‘Clean Eating’ Articles at Sweetnicks, Page 5

Recipe: Greek Couscous Salad

September 19, 2011 · Clean Eating, Narrative

I always did like a good couscous salad.

Unfortunately no one I know within sharing distance does.

Which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t so terrible.

It just means I have to really, really, really be in the mood for couscous since it will take me several days of having it to get through eating the whole recipe.

When I put good food in my body, and by good food I mean food that’s good for you, I’m quickly reminded of how important that is. While Nathan’s cheese fries might be arguably good (and an infrequent weakness), it doesn’t quite fuel me in the same way that good-for-you food does. It’s why clean eating works.

Feta cheese.

Kalamata olives.

Jersey tomatoes (and making the last of farmer’s market goodness).

Chick peas. I could totally eat a can of chick peas. By themselves. By myself.

With full-on flavor coming from so many (simple) ingredients, it’s no wonder this shapes up to be a tasty dish. This recipe is stupid simple. Like so simple that if you like couscous, you should make this and eat it. And I hope you like couscous. Perfect for a side dish to your dinner or a light lunch for the week, it takes just minutes (like under 10) to make.

Earlier in the year, I joined the MyPanera club. The brainchild of the Panera restaurant chain, it’s free to join and they scan your key tag every time you visit and you get rewarded with free menu items. And apparently free recipes too, because that’s where this Greek Couscous Salad recipe originated from. Courtesy of the folks at Panera and my e-mail inbox.

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Recipe: Caponata

April 28, 2011 · Narrative

I am a big fan of appetizers.

And finger food.

Which doesn’t always line up well with clean eating.

Luckily I recently became a bit obsessed with making caponata.

So I was able to get a finger food that is pretty close in terms of clean eating.

Another Charlie Sheen moment, but this time, it’s an epic win.

Slightly sweet.

Slightly salty.

And just this side of guilt-free eating.

I mean, look at all those vegetables you’re eating!

Good stuff, people, good stuff.

I didn’t measure how much it made in total, but I can tell you this…

It makes this much:

I gave two containers away and kept one for us here.

Go ahead and make some. And share. With your neighbors. They like that sort of thing. Be a good neighbor! Or share with your kids’ teacher. Just because. She liked that sort of thing. But keep some for yourself too.

I mean, charity begins at home, right?

I might pop in here between now and Sunday night. And surprise you. I might not. I am so behind on posts. Nutella brownies. Jam bars. A kid field trip. Pizza reviews. Oyster crackers review. An upcoming craft night. So much. But not tonight.

Project 365
April 28, 2011, Photo #117
Madeline loves the odd occasion when her big brother can pop into her school, and since today was Take Your Child to Work Day, and he went with me, today was one such occasion. She loves showing him off. I can’t blame her.

We do this a lot in our family, lying on the ground, looking up at the sky. Watching the clouds drift by. Picking out different shapes. Listening for animals. Enjoying the sky as the sun sets and the colors shift to dusk and eventual nightfall. It’s an awesomely free activity. As soon as the weather is warm enough, we’re popping the tent and camping outside one night. Another awesomely free activity. Heaven help us. Alone. Outside. In the dark. With everything else that lives outside. And the kids. I think I can. I think I can. I think… yes, I can.

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Eat. Live. Be. #13: My Go-To Lunch

March 28, 2011 · Clean Eating

Thank goodness this week’s Eat. Live. Be. topic is a piece of cake, because my To-Do List for the night is ridiculous. And I really just want to go lie down with my remote in one hand, and a smoothie in the other and call it a night.

This week’s topic is all about our go-to lunch. Although I work at an office until noon, I work from home in the afternoon, which gives me a little more flexibility with my lunches (unless I’m meeting a friend, of course). Truth be told, I can be a little like a 17-year-old in a new hot and heavy romance with my lunch patterns. I grasp onto a lunch idea and fixate on it until I’m sick of it. You know, like when you couldn’t get enough of your new, first boyfriend? And then, like that flushed high schooler, I’m done and I’ve moved onto the newest flavor of the week. Such are my lunches.

