Many home cooks are crazy about their electric slow cooker. Personally I am a bigger fan of braising in a Dutch oven. I just like the taste of food cooked slowly in the oven better than on a counter top. The meat and vegetables achieve a deeper flavor in the Dutch oven. Their tops and edges get caramelized while the meat cooks to a buttery tenderness. Rustic ingredients become a sumptuous meal when braised in a Dutch oven. The heady aroma of simmering sauce may be reason enough for...

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Several months ago, friends of ours sent out an invitation to join them in purchasing a cow. Luckily they were only buying the meat and not a live animal. After a little discussion, we decided to go in for a 1/8 portion of the butchered cow. Historically I have not eaten much beef for both cost and caloric reasons. Over the previous year, I probably cooked 5 pounds of beef at home. Recently I have been thinking more and more about how we choose the food we eat and the potential...

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I went to the grocery store with half a list, half a menu plan, half my usual energy, and halfway through I got really hungry. Not the best scenario for food shopping. The little voice in my brain started nagging at me to go over to the deli counter and pick out something to eat and it made some pretty compelling arguments. If I grabbed a prepared food, my lunch would be ready to eat as soon as I arrived home. In fact, if I grabbed a plastic spoon I could begin my lunch in the...

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I was glancing at my calendar of "national _____ day(s)" and learned yesterday, May 6, was "No Diet Day." I was intrigued. After a brief search of the web I discovered that it is an international movement intended to celebrate bodies of all shapes and sizes. According to Wikipedia, "No Diet Day" was first celebrated in the UK in 1992 but has since spread around the globe. The creators intent is for people to get off the roller coaster of losing and regaining weight and embrace their...

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In my experience, a little splurge now and then is a good thing. I am often asked if there are rules about what treats I can eat or when I can eat them. Happily there are no over arching rules or restrictions governing my food choices. My primary goal is to be mindful of what I eat. When the opportunity to splurge arrives, I first consider my consumption over the day or week. (Keeping a written log of your eating helps tremendously in these moments.) After a quick inventory of what...

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On Friday our family packed a picnic and visited the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I thought you might enjoy a few of the shots we captured in the fields. It is always a treat to be able to see row upon row of vibrant tulips up close. We even told The Little Helping we were going to the rainbow flower farm. The festival draws visitors from around the globe but the crowd was light during our time among the tulips. The Little Helping had a ball running around in the open areas and...

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I am just over halfway through pregnancy #2. Since announcing my current pregnancy I have received a lot of great questions about having a healthy pregnancy. Readers, friends, and family have all been especially curious to know how I am dealing with weight gain this time around. Truthfully it has been a bit of a struggle. I will be sharing more about this pregnancy in a series I am putting together for the week after Mother's Day. That week I will share a reflection on my mind and...

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This is embarrassing to admit, so please tell me I'm not the only one who does this - I excitedly accept an invitation to a party or potluck a few weeks away, make a note of the upcoming event on my calendar, and then file it away for later. The week of the potluck arrives and I have no dish planned, but I don't fret because there are still a few days to think of something. The day of the potluck arrives and I spend the entire day void of good ideas and wishing I had planned my dish...

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When I changed the calendar from March to April I felt a little zip of excitement. This month the weather should begin to brighten and warm. At some point during the next few weeks we will pack up some treats and set out to have a picnic. I am hoping our picnic will have a view of the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley - fingers crossed.

Most of the picnics I pack consist of simple foods that can be eaten without silverware and won't be ruined if a...

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This week is framed by two wonderful days that remind us to be mindful citizens of the planet. When I think about Earth Day and Arbor Day I am inspired to find ways to protect and celebrate the wonders of the natural world.

Monday, April 22, is Earth Day, "an annual day on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The April 22 date was designated as International Mother Earth Day by a...

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I have thought it would be fun to try and do an entire collection of recipes dedicated to repurposing leftovers. If nothing else it would give my brain something to tease out. Leftovers can be a tough sell. So many things are great the first time around. Hot-from-the-oven meals offer a full sensory package: an alluring appearance, tempting aroma, and mysterious not yet tasted flavors. Unfortunately, after the debut, leftovers get tossed into a container or covered with plastic wrap...

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A couple months back I told you how much I have been appreciating the talent and creativity of my fellow food bloggers (Rainyday Gal's Chicken Noodle Soup). At the time, I was in the early stages of pregnancy and my energy level was dragging at best. Even with my energy back up to near-normal, a pea-soup-brain-fog frequently overwhelms my ability to figure out what to do...

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"48.8 million Americans—including 16.2 million children— live in households that lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. As a result, they struggle with hunger at some time during the year." - Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry - Hunger Facts

I spent the weekend feeling unsettled about the wrap up of the

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Throughout the month of March Jenny Bardsley of Teaching My Baby to Read took on the challenge of limiting her family's food budget to only the USDA's Thrifty Food Budget, about $560 for her family of four. That would have been challenge enough but she simultaneously attempted to feed them according to the USDA's MyPlate daily nutritional guidelines. At the end of the month her results were mixed. A big part of the MyPlate...

