Happy X-Day!

It’s catching on. I typed “Ready, Set, Relax” into the Google bar and clicked (search news). I was hoping to find a feature on the Ridgewood, N.J., night Monday. Instead I got lucky and found a teeny tiny brief on the Akron Beacon-Journal website. It said March 14 was Ready-Set-Relax night in Hudson, Ohio.

Hudson Community First centers its efforts on the 40 Developmental Assets put forth by the Search Institute in Minneapolis. As HCF was reactivating a few years back, a volunteer put forth an idea she brought with her after living in New Jersey. HCF was all for such an effort to help families recognize the power they have over scheduling. Then I got really lucky and got my questions answered.

After learning as much as they could from Marcia Marra in New Jersey, organizers started with the Hudson City School District. “The superintendent jumped right on board,” one said. “Then we contacted various youth organizations … anything from soccer to football to the music association … to get them on board.”

Over the past three years they continued to cultivate these relationships, bring in more partners (including the private schools in the area) and this year Hudson was up to more than 30 different organizations that support their Ready-Set-Relax effort. “Not only youth organizations,” she said, “But two of the business organizations endorsed it this year. Some of them are starting to look at possibly trying to promote it in their own businesses, too. For example, if you come in as a family for dinner that night you get dessert free.”

And while Ready-Set-Relax has been embraced in Hudson, Ohio, (64 percent of respondents to last year’s after-survey said they were looking at making changes in their life after participating) change has its challenges.

“The first year I had people call me and say: ‘What are we supposed to do? Where are we supposed to go? Everyone is so oriented to an event or an activity,” one organzier said. “And I would say, ‘Well, whatever you want to do.’ And they would say, ‘Like what?’” She would offer ideas such as take a walk, rent a movie or go out to dinner, just do it together, then she would add, “It just gives you an opportunity to not have outside distractions and … I hate to say this … but it gives you permission to do it.

“We’re trying to empower parents so that they know its OK to say ‘I’m sorry. My kid can’t participate in that tonight.’ Not just to say it on Ready-Set-Relax night, but to know its OK to say that when you just need time together. That can be a hard thing.”

The woman from Hudson talked about a treadmill … the one we all get on when the to-do list is crammed, the kids are cranky and there’s nothing in the fridge and nowhere you can agree on to go out to eat and … aNd … AND! It’s going to take time to get my packet in the mail from New Jersey. It’s going to take time to get in with the school board. It takes nothing to pull down my calendar and put an X across one weekend day. I think I’ll write “Family BBQ” across the X and plan a special menu.

As for this weekend, The Lady Third Grade is in charge of menu plans. And I need to get back to cleaning house before the bus brings them home. But first that calendar … X marks the spot … what will you cook on X-day?

I just love this idea

A friend of mine and I were talking last week about how underrated Mondays are, for us anyway. While we love being involved in our kids’ activities there is something to be said for the days when they just get off the bus and we don’t go anywhere … especially now that the weather is getting nicer. And our kids are all in the same sport … and only one sport … so it’s not like we’re running the way some parents are, but we run more than we did when we were in third or fifth grade, which makes the 1970s seem so idyllic, kind of the way the 1950s did when I was a kid.

When I stumbled onto the press releases for the Ridgewood, N.J., Ready, Set, Relax Initiative I was immediately intrigued.

“The idea, really, is to get families thinking about the way they spend their time,” says Marcia Marra, coordinator of Ready Set Relax for Children’s Aid and Family Services. “Have we saved enough empty space on our calendars to play games, eat dinner together, take vacations or just hang out? All across the country, parents are listening to their instincts and making decisions to slow down a bit.”

The emphasis of the six-year-old project is to take pressure off of families by eliminating overscheduling for at least one night of the school year. It plays right into the the power of family meals.

“There are so many great opportunities for kids today; it can be difficult to say no,” Marra says in the press release. “Yet, we need to remember that its rituals like family dinners and traditions that give children a sense of predictability and let them know that they matter to the people around them. Our time and attention is the greatest gift we can give our children.”

