a peek inside the fishbowl

I whipped this dish up for my DailyLunches the other day and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share the recipe with you here. It’s healthy, it’s got crunch, and it’s a tiny bit sweet too… which I like because kale can be overpowering sometimes.

BEHOLD the greeny grainy goodness:

The recipe is dead simple.

Dressing:

• 1 1/2tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• dash of onion powder

Salad:

• A generous handful of kale leaves, stems removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 granny smith apple, diced
• handful of walnut pieces
• 1/2 package of PC 5-grain blend

Cook the PC grain mixture according to package instructions. Meanwhile, make the dressing in a large glass bowl and give it a good whiskin’. Add kale and apple to the dressing, stirring to coat.

Once the grain blend is cooked, drain it and pour the whole batch over the kale and apple mixture, stirring well to combine. That’s it!

Let me know if you try this recipe. I’d love to hear what you think!

We’ve booked our youngest daughter’s birthday party at Funhaven again this year and have been busy handing out the party invitations. They’re so neat (her idea, not mine!) and I wanted to share it with you:

It’s crazy easy to pull this together:

1) Write or print the details of the party on a small piece of paper and roll into a tight scroll.

2) Insert into balloon.

3) Blow up, tie it up, and write POP ME on the balloon with permanent marker.

4) Deliver it.

4b) Hope that the person is going to be home because your invitation is not likely to fit in the mail slot.

The invitation got rave reviews from all the recipients, but here’s the funny thing… it requires some guts to pop the balloon, and you can’t extract the invitation without popping it. We found out later that some of the kids had their parents do it. So the question remains, will they be ready to participate in feats of bravery at Funhaven? The climbing wall and the laser tag? Bumper cars and the jungle gym? I guess that remains to be seen!

My first job out of university was with a non-profit organization called the Media Awareness Network. It was 1995, and I had a freshly printed journalism degree but no clear idea how I was going to use it. My job at MNET included some writing, and research, and HTML coding of our many resources and uploading them to something called the WORLD WIDE WEB.

I was rummaging in some old boxes the other day when I found this old photo. It was from one of the highlights of my time at MNET (now known as MediaSmarts.ca). I had the opportunity to travel to Toronto to help demonstrate a video game we’d created. While I was there I got to meet Bob Homme a.k.a The Friendly Giant (who told some good stories about Rusty the Rooster), and have my photo taken with this elusive fellow:

It’s Polkaroo! That’s me on the right by the way.

If you watched TVO between 1971 and 1993 you might remember him from Polka Dot Door. The show had a male and female host and Polkaroo would appear during a segment but only if one of them was absent for some reason. HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS. And the co-host (I think it was always the guy) would return just after Polkaroo’s departure. Of course, as a kid, I’d be collapsing in exasperation on the shag carpet in my polyester pantsuit, yelling “YOU MISSED HIM AGAAAAAIN” and watching on helplessly as the adults tried to figure out what had just happened.

Why couldn’t adults just move a little faster? Or keep their eyes peeled??

So, yes. My first job – and Polkaroo – were among those life-defining experiences that helped shape me into the person I am today. I’ve always remembered my time at MNET fondly, and that’s why I’m EXTRA pleased to tell you that as of today I’m back with MediaSmarts as the brand new MediaSmarts Mom. I’m so excited. One of the things I’ll be doing is contributing to their excellent blog on a regular basis. In fact, you can read my first post right here. :)