No matter how old our children get, one thing we will always do is feed them. Food is a central focus of family gatherings and even teenagers appreciate a good meal.
Recently Reuter's carried a story about Swedish research showing that boys aged 15 who ate fish regularly gained marked improvement in cognitive skills. (Follow this link for the full story http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE52F4XH20090316 ) Anyone who has ever had a 15-year-old male living in their house knows this is a great discovery. The fatty fishes, such as salmon, have the most beneficial effect. The good news is that it is good for all of us.
So, instead of grabbing a carry-out hamburger or pizza, why not try some salmon instead. Getting the kids to eat it should be easy enough, as it is very palatable, especially with great seasonings. Here are a few recipes to try out on the males in your family from 15 to 50:
Salmon Pate
1 small onion, quartered
1 15 1/2 oz. can salmon, drained with skin and boned removed
1 8 oz. package fat free cream cheese, room temperature
2 or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon horseradish
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
dash of Tobasco
salt and pepper
Pulse onion in food processor. Add all the other ingredients and pulse until smooth. Serve with wheat crackers.
Italian Pasta Salmon Salad
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash of pepper
1 cup cooked small shell macaroni
4 radishes, sliced (leave out if your kids hate radishes)
1/2 green pepper cut into 1/2 inch squares
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 can 6 1/2 oz. pink salmon, drained
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
In a small bowl combine oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, mustard, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate one hour. In a large bowl toss macaroni, radishes, green pepper, green onions, and carrot. Just before serving pour dressing over pasta and vegetables; toss. Add salmon and cherry tomatoes and toss gently.
Grilled Salmon
4 salmon fillets
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
Make a marinade with the brown sugar, margarine, soy sauce and sherry. Pour over fillets and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare coals to medium heat. Spray grill with non-stick cooking spray. Grill salmon for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and pour remaining marinade over fish; continue grilling another 3 to 5 minutes until slamon flakes and is light pink in color, or until desired consistency and cooked through.
If all else fails, try the salmon burgers from Whole Foods on whole wheat buns. They're great!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
You've Got A Friend
What do you share with your kids? Hobbies, like fishing or Nascar? Sports, like baseball, soccer or golf? Are you both passionate about a college team, classic films or dirt biking? Whatever you share with your children now will be something that always connects you. It will be something that reminds them of family and growing up. These shared experiences will result in those warm fuzzies and reassurances we all need at different times in our lives.
I rocked my babies to show tunes, college songs and James Taylor. Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Shower the People, You've Got A Friend-could there be anything better than J.T.? His music evokes that time in my life when all things were possible and the world was at my feet. I love my husband, Warren, but James had my heart first.
Both my girls learned to love James by osmosis. We call each other when he is on television. We turn the radio up when he is singing. We alert each other with his newest album. All three of us know every word to every song James has ever written.
I surprised the girls with tickets to see Sweet Baby James last weekend in Dallas. Neither had seen him in concert before. (Make this my fourth time). We made it a girl trip and had a ball. We shopped, we ate, we drank a little wine, but what we really did was share something that was special in our lives together. The music that evokes happy times and shared passions.
Our special might not be your special, but seize any opportunity to continue what you did together- what you still do together. Don't let moments that can create memories and life moments get away. Those moments are precious. Cultivate and create them for you and those you love.
(Our family is going to a dear friend's wedding in the fall. It happens to be in Nantucket. The ferry goes across to Martha's Vineyard, home of James Taylor. If you see I have been arrested in September as a stalker, know I just knew my invitation for a visit had probably been lost in the the mail.) chrissie
I rocked my babies to show tunes, college songs and James Taylor. Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Shower the People, You've Got A Friend-could there be anything better than J.T.? His music evokes that time in my life when all things were possible and the world was at my feet. I love my husband, Warren, but James had my heart first.
Both my girls learned to love James by osmosis. We call each other when he is on television. We turn the radio up when he is singing. We alert each other with his newest album. All three of us know every word to every song James has ever written.
I surprised the girls with tickets to see Sweet Baby James last weekend in Dallas. Neither had seen him in concert before. (Make this my fourth time). We made it a girl trip and had a ball. We shopped, we ate, we drank a little wine, but what we really did was share something that was special in our lives together. The music that evokes happy times and shared passions.
Our special might not be your special, but seize any opportunity to continue what you did together- what you still do together. Don't let moments that can create memories and life moments get away. Those moments are precious. Cultivate and create them for you and those you love.
(Our family is going to a dear friend's wedding in the fall. It happens to be in Nantucket. The ferry goes across to Martha's Vineyard, home of James Taylor. If you see I have been arrested in September as a stalker, know I just knew my invitation for a visit had probably been lost in the the mail.) chrissie
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I'd Walk A Million Miles For One of Her Smiles
I hope this finds all Mothers' with a smile on their face after Sunday. Whether is was breakfast in bed with burned toast and smiling faces, plaster hand prints that will be pulled out in years to come (and bring tears every time), or a Hallmark card expressing sentiments you didn't imagine your teen would convey, Mother's Day is always a special time.
My youngest sent flowers. Tom is in the middle of finals and couldn't come home this weekend. But, he actually picked up his phone and called our local florist and ordered an arrangement. Be still my heart. I cried. Ward, out of the state on business, sent a rose bush, a card that said things every Mother wants to hear from her grown son and called Sunday. I cried. Annie, Greg and the Grandest of Babies met us at CaneBrake for lunch. Annie walked in first with her sister, Catherine, who drove from OKC, for Mother's Day Brunch. I cried. Warren remembered the day with a beautiful gift, thanking me for being the Mother of his children. I....well you know what I did.