Lately, my lunches have been fish sandwiches. I honestly am a terrible Catholic when it comes to no meat on Friday. I can go several months without eating meat, but then tell me I can’t and I can’t remember that darn fact until a piece of bacon is in my mouth. I was so proud that I went all day Friday, safely making it through breakfast and lunch without accidentally eating meat. Until we went to the movie theater. And the kids wanted dinner there. And I gave in because once in awhile, it’s ok to throw them a curve ball like eating dinner at the movie theater. So I ordered them chicken fingers. And, of course, it was the next morning as my hand is finding its way to smacking my forehead that I remember … chicken fingers … meat … on meatless Fridays during Lent. I digress. So I have been having fish A LOT lately hoping to just have it enough that it slips into the routine on Fridays too and I forget about my meat issue. Well you can clearly see that theory was flawed.

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Recipe: Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Eggs Up

March 10, 2011 · Narrative

When I mentioned this recipe to a few friends last week, I was quickly rebuffed. I couldn’t get anyone with an open enough mind to think they’d like it. They were totally missing out. In fact, I liked it so much, I had it twice in two days.

Sometimes the best recipes come from efforts to clean out the refrigerator. I had a massive amount of broccoli rabe to use, and I knew the kids would want no part of it. After making some pasta for them, I scrounged around to see what other ingredients I could use to make a quick dinner for me, with broccoli rabe as the star ingredient.

I didn’t measure, so no formal recipe for you on this one. A medium skillet to heat up some olive oil. Then I sauteed broccoli rabe, sliced portobello mushrooms and an onion until nice and soft. Cracked two eggs on top. Salt and pepper. Cooked eggs until done. Slide onto a plate and dig in. Although I had a tough time convincing a few this was good, you’ll have to trust me on this. Unless you bite the bullet and try it yourself – and I hope you do! Clean eating, from fridge to mouth in 15 minutes and good, good, good.

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Preparing for Success

March 8, 2011 · Narrative

When it comes to meeting any goal head-on, whether it be health, fitness or otherwise, you absolutely, positively have to be prepared going in. If not, you are just setting yourself up for failure. Guaranteed. How can you succeed if you don’t have the proper tools?

The difference between the impossible and the possible
lies in a person’s determination.
– Tommy Lasorda

Since I started my massive “Cate overhaul” over a year ago, I’ve had friends ask me how they can get started. What I have been doing is not rocket science. I armed myself with the best tools possible for what I wanted to achieve and committed to it. I have given this nearly everything that I can, and then some, and have reaped the rewards because of it. But it’s nothing special. You can do it just as easily. As long as your going-in position is all about preparedness. How could you possibly succeed otherwise?

A good beginning makes a good end.
– English Proverb

You have GOT to have a good pair of sneakers. It doesn’t mean that you have to spend a fortune on them either. Truth be told, my go-to Zumba sneakers are a pair of $15 Danskin sneakers from Wal-Mart, which The Neighbor Husband calls my “lunchlady sneakers.” Hey, they do the job. So do these Rykas. I heart Ryka, a brand made for women by women. They mold to your feet like no other. Whatever your exercise routine is, make sure you get the proper sneakers for your activity. I have a few pairs I swap out, but have a soft spot for Ryka. In fact, I am still hanging on to my favorite pair, even though the holes in them mean my feet automatically get wet when it’s raining outside. Just can’t give them up.

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude
from achieving his goal, nothing on earth can help the man
with the wrong attitude”
– Thomas Jefferson

If you are heading out of the house for your work-outs, get thyself a gym bag. Again, it’s not about how much you spend. Five Below has some great Nike ones. Mine comes from TJ Maxx and was a whopping twelve bucks. Fifteen months later, even though I’ve grown tired of the design, it’s still going strong and is washable, a huge plus in my opinion. I keep my gym membership cards in the zippered pocket, as well as my iPod headphones, a few dollars and a couple granola bars, so the bag is ready when I am.

What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it, that’s another matter.
– Peter F. Drucker

Whatever your work-out of choice is, make sure you have the proper equipment before embarking on a new program. If you don’t, there will always be an excuse. Whether you need kettlebells (my newest obsession), resistance bands or a jump-rope, arm yourself with the necessities.

