green gazpacho (a.k.a. "green goblin goop")

It is hot here in CT. Ridiculously steamy hot. Perfect night for a cold, hydrating soup. I've made gazpacho in the past, but tonight I didn't have tomatoes on hand...and heck if I was getting in the car again once we were home and settled. So, I took inventory of the fridge and threw a few things into the Cuisinart, and hoped it was a winner. It was. In fact so much so, that this just might be my healthy go-to soup this summer. Even the kids liked it once I gave them a chance to name it. Call it whatever you want, this one's a keeper.

Green Gazpacho 

(or "Green Goblin Goop")

makes 2 generous bowls, or 4 side dish bowls

1 bunch of organic celery, rough chopped

1/2 an onion, rough chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 English cucumber, rough chopped

1 avocado, rough chopped

juice of 2 lemons

dill (fresh or dried), to taste

sea salt + pepper, to taste

Combine everything in your food processor, using the "s" blade. Pulse until desired consistency. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or cashew cream, if desired.

Here is the recipe in photos, for those who like a visual...

1/2 an onion and 1 bunch of celery...

1 English cucumber + 2 cloves of garlic....

1 avocado...

juice of 2 lemons...

and some sea salt + dill (I didn't have fresh) for flavor.

That's it! Now pulse until you desired consistency...

and voila! A perfect, healthy summer meal is served in minutes. I topped ours with a dollop of the "vegan sour cream" (aka cashew cream) I made at the beginning of this raw eating week I am doing + had one of the yummy flax crackers I picked up yesterday alongside it. Is it just me, or is my skin starting to glow a bit?

highlights from raw day 3 (new food crushes!)

I'm not going to lie, this week of raw eating has been a challenge. I am able to create amazingly delicious meals, but I've realized I miss the nuttiness and chewiness of whole grains and the comfort of legumes. We've been eating a ton of meatless family meals, so I don't miss the meat. Maybe it's that I don't like having my food choices restricted. Really, I think that's the issue. 

But I needed to do something to get myself back on track; back to being a little more mindful about the foods I was eating. And if nothing else, this raw foods week of a 3-week cleanse (the first week being a paring back of the taboo stuff, then this raw week, and next week we shall see...) has made me more cognizant of what my body craves.  

So, the latest installment of "food crushes" takes this raw week into consideration... and the fact that I was unexpectedly out and about all day. Sure, I could have just picked up some pieces of fruit or maybe a salad somewhere...but I wanted some "treats": raw-approved vittles that someone else labored over. And I also wanted some crunch to go along with all of the smoothies, pestos, puddings, soups and salads I've been whipping up. Brad's Raw Kale Chips are one of my favorite snacks, and today I thought nothing of plunking down some $ to indulge in a box. 

Then our health food store in town said these local crackers were popular, so I indulged again. They are really good. You have to like the consistency of flax crackers, which I do. And their simple addition of arugula, tomatoes and cippolini onions gave these just the right texture and taste I was craving. I can't find a website for this company, Healing Home Foods (out of Pound Ridge, NY), but they appear to frequent some local farmer's markets and Healthfare in New Canaan carries their full line.  

highlights from raw day 2

oh heck, why don't we start with dessert today...

Raw Chocolate Pudding

(makes 8 servings)

3 avocados

3 Tablespoons raw honey (or more if you like it sweeter)

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1/4 cup water

Blend everything in a Cuisinart. You may add more water, cacao powder or raw honey to make it thinner, sweeter or more chocolaty! Will keep in the fridge for a day or two.

the fact that I had "sauces" for the beginning of this week already made (top to bottom: my go-to lemon vinaigrette + cashew "sour cream" + raw chocolate pudding + sun-dried tomato-cashew-pine nut pesto)

and the black olives + shredded carrots + cucumbers + cherry tomatoes + romaine + diced pickled jalapeños that morphed into a raw "taco" salad in mere minutes today

this salad is one of the raw recipes from The Nutrition Mom's Renew Cleanse, and it was delicious!!

highlights raw day 1

Raw trail mix: dried goji berries + raw walnuts + raw pepitas + raw cacao nibs.

A green smoothie (from this morning) packed to go + lots and lots of water.

My afternoon snack while on a long conference call: fresh cherries + the last of the green smoothie + soaked almonds (raw almonds soaked in filtered water for about 6 hours, then rinsed and drained, and stored in the fridge).

A big batch of sun-dried tomato pesto made last night, which I plan to morph into dinner tonight. (I am on a conference call until the kids' bedtime, so they'll have leftover filet and sides from last night, and will just have some of this pesto as a dip for veggies...). I think I'll thin the pesto with lemon juice and put it over a big mixed veggie salad as a protein-packed dressing for myself this evening...

