Enjoy Applebee's New Unbelievable Under 550 Calorie Entrées for Free

As with most moms, finding ways to eat healthier and squeeze workouts into my life are priorities for me. My mom died of a heart attack at just 59 years old. Not the path I want to follow since I want to be around, strong and healthy for my boys as long as I can be.


Of course, being someone who loves food and who loves to dine out, it can be tricky to find healthy options, especially at chain restaurants, where creative, healthful choices take a backseat to large portions and high-fat, low-cost alternatives.


Applebee's may be changing that with the relaunch of their "Unbelievably Great Tasting and Under 550 Calories" menu. On Monday, I had the chance to try all of these entreés and their new SkinnyBee® Cocktails.

Let me preface this review by saying that I never eat at chain restaurants except fast food. Just not a fan of homogenized cuisine. That said, I would definitely go to Applebee's specifically to get one of these new healthy, low-calorie options.


The new entreés are:


• Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello
• Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp
• Asiago Peppercorn Steak
• Teriyaki Shrimp Pasta
• Teriyaki Chicken Pasta
• Grilled Shrimp and Island Rice


The first three items listed are served with steamed veg and creamy herb potatoes. Every one of the dishes was flavorful and very filling. Calories are controlled via portion size and by using Pam to cook with instead of oil or butter.

Although each of the bloggers in attendance was given a quarter of each dish to sample and there were only six items to try, we were all stuffed. By our calculations, we still stayed under 550 calories total for the lunch.... Surprising given how tasty these items were.


I'm actually hard-pressed to choose a favorite. The Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello was fantastic. Moist. A great dijon flavor. I loved the steamed veggies and potatoes on the side. The veggies had a great flavor and were still crisp while the potatoes were creamy and satisfying in a "comfort food" kind of way that is lost when dieting.


But then, I had the Asiago Peppercorn Steak. I don't love red meat. But the steak was moist and seasoned very simply. The asiago provided just a hint of tang and creaminess that was just right with the simple flavor of the steak.


Still, the shrimp dishes! They had me at hello! The Teriyaki Shrimp Pasta had an incredible flavor. It's made with low-sodium soy sauce, is filled with a huge variety of great filling vegetables like bok choy, red peppers, broccoli, water chestnuts, and sugar snap peas. Those are topped with 14 shrimp and all of that is atop a mound of whole wheat angel hair pasta. Kind of a weird combination and I could have lived without the pasta, frankly. There wasn't quite enough of the teriyaki sauce to cover the pasta, so it was a bit dry, but the flavor was fantastic and when you're trying to eat healthy and lose weight, you can't go wrong with all those vegetables! This dish also comes in a version with grilled chicken instead of shrimp and it was equally tasty. The chicken had a good char on it from the grill which was nice.

When it comes down to it, if I have to choose a favorite, it would have to be the Grilled Shrimp and Island rice. It was like a tropical vacation for my mouth.


The shrimp are basted in a Southern-style BBQ sauce then covered in spicy dry rub. Damn! It was good. The intricate spiciness of the shrimp is perfectly offset by the "Island" rice, which was white rice (brown would have been a healthier choice, I agree) tossed with bits of orange and pineapple. This also came with steamed veggies which were excellent. The one thing I hated about this dish, though, is that the shrimp have their tails on and it's hard to eat them when they're covered in BBQ sauce. Just plain messy, but the taste was worth it.

The only new menu item that I wasn't crazy about was the Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp. And even that was good. It's a tender 7 oz. sirloin with bruschetta style sauce topped with 7 shrimp in their own creamy herb sauce. Again, excellent flavor and so hard to believe that this particular entrée is under 550 calories. In fact, while I can't access the nutritional info at this moment, I believe this dish was under 500 calories.


So, what didn't I love about it? It has almonds as part of the bruschetta sauce and I wasn't crazy about the texture that created. I like nuts, but they didn't work for me in this dish. Other than that, it was great.


Now... How about a drink? Usually calorie conscious drinkers are forced to stick with basics like white wine, light beer, or maybe a vodka and soda. No more, my friends. At least not if you're at Applebee's where you can try one of their new SkinnyBee cocktails. You can choose among margaritas, mojitos, or their Long Island Tea. While each drink is made with premium spirits, calories are saved by using sugar-free syrups and diet sodas to complete each drink.

I sampled all three and was most impressed with the LIT. I know? How '80s is that? But it was the one that tasted the most like it's sugary, high-calorie Doppelganger.


So, just how many calories do you save by drinking a SkinnyBee cocktail instead of a regular drink? With each drink well below 150 calories, a lot. A typical margarita can have between 300 and 600 calories depending on the mix and pour of liquor included while the SkinnyBee margarita made with Hornitos tequila checks in at 100 calories. The typical Long Island Iced Tea has around 500 calories, while the SkinnyBee version has just 110 and the SkinnyBee mojito is just... wait for it... 90 calories, a savings of around 110 calories compared to the full sugar version.


Not convinced just how good and good for you Applebee's new menu items are? Well, you can find out for yourself by winning a gift certificate good for one of the new "Unbelievably Great Tasting and Under 550 Calories" menu items courtesy of Applebee's Atlanta.


Here's how to win:


1. Add a comment below to tell us how you plan to stay healthy in the new year.  Diet, exercise, meditation? A little of this and a little of that? I'd love to know your best tips for staying fit. Also include which of Applebee's new menu items you're looking forward to trying. (Steps 1 and 2 are musts for entry. For additional entries, see steps 3 and 4.)