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
– Beverly Sills

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Whether you’re on Weight Watchers, visiting Curves or a gym rat, the refrain is very commonplace … drink water, drink water, drink water. You are supposed to drink half your weight in water ounces a day. And that is if you’re not working out. Are you drinking enough? And if you’re working out, it should be even more. My Spin instructor said 40 ounces of water for 40 minutes of spin. And get yourself a refillable water bottle. Please. Enough of the disposable bottles. It kills me to see a garbage bin filled with them at the gym. First, they should be recycling them, and second, so much unnecessary waste. I’ve gone through a bunch of reusable sports bottles to find my favorite. These are from Costco. They were $18 for a package of three (although they have gone on sale for $15/set before). They are BPA-free and completely and positively leak-proof. They have a clip so you can attach them to your gym bag. Nick even takes one to school every day. Love them.

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Eat. Live. Be. #9: Portion Control

February 28, 2011 · Narrative

I am going to preface today’s post by saying I am likely to be zero help with this week’s Eat. Live. Be. topic: Portion control. Why? Because with the type of eating that I do (clean eating), there is no measuring, counting or weighing really. As long as you’re eating the right foods, you can have as much as you want. It’s one of the many reasons why it’s worked so well for me and why I love it so much. It takes all the guesswork and heck, just plain work, out of it and makes the whole approach very simple.

What do I mean by “the right food?” All natural. God made. Food in its purest sense of the word. Vegetables, fruit, protein, some carbs. For the most part, nothing processed, man-made or from a factory somewhere in middle America. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, chances are, I’m not eating it. Except in the rare jelly bean case of course. This girl has to have SOME indulgences. But as long as you’re sticking to REAL food, there is no portion reminder. Spinach, asparagus, shrimp, tilapia, oranges, bananas, nuts, eggs, the list is endless. You get the idea, I’m sure.

Of course I bend the rules a bit. I’m not kidding about the jelly beans. They’re on my desk as I type now, and I’m picking out the red, white, purple and pink ones before I send them along to my Mom. Ok, Madeline likes purple too, so I’m trying to share. But the way I eat probably encompasses about 90% of my choices. I reserve the extra 10% for the occasional indulgence.

There is a quote in Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food that sums up clean eating beautifully:

When you’re cooking with food as alive as this – these gorgeous and semi-gorgeous fruits and leaves and flesh – you’re in no danger of mistaking it for a commodity, or a fuel, or a collection of chemical nutrients … The cook in the kitchen preparing a meal from plants and animals at the end of this shortest of food chains has a great many things to worry about, but “health” is simply not one of them, because it is a given.

For more tips and tricks when it comes to portion control, check out my fellow ELBers at the below links:

Sarah Caron from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
Joanne from Eats Well with Others
Maris Callahan – In Good Taste
Chris Arpante – Melecotte
Faith – Blog Appetit
Kristen – Dine and Dish
Jenna – Stop, Drop and Blog
Casey – The Starnes Family
Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
Tri-Fit Mom
Claire – Cooking is Medicine
Allison – Sweet Flours
Jen – NJ Epicurean
Leslie – The Hungry Housewife
Rivki Locker – Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
Claudia – Journey of an Italian Cook
Jennifer Schulz – Lick-a-Plate
Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
Denise and Lenny – Chez Us

Before I forget, Nermeen asked in last weeks’ ELB post about the Salad Fixins’ I had a picture of … I got that at Costco. I think it was $7-8 for the bag. It’s made by Aurora Products.

Tomorrow? I’ll be sharing some details about the divine Carnitas Salad we had for dinner last night. Clean eating, guilt-free and super simple to make….

Recipe: Tomato, Avocado, and Hummus Pita Pizza

February 16, 2011 · Narrative

A healthy, clean eating recipe when you’re craving pizza, but don’t want to give in.

I eat a crazy amount of food every day, particularly weekdays. I leave for work in the morning with a small tote bag filled with all sorts of foods to fuel me during the day … yogurt, nuts, granola bars, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit. I eat a solid breakfast, mid-morning snacks, lunch, mid-afternoon snacks, and dinner. One of the benefits to clean eating is that as long as you are eating the right food, there is no quantity limit, no calorie counting, none of those shenanigans. Treat your body right, and the rest will take care of itself.

