Usually, the Fiacco girls have very healthy habits. We eat mostly organic, rarely eat fast food, and make good choices when do we eat out. We are active - karate, ballet, gymnastics, tennis, and plenty of bike riding and park playtime.
But, there is something to be said about the words that come out of the "mouth of babes." As we load into the car after Monday morning karate, the first words out of Phoebe's mouth are, "Donuts now?"
Granted, the karate studio is behind the local donut shop, but the view is obscured and, unless my smart little girls recognized it by the dumpster in the back (not likely, although that's were we like to eat... I joke), as far as they know, it's a far drive away. Then, it dawns on me; we have fallen into the habit of getting post-karate donuts now for a few weeks. And, I'm not going to lie, a sugary fried confection is sounding good about now.
Great. I didn't mean to do this to us - and I certainly do not boycott the occasional donut - but habits sneak up on us like warts. We usually don't notice them until they are sitting ugly on the end of our noses.
Time for a change! I had to gas up our truck anyways, so it was off to the gas station instead. Probably not the best place for food, but at least they had protein and granola bars. I grabbed a few bottles of good ol' H2O, a few bars (of the healthier variety), and it was off the the local trail. Get this... the trail head is only another 3 blocks away. Yeah, 3 blocks! No excuses!
The girls we a bit skeptical at first. "Mommy, what are we doing in the sun?" (We may, or may not like to stay inside a lot.) But, a few caterpillars and some butterflies later, and we were into it! We saw lots of dogs, a few squirrels (one dead... yeah, I had to have that conversation with my 3 year old today), and some beautiful flowers. About the time I had to take off my shoes and walk in socks (new Chucks are not the best for long-distance walking), they were out and I felt great! No donut dreams, no sugar cravings.
We plan to do it again by the end of the week, though we will do it earlier in the day to avoid that "hot sun." I will bring our organic, essential oil based bug spray again (good thing I did! Talk about mosquitoes!) and I'll remember to wear comfortable shoes. I might even pack fruit instead, but, you know... one habit at a time.
Finally, the morning ended with lunch, and nothing warms up a tired, empty tummy like roasted carrots and chicken noodle soup. The soup, an organic, canned variety, was (obviously) not homemade. The carrots, however, were simple and delicious.
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First, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees.
Then, I quartered approx 8oz of organic baby carrots.
Drizzled with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil, a few grinds of sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon of poppy seeds and 1/4 teaspoon of curry. I would have used more curry if I had eaten it by myself, but the girls don't like too much spice.
Finally, just a quick toss, put the lid on the little pot, and I slid it in the oven for 20 minutes
If you try this, I hope you enjoy! I like my carrots a little "al dente," so if you like them soft, leave them in a bit longer.
