May I have more “special sprouts,” please?

Have you ever had “special sprouts”? They’re actually Brussels sprouts, but if you say it fast, it sounds an awful lot like special sprouts, especially to a 6 and a 3-year-old. (Our very own Nanny Jane calls them Barbie cabbages.)

I love Brussels sprouts. I admit it. (There. I said it.) So I introduced them to my girls last month. I take mine whole, sautéed in a bit of butter, and then tossed with a splash of balsamic vinegar and sea salt a few minutes before serving. I eat them with abandon the same way I can eat bacon or popcorn. And guess what, so do my girls! Mia asks for seconds and Stella, thirds. Mia likes to peel back the layers and savor them one leaf at a time. Stella is an eat-’em-whole girl like me.

Last week we had BLTs, organic French fries, and … special sprouts (a rather interesting combination, but that’s what happens when it’s dance and gymnastics night). Stella’s fries remained untouched, and on her third helping of special sprouts, I wondered if I should make her eat her entire plate of food before I let her have more of something else. I promptly decided against it.

When she asked Friday morning if she could take any leftover special sprouts to school for lunch, I also decided against that. No need for her to know just yet that her peers might not love them the way she does.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Brussel sprouts were a veggie that I did not get to like until my adulthood. So much depends on how you cook them because overcooking leaves them mushy and bitter. Now, I love them roasted with just a bit of olive oil and sea salt . You are so right to help your children learn to try and enjoy all of the healthy veggies of the world! They will be so much more healthy for it!

  2. Terry Steinmetz says:

    For salads, we used to have each child go to the garden & pick their own leaves to eat. They would also find peas, radishes, onions, kale…whatever was ready! My grandgirls are salad lovers, but not beets! Oh well,can’t win them all!

  3. NancyB says:

    I, too, love brussel sproats, fixed just about any way imagined. However, as a kid I can remember wondering how anything that stunk up the house so bad could taste so good!

  4. Kathy says:

    I too only recently discovered how great they are! I can’t get enough of them now.

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Oh, pie!

Mark your calendars, farmgirls …

National Pie Day is on the way!

If you LOVE pie,

(and who doesn’t LOVE pie?),

Then set aside January 23 for some serious pie time.

Pie time?

What sort of pie time?

What can a pie partisan do to prove her piety?

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    January 23 was my Daddy’s birthday. In his honor, I should make a cherry pie. My Dad was not a huge sweets fan, but he loved a big juicy berry or apple pie laden down with lots of fruit. This is a great idea for a way to spend some time “with Dad” over coffee and a big slice of hot, steamy cherry pie! My calendar is marked!!

  2. Terry Steinmetz says:

    My hubby is already excited about this day! He loves pies of all kinds! I’m not sure which one he’ll get, but he’ll get one & we’ll celebrate!!!

  3. Barbara Grace says:

    I’ve put it on my calendar….I may not have time to bake a pie, but I’ll find a way to share a pie with the “Garden Club” at work (really just an excuse four of us made up to do nice, slightly eccentric things together, and to throw fun parties for other co-workers). Looking forward to it!

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It’s a girl thing!

It’s a girl thing!

Pop quiz:

What’s the first “girl thing” that came to mind?

Stereotypes have a way of superseding our rational senses, so don’t beat yourself up if you immediately thought of make-up or sparkly dresses or slumber parties.

The latest “girl thing” to sweep the globe, however, is not another glitzy gimmick.

It’s …

science.

Yup, science.

Last summer, the EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, launched the Women in Research and Innovation campaign to encourage more women to choose research careers.

Go, girl!

It all started with a statistic:

Women make up more than half the EU’s student population and account for 45 percent of all doctorates (PhDs), but they account for only one third of career researchers and are very poorly represented at the senior level.

Suddenly, a slogan was born:

“Science: It’s a Girl Thing!”

The first facet of the campaign is bent on bringing teen girls face-to-face with inspiring women-scientist role models and enlightening them about the excitement and challenges of being a professional scientist or engineer. The second phase targets college-level women and encourages them to choose a career in research.

I love the campaign’s website at a glance. There are quizzes, contests, video clips, and dream jobs—all designed to dare girls to dream big.

And the best part about being a girl scientist?

YOU call the shots.

You can …

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    I can remember starting out my love of science in second grade when we learned about weather, cloud patterns, and the planets. My friend, Linda Foster, had a telescope and we were stoked!! The first full moon had us setting up her telescope in my front yard and viewing the craters while squealing with delight. We also spent countless hours studying the skies and trying to predict snow. Oh, how we wanted snow!!