So tonight in the Ridgewood school district there will be no homework. Tonight in Ridgewood there won’t be any scheduled games or sports practices. There won’t be any other activities either. School, village, athletic and religious officials have all signed on with parents to take a break tonight. The program receives phenomenal participation responses and more than a third of those who participated last year have made permanent lifestyle changes as a result.

The power is in OUR hands. And just in writing this I’ve re-dedicated myself to the thought that crossed my mind while first reading the press release … I’m going to a school board meeting and pitching this to my district. There's a kit to help me with this effort. I’m going to follow the directions from the bottom of the release:

For more information about Ready Set Relax Night, contact Children’s Aid and Family Services at 201-445-7015 or go to www.readysetrelax.org.

BTW … Happy Monday.

going green

An illustration today … one of Daddy’s magic grilling recipes and how it has evolved from kid to kid. We are down to only one kid who won’t eat lettuce. I keep trying to convince him that it’s OK, I mean it IS his favorite color! But this logic isn’t working on Capt. Kindergarten. When it comes to clothes, comforters and coloring pages, green rules. When it comes to mealtime, green’s for fools.

It wasn’t too long ago the second grader felt this way. Now he stretches his serving of lettuce over several helpings of chicken, but he
eats most of it and that’s all I can ask. I mean, a 7-year-old boy who isn’t afraid of salad! How can I complain?

Any chicken that survives the original onslaught (which is precious little lately!) is chopped up and parceled into an ice cube tray. I double wrap that with plastic wrap and foil and put in the freezer. One of my daughter’s favorite lunchbox lunches is “buf chic sal” (the abbreviation they see on the calendar!) with some buttered bread and a treat. A couple of cubes from the tray defrost nicely by lunchtime.

But they all started out above. None of them minded tomatoes or black olives. The older two like carrot sticks. The boys also like raw mushrooms. (Go figure!) So this is Capt. Kindergarten’s “salad,” which he swoops through a puddle of ranch. Here is my daughter’s plate, which I “over lettuced” this particular night … but that was only because she, too, had several helpings of chicken.

As I said before, Hubby has no recipes. But here is what we started with, which has evolved into the chicken he does on the grill that we serve over salad.

One other note … My grandma didn’t believe in buying bottled salad dressing when she could make it herself. When it comes to ranch and bleu cheese, I agree. The Hidden Valley packets are easy, as is Gram’s recipe for bleu cheese, which she and Mom taught me when I was about 10. After Gram died, I found it in her “treasure chest,” a yellow clipping from the Chicago Tribune. (Mrs. Drake won $5 for getting published!) I use the pre-crumbled cheese, of course, and leave out the water. Store this in a glass container. Plastic absorbs the aroma.

(Check out the new Pillsbury link in the sidebar!)

Grands! Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 16.3-oz. can refrigerated biscuits
1/3 to ½ cup hot pepper sauce (Hubby likes Crystal)
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. oil
½ cup bottled bleu cheese dressing
8 lettuce leaves

Flatten each chicken breast to about ½ inch by pounding between 2 sheets of waxed paper. In a 9x13 glass baking dish, combine hot sauce, garlic powder and pepper, blend well. Add chicken; turn to coat both sides. Refrigerate 20 minutes to marinate.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake biscuits as directed on can. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 10 to 13 minutes or until light brown and internal juices of chicken run clear. (Or insert instant-read meat thermometer in thickest part of chicken. Temperature should read 170 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Split warm biscuits. Spread bottom half of each with 1 Tbsp. salad dressing. Top with chicken, lettuce and other half of biscuit. Refrigerate leftovers immediately.

Blue Cheese Dressing (about 2½ cups)
1 package (4 ounces) blue cheese
¼ cup hot water
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream

Break cheese into small pieces and blend with water until smooth and creamy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until blended and smooth. Store in covered container in refrigerator until serving time. (Mrs. Gordon Drake, 1211 Marquette St., SW, Wyoming, Mich.)

secrets in the sauce

Looking at the calendar, I realize I have only 11 days before the next birthday feast … 28 days after that we’ll have the third birthday feast … 8 days after that and we’ll be celebrating my second grader’s first communion. It’s a fun time to get family together, a celebratory reason to get in touch with relatives I haven’t seen face-to-face in some time. (Yoiks! Only 47 days to be planned, cleaned and cooked!)