2. Post a link to this blog post on your blog.


3. For an extra entry into the contest, Tweet this post or add a link to your Facebook while. When you're done, include the links to your tweet and FB post in your comment. 


4. If you're not a Follower of Belle of the Blog already, follow me and let me know in your comment and you'll get one more entry.


The winner will be chosen at random.


The contest opens now and will close at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, February 4th. Good luck!

You'll Have Time

Do you have those days? You know...Those days?


The ones where your head and heart are wrapped around some family drama, some slight, or minor heartbreak. Hell, maybe it's even a major heartbreak, but certainly not one worthy of consuming you heart, mind, and soul. Yet, there you go, deep in the spiral of fear, worry, anxiety, anger, frustration, and utter annoyance. And then when you least expect it there's one. more. thing. That thing. The thing. The straw that breaks the camel's back thing. And when it happens you lose it, bursting into tears or shouting in rage. Naturally whatever that thing is, it's something that you normally wouldn't waste the energy to bat an eyelash at. But there you go... all red-faced and weepy, face wrenched in torment and anger.


I had one of those days last week. I'd received a phone call from a friend that put me on edge and had me feeling anxious and worried. Cooper came down with vestibular disease and I was afeared for his life*, Scott was out of the country for work and I was single-parenting it for the week and feeling a little lonesome, too. I felt like I was going to come out of my skin, had a million and one things I wanted to accomplish, was feeling angry and frustrated by the redistricting situation in my county, and was teetering on the edge.


When Beckett decided to fingerpaint on the kitchen table with his yogurt and dipped his brother's Field Day ribbons (which were on the table because I was cleaning out our kitchen closet!) in the yogurt, I was annoyed and told him he had to clean it up. I walked over to the sink to gather the cleaning supplies. When I turned around, Beckett was perched on the table, right smack dab in the middle of his strawberry yogurt masterpiece. Naturally, as one is wont to do on a bad day, I burst into tears thinking "Why does everything have to suck for me right now?"


That's the moment when everything changed... when I saw through knowing eyes and heard through truthful ears. Beckett looked at me with the sweetest, most quizzical smile, and said, "It's okay, Mommy. I'm not dying."


And so, from the mouth of my babe, Wisdom. Beautiful, profound, simple truth. "I'm not dying." What could be worse than that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. My sweetest little one is healthy and happy and so is his brother. Their dad, my partner and friend, the man I love is home, safe, from the other side of the world and he is loved beyond measure. Maybe there are things I'd change in my life, but the fundamentals, the stuff that really matters is all pretty awesome.


As I fell to the kitchen floor laughing, a prayer of thanksgiving in my heart, I reminded myself that yes, Life is truly good.




*Cooper's bloodwork came back showing he has a low thyroid which can cause Vestibular Disease in dogs. He started the medicine on Tuesday and by Thursday could walk on his own without my help and by today, one week from its onset is able to go up and down steps without help although he's still a bit shaky and still has a slight head tilt. He's definitely doing much better.

Go Tell It on the Mountain: Education in DeKalb County Possibly Worse than in Dr. King's Day

Six months before his death in 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to a group of junior high school students in Philadelphia, urging them to stay in school, encouraging them to see their own brilliance, humanity, and integrity. 


Here's a bit of what he told them: 

Number one in your life's blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you fell that you're nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.

Secondly, in your life's blueprint you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You're going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold what you will do in life — what your life's work will be. Set out to do it well.

And I say to you, my young friends, doors are opening to you--doors of opportunities that were not open to your mothers and your fathers — and the great challenge facing you is to be ready to face these doors as they open...

This hasn't always been true — but it will become increasingly true, and so I would urge you to study hard, to burn the midnight oil; I would say to you, don't drop out of school. I understand all the sociological reasons, but I urge you that in spite of your economic plight, in spite of the situation that you're forced to live in — stay in school.

I wonder what Dr. King would think about the state of education here in Atlanta today. While I can't speak to the state of City of Atlanta schools, the state of schools in DeKalb County, which makes up a huge chunk of the metro Atlanta area, is consuming a monumental amount of my mental energy right now and causing me to despair for my own children and those throughout the county.

After years of mismanagement and corruption at the hands of Crawford Lewis, Pat Pope, and their corrupt cronies, DeKalb County Schools are in a state of crisis, having been the subject of an inquiry by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools which provides the systems accreditation, and now facing the prospect of closing neighborhood schools and consolidating programs like the magnet and gifted programs into what the DCSS terms "centralized" locations. In other words, they are moving these programs from the areas where the majority of students participating in them live and putting them in economically disadvantaged schools that no one should have to attend. 

The county's redistricting plans also include moving students from high performing schools to schools that haven't met AYP standards, pitting neighborhood against neighborhood, haves against have nots, minority against majority, North DeKalb against South as parents fight to do what is right, not just for their own children, but for the communities they have helped build.

I had another mother ask me why I was fighting the redistricting, suggesting that as good citizens we all have to share the burden. Sadly, I don't see that we are all sharing the burden. The brunt of the burden of redistricting is being placed upon families in the North and Central parts of DeKalb County, asking us to move our children to schools that aren't as good as the ones they currently attend. 

