Carolyn Fallon: Spring into better health

Posted on 13 March, 2013 by vdaehn1

You may not be aware that March is National Nutrition Month.

To be honest, this fact escaped my knowledge until recently, when my 13-year-old cousin was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. This motivated me to do some research on how better eating and exercising habits could ward off diabetes for the rest of my family.

Every January, my gym swells with new members determined to keep their New Year’s resolutions. I even see some old faces that I haven’t seen for roughly a year, returning to presumably join the resolution craze. The fight to secure a parking space doesn’t bother me because I know that come March, I’ll be able to park right by the front door.

All joking aside, the nation’s growing obesity epidemic has nothing to do with age, gender or race.

Determined to join the battle against Type 2 Diabetes, here are some great nutrition and fitness tips that I am using with my family this spring.

Nutrition Boosters:

1. Eat your veggies!

Vegetables are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals while containing miniscule amounts of carbohydrates and sugars. Salads and smoothies are a great way to sneak in some greens.

2. Kick the can!

Sodas are loaded with calories, sugar and chemicals. Don’t be fooled into thinking diet sodas are better with their artificial sweeteners and toxic chemicals.

3. Eat more (lean) meat!

Protein is essential to developing lean muscle mass, which burns far more calories than fat mass. Protein can be found in sources such as fish, lean meats, poultry, nuts and dairy products.

4. Satisfy your sweet tooth!

Yes, you read that right! Reach for fruit when you are craving sweets. The natural sugars won’t spike your insulin levels and you also get more vitamins while satisfying that craving for something sweet and tasty.

Try this recipe for a great smoothie:

Sunrise Smoothie

1 cup almond milk or plain yogurt
½ cup berries
1 orange
¼ cup frozen vegetables, such as spinach or kale

Blend all ingredients into desired texture and consistency. Enjoy!

Fitness Boosters:

1. Make fitness fun!

Find ways to stay active with your family. Walks and bike rides are great opportunities to get outdoors and play together.

2. Start lifting!

Muscle is leaner than fat and also burns far more calories. Aim to get in 2 – 3 strength training sessions per week. Even the youngest members of your family can begin resistance training through safe exercises, such as lifting household items and using resistance bands.

3. Utilize commercial breaks!

Instead of tolerating commercials, use that time to do some jumping jacks, lunges or even yoga. Doctors from Syracuse’s Orthopedic Center describe how yoga, an activity that can be tailored to each person’s level and time-frame, increases bone health, joint health, posture, balance, flexibility and even stress and emotional health!

4. Get Your Groove On!

Turn up the tunes and dance with your kids. You’ll blast away calories and not even know you’re exercising.

Carolyn Fallon is a 20-something-year-old guest blogger with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog here.

 

Posted in Fitness, Food, Health | Leave a comment

Mary Cornforth Cawood: Spring into greens!

Posted on 12 March, 2013 by mcawood

While spring won’t have officially sprung until March 20, the weather sure has us believing otherwise! St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner and I am ready for some green.

I can honestly say that traditional Irish fair does not make it to the favorites list at our house, so instead of Irish stew or corned beef and cabbage, we will be enjoying some of the many green foods that are in season right now.

Cool spring weather is the best time to enjoy many vegetables including artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, peas, leafy greens and spinach.

We enjoy artichokes steamed in the microwave, and served with lemon butter or a lemon garlic aioli. Asparagus is another favorite, also steamed, then squirted with some lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Baby spinach leaves are very tender and make a great salad. Pair with fresh berries (also in season right now), goat or feta cheese, toasted pine nuts and a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette and you have one amazing salad that is not only delicious but packed with antioxidants and iron.

It is also time to start planting those herb gardens! Start with potting seeds or young plants and keep them in a sunny spot inside until nighttime temperatures are above freezing. Chives, parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary and basil really enhance the flavor of many dishes, and you can’t beat the flavor of fresh versus dried herbs.

Basil is my hands-down favorite herb! As soon as I can get a good-sized bunch growing, I like to make pesto. Tossed with grilled chicken and pasta, it is our favorite green dish!

It also freezes really well. If you find yourself with basil that needs to be used up, make a batch of pesto and pour into ice cube trays. After it freezes completely, transfer the cubes to freezer bags.  The cubes are easy to pull out as needed to add to pasta and soup.  Pesto is also a great sandwich spread.

