Tomato and Mozzarella

As you know I'm not a big fan of tomatoes. I happened to mention this at work and someone shared how they spruce up a fresh sliced tomato...add balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then top with a nice piece of mozzarella cheese. That actually sounds good and might prompt me to try one from the garden this year. {thanks Denise!}

The Snowman Mug

To make hot cocoa just a little neater serve it in a special mug. The favorite mug at our house is the snowman one. We love to top it off with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Cucumber Tomato Swap

I love cucumbers and my husband loves tomatoes, but neither of us like the opposite. The result is the "swap". When we are at a restaurant peering into our mixed salads, we each poke the appropriate vegetable (or fruit to some) with our fork and gently place it in our spouse's salad. The result is a salad monoculture making us both happy.

Bosc Pear

I was just in the mood to draw another pear. Bosc pears are so beautiful...but hate to say I've never tried one. I've heard they are delicious.

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An Apple Snack

I feel pretty lucky sometimes that my kids actually crave healthy snacks. One thing they love is apples. They are happy to just crunch into them whole or we use that snazzy metal cutter that creates perfect little apple slices. Either way its a nice juicy treat. {sold}

TGIF

At work each staff member is assigned a staff meeting to bring treats. Last Friday a co-worker brought three different foods and labeled them with cute little notes accordingly...a bowl of fruit ("good for you"), a raspberry danish ("okay for you"), and a really great cheesecake ("TGIF"). It was a good laugh and a nice way to end the week. {thanks Nathan!}

Kool-Aid in a Jug

When we were kids my mom always had two beverages in the house: iced tea (for her) and kool-aid (for us). Both were always in their own re-used plastic milk jug. I had a little too much kool-aid as a kid and prefer to not drink it now. The irony is that my husband now makes kool-aid for our kids and himself, because he never had it as a child. Ah, the circle of life.

Cheesecake Rich

I learned what the word "rich" meant when I fell in love with cheesecake as a child. It was something that I craved, but could sadly only handle eating one piece a seating. To clarify my inability to eat the second one, adults would explain the cheesecake was too rich. If richness is my obstacle to eating more, then so be it.

Ranch Dressing

This amazing potion works wonders when introducing kids to fresh vegetables. Ranch dressing was the magic that made my kids fall in love with salad and raw carrots.

Sliced Bananas

Sliced bananas floating in my cereal is such a special morning treat. We don't always have bananas in the house, but when we do its a great way to add another food group to breakfast. {sold}