The county refuses to make real change by firing bad teachers, dismantling the staggering bureaucracy and corruption of the DCSS central office, and making bad schools better. Instead, they want to disrupt the lives of families whose kids attend good schools (schools that parents and communities have worked hard to maintain and improve), so they can put a Band-Aid on the gushing wound of underperforming schools. It's as if they honestly believe they can shuffle high achievers around and put them in any school they want to raise test scores or create some sort of equity in education all while making the masses believe they are cutting costs and saving tax dollars.

It's such a gutless move. And intellectually dishonest.

All children in this county deserve a good education. Instead of shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, perhaps the DeKalb County school system and Board of Education should evaluate their curricula, hire teachers who can teach, fire the ones who can't and don't give them administrative positions, stop hiring unqualified relatives of administrators to fill made-up positions in the central office, and make real, substantive changes at the schools that need them the most. Oh yeah... And don't give the interim superintendent (a product of the old administration, by the way) a $73,000 raise when you're faced with closing schools!

Instead of wasting money on designated gifted-magnet/high achiever schools and charter schools whose attendance is selected not by test scores, but by lottery, serving a very limited number of students, spend that money to create Honors and AP courses in every school. In elementary schools, have a single class in every grade that is solely for the high achievers. Yes, track the kids who need additional challenges and do the same for the kids who are struggling. Get every kid the specialized attention they need at a greatly reduced cost to the taxpayers of this county and without forcing their parents to drive 20 miles across the city to get their son or daughter to school. 

I think Dr. King would mourn at how far we have yet to go to provide an adequate education to every child in this county. I also believe he would point the finger of shame at those DCSS administrators and BOE members who grasp for power and line their own pockets at the expense of our children. 

New Year's Day: A New Year, A Few New Things

Happy 2011 Y'all! Five days in, it hardly seems right to say "Happy New Year," the way the years fly by now!

I wrote a curmudgeonly post a few days ago all about how I had no hope for the new year. (I chose note to post it.) Surprising since the final days of 2010 weren't bad at all. My mother-in-law had our boys for a few days and Scott and I partied like rock stars, going out every night until the wee, wee hours and then sleeping in the next day. I even met a few cool people on New Year's Eve and had several drunk very nice people guess that I was in my 20s or early 30s. How cool is that?

Still, I felt very negative the first few days of this new year and still do about some things, but right now I feel pretty good about writing and want to be writing. I also don't want to be guilty of adding more negativity to the Universe, so I'm trying hard to keep those thoughts to myself.

To that end, I decided to post this yummy Cream of Potato and Turnip soup recipe I created last week. It was delicious and the perfect thing to keep January's chills and darkness at bay. Hope you enjoy it!

Cream of Potato and Turnip Soup
1 large Irish potato
1 medium to large turnip
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 stick butter, plus a dab
4 - 5 Tablespoons flour
32 oz. chicken stock, broth, veggie broth or water
2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1 stem rosemary
Salt to taste

Peel then dice your potato and turnip. Place in pot and cover with broth or water. You can also place into a steamer basket and steam them. I find boiling them in broth adds a layer of richness to the soup that I enjoy.

Boil potato and turnip until tender. Remove from heat to a clean bowl. Add dab of butter and minced garlic along with salt to taste. Mash to your desired consistency.  I prefer mine kind of chunky, but if you want a super creamy soup with no lumps, you can whip them with a hand mixer.

Rinse and dry the pan you just used (for no other particular reason than conserving pots and pans). Place butter in pan and melt, once butter is melted begin to gradually add flour, whisking as you go along. If it seems too dry, you can add more butter. (Also, note, some folks prefer to make a roux with oil. It can be made with any melted fat, but I prefer the taste of butter.)

As your roux thickens, gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. Next, add in the mashed potato, turnip, garlic mixture and stir it in. I also add a bit of salt, here, too. If it seems too thick, you can gradually add a bit of milk. Float rosemary (the whole stem) on top of soup, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 min.

Remove rosemary. Stir in cream and serve.

Sadly, I forgot to take a photograph of my soup, but I can assure you it tasted great!

If you try this recipe, let me know your thoughts. I'd love to see how you like it.

Happy Cooking!

A Holly, Jolly Giveaway: Win a Husky Powertek Screwdriver

Hey, Y'all! Merry Christmas!

Check out the giveaway on my review blog, Belle of the Blog Reviews. The cute little Husky Powertek 13-piece screwdriver makes a great stocking stuffer!

I hope you'll enter, share the details with others, and come back often!

Good luck!

Get Ready: Contest Coming Next Week

Hey, Y'all!

On Monday, I'm going to be hosting a contest on my review blog, Belle of the Blog Reviews. The prize will make a great stocking stuffer or nice Dirty Santa gift.

So you know what to expect, here's how you'll be able to qualify once I open the contest.

1. In the comments for the contest post, tell me your funniest home improvement fiasco story. And it can totally be at the expense of your husband, dad, mom, self, or whoever caused more damage or wreaked more havoc in his or her efforts to fix, repair, or upgrade something around the house.

2. Follow my blog. 

3. Post a link on your blog, Facebook page, or via Twitter directly to the contest post.

4. Return to the comments and leave a link to the place you shared my link so I can verify.

To be clear, you must complete all four steps to be qualified.

I will choose the winner when the contest closes at 12:01 a.m. December 15. How will I choose, you ask? The story that makes me laugh the most. I know. It's purely subjective, but laughter is one of life's greatest gifts and I want to hear some funny (but true!) stories!