There are many variations for making pesto; my favorite recipe happens to be the one that came with my Cuisinart food processor many, many moons ago! (If you don’t have a food processor, you can make pesto in a blender as well.)

Basil Pesto

4 oz. Parmesan cheese, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces.

4 small garlic cloves

2 2/3 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup pine nuts

¾ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

Place cheese and garlic in food processor and process for about 30 seconds.  Add all remaining ingredients except olive oil and process until combined (about 8 pulses). With machine running, pour oil through feed tube.  Process until combined, about 10 seconds.  Scrape bowl and continue processing until smooth, about 20 seconds.  Pesto will keep for five days in a refrigerator.

Happy spring greens!

Mary Cornforth Cawood is a Fruita mom of two daughters. Read her Tuesdays on FruitaMoms.

Posted in Food | 2 Comments

Karah Levely-Rinaldi: ‘They grow up too fast’

Posted on 6 March, 2013 by krinaldi

“Enjoy them when they’re young – they grow up too fast!”

Did you ever want to punch anyone who told you this when your kids were babies? OK, not REALLY haul off and hit them. I will admit, though, that as a sleepless, first-time new parent in 1999, I just wanted Alexis to get bigger, older and do stuff like sleep. I wasn’t getting the enjoyment of living in a constantly sleep-deprived state.

Now, almost 14 years later, though, I can’t believe how that time has gone by in the blink of an eye, and understand why people told me such things years ago (but feels like yesterday). And I struggle with how to enjoy them in their current ages and developmental stages, while letting them grow up. My “baby” turns 7 this summer. I’m going to turn 40. Really? When did THAT happen?

As much as having a teenager has been a maddening adventure, I am trying to treat it that way. An adventure. It’s all how you frame it, I decided. You can either go nuts with the eye-rolling, attitude, and all that, or appreciate that you now have a self-feeding and sleeping, free-thinking, young adult with opinions and whatnot. In one of my all-time favorite movies, “Road To Perdition,” I recall the expression that sons were put on this earth to trouble their fathers. I sometimes think girls might have been put on this earth to debate their mothers, and learn to become women in the process.

I see a lot of the same stuff from my teenaged years in my oldest. The experimenting with hair, makeup, clothes, as a means of self-expression. Getting up early, doing hair, makeup, making sure the outfit looks good without it looking like any time was spent on it. My minimalist, roll-out-of-bed, no makeup self doesn’t really see the point of all this when sleep is a possibility.

She’s got some strong opinions on stuff, too, and I am impressed at times with how much she’s learned about subjects in order to form those opinions. Other times, I probe her to learn more about subjects, or to consider that (warning…sounding like my parents here) she just doesn’t know because she hasn’t lived through, or experienced certain situations.

When she rolls her eyes back, or shuts down, I try to back off. I try to remember that the confidence I have now, and the opinions and beliefs I hold, come from that same sort of self-exploration, and investigation about things that fire me up. She’s going to have to learn and experience things herself, not just take my word for it.

With my youngest, I think I can appreciate where she is more than any of the other siblings, and am more laid-back with her than any of her siblings. While, yes, you hear about parents just being plain tired when that last kid rolls around, I think it’s more than general parenting fatigue. I know she won’t be this age again, and a few kids in, am very much into choosing my battles, and trying to enjoy that time with her, rather than letting my opinions and experiences get too much in the way. I was much more a “rule follower” with Alexis, as well. Now, I can go with the flow a lot easier, and have maybe matured as a parent that way. She gets to make a lot more of her own decisions than her older siblings did. I see now that just letting her “be,” and not constantly helicopter-ing over her, is actually a good thing.

Alexis did some running when she was younger, and was very good at it. It wasn’t her thing, though, and I was sort of bummed out when she decided to stop running and focus on dance exclusively. Now, years later, the irony is that I am so used to dancing daughters, I was quite surprised when my youngest, Ava, said she wanted to quit dance to pursue all the things *I* enjoy so much. Swimming, spending time hiking and trotting on the trails, and even asking to take kickboxing. By backing off altogether, and letting her decide, she actually came to me with a very clear opinion regarding what interests her.

