It's almost Friday!

No fancy quote this time, just simply:

"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard."  ~Standing Bear


I'm off to soften my heart this weekend in Yosemite. :)

What is you favorite food?

Recently, I have found that my favorite food is one that I can alter to my mood and be most creative with, but one that does not take a lot of time and energy to make if I can't give it.  It can also be made healthy and can use a variety of ingredients.

What am I talking about?

Pizza!

 

So many options!
The crust: store-bought wheat or regular, pieces of bread that you can toast first to make mini pizzas, bagels, flatbread, large tortillas toasted, or your own from scratch. What else could you use?

Sauce: Some of many include: tomato, pesto, garlic cream, or even barbecue sauce.

Toppings: Anything goes - even potatoes (if you pair it with pesto and rosemary).  My favorite toppings are artichokes, mushrooms, and spinach.  If I want salmon, I pair it with red onion and barbecue sauce.  Make sure you cook your toppings separately first if your crust is already cooked. Then top them on and cover with...

Cheese: mozarella always works, but mixing cheeses is fine too.  I like mozarella and parmesan, and sometimes a little goat cheese.

Unleash your creative pizza-maker-self!

Someone's Birthday

It is my friend's birthday today, and when I called her, she seemed a little sad.  It wasn't very special feeling, she said.  She had to go to class, ate bad sushi, and no one sang to her.  I sang to her over the phone and told her she had to light a candle so that she could blow it out.  No excuses for not having a candle on your birthday - even if you dislike cake.  She really appreciated my forcefulness :)

Sometimes, feeling happy is about making other people feel great.  Especially on their birthday.  Remember, birthdays are very special to people.  It really is so easy to make a phone call, send a card, or make sure you can add just a little cheer to their day.  Don't leave it to someone else...because they may only send a text.

Coffee Goodness

Not only is coffee so comforting, but it also has many health benefits.  Click here to read more about how good it really is.

Everyone loves a smoothie!

Snack today for the kids in my program:

Peach, Stawberry, and Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie

Few kids (or adults) dislike smoothies.  The only non-takers were those who dislike fruit in general.  These were a great snack for a rare 100 degree September day.

Frozen Bananas

One of my constant challenges is serving snacks to the kids in my program that are both healthy and fun.

Today was a win!

Answer?

It's in the title! Frozen bananas...
All you must do is cut the banana in half (do not peel).  Stick a popsicle stick inside, and then unpeel the banana halves.  Place them in the freezer until frozen and until you are ready to enjoy them. The frozen bananas are delicious by themselves, but you can dip them in melted chocolate and then roll them in your favorite goodies (nuts, sprinkles, coconut, etc).  I decided to just drizzle a little chocolate syrup over the top because I do not have a double broiler to melt chocolate - and the microwave has never worked well for me in that area.

The kids loved the snack - and I did too. I was happy they ate their fruit, and they were happy it was decorated, they were able to choose their sprinkles of choice, and it was fun to eat.

I love breakfast

I am a breakfast eater - I can't go without! The the thing is, I am always eating the same things:
1.  a mixture of 2 of my favorite cereals, with some type of berries or banana, or
2.  yogurt with honey and toast

Over the weekend, I try to have something different, and this past weekend  I made delicious muffins that I found on food.com: Banana oatmeal muffins.  They are healthy, but aren't dry or bland.  They are moist, not too sweet, and simply delicious.

(Photo by GaylaJ on food.com -posted to recipe)

Julian Adventure in photos

Adventure to Julian, CA

Beer poached fig, goat cheese, carmelized onion, and arugla sandwich from Fat Face in Davis, CA - before we left for our road trip.


Famous Julian apples to fill their famous Julian pies.

View of the desert.

Cuyamaca Lake

Fires leave their mark.

Cars get pretty dirty on those small town dirt roads.  Car wash!

Mission beach

In a small town with spread out neighbors - you have to get creative with your mailbox :o)

 Delicious strawberry rhubarb pie enjoyed at home from Julian Pie Company.

