Good People and Good Eats

I haven't been crafting much as this whole having my spinal cord severed deal has been a bit of a bear lately. But, with the extra time to think, I realize I've got a bit "lazy" around here in regard to meals. Since we are on hiatus from being vegan while I heal (I'm following my bodies lead) we've added some fun stuff back to our diet like cheese and yogurt. Yummy! While we eat well, 10 grain hot cereal, home baked bread from fresh-ground wheat, pumpkin pancakes etc, I haven't been challenging my boys to eat new things as often as I'd like. The quality has been high, but the variety low. So over the next few weeks I'm going to be adding some new foods - ideally ones that are easy on me - to their diets and hopefully expanding their once broad palates. This morning I replaced the usual hot cereals (oatmeal/cornmeal/ten grain) with yogurt parfaits as three out of five of us are scared of bananas... yep, I admitted it in public, we're SCARED of bananas. Have you held a banana in your hand? It leaves a slug trail of slime behind. Is that really something you should eat raw? We eat tons of banana bread, and I use bananas in baked goods to replace some of the fat and add nutrients - but short of a half pound of chocolate chips and a long vacation in the oven; bananas will not pass our lips. What to do? Parfaits are a terrific way to add a sense of occasion and override dread. I hoped the smoothness of the yogurt would mask the sliminess of the bananas. I also was sure to layer granola near by so there was a little crunch with the mush. They were, in a word, delightful. And incredibly well received. Most of us had seconds and we even started experimenting with flavors. Here's Brayden's orange-banana-granola parfait:

Delicious. And in case you're wondering, yes, that is chocolate on top. I used one teeny dark chocolate baking disc for the whole family and it made it extra-special.

While I'm not one for hiding unappetizing ingredients or tricking my kids into eating new things, there's no shame in making introductions as pleasant as possible.

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A lot of folks have been super-nice about the things I've been making lately:

Special thanks to Dot and Dabbled for sharing my paper towel wreath and handmade paper project on her blog and my eclairs on FoodWhirl. I really *SQUEALED* when I saw that.

Jen from Tatertots and Jello posted my wreath as well and a lot of neat new friends have popped over from her site. It's been great getting to visit your blogs and see all the great stuff you're getting in to.

Heather of Dollar Store Crafts was sweet enough to post about both my wreath and my quilted coasters. Thank you so much!

Jen at Redberry Barn is actually making a wreath with a friend - that's the highest compliment! Thank you!

Joanne at Ready Set Craft included my wreath in her round-up and left the nicest comment about it. So sweet!

Kelly at Crafting in a Green World included my napkins in her Stash Busting post and Glue and Glitter showcased my coasters - love Stash Busting and all the great people I'm "meeting" through it. Thank you ladies.

So... yeah... I'm feeling like the luckiest girl in the world right now; bloggers (especially green-thinking creative, food-loving types) are the nicest bunch of people around.