Life is moving at warp speed as noted by my daughter's 13th birthday yesterday. Thirteen years seems to be nothing but a fleeting moment, a bolt of lightning, a falling star...accelerating softly and quietly. These autumn days are filled with Pilates clients, adjustments to school, afternoon football practices, chauffeur services, and the perpetual quest to put a meal on the table that actually has health redeeming benefits for the family. Rarely do we sit together to enjoy it but at least the family is eating nutritiously.
Some of my favorite recipes lately are from The 100 Days of Real Food recipe collection. This slow cooker whole chicken recipe provides us with a roasted chicken meal, chicken quesadillas, and a delicious comfort food, homemade chicken noodle/vegetable soup. Remember last May when I was so impressed with my friend Stacy who would casually remark, "I cook my chicken then save the leftovers and carcass to make a bone broth soup?" Well now I too make a delicious broth that doesn't come from a can...a true traditional home-style chicken soup which valiantly does fight the common cold!
Some of my favorite recipes lately are from The 100 Days of Real Food recipe collection. This slow cooker whole chicken recipe provides us with a roasted chicken meal, chicken quesadillas, and a delicious comfort food, homemade chicken noodle/vegetable soup. Remember last May when I was so impressed with my friend Stacy who would casually remark, "I cook my chicken then save the leftovers and carcass to make a bone broth soup?" Well now I too make a delicious broth that doesn't come from a can...a true traditional home-style chicken soup which valiantly does fight the common cold!
I am no Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart and my chicken forgot to smile when I took this picture but trust me, it tasted delicious.
Recipe: The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock
Pot from 100 Days of Real Food
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder,1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper, pepper, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 onion, 1 large chicken
Instructions: Combine the dried spices in a small bowl. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid. Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don’t forget to make your homemade stock with
the leftover bones!
Recipe: The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock
Pot from 100 Days of Real Food
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder,1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper, pepper, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 onion, 1 large chicken
Instructions: Combine the dried spices in a small bowl. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid. Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don’t forget to make your homemade stock with
the leftover bones!
My computer sputtered and died about two weeks ago, another reason I have been negligent to write. Ron has his laptop but it is earmarked for stock market watching, fantasy football statistics, and Candy Crush. There must be a way to rotate the pictures below but no time to figure it out before he comes pining for his computer. This is Easy Peasy Applesauce, again from 100 Days of Real Food, it is a much healthier alternative to store bought brands. //www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/09/08/recipe-easy-peasy-applesauce/
Home Training Pilates is keeping me busy and productive. Thank you all for your recent referrals. There has been a significant increase in Pilates Personal Training this fall and I appreciate you all sharing your positive experiences with the Pilates Method. The video below is on my Home Training facebook page, shared from Pilates Anytime. It reiterates the importance of keeping your body in motion--not half motion--but full motion. Respecting the full range of motion of our joints and decreasing our reliance on modern comforts like chairs! As one of my clients recently said, "I think the majority of my back problems came from sitting in a car for long hours necessary for work. " Yes, sitting in a chair, sitting in your car, sitting in the bleachers all contributes to that "stuck" tight feeling. To be exceptionally dramatic, sitting in a chair may be killing us! Please review this short 8 minute video if you want to learn more about maximizing your body's potential and longevity with the basic, primordial movement of the squat: http://www.pilatesanytime.com/workshop-view/1243/video/Workshop-Squat!-Amy-Taylor-Alpers
Wall Art at Pathways Charter School Speaking of sitting too long in a chair, I have done that with this post. Next time I will put the laptop on the ground and squat! I want to share more, particularly experiences with my now teenage daughter and her new charter school, Pathways....but I can't sit still any longer! I will say however, I am impressed with the technology, the teachers, and the focus on innovative, modern learning methods. In fact....they don't have desks because they want kids to move freely and not be stuck in chairs! It has been a slow but steady adjustment for Auburn but between 3 interesting classes at the high school, her close friend Maddie, plus a team willing to actually listen and hear our concerns and suggestions we are pleased with her progress, patience and tolerance to adapt to change. (side note...adapting to change, learning tolerance, and exhibiting patience are all great life-skills.)
