Sometimes knowing that other women, mothers, sisters, friends, and care takers just like us face the same battles of what to make for dinner. Be it our task/chore/burden/or hobby of what to make for our families to eat each day sometimes it just seem easier to bear when you have a good recipe recommended from a "GIRLFRIEND"; they provide us with the boost to get over the lack of motivation or stumbling blocks in our way and get dinner on the table!


The number of those who report that their “whole family usually eats dinner together” has declined 33 percent. This is most concerning because the time a family spends together “eating meals at home [is] the strongest predictor of children’s academic achievement and psychological adjustment.”

Family mealtimes have also been shown to be a strong bulwark against children’s smoking, drinking, or using drugs. There is inspired wisdom in this advice to parents: what your children really want for dinner is you.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks Good, Better, Best (Nov. 2007)

Two researchers at the University of Minnesota investigated the potential benefits of family mealtimes on children and found that families that dine together tend to have healthier, more well-adjusted children. Their studies indicate that the more often children and teens west with their parents—and the happier, more structured these mealtimes are—the more the children gain these benefits:


Better Nutrition

Better language and literacy

Fewer Eating Disorders

Fewer risky behaviors


The national center on addiction and substance abuse at Columbia University (sept 2005) found that compared with teens who dine frequently with their families (Five to seven dinners a week), teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are:

Two and a half times likelier to smoke cigarettes

More than on e and a half times likelier to drink alcohol.

Almost three times likelier to try marijuana


“….Mealtime becomes a way for families to bond. To show children they have access to a caring adult.” (The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner p. 11)


So as Women, Sisters, Daughters, Wives, Mothers, Grandmothers we can not put a price on the work that we do. Dinner hours and menus can be daunting at times and others it feels like a breeze. As we gather together and share in our love for caring for our families and enjoying the connections we have with them as we sit around the dinner tables of our homes. I hope that each of us can step back occasionally on those hard mommy days and “Believe in what we are doing! Believing in who we are and that we can make a difference one meal at a time.

~ Jill


Friday, October 23, 2015

Strawberry Mango Salad

Strawberry Mango Salad -Jill Carpenter  

1 cup diced mangos or more
2 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup Craisins
Dark green leaf lettuce (or a Spring Mix from Costco as a filler to the romaine) 3/4 cup slivered almonds (see recipe below)
**This is a staple in my fridge since my friend Katie shared it with me! I make a double
3/4 cup olive oil or light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup grated onion
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar (Katie says Balsamic is key here but you can use other vinegars if you desire. I have tried it with Red Wine Vinegar and it was good but balsamic is our all time favorite!!!)
Melt 2-3 Tablespoons of butter in frying pan.
Add
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg (I use less not one of my favorite spices)

Romaine lettuce (1-2 bunches) or 1 bag romaine hearts

All these ingredients can vary depending on tastes--can add more or less of all ingredients.

Balsamic Dressing:
batch so that it will last a while. A single batch will fit in one of those glass jars that you can get with the “Good Seasons” Italian dressing mixes.
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Emulsify in blender and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Almonds:

Mix together and then add 3/4 cup sliced almonds. Stir just until nuts turn light or medium brown in color. Pour out of pan onto a cookie sheet and cool. When cool, add nuts to salad.
To make this ore of a meal, add cooked chicken. Serves 8-10.

**I found that this was a large recipe for our family of 5 but I didn't toss the mangos and strawberries in with the lettuce we just added them to each serving, same with the nuts. It worked like a charm and we were able to have it with two meals. I found that by mixing the mangos and strawberries together in a bowl worked nicely and the strawberries kept a fresh look even for the next day's servings. 
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