Thursday, May 20, 2010

Strawberry Fields Salad

Yes, I'm a huge Beatles fan, but no, I did not name this salad. It's my take on a salad from TGI Fridays. I remember seeing it on the menu, but did not order it, being that I'm not a big salad for a meal type person. But I did adapt it for a quick side and I love it! In fact, we had it tonight with dinner. No, I didn't take a picture because really, it didn't look too exciting, but it was yummy!

Strawberry Fields Salad

Torn Romaine lettuce
4-5 strawberries
2T balsalmic vinegar
Italian dressing

Slice strawberries in a bowl and toss with balsalmic vinegar. Let sit 15 minutes. Tear lettuce into a large bowl. Add desired amount of Italian dressing to suit, top with strawberries and toss.

Simple and delicious! The marinated berries sound a little weird at first, but they are SO good! You can use fresh or frozen berries. Fresh ones hold up better than frozen, which tend to be a little mushy after they thaw, but both are equally delicious! It's also fabulous with feta cheese, but since this for non-dairy purposes, we'll refrain from using cheese and pretend I didn't say that.

Enjoy!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

It's hard

It's happened again... I've long neglected this poor lowly blog. Truthfully, there's no explanation other than sheer laziness. I could say that I forget which recipes I've blogged about, but I just haven't felt up to it. Sorry!

If you follow my regular blog, you probably know that Kate had a set-back a few weeks ago. I guess I can't correctly call it a set-back, but in reality, she was eating dairy. That was just plain her fault. I can't say that I blame, her though, as she was just testing the waters to see if she really was allergic. I can't imagine how hard this is on her- to go ten years absolutely loving dairy products, and then, in an instant, have them taken away. Despite Preston's allergy, Kate has been allowed to eat dairy. Partly because that was pretty much the only thing she'd eat, and because it was part of a healthy diet. We were extremely cautious when she ate dairy, and mostly, we tried to keep her dairy consumption contained to school. But now that's all different. Now, she's also calling home from school when someone brings in birthday treats. Now, she's toting along her own cake to birthday parties and family gatherings. Now, she's taking her lunch to school everyday and watching her friends eat the foods that she once enjoyed. It's been really difficult for her. So yes, I can see why she wanted to see if she was really allergic. That now eleven year old brain thought that it was a good idea because really, she'd always eaten it before, so why not now?

It's been hard for me, too. In reality, not much is different on the home front because when I cook, nothing has dairy. Food at home really hasn't changed other than her morning cereal and milk. But with her pickiness, it gets difficult finding variety for her lunch box. That, coupled with the fact that she is now a bottomless pit and her hunger can not be satisfied, some days I worry if I'm packing enough (although I know I'm packing more than enough). The opening of the DQ has been hard, too. While PReston has always been content with his Mr. Misty, Kate is longing for her Oreo Blizzard. That means that I feel guilt if I consider getting myself a sundae because I'm eating the ice cream, and she isn't. The DQ will be suffering a bit from us not going so often as in years past- although I admit to leaving early to pick the kids up from school, swinging by the DQ and eating a quick cone before 3:00. I can't deny that this thought is really tempting today...

On a good note, school will be out in 2 weeks and I'll be in complete control of her food habits. No more sneaking food at school for this girl! Her health has improved since her diagnosis and stopping dairy, and it's wonderful. I just wish that she would recognize this and realize how badly she feels when she eats milk.