Here’s a continuation of the list of “Super Snacks” suggested by Dr. Bill Sears.

A handful of raw nuts or trail mix

Pita bread spread with hummus

Rice cake with peanut butter and banana

Parmesan cheese melted on a slice of whole-grain bread

Blueberries in yogurt

Popcorn (homemade air-popped)

Celery sticks with peanut butter

Cherry tomatoes with cheese cubes

Fruit-and-yogurt smoothie

Hard-boiled egg

Bean dip and veggie sticks

Any fruit

Whole-grain muffins, preferably homemade

Homemade oatmeal-raisin cookies

Cut-up vegetables with salsa and corn chips

Here’s a list of “Grow Foods” which are nutrient-dense and they “offer more bang for your nutritional buck”.

Vegetables, steamed or raw

Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)

Fruits

Whole grains

Nuts and nut butters

Seafood, especially Alaskan salmon

Lean meats and poultry

Greek-style yogurt

Eggs

Hummus.

Hope you find this info helpful and remember to

Keep smilin’!

Dr. Bill Sears, an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine and co-author of The Baby Book, wrote a very informative article entitled “Graze Anatomy”, in which he fully explains the benefits of grazing for toddlers.  It appeared in the June, 2011 edition of the “Costco Connection”.  Let me quote directly from the article.

“Children are born grazers.  One of the eating tips I give my patients of all ages is what I call Dr. Bill’s Rule of Two’s:  Eat twice as often – Eat half as much – Chew twice as long.

Grazing benefits the brain.  The buzzwords for feeding the brain are slow and steady.  Grazers have steadier blood sugar and therefore a steadier supply of brain fuel.  Parents often tell me that once they start encouraging their children to graze throughout the day, their children have fewer behavior and learning problems at school.

Grazing is good for staying lean.  When you graze on frequent mini meals throughout the day, your body enjoys stable insulin levels.  Insulin is a fat-storage hormone.  When it spikes high throughout the day, such as when you gorge, you store that extra food as extra fat.  When you graze, insulin is not so high, which helps keep you lean.  Remember, lean does not mean being skinny, but rather having the right body weight for your body type.”

Dr. Sears goes on to describe what is a healthy snack for toddlers and children.  They should contain at least 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber; contain 100 to 200 calories and be crunchy so that a lot of chewing is required to digest them.  He gave a list of “Super Snacks” that are good for grazing.  Here are some of the snacks listed:

Baby carrots dipped in hummus

Apple slices dipped in peanut butter

Whole-grain cereal with yogurt

Edamame (fresh, cooked soybeans)

String cheese and a piece of fruit

Cottage cheese and fruit

To Be Continued.

Keep smilin’!

I know this is a wild name for macaroni and cheese but throw caution to the wind and give this dish a try!  The recipe for “Cheese Thing” originated with Wendy A. Parker and was published in Sue Rappaport’s column in the Desert Sun newspaper.  Prepared this casserole for both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and everyone loved it.

Cheese Thing

1 pound penne rigate or similar tubular pasta

1/2 pound EACH:  sharp cheddar cheese, mild cheddar cheese

1 can (28 ounces) whole, peeled tomatoes with juice

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:  Heat a large pot of salted water (at least 5 quarts) to boil.  Add penne and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.  Don’t worry if the pasta is a little undercooked, it will be finished in the oven.  Meanwhile cut the cheeses into 1/2 inch cubes.  Leave tomatoes in their juice and cut them into bite size pieces with with a knife or for fun, squeeze them with your hands.

When the pasta is done, drain and return to pot.  Add butter and stir until almost melted.  Add cheese, tomatoes, sugar and salt; stir well.  Pour mixture into 2 quart or 9 x 13-inch baking dish – glass or ceramic is best.  For optimal results, the Cheese Thing should sit for 12 to 24 hours, covered and refrigerated before baking, although it can be baked right away.  It can be frozen at this point for up to a month.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Set the Cheese Thing on a rack in the middle of oven; bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly and noodles poking out of the top have browned considerably.  Serve hot as an entree with a salad or as a side dish for meat or serve cold for breakfast the next morning.

Enjoy and remember to

Keep smilin’!

We had a grand time visiting with family in Raleigh at Christmas.  Since the granddaughters have arrived, we are creating some Christmas traditions most of which center around food and familly meals.

