Thanksgiving Dinner

So I thought I should mention that Thanksgiving turned out pretty well. There were some last minute late night trips to the store(s) the night before and phone calls to my sister for turkey cooking advice the morning of, but it all worked out and we had a delicious meal (even if the kids only ate the store bought rolls).

Thanksgiving

I'm starting to think we should skip Thanksgiving this year. I mean, just the food part. We'll still remember to give thanks. There's not really any point in making a big meal that my kids won't eat. I guess there's the pie. Maybe we'll just eat pie tomorrow.

Roasted Winter Vegetables/Soup

The cool weather has made me feel like making soup. This one is made from the leftovers of the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Winter Vegetables. Delicious! And so easy:

1 lb carrots, 1 lb parsnips, 1 large sweet potato, 1 small butternut squash

Peel, cut, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 425 for 25-35 min. (Sprinkle w/ fresh parsley if you like.)

The Roasted Vegetable Soup is simple. Coarsely puree the roasted veggies in a blender/food processor, add chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want to make it vegetarian) and heat it up! If you have an awesome blender like a VitaMix this would take minutes!

My husband really liked the soup but I think I like the veggies better.

Green Smoothies

We've been sick the last two weeks (my daughter, though immunized twice, even managed to catch the chicken pox). We are are still dealing with lingering coughs and runny noses so I've been making a lot of 'green' smoothies.

I have no exact measurements, just add what you like. If your kids (or you) don't like so much greens start with just a little spinach and then add more each time as you get used to the taste.

Banana Berry Smoothie

1. Fill blender with spinach and about a cup of water/juice, blend

2. Add 1-2 kale leaves, blend

3. Add one banana, blend

4. Add frozen berries (I use blueberries & strawberries- about 1 cup each), blend until smooth

Tropical Green Smoothie (This one actually turns out green)

Follow 1-3 above (I like to use orange juice with this one)

4. Add frozen mango & pineapple (about 1 cup each), blend until smooth

(I don't know why this keeps downloading sideways, sorry.)

safety first

I sliced my thumb while chopping carrots today. Be careful with your fingers when cutting everyone. :P I might have to keep cooking to a minimum for a week or so.