Each Kindness
Each Kindness is a beautiful picture book with a powerful message about how we treat people and the regrets we may have. Written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Each Kindness is told from the perspective of a young girl named Chloe who tells the story of what happened when a new girl named Maya joined her class in primary school (the book does not specify the grade but it appears to be about second or third grade).
Chloe recounts with brutal honesty how she shunned the new girl, made fun of her, and refused all attempts at friendship throughout the school year. When Ms. Albert, their teacher gives a lesson on kindness, Chloe wonders how much better the year could have been if she had shown Maya a little kindness and opened her heart to friendship. Read more 
Beets and Spinach
There are times a vegetable bowl will take my breath away – the vibrant colors of freshly cooked vegetables are literally eye candy but it’s the flavor that ends up reeling me in. When I think of a veggie bowl, I try to combine veggies of different colors and textures like beets and spinach.
Beets get a bad rap (i.e.borscht) but freshly cooked red or yellow beets are not only striking but earthy, flavorful and perfect to use in a vegetable bowl. Add sautéed dark green fresh baby spinach and the ultimate snack veggie bowl is done. All you have to do is grab a fork and enjoy. Read more
Food For Life® English Muffins
An english muffin’s most defining characteristics are its nooks and crannies but the ingredients to make this breakfast favorite are even more important because most of these round fork-split yeast-leavened breads are made with enriched white flour, sugar, oil, dairy products, and scary sounding ingredients (mono and diglycerides) which from a nutrition standpoint is not optimal. Read more
Tips to Understanding an IRS Form 990
Most charitable organizations exempt from income tax under Section 501 are required to file an IRS Form 990, which details financial, management, program, and fundraising information. These returns can often be hundreds of pages long which can be overwhelming to potential donors who are trying to understand where charitable dollars are spent. Although all of the information is important, there are key pieces of information to focus on if time is limited. With that in mind, here are 13 tips to gain a quick understanding of a non-profit. Read more
Amy and Isabelle
Because if everyone just turns out like their mother, then what’s the rat’s-ass point?”
Elizabeth Strout is one of the few writers who has mastered the art of writing about difficult women we loathe but love to read about. In her Pulitzer-prize winning novel, Olive Kitteridge (2009), Strout gave us an opinionated, forthright, bossy, cantankerous, and self-righteous protagonist (Olive Kitteridge) who was also loyal, honest, and conscientious. Most readers identified in some way with Olive Kitteridge – the school teacher, the wife of the local pharmacist, and the mother who loved imperfectly – but felt relieved the similarities only went so far. Read more
Nuttzo® Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Squares
When I was young I could never decide which was better: chocolate chip, peanut butter, or oatmeal cookie dough. When I grew up I still couldn’t decide if one was truly better than the other so after contemplating this dilemma for the better part of five decades, I had this breakthrough moment where I thought why not combine all three to make the ultimate cookie dough snack treat. Read more
Black Beans, Kale, and Plantains: Soft Tacos or Bowls
Ordinary tacos or bowls can become ho-hum so when it’s time to spice things up a bit, consider making soft tacos or bowls with black beans, kale, and plantains. Add the usual toppings – chopped, sweet multi-colored tomatoes and chunky guacamole – for flavor, color, and pizzazz and consider sprinkling pumpkin seeds on the tops of the bowls or tacos for an added crunch (I use activated sprouted salted pumpkin seeds but some people prefer the unsalted variety and that’s just fine). Read more
Where Does $100 to the ALS Association Go?
The ALS Association was chugging along raising about $25 million a year when the Ice Challenge video went viral a few years ago and brought in $115 million in donations to the organization. Before the windfall, the ALS Association had about $20 million in net fund assets. According to the IRS Form 990 (2016) for the year ending January 31, 2017, the organization now has just over $100 million in net fund assets (they haven’t spent all the donations from the Ice Challenge yet) and raised nearly $31 million (compared to about $25 million the year before) this past year. Read more
The Return
The country that separates fathers and sons has disoriented many travelers.
Many Americans associate Libya with the September 11, 2012 uprising in Benghazi where Islamic militants attacked the American consulate killing the US Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens and three others. To better understand Libya and the historical events that define its tumultuous past, it is helpful to know the following: Read more
French Broad Chocolates: The Buddha Collection
French Broad Chocolates – an Asheville, North Carolina-based company that includes a chocolate factory, a chocolate bar library (French Broad Chocolate Boutique), and a dessert restaurant (French Broad Chocolate Lounge) in the heart of downtown – also makes the most decadent, beautiful, and scrumptious chocolates called The Buddha Collection. With no dairy, gluten, soy, nuts, eggs, or corn syrup, The Buddha Collection is beloved by vegans and omnivores alike. Read more
Paddock Post 