The Battle of Evermore

The Elves have arrived! These didn't travel from Middle Earth. More like the top of the Earth. Sent down with instructions to keep children in line and report back to the chubby guy in the red suit. These darling little fellows can convert the naughtiest of children in this four week period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Our elves arrived the night before Thanksgiving and have been wreaking havoc helping keep order ever since.

They traveled with us to my mother-in-law's for Thanksgiving and since we returned home they've been sitting on their perch in our foyer keeping watch over the boys by day, and getting into all sorts of trouble by night.

So far, they've swung from my mother-in-law's chandelier, ridden on her fancy one-of-a-kind reindeer (oops!), eaten Ritz crackers, let our dog Cooper eat an entire bag of Snausages while we were out watching the Alabama-Auburn game. Since coming home, they've eaten the candy from the boys' Advent calendar, hidden in their book bags, snuck into Brendan's room and left a dollar bill,  played Beckett's guitar, and various and sundry misadventures.

Beckett is mostly oblivious to the elves and their adventures. He finds it amusing when they get up to something, but Brendan's joy at their misdeeds is palpable. He falls into fits of laughter when he sees what they've been up to while he was sleeping. And the couple of nights they've remained on their shelf, he has seemed quietly disappointed.

Honestly, I'm not sure which has been the best part for me...seeing the joy this simple Christmas ritual brings my children, or the ease with which it allows me to correct bad behavior. All I have to do is say "The elves are watching you," whenever they're yelling or messing with one another and you wouldn't believe how fast their behavior changes!

Now, I know some of y'all may think it dishonest, especially those of you who don't allow your children to believe in Santa. To me, it's a fun, harmless way to reinforce good behavior and enhance the magic of Christmas as only a child can see it.

Merry Christmas, Y'all! And happy Elfscapades!

Oh, Sister: Thank Goodness for Siblings

All this week National Public Radio has been doing a series on siblings and sibling relationships. I've really enjoyed listening to these segments. As an only child, I often find myself baffled by the interactions of siblings, especially my own two sons. And I'm fascinated by birth order. Am I more like a baby or a first-born seeing as how I am both? And what about twins and the siblings of twins? How does birth order work for them? It's all endlessly fascinating to me, but at the end of the day, I still feel like I've missed out on one of the most amazing relationships in the world by not having a sibling.

When I see my girlfriends going off to do things with their sisters, like shopping or baking during the holidays, I always feel a pang of envy. How lucky are they! As I child I was addicted to the Trixie Belden books. I longed to have a big family like Trixie's with a wise and sensible older brother to look out for me like Trixie's older brother Brian.

In reality, I was very lonely as a child, so when it came time for us to decide whether or not we wanted an only, in my heart the decision was already made. Yes, by having an only we could give him much more in terms of material possessions and opportunities in life. But what would all that be worth if our son walked through life all alone, without the ties that a sibling can give you.

I don't know that anything can compare to the shared experience siblings, especially those who are close in age, have.

My father chose not to be a part of my life and unless he's dead, he's out there. Somewhere. And somewhere out there, I most likely have siblings. Or half-siblings. Sisters or brothers who might look like me. Think like me. Sound like me. But unlike me, I hope they had, not only the love of our father and their mother, but the love of each other.

If you have a sibling, this Thanksgiving let them know how much they mean to you. If you're not close, work a little harder to get to know them. Once your parents are gone, you will only ever truly have each other and you'll be thankful then to have someone who shares the same memories and life experiences as you. Someone who can always help you remember.

Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas (or Winter Holiday, if you please): Dawn's 10 Holiday Survival Tips

That's right, Shawties! It's that time of year again. The one where there's never enough time or money. When all your crazy relatives set your teeth on edge and make you wish you could hole up somewhere until the whole affair is over. The one where you say, "Next year, I'll do things differently." That's right. It's Christmastime.


Now you should know going into this that I love Christmas. Flat out adore this holiday. Hands down, my favorite time of year! But, I know it's not that way for all of y'all so, inspired by TwitterMoms and Tiny Prints, I decided I would share with y'all some of the things I do to keep the hounds of stress away from my door during the holidays. 


First, though, I want to tell you about Tiny Prints. I just discovered their site via their TwitterMoms program. Tiny Prints provides stylish, modern and unique stationery from photo cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards and business cards. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side the Holidays will be a cinch! They offer adorable Thanksgiving Cards, Christmas Cards, Hanukkah Cards, and even New Years Cards. All fully customizable and personalizable.I wish I had seen this birth announcement when Beckett was born. And don't even get me started on their gorgeous Christmas cards.


Okay... Let me begin by saying that I am in no way perfect, nor do I think of myself as some sort of role model you should all try to emulate. I have my crazy-making moments. Still, there are things I do to try and keep things as calm as they can be during the holidays and I hope some of you will find my methods helpful. So, let's go...


