Adios Barbie!

I knew this moment would come; one that I have loathed since the day she was born. It was just a matter of time before it happened...before Barbie came into our household. Yes, Babs is in our house right now as I write, and I cringe at the thought of it!

That is right I DESPISE Barbie! For many of you this may seem preposterous, but it's not really. I mean think about her; Barbie that is. Her torpedo tits, her #2 pencil legs, her tiny feet in their stilettos, her big hair and porn star make-up and her never-ending supply of clothing and accessories. So why wouldn't I want my daughter to play with Barbie?

Maybe because I don't want her to think that this is the "typical" way a womun should look.

Maybe because there is NO WAY a womun could ever achieve the Barbie body-type.

Maybe because I want her to value her mind and have a healthy body image.

Maybe because I want her to understand there is more to life than acquiring material things.

Maybe because I want to shelter her as long as possible from the harsh, cruel world and all of it's pressures and expectations of gurls and womyn to fit into an unattainable "perfect" Barbie-like clone. I know this is unavoidable, that she is going to feel these pressures and expectations at some point in her life but if I do my job right, she will be armed with the tools to fight back. So this is why I say no to Barbie and Disney Princesses and Bratz and the such. I believe it is MY job as her mother and primary educator to instill in her at this very young age a foundation based on love and respect for herself and all people and living things around her. It is my job to teach her that beauty comes in many shapes, sizes, colors and forms. And until Mattel or Disney embrace this same philosophy they will not be welcome in my home.

I have not kicked Barbie out yet. I have let her be attached to my gurl's hip for a few days and I am letting this run it's course. But I have also taken this opportunity as a way to talk to her and teach her about womyn's bodies and about the important things to value in this world. Yes, I knew this day would come, but never in my wildest dreams imagined it would be when she was only five.

Monday Menus

Monday: Spanish rice and groundnut stew

Tuesday: Baked potato bar, kale sauteed w/pine nuts and golden raisins & salad


Wednesday: Taco night

Thursday: pasta, w/homemade sauce, spinach & pinenuts

Friday: Veggie paella

Saturday: left-overs

Sunday: Curried carrot & parsnip soup, salad & fresh bread

Monday Menus

Monday: Curried Vegetables w/dahl & coconut basmati rice

Tuesday: left-overs

Wednesday: Farmstand casserole

Thursday: Vegetable soup & fresh bread

Friday: left-overs

Saturday: Sweet potato enchiladas & Mexican salad

Sunday: Groundnut stew & Ethiopian take-out

Monday Menus

Monday: Spinach & pea risotto & fresh salad

Tuesday: Italian Squash & Bean Soup, Panzanella salad & fresh bread

Wednesday: left-overs

Thursday: Egg Noodles w/tofu, broccoli & red peppers & a peanut sauce

Friday: Veggie Tamale Pie

Saturday: Veggie Soup

Sunday: Spinach & artichoke pesto w/ whole wheat pasta, tapenade & fresh bread

Okay I posted this super late-sorry...it was a crazy week and I never got a chance to get to this, but here it is. I am going to post two recipes this week. The first is the Spinach & Artichoke pesto.
I found this recipe on the Food Network website while looking for a healthy & fast recipe to use up a lot of spinach that I have, so this is what I decided to try. I have to say right now that I am not a big fan of Rachel Ray so I have never tried any of her recipes, but this one was good and the kids LOVED it! It was excellent with a loaf of fresh bread and some tapenade to eat on the side or even mixed right in.
So here is the link... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spinach-artichoke-whole-wheat-penne-recipe/index.html

I will say this though...I did not add all of the cooking water at the end, I only added about 1/4 cup because we like our sauces thick rather than thinned out. I also used the mint which was nice, but I think next time I will not and see how it is. This dish tastes very fresh and healthy which is nice at this time of year!

Another variaton that I tried with this was to do the pesto w/basil not the mint. I then sauteed onion, carrots & garlic in olive oil and added some toasted almonds in a large stock pot. I then mixed in the pasta, pesto and added the parm and some cream, salt and pepper. MMMM....SO much better this way, although not quite as healthy!



This next recipe that I am going to post is one of our FAVORITE soups and we eat it often during the winter. I will get it up soon!