: Monday : Nourishment :

Consumption of food is a celebration of life. Why not reflect upon it? Why not nourish oneself with really good food? Why not take some time to prepare fresh food with love and mindfulness? Slow down. Enjoy.

This dinner was purported to be light and satisfying by both Luke and Daniel. The younger boys ate it right up with no problem, too. The main course had very few ingredients: lightly sauteed mushrooms, collard greens, and walnuts in olive oil and various spices. Amaranth, a less than common grain used in American cooking, accompanied our meal. I usually try to guage my dinners by making sure there is a grain (or carb), some type of protien (usually nuts, seeds, tofu, legumes, sometimes chicken or turkey), and a dark green (kale, chard, spinach, beet greens.....) ....iceberg lettuce doesn't do it for us. Oh, and I often try to include several veges if I can, as in vegetable chili or gazpacho, which I plan on making tonight.

These fantastic chocolate drops were an amazing experiment gone right. I have made these once in the past, so I haven't much experience with these cookies and how to make them. Yet, somehow, I managed to utilize the general cookie knowledge that I possess to create these from my own internal improvisation. They were decadent, light, chocolatey...perfect. I am being told I must make them again, so this week I will hopefully recreate them and pay more attention to my own recipe, that which I will share next week if this is a success.

Light meals are good, especially in the Summer months. Raw foods are beneficial to the body, as well. So, I simply threw together a salad everyone enjoyed. It included organic baby spinach, organic beets, organic carrots, pepper, zuchinni, tomatoes, and chicken breast. I didn't even need dressing, but the boys used buttermilk ranch, their favorite. We ate these with freshly baked oatmeal muffins.

So, if anyone has any recipes they think I should test out and feature next Monday, let me know in the comments below. Have a great week in great eating.