted butter.
Sprinkle asiago or blend of cheeses down the strip.
Take 2-3 asparagus and lay them perpendicular to the strip at one end.
Roll up gently, the tops and ends of the asparagus will be showing.
Place the roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet.
Brush the top with more melted butter and sprinkle with more cheese.
Repeat until all of the spears are used up.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

I tell you these treats are good and tasty. Make them for your next occasion, or heck, just for the fun of it. They are that good! Let me know your opinion!!

St. Patrick’s Day Family Style!

Start your day off right with a green breakfast! Add green food coloring to scrambled eggs before you cook them and make St. Patrick and Dr. Seuss proud! A drop or two of dye in the milk may make even the most die hard non milk drinker wanna take a sip! If you want to add fruit, there’s nothing like green grapes and kiwi to keep everyone in the spirit! Another idea is to make store bought cinnamon rolls then add green dye to the frosting for a tasty green treat. Finally, there’s nothing better than green pancakes with the trusty die added to the recipe!

If you can sneak off to school here’s a great St. Patrick’s Day trick elementary children LOVE! Sneak into their classroom when they are at lunch and wreck the room! Move chairs around, take a few things from the teacher’s desk and put it on the children’s desks, change out pencil boxes. Sprinkle a little green glitter on the floor for leprechaun footprints and leave a chocolate gold coin or green jolly rancher on their desks from their “resident leprechaun!”

St. Patrick’s Dinner can be served the usual style with corned beef and cabbage here’s our favorite easy recipe:

Ingredients
4 pounds corned beef brisket
1 cup brown sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Guinness
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
Place the brisket on rack in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat entire beef, including the bottom. Pour the bottle of stout beer around, and gently over the beef to wet the sugar.
Cover, and place bake for 2 1/2 hours. Add vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, potatoes during the last hour of cooking.
Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Erin go Bragh!

Why do I always sit still in the drive thru?

by Maria Glazener

Okay, I admit it; I am totally obsessed with McDonald’s sweet tea. I love it because it is good and cheap, in that order. So, I find myself making my way through the drive thru numerous times a week. That $1.00 drink really gets me through the day. What I have come to notice is that the drive-thru is not what it used to be.

I worked at the McDonalds on Reynolda, two buildings ago, and was a whiz at the drive thru, if I do say so myself. I mean, you had to be fast. You were timed and got in trouble if people had to wait!
Nowadays, that doesn’t seem to be the case. I find myself sitting in line a lot longer than I used to. I am not sure if it is the patrons who seem to have a hard time ordering, or if the employees just don’t think hurrying is that big of a deal. Either way, I seem to find myself saying, “Really, why is this taking so long?” All I want is my tanker of tea and I will be on my way. How long does it take to fill up a 32 oz. cup?

Okay, before you say, “You could just get your lazy self out of the car and go inside.” I must tell you, I seem to always only have 2 minutes allotted for any “me” time. (Moms, you know what I mean)

So, getting out of the car and going inside, only seems to detract from the illusion of actually having a few minutes to myself.
Will I stop going through the drive thru? No, I love my sweet tea too much to give it up. I have decided to try and embrace the sit still and think of it as a mini vacation. We are all in too much of a hurry anyway, so maybe the slow drive thru is just life’s way of saying, “Enjoy the moment, Life is too sweet to waste!”

Do you have any Drive thru stories to share?

How do you define Comfort Food?

What do you think of when you think of the term comfort food? Does it bring up memories as a child or some new tradition in your home? Comfort food is a term used to describe food that gives you something more than nutrition. When people are sick, chicken soup is the dish that brings them comfort. There are actual reasons why chicken noodle soup actually helps a person recover quicker. In fact, there is research dating back to the tenth century when physicians made notes about the curative properties of chicken soup (it’s fascinating . . . Google it!).

Comfort food is different based on the time of the year and an individual’s geographical location, as well as age. Most people tend to think of comfort food in the fall and winter months. I asked my husband what he considered comfort food and he said slow-cooked, country style steak and mashed potatoes. He is a true Southerner. Other Southern comfort foods include cheesy grits and apple pie. In the north, people tend to lean toward mac and cheese and chicken pot pie.

Personally, my choice would be slow cooked chili beans over cornbread, and almost any soup (easy recipe follows). What is your definition of comfort food? If you have a long standing family favorite recipe, please share it!

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Easy Chili Beans over Cornbread: Make a pot of chili beans and a pan of Jiffy cornbread. Pour some chili beans over cornbread. Sprinkle with cheese. (My husband likes sour cream on his.)