The Feast Continues On...

After church last night, my brother and I returned to watch our home videos my mom had given to us as a present. She gave us the best present of all - memories. These DVDs kept us entertained for hours; reliving such happy times, laughing at our innocent ways, and saddened by remembering the loss of those who are no longer with us. These childhood videos were another reminder of how lucky I am to have a brother like Tom, always patient, always kind, and always the best brother I could ask for. Needless to say, we were up until about 3 AM last night which made for a late wake up call this morning.

Breakfast consisted of: homemade waffles, greek yogurt with apples, grapes, and oranges, and a vegetable egg white omelette made just for me! Yes, I am pleased to report a well balanced Christmas morning menu.

2 of my favorite presents were my pedometer (to wear around the hospital, can't wait to see that number on busy days!) and the Flexitarian Diet book by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD. I recommend it as a great read for all those health nuts out there!

Dinner: My dad decided to try something new. We covered our beef tenderloin in rock salt to form a shell. After cooking thoroughly, we broke the shell to find a perfectly cooked, juicy, and delicious piece of meat inside! All in all, it was a success. Memories made in the kitchen with my Dad are some that I treasure most.

My sweet mother is always finding creative ways to incorporate healthy eating into our meals, which means so much to me. She wanted to experiment with this salad and it was a huge hit! I wanted to share it with you...

Fennel, Parsley, and Orange Salad
1/2 c golden raisins
4 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb
4 cups torn radicchio
1 navel orange
1.5 c loosely packed fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
1/4 c fresh orange juice
1.5 TB red wine vinegar
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 TB pine nuts, toasted

1. place golden raisins in small saucepan and cover with water. bring to a boil, remove from heat. cover and let stand 10 minutes. drain well.
2. place slices fennel, radicchio, orange, and parsley leaves in a large bowl, and toss gently to combine. Combine the OJ, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Stir in raisins. Drizzle OJ mixture over fennel mixture and toss gently.
6 servings, 90 cal/serving