This post isn’t about growing in the kitchen; instead it’s about growing up with and
remembering one of the most pivotal people in my life.
Officer Craig Birkholz was not only an Army Veteran and a police officer, but he also was a genuine and loyal friend.
I first met Craig when I was 8. My family had just recently packed its bags and moved to the state of Wisconsin. Craig lived on the neighboring street and he and my brother Justin instantly became inseparable. Of course, being that I was 8 and he and my brother were both 9, we were all in that “boys are gross, girls are weird” stage and rarely interacted unless we were forced to.
Occasionally, I was “allowed” to play with them on the condition that I wouldn’t talk too much or mess things up. They would do what normal boys do: build forts, ride bikes, get dirty in the woods, and play endless hours of video games.  It wasn’t until about high school that things changed. I don’t know why or how but I suddenly was allowed in their exclusive club. We all became a lot closer and Craig became a third protective brother… always wanting to know who I was dating (mostly to make fun), but I think also to keep a watchful eye on me.

Craig was the first to get his license, and on a daily basis saved Justin and me from the dreaded bus ride to school. The ride to school was always an experience, Craig loved all kinds of music and loved to blare it out the windows. Some mornings, it would be rap and others heavy rock…you never knew quite what you would get. My favorite: Master P (I will never be able to hear “Make ‘Em Say Uhh” without smiling). Variety is the spice of life, right? As members of the wrestling team, he and my brother would spend hours after school practicing; luckily I was involved in sports too, so I could catch a ride home. We both were involved in music, playing our respective instruments in the school orchestra. On days we didn’t have to practice he always seemed to have a deck, ready to play every card game under the sun. Those are just a few of the countless memories I
could share. Craig was at our house so often that he became another family member, and my brother was integrated into Craig’s.

Everyone knew that, as soon as Craig finished high school, he would be going into the Army. He wanted to protect and fight for this country from an early age. We still kept in contact in the years immediately following high school and I even went to visit him on base in New York. Seeing him there, you could tell he was truly in his element. It was what he was meant to do.

In Jan. 2002 he was deployed to Afghanistan. He left behind many worried family members and friends, but, in a time when we should have been comforting him, he sent letters consoling us. He made it back safely and was deployed again in 2003, this time to Iraq. He escaped any serious harm and was honorably discharged in 2005. He went on to finish a degree in Criminal Justice at U.W. Oshkosh, worked as a police officer for the Fond du Lac police department and was recently married to Ashley Czarnowski in 2009.

To those of you who didn’t know him, I truly wish you had. He would have made you laugh, made you cry (only because you were laughing so hard), and been the most loyal friend you could have ever asked for. When you needed him, he was always there – no
questions asked.

It’s hard to believe you are gone, Craig. This world has lost an amazing person. It’s strange that I will never again have the opportunity to talk to you but I realize I have a direct line anytime I need you to listen. You must have known how loved you
were; how could you not, since you yourself loved so many. Thank you for all of the wonderful memories growing up. I know this is the way you would have wanted it, using your life to protect others. Your dedication to everything you did in life is very
admirable and I am so proud to have known you. Not only do you make me want to continue to strive for great things, but also to be the best version of myself. I love you, my dear friend.

The Long Road by Eddie Vedder

There are many nutritional benefits to including peanut butter into your diet. Protein is a major one, but also offers a decent amount of dietary fiber. Also boasts some essential vitamins and minerals: Iron, Vitamin E, and Vitamin B3. Iron is important for function of the red blood cells in your body.  Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant in the body, protecting it from free
radicals. Vitamin B3 aids in the recovery of cell DNA damage. In other words, B3
supports the immune system.

People look at me with their judging eyes when they see me pull my peanut butter
out of the refrigerator. Natural peanut butter or peanut butter without added
sugars or oils should be refrigerated to increase its shelf life. Another sticky task
that comes with natural peanut butter is having to stir the oil back in once it has
separated. It’s not a bad thing, just an annoyance if you don’t have thirty seconds to
stir. Personally, I like to eat my foods in their most natural form without additives
and you should too. Foods are more digestible in their natural form and you don’t
have to worry about preservatives floating around in your body. Peanut butter
should taste like peanuts. If you need it to be sweeter, eat it with whole fruit jelly or
with a piece of fruit.

I’ve grown away from my senseless hatred of peanut butter and now eat it a couple
times a week. My favorite combo is natural peanut butter with Cascadian Farm
blackberry fruit spread on top of a slice of toasted whole wheat bread. If you crave
the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, instead of reaching for a Reeses, try
Newman’s Own Dark Chocolate peanut butter cups.

I just want to apologize to all of my friends’ parents who had to put up with me
during my peanut butter loathing days. Thank you for not letting me go hungry.

