Preserving that Precious Smile

The day after Ethan's first eye appointment, we checked another first off our list with a trip to the dentist.

When we arrived for his dentist appointment, Ethan made himself right at home with a coloring book that he sprawled out with on the floor.

After about five minutes in the waiting room, it was time for Ethan's turn in the dentist's chair. We all cracked up when the dental assistant asked Ethan about his teeth and he made these funny faces while trying to show her his teeth.

Just like we lucked out with Ethan knowing our eye doctor since he's our neighbor, the dental assistant is also our neighbor. I guess that's what happens when you live in a such a small town. Anyway, she was wonderful with explaining what she was going to do to Ethan and making him feel comfortable. She brought out a large teeth model to show Ethan and he got a kick out of her chomping its' teeth.

They let Ethan hold the little mouth mirror while they counted his teeth - 10 on the top and 10 on the bottom.

After counting his mouth full of teeth, they brushed his teeth with a standard toothbrush. They want to work up at each visit with adding additional tools and features so that Ethan remains comfortable and doesn't get a fear of the dentist.

Once Ethan's teeth were brushed, the dentist came in to do the examination. Ethan's favorite part was the large, overhead light they shined in his mouth. The boy loves flashlights and thought that Daddy could use one of those things at home.

By the time we were finished, Ethan was getting a little impatient and nervous. He really wanted to sit on my lap, as he had done at the eye doctor, but he managed well in their booster seat.

The dentist gave Ethan a clean report on his teeth. Yippee! Then Ethan got to pick out a toy and he chose a plastic snake. It was kind of nice that they had normal toys to choose from and not just toothbrushes. Ethan loved the snake and took it everywhere with us for a couple of days until it was lost at the grocery store. (I hope someone didn't get a scare with a little snake peaking out from the grocery store shelf.)

We struggled with picking out our dentist for Ethan. There are two dentists to choose from in Phillipsburg and Jim goes to one and I go to the other. We ended up going with Dr. Miller's dentist office, which is Jim's dentist. They did a wonderful job, especially the dental assistant. I think it's probably time for them to update their examination rooms though. Things were looking very 1970's back there.

We have one more "first" next week and then Ethan will be done with appointments for a while.

Go Red For Women

Go Red For Women. Today is National Wear Red Day. Did you remember to dress up in the color red today? I'm wearing jeans and a red, long sleeve henley shirt today. Wearing red is a simple way to honor the women, and their friends and family, who are facing heart disease and help to raise awareness.

We still predominantly think of heart disease as an older man's disease. However, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. To learn more about the Go Red For Women movement, please visit http://www.goredforwomen.org/.

And now for some red eye candy for inspiration.

Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato and Pecan Topping

Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato and Pecan Topping

I saw a posting online last week regarding a sweet potato, pecan burger. I went searching for the recipe, which I learned was featured in the recent issue of Cooking Light magazine.

When I found the recipe, it was actually a patty made out of mashed sweet potato, rolled oats, ground pecans and onions. The reviews were overwhelmingly negative and the thought of the patty's texture turned me off.

I was still intrigued by the flavor combinations, so I decided to create my own version. This is a wonderful blend of classic fall comfort foods. The combination of textures - provided from the crunchy pecans, caramelized sweet potatoes with their chewy edges and the slightly charred grill marks on the burger patty - takes this burger to the next level.

Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato and Pecan Topping

Ingredients
Frozen Lean Turkey Burger Patty
Schwan's roasted sweet potato chunks
Chopped pecans
Brown Sugar
Butter
Balsamic Vinegar
Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper

Directions
Sprinkle the turkey patty with onion powder, salt and pepper.
Grill turkey patty until cooked through over medium heat - about 3-4 minutes per side.

While the burger is grilling, place 1/2 cup of sweet potato chunks and the chopped pecans in a small bowl. Top with 1/2 tablespoon of butter, spoonful of brown sugar and a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar. Microwave for four minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender all the way through.

Top the grilled turkey burger with the sweet potato and pecan mixture. I prefer to serve this without a hamburger bun.

Healthy Snowman Snack

When snack time came around, I wanted to make a healthy snack for my toddler but have some fun with our situation of being stuck inside due to the Winter Weather Advisory that we are currently in out here in Western Kansas.

Healthy Snowman Snack

Directions

Snowman's Body: I used two sizes of biscuit cutters to cut out the circle shapes from whole grain bread. (To make these quicker, you could also use to halves of an English muffin or bagel.) Cover the bread with cream cheese.

Eyes and Buttons: Chocolate Chips

Nose: Tip of a baby carrot

Smile: Half of a dried cranberry

Scarf: Strip of red apple

This is a fun and healthy snack for children of all ages. This recipe is also a great way to use up whatever fruits and veggies are in your fridge. You could use bell pepper strips for the scarf or raisins in place of the chocolate chips. Have fun and be creative!