1. Set the Mood. I work in marketing and event planning for a reason. I am tickled to death by themes and big concepts. I don't think they get much bigger than Christmas. And while I realize some folks go all out and theme Christmas, I kind of think that conceptually, sticking to the basics is the way to go here. And I would say that the same applies whether you're celebrating Channukah, Kwanza, or the Winter Solstice. You don't really need a Down Home Channukah or a Sunny Winter Solstice theme to make your holiday bright. But whatever. I digress. Whatever holiday you celebrate, do it with style. Your own style. But make the mood cheery and festive. Decorate. Play the music. Get your family into it. I start the day after Thanksgiving by pulling out my Christmas dishes and playing Christmas music. I don't always subject my family to the music that early, but it makes me happy and gets me in the spirit to do all the things I need to do. We put up our outdoor decorations Thanksgiving weekend and now that we have a December birthday in the family, the tree goes up early, too, so we can then focus on Beckett's celebration. Being surrounded by the signs and symbols of the holiday put me in a festive mood. When I start to feel stressed all I have to do is listen to Bing Crosby sing Christmas in Killarney or look at the twinkling lights on my mantelpiece to feel that sweet, joyful feeling of Christmas well-being again.


2. Make Your List. And check it twice. Just like Santa with his lists of the good and the naughty, making lists will help you get through the holidays without forgetting anything or doing anything twice. There were years when, inevitably, I would realize on the way to a holiday party or Christmas gathering that I'd forgotten to buy a hostess gift or even worse, a gift for a favored aunt. Now, I make list after list for the holidays. The Christmas Card List. The Gift List. The Menu. The Grocery Lists. The Guest List. The Chore List. The List of Things I Forgot to Add to Other Lists. It sounds tiresome, but I promise you, making lists will save you time and energy as you can see what you have accomplished and what's left to be done. You can make your lists as detailed as you want, too, in order to help you remember and accomplish even more in less time. For instance, on my gift list, I have the recipient of the gift, what they're getting, and where to buy it. Once an item is bought, I strike it from my list. If I've ordered it online, I make a note of when it should be arriving so that if it hasn't arrived by its expected delivery date, I can follow up. Just give this one a try and I believe you'll find that it changes your life. In a good way. 


3. Leftovers Are Your Friends. You'll likely spend enough time in the kitchen over the holidays creating magical holiday meals for your family and friends, making Bourbon Balls, Buckeyes, and all manner of other yummy treats. So cut yourself some slack during this period and order a pizza here and there. Or cook a big meal on Sunday and enjoy the leftovers a couple of nights. I'm a big fan of casseroles like this one


4. Set and Keep a Gift-Buying Budget. Unless you're so darned rich you buy a new boat whenever yours gets wet, then you probably need to watch your nickels and dimes this time of year. This is one place those lists I mentioned earlier can come in handy. In our family, we set a cost per gift. I get ideas from those who will receive gifts from us and figure out which items fit our budget. Next, I make a list of who will get which items and where I can find the item for the best price. This really takes some of the pressure off when I'm shopping. I'm not just running around from store to store like a chicken with its head cut off, ending up spending more than I intended just to have a gift for someone on my list. 


5. You're Only Human. I know you're used to tackling the world's problems day in and day out, but this is the holiday season and we're not talking about your normal routine. You've got school pageants, office parties, family dinners, neighborhood parties, parties with friends, church events, Christmas parades, shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, and much mistletoeing to take care of. And it's okay to say no to some of those things. It's not good for you or your family to overcommit, especially at this time of year. As each invitation comes in, sit down with your family calendar and identify any conflicts. If your heart tells you that you really, truly want to go to the event, then add it to the calendar. If you feel any sense of dread or if there is an existing conflict, politely decline the invitation, unless it is absolutely critical to your family life or career that you go. Some things you just can't get out of, but sometimes, it's simply not worth the exhaustion and disruption to go. Choose wisely, my friends.


6. Take the Best and Ignore the Rest. This holiday, you are like a duck. Not a Christmas duck, all trussed up and roasted, but a pretty little white duck, gliding along placidly. And when your critical mother or your curmudgeonly cousin come along and make waves, you're just going to keep floating along and let the water fall around you, rolling right off your back. No gripes, complaints, criticisms, or gloom and doom prognoses are going to get to you this year. These Negative Nellies in your life want you to be just as miserable as they are. So smile to yourself and go to your happy place. Focus on the joy in your own heart, the beauty in your life and wish the same for them. Find one thing you like about them and focus on that. But whatever you do, don't let them see you crack. Trust me, they will push all your buttons, especially when they don't get a reaction the first time. Just turn the tables on them. Compliment them and let your inner light shine as an example of how we should all treat one another. 


7. Be Authentically You. Why would you want to be anyone else? Okay. Nevermind. I understand that impulse. I've fought it for years. Still do sometimes. But I can only be JakeDawn. I like formal dinners and seeing my kids dressed up on the holiday whereas our family is...well, a little more casual. They prefer shorts and t-shirts (we live in the South, y'all. It might be 75 degrees on Christmas Day!). I want us to do things together like games or maybe to linger over our food and talk about something other than our kids while they're often ready just to move on to gifts as soon as we eat. That's who I am and who they are. And for a while, I tried to just fit in and go with the flow. But I was miserable. So, now, I do my thing and I'm just happy for them to do theirs. We may look like we don't belong at the same event, but so what? We're together and we find the ways to communicate and share that work in the end.


I'm just saying that if you want a big fancy feast and you're hosting, but your mama and them want to show up in blue jeans and eat off paper plates, find a compromise. You dress up and serve the food on your best Christmas china, but let them come as they are and love them for who they are. If they tease you for being different, just say, "Well that's what makes me ME and I'm happy to be ME." 


