Egg On Your Face

Ever heard anyone say "you have egg on your face!"
It usually doesn't mean what you see in the picture here however!  The definition usually goes something like this... often implies that you have made a serious mistake, but more strictly it indicates that something you have done (or some turn of events) has left you looking embarrassed or foolish.
Been there done that!

However, this morning I really had egg on my face.  I had taken the girls to IHop for breakfast.  They love going out for breakfast there when they spend the night with me.  As usual, the breakfast was yummy and the service was great!  On my way out to pay the check however, the waitress stopped me and pointed to my chin and said, "you have a little egg on your face," and handed me a napkin to wipe it with.  I hadn't felt the crumble of scrambled egg on my face, but I sure did appreciate her telling me it was there.

It brought to mind a time when I was working at a physician's office in Warner Robins, Georgia.  I had been at work all day seeing patients and late that afternoon my daughter dropped by.  She took one look at me and said, "Mom!  Why are your eybrows PINK!?!?!"

"What," I said as I ran for the bathroom mirror.  As you can see, I don't look at myself in the mirror very much!  Much to my horror my eyebrows were actually Hot Pink!!  They had been that way all day.  Apparently in my hurry to get dressed for work in the semi dark that morning, I had grabbed a lip liner rather than my eyebrow pencil!  Good Grief!  I quickly wiped the offending stuff off my eyebrows and went out to talk with my friend and the office secretary, Deedee. 

"Deedee, for goodness sakes why didn't you tell me I had pink eyebrows?"  She looked at me totally innocently and said,

"I thought you were just trying something new."  Oh my gosh she had been looking at me all day as had all the patients and the doctor, and nobody had said a word about those atrocious looking eyebrows!  I felt like a complete idiot!!!

Anyway, I am telling you all this to say that if you notice something out of the ordinary like spinach in the teeth, egg on the face or Pink Eyebrows, for goodness sakes say something!  Most of the time I am sure it will be greatly appreciated, and if you happen to run into someone who doesn't appreciate it, just chalk it up and go on.

I just made a great pasta salad, and I want to share the recipe with you.  Pasta salad is great for summer and doesn't have to be laden with mayo or other heavy dressings to be absolutely delicious.

Cook 2 cups rotini pasta until tender and drain and set aside.
Chop finely
    1/2 medium vidalia onion (or other mild onion)
    1 medium sized firm tomato
    3 stalks celery
    1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
and combine in a large bowl.
Add 1/2 cup Caesar Dressing and 2 teaspoons garlic salt and mix thoroughly.

Chill

The kids loved this and they ate it up without picking out the tomatoes they won't eat any other way.  Just make sure you chop the vegetables finely.  You could even add shredded carrots or zucchini to beef up the veggie factor in this salad.  The proportion of vegetables to pasta is significant and you still have that wonderful pasta texture and flavor to enjoy!

Eat up!

God Bless - Peace, Love and Joy

Kids and Fresh Vegetables

Eat your vegetables! Every Mom in the world has said that more than one time. So how do you get your family and kids to fill up on those fresh and fabulous vegetables?

Sometimes it is as easy as finding out how to properly cook those vegetables to maximize flavor a value. I am currently living in the Deep South, and so many times find the vegetables here are cooked to death and swimming in grease...goodbye food value, and actually goodbye fresh, delightful flavor.

Sometimes people have actually formed an opinion about a vegetable they haven't even tasted yet. My little 95-year-old friend told me she didn't like broccoli. Come to find out, she had never even tasted it!

You may find that children frequently like raw vegetables with a "dip" on the side. Most young children enjoy finger foods and are fascinated with dipping them into a tasty sauce. Try mixing Greek yogurt mixed with Ranch Dressing Mix...for example.

I actually introduced my children to vegetables of all types when they were still on baby cereal. I would make a vegetarian vegetable soup using fresh vegetables, puree it and add it to their cereal rather than milk...as a result, all my children and grandchildren love vegetables. Early introduction is key.

For those who haven't had the benefit of early veggie eating, I have found many ways to "trick" them into eating great veggies. Most kids love mashed potatoes, so why not cook cauliflower to the point of being soft, add milk and butter and mash just like mashed potatoes...you will find they love them. Another way I have gotten children to eat fresh summer squash is to cook sliced summer squash with diced onions and diced potatoes in equal amounts and again, mash and add butter and seasonings. Calling this mixture "smoosh" gave it a new name, new texture and again they ate it up!

Shredding carrots or zucchini and adding to meatloaf will slip a serving or more of fresh vegetables into those picky little eaters. Many kids will eat carrot salad made simply with finely shredded carrots, raisins and crushed pineapple mixed in...if the carrots aren't really sweet, add a little Stevia (Truvia is my brand of choice) and watch them think of those carrots in a whole other light. I have also published a recipe in previous blogs for pumpkin casserole and carrot soup which have been proven hits with kids.

So, experiment. Try new ways to prepare those wonderful vegetables. Start early introducing new foods, and you will be rewarded with healthy, vegetable eating children.