Ants On A Log

In my effort to keep it simple this week, I give you a simple, but delicious snack. Spreading a bit of peanut butter on celery or apples and sprinkling on a few raisins is all the trouble this treat will bring you. I don't know about you, but I don't think that's any trouble at all.

I grew up on this sweet, simple snack. Affectionately referred to as "Ants on a Log," the raisins (ants) sit a top the celery (log). It's a silly name, but it adds a little fun to an otherwise rustic snack. If a silly name is what it will take to get your child to eat a snack that isn't stuffed full of sugar and god knows what else (just like me when I was younger), then embrace the beauty of the silly name. For kids who don't like raisins, chocolate chips may be used with the same effect.

The combination of raisins and peanut butter has a special place in my heart. As an adult, I've made ants on a log more times than I can count. In fact, I've even tried to turn it into entire meals, where I will eat vast amounts of peanut butter, raisins, celery, and nothing else. As a snack, ants on a log is healthy and delicious. As an entire meal? Not the case. Though unbelievably enjoyable, I don't recommend it. Eating too many vegetables if your body isn't used to it will make your stomach upset. It will cramp. You will feel pain.

Every single time.

I've thought it "must have been a fluke" at least 5 times and went back for more. It's not a fluke. According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over again expecting different results.

I'd like to pretend that doesn't apply to me.

The moral of the story: a simple sandwich with a side of ants and logs will solve your stomach woes. Or eating more vegetables on a daily basis. I should probably do that.

I think I could happily get down a few ants on a log every day...

Ants on a Log are a simple and healthy snack. These are perfect for after school or evening treats. Ants on a Log are a snap to make and require only 3 ingredients you already have in your cupboard(!). Raisins and peanut butter together are magical. Combined with the crunch of a fresh stalk of celery or a crisp apple, these snacks also sport a good dose of texture. You'd be silly not to give these a chance.

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Savory Sundays: Minnesota Wild Rice Soup

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is standard fare throughout the upper Midwest. In the middle of our cold and frigid winters, we look for hot and hearty foods to keep our insides nice and warm. Soup does just the trick.

It has become somewhat of a tradition in my family to make a big pot of soup on Sunday mornings. We all sit down to a big bowl and with a side of fresh bread and eat as much as we can possibly stand. My mom always loved these soup Sundays because there were so many leftovers it would feed us again on Monday and Tuesday. Plus, I always think soup tastes better the second time around. The flavors have really had a chance to meld together.

Wild rice is notorious for being extremely healthy. It has fewer calories than white rice and brown rice and still manages to hold far more nutrients in its small grains. Wild rice has three times as much fiber and twice as much protein as white rice. Compared to brown rice, wild rice has a third of the fat and half the sodium. Wild rice is packed with vitamins and minerals that contribute to a healthy and balanced diet.

Wild rice really has a unique and chewy texture. Even if you don't get around to making this soup, I still think you should give wild rice a try. You would be missing out on a flavor experience if you didn't give it a chance.

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is a rich and hearty soup that will keep your insides warm when it's cold outside. The wild rice gives this soup an interesting texture and a subtle nutty flavor that complements the vegetables well. The addition of chicken turns this soup into a well-rounded meal. Find yourself some wild rice and make this today!

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