I am constantly amazed by what my lil man decides to love when it comes to food. The first surprise was salmon, he couldn’t get enough of it…then came steak, and the most recent shock, split pea soup! He is not a huge fan of vegetables, so when he downed a bowl and asked for more, I was totally thrown for a loop! So, since it was such a success with my lil guy, I thought I would dedicate a blog post to this not so gorgeous soup but super healthy soup…

Organic Split Pea Soup Recipe courtesy of MyRecipes.com

Ingredients
5 1/2 cups water
4 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
2 cups green split peas
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
6 ounces diced Canadian bacon (about 1 cup)
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in carrot, celery, pepper, and salt. Simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes or until peas are tender and soup thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in juice. Serve immediately.

If you are diabetic, or have it in your family, split peas can be your best friend. Peas help stabilize your blood sugar levels while providing a steady supply of energy. Studies have shown that type 2 diabetics who eat at least 50 grams of fiber per day can lower their cholesterol, their triglycerides, and the VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein) by a considerable amount.

Peas can also reduce the amount of plaque in your blood vessels and help your heart remain healthy. If you are sensitive to sulfites, which are added to most deli foods and salad bars, the mineral molybdenum will help you detoxify them. Peas can provide you with almost twice the recommended daily allowance of this mineral from a single 1-cup serving. Signs of sulfite sensitivity may include rapid heartbeat, headache, or disorientation.
- Information courtesy of articlesbase.com

History

• Split pea soup has been eaten by man for thousands of years, with record of the dish being made and sold by street vendors in Greek and Roman society as early as 500 to 400 B.C. Many cultures have relied on the dish in times when meat protein sources were hard to come by, primarily in the winter.

  

  Since the pea was commonly grown throughout Europe, variations of split pea soup were present in the regional cuisine of Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom. Split pea soup was often associated with the poorer classes since peas were easy to cultivate and meat was often too costly for the working classes.

  European colonization of North America brought split pea soup to Canada and the United States, where the dish is still widely eaten today.

  - Information courtesy of Ehow.com

Today I am thrilled to be participating in a blogging initiative – Schools4All- for an organization called Pencils of Promise. A dear friend mine, who also happens to be what I consider a partner in Bloume baby, is involved in this amazing organization…so when she came to me with the opportunity to support the growth and awareness of Pencils of Promise, I was honored. I have always been inspired by the amazing power and strength of children, and am simply enamoured by their innocence. Anytime there is an opportunity to better their quality of life I feel its my place as a mom, and a lover of children everywhere, to do what I can. With that said, I am happily promoting Schools4All blogging initiative. Take a minute to read the below and if you are inspired…I hope you pass along and maybe even donate.

Pencils of Promise is a non-profit that builds schools in the developing world through a movement committed to education for all. PoP is unique in its mission, as it partners with the communities in which it builds creating a lasting relationship and a foundation for continued success. PoP started with just a single $25 donation by founder Adam Braun, and in just two years, they have successfully built more than 25 schools in Laos, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.

Part of PoP’s mission and the motivator behind the Schools4All Campaign is to educate and train young leaders across the world to take action at home and abroad. Schools4All challenges supporters to raise money to help PoP build schools and provide basic education to children in need by creating a fundraising webpage at www.schools4all.org. The top fundraiser wins a visit from Justin Bieber himself and PoP Founder Adam Braun to a school of their choice. Each supporter who raises over $100 is also entered into a drawing to win one of 4 trips to visit a PoP school on the ground in Guatemala.

Education is something we take so for granted. It’s free for us, and we don’t think twice! Join the Pencils of Promise Movement and help provide education for the 75 million children across the world currently without access. It only takes $10,000 to build a one room schoolhouse for kids who currently have nowhere to go to school!

To start your own Schools4All fundraising page, go to: www.schools4all.org and follow the instructions. All of your donations go directly to building schools in Laos, Guatemala, and Nicaragua

As our lil ones continue to amaze us with gorgeous, modern artwork its hard to find the right way to display them. The refrigerator door wont do, it simply does not do justice to the brilliance of that finger paint. Stuffed in the kitchen drawer is not sufficient, after all you want to show off that stunning pencil drawing, not hide it. And taped to the wall in their room just wont display the true genius of that crayon masterpiece. So, how should you preserve and display such important artwork? Here are some ideas that will give your lil artist the attention and praise they deserve, while not sacrificing your impeccable sense of style.

Frame a group of drawings or paintings in the same size white frame. The clean lines of the white frames will provide structure to all the color and shapes your lil one has created. We especially like this idea on a brightly colored wall! It keeps the integrity of the artwork…the innocence, playfulness and energy!

For a more mide century modern look try hanging the images from wooden hangers. You can do this either off a structure like the one pictured or simply from unique hooks like the ones pictured below.