It doesn't matter that your sister spends two days making special holiday cookies with your nieces while you couldn't make a sugar cookie dough that rolls out to save your life. Figure out what you love about the holidays, what you're good at, and make it your thing. The holidays are not a competition. If you don't enjoy yourself this time of year, what's the point in it all? As my husband says to me all the time, "Everyone runs her own race." So, do your thing and be happy!


8. Breathe. And remember to take time out for your health and well-being. It's easy to let your normal self-care routines suffer during the holidays, but don't. That hour of yoga, 15 minutes of meditation, or 30 minutes at the gym (or with that Jillian Michaels video) can go a long, long way to keeping you calm while it helps balance out some of the tasty treats you'll consume this holiday. Take care of your mind and body and everything else will flow much more smoothly. 


9. Schedule Downtime. I know this sounds impossible. But I'm serious. As I said before, you cannot do it all. No one can. Plan a Saturday afternoon with no dance recitals, parties, pageants, parades, festivals, or outings other than to pick up a pizza for supper. Sit in front of your fire or in the glow of the lights from your tree or some candles. Banish the kids to their bedroom or play room or ask them to play quietly near you and read a book. Listen to some nice music. Watch a favorite holiday movie and just be still. It will do wonders for the whole family.


10. Remember the Reason for the Season. Yeah, I know. I'm a big-ole cliché spouting fool. But as dorky as that may sound, I'm dead serious. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Channukah, Kwanza, worship at the feet of Gaia, or celebrate a purely secular holiday, the Winter Holiday Season, as it were, is about more than rushing around, buying gifts that will be forgotten in a matter of weeks, if not days, and spinning yourself and those around into a frenzy. I believe we are meant to focus on our blessings (be they big or small) and think about how we can serve others at this time of year. Find ways to make your holiday celebration meaningful to you and your family in simple ways. We want our children to know that Christmas is more than the gifts they receive. This year, we'll start a new tradition, giving them each just three gifts, just like the baby Jesus received. This has made them think critically about what they want to ask for and why instead of just begging for everything they see. I've known for weeks now exactly what each child wants. Yes. Even from my almost 4-year old. You can't believe the relief I feel over that. And I'll stick to it, instead of, as in previous years, guilting myself that they weren't getting enough because their friends would get more than they did.


And instead of feeling like I have to contribute to every Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, or any other charity I run across this holiday season, I've chosen one and we'll contribute to that one. The boys will help and we'll work on it as a family, in a sincere and organized fashion, instead of me running around willy-nilly giving to every charity I see. 


I just think focusing on the bigger meaning of the holiday season really provides a structure for all that we do and reduces the urge to compete with friends and neighbors or to feel like we have to do it all. 


Alright. Well, there you have my ten best tips for surviving the mad dash through the holiday season. I'd love it if y'all would add your tips to my comments. And please check out Tiny Prints and TwitterMoms where you'll find a host of other ideas for surviving the holidays. 


By the way, I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tiny Prints blogging program, making me eligible to get a $75 Tiny Prints gift certificate! For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Grandma's Hands

As anyone who might still be reading my blog since I haven't posted in months may have noticed, I've been writing a lot about food. Tweeting about it as well.

Being that I never intended this as a food blog, it seems a might strange.

In actuality, I'm just getting back to the roots of who I am. This journey of parenting made me lose myself in a lot of ways for a long, long time. It has changed me. And now I discover that it has carried me back to who I am and who I was.

I joined a CSA back in June. At the time I had just read The Omnivore's Dilemma and watched King Corn and I was thinking even more than usual about the foods we eat and the damage done to our environment by conventional agriculture. I thought I was joining the CSA for political reasons as much as to provide my family with healthy, locally-grown real food. And, to be honest, at $25 a week for a huge box of vegetables, it was a cost-saving initiative as well.

What I've discovered of late, as the bounty of beautiful autumn vegetables has rolled in each week, is that I really did this for myself. Okay. Maybe at the time I didn't know that. But now, this endeavor is solely for my own awakening as a cook.

Before having children, cooking was a passion for me. I loved trying new recipes, trying new foods I'd never cooked or even tasted before, and playing in the kitchen. Having children turned my once relaxing and leisurely cooking sessions into frantic, chaotic, rushed hours of crazy-making where I would burn things, cook things my children would refuse to eat, and left me in despair that I would never be able to cook a decent meal again.

Then, my children got a little older. Right around the time I joined the CSA, my kids began to be able to entertain themselves long enough for me to get a meal on the table or plan a week's worth of meals without being interrupted 27 times. My oldest also began to ask questions about what he was eating and both boys love going with me to pick up our box of veg each week. They can't wait to see what's in there. And of course, they're more excited about the grits and apples, but I know I'm making progress when my baby says of a lovely red and green striped bell pepper, "That's a beauty."

This week as I washed and chopped collard greens to freeze and sliced fresh beets to roast for dinner, I thought of my grandmother. I thought of her again as I poured freshly ground cornmeal from our farm into a bowl to make corn muffins using her recipe. These were the foods she cooked and served when I was child. Her techniques may have been different than my own, but cooking and eating these foods makes me feel close to her. I carry her in my DNA, in my heart, and in the love of cooking she instilled in me as a little girl. I learned to cook at her hand. And while she grew most of her vegetables in her own garden or bought them from farmer friends she knew personally, I still feel happy that I can teach my kids how to enjoy foods that are in season, grown nearby if not by my hand, and in the slightest way pass some of my love for my Mammy on to them.

