The Best Toys in Life Are Free

I've long since known that the best things in life really are free.  Love, affection, kindness, kisses from my baby (which aren't exactly free - they usually come at the cost of a bit of coaxing and the occasional treat, but close enough).  I've recently realized that the best toys in life are also free.

My sisters have graciously paraded incredible, like-new hand me downs to my house since the day after I told them that I was pregnant.  Since the arrival of Baby Boy, I've literally bought him three books, two puzzles, and one train set, yet thanks to my sisters' generosity he has more toys then he will ever have time to play with in this life.  I thought we had tapped out all of the free toys that were to come our way, when out of the blue Meijer offered us another freebie that has become a huge hit around here.  

To be honest, I've been cursing Meijer for the last month as their remodel has cost me precious time in the grocery store searching for things that I can normally walk right up to and snag in seconds.  All of that hard work has finally paid off.  They gave Baby Boy a fake construction cap and he has been walking around like he is the boss for the last three days.  This little hard hat couldn't even be valued at a ha'penny.  Which by the way, ha'penny is tragically underused these days.  Anyway, here is just a taste of the joy that has come from this freebie...

I've been working on these plans day and night.

Alright fellas, here is what we gotta do.

Don't give me any lip.  The boss has always been allowed to eat while the rest of you work.



If I have to tell you guys one more time.



Working from sun up to sun down.



Man, it sure has been a tough day.  Gotta get some rest before I'm back to the grind tomorrow.





Timeless Tuesday: Re-inventing Dinner Classics

Sunlight from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. is one of the simple joys of life that finds us during Ohio's Summer.  There is a direct correlation between my mood improving and the length of day light.  This time of year also inspires me to find easy dinners so that the summer fun doesn't have to pause for long.

Last week I re-invented a few dinner classics that took minimal effort and came with easy clean-up.  As intended, our summer fun was barely affected by the necessity of dinner eats and those yummy classics of salad and pizza still tasted yummy.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Apple Smoked Turkey Bacon

I get salad-ed out very easily so I'm always looking for a leafy green twist to keep it fresh.  I've been hearing lots about grilling romaine and decided that with the grill begging me for some summer lovin' it was time to give it a try.  As far as salads go, it was spectacular.

Ingredients (serves 2):
3 romaine heads
1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
salt and pepper
a handful of cherry tomatoes
Apple Smoked Turkey Bacon (Or any other type of bacon you enjoy. Trader Joe's sells a few great Turkey Bacon options that are delicious and reasonably priced to give you that more gourmet feel.)

Directions:

Slice Romaine down the middle length-wise.  Spritz, brush, or drizzle (Whatever method you use.  For me and all of my non-fancy kitchen gadgets it was the back of spoon.) the romaine with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. A very light coat - you don't want the lettuce to get too soggy.  Add a little salt and pepper and send it off to the  grill.  Being the virgin romaine griller that I was I set the temperature to 350 degrees and also decided to leave the

lid ajar.  They were perfectly done in only 2-3 minutes on each side so I would recommend this method.  Insert joke here about losing my romaine grilling virginity (I don't do smiley faces, but come on that is deserving of one).

Meanwhile, simmer up some yummy bacon, turkey bacon, or if you are bacon shy I think a chicken breast would taste delicious sliced on this as well. 

Place your grilled romaine on a plate.  Duh.  Add your protein and toss on your cherry tomatoes.  Viola!  The hubby ate this up as though it was a real man's man salad.  Hello grill and bacon; no salad shame for him.  It was delicious sans dressing, but you could add a bit if you need a little extra flavor.  Caesar would also make for a zingy twist.



Kale Pizza

Maybe it is my Italian heritage, but I could eat pizza for every meal.  I can eat it hot, cold, or room temperature (Otherwise known as left out on the counter overnight.  Please note this was primarily during my college days, but I'm not gonna lie if there was a 'sat out overnight pizza' in front of me right now...I'd be pretty tempted.).  I'm always looking for ways to add a little bit of something healthy to my pizza to remove the tiniest bit of guilt I endure from it's consumption.  For instance, while pregnant with Baby Boy one of my favorite's was a Tombstone pizza topped with tons of spinach.  Horribly delicious.  Come on pizza totally doesn't count when balanced out with bushels of that vitamin K rich vegetable.  And Baby Boy turned out just as smart and beautiful as can be...