And, my middle daughter, Kaia, who was SUCH a challenge in her early years, is one who is incredibly enjoyable now when I embrace where she is right now. She’s very inquisitive and a little goofy, and in that ‘tween stage when she thinks her parents are pretty cool. I’m going to enjoy it while she’s here. I know it won’t last forever.

What’s my point to all this? To paint an overly-sunshiney picture of motherhood? Heck, no. There are days when my kids make me nuts, moments when I’m really angry at how they’re acting, or just want to hide out and not have anyone call me “Mom” for a day or two. In framing those difficult, awkward ages and stages as unique and challenging adventures, though, it makes it easier for me to deal. In turn, this makes it easier for the kids to deal with me – that old fart who they just can’t fathom ever being a kid or feeling the things they’re feeling now. If I can change my perspective on how I look at them, while they’re young, maybe it’ll help them look at their old mom a little differently as well.

Karah Levely-Rinaldi is a Grand Junction mother of four and an ultra-marathoner.

Posted in Babies, Being a grown-up, Family, Kids | 1 Comment

Mary Cornforth Cawood: Fueling young athletes

Posted on 5 March, 2013 by mcawood

My girls have become calorie-burning machines.

I continue to be amazed by the amount of food consumed at our household! Between gymnastics, swimming and an after-school running program, as well as normal growing, they are steady grazers.  There are many days where it feels like all I do is prepare meals and snacks, and then more meals and snacks.

Despite the extra preparation, I have really been trying to focus on the quality of the food they are given, not just the quantity. Yes, they are burning enough calories that snack mixes, chips, candy bars and energy drinks won’t stay with them for long, but they won’t be this active forever and I would like to set them up with good eating habits for life.

Matters have been further complicated by the recent discovery that, like me, they are both gluten intolerant, with one being sensitive to lactose as well.  Yep, it has become even more challenging to keep them full and feeling well!

Rather than thinking of assembling snacks, I have changed my mind-set to preparing mini-meals. Pairing a couple of items together that are easy to eat, but yet leave them feeling full and energized.

What has been working for us?

Greek yogurt is a best friend; stir in some cereal or granola and it really has staying power!  The Greek variety has substantially more protein than regular yogurt; and yogurt itself is more easily digested than other dairy products for those with lactose sensitivities.

Homemade gluten-free snack mixes with dried fruit, nuts, whole grain cereal, pretzels and a few chocolate covered candies as a little treat, are easy to eat on the go.  My oldest really likes pistachios; a little bag of those is great fuel before practice.

Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables!  Clementines, apples and bananas are all very portable. Washed berries are also easy to pop in your mouth.  Sliced apples and peanut butter are one of our favorites (almond butter is also a good choice).   Another is raw vegetables with hummus; they have become our post-practice fare.

The 20-minute drive home from practices was filled with moans of, “I’m starving!” Dinner couldn’t happen soon enough!  To help them make it to the table, while at the same time not ruining their dinner, I started giving them their “salad course” of veggies and hummus for the car ride home. By the time we get home, the girls no longer feel like they are “going to die,” but still have plenty of appetite for dinner.

On Sundays (when time allows) I also like to bake a batch of muffins.  They make a quick breakfast or mid-morning snack at school.  It has taken quite a bit of tweaking, but I have finally found a recipe that is not only gluten-free and healthy, but tastes good as well.

My mom used to bake banana muffins with whole wheat flour, wheat germ and yogurt that were a breakfast favorite for me. The problem I found with many gluten-free recipes is that while they may taste good, they just aren’t that good for you.  Too many ingredients like tapioca starch, potato starch, extra eggs and refined sugar make them more cupcake than muffin.

After much trial and error in my quest for a more meaningful gluten-free muffin, I have finally come up with a blend of high-protein, gluten-free flours that pack some nutritional punch, but still produce a moist, tasty muffin.  I have found equal success in making pumpkin or banana muffins with the flour blend (the recipe for the banana version follows).

Every time I catch myself grumbling about the time I spend assembling food for the masses, I try to remind myself that the pay-off is well worth it.  Active kids, with healthy eating habits, are set up for a lifetime of good health!

A More “Meaningful” Banana Muffin

(Makes a dozen muffins)

1 cup quinoa flour

¾ cup gluten free baking flour blend (mine includes brown rice flour, potato and tapioca starch, because you do need a little or it will taste like cardboard!)