In planning the next two birthday feasts I recognized a shortcut I generally utilize every weekend. This was emphasized as the weather the past two weekends has been much friendlier than what we’ve seen in a while. Nice weather means Hubby is cast to the patio to work his magic. Yes, grilling is a shortcut. I never thought of it that way before, but it is.

Why?

Mostly because clean-up is so much easier on the nights we cook outside. Saves loads of time. But there’s something else.

Nobody balks at eating leftover grilled chicken. Nobody raises their noses when I offer the extra burgers Dad did over the weekend. Generally speaking, there’s a little sparring bout for who gets leftover steak, marinated or otherwise. So grilling on the weekend makes leftovers night easier, too. That’s a definite shortcut.

Sadly, there are no recipes to share. The man refuses to measure when he makes sauces and … no, I am not making this up … has been known to send everyone from the room as he raids the pantry, fridge and spice cabinet in search of a new flavor blend.

“Daddy, when can I learn to make the sauce?” one child bravely asked Sunday night.

“When you’re old enough to really keep a secret,” Hubby answered with a smile, taking a shortcut to my heart.

And there it is. Another secret benefit of having regular meals together. Kids want to help cook. And getting help with the work just might be the No. 1 shortcut of them all.

And the winner is ...

So the good news is I don’t have those ranty days too often, at least not in blog world. (My family might tell you otherwise. For instance, I’ve had to stop reading the newspaper while other people are home. LOL!) But last night was Bertolli night … and it was worth the money.

The shrimp weren’t fishy or rubbery. The pasta was al dente. The asparagus was even crisp and the bell peppers must have had some kind of magic dust on them because I didn’t get the burps. (Sorry if this is too much detail, but bell peppers that don’t make me burp are unheard of! We all have our foods, I suppose.) We all threw on some Parmesan cheese, but for the most part were satisfied with the sauce and flavor. So I will buy it again … on sale. But I will need more with it as two bags didn’t go very far.

The most interesting part of the evening, however, was the way every single person in the house came to check the pan while it was cooking. The six suspicious hazel/brown eyes that leave on the bus every day couldn’t stand the suspense. What WILL she be feeding us? What are those green things?

“I promise it’s nothing poisonous,” I said.

Whoa … I see shrimp! I’m totally trying that!

“OK,” I said.

What are those pink chips?

“They’ll melt and be sauce.”

A furrowed brow. OK.

Mr. Second Grade had about four helpings (smaller helpings than usual because there wasn’t enough). Capt. Kindergarten even ate the vegetables (because he wanted seconds on shrimp and pasta). Little Lady Third Grade had seconds (normally she cleans her plate once and calls it a game, unless we have one of her favorite favorites). So Hubby and I scrounged a bit to fill out a complete meal for us, but that was OK. Seeing them involved in preparing the meal was great. Seeing them be so adventurous with food was just plain exciting.

And so, as I said before, we often come to a fork in the road where we must choose between time and money. In this case time was the winner. I won’t buy it often, but when I truly need something tasty and quick the Bertolli will come to mind, as will the payoff of having these regular family meals.

The kids were willing to help set the table, get drinks and put out napkins as they got to check the pan between steps. And they were willing to try something new, no fits were pitched. I wonder what new thing I’ll throw their way next.

Oh no! This turned out to be one of those bloggy rants! I guess we all have ‘those days.’

Alright, I’m branching out and I think I might go broke doing it. Those Bertoli frozen meals in minutes were on sale last week at one of the local grocery stores. I thought I’d try them in the name of research. I knew I’d need at least two to feed this crowd and probably a nice loaf of bread, maybe a salad or something. On sale I paid $5.99 per bag. OK, I know this blog isn’t about cutting your grocery bill, but holy smokes! We’re talking about $5 per person for one meal. That’s high-end for my crowd. When you get the decent ground beef on sale (about $1.69/pound) and the discounted Hamburger Helper ($1/box) I can make dinner for about $1.06/person and have leftovers for lunch. So this Bertoli better be worth my research money because the one place left in this world to try to save money is the grocery store. And this little rant has brought me to one of those unanswerable questions: When is time worth more than money?