And last but not least: the fact that I prepped a bunch of veggies yesterday, so I can just toss meals together quickly today.

cheers to 7 days of raw goodness

I'm coming out of my frump slump. Remember a week or so ago, when I told you I was feeling puffy, sluggish and well, generally just not summer-ready? Well, I am charting a new course. It took stepping back and prioritizing feeling good. I am far from there yet, but I'm on my way. For me, it took signing up for The Nutrition Mom's "Renew" cleanse, just so I had some accountability and support as I embarked on this about face. Hers was a good jumping off point for me, and it's made me  excited to compile a new binder full of super healthy, and in some cases, raw recipes. For the next 7 days, as part of The Nutrition Mom's program, I am whipping up raw meals. Of course, this won't be a perfect science... in many cases my raw main might be the kids side dish. But, I am excited to make it a healthy, delicious week ahead. I'll post a few highlights this week, and who knows, maybe one or two of these raw recipes will catch your eye, you'll give them  try, and they'll become a part of your "normal" recipe rotation.

p.s. this morning's green smoothie (pictured above): 2 bananas + 1/2 cup mango + 1/2 cup green grapes + a few hearty handfuls of spinach + 2 cups of water + the juice of one lemon... bright green deliciousness 

summer treat of the week: homemade berry syrup part 2!

Awesome use of the rest of the homemade berry syrup. It works as a fabulous frozen yogurt, ice cream, or Greek Yogurt topping too! Mmmm.....

rainy day fun

I know I heard a collective groan from my local friends when we all woke up today... so much for the beach/park/playground/hikes we had planned.  Here's how we I stayed sane this (latest) rainy summer day...

A morning "tea party". (We ate the treats before I got a photo. Sorry. You'll have to go get your own, or use your imagination.) Then a trip to the library to stock up for the week.

A towel picnic.

And, a scavenger hunt. I learned my lesson last time. This list had 30 items that are way more creative (and time-consuming). And, while they excitedly hunted, I curled up with some tea and relished my new book, Every Bite is Divine.

How do you fellow moms stay sane create fun on rainy summer days?

simple homemade berry syrup

Cobbling breakfast together has sort of been the norm these days. And most days, I do a pretty darn good job. But, instead of winging it and hoping for the best, I am kicking our summer off by starting a 3-week real food "cleanse" (meaning focusing on putting only good stuff in my body, to allow some of the bad stuff to exit) tomorrow. Mantra #1: be organized and have good foods on hand and prepped. And yes, my family is coming along for the ride. I'll be augmenting the children's meals (and Jeff's if he wants), basically using what I am having as my "main" as their side, since they certainly do not need to de-puff. So, today's breakfast might have been the last pull-it-together for a while. Unless, of course, I plan to have this awesome, simple, "syrup" on the week ahead's menu.

Organic Berry Syrup

organic strawberries
organic raspberries
raw honey (optional)


In a Cuisinart, pulse the fresh berries, and raw honey if you are adding it for sweetness, until pureed. Syrup can be used as a waffle or pancake topping, drizzled over yogurt or fruit salad, or added to smoothies for sweetness. Enjoy! 

cud: a short film to watch with your family

Favorite from last night's food film fest? Cud, for sure. It is an incredibly entertaining short film about a Georgia rancher who eschews traditional corn-feeding to raise grass-fed cattle. Loved the message, and the delivery-- a chance to step onto his farm for 16 entertaining, thoughtful minutes. I was fortunate to get to catch this at dine with design's evening event, but the festival's innovative films + food pairings are also coming to NYC October 18-21 and Chicago November 15-17th. Catch it if you can. In the meantime, I encourage you to gather your family around your computer to watch Cud.

dine with design fundraiser: glass house + celebrated chefs

Despite the (never ending) rain, the fact that I felt guilty booking a sitter on the kids' first day of summer vacation, and a sitter showing up who was clearly fighting a cold or something, it was such a treat to spend an afternoon over at the Glass House today.

First, who doesn't like a peek at someone else's kitchen? Philip Johnson's no less. I bet he didn't use recipes. I mean, how could he concentrate on a recipe when he had that view? Hmmm, I see that you can't see the view from my photo, so you'll just have to trust me. It's amazing. (The guy would not have built a house of glass if the view wasn't stunning, you know.)

And then, the vittles in the tent... oh my.

Since we live in town, we'd taken the Glass House for granted. So, this was a double treat getting to traipse around the grounds and enjoy the inventive food. I think I ate more meat-centric dishes today than I have in the past 6 months... but it was worth it to sample the creations of so many celebrated chefs. 

