Turmeric-Turkey Wrap. The perfect lunch for SUPERHEROES!

This week I went to Walmart.  I bought 2 wading pools (a big one for the big kids, and a little one for the little kids), an air pump to blow the wading pools up with, some play-dough and play-dough ‘accessories’, some bubbles to blow, and some other assorted art supplies.

The checker took one look at my goods and said very matter-of-factly: “You must have a nursery school”. 

“Yeah, pretty much”, I replied.

I love the checkers at Walmart.  I really do.  I marvel at how they can stand on their feet all day and still make an effort to be personable.   Every Walmart checker I have ever met makes an effort to say “hi”, or “how ya doin”.  

The way I see it, if all of America shops at Walmart – and the Walmart checkers are still friendly and optimistic, then things can’t be that bad. 

Ah yes – in the eyes of the Walmart checker, we see the reflection of Americana. 

That’s my profound statement of the day.

Once in a while, getting a stranger’s commentary on something that we feel is ‘normal’ is very advantageous.

“Nursery School”.  Yup.  That’s me.

But see, it’s not.  I don’t have a nursery school.  I have five kids under the age of 11.  Five kids that I home-school.  Five kids that I tuck-in every night, and make breakfast for every morning.  I’m a 24/7 nursery school teacher (and first and fifth grade teacher, too).  I’m a nursery school teacher - superhero.

Early-on in my ‘mothering years’ I really didn’t see myself as a 24/7 nursery school teacher superhero.  I saw myself as “just a mom”.  Oh my.  Can I just say that those words…. “JUST a mom”,  are poison?!?

I’ve never worked at Walmart,  but I can imagine that the training process of the Walmart checker is steeped with philosophy.  I can imagine that the Walmart management would NEVER say to it’s checkers-in-training, “Hey, you are just a checker.  Just ring the stuff up and make us some money.  Rush those people through as fast as you can and just get it over-with for heaven’s sake.  And keep your mouth shut.  You are JUST a checker.”

Nope.  That can’t be.  That can’t be because if that was the philosophy then Walmart would never have worked as a business.  Walmart would have failed a long, long time ago.

I can imagine that the training process for the Walmart checker sounds something like this: “You are the face of Walmart.  You are the one who will make the final and most important impression on our customer base.  We value you.  We value your work.”

Whether you are the mother of one, or the mother of twelve – whether you home-school or not – whether you have an adequate support network, or none at all, you are never, NEVER, “Just a Mom”.  You are a Superhero.  You are the face of the world to your child.  You are the one who will make the final and most important impression on your family. You are valued by the world.

Just as a corporation needs a sound, working philosophy in order to thrive; so does a mommy.

To solidify my point, (and to finally seque into my Turkey Wrap recipe!)  allow me to elaborate for a moment longer. 

 What if Walmart checkers were told that they didn’t matter AND never given lunch breaks?   What if they only had a minute to eat some crusts of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a few leftover Goldfish crackers?  After which, they were thrown back out to the crowds (who can be quite snotty at times!!), and told to just keep quiet and do their job?

Then they wouldn’t be smiling, would they?  They would fall apart.  Give up.  Walk away.  Stop caring.

Mommies don’t have corporate managers to tell them to take lunch breaks.  They don’t have unions and regulations to follow.  Mommies must set rules and regulations for themselves.  Rules like, “I must sit for at least 20 minutes every day and eat a decent lunch”.  Not peanut butter and jelly (unless you LOVE peanut butter and jelly), not Goldfish crackers.  Cookies don’t count.

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Here is a good, simple recipe for a FANTASTIC mommy lunch.  It’s a big step above a boring old lunch box sandwich, and uses things that you may already have on-hand.  It’s super yummy, full of protein and good nutrution,  and will be an absolute oasis in the middle of your superhero day. 

Tumeric-Turkey Wrap For Superheroes

1 Sundried Tomato and Basil tortilla

4-6 slices of turkey lunch meat

big handfull of fresh spinach leaves

dressing/sauce:

3 artichoke hearts, diced

1-2 Tablespoons diced red onion

1/4 large tomato – de-seeded and diced

2 Tbs mayonaise

1/4 tsp turmeric

pinch salt

pinch pepper

Mix up the dressing/sauce. 

Lay out the tortilla and layer sauce with spinach and turkey. 

Wrap it up, slice it in half, SIT DOWN, and enjoy with a tall glass of your favorite beverage.

Eating-well is an art that takes adequate planning and a certain boundary-setting.  In time, your children will learn that mommy needs lunch, too.  It may take a few days of creative ‘distraction’, (such as their favorite movie), but kids catch on pretty quickly.  After they see for themselves that a well-fed mommy is a happy mommy, they will be much more inclined to give you the space you need.

Charge on, Superheroes!

Bon appetit, and bonne chance in YOUR Adventures In Cookery,

(exhibit A) Sauteed apples and sweet onions over a bed of fresh spinach leaves.

I’m a salad-for-lunch kind of girl but the last thing I want in the middle of the winter is a cold, clammy plate of greens.

Enter: 

The Hot Salad.

I try and eat a reasonable amount of vegetables at lunch every day.  I find that if I don’t make the effort to eat a lot of veggies at lunch; the day will slip by and I wouldn’t have had anything green at all! (scream!!!)

I find that eating salads for lunch in the summertime is easy.  It’s hot outside, so a cold and crispy salad is just right from a comfort perspective.  However, in the winter my summer salads have a tendency to fall right off the menu and I end up eating a lunch that is way too big and heavy – and that just makes me feel tired and sluggish all afternoon. 

I really like the way a big salad makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something huge in my day, just by eating a plate full of greens.  And I must say that when you have had five babies in ten years, every tiny bit of nutrition and antioxidants go somewhere where they are needed!  I will go as far to say that a daily plate of veggies might just make your hair shiny and your skin pretty!!

I like to think that a hot salad is somewhere in between a salad and a stir-fry.   I have found that there are really two kinds of hot salads:

1) The stir fry over uncooked greens  (like exhibit a.)

2) Or the tender-crisp sauteed salad, served with a wee bit of soft cheese like goat’s cheese or a gorgonzola (exhibit b.)

(exhibit B) Lightly sauteed broccolli, red pepper and a smidge of gorgonzola cheese with pan-seared corn tortillas.

  The best thing about a hot salad is that you can make them out of just about any vegetable (and even apples, exhibit a.).  Broccoli is particularly versatile and is easy to pair with other strong flavors like beets, mushrooms, onions and red bell peppers.  Broccoli also stores well in the fridge before it is cooked, which is nice – especially if you only shop every 10-14 days.

All of the hot salads I make are sauteed in just a tablespoon of olive oil, and may contain a dash of lemon juice, soy sauce, salt, or pepper as seasonings.

I do splurge every once in a while and buy a very nice cheese.  Good cheese is worth the investment in my opinion.  Only a little is needed to make a dish taste really amazing.  Two of my favorite cheeses for a hot salad are gorgonzola and goat’s cheese.  They both pair nicely with the strong taste of the deep greens, and you get a huge amount of flavor in just a tiny smidge.

Please come back soon for a closer look at Winter Hot Salads, including recipes.  Until then, give those neglected veggies in your fridge a closer look!  You may just find the makings for a hot salad!

Bon appetit, and bonne chance in your Adventures In Cookery,