This is the third Christmas that Seth, our son-in-law, prepared posole and tamales.  The entire clan helped to fill and wrap the tamales under the watchful eyes of Seth.  Our granddaughter enjoyed the traditional reading of her favorite book, entited “Too Many Tamales”.  She helped Uncle Seth mix the masa for the outside of the tamales, delighted that sticky fingers in the dough was part of the process.  Seth spent hours cooking chicken, pork and even pig’s feet for the dinner.  Different mole sauces were concocted, cilantro and radishes were chopped and pumpkin seeds were toasted and ground.  Needless to say, quite a few dishes and utensils needed to be washed and dried during the cooking marathon.

Mimi hosted the Christmas Eve dinner which consisted of brown sugar ham, mac and cheese, green beans and homemade applesauce.  Finally on Christmas Day our son, Andrew, baked the holiday turkey along with PopPop Gibson’s stuffing and broccoli casserole.  The kitchen was a beehive of activity all day.

Quite a bit of energy was exerted for all three of these meals.  But I witnessed something very heartwarming during the holidays.  Anytime the cook needed a break, some member of the family came into the kitchen and lent a hand.  There were always a couple of people washing and drying dishes before the meal, while someone else set the table.  We took turns watching the little ones while the final touches were made to the food.  The scraping of dishes and the loading of the dishwasher were performed by someone who wasn’t in the kitchen earlier.

In other words, we worked in teams helping each other out when fatigue set in.  Then I realized that is just what families do.  They lift each other up and take up the slack when a member is tired.  This help is extended not only during the holidays but throughout life.  It is a comforting feeling to be a member of a family and know that the love, support and encouragment of the members is truly a blessing from God!

Keep smilin’!

There was one Christmas we were not certain there would be enough money to buy any presents.

My Dad worked at American Standard Plumbing Co. as a brass assembler and he was a member of the union called the American Association of Machinists.  During the summer the union contract expired and negotiations fell apart over an increase of wages.  Neither union nor management would compromise, so a strike was declared.

Dad had been through previous strikes and they usually ended in four to six weeks.  But this time it was different.  Both sides were dug in and no compromise was in sight.  The work stoppage continued from August through Thanksgiving with no hope of returning to work.  Dad received strike benefits of about $30 a week but that was not near enough to cover all our expenses.  Dad found some work painting houses but he was eager to go back to his factory job.  Luckily, Mom had a “rainy day” fund but even that was steadily dwindling as Christmas approached.  Money was so tight that Mom was seriously considering brushing up on her typing skills and applying for a job at the hospital where my older sister worked.

Thankfully around the first of December the strike ended.  But there wasn’t much money left for lots of Christmas presents.  Christmas was a little leaner than other years.  But we had each other and we realized Christmas wasn’t about receiving things but being around the people you loved.  Our family thanked God at Christmas Mass that Dad had returned to work and that we had each other!

Have a very Merry Christmas and remember to

Keep smilin’!

I was probably 12 years old and all I wanted for Christmas that year was Nancy Drew mystery books.  Nancy Drew was my hero!  She was 18 years old, beautiful, and a fearless amateur detective who drove a convertible sports car.  She embodied everything I wanted to be and do.

My sister and I received about four books for Christmas, including “The Scarlet Slipper Mystery” and “The Secret of the Old Clock”.  Our best friend, Darlene, also received a couple of Nancy Drew books.  The three of us spent the entire holiday week reading about our hero.  As soon as we finished one book, we would trade around and read another one.

Our reading area was our “front room” where the Christmas tree was displayed.  The “front room” was the room facing the street and it was a special room that was only used for celebrating Christmas.  It contained all the fancy furniture my Mom inherited from her parents.  There was a lovely velvet black with maroon trim Victorian sofa with two matching chairs, one of which was a wingback chair.  A stately china cabinet filled with dolls on display anchored one corner of the room.  There was an oil painting of two ladies in long dresses and matching bonnets enjoying a cup of tea, centered above the mantel.  Dad had a clock encased in a glass dome resting on the mantel above the fireplace.  Three gold balls rotated round and round at the base of the clock to show the passing seconds.  The clock was so delicate and graceful.  No wonder this room was off-limits most of the year.  Mom wanted to keep the area as a showplace.

