Stomach bug BE GONE!

The saddest part of our Christmas holiday this year was John. He came down with a 24-hour stomach bug the day before Christmas and was out of commission for 2 days. The girls missed him terribly and talked his ear off a mile-a-minute when we got home that night, filling him in on everything and more. Speaking of Christmas, enjoy this gem of a quote:

Elise: "Mom, on Christmas morning, Abby and I are going to run to the tree and yell 'Santa Claus was here!" and you and Dad just stay in bed and play along". 

We don't "do" Santa and, for the most part, the girls have done a wonderful job keeping our beliefs/traditions among those who share the same thoughts. Abby did request this for the first time:

Abby: "Mom, can we go get our picture taken with somebody dressed up like Santa Claus this year?"

And, while picking up some items at Target, a woman leaned over and asked Elise if she was excited for Santa to come. Elise politely said "Yes" and then turned to me, smirked, and winked. I'm so in love with their awareness of behavior and interactions with others...

Back to the bug. John was sick on Christmas; Elise woke up sick 2 days later. Luckily it ran it's course quickly and Abby and I appear to have dodged the bullet. The girls have had the stomach flu one other time - about a year ago - and nothing sends me into "high alert" like puking. My vinegar spray bottle gets overtime, sheets and pillow cases washed STAT, and dairy as well as any dark-colored foods are eliminated. Popsicles become a meal-time staple and, while there are some good store bought options, we are still madly in love with our Zoku popsicle maker from Grandma. Enjoy our sick-day popsicle recipe from this week - may the new year bring all of us happiness and health!

Pear-Mango Popsicles

• 1/2 C organic pear nectar
• 1/2 C water
• Handful of organic frozen mango
• 1 organic frozen banana
• Toss all into Vitamix; freeze in Zoku
• This made 4 popsicles 

Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #16: Cooking

Making popsicles is hardly "cooking", I know. But it took place in the kitchen today and it was edible. Sounds like cooking, right? We LOVE our Zoku popsicle maker. Great Grandma gave it to the girls for their third birthday and it is still rocking our freezer. Truth: we've had a popsicle for an afternoon snack everyday this week. I thought I'd share a few of our flavors - each time, I toss the ingredients into the blender (well, into the tiny smoothie cup attachment that goes with our blender. the glass jar is cracked and 3 or so of the speeds are broken. BUT... today I treated myself and, depending on processing and shipping, should have my new VITAMIX BLENDER at this time next week, not that I'm excited ....thank you, dear!). In far more words than you needed, toss the ingredients into your blender, mix up, and pour into the Zoku. 

Blueberry Peach

• Fresh organic blueberries
• Fresh local peach
• Spoonful organic whole-milk yogurt
• Splash of organic pear nectar

Coconut Strawberry Lime

• Fresh organic strawberries
• 3-4 frozen organic strawberries
• Juice of one organic lime
• Pure Coconut milk - unsweetened in a can, not the kind in a box with added ingredients

Frozen banana? Yes, please!

Okay, so does everyone know about frozen bananas???? I just discovered them. Go right now. Buy some bananas. Let them ripen. Freeze them. Once they are frozen, don't assume that the ugly, brown peel is a sign of what you'll find inside - slice that unattractive thing open and you will find a cold, in tact, perfectly preserved banana. Talk about a tasty treat! So far we've used them in smoothies, popsicles, and psuedo-ice cream (did you know that if you throw frozen, sliced bananas in the blender with a splash of milk to get it going, the consistency totally mimics ice cream????)... I feel like there is a lot more that could be done. Ideas, anyone????

Strawberry Banana Popsicle

• 1 frozen organic banana
• 8 medium-sized organic strawberries
• 1 C organic apricot nectar
• 1/2 C organic plain yogurt
• 1 T local honey
• Place all ingredients in blender
• Follow Zoku popsicle maker-instructions, adding a few strawberry slices before filling

Wordless Wednesday: Ride... then eat!