Although it’s not a recipe in the traditional sense, I thought this Tomato, Avocado, and Hummus Pita Pizza would be the perfect thing to share with you. It’s a great way to get a little bit of extra fuel in your body to combat those 3:00-4:00 pm slumps, and you can mix and match the toppings at will. Go wild! Just use fresh ingredients. You know, the good stuff.

Project 365
February 16, 2011, Photo #46
Ran into a little organic store at lunchtime today and Madeline spied these fun little chocolates at the register. I hate when candy is at eye level and arm’s reach of kids. Usually she grabs a few and hightails it to the nearest corner to open the candy in secret. Today I got lucky and she just whined for them.

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Eat. Live. Be. Week #2: Finding Your Support Group

January 10, 2011 · Narrative

For our second week of Eat. Live. Be. we are all tackling the topic of finding a support network. Remember when you were in high school and your parents cautioned you against hanging out with certain crowds? Oh. That was just me? Ok then, let’s pretend it wasn’t. Having a support group to help you meet your goals is kind of like that. Hang out with negative influences and they might entice you to behave negatively. Positive peeps bring out the positive. Yes, it really can be that simple.

One of the parts of our lives that I have worked on over the past few years is paying closer attention to the people that we interact with on a regular basis. Not like any of our besties are like Danny Zuko pushing us to smoke cigarettes and drag race until the wee hours, but I’m sure you get my drift. I want to be around people that are good. That make us feel good. That want more. That strive for more. That treat their bodies well. Because good begets good. And that makes me a) want to be even better and b) want to stay on the straight and narrow and stay away from detractors. You know, like Diet Coke and potato chips. Hello, salt, thy name is Cate.

Having a support network is absolutely 100% paramount to meeting a goal successfully. And it’s not just about losing weight. It can be about anything really. It’s about surrounding yourself with people who get you. Who get what you’re working to achieve. Who will cheer you on as you work towards it. Who will pick you back up and bolster you if need be. Who are like-minded folks with like-minded goals.

So now that you know you need a support network, how do you go about getting one? For me, it happens rather organically.

This little grassroots Eat. Live. Be. challenge (and accompanying facebook page) has become a great source of support. We are all working towards some sort of goal … together. Becoming each other’s cheerleaders. Getting new ideas. Sharing tips and tricks. Hey, there’s even a giveaway going on today, if you need a new exercise dvd to kick-start your own routine.
The gym. I take classes at a variety of places, and the people that assemble have slowly become a little bit like an adjunct family. One of my Zumba classes I’ve been going to for a year, and there are maybe 7 or 8 of us that chat before and after class. They notice if I’m not there. And I ask where they’ve been when they miss a class or two. Last week, I spent the whole hour of Thursday’s class beating myself up about a specific body part. Just one of those days. Afterwards, one of the women came up to me. “I bet you’ve lost 15 pounds since the holidays,” she said. I smiled. “A few pounds, not quite 15.” “Well you look great!” She didn’t know the mind battles I was going through during the hour-long sweatfest, and her unsolicited pat on the back reminded me how far I’d come.
Exercise buddies. Seek out those in your posse that like to work out. And it doesn’t have to be a regimented class. Maybe you have a group that likes to go hiking. Or bicycle riding. Or chase your kids at the playground with other moms. Seek out people that like to move. And schedule time to move with them.
Friends that hold you accountable. I have a few friends that are total hardcore when it comes to working out. Two especially come to mind. One will text me … “I’m going by your house to pick you up in 30. Be ready. No excuses.” On a day that I wasn’t going. I do work out 5-6 days a week! She said Saturday that I’ve come too far and she will drag me out of the house if need be. This is also coming from someone who takes three back-to-back hour-long classes on the weekend. The word “hardcore” might not even be strong enough to describe her. Another friend works out Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and if I’m feeling ambivalent about a specific day (weather, work, homework, fill in the blank), I know if I just shoot him an IM he will guilt me into the fact that HE is going and if I don’t, he will be one up on me. And I can’t have that. So I engage. This type of guilt works in my favor every time.
Make Standing Appointments. In a roundabout way, this is part of creating your support network. Because it’s about making your support network work in the best way possible. When I was getting in shape for my wedding, I bartered services with a local personal trainer. After we made our arrangements, he said he’d meet me the next day at 12 noon for a one-hour work-out. And he did. Every weekday for three months. Because we had a standing appointment, and this goes back a bit to last week’s Putting YOU on the List, there was no putting it off for a better time. Everything gets worked around it. I have set classes with a few of the people I work out with too, just like the standing appointment with my old personal trainer. They are counting on me to show up, and I them. There is no “it’s a crazy day, I can’t make it” or “Thursday’s not good, what about Friday?” It just is. Period. End of story.