Highly recommend the event next year, if you can nab a ticket. It's worth booking a Saturday afternoon sitter. Trust me.

school is out!

This is it! My kids are officially done with school. {Insert sound of screeching brakes.} I'm taking this next week to hike, swim, run, play, and read to and with them... and to get myself back on track. In the happy chaos of this last month, I lost my way with my healthy eating and my exercising... and it shows. My energy's down, my belly's up. Definitely, not the way I wanted to start the summer. But, it's fixable. I just need to make it a priority and spend a little time mapping out our family meals (and spending less time sidling up to the snack bar), making time to exercise, and penciling in some downtime for myself while running "camp mom". Once I have an idea of what our summer will look like, I'll loop back and let you know the scoop on when/what to expect with summer posts. If you don't want to keep checking, you can pop your email in here on the right-hand column, and posts will be emailed directly to you when they're up!

Alright, off to deliver teacher gifts, make fruit skewers for this afternoon's 3rd grade bash, and get my brows done (so I can see again) before picking my little one up at noon to officially kick off summer.

rock-climbing birthday party

I survived my son's first sleepover. Barely. It was deja vu of having a newborn, where I slept so lightly, wondering if every sound I heard throughout the night was a sign that I should go check on the kids. Gosh, I had forgotten that feeling. This momentous first sleepover kicked-off my older son's 9th birthday. (Never mind that his actually birthday was months ago... mom faux pas.) The eventual party? Awesome. In the grand scheme of things, what is one night of no sleep and a few month delay on having your party?

In past years, we have joyfully had the whole class over to our house. This was a small party-- just two friends. Not because he didn't want the entire 3rd grade... more because I decided I just wasn't up for an enormous soiree this year. Tag-teaming off an auction item we bid on at the children's school, the theme was rock-climbing. (Conveniently) that auction item was just for a few kids. Now, if I had my act together, I would have gotten all creative with the foods-- gorp, dehydrated camping foods, etc. Thankfully, I was saved from myself. Because really, the kids don't care... I'd be a little embarrassed if this were a Martha-type entertaining blog. But no, it's a real life, get-it-all-done blog for busy moms. So, here's the scoop:  

After playing in a ladies tennis tournament 9:00-1:30 (totally decadent, I know!), then having a health coach call 2:00-2:50, the school bus rumbled home at 3:00. The guests were due to arrive at 4:30, so I suggested a good snack and some downtime for my boys, and quickly whipped up (or poured out as the case may be with one of them) three snacks to have out in case the party people got hungry: ants on a log + Terra chips + mini fruit skewers. (The time-saving trick being to splurge on the "value-added" cut-up fruit this go round...)  

My husband said he'd try be home around 5:30... but I know Friday traffic, and I know my husband. So, I dashed up to my computer and banged out a 35-item scavenger hunt list, figuring it would take the kids, oh, at least 2 hours to hunt down all of the items inside and outside. I had visions of sitting outside with a glass of wine while they excitedly dashed around trying to find some of the more obscure items on the list.

Right. It took them exactly 35 minutes... and my husband got home sometime around 6:30. I doled out prizes of adhesive mustaches, glow sticks and whoopee cushions. But, the rest of the afternoon, they needed no direction or fancy games. I'd forgotten that just having two extra bodies around creates a party. Board games were hauled out, balls were kicked around, then I ordered pizza and salad from the local pizzeria.

The evening was capped off by a homemade-ish (note the "ish") cake. Yes, that is store-bought decorators frosting from a tube globbed on top of my delicious cream cheese frosting and lemon cake. I have no idea what was in it to turn in that bright blue. I don't really want to know.

What I do know, is that my son loved the cake. At bedtime, I read Everest to the kids.

The next morning, I fortified the crew with scrambled eggs + Alexia waffle cut potatoes + fruit salad + Alexia sweet potato puffs + Applegate chicken-apple breakfast sausage...

and then they met up with one of their teachers for a rock-climbing adventure! Talk about cool: this place was over-the-top neat... and they had one of their beloved teachers showing them the ropes.

Best part of all? My younger son was included in everything... the big kids let him act nine all night, and the next morning he, too, scampered up every wall.

It was a party to remember. Oh, and the goodie bags. Can't forget the goodie bags: copies of Hatchet and The Sign of the Beaver (for the big kids, My Side of the Mountain and My Father's Dragon for our 5-year-old) + a compass/thermometer + caribeener + a solar flashlight + a Lego mini figure + retro candies.