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Walking is one of the few activities that I can fit in almost any time. Even at my heaviest I frequently chose walking as my method of exercise. While I walk I like to watch the clouds shift, hear the birds chirp, and keep track of the plants blooming around the neighborhood. On a mild day with a soft breeze it only takes a few minutes for my head to clear and my heart to lift.

During my nine-to-five days, I loved leaving my windowless office for...

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It's spring! I am so excited to have made it through the dark dreary days of winter. The days are longer and the branches outside my windows are dotted with swollen buds. I see bulbs pushing stocks up through the cold earth soon to burst forth in a rainbow of daffodils, hyacinths and tulips.

Now that the world is brighter I am ready to lighten and brighten the menu. The first of these fresh flavors is this gorgeous salad dressing. Raspberries will...

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Growing up there were a few dishes that my grandma would make only for holiday meals or special family dinners. My sister and I looked forward to them and made sure to double check that they would be on the menu a week or so in advance of the meal. One of these recipes is known in our family as Yummy Potatoes.

More than likely Grandma clipped the recipe for Yummy Potatoes from a magazine or newspaper column decades ago. One bite of this bubbly,...

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More than a year ago, I went on a mission to conquer making meringues. It took me a few months and several dozen eggs worth of trial and error but eventually I figured out the technique and now I am a meringue making machine! Last Easter, I took my new skill to a new level and experimented with a number of flavor combinations. It was another case...

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Feeding a family can be expensive. Choosing to make healthy food a priority can increase that expense to a level that feels out of reach for many families. In our budget food is the second greatest expense after our mortgage. I enjoy cooking from scratch but we rely on many packaged foods to get us through the week with a little more ease. Yesterday I shared my method for

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I'm sure I don't need to remind you that fresh produce is one part of the grocery bill that can add up very quickly. Jenny shared her frustration with the cost of produce on week one of the MyPlate on My Budget project. She went to the store and carefully selected fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors and textures. When all the shopping was tallied she discovered...

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When I think about the meat I ate in Ireland, the first thing that comes to mind is bacon. Not the long thin strips of bacon common in the U.S. The bacon I think of is called rashers or back bacon. This is a slightly leaner cut from a different part of the pig. Rashers are usually cured but not smoked. They have a tender meaty texture, cook up far less greasy than strip bacon, and make a very satisfying addition to breakfast, lunch or dinner. My favorite way to prepare rashers is...

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St. Patrick's Day is on Sunday but my brain is already far away in the land of rolling hills and dramatic seaside cliffs. Without even closing my eyes I conjure images of endless stone walls and flocks of woolly sheep in emerald pastures. It has been 7 years since I had my feet on Irish soil; to say they were itching to be back is a laughable understatement. Last year I filled most of March with tales of my extended visits to...

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1. It costs additional time and money to prepare multiple entrees.
2. All the food we eat is suitable for children.
3. My job as a parent is to teach my child how to become an adult.
4. "Kid Foods" are often not the healthiest options
5. It is my kitchen and I don't want to!

I have revised many things I said I wouldn't do as a parent but there...

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March is here and it is time to begin the MyPlate on My Budget Project in earnest! Project creator Jenny, of Teaching my Baby to Read, is hard at work sharing what she has discovering while attempting to feed her family of four with less than $20 a day. Among the topics she has already discussed are

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Every day we go through our closets mixing and matching various items to create a new outfit. Sometimes a tailored blouse works with dark blue jeans then the next week the same shirt gets paired with a pencil skirt. Recipes are a lot like outfits and pantries are like closets. We keep the same basic staples, frequently combining old favorites but sometimes it's nice to try a new combination and see what happens.

I like to revisit my own recipes...

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I am so excited to finally share this project with you!

The MyPlate on My Budget Project was conceived by fellow blogger Jenny Bardsley of Teaching My Baby to Read. Throughout the month of March, Jenny and I will be taking a closer look at the expense and value of the food we feed our families.

Jenny's MyPlate on My Budget posts will document her personal...

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"What does good in bed mean to me? When I'm sick and I stay home from school propped up with lots of pillows watching TV and my mom brings me soup - that's good in bed." — Brooke Shields via brainyquotes

I think the success of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books may be found more in their title than in their content. Not that the...

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I planned to take a break from making treats. I was going to focus on savory side dishes and warm-your-tummy dinner suggestions. I was going to make a bit more effort in presenting a reflection of how our family eats on a daily basis. Instead I made a cake.

After sitting quietly in the back of my cupboard for months, a box of lemon cake mix began calling to me. A few weeks later I couldn't shake its siren song. I needed to find a reason to turn it...

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Today I took a little time out to show some love to myself. Even with a busy day ahead I spent 30 minutes jogging on our treadmill. Over the past few months I have been working to make physical activity a greater priority. Since we are smack in the middle of Heart Month I thought we should spend a little bit of time talking about healthy activity. Here is the evolution of my personal activity.

The pain of obesity.

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This time of year I start to get antsy for the temperature to climb. On the chilliest days I cruise around the Web planning tropical vacations. Dressed in layers with a blanket over my lap I dream about hopping on a plane bound for cloudless beaches. I'm not picky, just a peaceful spot nearer to the equator than my living room. Sadly a sun-drenched getaway is in the cards for me this winter. Luckily I have alternate method of visiting the tropics: Baked Coconut Shrimp.

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