¼ cup flax meal

¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (if not already included in the flour blend above)

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

2 ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup natural applesauce (the individual serving containers equal ½ cup)

¼ cup Greek yogurt

½ cup honey

2 eggs

¼ cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup add-ins (chopped nuts, dried fruit, or ¼ cup mini-chocolate chips)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or place liners in cups.

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flours, flax meal, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine wet ingredients: mashed bananas, applesauce, yogurt, honey, eggs, canola oil and vanilla.

Combine wet and dry ingredients in large bowl, being careful to not over mix.  Fold in dried fruit, nuts or chocolate chips.  Place batter in muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full.   Bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Posted in Baking, Family, Fitness, Food, Health | Leave a comment

Mary Cornforth Cawood: Air Cookies

Posted on 25 February, 2013 by mcawood

For our last installment in the month of chocolate, I had to include this amazing recipe I stumbled across on Yahoo over the holidays – chocolate “Air Cookies.” The recipe was featured on Reluctantly Healthy (hosted by Judy Greer) because the cookies contain no flour or butter – amazing right?!  It wasn’t their alleged health benefits that drew me in because let’s face it: They still contain a lot of chocolate and sugar, but they were flourless and dairy-free (allergens that we continually battle at our household).

After watching featured guest Alex Thomopolous (host of Gluten Free with Alex T. on You Tube) whip up a batch of these cookies, I just had to try them.  They were fast and easy to make, AND unbelievably good!  I was so smitten, I immediately posted the link (http://screen.yahoo.com/air-cookies-31385105.html) on Facebook (written recipe follows below).

If you are in need of a serious chocolate fix that won’t damage your waistline, these cookies are the solution! They have a deep, dark chocolate flavor and a brownie-like texture that is surprising; after folding in whipped egg whites, I was expecting a meringue-type cookie.

One batch only makes a dozen cookies, so no matter how addictive, you can’t hurt yourself too badly!

I must admit, these cookies have been made on a fairly regular basis at our household, so over the weekend, I decided to experiment and change them up a bit.  I added in dried cherries (1/2 cup) in one batch, and chopped peanuts (1/2 cup) and miniature marshmallows (1 cup) in another for a Rocky Road twist.  Both were really tasty; leave extra room on the sheet between the Rocky Road cookies because the marshmallows spread.

The recipe handles variations well.  Add-ins I plan on trying in the future include: peanut butter/butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips with raspberry extract, and a Mexican version (1/2 tsp. each of espresso powder, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper).

Get creative and have fun with this one; oh, and try to save some to share!

Air Cookies

3 egg whites

pinch of cream of tartar (found with the spices in the baking aisle)

¼ cup sugar

6 ounces dark chocolate (try to use at least 65 percent), chopped

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until just melted (be sure to stir frequently so chocolate does not burn). Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla and sea salt. (You can also melt chocolate in a saucepan over the stove.)  Pour into large bowl.

Next, in a medium-sized bowl, using a hand mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar.  Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites in small batches into melted chocolate.  Add chocolate chips or other add-ins.

Place large spoonfuls of batter onto baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Allow room between cookies for spreading.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cookies look “dry” but still spring when touched, being careful to not over bake.  Remove cookies from oven and let rest on baking sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to baking racks until completely cool.

Mary Cornforth Cawood is a Fruita mom who is married with two daughters. Read her Tuesdays on Fruita Moms.

Posted in Baking | 1 Comment

Karah Levely-Rinaldi: Seeing things in a positive light

Posted on 20 February, 2013 by krinaldi

Don’t worry, be happy.

It seems like such a trite, simplistic world view, right? Well, I had about a million reasons I was trying to use to convince myself otherwise this weekend. And I almost used those reasons to talk myself out of that happiness.

This was a big goal race weekend for me. The Moab Redhot 55K.

The upcoming week also brings several key events as far as the next phase of my life. It just felt like I was not prepared for either. Or, maybe, I just wanted to curl up a bit in the fetal position and not deal with anything hard.

But then, I had some sense knocked into me on the race by a friend. You’re doing Leadville, he said. Don’t downshift to the shorter 33K (a little over 20 miles) race. Treat it as a an enjoyable training exercise and necessary step in that process.

Change of perspective on a situation. What an amazing concept. I stopped thinking of this year’s Redhot as a death march of sorts, given my relative under-training this year.