I am not a crier. Never was. Sorta am now. I think as I've aged, as time has passed, the moments that make life worth living are more noticed, more appreciated. It is all whizzing by so quickly, I don't want to miss the good stuff. And as I try to live intentionally, I am more aware of life's blessings. Thereby the water works.
A friend sent the following and it is not only clever, it is true. Enjoy.
Motherhood is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother.......
4 YEARS OF AGE -My Mommy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE -My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE -Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.
16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She doesn't have a clue.
18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? Don't even ask.
25 YEARS OF AGE -Well, she might know a little bit about it.
35 YEARS OF AGE -Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mother.
Oh, how I wish i could! chrissie
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Drugged
Ally, a young woman very special in our family, (particularly one family member), sent me this last week. It has been circulating on the Internet. The unknown author has an interesting view regarding the drug problem in America today. I don't particularly agree with the woodpile part but expectations, consequences and responsibility are all important in raising a child to be a confident and contributing adult. It seems many parents have forgotten that. Read below and see what you think.
The other day, someone in a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county. He asked me the rhetorical question, "Why didn 't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I replied, "I had a drug problem when I was growing up. I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather."
"I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie ,brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was required of me."
"I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to Mom's garden to pull weeds from her flower beds and cockleburs out of Dad's fields.I was drug to the home of family, friends and neighbors to help out someone who needed help to mow the lawn, repair a clothesline or chop some firewood and if my Mother knew I had taken a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed."
"Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in every thing I think, do, or say. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin; and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place."
God Bless the parents who drug us.
Have a good week and drag your kiddo somewhere they need to go! chrissie
The other day, someone in a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county. He asked me the rhetorical question, "Why didn 't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I replied, "I had a drug problem when I was growing up. I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather."
"I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie ,brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was required of me."
"I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to Mom's garden to pull weeds from her flower beds and cockleburs out of Dad's fields.I was drug to the home of family, friends and neighbors to help out someone who needed help to mow the lawn, repair a clothesline or chop some firewood and if my Mother knew I had taken a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed."
"Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in every thing I think, do, or say. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin; and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place."
God Bless the parents who drug us.
Have a good week and drag your kiddo somewhere they need to go! chrissie
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tobacco Free Teens
Tobacco free teens start with tobacco free education. The Health Department recently sent out the following information about an anti-tobacco bill sponsored by Sen. Ted Kennedy. Here is the body of their message asking for help:
We've just learned that Senator Edward Kennedy plans to reintroduce the FDA regulation of tobacco bill in the Senate THIS WEEK. We need your assistance in generating as many calls as possible into your Senators' offices asking them to cosponsor this lifesaving legislation. We expect Senator Kennedy's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to debate the legislation in the coming weeks and for the full Senate to consider the legislation soon thereafter. Last year, the legislation had more than 60 cosponsors and we will need to get those Senators back on as cosponsors, as well as add additional new cosponsors this year.
It is important that your Senators hear from you as soon as possible! You can reach your Senator by clicking here <http://action.tobaccofreekids.org/site/R?i=kpP4BFvw_iivI8J29hkzCQ..>. All you need is your phone...clicking the link will take you to your Senator's phone number, talking points for your call, and a brief form so you can let us know how the call went. The call will take no longer than 2 to 3 minutes. The message is: COSPONSOR the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which provides for effective FDA regulation of tobacco products. Click here to call today<http://action.tobaccofreekids.org/site/R?i=paFN_AOMev4T9Ph1lMdNLQ..>.
We might think the tobacco battle is over, but just yesterday I saw an ad in this month's Vogue showing a beautiful young woman holding a cigarette with the caption, "Life is Rich." I was kind of taken aback - back to 1985 when certain ads showed lithe young women who had "come a long way, baby," and my mother passed away from lung cancer. Not everyone who smokes will get lung cancer - some will get asthma, heart disease, or emphysema. But, why risk it at all with your child's life? Tobacco free is the only option.
-------Melony
We've just learned that Senator Edward Kennedy plans to reintroduce the FDA regulation of tobacco bill in the Senate THIS WEEK. We need your assistance in generating as many calls as possible into your Senators' offices asking them to cosponsor this lifesaving legislation. We expect Senator Kennedy's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to debate the legislation in the coming weeks and for the full Senate to consider the legislation soon thereafter. Last year, the legislation had more than 60 cosponsors and we will need to get those Senators back on as cosponsors, as well as add additional new cosponsors this year.
It is important that your Senators hear from you as soon as possible! You can reach your Senator by clicking here <http://action.tobaccofreekids.org/site/R?i=kpP4BFvw_iivI8J29hkzCQ..>. All you need is your phone...clicking the link will take you to your Senator's phone number, talking points for your call, and a brief form so you can let us know how the call went. The call will take no longer than 2 to 3 minutes. The message is: COSPONSOR the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which provides for effective FDA regulation of tobacco products. Click here to call today<http://action.tobaccofreekids.org/site/R?i=paFN_AOMev4T9Ph1lMdNLQ..>.
We might think the tobacco battle is over, but just yesterday I saw an ad in this month's Vogue showing a beautiful young woman holding a cigarette with the caption, "Life is Rich." I was kind of taken aback - back to 1985 when certain ads showed lithe young women who had "come a long way, baby," and my mother passed away from lung cancer. Not everyone who smokes will get lung cancer - some will get asthma, heart disease, or emphysema. But, why risk it at all with your child's life? Tobacco free is the only option.
-------Melony
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