A Shower, a Shout, and a Sure Fire Recipe

I'll never forget the time I called one of my BFFs, Trisha, a new mom at the time, and she told me she was in such a great mood, even relaxed. Why is that?, I asked her. Her answer still makes me laugh...

Because I just took a shower long enough to wash even my non-essential body parts.

Haven't we all been there? The baby's waking up, but you know if you don't wash the layer of grime from your body, you'll need to put the baby in a hasmat suit. I remember the times I jumped into the shower, hit the essential hot points with my spongy, all in about 10 seconds. (Forget the hair... that's what baby powder is for).

Anyhoo... just thought I'd share :)

On a much more serious note, an Associated Press article popped up in my local paper titled, Cholesterol drugs recommended for some 8-year-olds.

According to the article, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending low-fat milk for 1-year-olds, who are at risk for being overweight. Previously, the Academy advised against this, since kids this young need the saturated fat for brain development.

Even though this is a sub-plot in the story (read the article for what they say about cholesterol screening), I am SO disappointed our kids' nutritional health has come to this.

The Academy states that these days, kids are receiving saturated fat in other places besides milk. It's as if a diet high in saturated fats is the norm, and even the Academy of Pediatrics is having to adjust their advice to fit into our country's bad habits! What's next, going directly from breast milk or formula to skim milk?!? Are we sacrificing brain development for the green light to eat fish sticks and french fries?!?!

Whew, what a rant. I'm hopeful as our country becomes more aware of how important nutrition and exercise are for our kids, that things will improve. I know it seems like our country has bigger fish to fry at the moment, but we all know that saying, If you don't have your health...

Let's end this on a positive note with a yummy...

Here's a wonderful summertime recipe that is so refreshing, one bite will make you close your eyes and sink lower into your lawn chair. It's low-fat, so dig in!!

Cousin Brenda's Trifle Cake

1 store-bought Angel Food cake
1 bag frozen strawberries, thawed and cut bite-sized
1 small package strawberry Jello mix
1-2 bananas
1 large and 1 small package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
Skim milk (enough to prepare pudding)
1 large container reduced-fat Cool Whip

Break Angel Food cake into bite-sized pieces in bottom of large serving bowl. In seperate bowl, mix strawberries with Jello mix. Pour over cake. Next, add bananas, sliced. Prepare pudding as directed, then pour over bananas. Lastly, add Cool Whip. Enjoy!

I fix this all the time, and Clarke, if you're reading this, thank you for all your help on the dock, and I'll be sending a Trifle Cake your way very soon. I haven't forgotten!