So going into 2017, I have a ton of food related things on my bucket list. While baking more homemade bread is one of the simplest things on that list, it ranges all the way up to a more complicated Victorian inspired Dinner Party.



I say inspired, because seriously, there is no way I can recreate the opulent luxury of the interior of the Victorian dining room, but I may be able to recreate some of the recipes of that time..while taking a few shortcuts, of course. (Seriously, so thankful for some of the stuff we can find at the grocery store)



I love for my children to experience different things. I remember being a live in nanny for a family in Atlanta back in the early 2000. Each week the family would go to the  grocery store to get the food for that week. Each week they bought exactly the same thing as the week before. Every week, they had the same meals over and over. Hamburger Helper, Spaghetti, and fried chicken. There was no variation, deviation or anything.And I mean that, that is what they had each day of the week, one of those three options. To change it up meant, going out to dinner at a local franchise restaurant.

That experience led me to not wanting such a routine for my family. Not that anything is wrong with that, but I like to think that food can be an expression of love. I also think that having a diverse palette can lead you into being more accepting of other cultures, people, places...more diverse as a person. I know, a bit weird, but in my mind, that is what I think.

Not wanting to serve the same thing over and over, led me to being a lot more adventurous in the kitchen. So many times, I will find a recipe from another country or region and my kids and I will try it. It leads to discussions about not only the food, but the place and the people. Good food, good times.

With the Victorian Dinner Party, I can go over etiquette with my kids, talk about the time before all of these new-fangled gadgets and doodads we have now adays.

So yeah, this is on the bucket list for 2017. Must. do. this.

What is on your bucket list for 2017?

It is no secret that my kids are not picky eaters. They have a tendency to love trying new foods, vegetables, different types of fruits. This means, to me as the mama, I have raised some kids who love to eat healthy. Instead of cereal in the morning, they would rather have oatmeal or grits with fresh fruit.  Instead of bags of potato chips, they love snacking on popcorn, oranges and of course granola.

With four kids, a bag of granola does not last long at our house. Once it is opened, it is all over with. And I don't mind. So imagine when this bag of Viki's Granola came in. They were dying to tear right into it so after school, I made them a simple snack of honey greek yogurt with fresh mango, dried cranberries and some of Viki's Granola.  (Did I mention, they have a ton of varieties and one comes with dried cranberries already! Win!)




A simple, easy and tasty snack perfect for them and certainly perfect for after school and to hold them over while this mama finishes up dinner.



I can say this, they loved the yogurt snack with the granola topping, but once they finished, the boys somehow snuck the rest of the bag into their room. But hey, it's healthy and so much better than a candy bar. All natural ingredients, also gluten free for those with Celiac, I think I will give my boys  a pass.




To find out where you can buy this granola, (which comes in the cutest snack sized bags too!), click here.