Parade.com: 22 Healthy Tips for Road Trips and Roast Coriander Cauliflower, Pomegranate and Grilled Chicken Salad

Roast Coriander Cauliflower, Pomegranate and Grilled Chicken Salad

“Over the river, and through the woods…,” I hum as we leave the comfort of our apartment for a road trip lasting a few hours. For those of us who aren’t hosting a Thanksgiving meal in their home and traveling long-distance to friends or a relative’s house, packing for a road-trip is a feel good alternative to feeling bloated and heavy from fast food restaurants at rest stops. Here are a few ‘lighter’ fare ideas for traveling and below is a recipe for Roast Coriander Cauliflower, Pomegranate and Grilled Chicken Salad that packs well in a cooler or over frozen water bottles. If serving the salad as part of a Thanksgiving dinner, omit the chicken. It’s contrasting crunchy texture in a Thanksgiving menu with mushy dishes would be a welcome addition.  Read more

Orange Pomegranate Sandwich Cookies

Orange Pomegranate Sandwich Cookies
Orange Pomegranate Sandwich Cookies

The kids loved it! Well… the new proud big kids of an adorable baby girl. We’re all kids, regardless of our age, right? A couple months ago, I had quite a stressful week. A personal event occurred that remains us that life is never completely stable, and a dear friend passed away. It was a momentous week. The day after the unexpected funeral, there was my friend’s scheduled baby shower. I showed up shamefully empty handed without a gift, but the party was fun. I promised the mother to visit her with a homemade cake as a gift, because she was craving sweets. However, a short time afterwards, my phone beeped a text message, for she had become a new mother. To respect her family’s time, I decided to wait until after Thanksgiving to schedule a visit. Read more

Sweet Potato Pancake with Pomegranate Seeds

Sweet Potato Pancakes Garnished with Pomegranate Seeds
Sweet Potato Pancakes Garnished with Pomegranate Seeds

Before he left our cozy, lovely nest for the warm waters of the Pacific coast, we enjoyed our last breakfast together, Sweet Potato Pancakes with Pomegranate Seeds. The orange from the pancakes and the magenta in the pomegranate seeds are visually entertaining and refreshingly different. Thankfully, this final breakfast was a success, before we briefly parted ways.

During the last two years we’ve been together, every dish made was either a failure or a success. He is the chief taste master. He kindly and patiently tastes various dishes, and he reminds me it’s not the end of the world if a recipe didn’t fare well. What people don’t see are the bad dishes, and the unlucky boyfriend who eats an ill-tasting dish as if it’s their last, choice meal in life. With failure, lessons are learned and a better dish is made than the last one. Read more