So you can imagine how thrilling it was to read about Nancy Drew, lounging on the special sofa in the glow of the Christmas tree.  Mom determined that we were old enough to be allowed to drink ginger-ale garnished with a red maraschino cherry from an elegant glass.  We pretended this drink was a real cocktail.  We wanted to be as sophisticated as Nancy Drew.  True, we had no exciting mysteries to solve nor a convertible to drive, but it was still a Christmas worth remembering, even after all these years.

Keep smilin’!

After experiencing 65 Christmases, quite a few pleasing memories linger in the back of my mind.  Permit me to dust off a few of these recollections and share them with you.

“Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” is a church hymn sung during Advent (four weeks of preparation before Christmas).  Singing this song reminds me of a holiday cantata I sang in as a freshman at Ursuline Academy in Louisville, Ky.  Every Christmas this pageant featuring the entire student body was produced and presented as a fund raiser for the school.

The first song of the show in 1959 was “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel”.  The entire freshman class was chosen to sing all six verses of this hymn by heart.  We practiced daily for weeks but somehow none of us put much effort into memorizing all the words.  We stumbled and mumbled quite a bit after the first verse.

About a week before the performance, we were still not sure of the words.  Sister Vincentia, the cantata director, was so exasperated by our lack of interest that during this song, she suddenly banged on the piano and shouted “dammit”!  You could hear a pin drop on the stage.  That comment sure caught our attention.  Did Sister really utter “dammit”?  She was so irritated with us that she demanded we memorize all six verses that night for homework.  You better believe that at rehearsal the following day, the hymn was sung perfectly.  Sister Vincentia never had to raise her voice again and I realized for the first time, that nuns were human too!

Another Christmas memory involves ice skates and a big surprise.  On one particular Christmas my sister and I no longer believed in Santa but Dad wanted to surprise us with a special Christmas present.  He chose our gift from Speier’ Hardware on Barret Avenue, where every December a large area of the store was dedicated to a Christmas toy display.  Shelves were overflowing with all types of dolls, trucks and games.  Shiny new bikes were lined up in a long row.   There was even pairs of ice skates on display.   All the neighborhood kids loved to wander up and down the aisles and dream of what toy they would be receiving for Christmas.

A few days before Christmas, Dad came home from Speier’s carrying a big box under his arm.  It was gift-wrapped and the tag had both our names written on it.  He carefully placed it underneath the decorated Christmas tree.  We were intrigued.  We would pick it up, shake it and speculate on the contents.  After much jiggling and shaking, we decided that the box contained a pair of ice skates.  We pictured ourselves skating on ice in beautiful costumes just like the girls in the Ice Capades.  Can you imagine the dismay in our eyes, when we opened the box and pulled out a regulation-size basketball?  I’m sure my Dad thought it was the perfect present for two young girls.  We tried to hide our disappointment because we didn’t want to hurt Dad’s feelings.  Bouncing a basketball was enjoyable but it would never match the thrill of skating across the ice!

Keep smilin’!

Okay, maybe I’m going too far putting the words “Christmas” and “hate” in the same title.  Instead of “hate”, how about “dislike intensely”?  Wouldn’t want you to think that Mimi is a total scrooge!

Perhaps I’ll start with the negative aspects of Christmas cards.  First, there’s the shopping for and selection of the cards.  It has to be sweet and cute but still convey a worthwhile holiday message.  It has to look like it cost at least $3 a card but actually be purchased at an inexpensive price.  (Notice I wrote “inexpensive” instead of that other word, lest you think Mimi is a cheapskate!)  The price requirement is a tall order and some years the cards are impressive and other years, not as much.

Once the cards are chosen, there’s the chore of addressing each one.  My fingers get tired and occasionally my penmanship shows it.  At least the stamps do not have to be licked anymore!

Here’s what I love about Christmas cards.  Every December I get the opportunity to think about every person on the list as I address their card.  Good memories are attached to each of these names.  Childhood friends, aunts and uncles who are now in their 80′s, my godmother, and neighbors I lived next to for more than 20 years are part of this list.  My husband has childhood friends, tennis buddies and former employees of his on the index of names.   For years we mailed a card to his former boss at a furniture store where he was briefly employed as a young man.  Then one Christmas we received a note from her daughter saying she had died during the year.  A  Christmas card was our only connection to this lovely woman.

I  love opening the mailbox, searching inside and collecting the cards.  On many of them I can identify the sender by their handwriting.  I rush into the house to sit down, unseal them and savor the news that is contained in each of them.  It feels good to be in touch with people from the past, even if it is only for a few minutes.  This brief connection is a big part of the overall joy of the Christmas celebration.

