I love the daffodils blooming in the garden, the blossoms bursting forth upon the trees. These are signs that spring is here, not to mention the unusually warm weather! I have been faithfully applying my coconut and olive oil body juice each day, and I’m very pleased with my skin. But now am going to be baring all, at least in terms of showing a little more leg, foot and arm, I want to take my beauty routine up a notch and give my skin some power-washing. Continue reading
Trying to add Kale to my family’s diet has been a challenge. This recipe gives me hope. It came from a site as I was perusing the multitude of great blogs with inspiring cooking ideas. I forgot to save the info on the fabulous blogger who had this idea so I cannot give credit…it is not my own recipe. Had to share anyway…please claim with link to your post if it is yours so i can give credit 🙂
Kale (Photo credit: Another Pint Please...)
Ingredients:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, about 9 minutes, or according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, prepare the chard and kale: Tear the leaves from their tough ribs and stems, discarding the ribs and stems. Stack the leaves and fold or roll up and slice them thinly. Transfer the greens to a colander and rinse under cold running water, then drain well.
In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the greens and stir to coat evenly with the oil. (If they don’t all fit at once, add in handfuls after allowing the first batch to wilt.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, about 5 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the pan if needed to prevent sticking.
Drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot. Add the cooked greens, cheese, the 1/4 tsp. salt and the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil and stir to mix well. Divide evenly among pasta plates or bowls and serve immediately. Pass lemon wedges at the table. Serves 4.
I bet you already have most of these products in your home. Here’s my cleaning plan for the day:
Baking soda applied to a damp sponge for all the marks on my walls caused by crayon, grubby hands and general slobbiness.
My showers will get the mold and mildew once-over with one part Hydrogen Peroxide to two parts water in a spray bottle…ZAP!
I’m going to mix baking soda with a few drops of lemon juice in votive candle holders or small trays and place around the house for a fresh, clean scent.
My all-purpose cleaner consists of Borax or Mom Ami and water for my bathrooms.
If I have time, I will tackle my windows with cornstarch and water. Make sure the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Use crumples newspaper to remove any streaks.
Using these ingredients helps me feel good in the knowledge I am protecting my children from harmful chemicals. They are also much cheaper and very easy to make. I bought $1 spray bottles from Target which may not last a lifetime but do the job well. Best of all, I can keep my house clean…yep, these products really do the job beautifully.
As usual I am running late as we all tumbled in from work/school. Traffic was a little slow due to the unexpected snowfall we had last night. Peanut and Button got down to chores and then homework, Hubby took care of phone calls, and I began the roast chicken before settling down to homework with the boys. Today was all about persuading Button that his biography on Derek Jeter need more than three incomplete sentences!I love to roast…I am actually known in my circle of friends for it.
Today I will tell you about my roast chicken:
Ingredients:
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Sea Salt with Sea Veg
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 bulb garlic, chopped up finely
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
Rosemary finely chopped and mixed with lemon juice
Olive oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Carefully remove the giblets and rinse thoroughly. Dry by patting with a clean dishcloth. Stuff the cavity with garlic, a lemon slice, and some of the Lemon Rosemary juice. Rub the outside of the chicken with the Rosemary-Lemon juice, rub in the garlic, and sprinkle on the salt and pepper. This keeps the whole chicken moist but you can add the olive oil also. Today, I did not. I cook the chicken untied and upside down for 30 minutes. This really lets the juices run into the breast nicely. Upside-down
I then turn the chicken over, rub and sprinkle again of desires and keep roasting for another hour or until the juices run clear when you put a knife between the leg and thigh. Take out the chicken and let it rest for about 30 minutes covered lightly in foil.
I then serve the carved chicken for dinner. Today we had corn, carrots, string beans and a side of french bread with butter.
The following day, the cold chicken becomes sandwich meat. Peanut love teriyaki chicken so I also reheat it in low sodium teriyaki sauce and keep it warm in a thermos for his lunch with a side of vegetables (depends what is fresh).
Healthy Working Mom 