A Fabulous Milestone and Other Updates

1000 visitors! In three months! OK, probably not all that spectacular for experienced food bloggers out there, but I'm pretty proud of myself. And I bet only half of those are my hits. ;)

I want to thank those that have bookmarked or subscribed to Fab Foods. And a special thanks to those of you that comment - because no matter what my visitor counts reads, a comment outshines it all. A comment means that someone liked what they read enough to let me know. So keep them coming!

In other fabulous news, I've updated my favorite blogs list. I'm drawn to other beginner food blogs like mine. But I've got to check out the really great ones - I am so impressed with what people are doing and I like to learn from them. I've added a few of them to my blog roll, because these additions were too great to ignore. I would be thrilled for my blog to be half as good as these. Enjoy!

What I Know NOW About Motherhood...

...that I didn't know before.

Ah, there are so many things. But to sum it up, I learned the true definition of selflessness.

self-less-ness
adjective

1. having little or no concern for oneself, esp. with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish. (from dictionary.com)
2. holding one's urine, especially with bladder about to bust open, in order to let your potty-training daughter use the only bathroom first.
3. losing some or all of a night's sleep holding one sick child in order to keep second and third healthy children from waking up and from being tired the next day at school.
4. foregoing all outings at "nice" restaurants and eating out at local diners and pizza places where the menu has little more to offer than chicken fingers and hotdogs.
5. going days without a decent shower due to hectic mornings schedule of make breakfast, clean up after breakfast, get kids dressed, brush kids teeth and hair, find missing glove, load into car, drive to school, go grocery shopping, etc. - all before 9am.
6. never going to the bathroom without an audience.
   
7. never sleeping in.
8. never getting sick.
9. never eating without rushing.
10. never having to go a day without hearing a sweet voice saying, "I love you, Mommy."

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there who on one great day learned that they could give up anything and everything they once thought was important to take care of their real reason for living.

This post was inspired by the notes from my nest Mother's Day Blog Bash. Visit notes from my nest to find out how you can win lots of great prizes for your Mother's Day!

6 Foods You Should Always Have On Hand

You don't need to go shopping every day to make healthy, delicious foods at home. If you make sure you have these items in your freezer or pantry, you won't find yourself picking up the phone or visiting the drive through to get dinner on the table on those nights when you think you don't have anything to make.

This list is inspired by the Network Blogging Tips list contest!

1. Frozen Shrimp: Tail on or off, these beauties cook super quick and add a nice bit of healthy and lean protein to salads, stirfries, pasta...well, now I'm creating a list within a list. You get the idea!
2. Pasta: Does this one need an explanation? Cook it up and make a simple sauce of olive oil, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking of it!
3. Canned Beans: Keep a few in stock and you can whip up a healthy three bean salad with sliced red onion and your favorite vinaigrette. This is a great one to make when you've been invited for a last minute BBQ or need a quick side dish for your own family's dinner.
4. Frozen Ground Meat: When you bring home ground turkey or beef from the grocery store, take the opportunity to stock your freezer. Add about a pound to a large plastic storage bag, flatten and seal without air before adding to the freezer. Not only will it save room in the freezer, but it will defrost many times faster than if you added it as a big brick to your freezer. Ground meat lends itself to so many recipes, that would be a whole new list!
5. Frozen Vegetables: This is a no-brainer, especially if you have kids. Frozen vegetables are usually ready to pop into any recipe at the last minute and require a simple heat-through. I like to have corn (quick Mexican rice), peas (simple pasta salad) and spinach (wonderful in scrambled eggs) always on hand.
6. Chicken Stock: This is a pantry staple because it's useful in so many ways. I splash a bit on when reheating chicken or turkey in the microwave to add moisture. I make rice with stock instead of water for extra flavor. I cook vegetables in it to cut down on oil or butter. And let's not forget the mother of all stock uses - soup! When nothing is left in the refrigerator except some celery that you can bend in half without snapping and some eggs about to hit their expiration date, you can always make an egg drop soup that is as close to homemade as you can get without making your own stock from scratch.