Thursday quote again!

Mind, Body, and Soul - week one

Happy September!

I'm back into the full swing of things at my before and after school program.   I have to constantly keep in mind how to instill the YMCA's  motto of building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities.  Part of their mission is to promote the growth of a healthy spirit, mind, and body - just what this blog is about.

How I did that this past week and a half with the kids:

Spirit: Play with the kids - engage them and try to find out what their interests are.  The teachers and I asked them questions so that we could get to know them individually. For the kindergartners, we are having them start journals so they can get to know themselves. Every kid (and person) has a different personality and has different needs - they may need something different to let their spirit shine :)  

Mind: We encouraged them to sign up for the homework club, but in a more disguised way, we get them to think.  We play games with them when they walk through the door (such as trying to think of animal names from A to Z), and we give them a daily "interesting fact" on a board titled, "The BRAIN".  They pick topics they want to learn about and drop them in our "brain box".  Learning and exercising your brain can be fun....

I love this tree picture by loversdisengage.   What do you want to learn about?

Body:  Already started giving them healthy snacks such as: cucumbers with hummus and chips (most tried the hummus!), whole grain pasta with tomato sauce, and popcorn with tangerines. 

Hummus goes well with pretty much any vegetable - so it's a tasty way to have a healthy snack. 

A Well Kept Secret

Who would have thought that an American breakfast place named Cindy's could turn into a Thai place called Kow Thai Restaurant by dinner time? 

I sure never knew this after living in the small town of Davis for 5 years. My boyfriend and I finally found out about this well kept secret when his coworker enlightened us.  (How did she know about it? Who knows...) When I came to visit this past weekend, we decided to try it out.  Kow Thai used to be Thai Dynamite and is now under new ownership, so I'm not sure how they compare, but I did enjoy it.  I had some Thai salad and then tried something on the menu that I had not seen on a Thai restaurant menu before - artichoke soup.

This soup was so delicious.  It is basically like a traditional Thai coconut milk with mushrooms soup, but they added artichoke hearts!

This is what it looked like, minus the chicken: (photo courtesy of Baby Kato on food.com)

I am going to try to make this some time, but with the artichokes, more mushrooms, and no chicken - because it was just perfect that way.  You can find many coconut milk soup recipes online, but I did not find even one that included artichokes.

Not only did I enjoy my food, but Harry enjoyed his stir fry and Thai iced tea (free refills here - not like some Thai places). I'm glad we decided to try it.  I love finding unique places that offer new things that pleasantly surprise me. The fact that it was hidden inside of a diner, with hardly any customers, did not take away from the experience. 

A Jambaism

Think on Thursday:


I haven't seen Jambaisms in quite some time, but I remembered one that I really liked reading on the side of my Jamba Juice ...

Eat, Pray, and Love!

 

 

   

I read Elizabeth Gilbert's wonderful book a couple of years ago, so I don't remember all of the details.  Knowing exactly how the book went didn't matter to me because I was going to watch the movie and enjoy it for what it was.  I don't like to compare books to movies too much anyway, because they are by nature going to be very different. 

In the book, I underlined my favorite quotes, doggy-eared certain passages, and had to push my way through certain very detailed parts.  It was a heavy read for me (minus the Italy part), and I liked to read it slowly so that I could really get all that I could out of it.

I enjoyed the movie and I thought it was fairly easy to get the main message.  However, one person I know said he didn't get it - but maybe that is just because he is a guy. :o)  I think the main message/idea is right there in the title!

EAT:

Photo from the movie website

Elizabeth travels to Italy primarily to just eat and enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer. The American society is fascinated and probably almost obsessed with food, so she challenges this mindset and decides to thoroughly enjoy life - and every single bite of a whole pizza. 

