Cranberry Orange Quinoa Loaf

Old friends are the souls that connect us to our past and keep us rooted in the future.  I had the pleasure of lunching with an old pal today for her birthday.  A mother to four busy kids, she is quite the remarkable woman.  I delivered lunch to her home (kale salad and rutuabaga soup) and this loaf for dessert.  We lunched, we caught up and mostly we basked in a quiet hour for two busy moms to reflect on the journey of parenting, marriage and our own happiness.

Gluten Free Crostini with Arugula Pesto

It's an empty nest here at the Kale Eats kitchen.  Both kids are off on amazing adventures on different continents and Don and I are left behind.  Luke has been gone a week already and Josilin a mere 3 days, but it feels much longer.  How we will fill our days while they are gone is an ever evolving plan, but I can guarantee we will eat well in their absence.  Walking through the grocery store this week, my cart was surprisingly empty and lacked any "convenience" foods.  It was a good eye opener of the products that have crept into our life, despite my great intentions to always eat whole food.  I'm looking forward to trying out some new recipes while they are gone and hope I won't miss them too much.

Lemon Cranberry Granola

And we're off!  It's March break for the kids and we're taking full advantage with a trip to the sunny Southwest.  Landing in Phoenix, we plan to explore some of Arizona and make our way to Las Vegas later in the week.  In true Kale Eats fashion, we'll be packing some food to take along for the journey.