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Putting YOU on the List

January 4, 2011 · Narrative

Without making sweeping generalizations, I think it’s safe to say that most women are good at nurturing. Whether they’re taking care of their kids, their husband or their cat, women are seemingly always doing for others. It’s in our DNA. One of my resolutions for 2010 was to put ME on the list.

In the past 12 years or so, I was focused on taking care of the kids and The Ex, as any good mother and wife does. But I forgot me. I didn’t make the list. Not nearly enough. Last year, I changed that… and was so much better for it. A better me. A better mom. A better everything. So last night, when a friend asked me about my New Years’ resolutions, my answer was simple. More of the same.

As women, we need to give ourselves permission to be on our list. To make us a priority. We’re always so busy taking care of everyone and everything else. What about us? Whether it’s making time to exercise regularly, sit down with a cup of coffee and a good book or treat ourselves to a manicure, we need to be on the list. That’s not to say that you need to stop taking care of others. Far from it. We just need to focus on making ourselves just as important. After all, if you go down, the whole darn ship goes down with it.

Last year, I made going to the gym uber-important, and reaped the rewards for it. It was a bit of a juggle trying to fit everything in and budget-wise, but it worked out. This year? Much of the same. That endorphine blast that kicks in at the end of a work-out makes it totally and 100% worth it. There is nothing like it. And this year, the gym routine continues, now more than ever.

How else do I make myself a priority? I’ve always loved journaling and writing. Last year, I bought a notebook in January and started filling it with quotes I liked, affirmations, aspirations, goals and dreams. This year? Much of the same. Madeline and I went out at lunchtime to get this year’s notebook and, of course, she needed her own too. Mine was a pretty pastel flowered cover. Hers? A shocking green frog. Both make us happy. And as I go through 2011 and jot down things that inspire me and goals I hope to accomplish, it will be a wonderfully reflective journal to look back on at the end of the year … to see how far I’ve come.

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Welcome to Eat. Live. Be. for a Better 2011

January 3, 2011 · Narrative

And so it begins.

A month or two ago, Sarah and I were chatting about weight loss, and before you know it, a friendly competition was born. It turns out we both want to lose 40 pounds, so the race to the finish is on. As I get closer, it might turn out that 40 isn’t the magic number. Maybe 37 is. Or 32 is. I’ll know when I get there. By how it feels. By how I feel. And the closer I get, I can tell you, the more amazing it feels.

Once we decided to take the leap and have our own friendly competition, we reached out to a number of other bloggers (both food bloggers and non-food bloggers, alike) and amassed quite a fun group of ready and willing participants joining in on this new adventure.

But it’s not all about weight loss. Some are trying to exercise more (or more regularly). Some are working on just less fast food or more healthy dinners for their kids. Some are kicking the sugar habit. Or the Diet Coke cans. All our goals are slightly different, but we’re coming together to create and foster a support network. As you tackle anything in life, having a solid support network is often the difference between success and failure.

Every Monday, we will all be posting on a specific topic, and the last Monday of the month we will be sharing a progress report on how we’ve been doing. This week, to kick us off right, our collective topic is sharing our goals. Next week we will cover how to find support to help you meet your goals. If you have a blog and would like to join in and post on the topic, please share your links below in the comments section. The more the merrier!

Also, if you haven’t already, do check out the Eat. Live. Be. for a Better 2011 facebook page and “like” it. We’ll be sharing tips and ideas, blog posts, giveaways and more along the way, and would love for you to join in on our fun.

