Jun 11

Going Nuts

Foodie Fridays No Comments »

Nuts make the top ten list of super foods (for the full list click HERE) because studies have found that the heart-healthy fats in nuts help knock down cholesterol levels and the high fiber content and protein in nuts help you lose weight because eating nuts fills you up. They also have antioxidants which can help prevent cancer cells making them a super food because they have multiple health benefits.

With that said, don’t go crazy on your nut consumption because they pack a powerful punch to your body, even in small doses. (They are also high in calories in large doses).

Don’t like nuts? Are you sure you’ve tried them all? For example, I hate peanuts, but a couple of my kids love them. My husband likes pistachios and I’m an almond fan. Also consider walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and many other varieties. I recommend that you taste different varieties until you crack into one you like.

You can eat them in small handfuls (look for 100-calorie packs to help with portion control.) You can also sprinkle them onto salads and side dishes or add them into baked goods or hot and cold cereals. They add great texture and crunch to lots of favorite recipes.

Here’s a recipe for a great strawberry salad with almonds that I posted a few months ago. My kids gobble it up and say, “This tastes so yummy I don’t even feel like I’m eating salad.”

Click HERE for the recipe.

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Jun 10

Great Summer Reading Programs

Tried and True Thursdays No Comments »

Most public libraries have summer reading programs to incentivize kids to read while they’re on summer break. Major bookstore chains have also added their own programs.

Here’s a few to summer reading programs that offer FREE books for completing an alloted number of books. You can sign your kids up for one, two, or all three. It’s a great way to get your kids off the video games and excited about reading.

Barnes and Noble. If you read 8 books you get one book for FREE. The kids get to keep track on their summer passport. They also have great tips and tricks for parents and a suggestion reading list. Check out their program HERE.

Borders and Waldenbooks. This program requires kids to read 10 books before they receive their FREE book. They have a more limited number of FREE books to choose from, but it’s still a FREE book, so how can you really go wrong. Check out their program HERE.

Borders.

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Jun 09

Father’s Day Gift Idea

Deal of the Week No Comments »

 

Snapfish is offering an awesome package deal of FREEBIES but the offer is only good today (June 9, 2010) so you have to hurry.

Here’s the deal. New customers get 50 FREE 4 x 6 Prints, a FREE 11 x 14 Photo Collage Poster, and a free 8 x 10 Print. Follow the link HERE. For FREE shipping use the coupon code DADSAVINGS.

Question: What are you planning to do or buy for Father’s Day this year?

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Jun 08

10 Minute Mad Dash to Sanity Restoration

Tidy Up Tuesdays No Comments »

Aaahhh summer.

Sleeping in late, moving at a snail’s pace, enjoying the great outdoors and … an eternally messy house. If someone dropped in on us at 3 o’clock on a summer afternoon they’d think we lived like pigs.

The teddy bear parades and tents made out of blankets and sheets have already begun popping up around our house and so have the endless piles of dirty dishes from the constant feeding frenzy we experience each summer.

Yes, I love summer. And I love my kids. But the mess is another story. Since you can’t get rid of the mess without getting rid of the kids (and they’re really just too loveable to sell on e-Bay.) Here are five tips for restoring order to your abode in just 10 minutes.

1.      Ignore the mess. Let them make a mess. It helps their creative minds work and keeps them occupied. However, friendly reminders to the tune of, “Whatever you get out you’ll have to put away,” prevent end-of-the-day meltdowns.

2.      Find 10 minutes. In our house 5 p.m. is the appointed hour at which playtime is officially over for the day. All messes must be cleaned up and we get ready for dinner and pre-bedtime activities. All Barbie village and abandoned stacks of blocks or books are returned to their home in 10 minutes or less. You’d be surprised how fast kids can clean even the biggest of messes.

3.      Give them a heads-up. Even though clean-up time always comes at basically the same time at our house, I always issue a 15-minute warning that the clean-up call will be sounding shortly. Again this helps keep major meltdowns from occurring during the witching hour.

4.      Bribe them. Lest you think that those 10 minutes are blissful at our house, think again. Kids are still kids. They whine and complain just like all kids do. However, for those who can work hard without making misery for the rest, they’re rewarded with TV privileges while I finish up dinner. Sounds too good to be true? The power of TV is still stronger than most other kid currency regardless of age.

5.      Make it fun. Cinderella taught us to whistle while we work. Throwing on some tunes that everyone enjoys always seems to vanquish the cries and whines from the young ones. In three or four songs all of the work is done and no one would believe that the living room went from family fort to fabulous again in about the same time it takes to find your cell phone at the bottom of your purse.

 

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Jun 08

Cable Car Moms

Mommy Monday 2 Comments »

     

After dragging my three children up to the top of Nob Hill (which was only 6 blocks from our hotel, but entirely uphill) to the Cable Car Museum in San Francisco, I was exhausted. I stood on the platform and observed the hard-working cables that keep the cars running up and down the steep slopes of the city. I don’t know if it was the tired sounds of the machines or the sweat pouring down the back of my neck, but it got me thinking: Cable cars and moms are a lot alike. 