This part of the movie somewhat reminds me of the book  "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano.  I didn't actually read this book but I heard her in an interview speak about how Americans need to learn to eat for pleasure.  We must enjoy every bite, take our time, and just eat.  Don't eat while driving, watching TV, or reading, just eat and enjoy ourselves or the company we are with.  We don't have to and shouldn't think of certain foods as good or bad, but take pleasure in eating it will balance itself out.

PRAY:

photo courtesy of turkishculture.org

In the second part of the movie (and book), Elizabeth travels to India to meditate and pray at an Ashram with her guru (one who is regarded as having great wisdom uses this knowledge authority to teach others).

Quotes from her book:

There’s a crack (or cracks) in everyone…that’s how the light of God gets in."


"[My guru] says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you are fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it..."


"Prayer is a relationship; half the job is mine. If I want transformation, but can't even be bothered to articulate what, exactly, I'm aiming for, how will it ever occur? Half the benefit of prayer is in the asking itself, in the offering of a clearly posed and well-considered intention. If you don't have this, all your pleas and desires are boneless, floppy, inert; they swirl at your feet in a cold fog and never lift."

-Elizabeth Gilbert 

LOVE:

I think that Elizabeth Gilbert's main message here is that first you have to love yourself, and then you can be free to love someone else.  You don't have to lose yourself and your balance in order to love someone - it can be part of that balance.  

The medicine man in Bali told Elizabeth this: "To find the balance you want, this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have 4 legs instead of 2. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way, you will know God."

Eat. Pray. Love

Perfect quote for today:

I'm going to see the movie tonight.  I've read the book and it was so inspiring.  Which did you like better?  If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, how can these three words relate to a healthier and happier you?

Trying new things

During this summer, I am not working at my before and after school program - but instead am a counselor at a Day Camp. Unfortunately, I do not have any influence on the kids' snacks there.  They eat the same snack twice a week: goldfish, fruit snacks, animal crackers, goldfish again... and I have learned that it is important to try to teach others (especially youngsters) to try something NEW and maybe, just maybe they will actually like it!

-Try swapping plain old cheez-its for some other type of cracker (wheat thins? Kashi crackers?)

I wasn't always so open to trying new things, but once I got to college, I figured it was the perfect time to experiment. I tried out new recipes, learned from new friends, and was definitely tired of eating boring DC food.  It still isn't always easy to step away from the familiar and comfortable.  For example, this past weekend, the boyfriend and I went out for brunch at one of our favorite places in Sacramento.  (Already have posted about this place).  I was tempted to get one of my favorite things since we hadn't been there for a while - but then I saw this very interesting East African Veggie Burger.

I really enjoy vegetarian foods but didn't know if this would be good. I'm also not very good at making decisions. :o( However, I told myself I was feeling adventurous and decided to order it. Good thing I did - it was yum.  And my boyfriend, who rarely would order anything vegetarian, tried it after I insisted and he thought it was pretty good too! I am trying to convince him that even very healthy sounding things can be quite delicious.

This was a wonderful way to end our not so adventurous weekend and kick off a new week. 

This week I am returning to my previous job as a site director for a before and after school program.  I am excited about being able to use my creativity with this new group of kids - and get them to try new things!

Old and New Part II

I love the combination of new and old. New to me, but old to someone else.  This has multiple meanings for me.  One: I take pride in learning about my family's history (wrote a story about my dad's immigration).  Two:  I enjoy learning about heirlooms.  Three:  Searching for antiques or other interesting vintage items has become very enjoyable to me for the past few years (partly because of my mom's interest).  I'm not into everything vintage, but I do enjoy certain kinds. 

This is an antique suitcase I found at an antique shop in Auburn while on an exploration day with my mom.  It was probably from the 1940s or 50s, because there are some old luggage tags and stickers that were dated from the early 50s. The woman who sold it to me said that the lady who sold it to her shop said it belonged to her father. I fell in love with this thing - partly because it still has its lock and key! (I also love old locks and keys.) I'm not sure what treasures I will keep inside, but for now it is holding things from my own travels: postcards, maps, travel journals, etc.