When I decide to plop myself in the kitchen on a cooking frenzy, I start by selecting some mood music. I know a lot of people turn the television on but that’s hard to do when you don’t have one. Music calms me, soothes me, and gets me in the best cooking groove imaginable. Ever stir a pot to a Beatles song or chop veggies to blue-grass? It’s pretty amazing how much music allows you to zone out and just fall in love with cooking. With websites like Pandora and Stereo Mood you can select music in any genre you wish.

My Top Five Favorite Pandora selections for cooking:

Adele
Nickel Creek
Mumford and Sons
Nina Simone
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Truthfully, I don’t care much for the day, even if I am with someone.  Weird, shiny heart-shaped boxes, white teddy bears with pink ribbons, and red roses – it’s enough to make me want to throw up candied hearts.  I’d prefer homemade things (take note future woo-ers).  Once, in high school, my boyfriend gave me a large heart-shaped box filled with fruit cups.  How sweet!

So, this turns me to the reason for this post: I found a great recipe in one of my favorite magazines that I want to share with you.  Single ladies: instead of drowning your sorrows and tears in a large bag of Dove’s promises, chocolate-dipped strawberries, or (my personal favorite) cappuccino chocolate chip gelato, try a healthier, less guilt-inflicting option.

Black-Bean Fudge

1 15 ounce can cooked black beans drained and rinsed (or about 1 ¾ cups cooked beans)

¾ cup carob powder

6 tbs melted coconut oil

4-6 tbs syrup or agave nectar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth.  Mixture will be thick.  Line 8- by 4-inch pan with plastic wrap, and transfer fudge to pan.  Refrigerate until totally firm.  Cut into squares and serve.  Makes 24 pieces or 12 servings.

Per serving: 146 calories; 6.9 g fat; 2.5 g protein, 18.4 g carbs; 4.9 g fiber, 0 cholesterol and 101 mg sodium.

Never heard of Carob?  Well, it’s a bean pod with seeds found in the Mediterranean and now also is grown in California.  Carob has hints of cocoa and coffee, and it’s health benefits make it a great alternative to chocolate.   Carob is high in protein and has more calcium then its more traditional counterpart. Also, it is an excellent source of macro and trace minerals copper, manganese, potassium and magnesium.  When it comes to vitamins, carob packs a punch with high levels of A, B2, B3, and B6.

I should address the use of black beans since you probably looked at the recipe and thought, “HELL NO”. I promise you, black beans add texture but not flavor.  Using black beans also cuts out the need for adding sugar and milk, and provides additional protein and fiber.  Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.  And yes, my lovey dovey coupled friends, you can use this recipe to woo your sweeties and protect their hearts.



A world without avocados is a world I do not care to live in.  Growing up in the Midwest I didn’t eat them much because they weren’t very prevalent but every Super Bowl Sunday my dad would make the biggest bowl of guacamole.  That is where you would find me–camping out by the bowl pretending to care if someone made a touchdown.  I was more concerned with making sure no one realized the guacamole was out on the table.  ( I might have a problem…)

Things are different in Florida, I can have them everyday if I want.  I limit myself to two a week.  I cut up chucks to eat with my eggs and salsa for breakfast, put slices on a turkey sandwich, or throw cubes in a salad.  The options are pretty endless and they can even be used to make avocado ice cream.  Holy yum!

Avocados boost many nutritional benefits providing nearly 20 nutrients such as fiber, potassium, B-vitamins, and folic acid.  What’s not to love.

Oh, and don’t try to fake me out with big green Florida avocados.  No offense but they  just don’t do it for me.  Maybe if they tried to be less big and tasteless. I like the Hass kind…smooth, creamy, and delicious.

Enjoy the game!  Go Bears! 

My next grocery store trip I went searching for it. Was it good for you? Was it overly processed? How do they make it? I wanted to know everything. Like I stated before I am a frugal shopper but I do spend money on produce. After all, in my opinion, fresh is best. I found Buddy Fruits right in the produce section of my favorite Publix location (shout out to the Lake Ella Publix Super Market!).

The stats:
NO preservatives
NO coloring
NO additives
NO fat
NO genetic modifications
NO artificial flavorings
NO dairy or gluten
NOthing artificial
ONLY a few calories
ONLY fruit and nothing else!

They had me at no preservatives! Absolutely nothing but fruit! What a concept, wish I had thought of it. ☺ I did a little research on their website and found the company story. A French chef and his wife traveling with their small child to the U.S. discovered there was a need for fresh but easy fruit. Apparently, in other countries fruit pouches are the norm. So they packed their bags and moved to the U.S. to launch their product.

Two thumbs up! Not only is it tasty but one pouch offers one serving of fruit.

Most days, 30% of my time is traveling to clients so I am always looking for something fast, easy, and good for you. I love that I don’t have to deal with the apple core, or other rejected fruit parts while driving. If you can’t find them at your nearest grocery store you can also order online.

http://www.buddyfruits.com/

Uh oh…I think other people are catching on that Americans need fruit pouches. I sense a competition.

http://www.materne.us/homepage/