I mean, when it comes to lawn care, we opt for the time and pay the guy to come put down the weed-be-gone and the fertilizer. When it comes to cleaning we opt for the money and I do my best (which isn’t saying much) to keep the house clean. (I’m just not one of those everything-in-its-place people!) But when it comes to meals when is time worth more than money? Early in the morning when we all need to get out the door? At lunch because we were in a rush in the morning and couldn’t pack anything? Look how many kids buy those icky school lunches every day (including Mr. 7, from whom I don’t want to take away the best part of his school day … lunch and recess!). Or is time worth more than money most in the evening when all you want to do is sit down and enjoy your kids and not argue about what’s to eat or who’s going to clean it up?

Going back to cleaning, I vote time is worth more than money in the evening. I must be in the majority on this because look how many new short-cut products pop up in grocery stores each month. So I’ll get back to you on the taste factor for the Bertoli Shrimp, Asparagus and Penne. And please keep your favorite short cuts coming. Hilary has me looking at my pantry in a new light and Susan has me wandering a previously unexplored area of the produce department. And, based on what I hear from many moms, it seems I need to make a trek to Trader Joe's.

“I'm not into the money thing. You can only sleep in one bed at a time.

You can only eat one meal at a time, or be in one car at a time.

So I don't have to have millions of dollars to be happy.

All I need are clothes on my back, a decent meal, and a little loving when I feel like it.

That's the bottom line.”

--Ray Charles

“I have a great respect for money. I know how hard it is to earn and keep,

especially with our diabolical taxes in Britain.

I never get over the fact that sometimes I see more money being paid for a meal

than my father earned in a week.”

--Sean Connery

cutting it short

“Everyone is going so fast. People today
want their food prepared for them or fixed in advance.”
--Barry Swanson, Ph.D, Professor Food and Nutrition
Washington State University
(in a Feb. 2006 story for Scripps Howard News Service by Lance Gay)

I started shopping for a topic yesterday morning, but was uninspired until I rediscovered this quote in my ratty file of stuff people have written about family mealtime. This article sites an Institute of Food Technologists survey that showed almost half of the food eaten in American homes to be pre-prepared at fast-food stores, restaurant take-outs or supermarket take-outs.

So it’s taken me awhile to find my theme for March, but here I am … let’s talk about shortcuts.

And I really want to throw the door wide open on this one because truly, truly my biggest shortcut is to make stuff ahead. I don’t buy a whole lot of prepackaged stuff, though I lean on the discounted Hamburger Helper because: 1.) My kids eat it and 2.) I get those Box Tops for school. :)

So please leave your favorite shortcut/take-out item here so this old dog can learn some new tricks! Because, after all, at this blog it’s not about what we eat, it's about with whom we eat it!

dig in ... birthday feasts!

As we let go of each other’s hands I opened my eyes and saw arms reaching toward the middle of the table. I couldn’t help but smile. Dishes were being picked up, emptied a bit and passed on. We’ve been gathering three times each spring for six years now. Sitting down together for a meal planned by a little kid, which can mean anything from pizza to a grilled turkey breast with French fries. Yet they make the trip and we catch up and it’s good.

Spooning green beans onto my plate I listened to my now-6-year-old chat with his grandmothers about the menu he planned. “I couldn’t help but wonder:” Do they understand what an important part of birthday season they are? I mean, do they reaaaaalllly uNdERsTaND what an important part they are?

Most of my kids’ friends are used to Chuck E. Cheese’s or a bowling ally or a pool or any of the host of kid-friendly places where you can gather 20 or so of their screaming little bodies, run them into the ground, load them up with sugar and send them on their way. Mine have always enjoyed attending such gatherings, but it’s something neither my husband nor I is interested in hosting. Besides, with three birthdays in two months I don’t think we could afford such celebrations for all of them. So these dinners for nine became the tradition, all of us around the table together sharing the birthday child’s favorite foods. And the kids don’t really ask for more. It’s what they look forward to when they think of their birthdays.