And with that, I also started thinking about big changes this year with that mindset. I knew, when the weekend was over, I would still have a ton of stuff to do but decided to stop dreading and fearing that work. They were necessary steps in the process, and I would get them done one way or the other.

The race day started out like many others. Lots of trips to the bathroom, greeting friends old and new in the dirt lot near the Gemini Bridges Trailhead in Moab, Utah. A little part of me still wanted to bow out of the longer of two race options available that day. I just kept committing to seeing through the longer one, and reminding myself how I did genuinely view this as one of the most beautiful places on earth. And that I needed to have faith in myself that I would not have a problem getting through 34 miles today if I remained patient.

Sure, I could dwell on the fact that I hadn’t racked up nearly as many long runs as I needed for this. Or beat myself in the head with mom guilt for being here this weekend at all.

No, that wasn’t productive.

So, I embraced being happy in this beautiful place, being around people from all walks of life and levels of running experience, and appreciating how fortunate I am to be able to complete such an event.

When we finally got started, part of me wanted to curl up in the fetal position again. Oh, boy. This was going to be a long day. But then, my friend Jen was alongside me. I relaxed and chatted with her all the way up the first hill on the course, about kids and running and life in general. Soon, we were up, and it was really about as easy as that hill had ever felt in four years at this race.

Yes, I was slow, but that was OK. I seemed to have dialed in on the control and patience I needed to successfully make it through a long, hard day out on the slick rock and dirt. Could I maintain this mindset?

I wasn’t sure. There were still a million things on my mind that I had to get done that day, and back at home.

Don’t worry. Be happy. I blocked that stuff out of my head, looked around at where I was, and kept moving.

In the early miles, I moved along with my friend Jen, and continued chatting and laughing. We don’t necessarily plan to run these things together, but it was great to have a bit of a shoulder to lean on in the early miles. She’s been through her own challenges in running and life, and also wasn’t in a position today to hammer out a personal best on this race course, but her attitude was great and I fed off that.

This has been the case, too, I realized, with things going on in my life. I have friends and family who are what I call the “normal makers,” not telling me what to do or how to think, but still encouraging me to see things in a positive light. See changes and challenges as good things. Opportunities, even.

With that, I grew stronger and more confident with each step.

Eventually, Jen left me and pulled ahead a bit. I was on my own but not really. Here I was in this amazing landscape on a beautiful day. I was running by myself now (OK, power hiking quite a bit, really), but not alone. The energy of being on the trails in beautiful Moab, being around like-minded folks, and flushing all the negative out of my brain were making this into a day I didn’t think possible. I was emboldened by this as I moved on. I wasn’t trudging. I felt buoyant and light on my feet. It was a slow pace, but it didn’t matter.

Finally, I passed the last aid station at around 28 miles and hit that home stretch where I knew it was inevitable. I was finishing today. I’d come very close to not toeing the line, and now found myself SO glad that I’d taken on what had been a hard and at times uncomfortable race, but one in which I would ultimately get through.

And I really did think of this in terms of getting ready to run the Leadville Trail 100, and to eventually make it through other big changes – the good and the bad – with patience, persistence and a smile on my face whenever possible.

I was well over the seven-hour mark when I crossed that finish line on Saturday, but I did make it across that line. And with it, all worries for the day were buried. I caught up with friends and learned how everyone’s races had gone, still in pleasant shock that my day, while a long, back-of-the-pack effort, had been a success.

After a good night’s sleep and a very nice stretch of the legs hiking to Corona Arch the next day, I made my way home. Got to read with the kids, hug them, snuggle with them. Focusing on them, and on being happy with them, that is everything. The other stuff will all come together eventually.

Step by step.

Karah Levely-Rinaldi is a Grand Junction mother of four and an ultra-marathon runner. Read her every other week on Fruita Moms.

Posted in Being happy, Fitness | 2 Comments

Mary Cornforth Cawood: Brownie pudding, oh my!

Posted on 19 February, 2013 by mcawood

For the latest installment in the month of chocolate, I headed to the recipe archives and pulled out an old family favorite – brownie pudding.  This recipe pre-dates the lava cake of current restaurant fame, and in my opinion, tastes better.  It is easy to prepare and made with common pantry ingredients.  Served warm out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream, this recipe can take down even the best hot fudge sundae!