What does this have to do with "Think in the Pink?"

Good question.

Old and New

This is kind of a tricky one - because this is exactly what we do when we choose a quote.  We are selecting an old phrase; the only thing that makes it old instead of new is that someone else has already said it. Then, we can choose to comment on it, creating something new.  

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will post about an awesome "something old" I found.

A Spontaneous Adventure

Part of being healthy is doing what makes you feel alive.

Part of being creative is being spontaneous.

These two things definitely came together this weekend. Last night, my boyfriend and I decided to drive down to Santa Cruz and then do some hiking the following day.  There is nothing like deciding to go on a fun adventure in a moment's notice.  Exploring new towns, new roads, new restaurants, and new people, is something we always like to do.  As soon as we made the impulsive decision, I had a burst of energy and the drive down did not seem even half as long as it should have.

Some highlights: seeing baby quails, trying delicious fresh baked cookies from the Pacific Bay Cookie Company, hiking amongst ferns and streams, walking along cliffs with a view of the ocean, trying (and loving) a local restaurant by the harbor, driving along curvy roads while admiring the one of a kind homes, and good conversation with my best friend.

Something to think about on.... Thursday!

Remember when you wake up in the morning that you are lucky to be so healthy.  Take advantage of that feeling: eat a good breakfast, take a walk, and just be happy to be you and alive and breathing :o) So simple.

A delicious salad...

I received an awesome cookbook for my birthday, Everyday Food - Fresh Flavor Fast, from my friend Jaclyn.  I decided to try the warm spinach salad with poached eggs to break it in.  If you ever need a quick and easy meal, this is a good one.  You can substitute so many things in case you don't have something in your fridge. I've actually made it a couple times since the first time I tried it. 

You will need (for 4 people):
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs white-wine vinegar
4 large eggs
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 shallot, minced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces baby spinach (about 12 cups)


Step 1: Fill large skillet with 1 1/2 inches of water and heat over medium until bubbles appear on the bottom; stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar.  Poach eggs.
  ** Now this is really difficult and I've never had much luck so I decided to just fry my eggs over medium at the end.  But, if you'd like to give it a try, here are some tips.

Step 2: In a medium saucepan, cook bacon over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, 4 to 6 minutes; use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.  Cook shallot in rendered bacon fat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Carefully add remaining 1/2 cup vinegar, and boil over high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, 2 to 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3: In a large bowl, toss spinach with bacon and the hot vinaigrette.  Divide among four plates: top each with a poached egg (in my case, fried egg or two!).  Serve immediately!

I added cherry tomatoes to the spinach and piled the salad on top of two pieces of toasted whole grain Costco bread to make it more of a main meal.

The finished product:

Something to think about on Thursday

I've decided I'm going to start a Thursday health quote.  Here goes #1!

Think on Thursday...

What do you think? The possibilities are endless, and there are healthful activities for everyone.

Physical: yoga, running, soccer, stretching, etc. 

Mental: games, social interaction, reading, school, puzzles, etc.

Social: workplace interactions, talking with friends, or just being around other people, community, etc.

They all are related and can overlap.  If we don't take care of ourselves in one dimension, can the other suffer?

Artichokes

These weird looking things are artichokes. It is not just my favorite vegetable, but one of my favorite foods of all time. I have liked them since I was a little girl and have introduced them to many people.  I painted this for my sister (one of her favorite foods too.)  If you haven't tried them - please do!

If you don't know what to do with them once you buy them:

1.  Turn a pot of water on (large enough to fit however many you are cooking).  Put a little oil in the water along with some lemon juice and garlic.

2.  Cut off the very top part of artichoke (because it's pointy and dangerous) and cut off long stem.  Cut off pointy part of leaves with some scissors.  

