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Extra Virgin Olive Oil is good for you, right?

Have you been cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil because you thought it was good for you?  Well if so you need to know the latest nutritional information is that refined Extra Virgin Olive Oil can take heat but cold pressed or unrefined cannot.  When you heat unrefined and cold pressed the heat creates free radicals.

Definition of free radical: An atom or group of atoms that has at least one unpaired electron and is therefore unstable and highly reactive. In animal tissues, free radicals can damage cells and are believed to accelerate the progression of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and age-related diseases.

If you follow the Nutritionist Circle they teach that there are as few as three oils to use for all applications, however, in everyday cooking I find we need a larger selection to prepare what the typical family wants to eat.

How Food has Brought Happiness

Every year in November, we get out our griddles, rolling pins, flipping sticks, and flour.  We’ve all done our prep work, boiling the right number of Russet and Red potatoes, ricing them, mixing in the cream, flour, salt, and other ingredients.  Yes, it is that special day of the year:  Lefse Making Day.

Remembering my Grandma Ruth, my sisters, mom, and I dutifully carry out this labor of love.  I always get a little teary as I remember the day Grandma gave me her lefse griddle and lefse flipping stick, carefully made for her by my Grandpa Wallace many years before.  Although I use the griddle throughout the year for pancakes and crepes, the day it’s used for lefse is a special day.  Some years cousins join in the fun, and some years it’s just a few of us.  We work together to make the huge batches of lefse—we need enough to last us through the upcoming holidays.

…And the Best Foods After Practice

Five o’clock is quitting time, and that means your son or daughter is wrapping up their sports camp, too. Most likely, they’ll be hungry, tired, and ready to rest. Feeding them the right nutrition will help their bodies recover to do it all again tomorrow!

Here are some tips to ensure proper recuperation and allow your athlete to hit the drills again in the morning:

• Hydrate. Water is just as important after working out as it is before working out. If practice takes place in the sun, your child needs enough fluids to replace not only the sweat, but also the electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and chloride that they they’ve lost throughout the day. Sports drinks are key to replacing these minerals.

The Best Foods Before Practice…

It’s that time of year! As summer comes to an end, high school sports camps ramp up. Football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, swimming, soccer, and band camp are upon us, and that means long days for your student outside in the heat, humidity, and sun.

Before your child steps onto the field or blacktop, here are some tips to keep your teen nourished and alert all day long.

• Drink water. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 17 ounces (a little more than two cups) of water two hours before exercise. Start the day with water, and avoid dairy and sports drinks before getting underway.

When Diets Run the Smorgasbord

Feeding a group with different dietary needs can pose a challenge. It’s hard enough to feed a family with the mature tastes of adults and the picky habits of children. So what do you do when you know you need to accommodate for an allergy or particular diet? Here are some ideas to make your next gathering enjoyable for all diners.

According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Unfortunately, these products can hide in foods that you least suspect would contain such ingredients. In addition to double-checking for allergies with those on your guest list, try to stay away from butter, gravies, sauces, and salad dressings, or serve these condiments on the side.

Great Grilling Ideas

Salmon Burger

Summer meals are all about the grill! If you’re tired of the traditional fare of hot dogs and hamburgers, change up your dinner plans for the rest of the season. Fire up the grill and test these new ideas!

Who says the only main dishes you can make on a grill are the ones topped with ketchup and mustard? Prepare something new tonight that your whole family will love, like eggplant parmigiana, salmon burgers, or even pizza! For side dishes, toss up a grilled salad, mix up grilled polenta, or bake some potato skins.

Grilled Skillet Peach Pie

When it comes to dessert, the grill can be your friend there, too! Try a pineapple berry “hobo pack” or even bake up an entire grilled skillet peach pie! Be creative and try your hand at grilling bananas, apples, and pears in any combination or by itself with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Tonight, when the kids ask, “What’s for dinner?” you can surprise them with something new and exciting, fresh off the grill!

Celebrating the last month of summer!

Hard to believe that August has arrived…which means there is only one month of summer left!  With entertaining, traveling, adventures and fun abounding, it will be hard to see it go.  But it’s not too late to make the most of these weeks.  Here are a few ways to pay homage to what’s left of the precious days:

Take a mystery day trip: Packing a cooler full of picnic food and drinks and heading out to wherever the road leads is a great way to take advantage of the time off school and the freedom summer brings.  Pull out the map, find a cool road and begin to explore with the kids – just be sure you remember it is about the journey, not the destination.  Don’t rush to get somewhere – treasure the places you find, and savor your picnic along the way in a newfound location.

Cabin Corner – Part 3

As my week back in the “real world” ends (think home from cabin), and 10 days of continuous company commences, I am immersed in meal planning and packing for another extended stay at the lake.  But thankfully, I am saved by my summer motto, “Have totes, will travel.”

You see, CobornDelivers not only solves my empty refrigerator dilemma at home, they also spare me the high prices and trips to town when I’m up North. When I order from CobornDelivers before heading to the lake, I can bring all my groceries with me right in their totes – especially those with the insulated coolers.  Then I don’t have to repack my groceries, and when I get there I can enjoy my company and the lake right away!

Additionally, I love the family packs section of the online store (click on “Grocery Store”, then on “Family Packs”) and the time and money saving options found there.  Everything from bakery and produce – check out the beautiful sandwich topper, fruit and vegetable trays – to the meats and beverages will have you set to travel and entertain in no time.

Never has shopping “on-the-go”, been so valuable or easy.   Thank you CobornDelivers for allowing me stay out of the store and savor my summer!

Cabin Corner – Part 2

One of the most exciting things about cabin life is discovering new things about a different locale or property.  As for us, we stumbled upon a goldmine as we embarked on our first summer at the cabin.  Nestled behind the grand pine trees, between the woods and our driveway, was an abundant, thriving raspberry patch.

Imagine our joy at discovering that plump, ripe fruit right outside our door – having done nothing to deserve its rewards.  From picking parties with grandma and early morning dashes for cereal topping, to the rain and mosquito filled harvests for exquisite company worthy desserts, those bushes have delivered!

My favorite dessert of the summer is a Raspberry Tart found online at Epicurious.com from the August, 1995 Gourmet magazine.  It has quickly become highly requested by all of its privileged tasters.

No raspberries of your own – no problem.  CobornsDelivers prides themselves on their daily produce rating, and rapsberries are considered “BEST” right now.  So skip the mosquitoes, order up and try the tart today!

Blogger, Sarah, and her family