First of all, cable cars run all day – except between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m when they return to the barn for a brief rest. Moms of newborns have been known to keep these hours. And moms of teenagers too. And overworked, busy moms with lots of hats to wear have also been known to keep “cable car” hours too. Pretty much if you’re a mom, you haven’t slept a regular eight-hour night in years – unless you were sick, and even then it’s debatable.

Next, cable cars run at a constant but slow speed all day long – 9.5 miles per hour to be exact. While it seems like a mom is never getting things done because she’s always on the go, it also feels like a mom can’t ever seem to get anywhere very fast. Just when a mom gets going, it’s time to stop again. Just like the cable car trudging up and down the steep hills of San Francisco, as mothers we’re journeying uphill all day to cross things off our lists with temper-tantrum-prone toddlers and pouting pre-teens in toe.

Finally, these antique cars’ cables are coated with a sacrificial lubricant that keeps the ropes gripping day in and day out. They compare this special tar-like oil to a pencil eraser eroding away instead of the paper. In mom-speak, our protective lubricant is the thick skin we develop so our own pride and self-esteem don’t wear away. In comes in  those times when we step into a tough spot to defend our family and find ourselves looking the lone wolf in a forest full of hungry salivating predators. In the end it’s that extra layer that helps us develop greater resolve than ever to do whatever it takes to keep our little den of wolf cubs safe and happy – day after day.

Cable cars have been around for what seems like forever (just like moms), will be around for a whole lot longer (just like moms), and seem to only get better and more beloved with time (just like moms.)

 

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Jun 04

Healthy Summer Snack Suggestions For Kids

Foodie Fridays No Comments »

For as long as she could talk my youngest would say, “I need a knack!” As much as I love to hear her cute lack of ‘S’ pronunciation, it does get old to watch my kids fill up on snacks and then pick at their dinner. For all appearances sake I have three little girls, but don’t fooled by their small bodies because they eat like Hungry, Hungry Hippos.

We start with fruits and veggies before I let them dive into the carbs. It’s amazing what they’ll eat if they’re really in need of “knack.” Here’s some suggestions of healthy snack options for kids to chow down on:

Grab and Go Snacks

  • Veggies and Ranch dressing
  • Carrots and refried beans (heat beans in microwave with salsa and cheese for 1 minute)
  • Apples
  • Sugar snap peas (my kids eat them plain, but you can also dip them in hummus instead of chips)
  • Grapes
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Plums
  • Apricots
  • Dried fruit
  • Nuts (lots of kids have allergies, so make sure your kids don’t have a problem with nuts before you introduce them to cashews, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, etc.)
  • Apples
  • Applesauce
  • Sugar-free jello
  • Sugar-free pudding
  • Low-fat popcorn

More Complex Snacks

  • Mini-pizzas. Top a whole wheat English muffin with ketchup, parsley, salami, and cheese and pop into the toaster oven until melted.
  • Bean and cheese burritoes. I overdosed on these in college, but they fill up my kids with lots of protein and they love them.
  • Faux lunchables. Instead of buying the pre-packaged kind lay your stuff out on a platter for the kids to dive into. Displaying the food in a fun way always makes it more appealing. Who doesn’t love to play with their food before they eat it?
  • Smiley face plates. I have school-aged kids who still fall for mom’s smiley face plates. I put whatever I have on hand into the shape of a smiley face on the plate and my kids devour it. I hope that trick lasts on and on.
  • Nachos. Put a few chips on the bottom and pile up the healthier stuff on top (chopped up chicken, cheese, beans, tomatoes, salsa, veggies etc.) and broil in the oven until the cheese is melted. The kids will feel like they’re getting a treat while you’ve tricked them into eating more than just chips.

Question: What do you do to feed your hungry gang?

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Jun 03

Summer Survival For You And Your Kitchen

Tried and True Thursdays 1 Comment »

With summer around the corner, I’m reminded of how hectic it is to increase the number of children at home during the day from zero to three. During the summer my children eat from the time they wake up until the final seconds before they brush their teeth at bedtime. My kitchen pays the price—and so does my sanity—when I spend the whole day wearing my chef’s hat. Here is what I did last summer to ease the summer burden a bit:

  1. Place cups, bowls, plates and spoons at an easy-access location. I have a bottom drawer dedicated just to kid-friendly dining wear. I bought fun, brightly colored dishes that I can re-use and replace periodically. I try not to use disposable paper products to save the family budget and the environment.
  2. Stock up on healthy snacks. I fill one bottom drawer in the fridge and one in the pantry with snacks I deem healthy and then I let my kids eat freely (within reason) at snack time. I also keep the fruit bowl full of all of those wonderful seasonal fruits. (Check out this Friday’s blog for a list of healthy snacks for kids.)
  3. Buy a water dispenser and keep it in the fridge. I encourage my children to drink a lot of water so I always keep cold water easily accessible in the fridge. Cold water is more refreshing, tastes better, and tends to be more appealing than regular tap water. I make it easy for little hands to get their own drinks so I don’t hear the repeated plea on hot summer days, “I need a drink!”

I’d rather offer my children some independence this summer so that I spend less time as waitress and cook and more time outdoors having fun at the beach, pool, or park.

Question: What are your tricks for giving your children access to the kitchen within reason?

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