At first glance, it looks like a pan of brownies, but don’t try cutting these with a knife.  Use a large spoon to scoop out a portion and watch the ooey, gooey hot fudge sauce surround the brownie.  What is the secret behind the sauce sublime?  Pouring hot water over the prepared batter before placing it in the oven!

To amp up the chocolate flavor even more, try adding a teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder to flour mixture before mixing.  For another twist, and in keeping with current food trends, try sprinkling a small amount of sea salt on each portion before serving.

I guarantee there will be no leftovers of this decadent dessert; you might want to make sure the kids are in bed before you lick the empty pan!

Brownie Pudding

1 cup flour (for gluten free, substitute gluten-free baking flour and ½ tsp. xanthan gum)

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use canola)

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 ¾ cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8 X 8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.   Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Add milk, oil and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and pour batter into baking pan.  Mix together brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa powder and sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over entire batter mixture.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes.  Serve warm from oven.

Mary Cornforth Cawood is married with two daughters. Read her Tuesdays on Fruita Moms.

Posted in Baking | Leave a comment

Christina Olcott: I think I’ll keep him

Posted on 15 February, 2013 by vdaehn1

That drive from Gothenburg to Kearney, Neb., was the longest and shortest drive I’ve ever made.

I spent most of it texting my bestie, freaking out about what I was about to do. Yes, I was driving and texting. Yes, Mother, I know you tell me to never drive and text.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was driving to Kearney for a date. A real, live date. I had gone on a few before this, but this one I was nervous about.

He invited me over to his house to cook me dinner. No one had ever offered to cook me dinner. This was foreign territory.

I told at least three friends the exact address I would be at. The “supposed” name of this character. I even sent his Facebook page to Sarah, so that when I went missing, they’d know where to start looking for the body.

Paranoid much? Me? Never!

We had talked on the phone the night before, and most of it was laughing and joking. I felt good about my decision to go through with the date, even though I was afraid I might end up in a bath tub of ice, with a missing kidney by morning.

I walked up the driveway, almost dropping the bottle of wine I was carrying (I’m nothing if not dependable about my clumsiness).

He mentioned that he already had a bottle of Malbec open. Which is my favorite red wine. Which I told him. And he actually listened! He was already scoring points from the get-go.

I made sure to immediately alert him to the fact that my friends knew where I was. That if he was a serial killer, he should probably skip me, because they all knew where I was and who I was with. That, and I had to pick up my kids from school the next day, and they’d be really disappointed if Mom didn’t show up because her Sunday night date had ended very, very badly.

In hindsight, I’m not sure why he even continued with the date. I was obviously a little crazy. He should have been scared for his own safety at that point.

Lucky for me, he embraced the craziness. Also, lucky for me, he’s a fantastic cook. He prepared an incredible homemade meal. He lit a candle. He had wine. We ate. We talked. We laughed a lot. We watched a movie. We drank more wine. We talked more. There may have been a kiss or two. Maybe three. That first kiss may have given me butterflies.

It was the best date I’ve ever had.

Six months later, I still melt a little when he smiles. I still act incredulous when he says something sarcastic and snarky to me. This is usually followed by laughter. He takes care of me when I’m not feeling well. He calls me on my ridiculousness when I’m being ridiculous. He’s resigned himself to the fact that his cat, Dexter, loves me more than him. He kills the spiders (with a little fanfare), he cleans my long, red hair out of the shower drain (with just a minimal amount of complaint), and he still cooks for me.

I think I’ll keep him.

Christina Olcott is a single mom of two in central Nebraska. Read her regularly on Fruita Moms.

Posted in Blogs, Boys, Men | Leave a comment

Why I don’t need flowers from my love on Valentine’s Day

Posted on 14 February, 2013 by vdaehn1

I have mixed emotions about Valentine’s Day.

As I was preparing to attend my daughters’ Valentine’s Day parties this week, I thought back to when I had those classroom parties when I was  young.

I remember sitting there for hours trying to find the perfect valentine for each classmate. I remember not wanting to give the mushy ones to the boys I thought were cute because then they’d be on to my “crush.”

It all came flooding back when I sat at the table with the girls – and they were doing the same thing!

“I can’t give this valentine to so and so! Ew!” were common expressions I heard.