3.  Place in boiling water for about 40 minutes.

4.  Take them out of the water and they are ready to serve!

To eat: dip leaves in either mayonnaise or butter.  (I prefer mayonnaise).  Once you get to the itty bitty leaves that you can't pull off, scrape those out with a knife.  Eat the heart after dipping it in your dip of choice!  Don't skip this part - it's the best. 

My first Artsy post - for a healthy imagination

Last Tuesday I sprained my ankle, and even though I'm not my usual mobile self, I haven't felt this creatively inspired for a while.  I decided I would make myself feel better by first, cleaning out or organizing something, and second, by creating something. 

#1: Sorted through three boxes of old greeting cards and letters.  I chose the pretty, the meaningful, the colorful, etc.  I recycled the ones I didn't want to keep.

#2: The ones that I liked, I cut out certain personal phrases, letters, sayings, and decorated a box and a small wooden shelf with the collage pieces.

Once you are down gluing the pieces on, put a layer of "Modpodge" to seal it, or some other type of finishing product. Now, you have cleaned out some space in you closet...and you can read your favorite cards without searching for them.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a very popular vegetable in Germany.  Don't ever eat it raw, trust me, but when cooked it is transformed into nothing short of wonderful. I love that it isn't too sweet, but has a tartness to it.... So delectably different.

Here, in a restaurant in southern Germany, it is cooked with other berries and sugar, and served with some sort of vanilla sauce. Soon after I arrived home, I knew I wanted to make a rhubarb sauce to dress up desserts (among other things).  I found a recipe for strawberry rhubarb sauce on Recipezaar and it is delicious.  If you don't have the exact ratio of rhubarb to strawberries, it's okay - use whatever you have.  I tried it wish both fresh strawberries and rhubarb, but I think frozen would work just fine if it isn't the season.

In Germany, I've seen rhubarb paired with other fruit in fillings of cheesecake, pies, and tarts.  I've tried this sauce on ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, and even toast!

Europe!

For the past 3 weeks I have been exploring Germany, France, more of Germany, and the city of Praha in the Czech Republic.

Stay tuned for my new snacks and meals inspired by this rendezvous!

Spanish French Fries

 A take on a Spanish French Fry meal....

A couple of days ago I had a craving for some food that I ate in Spain while abroad.  I remember thinking it was strange how they incorporated french fries into some of their dishes.  It was not just a side dish, but the fries were eaten WITH meat (chicken, pork, etc) and peppers, all scrambled with some egg.  It was different, but so good.

They did not use sweet potato fries, but I chose to when I cooked this up for my lunch.  Good choice.

 My own ingredients:

-sweet potato fries
-onion
-red pepper
-mushrooms
-spinach
-2 eggs
-olive oil, salt, garlic
*add any vegetables you like, but red bell pepper is vegetable the Spaniards used, and there is a reason for it :)
*add any meat if you want, but the egg scrambled with it all is a must!

Directions:
-Cook your own size serving of french fries according to package directions in oven.
-While fries are roasting, add your preference of vegetables into a saute pan. 
-I first sauteed white onion and sliced red bell peppers with some olive oil, garlic, and salt
-After onion and red pepper were half-way done (1-2 minutes), I added sliced mushrooms and a handful of spinach.
-Add 2 eggs and scramble all together.
-Add cooked french fries into the pan and let the egg finish cooking around the fries and vegetables.

Enjoy without any sauce, or add some salsa or ketchup. In Spain, they have a delicious red sauce they enjoy with potatoes or french fries but I have no idea how to create that masterpiece. :( So, until I figure that one out, ketchup or salsa works like a charm.

Dates!

These are my recent favorite food.  Why? ...they make a lot of dishes taste amazing and provide ample opportunity to be creative.

My new invention for a delicious breakfast:

Yummy Yogurt Wrap

What you need: plain yogurt, pitted dates, some type of fruit (bananas or blueberries or my favorite addition), honey, peanut butter, a favorite crunchy cereal (I use fiber one for this), and wheat flour tortillas (or some type of thin flat bread)

For one person's breakfast:
1) In a bowl, mix together:
- 3/4 Cup plain yogurt
- 3 pitted dates chopped
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1/4 Cup blueberries
- 1/4 Cup cereal

2) Place half of one mixture in one wheat flour toritilla, and the other half in the 2nd tortilla.

