Tuna Avocado Salad

Alternately titled:  My latest obsession

Madeline's "pass" is PB&J (all the kiddos get one "pass" food) and one day last week the avocados (which we cut up for every meal) happened to be sitting near the tuna.  So, I started chopping and stirring.  And checking the internet to see who else had done this!

I've made it for almost every meal a few times since last week and here's what I've been doing:

1 can of wild caught tuna (the high fat kind, way better for you!)

1-2 organic avocados

dice up a bunch of organic veggies....carrots, celery, zucchini, cucumber, green onions

1 clove garlic

salt/pepper to taste (use real salt!)

slice an organic, heirloom tomato and lay over slices of the green of your choice.  Pictured here is romaine.

Scoop on your salad mix -- more is always better! -- and drizzle some balsamic vinegar.  My favorite is Bariani but its kinda pricey.  (if you are local, lmk, I can get at cost)

You can add a dollop of mayo if you like.  I'm so smitten with avocados and they give me all the creaminess I can handle!

Enjoy!

Oh, and P.S., this is one serving....multiply as needed! ;)

Happy Spring!

I caught a snapshot of the girls "schooling" this morning.  Can this really be legit?? 

We've spent most of our days lately reading and learning outside, coming in only to make food....which we then eat outside.  I heart spring.

On an unrelated note, we planted this -- at the time, tiny! -- tree in our yard about 6 years ago.   Photographing it this morning made me so happy.

108 cities in 19 countries

• Create your own travel map or travel blog.
• Search for vacation rentals at TripAdvisor

This was a fun exercise and gave me the itch to add a few more cities to my list!

Denial

Huh?  I'm in denial about whaaaat?  I don't have a baby anymore?  He doesn't need to be zipped up into jammies with feet?  I know not what you speak of.

What's that you say?  I'm standing on a changing tables meant for infants in diapers?  Intervention my Mommy wouldja? 

Denial ain't just a river.

New Business Venture

One of the kiddos (name withheld for privacy) misplaced her math answer key and despite looking "everywhere" it appears to have been left somewhere outside the home.  I'm Danny Silk educated so here's how that conversation goes:

Kiddo:  I have looked eeeeverywhere.  It is definitely gone.
Me: (composed, well trained)  What a bummer.  I am so sorry.  Are you sure there isn't anywhere else to look?  I know those books are expensive.
Kiddo:  Like, how much?
Me:  I'm pretty sure they are around $30.
Kiddo:  But, that's all the money I have saved up for a surf board!
Me:  Probably so.  I'm so sorry, I was happy to help you look.  I sure wish we would have found it.
Kiddo:  Ugh.  Can I look on craigslist for a used one?
Me:  I'm so glad you thought of that!  What a brilliant idea!


A few minutes later:


Kiddo:  I found one for $19 with shipping!  Still....$19....that  a.   lot.   of.   money.
Me:  Yes, it is.


A few hours later:

I was presented with this business card.  Apparently she has enlisted the help of her sister and they are planning to pass them out to their aunts at our zoo outing this afternoon.  Thank you Danny Silk!

Happy 5th Birthday Gabriel!

One of our birthday traditions is breakfast in bed so Gabe woke to hot-off-the-griddle flapjacks this morning.  You know you love your son when you carry the mill and wheat berries down to the basement to grind so you won't wake the kiddos but can still make his favorite breakfast before he wakes.  

Here he is riding the bike Grandma and Papa surprised him with.  He was beaming with pride and rode it all evening until we drug him inside.  My heart was so full watching him.  What an incredible son.  I love you, Gabe!

Happy 11th Birthday Madeline

Madeline's birthday celebration included a trip to see Ballet Met's Sleeping Beauty and an afternoon of antiquing.  This is one of my favorite pictures from the birthday celebration.....she wanted to make her making her own birthday dinner, chicken tortilla soup.

She made her own birthday cake too (her request, not mine!) and yes, it was handcrafted with no refined sugar and vegetable coloring for her icing decor.

It was a bittersweet day as I can hardly believe that 11 years have flown by this quickly.  I couldn't have asked for them to be any more amazing and I am truly thankful for that.  I love you, Bear!

Another Raw Food Attempt

...and this one was a smashing success.

The girls and I made a raw food lunch last week with inspiration from Matthew Kenney, one of my very favorite raw foodies.  On my Bucket List is to visit his restaurant in NYC.  It will happen.  At any rate, the lunch was a huge success with GLLAM and I've made it several times since.  The best part?  It is super simple!

Marinate organic mushrooms in a good olive oil, lemon juice and a splash of nama shoyu (fermented soy sauce containing live enzymes!) for 30 min. or so.  Next, slice up an organic canteloupe.   Finally, top with fresh mint mixed with a splash of fresh lemon juice and a bit of agave nectar.

The salad pictured is chopped zucchini and avocado mixed with some fresh lemon juice, a splash of olive oil and some finely diced basil.  

Sprinkle with real salt* and enjoy!

*not all salt is created equal.  Most salt is refined because companies can separate and sell the minerals that are extracted.  "Real" salt should contain different colors....it should not be completely white.  This is a sure sign that is has been heated to unhealthy levels and been processed and stripped of its nutrition.  Currently, we are using a himalayan salt but there are many to choose from.  Just looked for a good, unrefined salt with lots of beautiful specks of color!

Roy Lichtenstein

The kids studied Roy Lichtenstein this week, the prominent American pop artist who favored the comic strip in his work.  He has a tongue-in-cheek humor (I think my kiddos are still trying to figure out what that actually means!) that made his work famous and fun.

Here's one of the interpretations I managed to photo before all the paintings were carried off to the art room to dry.

No, You are MY Sunshine

Trust me.