Anyway, the other night I had pizza fixings at my disposal, a head of Kale, and a husband who was working late (so as to not turn him off at the sight of Kale on a pizza).  Kale Pizza it was.

This barely requires a recipe, but I'll throw a quick one out there at you anyway.

Ingredients:
1 thin pizza crust
3-4 tbsp olive oil (or pesto, definitely pesto.  realized as soon as I made this I had a jar in the fridge and I cursed myself through the whole rest of the meal)
6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (fresh buffalo mozz would make for a delicious variation)
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 slices of fresh pepperoni  - we obsess over Boar's Head brand (or not, for the meatless)
a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes
6-8 chopped kale leaves

You know the order of pizza so just through it all together and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Bet you can't wait to try a slice.  Go ahead; I won't tell anyone...

irrational fears

Do you have an irrational fear?  One that your mind knows is complete lunacy, but you can't help but fear it anyway. 

My irrational fear is owned by a can of crescent rolls.  The Pillsbury variety.  The ones that you jam a spoon into to pop open.  I loathe them, I fear them, I scream like a little baby every time I open a can.

I've tried to ban them from entry, but the greasy, flaky, all too easy to make (I should be getting paid for this description, huh?) dough filled canisters keep invading my house. I shutter at the thought that the pop will end in a massive explosion that tosses crescent dough all over my kitchen and sends the edge of the can straight into my eye or my chest or my thigh (which now that I think about it - barring the eye I probably have enough natural cushion to protect myself from this type of explosion anyway.  Hmph, I suppose that makes the fear even that more irrational).

Anyway, I opened the fridge this afternoon to find one of those crescent roll cans had exploded inside.  Didn't make much of a mess.

I'm still afraid.

Now I've told you my deepest darkest most irrational fear.  If you're feeling brave, I'd love to know yours.  Please share in the comments section.  Remember, you are among friends here - we will only make fun of you a little bit.

Timeless Tuesday: Just chillin and a whole lot of these " "...

"Just chillin".  Do "the kids" say that anymore?  Probably not.  I've realized recently that when I use the word "dude" around my nephews they either lovingly mock me with a "duuuuudddde" or look at me oddly as though I've lost any shred of respect that I could have possibly maintained from their pre-teen vantage point.  So I suppose it is doubtful that "just chillin'" is in the modern day cool kid vocabulary.  Fair enough, but it unabashadely remains in my lingo.  I've never denied that I was an MC Hammer and New Kids On The Block loving product of the 90' and I'm not about to start.  Let's take a walk down 90's retro lane and dedicate this Tuesday to the lost art of "just chillin".

What's the "dillio"?  Why can't we stop "trippin" and get back to more "chillin".  That is exactly what I was thinking when I took this picture of Mr. November and Baby Boy last week. 

"Just chillin" is soooo "fly".  I've long since wondered why men were so much better at "chillin" than women.  After years of observation I've determined that it must be genetic.  Look at how "dope" Baby Boy is at "chillin".

This is the "rad" stuff you find when you're "just chillin".  And I'm happy to report that by our second day of "chillaxin" this little treasure was gone.  My heart tells me that the "motha" bird who lost it managed to retrieve it for further use.

And then there's the really, really "sweet" stuff that comes from "just chillin"...

Alright "homeys", I gotta "bounce".  Catch ya on the flip.  Word to ya motha!

Timeless Tuesday: G-rated Jokes

I enjoy a good joke.  I've always wanted to be one of those people that could rattle off a joke just naughty enough to be edgy and beg for your attention, and then reel you in with a well delivered punch line.  My want was for nothing as after years of botched punch lines I gave up the art of joke telling. At least I thought I had.  Thanks to Baby Boy's recent learning of the knock knock joke rhythm I've been reminded of how great a simple, clean, clever, kid joke can be.  And how easy they are to tell.  Even a joke telling novice like myself can mange to bring the G-rated house down with one of these timeless kid jokes...

Knock, knock.  Who's there?  Lettuce.  Lettuce who?  Lettuce in we miss you.

Knock, knock.  Who's there?  Banana.  Banana who.  Knock, knock.  Who's there?  Banana.  Banana who.  Knock, knock.  Who's there?  Orange.  Orange who?  Orange you glad I didn't say banana.

Knock, knock.  Who's there?  Little old lady.  Little old lady who?  Hey, I didn't know you could yodel!

