St. Patrick's day o' ....

The verdict on the spinach green cupcakes is in: SUCCESS!  That's right.  There were a couple of kids that didn't like them, but all and all, most of the kids enjoyed them.  Even more shocking?  Some kids I know that don't eat anything, and I do mean anything, ate them!  Strangely enough, they were right next to cupcakes with icing on them, and more of my cupcakes were eaten than the others.  Score!

The weather in NEPA was drop dead gorgeous today, about 60 degrees and sunny.  It brought me back to St. Patrick's Day 4 years ago.  That was the day that we buried my baby brother.  It was freezing cold out and the ground was covered in snow.  Such a horrible day compared to today.  The difference in the weather was echoed in my disposition from then to now.  As I thought about that day, it made me think about how I cannot waste my days, being angry, sad, complacent or lazy.

I used that motivation to get some things accomplished around the house, most namely, I rid my home of baby boys.  That's right.  I have to admit that it felt good to get those boxes out of my attic, while at the same time, I felt so sad.  I know they are going to someone that needs them, and I certainly do not.  Its just the finality of it all.  My L is such a sweetheart; kisses my belly every day, tells me that he needs to protect his sisters, just is a sweet and gentle little boy.  My girls are full of piss and vinegar; mouthy, moody, loving, but its like they are mini me's.  But, 4 kids is enough!  There really is nothing anyone could say to me, even if they gave me a 100% guarantee that #5 would be a healthy boy, to make me agree to have another one, after Q.   Sad, but cleansing to get those clothes out of my home.

I was also able to do 5 loads of laundry, dishes, wipe up the floors, clean the toy room, empty out my car, and pick up a butt load of dog poop.  Oh yeah, baby!  Problem? Right now I have 4 loads of laundry folded, on my couch and no more motivation to put it away. Help!

And, today was my first real experience in the court system, as a CASA.  I witnessed the inefficiency of the court system, the ridiculousness of it, and how it can truly be manipulated, and not for the good.  My role was truly minimal.  I handed in my report, and then, when asked,  I said that I had nothing further to add.  Exciting...right?! I learned so much though, and hopefully, I was able to learn how to be a better support to my CASA child/teen.

Even dinner was a success.  Chicken cacciatore over mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, roasted brussel sprouts and carrots, grapes, and cucumbers, celery and carrots with hummus.  I love this little trick that you may want to try with your kids.  Right around 4:30, I will put veggies and dip out, not say anything about it,  but just put it on the counter.  The kids will actually come and ask me if they can eat them.  Awesome!  And today, the cutest thing happened.  L was trying to figure out if this was a flavored hummus, and asked, "mom, what kind is this?"  C was so quick to respond, mouth full, "hummus!"  She is such the fan.  Love my kids!

Under Disguise?

A few years ago, I purchased Deceptively Delicious and The Sneaky Chef.  I was so inspired to ensure that my children were getting their veggies, even if it meant that I had to hide them in their food.  After reviewing the recipes, I decided that a. there were too few veggies per serving to really count and b. there was too much work required to do so.  At that point, I vowed to encourage my children to find a love of veggies now, so that I didn't have to hide them for the rest of their lives, and as adults, they would be able to make healthy decisions for themselves.

Needless to say, I was inspired by my girlfriend to use my food processor.  Hmmm...is that really the same as disguising their favorite veggies?  Yes, but on this occasion, I didn't care.  Another friend had been bragging about the excellent chicken cacciatore that she made, and I wanted it too.  To me, cc is characterized by strips of peppers and onions in a tomato sauce.  We've been doing so well though, with the lack of tears and wining at dinner time, I really didn't want to revisit this anytime soon.  So, I lamented and threw 3 bell peppers (orange, yellow, red), carrots and an onion into the machine and watched it pulverize.  Then, I just mixed it into a can of seasoned crushed tomatoes with 4 frozen chicken breasts, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp sage, 4 cloves of garlic, and some salt.

Served over brown rice,  I thought the kids would be thrilled, but instead, C and L insisted on just having rice.  Let's just say, they are addicted to rice.  So, disguising the veggies didn't really save me from the winy tears.  Instead, I got to hear them because I had adulterated their rice by adding cc to the top of it.  When the protest ended though, I was thrilled that L told me, "this is excellent!  When I'm done with this bowl, do you think I can have some more?"  Success!

Do I feel bad that I essentially lied to my kids about what they are eating?  Hmmm...yes and no.  No, because they ate their bell peppers, packed with vitamins A and C, that fight against free radicals, promote lung health and good eye sight, and all and all, good health.    Yes, because they don't know that they really enjoyed said peppers.  I mean, how can I make this translate into future healthy choices?  I guess every gain comes with some losses.

The lesson?  In the future, I may continue to pulse the food into smaller, more bite size and manageable portions, but perhaps, I will ensure the pieces are big enough to discern.  The kids should be able to recognize that they are eating something besides sauce, and when they ask, I will tell them that its something really healthy for them.  Only after their plate (or bowl) has been licked clean, will I reveal the real identity of this healthy hero.