I laughed and reminded them that boys don’t really care about valentines at that age anyway. They just want to know what kind of candy they are going to get.

Fast forward to high school. I went to an all-girls private high school. For the most part, no one really cared about who had boyfriends because our teachers and administrators taught us we were much more than a girlfriend. They taught us how to be strong women.

That was the case, at least – until Valentine’s Day.

Wow. The claws came out! The school office was filled, front to back, top to bottom with flower deliveries for girls at our school. Many of them were from the neighboring all-boys school, many of them were from parents.

We all wanted flowers at school to make us feel good, and the bigger the bouquet, the more your boyfriend loved you (or he just had the money).

But I never got them. I remember walking out of school crushed those days.

Fast forward again to courting and marrying my husband. This man doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body.

For six years before we were married, I’d anxiously wait at work for the phone call that I had flowers at the security desk. That never came.

For years, I’d think he would deliver them in person. That has never happened.

Every year, I hope for a romantic card, telling me how wonderful I am and how much he loves our relationship. I’m still waiting for that. (If I should happen to get a card from my husband, it usually involves jokes about bodily functions.)

Something has changed over the years, though. In the past two years after battling cancer, I have realized I don’t need one day a year when my husband can profess his love for me.  I don’t need his love in the form of candy, flowers or a card.

I found his true love and his commitment to me while holding my hand at the hospital. I found it when he would sit for eight hours with me when I was having poison dripped into my body. I found it in his true statements to me when I would cry about my body image after surgery and through treatment.

“I don’t care how you look, I just want you,” he said.

That was my greeting card. I feel and live his love every day.

So, for me, Valentine’s Day, is just another day. But if you haven’t told that person you love them lately, make sure you do today and then resolve to do it more often, not just for special occasions.

Brea Nelson is an Omaha mom of two daughters and a cancer survivor.

Posted in Blogs, Cancer, Holidays, Men | Leave a comment

Mary Cornforth Cawood: Fondue night

Posted on 12 February, 2013 by mcawood

There’s nothing quite like dipping your food into hot, melted, gooey goodness, especially when it is chocolate!

One of my favorite restaurants in Denver used to be La Fondue. Each table had a built in hot plate where your server would place a different fondue pot for each course.

The first course typically had a cheese-based fondue to dip bread and vegetables.  The second course had a broth-based fondue to cook meat or seafood.  But the third course was definitely my favorite – dessert!

After a choosing white, milk or dark chocolate fondue, the server brought out a selection of fruit, pound cake, cheese cake and Snickers candy squares to dip.  So good, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Sadly, La Fondue is no longer in business, but with a little prep work, you can create your own fondue night for a fraction of the cost of a restaurant bill!  Kids (as well as the grown-up ones) love to dip, so fondue nights make for fun family dinners.

Depending on your level of ambition, you can create a three-course dinner of dipping or for a more laid-back approach, let the family “dip” their raw veggies, baked chicken fingers and tater-tots into America’s favorite fondue (ranch dressing and ketchup) and get to the best part – dessert!

No fondue pot?  No worries!  Melt your fondue in a saucepan on the stove, pour into individual bowls and dip with bamboo skewers.

Tasty dipping foods include bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, pineapple, Clementines (really good in dark chocolate), graham crackers, angel food cake and pound cake.  For decadent dipping, miniature Snickers, Oreos, and cheesecake are all amazing!

Here are a couple of my favorite dessert fondue recipes (both are gluten free), and yes, I even am including one for you non-chocolate lovers!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fondue (adapted from bettycrocker.com)

2/3 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves

1 tablespoon honey

1 bag (12 oz.) semi or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks

In fondue pot or 2-quart saucepan, mix whipping cream, raspberry preserves and honey.  Heat over warm/simmer setting or medium-low heat, stirring occasionally; just until bubbles rise to surface (do not boil).  Add chocolate, stir with wire whisk until melted.  Keep over warm/simmer setting.  If using saucepan, pour into individual serving bowls.

Peanut Butter Fondue (adapted from bettycrocker.com)

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup whipping cream or half-and-half

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Heat brown sugar, cream and honey to boiling in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Stir in peanut butter until smooth.  Pour into fondue pot or individual serving bowls.

Posted in Baking, Blogs, Food | Leave a comment