Today is going to be an amazing day. The rain will stop. The sun will shine. There will be nothing but happiness. The babes will do nothing but laugh and smile all day. I will be an amazing mother and provide such laughter and smiles. The birds will sing.

I will sing.

Babes will sing.

Perfect day.

The chores will get done by themselves. There is no such thing as dishes. Groceries will magically appear in my fridge. I will have all the time to play on my hands and knees. I will have a never ending river of patience. The words ‘to-do list’ are not even a part of my vocabulary.

Perfect day.

But if for some reason the perfect day I have in mind does not appear, I will be making this recipe. A recipe that will make anyone happy – strawberry fields.

Earthy spinach mixed with spicy chives and chewy barley all topped with sweet strawberries.

Just look at it. Doesn’t it just make you smile?

Served hot or cold. In the rain or sun. With a spoon or by little hands.

Chop off their heads and warm them up.

Chop off their legs and warm them up.

Quick stir. Layer it up. Here we go on our way to a perfect day.

Strawberries + Spinach + Chives + Barley

1 16oz carton of organic strawberries
1 head of organic spinach or 1 bag of organic spinach
1 small handful chives
1 cup uncooked pearl barley

Wash strawberries and cut off stems. Put in small pot and cook on medium/low for 5 minutes to warm the strawberries. Put into food processor or blender and puree. Transfer to small bowl and let cool slightly.

Using the same small pot (giving it a quick rinse first) bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of barley to water and simmer on medium/low for 30 minutes or until water is absorbed and barley is cooked through. It should be slightly chewy.
Meanwhile, wash spinach and cut off stems. Steam for 5 minutes. Put into food processor or blender, add chives and puree. The spinach mixture will be thick so you might need to scrape the sides off the blender or food processor a couple times to get everything incorporated.
Once baley is cooked, transfer to small bowl. Add spinach and chive puree and mix well.
Layer the spinach/barley mixture on the bottom and strawberry puree on top.
Makes 35 ounces to enjoy on a perfect day.