What did one strawberry say to the other?  If you weren't so fresh we wouldn't be in this jam!

Why did the bacon laugh?  Because the egg cracked a yolk!

What is the capital of Alaska?  Come on, Juneau this one.

And if those jokes didn't make you laugh I bet this video will...

Have a happy Tuesday everyone and remember to filter life funny!

Vibrantly Nutritious

One of my dearest friends, Francie, is a nutritionist by trade and a lover of all things healthy at heart.  Thanks to a bit of my cajoling (since this is my blog, I have the right to take credit for her masterpiece right?) she has started her long awaited blog.  It is called Vibrantly Nutritious and you can expect it to be filled to the brim with great recipes and healthy advice. 

Francie's nutritious outlook is endearing because not only will she provide tips on nutritious cooking, but she can explain why your body needs (or doesn't need) a certain substance and how your body may react to it (sugar spike, weight loss, pairing of foods for optimal absorption, etc.).  She is also very helpful when it comes to grocery shopping tips.  I was interested in sugar substitutes a while back and I didn't even know where to start with the options let alone what aisle of the grocery store to look in - she was able to help me sort through the world of sugar. 

One of Francie's best traits is that she is always going to share what the healthiest options are and work hard to convince you that those are the choices you should be making; however, she also won't berate you if you decide that dessert and that second glass of wine are a must tonight.  Simply put - she is quite realistic about the temptation-filled world we live in and I'm thankful for that since as most of you know - I'm tempted pretty easily.  Fortunately, from her tips I am learning to make healthier choices for some of my temptations. 

I think you will enjoy reading her Vibrantly Nutritious posts which can be found at  http://vibrantlynutritious.blogspot.com/  .

I've also included her recipe for Roasted Chickpeas below as I mentioned this recipe in my Leaning into Green post and a few of you were interested.  Please enjoy courtesy of Francie.

Roasted Chickpeas:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse a can of chickpeas and pat dry with a paper towel. Pour the contents of the can on a cookie sheet lined with foil (for easy clean up!). Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the beans and any spices you desire. Francie's favorites right now are smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper. There are lots of spices you could use so just experiment. Place in preheated over for 20 minutes and take out and move the beans around. Then keep checking them every 7-10 minutes until they are golden brown.

Timeless Tuesday: To My Mother, To My Son

Mother's Day thoughts to my mother and son.

To my Mom -  I apologize for the exhaustion, the stress, the worry, and the frustration that I have caused you over the years.  Thank you for listening when no one else would.  Thank you for drying my tears.  Thank you for always being my biggest fan.  I'm sorry for any time that out of my teenage angst I might have even remotely implied that you weren't the greatest mother or that I didn't love you.  Those implications could not have been farther from the truth.  Thank you for showing me that a woman can be strong, confident, and beautiful on the inside and out.  Thank you for teaching me that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.  Thank you for giving me the tools and the freedom to fall in love with a great man.  Thank you for giving me the wedding of my dreams.  Thank you for the million little things you have done over the years to show me your love.  Thank you for understanding that I could never come close to imagining your love for me until I had my son.  I understand now and it is a love that is hard to put into words.  Thank you for loving me through the good and the bad and for being such a special woman.  I'm grateful to have you as my mother and my friend.  For any time in the last 31 years when I may not have said it - I love you.

To my Son - The exhaustion, the stress, the worry, and the frustration of being your mother is sometimes overwhelming, but I wouldn't trade a single second of it for all of the gold in the world.  I'm so grateful that I get to listen to you when no one else will.   I'm thankful that I get to be the one to dry your tears. I will always, always be your biggest fan.  Some day in the midst of your teenage angst you will tell me that I'm a horrible mother or that you don't love me.  I will understand that deep down in your heart you don't mean those words and I will love you even more.  I hope that I can show you that strength, confidence, and beauty must come from the inside as much as it shows on the outside.  I will do my best to teach you that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.  I pray that I can give you the tools and the freedom you need to fall in love with a special person some day.  My wish is that I can be there to help give you the most beautiful wedding you can imagine.  I hope that the million little things I do are enough to show you my love. I understand that you will never fully capture the depth of my love for you until you have a baby of your own.  Someday you will understand and I will be so happy for you.  Thank you for letting me love you and for being such a special son.  I'm grateful to be your mother and I look forward to the day that we can be good friends.  For any time in the last 18 months when I may not have said it - I love you.