Now how will I accomplish my goal of losing the “final forty?” I’m going to continue doing much of the same that I did in 2010. After all, it worked. To the tune of 56 pounds. Can’t argue with those numbers, nor how it’s made me feel, inside and out.

I will continue “clean eating.” The way my body feels when I treat it right is night and day different than when I don’t. And now that I know, quite well, what that feels like, anything else would be doing my body and me a complete disservice.
I will continue to work out regularly. I take several Zumba classes a week, and augment them with Pilates, walking and the stationary bicycle, and will continue to do so.
I will focus on water, water, water. Admittedly I am terrible about it, and usually drop off at around 4 glasses a day. I have nearly given up Diet Coke. I no longer stock it in the house (and that’s where I drank the most of it), and only have it if we’re out somewhere, cutting my Diet Coke consumption to about 15-20% of what it originally was. A dear pain-in-the-ass friend says that doesn’t count as giving up Diet Coke, so to shut him up, I’m going to try, again, to give it up completely. Given I don’t drink coffee or tea, it’s my only source of caffeine. Something that makes it all that much harder for this single Mama to give up.

Tomorrow, I’ll share one of my 2010 goals: met. And the rest of the week, I’ll be sharing tips on achieving your goals, clean eating and more. Consider this week on Sweetnicks to be the ultimate jump-start to getting us all going.

Now, enough about me. Below is the list of other fine bloggers who are joining in for Eat. Live. Be. for a Better 2011. Go check them out, read their posts and cheer them (and me!) on. There are actually a few more coming, so stay tuned!

Jenna Hatfield, @FireMom, is a freelance writer/editor and newspaper photographer. She will turn 30 this year and wants to start this decade off on a healthy foot. She has 20 pounds to lose, but is mostly concerned with food choices, exercise and being generally “well.” She blogs at Stop, Drop & Blog.

Kristen Doyle is a freelance writer and the author behind the award winning blog, Dine & Dish. Nestled in Kansas City with 4 kids and her husband, Kristen’s writing career has spanned writing for both traditional media outlets such as newspapers and magazines as well as online resources including blogs and websites. Specializing in social media, culinary and women’s interest writing, Kristen’s ultimate goal is to bring families back to the table at dinner with recipes that both tempt the tastebuds and spark wonderful conversation.

Jen and her husband Matt are lifelong residents of New Jersey who are just settling into their “empty nest” with two daughters away at college. Jen is passionate about fresh, local foods and travels the state in search of the best to share with her family, friends, and readers of her blog, NJ Epicurean. She is determined to prove that NJ is not a culinary wasteland devoid of culture and to foster an appreciation of the great “Garden State.”

Casey from The Starnes Family is at-home mom of 3 that loves cooking, relocating, travel, photography, writing, reading, motherhood, the Catholic church, Widespread Panic, farmers’ markets, winter sports, the beach, lima beans and LSU. She was raised in Texas, educated in Louisiana, married in San Francisco, back to Texas, relocated to Colorado, then to the Midwest, now in San Diego….

Project 365 – The Final Frontier

December 31, 2010 · Narrative

So I started Project 365 on January 1, 2010. A picture every day, depicting something in our life. I didn’t count any of the photographs that were included in the nearly-daily posts during the year. I wanted them separate, as a bit of an additional challenge. I also put all the weekend photos in one Sunday night blast, and didn’t count any of those as my daily photo requirement.

All that to say … that even after the 14 pictures that I’m sharing from today, I am now at #353. But in theory only. Because if I went back and counted the weekend photos, I would well have exceeded the challenge. So that’s going to have to do.

Here we are, the last day of 2010. This year has certainly been an interesting one, filled with highs and lows, challenges and surprises, happy moments and sadness. Goals met. Goals not met. But we made it. And with all my blessings, truly I cannot complain. Although I have been known to say I think I’ve had enough challenges this year thankyouverymuch, and perhaps maybe it could be someone else’s turn next year…?