3) Drizzle yogurt filling with honey.

4) Roll up and enjoy.

**Warning: Can be messy. :o)

Turkey Burger

Short and Sweet Tip

for...

A JUICY Turkey Burger!

Usually, turkey burgers can be very dry because there is a lack of fat in the meat.  I have discovered a great trick that does not add a distinct flavor, in case you have a certain recipe in mind.

*For 4 servings of ground turkey, add about 3 Tbs of soy sauce. Also add a clove of garlic.  This makes the burger really juicy and delicious!! :o)

Tonight we added for toppings:
-carmelized onions and roasted red peppers
-slice of provolgne cheese that we placed on top of the patties when they were almost done

Vegetarian Friday

Cooking dinner on a Friday night is rare for me. Oh but when it happens, it feels great.  I think I really prefer cooking to eating out, unless it's a very unique restaurant. 

Dinner last night:

Sauteed polenta circles, topped with portobello mushroom slices and provolone cheese, artichoke marina sauce, and grated parmesan. 
-use half of a polenta log package for 1 whole portobello mushroom
-artichoke marinara sauce (find at most grocery stores)
-couple slices of provolone cheese
-grated parmesan cheese

First, place 1/2 inch thick slices of polenta in a pan with olive oil.  Sauté a couple of minutes on each side.  Place polenta circles in a baking dish. (Preheat to 400). Then, sauté slices of portobello mushrooms in olive oil until tender - add salt and garlic & herb seasoning to taste.  Layer slices on top of the polenta.  Layer provolone slices on top of the mushrooms, and then spread artichoke marinara sauce in a thin layer.  Last step - be generous with the top layer of parmesan cheese. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, and then broil (550) for 2-3 minutes.

We also had a side of sauteed spinach with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

And some good whole grain bread from Costco, toasted with butter.

Cheesecake snack & cabbage pasta dinner

Snack for the kids today:

-one graham cracker
-spread cream cheese on top
-top cream cheese with strawberry jelly (or any kind of jelly/jam. lemon curd is close 2nd)
They LOVE this snack.  It tastes like cheesecake :)

I first tried this while studying abroad in Spain on top of these really good "digestive crackers".  It sounds weird, but these crackers are scrumptious. 

Dinner:

Spaghetti with Cabbage

I found this recipe on delish.com.  It was pretty easy and really good.  In order to make it my own, I added a little ricotta cheese on top. 

Valentine's Day brunch & dinner

We decided it would be better to go out for brunch at our favorite breakfast place: Tower Cafe in Sacramento, and then later cook our own dinner at home.
The Tower Cafe is so unique and the menu is great.  The outside eating area is lush and great for people watching: exotic plants, flowers, fountains, and colorful waiters/waitresses.  If you choose to sit indoors (or if weather makes that choice for you), the colorful decorations  and art on the walls are equally interesting and different.  Here are some photos from their website:

  

This is what I had for brunch: crepes filled with sweetened cream cheese, topped with almonds, whipped cream, and a huge array of fruit on the side.

Our Valentine's day dinner

Last week, my mom and I had developed a recipe for a good mango salsa, so I decided we could make that with some salmon.

The mango salsa: 

-one mango
-one medium tomato, chopped
-half of a white onion, chopped
-half of an Aneheim pepper, chopped and take out the seeds if you don't like too much heat
-3/4 cup kidney beans or black beans
-handful of cilantro
-salt to taste

Serve this over some baked salmon! Mmmmm......