Listening to them chat and laugh and make jokes with their grandparents and watching them listen to the exchange of ideas around them I’m thankful we can’t (and don’t really want to) do those big parties. These are meals they’ll remember. Stories they’ll tell their kids one day. Food they’ll learn to make themselves.

And I can’t help but wonder if I reaaaaalllly uNdERsTaND how what we do each day shapes our children.

So The Lady Third Grade will be celebrating next. She’s already requested beef stroganoff for her dinner with the grandparents. This is an easy one to make, but the quantity in cooking it for nine was a challenge last year. (She has only requested two different birthday dinners in her whole life … spaghetti and beef stroganoff. LOL!) With one birthday down and two to go I’m also zeroing in on a special celebration will be having this Spring, about 30 guests. So I’m in need of some tips to stay organized and also some of your favorite recipes for a crowd …especially if you have one with some Asian flare. Hope it’s as Springlike there as it is here. The windows are open. Hooray!

teevee talk

Love the Sein. Still watch it several times a week, despite knowing much of the dialogue by heart. As with anything parents do, it has rubbed off on the kids. It’s not unheard of to hear things such as: “But I don’t wanna be a Pirate!” or “Hello, Newman.” But have you ever stopped to think about the food? I mean, it was a show about the nothingness of everyday life, such as eating. If I had a nickel for every scene where they were gathered around a table I wouldn’t be looking for a freelance gig. LOL!

“No soup for you!”

“You know, the big salad!”

“Lesser Babka? I think not!”

These are phrases commonly heard from the littler people in our house. There are also muffin stumps, marble rye and sometimes maybe even a plaintive “Kenny? Kenny?” It’s hilarious to hear, as is the “Why can’t we watch Seinfeld?” when their dad clicks off any of the episodes with, ahem, more mature catch phrases. But here is one of our favorites, which the kids have yet to master:

Jerry: Newman, you wouldn't eat broccoli if it was deep fried in chocolate sauce.
Newman: I love broccoli. It's good for you.
Jerry: Really? Then maybe you'd like to have a piece?
Newman: Gladly.
[Newman spits it out]
Newman: Vile weed!

Which leads us to our favorite dentist, Tim Whatley, because we use our own twists on the Anti-Dentite all the time, primarily with Capt. Kindergarten. If he were a Seinfeld character he would be the opposite of Vegetable Lasagne. He’d be the Anti Veg-ite.

So what does all of this have to do with the power of the family meal? Well tomorrow is the official kick-off to what we call “Birthday Season.” Capt. Kindergarten this month and the other two next month. Every family has birthday traditions. Among ours are Daddy’s birthday cakes … he’s created some amazing edible art … and a feast designed by the birthday kid. So making his plans Capt. Kindergarten came out of the gate quick. “Burgers and Tater Tots,” he said.

Anything else? “Yes. Yellow cake and three-striped ice cream. But you can just give me strawberry.”

OK. Anything else?

Nope. That was it for awhile, until he came to me a few hours later. “I figured out something else for my birthday dinner,” the Anti-Vegite proudly declared. “Green beans and corn. But no cans. I want the green beans from the vegetable department and the corn in the bag.”

OK. I couldn’t have been more proud. He knows a meal has four parts … meat, bread/pasta/potatoes, vegetables then dessert. And even if he doesn’t get dessert that often because he almost never eats his vegetables, he’ll eat them tomorrow because he picked them and he wants that Daddy Cake and three-striped ice cream … well, the strawberry anyway. It’s always so exciting to me when they do something to let me know that they DO hear me when I talk and that they ARE learning the things I’m trying to teach them. And this brings a certain peace to my heart. A peace I wish could be more wide spread.

I’d love to hear about your family’s birthday traditions. And as I sign off for the weekend I hope we all can “look to the cookie.” … Peace.

(BTW, the beans are GreenLine fresh trimmed, triple washed Green Beans … just poke the bag, nuke and serve. The corn is the Green Giant niblets in butter sauce. Pour in a bowl, nuke and serve. He loves me. He really loves me. Could this meal BE any easier to prepare? … Oops! I switched from Cosmo Kramer to Chandler Bing! No, I haven’t watched much TV since the 1990s. Happy Weekend!)