Kids Actually Do Pay Attention (Sometimes)

The great thing about magazines like Family Fun is that they're full of cooking and craft ideas for kids to do. The bad thing about magazines like this is that they're full of cooking and craft ideas for kids to do. You see, our youngest is in a constant state of creating. From painting our beagle pink, to tying up the family room with dental floss to make a spider web, to painting our solid oak dining table with a bottle of Wite-Out®, to making "potions" in the bathroom, Ellery, our 8-year-old, is constantly making and doing. I'm trying to convince myself that our house is her canvas and that one day it will pay off when she's a world-renowned artist or possibly a chemist for Crayola. Until then, I'm never quite sure what I'll come home to.

This past Saturday after my long run with my running group, I walked in the door stinky, damp, and encrusted in salt. My plan was to hit the shower and then take a nap. What I was greeted with instead as I walked in the door was, "I'm ready Dad!" Ellery was in the kitchen, apron on, a cantaloupe under one arm and a big mixing bowl in the other. Let me back up to fill you in on a few things. On Monday, one of those kids craft magazines arrived in the mail and as usual, Ellery began scouring its pages in search of the next craft or cooking project to conquer. By Thursday she and I were in the local grocery store buying what she so desperately needed for her projects. Friday was my older daughter's 8th-grade graduation and we just didn't have enough time for Ellery to get involved in a messy project, so we planned on doing it over the weekend. In my mind that meant Saturday or Sunday afternoon, not Saturday morning at 10:00AM after running 11 miles in hot/humid conditions. So I took a deep breath, exhaled, and said, "Okay missy, let's get to it!"

By now you're probably wondering what in the heck this has to do with running, fitness, or nutrition. I kind of am too. Oh yeah, all my talk around the house about good nutrition and how food is fuel for the body evidently has rubbed off on Ellery. You see, the creation she wanted to make was a recipe for "Shimmering Fruit Salad." She thought I'd like it since it was healthy. It actually is a pretty healthy recipe and it ended up being a great post run snack containing protein, carbs, and fiber, not to mention all the vitamins and antioxidants in the fruit and nuts. Ellery had to make me promise not to eat the entire bowl!

Ellery's Shimmering Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of skim milk

2 tbsp. lite or reduced fat mayo

1 tsp. honey

2 oranges cut into chunks

1 apple diced

2 bananas sliced

2 cups of cantaloupe cut into chunks

1 cup of grapes

1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

Mix together in a small bowl the milk, mayo, and honey to create a sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour the sauce over the fruit, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and place the bowl in the fridge until it is chilled. Makes about 10 cups.