Pumpkin for the Heart and Soul

I'm sure its a seasonal thing ... but I've been absolutely craving anything pumpkin since, well, August. I will have to admit, August is also the time when some prematurely turning leaves start making an appearance in our home. And once school starts ... it's fair warning that pumpkins, acorns, pumpkins and the like will appear in almost every room of our house.

With that in mind, my taste buds turn to pumpkin. As it turns out, this is not one of those guilty pleasures we sometimes indulge during this most wonderful time of the year. Pumpkin is a whole food, full of amazing nutrients, and when paired with equally nutrient rich spices, like cinnamon, it can be a nutritional powerhouse of beta-carotene, vitamin A, potassium and many more. See the link below for a more in depth nutritional analysis.

When my son was a young toddler, he was, perhaps, the most picky eater known to mankind. He was absolutely distrustful of almost all foods, especially those with any kind of texture. He wanted to survive merely on milk alone ... and I was very grateful for at least that.

As most young, first-time Moms are, I became obsessed with finding ways for my son to eat vegetables. I discovered, quite by accident, that he loved the pumpkin bread at one of our local fast food restaurants, Burgerville. I was shocked because it was really quite spicy for an almost two-year-old.

Soon, I was experimenting at home, trying to recreate that pumpkin bread, only mine would be filled with vegetables. Here is the recipe I made over and over again. I froze it into individual servings, knowing that with each serving, he was getting at least 2-3 servings of vegetables.

Pumpkin Bars

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons cloves

1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 beaten eggs

1 16-ounce can pumpkin (my favorite is always Libbys)

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

1 zucchini, shredded

1 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients and gradually add wet ingredients. Spread batter in an ungreased 15x10x1 baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, checking after 25 minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool completely and cut into 48 bars.

(Nutritional Facts: 22% Daily Value for Vitamin A, 3% iron).


Nutritional Analysis for Pumpkins

Importance of Family and Home

Family, home and raising children has been the most important focus in my life. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more important. It is a God given calling. It is what we will be judged by God for, a commandment. There are too many verses to mention but one is, "Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." That doesn't just happen. It happens because you have dedicated "Your Life" to it. It takes lots of work, sacrifice and prayer. No one will ever know the sacrifice, except God and you. You are not responsible for other people's children, but you are responsible to God for yours. What a gift, what a calling and I wouldn't miss one single moment of raising mine. It was without a doubt the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I love being a mother and now a grandmother.

I have always played classical music in my home and even for "my babies" when they were small. It is a peaceful, restful and edifying thing. Many pieces were written under inspiration and it inspires the soul to listen to this day. Chamber music in the morning is my favorite. It is energising, light, happy music. I always woke my babies with a smile and a happy note even if I felt down. As a result, my babies were not moody, unhappy babies. They anticipated having fun the moment they woke up. I tried to remain upbeat in their presence. They can sense from the time they are born if they are loved, enjoyed and secure. They can sense the slightest tension or insecurity. So I held them close, often wrapped a warm blanket around them and cuddled as often as they would let me.

Food is another nourishing, comforting important element of the home. It has always been my belief that the family should sit around the table after the children are born. There you take time for each other and to listen to each other. We had a separate room for a kitchen in my home growing up. We met there each night as a family. There my parents heard about my day and me theirs. That is where you connect and spend a few minutes together. It is how you get to know each other. Nothing is more important than those family times together around a table.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
It seems to me, as days fly by
And I grow older every year,
That childhood memories often come
And passing time makes them more dear.
I see a rainbow in the sky---
It's suddenly ribbons for my hair.
I hear the laughter of a child,
And once again--I'm carried there,
In memory to the home I knew,
Where love and joy were always spread,
And I recall that special day
When Mother baked our daily bread.
We children all would gather 'round
And help her knead and shape the dough.
The odor of those baking loaves
Is something every child should know.
A mother's life is easier now,
But, oh, I think so much is missin'
For any child who's never sat
And smelled bread baking in the kitchen.
Marjorie M. Eisner

And another of my favorites---

A COOKIE AND A KISS
A house should have a cookie jar
For when it is half past three
And children hurry home from school
As hungry as can be,
There's nothing quite so splendid
In filling children up
As spicy, fluffy ginger cakes
And sweet milk in a cup.
A house should have a mother
waiting with a hug
No matter what the boy brings home --
a puppy or a bug,
For children who only loiter
When the bells ring to dismiss,
If no ones home to greet them
With a cookie and a kiss.

These poems were my favorites as I raised my children and tried to be a good mom!

Little Indulgences

Have you ever felt like a pincushion that everyone but you had the pleasure and even sinister delight of using? That is me ... today. Courtesy of the mad eastside drivers, the man with the baby at Costco that ran over my foot and glared at me as if it was all my fault, the checker at the same who announced, after I had all of my items on the conveyor belt, that she was now closing and to move my things back to my cart. Oh ... I could go on, but why? You get the picture.

When I returned home a sweeping glance reminded me of all the work in the kitchen yet to be done with lingering breakfast pans stacked haphazardly in the sink. A tentative yet weary smile at the reminder that my 11-year-old son had decided, all of a sudden, that he was old enough to begin cooking his and my breakfast -- beginning with fried eggs. He was proud ... and I was wary, but fortunately nothing untoward happened and he whistled his way to school.

While self pity is definitely not a virtue, sometimes one can't help but indulge a little when the pinpricks of the day still sting ... just a little. I can't indulge in chocolate, as would be my wish, because while making lunch this morning, I popped a chocolate chip cookie in my mouth and I still feel the effects of that. And I absolutely refuse to calculate how many extra minutes on the treadmill it would cost to even the score.

So my indulgence today. Leave the breakfast dishes, for a while, and search for dead ancestors. I know it sounds weird to those of you who haven't been bitten by the genealogy bug but thanks for my Mom, I can't help it. Believe me, after a little research ... the sting will be gone and I can go through the house like a whirlwind and make magic happen. As tonight is Friday, great fun is in store and I'll be ready ... then.

I got to thinking about indulgences. Merriam-Webster defines the word indulge as follows: "Indulge: to give free rein to, to take unrestrained pleasure in." I don't like the word unrestrained pleasure, so I'll use the word indulgence -- it has a much better definition: "Indulgence: an act of kind assistance, something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary."

So today ... I will give myself a short "indulgence," along with my steaming cup of coffee, and the world will become beautiful again, at least in theory.

If you gave yourself permission for a short indulgence ... what would you do?