I have been reading the book Omega Diet; it has made quite an impression. And like many other nutrition inspired books, pushes the great and undying virtues of leafy greens. EAT greens. Eat your greens, more greens, pass the greens. I really don’t eat enough greens, which means I have to be deliberate about getting enough greens.

Perhaps you are a more accomplished green eating machine than I am. I hope for your sake, you are.

When I was a kid, I remember hearing if you ‘do something 21 times it becomes a habit.’ Is that true? I have no idea. But it does hint at the need to be purposeful, determined and persevering in the attempt to integrate healthy habits.

And it is Spring after all. Spring cleaning applies to the house and to our health: old habits out, new habits in.

I recently watched a cooking show called Good Eats. Have you seen it? It is a bit cheesy, but interesting because it is full of lots of little tidbits of information, only 30 minutes long and entertaining enough for my kids to watch. I like drilling down and learning about greens or apple pie, and/or the overlooked virtues of squash. It takes one food group or ingredient and essentially demystifies it. I enjoyed watching the one on Greens, because even though I knew much of what was shared, I learned a new way to clean greens and a new way to sauté them. I learned about a wide range of greens, and a little about their history.

And then I deliberately ordered red chard in my Farm Box. And I feel guilty if things go bad, so I knew if it was there looking me in the face I would attempt a new recipe. And I did—by morphing one of the recipes from The Farm—and the chard was great.

My husband seriously said it was the best chard he had ever tasted in his life. Now, lets not assume it was the only chard he has ever tasted in his life. To be honest, he travels a bit for business, where he often enjoys nice meals, so comments like ‘it is the best ever’ usually are compared to fabulous restaurant fare and I adequately glow at the compliment.

In unison then: “More greens, please.”

Red Chard with Shallots & Port*
Large Bunch Red Chard, stems removed and sliced (I did inch slices on the horizontal)
2 T diced shallots
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3 T port

Heat butter and olive oil in sautee pan over medium high heat. Add/sautee shallots for 3 minutes, stirring. Add broth and port; in 1-2 minutes, pile in the chard. Stir and let sautee for 3-4 minutes, then lower to medium and toss on the lid (frisbee style is entertaining: your kids will be impressed). Let chard wilt for another 3-4 minutes. Remove lid, pour out excess liquid (I left 1-2 T worth in pan), stir/sautee chard for another 2 minutes, then serve.

*If you leave the skillet on high instead of reducing to medium or medium/low when you place on the lid, then you will have charred chard, which by the way, is more fun to say than it is to eat. Greens will be greens until they are brown. Then they are just gross.

Easter? Halloween? Christmas? Fourth of July?

Bring it.

Whatever holiday it is, these cookies can waltz right in and be fashionable, readily available, unassumingly appropriate.

All you need to do is buy that bag of holiday colored m ‘n’ ms. Hey, they are cookies. I didn’t say they were good for you. Though I suppose you could sneak in some wheat germ, use wheat flour, add in some flax meal, substitute canola oil for some of the butter, use some applesauce… but I will leave that up to you. Sometimes my version of healthy is less about the ingredients, and more about moderation (I didn’t say always, just sometimes). Consequently, these cookies aren’t made often: they simply show up, in colorful uniform, to stand in as a holiday treat.

I pop these casually dressed cookies into school lunches to usher in some holiday cheer. They don’t require a lot of planning or foresight on my part—I just walk through Target, notice the m ‘n’ m’s and scoop up a bag. And then smile, knowing my kids will hover around the mixing bowl, begging for a taste of the dough. Yes, the dough is unavoidably good. Especially with the big chunks of pecans.

M ‘n’ M Cookies
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups m n ms
3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans

Oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and mix. Add flour, salt and soda and stir to blend. Mix in M ‘n’ Ms and pecans. Place in spoonfuls on tray and bake 10-13 minutes. Happy Holidays!

Bad first, I always say. Or perhaps it should be good, then in all your bliss you forget to receive the bad news. But in this case it cannot be helped. The bad news is that I have been super sick, I am home now but did have a short stint at the hospital. I didn’t have the heart to photo hospital food for you, to display on my blog. Nope—it just wasn’t going to happen. Besides, it would have been hard to get a good angle on canned peaches and chicken broth. When I got home it was smoothies, scrambled eggs and plain toast. Yeah, not riveting.

That was the bad news.

The good news is juicier.

I am going to culinary school here in Seattle; I begin in a few weeks. The humble little school teeters right next to Seattle’s own Pike Place Market—the longest standing Farmers Market in Seattle—where we will comb for good eats and fresh seafood, take in the salty air and decide which eggplant… squash … and tomato to buy.

I have wanted such formal schooling for some time, to fill in the culinary gaps in my brain, to have professionals teach me a thing or two, and to round out my ability to play with food of every kind. I look forward to the practice and methodology and a better understanding of all things food—especially since this is where my career/interests/passion/life/stomach is taking me.

My greatest hope is that you will enjoy the ride vicariously. I hope to share tricks and ideas, and my goal will be to pare down (with an uber sharp knife, no doubt) what I have learned, to make it accessible and easy for you/me to try in your own/my own kitchen. I am and will remain queued up to keep food simple, ever determined to find amazing recipes that employ efficiency—a practical nod at harried lives with little to no time, plus kids, work and multi-layered schedules. Don’t get me wrong, the labor for amazing food is often worth the effort. But I am a mom, and the best kind of foodie I can be is practical.

So then, although I have been sick and in bed rather than in my kitchen, soon I will be more often in a commercial kitchen learning and writing and cooking and sharing with all of you. Tomato talk will start including chatter from a mom going to cooking school.

Who knew?