The Halloween of My Dreams
In the November 3, 2004 issue of the Washington Post, Marjorie Williams, a writer wrote a column called “The Halloween of My Dreams” which described a day helping her daughter with a Halloween costume – glitter and all – and watching her 8-year old run out the door to go trick or treating. The story touched my heart and I have never forgotten it. For any mother who realizes those seemingly normal moments with our children are really gifts that pass by in a blink of an eye, it’s a must read.
In 2011, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists rightly named it one of the top 15 newspaper columns in American History.
Executive Compensation at Stanford
Most people probably don’t know that Stanford’s legal name is “The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University” doing business as Stanford University. And most people probably don’t realize that Stanford’s revenue exceeds expenses by more than a billion dollars a year (for the last several years) which has allowed the university to grow their endowment. With $31.7 billion in net fund assets, Stanford is one of the wealthiest universities in the US along with being what some would refer to as a money-making machine. Read more 
Create Your Own Salad
Create Your Own Salad is a 21st century phenomena that appeals to a lot of people who want to decide what ingredients they want in a salad. Not satisfied with the one salad fits all, fans of Create Your Own Salad are by nature people who know what they like and are not afraid to speak up.
When I do take out, I often look for a place where I can create my own salad but when I’m at restaurant, it’s often more difficult (I try not to be that pain-in-the-ass customer who drives servers crazy, at least not to the extent of Meg Ryan’s character, Sally Albright in the 1989 classic “When Harry Met Sally,” but have come close). Read more
Black Bean Brownies
Ten years ago a black bean brownie wouldn’t have done it for me because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Back then my favorite brownie was made with a Ghiradelli boxed brownie mix blended with melted unsalted butter and eggs (yes, I am ashamed to admit this).
Fast forward a few years when I tasted a black bean brownie sold in a cafe called Fresh in Des Moines, Iowa. Moist and chewy with a deep dark chocolate flavor, the black bean brownie was simply delicious but I didn’t attempt to make my own until recently when I realized that it was time to figure out how to make a delicious but nutritious (key word) alternative to traditional brownies. Read more
Say It Ain’t So, Christo!
If you live in New York City, then you can’t help but be captivated by what’s going on in the city’s parks and particularly with the winged creatures who place a high priority on space and fight about territory as often as their human counterparts. But, if you don’t live in the city – and The Real Housewives of New York City is not your idea of turf warfare – read on. Read more
Blend 11 by GoodMix Superfoods
Blend 11 is a nutritious blend of 11 certified organic superfoods that can be used in smoothies, shakes, overnight oats, fresh oatmeal, hot and cold cereals, and even in recipes (especially in date balls). Crunchy, wholesome, super nutritious, and delicious, Blend 11 is also gluten-free and vegan.
Made by GoodMix Superfoods of Waitsfield, Vermont (central Vermont near Montpelier), Blend 11 differs from other nut and seed blends on the market in many ways. First, the variety of ingredients is vast. There are seeds, nuts, nibs, and more. Second, the ingredients are certified organic (and that’s big). Third, most nut and seed blends don’t have puffed millet, puffed amaranth, or cacao nibs which add terrific texture, flavor, and nutrition to the mix. And, lastly, most nut and seed mixes don’t have buckwheat which is a totally undervalued seed (yes, a seed) loaded with vitamins and minerals. Read more
The Invisible Boy
The Invisible Boy is the heartbreaking and heartwarming story of a young boy named Brian – a talented, creative, and quiet child who is all but invisible to the world around him, to his teacher who is preoccupied with the disruptive children, to his classmates playing kickball, and to the other kids in the lunchroom and classroom. Then, one day a boy named Justin joins Brian’s class. Different from the other children, Justin eats Korean food (prepared by his grandmother) with chopsticks while the other children eat more traditional American lunches with their hands. Read more
Vegetable Curry with Mike’s Organic Curry Love®
This is the good stuff.
My husband loves curry especially if a selection of toppings (peanuts, diced bananas, mango chutney, toasted coconut, seasoned slivered almonds, cashews, raisins, dried apricots, and green scallions) are placed in small bowls in the center of the table so he can choose what to put on top. Sometimes it’s a few items and other times, he piles on a little bit of everything to ensure every bite is a mix of sweet and salty flavors along with chewy and crunchy textures. The real beauty of serving curry with toppings is that everyone can customize their own dish to suit their tastes. But, in order to have a really good curry dish, the sauce has to be the star of the show. Read more
10 Healthier Halloween Treats
My home was not the most popular house in the neighborhood last year on Halloween, for a variety of reasons. My next door neighbor went all out and gave full-sized name brand candy bars (i.e. Snickers, Hershey Bars, Milky Ways, etc) which gave them “most favored nation” status among trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood.
We gave out a variety of healthier treats several of which were sought after (i.e. Little Secrets, Nature’s Addict Fruit Sticks, Matt’s Munchies) and several which were not (anything that wasn’t sweet). One 4-year old summed it all up by saying “I want nothing” after surveying our Halloween treat basket full of packets of trail mix, pistachios, and crunchy dried fruit snacks. Read more
Purely Elizabeth® Grain-Free Superfood Granola
The granola market appears to be saturated with dozens of types of granola and, yet there’s always room for one or two more by Purely Elizabeth – a Boulder-based food company that makes the most popular granolas in the natural food market.
A label consumers can always trust, Purely Elizabeth recently introduced two Grain Free Superfood Granolas that are available only through Whole Foods Markets. Read more
Paddock Post 