  2. Terry Steinmetz says:

    I’m thrilled to read about this. My grandgirl, Jade, is in fifth grade & she LOVES science & math. She works hard all year thinking of a new idea for the science fair project. When she comes to visit in the summer, she is all about nature walks, seeing the stars & learning about the constellations, figuring out why a cake rises with certain ingredients, etc.. She is right now studying hard to be in Math Bowl at school, too. They have a district competition each year. She tries it all! She is challenged to come up with so many neat things. Girls can achieve exactly what they want.

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Smooth Move

I’m sure you know that old trick about freezing bananas that have seen better days. You hold onto them until the banana-bread bug bites you bad, and then you embark on a marathon baking session. Well, I’m a devotee of this method—it’s as if the freezer performs some magic to transform fruit that looks too ripe to even touch into an exotic delicacy.

But you know, bread isn’t all those bananas are good for—why not try a smoothie? A frozen banana makes an excellent any-smoothie base because it produces a rich, creamy texture that’s just like ice cream.

LIKE ice cream, but better.

That’s because smoothies are a great way to boost your nutritional intake and still feel like you’re getting away with something. Liquids make more nutrients available than solid food, and are absorbed faster, too. They’re also easier to digest and frequently more appetizing than solid food when you’re rushed, sick, pregnant, or just plain bored.

So grab your blender.

Drop in that banana, add some frozen fruit: flavor-wise, it’s hard to go wrong. Berries, stone fruits, grapes, citrus, and tropical fruit all contribute a tart, punchy kick that’s as intense and colorful as candy.

Now for the veggies.

Yup, that’s right—I said VEGGIES. Smoothies are a great way to use the fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand. It may sound scary, but don’t run screaming from the blender just yet. Greens may have a big impact on the color of your drink, but they usually contribute a fairly delicate flavor, especially alongside all that sweet fruit. So toss in frozen vegetables like peas, broccoli pieces, or spinach by the handful. Their natural sweetness will make the vitamin boost completely painless.

You can also boost your smoothies by blending in your vitamin supplement, a scoop of wheat germ, a handful of nuts, a smear of nut butter, a chunk of fresh ginger, drizzles of honey or maple syrup, or spoonfuls of milled flaxseed, wheat germ, or ground cinnamon.

Now pour in a little juice, water, or yogurt to help it all liquefy and let ’er rip. Blend everything until smooth, and then taste a bit to see if you need to tweak the flavors or consistency. There are no hard and fast ratios or recipes. Just experiment with what you have and what you know you like.

Still feeling less than confident? Allow me to share a few of my favorite non-recipes:

Ruby Dream: Leftover cooked beets (go easy), frozen strawberries, apple juice, and fresh carrots (Just a note on beets: they, hmmm, walk out the same color as they walked in. So no smoothie-inspired 911 calls, k?)

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Wow, what a great list of smoothie ideas to try. The idea of adding veggies makes sense and fusions are ever so popular today in restaurants and in grocery stores. My favs on this list are Cherry Pie and Carrot Cake. I think I might have to wade into the water gently with the veggies. I love veggies , but not sure about them raw in smoothies? Perhaps, I just need to get brave and try the one with kale or peas.

  2. cherri says:

    You don’t have to juice the carrots first?

  3. melyssa says:

    Oh my, your comments about beets and 911 made me laugh. My veggie loving mother DESPISES beets with every ounce of her being and so we NEVER had them growing up. I didn’t have fresh beets until I was 30 and my friend sauted them. I ate so many… and screamed like a little girl in the bathroom later. My friend drinks an insane amount of water so she’d never really noticed the “orangeyness” herself – we were pretty sure I was dying of some sort of bizarre urine disease. 🙂

    • MaryJane says:

      Guess what I had for lunch today? BEETIFUL beets. Yesterday I baked 8 big ole whole beets. Once they cooled off, I put them in the fridge. Today for lunch I peeled three of them (these were BIG OLE, so I ended up with a PILE o’magenta “sugar” cubes), cut up some companion raw cauliflower, laid a pile of almonds on the plate, and devoured every morsel. Pretty soon now, I’d be dialing 911 if I didn’t know beeter.

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Gluten-free Coconut Granola Bars

growing_jane-granola_bars-9480

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    My daughter is trying a gluten free diet and these bars look delicious. I am going to try making them for her as they would be a great breakfast to grab on her way out the door . Thanks for sharing!

  2. Lesa Gottwalt says:

    They sound delicious! Can’t wait to try them!

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photo-of-the-day

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    I love that lantern with a touch of flowers around the bottom! Such a simple touch makes it just perfect for that glamped up feel. I bet if you added that touch to other old lanterns, they would sell like hot cakes!

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