I’ve just finished writing Christmas cards for 2011.  Although there are parts of the process I “intensely dislike”, I will continue the card writing ritual as long as I am able to because it just wouldn’t be Christmas without it!

Keep smilin’!

In the 1940′s and 50′s coal was delivered directly to our house.  It was burned in the stove to provide heat during the winter.  Each fall Dad would order at least a ton of coal and the truck would dump it onto the street near the curb.  Dad then had to fill a wheel barrel with the coal and empty it into the coal bin in the basement through a small window.  This whole procedure created lots of black coal dust.  My older sister loved to help Dad by picking up small pieces of coal laying in the street.  By the end of the day, she was covered with coal dust and had to spend a long time in the bathtub while Mom scrubbed the coal dust from her scalp.

The loud noise from the dumping of coal scared me to death.  Mom said I cried and cried.  I was so frightened as a toddler that for about three or four years, I spent the day at my grandmother’s house whenever coal was scheduled for delivery.

During the 50′s two different newspapers were delivered to our home daily.  In the morning we received the Courier-Journal and at 4 PM, the Louisville Times.  Every Friday night around 7 PM the paperboy came to collect money for the paper.  We had a payment card and as each week was paid for, he punched a hole in the card by the appropriate week.

Every other week Mr. Lawson, our insurance man, would visit our home and collect 25 cents for the life insurance policy my parents had purchased.  He would pencil in “paid” and the date in the line next to our name in a large, thick payment book that he carried with him.  Mr. Lawson told Mom that if she had a two dollar bill, she would never be broke.  I guess the reasoning behind that remark was that two dollar bills were pretty rare even then and that if you had one, you would never spend it.  When I recently asked my sister about Mr. Lawson, she informed me that she always carries a two dollar bill in her wallet.  Both her son and daughter do the same!

At the time, I guess we thought those home deliveries would continue forever.  Sadly they didn’t.  By the early 60′s, coal was no longer used for home heating, insurance bills were mailed out and the home delivery of bread and milk was no longer profitable.  But it’s awfully nice to remember those delivery people and what a big part they played in my childhood memories.

Keep smilin’!

Today if we need milk or bread, we just hop into our car and drive to the nearest grocery or convenience store.  This wasn’t the case in the 1950′s.  These food items were delivered directly to your doorstep at least once or sometimes twice a week.  Let me tell you more about this great service.

Donaldson’s Bakery in Louisville, Ky. carried “Peter Wheat” bread and delivered it by truck door-to-door.  (My older sister remembers when their delivery truck was horse-drawn in the 1940′s.)  I can recall the Donaldson delivery man knocking on our door early Saturday morning with a large metal delivery tray of assorted bread and baked goods.  Mom always purchased a loaf of bread for making school lunch sandwiches.  In addition to that, we were allowed to choose something for Saturday morning breakfast.  There were sweet iced cinnamon rolls, streusel-topped coffee cakes and even tender doughnuts.  It was difficult to decide which baked goodie to buy.  Some Saturdays, Mom went out to the delivery truck to procure an iced layer cake or fruit pie for a special occasion.  My favorite was a yellow cake covered with creamy caramel icing.

Twice a week milk was delivered to our door in quart-size glass bottles.  There was a metal box on our side porch where the bottles were deposited.  It kept the milk cold until Mom could move the bottles into the refrigerator. The top two inches of the bottle contained heavy cream.  Mom would skim it off the top and beat it to produce real whipped cream for special desserts.  Empty milk bottles were also stored in the metal box for pickup by the driver.

Our milkman dressed in a uniform of white shirt, white pants and a white hat and was named “Duffy”.  I suppose that was his last name.  My younger sister and I would call him “Ducky”.  He always laughed at that and when Mom paid the weekly bill, he would give us old order pads to play with.  We used them for writing food orders whenever we played “grocery store”.  Each order sheet consisted of two different pieces of paper.  The top sheet was white with carbon paper on the back and the “customer copy” sheet was yellow.

We had the same mail delivery man for at least 15 years.  He was so kind and always waved “hello” to us.  Mail was delivered twice a day in the weeks preceding Christmas.  As soon as we heard the clank of the mailbox being closed, we rushed out to collect the Christmas cards.  By the way, stamps were three cents!

To Be Continued.

Keep smilin’!