I don't let myself think of her often. She died when I was 16 and to this day I still miss her.

Who knew a box of vegetables would help me find a way to reconnect with some of my favorite memories of her and let me find a way to celebrate her life without feeling my heart break all over again?

Whoever did, whatever power led me here, thank you for giving me back one of my favorite outlets for creating and showing love and for letting me feel so close to someone I loved so much.

Come On-A My House

I've always loved food. I've loved to cook for as long as I can remember. To this day, I remember the first meal I cooked all by myself. Swiss steak. I got the recipe out of a magazine at the hospital. I was nine and determined to take over the cooking duties when my grandmother came home from the hospital. She was 79 and had just had a heart attack. So, I learned by trial and error. That first meal, though I barely had a clue what I was doing, turned out pretty good and started a life-long love of good food and cooking that has evolved into a love of fresh, organic and locally-grown food. 

Perhaps because I am more aware of cooking healthfully and eating well, and therefore talking about it more, I've had a couple of friends ask me to give them some meal ideas. I also offered to post some recipes for some Twitter contacts as well, so here are some of my favorite recipes and quick meal ideas. Enjoy!


Cheesy Chicken Fingers

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese crackers, crushed

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

dash paprika or cayenne pepper (optional)

1 egg

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Place crackers in zip-top bag and crush. Add breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cheese and shake to mix.
3. In large bowl,  beat egg. Add chicken and toss to coat.
4. Remove chicken from egg, allowing excess egg to drip off. Place chicken in bag with cracker and spice mixture; seal tightly and knead to coat.
5. Arrange chicken in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

So, that's one that's popular with my boys, although, I have to admit my husband is not a huge fan. I like it a lot for a quick, easy dinner that the kids will eat without complaint or pressure from their parents. I usually serve it with steamed broccoli or carrots, and whole grain rotini (or curly noodles as my sons call them) with butter.

Another favorite is this lemon chicken recipe. It takes an hour to cook, but it's the kind of thing, you put together in about 10 min, then pop in the oven and let cook while you mop the floor, or run the kids to soccer or dare we dream, read a book:

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Lemon Noodles

1 Whole Chicken (3 to 4 lbs)
2 Lemons
5 cloves garlic (more if you really love garlic)
1 stem fresh rosemary
1 stem fresh thyme
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Kosher or sea salt (to taste, but be careful as you'll be adding salt to the herbs, salting the cavity, and salting the skin)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 425º F.

Wash and prep chicken.
Remove the leaves of the rosemary and thyme and gently chop them. Mince 4 of the garlic cloves. Zest one lemon. Blend the garlic, lemon zest, and herbs together. Add 1 T spoon of oil, salt, and pepper to herbs and garlic.

Gently loosen skin on chicken with your fingers so that you can apply your herb mixture to the meat of the chicken. Next, cut lemons in half and squeeze juice of both lemons over the entire chicken. Place half a lemon in the cavity along with the remaining garlic clove, then add salt and pepper to cavity as well. If you have extra rosemary and thyme and want to stick a stalk of each in the cavity, go for it.

Next, use your fingers to smear the herb mixture all over the chicken underneath the skin. Be gentle, but make sure you get the rub all over for consistent flavor.

Bustle up your legs and wings and tie them with kitchen twine. (If you omit this step, it's not a big deal, but tying the legs and wings presses them up against the breast of the chicken which helps it retain more moisture. I often leave this step out, but can tell a difference in the juiciness of the bird.)

If the skin is bunched, spread it out as best you can, then drizzle remaining olive oil over the entire chicken.

Pour 1/4 cup water in roasting pan and place chicken in pan. Cover with lid and roast for 45 minutes. Remove cover and cook an additional 15 min. to allow skin to brown and chicken to finish cooking.

When chicken is done, remove and let stand 5 to 10 min. If you like you can add a little more water to the pan drippings and cook as a sort of gravy.

Lemon Noodles:

• 1 lb.of your favorite noodles (rotini are popular here)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lemon, zested, and juiced, plus more juice if desired
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 stick salted butter, softened

Cook noodles to package directions. While pasta is cooking, mix all other ingredients except butter.  (Egg yolks should be beaten gently, but should not be frothy.) 

When pasta is done, add butter and gently toss to melt butter. (Stirring will make your pasta too chewy.) Take off heat, but while still hot, add the egg/lemon juice/cheese mixture and toss to coat pasta. 

Serve with lemon chicken.

This collard greens recipe would make a nice accompaniment. Only throw in a few shakes of crushed red pepper to really make it sing. 

Enjoy.

I'll try to post more recipes as time allows.

Happy Eating! 

The Suburbs

I feel like all the life has drained out of me.

I hate it here. In the suburbs. In this dead zone where there are few people that I feel are real human beings, not pretentious, soulless zombies.

I never wanted to live here, but that said, I do love my house. I just wish I could move it to Decatur and live next door to someone really fascinating and cool.

I guess part of my sense of isolation is the fact that my best friend in the whole world lives a million miles away and we talk on the phone, but can't see each other because neither of us can afford to travel to see the other.

Ugh!

Rotten mood. Rotten everything.

I'm on a downward spiral right now, which is really unfortunate.

Brendan just started second grade and he hates everything about it which makes me hate everything about it.

