Five Ingredients, Five Minutes

The criteria for tonight’s dinner: 1) super fast (10 minutes or less) – kids were ravenous, 2) super tasty – I was hungry too and felt like something civilized, 3) includes something green – self explanatory, 4) ingredients already in the fridge – see criteria #1.  And the winner was…

Fresh Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Parmesan Read more

Falling Leaves + Mushroom Soup

Yesterday marked the official beginning of Fall, a season I experience mostly through nostalgia now that I live in California.  As a child growing up in the Midwest, I was acutely aware of Fall’s crispness.  Our family often continued living in our summer cottage well into the fall, huddling in front of a glowing red space heater as we got dressed to go to school.  We piled on wooly sweaters, raked leaves, and celebrated our progress by jumping into the piles and emerging with heads full of crimson oak leaves.  Read more

Good, Not Harm

After already eating a sugar-laden yogurt and a piece of toast smeared with that totally amazing Justin’s Hazelnut Butter spread (“healthy” Nutella), my son asked if he could have a “treat” (read: sugary something).  “No love,” I replied.  “You have had enough sugar for today.  Sugar isn’t very good for your body.”  “Why isn’t it good for me?” he asked?  I then racked my brain to think about what a 5-yr-old would be able to understand. “It’s just empty calories,” doesn’t really work when someone has no concept of what a calorie is. Read more