I have parted ways with some friends, and rekindled relationships with old and dear ones. I have re-evaluated. Taken stock. Cleaned house in every sense of the word and lived to tell about it. We’re on the threshold of 2011 and I’m insanely curious to see what it holds in store for me. For you. For all of us. A lot can happen in a day. A week. A year! There is magic ahead. Love. Life. It’s a clean slate for all, to start fresh, start over or just continue where you left off. The choice is yours… and it begins … NOW. Welcome 2011!

Project 365
December 31, 2010, Photos #340-353
It takes longer to pry the kids away from the 3-D tv display at Costco than it does to just pick up the photos I ordered.

Both kids got seriously shorn today, with one ending up in tears. I love a hairdresser that makes house calls. Best discovery ever.

A quick bite to eat with the kids. Well, me. Because my kids wouldn’t eat their lunch. Shocking.

Thank you, FireMom, for reminding me of the wonder that is eBay. This little one arrived today – love it. But Hallmark, can we have a word? When you want to charge $9.95 for an ornament, would it seriously kill the budget to attach A LITTLE PIECE OF STRING OR RIBBON TO IT for hanging purposes? I mean, c’mon!…

Recipe: The Best Buttermilk Dressing Ever

December 30, 2010 · Narrative

I couldn’t decide what to write about tonight. It was either going to be this salad dressing or about one of my big goals for 2010. Sarah chose the dressing for me, so if you wanted to hear about the goal, blame her. And come back Monday, when I’ll tell you all about it, along with our new Eat. Live. Be. for a Better 2011 challenge (come join our facebook page!). In the meantime… let’s talk dressing.

One of the cookbooks I received for Christmas was the new Barefoot Contessa, How Easy is That? I totally get the concept of the title, but hate it just the same. When I saw a recipe for an easy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, I folded down the page and made it right away. Nick likes ranch dressing, and I thought it would be perfect over a simple salad. Well, it turns out Nick likes regular ranch dressing. Not so much this buttermilk kind. Luckily I liked it enough for both of us.

Make this and you will never buy bottled dressing again. With a recipe like this, why would you? You completely control what is going in it, and it’s thick enough for a dipping sauce for your carrots and celery stalks, yet thin enough for dressing a simple salad. Ina Garten suggests just Bibb lettuce, ripe tomatoes and a sliced red onion. Hello Clean Eating, my name is Cate!

Project 365
December 29, 2010, Photos #324-329
The kids and I were at The Christmas Tree shop yesterday and Nick spotted this big engagement rings. They’re about the size for a napkin ring, but what a fun way to propose to someone! $2.99 each. *Photo by Nick.

The traffic heading down the shore yesterday was insane, largely due to the snow plowing that was going on. Don’t even get me started. Standstill traffic, however, is a good opportunity to break out the camera.

We arrived just as the sun was setting over the water.

Twenty-eight inches of snow and three days for the neighborhood to get plowed out.

Sometimes when I download pictures from my camera, I find little surprises from the littles grabbing it when I’m not looking. This is Nick’s handiwork, a tree in my parents’ kitchen down the shore.

The budding photographer.

Project 365
December 30, 2010, Photo #330-339
Sunrise this morning, SOOC (straight out of camera). Love the colors.

One of my goals for 2011, and I have many, is to not make sneakers my go-to choice when I’m wearing jeans. These ballet flats from Target are a good way to start. $9.98 clearance. Love.

Loved this shirt (another clearance for $10) nearly as much as Madeline.

Madeline got these sneakers from my parents for Christmas and adores them. Enough so that she even took the empty box into school to show her teacher.

We spotted these at Wal-Mart, and they would have been perfect for Madeline, but she went with the princess ones instead.

Never was a fan of playing in the snow. But maybe that’s just as a grown-up because it’s SO much more work for us. The kids? Can’t keep them away.

Caught her eating snow on more than one occasion. Luckily it was clean and white.

You know it’s time to come in when your cheeks resemble rosy apples.

Sonic is a must-stop for the ride home. Cheese fries and Slushies. Some of us were even awake enough on the ride home to drink the Slushies.

I’ll be back tomorrow night with a few pictures, just to finish up Project 365. Heaven help me if there is nothing photo-worthy tomorrow. That would be terrible to be so close and not finish.

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