Category Archives: Sugar is the Devil & Other Musings on Food

In Praise of Pop Tarts

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  “Sprinkles, Mommy!  I want sprinkles!” “Rainbow or chocolate?” “Both, Mommy! I want them both!   Ow!”  My daughter winces. “They’re hurting me!” “Look at me, baby!  Look at me!” I turn her head to face mine.   “Don’t look down there!” “You can have whatever toppings you want.  You can have every topping in the store.” “Mommy!  Make them stop!” S. looks past me at the open wound and at the nurse, in the middle of sewing 17 stitches into her leg, as a result of being hit by a car hours earlier. The staff assures me that she can’t feel … Continue reading →

My Evil Mistress

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“I need a favor.” My mother’s voice quivered. “Mom, are you OK?”   I had just left work and gotten into my car, which was semi covered in the first round of slush from our Friday-Saturday snowstorm. “You don’t have any Diet Coke.  Can you stop at the store and get some?” My mother had moved in with us for the night in anticipation of the first blizzard of the winter.  The kids love having her around.  And they love that she travels with Carrie. I love having her around, because when she’s here, I can slip off to Target by … Continue reading →

Green Revolution

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I have taken a lot of pictures of green smoothies this past month. Some were straight and to the point.   Some were humorous.    Some were thought provoking.    Some were political.  (Hint:  This smoothie drinker can see Russia from her house!)   Some were a little warped,   No animals were harmed in the smoothie photo sessions.  I promise!    Neither were any children. 29 days ago, I never would have imagined that 22 friends, some old, and some new, would come along for the ride with me on the Green Smoothie Challenge.  What made the Green Smoothie … Continue reading →

Greenalicious

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Yes, that’s me, gazing at my green smoothie with reverence and blind devotion. Perhaps even a bit of a platonic crush.  Because anything that makes someone feel that good from the inside out deserves praise, and lots of it.  As we wrap up week three of the Run to the Finish Green Smoothie Challenge, we welcomed 2 more friends to our green team, which means our posse of smoothie drinkers is now up to twenty.  One is an old friend from grade school, and one, a new friend and fellow blogger, Denise, who you can find at accordingtodenise.com  Our daily roll … Continue reading →

Have Your Ice Cream And Eat It, Too!

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The neighborhood ice cream truck driver loathes my family.   I have that dreaded clan of children who love to chase down the truck but never buy a thing.  They are the Big Tease.  They are that posse of kids  who would just die for a popsicle created in the image of Sponge Bob or Dora, with eyes made of miniature gumballs, yet they were born to a mother too neurotic about sugar to allow her children to eat "real ice cream" more than once a month, if not once in an entire summer. Not to mention my frugality.  Why spend … Continue reading →

Fifty Shades of Green Smoothies

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Oh, that sophomore slump.   Broken blenders, emergency kale runs in the middle of the night, and smoothie challenge participants suffering from lost momentum.   We are at day 15, exactly that middle point of the Amanda Brooks Run to the Finish Green Smoothie Challenge, and as much as I love my green smoothies, have woken up to a green smoothie every morning for a period of time that spans beyond this challenge,  I've had a few moments where it wasn't easy being green.  It has not been easy for my blender, either, which took its last breath on Thursday morning, from … Continue reading →

Green Smoothie Nation

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If you're looking for the party, it's over here.  Oh, and I should warn you.  There's a lot of drinking going on…drinking of Green Smoothies,  that is.  A few weeks ago, I beckoned my friends, family, blog readers, Twitter followers, anyone in ear shot, to join me in the 30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge, organized by Amanda Brooks of Run to the Finish.  The only "rule," was to drink a smoothie a day that needed to include two cups of greens, such as spinach or kale.  Now, you all know what a green smoothie enthusiast I am.  Amanda didn't have … Continue reading →

Confessions of a Kale Smoothie Addict

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On Friday, June 1st,  I begin a 30 day challenge hosted by Amanda Brooks, Creator of Run To The Finish, a website whose mission is to motivate healthy living.  Amanda is the adorable and captivating narrator of articles whose topics include running, nutrition, meditation, and yoga.  Obviously, she's a Diva after my own heart. The challenge will require me to drink a smoothie, consisting of kale, broccoli, carrots, banana, and protein powder every day during the month of June. Amanda, if you stumble upon this post, I have a confession to make.  This 30-day green smoothie challenge really isn't much … Continue reading →

Oh, Avocado!

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Now that we have gotten to know each other, I have a confession to make.  I have not been faithful.   I have cheated repeatedly and shamelessly on my first love, kale, with the divine, delectable Avocado. The avocado is more than a paramour that seduced me on a lustful whim.   What we have is something much deeper and more meaningful.  My love for kale is sincere, and is based upon respect for its abundant amounts of of beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, and calcium.  However, my relationship with the avocado is not only fueled by its generous supply of vitamins and nutrients that … Continue reading →

The Fierce Diva Diet

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There are many diet and nutrition experts out there who claim they know the "right" way to eat. However, the bottom line on maintaining a healthy diet is this:  Fierce Divas don't eat crap. A description of crap is as follows:   Foods that have ingredients you cannot pronounce – which are most likely additives, preservatives, or flavorings  - are crap.  Friendly advice between us Divas:  just because an additive or preservative is "FDA approved," doesn't mean it's safe.   Remember the FDA approved diet drug Fen-Phen that gave its users permanent heart valve damage?  Enough said. Foods that have 5 … Continue reading →