I will say the one positive thing is having homework daily rather than just getting a packet at the beginning of the week. I like having one thing to do every day as opposed to getting it all at once and then having to dispense over the course of the week and have Brendan argue over which sheet he wants to do, always putting off the reading and writing assignments until the last minute.

I'm going away now because I pretty much hate everything. Including myself.

We Aren't Perfect: Postpartum Depression Confessions

Crystal, the terrific blogger over at We Aren't Perfect, has devoted the month of August to Postpartum Depression awareness. 

Each day her blog will feature a Postpartum Confession by a guest blogger writing on the topic of PPD.

I am today's featured blogger. You can see my post here.

If you or someone you love is or has been or may one day be touched by postpartum depression, I encourage you to visit Crystal's site and read these moving accounts of what it's like to move through what should be a joyful, if stressful time under the dark clouds of postpartum depression and to break free to the other side.

I Hear Them All: Privilege, Poverty, and Guilt

I try to count my blessings daily. Recently I told Scott that you know you are truly blessed when you're operating at a level where you're dealing with what I call high-level problems. You know.... When you have the luxury of worrying about the fact that your son hates reading because you know you have a roof over your head and healthy food on your table every night. And trust me...I am thankful those are the problems I have to deal with. Those truly are white people problems.


And by white people, I really mean upper middle class problems.


I didn't always live my life as a fortunate son daughter, lucky enough to be able to think about these things. My childhood was spent eating pinto beans and cornbread most every night bought with the money my grandmother earned stripping tobacco. I remember going with her and doing the work myself on many an autumn weekend in freezing tobacco barns, paid something like ten cents for every hand of tobacco I tied. The little money I earned went right in with what my grandmother earned to augment my mother's meager salary and pay for our rent, groceries, clothes, medical bills, and whatever else we needed.


Although I will never forget where I came from, I choose not to dwell on it. I'd rather be thankful for the wonderful life I built for myself with my desire to leave my situation, the God-given intelligence to rise above the circumstances into which I was born, and a little luck along the way (like meeting and marrying a beautiful and brilliant man who does an amazing job of providing for his family).


Every now and then I get a big there but for the grace of God go I reminder of my roots.
Like today at Kroger.... A dark-haired young woman holding a beautiful little baby girl came up to me and my boys as I was wheeling my buggy out of the organic/natural foods section of the store, pausing to look for the $1 each Softsoap and anti-bacterial sanitizer that's usually in the center aisle.


She handed me a note written on the unlined back of an index card: "I have three babys and I lost my job. Can you help me?"


How could any mother hesitate to help? Surely that's why she chose me in a packed store. That and the fact that as I so often do with strangers, I smiled and made eye contact.


Yet, I did hesitate.
"I'm so sorry, but I don't have any cash on me," I replied to her note. I spoke the truth, but still felt guilty inside.


In broken English with what sounded like an Eastern European accent she then asked me if I could buy formula for her baby. "The kind with Lee-peel," she replied when I asked what kind.
Trying to imagine how desperate I would have to be to ask strangers at a grocery to buy formula for my little baby, I said I would and walked with her to the baby aisle. They were out of her formula, so she asked if I would buy some baby bottles and diapers.


I did, along with some wipes. While we were walking to the checkout, Brendan asked me why I was buying things for a stranger when I told him I couldn't buy the Horizon Organic Vanilla Milk because it wasn't on sale. I told him that everything in our cart with one exception (avoacados) was on sale and that I always try to buy things on sale to help save money.


As we stood in the checkout line, me unloading a buggy of grass-fed ground beef, fresh bananas and peaches, milk (not organic, but the big old gallon jug my boys drink every three days or so), three different kinds of whole grain bread, a bottle of wine,whole grain tortillas, and avocados, the woman told me she has triplets when it occurred to me to ask where her other two children were.  She said they were home with her mother.


She seemed grateful, but at the same time, she didn't carry with her the air of shame and regret that I imagine I would have felt in asking someone else to help me in that way.
I remember slinking around and wanting to hide when I was child and my grandmother used food stamps to buy our groceries. It felt humiliating.


Perhaps as a mother, you can't afford to feel ashamed when you're trying to figure out how to help your children. I don't know.


I do know that after she left I didn't feel the same sense of having committed an act of goodness that I usually do whenever I donate to charity or help someone in need. Perhaps it was guilt over having her witness my privilege while she was in need. Although, is it really privilege if it wasn't given to you? If you worked really hard to get to that point in your life and if you and your partner still work to maintain it?


Perhpas it was the vague sense I felt of being taken advantage of.... (Maybe she'd return the diapers and buy cigarettes for all I know.) Or perhaps it's just the knowledge that our society allows there to be parents and children in such need that leaves me feeling discomfited.
Whatever the root of it, I continue to feel a sense of unease and sadness regarding the situation. I feel both like I should have done more and like it shouldn't be me doing it at all, but rather her family, her church, her community, our government.





I guess in the end I know that buying some diapers and a few wet wipes, and some baby bottles really isn't going to change that woman's life and when it comes down to it that's what she really needs. A life-changing moment that turns everything around for her and her kids. A job that pays a living wage. Safe, affordable childcare. A community that cares about mothers and children and what happens to them.


In hindsight I think of all I might have done, but when you get shanghaied during a rushed trip to the market, what can you do?


I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What would you have done in a similar situation?