If you are a parent of a child who, like Auburn, thrives in their current setting but you have the suspicion there is a "ceiling" to how much your child can grow in the traditional school setting I would encourage you to investigate the Pathways option. Auburn had a strong social network at Badger Middle School and made straight A's in 6th grade but she was intrigued by the prospect of "career clusters," perhaps school could have more relevance to her future career endeavors. In the Milwaukee area there is a perception that charter schools are "alternative schools for troubled youth." This is not Pathways. Pathways give parents choice in public school options. Where my sister's children attend school in Raleigh, NC there were 800 students on a lottery waiting list this year to attend her son's charter school. Parents there know what a competitive, novel, accelerated academic environment charter schools offer compared to the traditional model.
Pathways Charter School is different from the Milwaukee perception and much more aligned with the reputation and experiences expressed by my family in North Carolina. They want students with a strong desire to grow and succeed, students who LIKE school! They strive to provide a healthy environment for academic growth with fewer text books and stronger technology base...a little less hand-holding and a little more free-thinking and individual initiative. Auburn "turns-in" her homework every night from her personal Ipad assigned to her at Pathways. Assignments from engineering designs and drawings; chromosomes and DNA replication; self-paced progress in math; literary responses are all monitored, graded, and returned via the computer. Auburn maintains strong ties with her friends at Badger; she visited for lunch Friday in honor of both her birthday and for her good work the first month at Pathways. If you have a like-minded student, who enjoys school, makes good grades, has healthy social skills with no need for behavioral discipline (i.e. they generally do the right thing), I would encourage you to investigate options at Pathways. Auburn would love to have more of her close friends attend as it is a unique, fun learning environment with exceptional teachers and relevant real-life academic application. I am proud of Auburn and Maddie's courage to step out of their comfort zone at Badger and take a risk at a brand new school. Staying comfortable is over-rated (except for chicken noodle soup)...real growth happens outside of our comfort zone.
If you are a parent of a child who, like Auburn, thrives in their current setting but you have the suspicion there is a "ceiling" to how much your child can grow in the traditional school setting I would encourage you to investigate the Pathways option. Auburn had a strong social network at Badger Middle School and made straight A's in 6th grade but she was intrigued by the prospect of "career clusters," perhaps school could have more relevance to her future career endeavors. In the Milwaukee area there is a perception that charter schools are "alternative schools for troubled youth." This is not Pathways. Pathways give parents choice in public school options. Where my sister's children attend school in Raleigh, NC there were 800 students on a lottery waiting list this year to attend her son's charter school. Parents there know what a competitive, novel, accelerated academic environment charter schools offer compared to the traditional model.
Pathways Charter School is different from the Milwaukee perception and much more aligned with the reputation and experiences expressed by my family in North Carolina. They want students with a strong desire to grow and succeed, students who LIKE school! They strive to provide a healthy environment for academic growth with fewer text books and stronger technology base...a little less hand-holding and a little more free-thinking and individual initiative. Auburn "turns-in" her homework every night from her personal Ipad assigned to her at Pathways. Assignments from engineering designs and drawings; chromosomes and DNA replication; self-paced progress in math; literary responses are all monitored, graded, and returned via the computer. Auburn maintains strong ties with her friends at Badger; she visited for lunch Friday in honor of both her birthday and for her good work the first month at Pathways. If you have a like-minded student, who enjoys school, makes good grades, has healthy social skills with no need for behavioral discipline (i.e. they generally do the right thing), I would encourage you to investigate options at Pathways. Auburn would love to have more of her close friends attend as it is a unique, fun learning environment with exceptional teachers and relevant real-life academic application. I am proud of Auburn and Maddie's courage to step out of their comfort zone at Badger and take a risk at a brand new school. Staying comfortable is over-rated (except for chicken noodle soup)...real growth happens outside of our comfort zone.
Happy 13th Birthday Auburn!
Friends Forever!
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