Our side dish:

-1/2 onion
-2 small zuchini or 1 large, sliced
- sliced mushrooms after 2 minutes
-season with salt, pepper, and some garlic

Start with the onions and some garlic seasoning, sautee them on high heat to carmelize and then bring down to medium when you add the zuchinni.  Add mushrooms after about a minute.  Salt and pepper. (We added about 1/2 cup of some wild rice when we added the mushrooms - this rice cooks in 2 minutes)

-While cooking veggies, cook half a bag of Trader Joe's harvest grains, cooked in chicken broth with 1 Tbs butter
-Combine vegeables with harvest grains.  Quite tasty :)


The finished product~

Eating out vs Staying in

It is easy to eat healthy when you are on your own, but when you are with your boyfriend... it may be a little more difficult to compromise.  Most of the time, we eat out because he has absolutely nothing in his refrigerator.  He works out in the field a lot, so why stock up?  I think he has butter and some month old apple sauce. 

On Friday night we ordered a Papa Murphy's take and bake pizza. This is not usually something we do, but the decision is halfway between going out and cooking our own dinner. He wants to eat better, so he gladly chose the vegetarian pizza.  It was pretty tasty.  You really have to love pizza, in general.  Bread, cheese, and virtually any toppings you want.  It can be really bad for you: loads of meat, too much cheese, and 2 inch thick bread, but if you make it yourself or choose wisely, it can be balanced, and even more - a deliciously satisfying pick.  Something we might try - ordering a plain cheese and then adding our own toppings: artichokes, scallops, spinach, tomatoes.....

Saturday = flashback to the early days of our relationship. It is easy to forget to eat when you are first dating someone.  You have no appetite.  Well, that is also true when you are not getting along with someone.  My boyfriend and I did not eat until 4:00 pm. that day, after only having coffee in the morning.

What was for lunch/dinner?
If you are familiar with the restaurant Pluto's, that's what.  Pluto's is a great place in Northern California where you can create your own delicious salads.  You choose from about 15 different toppings, including meat, and it comes with freshly baked bread.  If you don't want a salad (and most people do), you can choose a sandwich special, or some carved meat, and add a side of mac and cheese, soup, or some veggies.

My favorite things to add to the Pluto's salad, or any salad:

-garbanzo beans
-kidney beans
-beets
-mushrooms
-blue cheese or parmesan
-broccoli, tomatoes, or a substitute veggie.
...to some mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

How The Party Went

The Valentine's Day party was smooth running, but it was surprisingly very low key.  Most of the kids went home early because of other plans, so we (my other staff member and I) didn't have much chaos to content with.

In the early afternoon we had 10 excited kindergartners, so we played a Valentine's Day game where they all hid paper hearts around the room.  Then, at 2:00, they got to watch the older children search madly for them.  They  had a hard time not giving away any hints, but really liked the whole activity.  It was fun for them to know something that the other children did not.

At 3:00, we had our "potluck" with only about 15 kids.  Parents brought in delicious but simple healthy food: a veggie tray, mixed fruit bowl, and cheese.  We made homemade bread at the site with our new breadmaker...and that was it!

The kids had an array of colors (the colors of the rainbow) to choose from.  They did ask about the cupcakes a parent had brought that were waiting for them behind the counter - but were fine with the answer that they would have to wait and eat this food first. 

Kids have to be kids.  We put on a movie a little later and served the cupcakes and they thoroughly enjoyed them.  Kids have to have the goodies...but I was happy that the day didn't have to be all about candy and treats.  When each kid left, I handed them a their goody bag that i had put together, and they all seemed excited to see what was inside - tools to be creative and a cuddly stuffed animal - nothing to rot their teeth :o)

Vday Worries

Today is our Valentine's Day party potluck.  How do I teach the kids that there is more to think about than candy?

What I've done so far:
Made a sign up list that seperates veggies, bread, cheese, meats, drinks, and one spot for desserts.  This way, only a couple of people can bring in sweets.

I made a goody bag for each child and it only contains non-food items: slinky, stencil, pencil, balloon,  mini stamp with their initial, and mini erasers.

I'll let you know how it goes.