Family

Simple Family Pleasures

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“The family that plays together, stays together”.

Well in my book this works.  And what better time to enjoy the family then summer time.

Relax and hang out by a pool, or go to the beach.

Backyard treats and sprinklers for fun.  The simple things in life are priceless.

What happened to slimipicity?

So in case you need a refresher course here are some steps you should take to enjoy your family.  I call it FAMILY 101

Kids swimming at pool

“First turn off your own cell phone and don’t check e-mail when spending time with your kids,” says Alanna Levine, M.D., a pediatrician in Tappan, New York. Great idea. Yes, leave the 21st century behind.  Focus only on what they are doing not what the rest of the world is doing.

Make no agenda.  Play everything by ear.  Let the chips fall as they may.  If it rains, play indoors. Never lock yourself into any program.  I learned that.  I never promised my kids anything, we just went with the flow.  Surprise them.

Head to the beach.  Wow, how much fun it was to take my kids to the beach.  OK, taking home sand was never that much fun, but I never regretted a single pebble.

 

Little Adventures work.  Just a day in the park is an adventure to a little one.  Swings, slides, monkey bars, and let us not forget the sand pit.  OK, forget the sand pit…

 

Tradition.  Every summer we had special places that we had to be.  The Fourth of July and Memorial Day were always spent at friends of the family and there we enjoyed a great bbq.   Families gathered for the day, and we would always turn down any other invite.  We made this a tradition.

 

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Games.  Prepare yourself for those rainy days.  Get the game boards out.  I especially enjoyed Hungry, Hungry, Hippo, Parcheesi, or even Monopoly, to mention a few, fun games to play with the whole family.  As they got older cards did the trick.  TV was enjoyed at the end of the night.

I think we all long for the ‘simple old days’.   The one thing I can pretty much guarantee, if you spend time with your family when they are little, you will be spending time with them when they are grown.  So make family first and the rest will just fall into place.

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Did You Know, recipe

How to Peel a Hard Boil Egg – Chunky Egg Salad

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According to Saveur “the most important step to getting a perfect, pock-free peel is to tap your hard-boiled eggs with a spoon or roll them on the countertop to crack the shells before you shock the eggs in cold water.”  Don’t leave them in the water too long.  Peal them as soon as they’re cool enough to handle.
www.readersdigest.com

Chunky Egg Salad – www.foodnetwork.com

 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
12 large eggs
1 stalk celery (with leaves), chopped

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

  • In a small bowl, soak the onions in cold water, for 15 minutes. Drain.

    In a large saucepan, with a tight-fitting lid, place the eggs and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cover the eggs, remove from the heat, and set aside for 8 minutes. Cool.  Peel the eggs and cut into sixths.
    In a large bowl, mix together the onion, celery, mayonnaise, dill, mustard, lemon juice, and salt.
    Add the eggs to the mayonaise mixture and gently mix them together. Season with pepper to taste. Use in sandwiches, with lettuce and tomatoes, or in a salad. serves 4-6

     

    Eggs-  protein  rich in vitamin K and the B vitamins 🙂

     

     

  • ls

Food and Health, recipe

Artichokes Grilled

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Grilled Artichokes Recipe

Artichokes are a favorite of mine.

My mother cooked artichokes.

She would boil, stuff and serve with potatoes.

 Loved it!

A delicious dish and only my mother made it.  See, my husband thinks artichokes are not a meal. He feels the peeling process, as you eat it, is a waste of time.  I always tell him that this is the way to get to the ‘heart of the matter’.

I found this recipe and thought that this works for the summer time. Grill them, boil them, does not really matter. Artichokes are nutritional, as well as tasty.  A light dish for the summer.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lemons
  • 4 large artichokes, (3-3 1/2 pounds total)
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

  1. To prepare artichokes: Fill a Dutch oven with water; add the juice of 1 lemon. Trim leaves from the top of an artichoke. Remove the outer layer(s) of leaves from the stem end and snip all remaining spiky tips from the outer leaves. Trim an inch off the bottom of the stem and use a vegetable peeler to remove the fibrous outer layer. As each artichoke is prepared, drop it into the lemon water to prevent it from turning brown.
  2. When all the artichokes are prepared, cover the pan and bring to a boil. Boil until the base of the stem can be pierced with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium. Slice the artichokes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the choke and first few inner layers in the center until the bottom is revealed. Brush each half with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the artichokes until tender and lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter, squeeze half a lemon over them and garnish with the remaining lemon half cut into 4 wedges. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

TIPS & NOTES

  • Make Ahead Tip: Grilled artichokes will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day and may be served chilled.
  • Variation: For boiled artichokes, add 5 minutes to the cooking time in Step 2. Serve whole or cut in half and scoop out the chokes.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 109 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 5 g protein; 9 g fiber; 298 mg sodium; 604 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (35% daily value), Folate (27% dv), Magnesium (24% dv), Potassium (17% dv)

 

source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_artichokes.html