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Minivan Mafia A few months ago, my Dazzling Husband brought home a new-to-us minivan. If you had told me 10 years ago that I would love owning a grocery-getter this much, I would have mocked you for such foolishness. But now, friends, let me share with you just why I was so wrong in youth and enumerate the awesomeness that comes with joining the Minivan Mafia.
Now, we've already established in previous installments that I drove my mom's maroon '89 Pontiac Bonneville in high school?not exactly a pimp sled. So, I don?t have a history of driving precision instruments of speed and aerodynamics. And I'm a mom with messy kids. It should come as no surprise, then, that I got a family vehicle instead of joining the waiting list for the Mercedes F125 with those DeLoreanesque gull-wing doors. But that?s just the beginning ?
The ride is so luxurious, I sometimes mistake it for a cruise liner. I often expect to find a washcloth folded to look like an animal on my seat. Sadly, the cabin steward was not available for our model.
I'm not the only one who loves her van. In chatting with friends, I've been privy to some of the other unexpected perks. Take, for instance, my friend, Betty. She finds long drives boring, so whenever she and her Dashing Husband go on a road trip, she comes down with a headache or a case of carsickness and gets to take a nap, fully horizontal, in the backseat. And with all that space between the kids, he never has to hear the incessant "he's on my side" arguments.
My other friend, Betty, had convinced her then-boyfriend that she was the outdoorsy type, despite her irrational fear of fresh air. She had all kinds of unique excuses to avoid camping trips until they finally got married and bought a van. Now she happily packs everyone up for a Great Adventure in the Woods. As soon as everyone is asleep, she sneaks back into the van and catches up on her DVD rentals. Naturally, she is also first to rise and credits "the best night?s sleep" for her morning pep.
Now, Betty was once stuck in some awful traffic with her little ones. The bladder situation was reaching critical levels, and her working-on-potty-training son just couldn't hold it any longer. Seizing the opportunity to throw it in park and tend to her offspring's crisis, she climbed into the back and relieved herself in a to-go cup and thanked the Lord Above for tinted windows.
When The Girls get together for a night out, Betty is always first to volunteer her roomy vehicle. She's got space for everyone to ride comfortably. And since she is generously providing the transportation, she requires someone else be the Designated Driver. The gas money everyone throws in also helps pay her tab.
Sometimes my neighbor, Betty, admits that she just doesn't feel like cruising around town in a vehicle big enough to double as a staircase for small aircraft. So she sends the kids to her parents' house, and to make things easy, trades the van for her mom's sporty, retirement coupe. Yeah, changing car seats is a real pain.
My new van may never be considered an elite class of luxury vehicle. Some may even scoff at the sheer uncoolness of it. But these days, the only thing I think it's missing is one of those limo divider screens so I can block the kids out when they are going berzerk and throwing tater tots at my head.
? Ashley (00tedsgirl)is the proudly frazzled mom of two beautiful kids. Between cutthroat games of Chutes and Ladders and spontaneous dance parties, she spends too much time on TriadMommies to keep up a regular blog.
From Piedmont Parent: Be More Like Gordon Ramsey: Your Kids Will Appreciate It! Think your kids won't eat salmon? Can't get them to put broccoli past their lips? Maybe it's all in the presentation! I never heard of "plating" until I started to watch "Hell's Kitchen." While I'm not a gourmet chef, it might be one of the most practical things Gordon Ramsey passed on to me as a parent. It turns out that researchers have found one way to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables is to make them more attractive on the plate. Kids aren't little adults, and their preferences in plating vary greatly from ours. For example, most adults prefer a plate with three colors on it, but kids preferred six colors, with seven different components.
Honestly, I don't think I could come up with six different colors of food for each meal. But I'll definitely try harder! And the research also proves something that parents have known for a while. When it comes to kids and eating, presentation is everything. It's one of the tips in Piedmont Parent?s article "How to Get Kids to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables," and it's something parents have been practicing for years, from cutting sandwiches into shapes with cookie cutters to adding raisin faces to peanut butter toast.
This research just gives us a nudge to be a little more creative on an everyday basis, with some of the less desirable foods. Planning salmon and broccoli for supper? Maybe the broccoli could serve as hair for their little hunk of salmon. Draw a face with the tartar sauce, and voilą! Appealing. Add a few carrot sticks for a little more color, a lemon wedge to squirt on the fish, and all of a sudden you're up to five colors.
To get kids excited about eating more colors, you can check out the Sesame Street monsters' puzzle book, "Eat Your Colors!"
Another helpful hint: Give your kids a big plate like yours. That gives you a little more room for creativity, as well as space to make sure foods can be kept separate if needed.
So get a little creative, start thinking in colors, and have fun with dinner!
Menu Monday: Creamy Tomato Basil Soup I've been wanting to post this recipe for a while now. I considered creating a new blog for recipes, but I can't even keep up with this one, so I'll post my few random recipes here instead!
I love cooking and baking. If I had to choose one, I'd probably choose to bake, however, because I love cake and cookies! But cooking is enjoyable as well. I usually find a recipe that interests me and then change it as I see fit. Some of my favorite recipe sites are from Food Network, MyRecipes (Southern Living and Cooking Light), and random food blogs around the Web and on Pinterest. I also have a ton of cookbooks.
If I remember correctly, my Creamy Tomato Basil Soup recipe is inspired by two or three different recipes from around the Web: Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Basil Soup, as well as from this blog, originally found on Pinterest! I think there might have been an original Weight Watchers recipe for inspiration, as well! This is a Weight Watchers?friendly recipe, as it is only 1 points-plus for 1 cup! Also, this recipe makes a lot of soup! Go big or go home right? Well, be prepared to freeze some, or just cut the recipe in half if you don't have a lot of soup eaters in your family.
With my own spin and twist, here it is! I do plan to enter it in a contest one day. How the heck do I copyright this recipe?!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 medium leeks, chopped (white parts only)
3-4 medium garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
6-ounce can tomato paste
12-ounce can tomato sauce
4 26-ounce cans whole tomatoes
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 26-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Fresh chopped basil (1/2 cup or to taste)
2 12-ounce cans fat-free evaporated milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a VERY LARGE POT: professional chef right here, baby!
Add chopped leeks, and saute until soft, about 5?10 minutes. Add chopped garlic, and saute a few more minutes. Add cans of whole tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down, about 10?15 minutes.
Add broth, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer, cover, and let cook 15?20 minutes. Remove from heat, and remove bay leaves. With an immersion blender, blend until smooth. If using a food processor or regular blender, let cool completely before pureeing mixture to avoid burns.
Add soup back to pot if needed. Add cans of diced tomatoes, and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, and let cook, uncovered, until soup reduces some?professional chef strikes again?anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours or longer! Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add a teaspoon of baking soda before adding the evaporated milk to avoid curdling. Simmer to heat milk through. Remove from heat. Add as much, or as little, basil as you like. I LOOOVE the taste of basil, so I add A LOT! I have used both fresh, chopped basil, as well as a tube of chopped, fresh basil herb blend by Gourmet Garden. I used half the tube! I've added the tubed basil before adding the milk as well?whatever floats your boat!
Big pot
And that's it! Feel free to garnish with additional thyme or basil. Serve immediately, or refrigerate/freeze until ready to eat! Enjoy!
My yummy soup
Next month, I may try out a new French onion soup recipe! Yum, yum!
? Brianne (bribugg13) Recipe originally posted Jan. 9, 2012, at Brianne's personal blog, Momma Needs Coffee!
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