I couldn’t be more excited to share with all of you. This past weekend, my family and I were in Washington, DC for a mini-vacation. We had so much fun! We toured the Air & Space, Natural History, American History and National Gallery of Art Museums. We visited the Capitol, with a guided tour and all. We entered the National Archives and saw, with our own two eyes, the Declaration of Independence! I mean, I couldn’t have been more moved. We saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln, Jefferson, WW II and Vietnam War Memorials, and felt the real spirit of our country at each turn. The whole vacation was a historical treat. And of course, what visit to Washington, DC would be complete without seeing the White House? Well, it is magnificent. And right there, on the South Lawn, I saw it….the White House Kitchen Garden!
I couldn’t believe it. I have blogged about the Kitchen Garden. I have blogged about Michelle Obama planting this garden with the kids from the Bancroft Elementary School in 2009. And then, there I am, looking in awe at the White House and right there, I see it. A plot of land planted with food for the First Family to actually eat! How inspiring to see, first hand, that which I had been talking about. So, here, for all you to see, is my photo of the Kitchen Garden and the sign that accompanies it. I was proud to see that the garden is growing, and hopefully so is our nations’ knowledge of healthy foods.
If you are growing spinach in your garden (or feeling adventurous to buy fresh spinach at the grocery store) try this recipe:
Beans & Greens
Pour two tablespoons of extra virgin oil oil in heated pan. Chop up two cloves of garlic and saute in oil over medium heat(but don’t burn). Add four cups of fresh spinach (or one package of frozen) and cook until wilted (if frozen, cook until thawed). Add one can of white beans and cook over stove until heated through. Then, serve it up. YUM! Let me know what you think!
Back to spreading the word on healthy foods…I know that I am very busy the next few weeks visiting schools and bookstores, talking about my book Poems on Fruits & Odes to Veggies and introducing kids to some new healthy food choices. The following is my upcoming schedule. Can’t wait to see you at some of these events.
Tuesday, April 13 – Glenwood Elementary School – Short Hills, NJ. I have been invited to the school by librarian, Shea Stansfield, to read from my book and get kids interested in poetry and healthy eating. I can’t wait to meet the eager learners at Glenwood!
Tuesday, April 13 – Barnes & Noble at Riverside Square in Hackensack, NJ. I have been invited to this Barnes and Noble as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. I will talk to a great group of educators and tell them how they can use my book to promote the marriage of healthy eating and poetry in their schools!
Thursday, April 15 – Barnes & Noble, Princeton, NJ – The time of this event is 1:30 p.m. and is open to the public. I sure hope to see you there.
Monday, April 26 – Stillman School, Tenafly, NJ – I have been invited to the school and can’t wait to recite poetry with all the Stillman School eager learners!
Friday, May 21 – Woodland School, Warren, NJ – I have been invited take part in Young Author’s Day a the Woodland School. I can’t wait to take part in such an exciting, school-wide event!
That’s it for now. I will keep you posted as more events pop up. Give me a shout out if you make it to one of these events. I would love to hear from you at judy@aimwrite.net. Until then, remember, healthy eating starts with a poem