If you’ve been wondering what happened to this blog and why I haven’t posted in almost a year, the following anecdote might help explain:

The other night, as were driving home from the mountains on a Sunday, my husband called to ask me where I wanted to stop for dinner (thanks to volleyball tryouts, PSATs, track meets, and job interviews, we had taken separate cars). What he didn’t know was that I was way ahead of him (as I usually am in the family-schedules-and-their-effects-on-family-meals department) and had already spent most of my drive time mentally planning the week and had realized that that night was the only night of the week when we would be able to sit down together for a family dinner. I told him I’d get a rotisserie chicken and make a salad, so at least we could have a meal before 10 p.m. (it was already 4:30 and my Colorado Roads app was starting to look like the flag of Belgium — the black, yellow, and red stripes indicating a long, slow drive).

So we ate a family dinner once that week. And I didn’t even cook it. (It makes me cringe a little to think of early posts on this blog where I might have said something along the lines of, “If you find you don’t have time to sit down to dinner together, maybe you need to take a closer look at your priorities.”)

The above not being an entirely unusual occurrence, I had been finding it difficult to blog about the importance of family meals and cooking real foods. And, while I’m being totally honest, it’s a little less fun to blog about my family and its meals now that I have two teenagers. Instead of bemoaning my adorable kids’ aversion to their foods touching and their silly soccer snacks (and praising them for liking “advanced” foods like kiwi and shrimp), now I am contending with issues that are much less cute. When you’re talking to your kids about vaping, texting while driving, locking bedroom doors, and body image, things like whether or not they consume refined white flour seem a little less pressing.

So I guess what I’m saying is that my life (and eating) seems less “blog-able” than it used to.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the whole point of this blog is Real Life — Cheez-Its, iPhones, and all. And while we might not eat dinner together every night like we used to, I am still trying. And while my kids don’t always make the best choices (food- and otherwise), they seem to be trying, too.

So, basically I’m back at it with Real Life Delicious. Some of my goals for this blog may have changed (especially in terms of my ambitions for a slow-food-loving, unplugged, basically perfect-yet-quirky family), however my main goal is the same: to inspire us all to eat and enjoy real, whole foods with the people they love. I’m taking a cue from Field of Dreams. If I make it they will come, right?

This quote from Sam Sifton’s New Year’s post resonates with me so much, even though it’s March:

It’s time to start over, time for new chances. It’s time to cook better, more often, and with more joy in your heart. (Really it is. You do what I’m saying, and the food becomes more delicious, and the people you serve are happier. It’s weird.)—Sam Sifton in The New York Times

I’m starting over and will definitely be taking some new chances. I can’t guarantee I will always be cooking with joy in my heart, but I’m sure as hell going to try. I plan to celebrate the small victories (like my son asking for me to make him lunches because the food at school is “nasty”) and share some of the snags we hit along the way (the aforementioned Cheez-Its; they’re a problem). I hope you’ll join me! Please comment, ask question, and make requests — I’d love to know what you eat and love (and what you deal with).

So…sorry for the long-winded intro. I do have a recipe for you today. This is one of my current favorite things. I originally made it as an appetizer and then realized it makes a fantastic light supper. If your kids, like mine, have absolutely no interest in a “light supper,” this makes a great lunch, too. The bean salad on its own (without the shrimp) is also a great side dish (for a store-bought rotisserie chicken) on a warm spring evening.

White Bean Salad with Shrimp
Serves 6-8 as an appetizer. Double this recipe to serve 4 as a meal (with salad and bread). This will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
Ingredients
1 15-oz. can cannellini (white kidney) beans
4 tbs. cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for sautéing
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
3-4 celery stalks, chopped
2-3 tbs. fresh Italian parsley, chopped (or basil if you prefer; I love parsley)
Approx. 20 large or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white wine (optional, for sautéing)

Rinse and drain the beans, then heat in a small saucepan with 3 tbs. olive oil, 2 tbs. lemon juice, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Stir and test seasonings, adding more lemon or salt if needed. Remove from the heat and allow the beans to cool to room temperature and absorb the dressing. Add another 1 tbs. olive oil, the onion, celery, and parsley. Mix well. This is the basic bean salad. For the shrimp, heat a skillet coated with olive oil over high heat. Add the shrimp and wine (or a splash of water if not using wine), and sauté the shrimp until it’s just cooked through, about 3-4 mins. Remove from heat. To serve, add the shrimp (either lukewarm or room temperature) to the bean salad, sprinkle with a little salt and maybe a little more lemon juice or oil, and garnish with more chopped parsley.

 

 

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