Healthy Cuisine For Kids

This week I had the pleasure of attending special training put on by the National Food Service Management Institute ~ Healthy Cuisine for Kids. A chef/instructor from the Culinary Institute of America was brought in to teach the lab portions of our classes.




Our mission was to attend the three days of class/lab sessions, and then spend another day in training to begin preparations so we can teach the course to other food service staff around the state. We prepared 60 different dishes. The pace was hectic, and we all felt like we were Iron Chefs for the week. At the end of each lab session, we were expected to taste test every dish and rate it. By the end of the day I was so stuffed that the last thing I could think about was eating dinner. It was insane, my poor belly felt worse than over-indulging on Thanksgiving Dinner.

Here are some examples of the end results...

Drop Biscuits made with Whole Wheat Flour

Mexican Quiche made with whole wheat pie crusts

Homemade Pizza Crust with Homemade Sauce and Reduced Fat Cheese

Winter Fun

I am not a winter person at all. I am most happy when the mercury rises above 70 Degrees F and even happier when it rises above 80 Degrees F. I am not one to enjoy very many outdoor winter activities like the rest of my family as I prefer to become a hermit when the mercury dips below freezing and the snow starts to fly.

Yesterday, after being gone on a business trip for the week, my husband asked me to take a quick ride on a snowmobile...by quick he means a couple hours of riding. I am a nervous rider, and refuse to learn how to drive one of those contraptions for myself so I was hesitant. My husband works for his sister and brother-in-law at Lucky's Motor Sports, and said they had taken a two up seat on trade that was in need of being run on the trails to diagnose what all was wrong with it. He promised to bring the machine home if I wanted to go for a ride. I agreed.

It was still daylight when we headed out and for the first time I was able to enjoy the beautiful mountain countryside in winter and see what everyone else brags about while out snowmobiling. The views were spectacular, nature at its best. We managed to scare a deer that decided to stand in the middle of the snowmobile trail. She jumped and ran away as we came upon her.

Some of the trails were in serious need of being groomed, but all in all, the ride was uneventful. I much prefer riding on a two-up snowmobile, and in daylight. I find no enjoyment in snowmobiling otherwise.