Taking a break from blogging - join me on FB!

I enjoy the format and ease of Facebook a lot more than blogging, so I'm taking a break on this site for a while and focusing on keeping my Facebook page active daily. Please join me over there! THANKS!!!

Berry Berry Kix...who knew?

I was browsing the cereal aisle in Walmart last week when I happened to find Berry Berry Kix - hadn't seen them in years! Apparently, it is very new back on the market, because I don't see it listed on the Kix Web site. It is also improved (in my opinion)!!

The ingredients are simple, and they don't use artificial colors/flavors! You can tell the cereal has a very natural berry color, not a fluorescent glow. My kids LOVED it! This is not a cereal that is as healthy as your Kashi types, but with only 7 grams of sugar per serving, I'm happy and so are my kids.

Who buys this stuff?

While at the grocery store the other day, I noticed a section of candy themed "juice" drinks in the juice box section. I don't understand why any parent would purchase what appears to be liquid candy for their kids to consume, especially when there are perfectly delicious 100% juice boxes available in the same section for a comparable price. I don't know a single child who doesn't enjoy real juice!

My rant for the day...carry on!

It's a wrap!

Roast beef, fresh lettuce from my BFFs garden, cucumbers,
tomato, carrots, and  drizzle of blue cheese dressing
on a whole wheat wrap! LUNCH!

Berry Delicious!

(Just hand me my cheesy title award...I gladly accept!)

If you're in the Southeast and haven't done so already, you need to RUN, not walk, to the nearest strawberry field and get some local berries! A lot of places will let you pick your own, which is so much fun for the kids, and a great way to teach them about local produce and the way crops grow.

Drool...

This is what a good strawberry looks like on
the inside - just as red as the outside!

More adventures from the grill

(I apologize for my blog slackness...we've been super busy lately!)

Grilled chicken (marinated in orange, lemon, and lime juices plus chili powder and onion powder) and grilled asparagus (marinated in raspberry vinaigrette dressing). Asparagus is in season right now and super cheap!

The thrill of the grill!

Now that the weather is warm again, we will be using our grill A LOT. In fact, we just got a new and improved grill, so I know we will use it more than usual. We've made steaks, grilled chicken, and burgers in the past few days. I can't wait for fresh vegetables to grill!

Grilled burgers on a whole wheat bun, mixed veggies,and tater tots. 

What's for breakfast?

Kashi blueberry waffle with a drizzle of real maple syrup,
Simply Gogurt, and cantaloupe chunks!
(Cantaloupes have been really yummy & cheap here lately.)

Fifteen minutes of work for a week of lunches!

If you are pressed for time to pack lunch every single day, then take a little time on Sunday evening to make a week's worth of lunch!

I make up a basic tossed salad in a huge bowl - greens, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, and cheese cubes. When I pack the individual salads, I add in extras (such as almonds and dried cranberries, pictured here) to make it a little different each day. I also cut up fresh fruit to add as a side dish. I pack a light salad dressing in a separate, small container.

Doing this really makes my mornings a lot quicker, and I'm not stressed thinking about what I'm going to pack for lunch. What do you make in bulk to pack throughout the week?

(I do pack more than this for a lunch, just not photographed!)

An EGGcellent lunch!

Egg salad on a whole wheat pita, cantaloupe chunks, and dill pickles...a winner!

Healty Cooking Class for Kids!

Last night, I took the kids to a healthy cooking class at the hospital. It was fantastic! They taught the kids how to make healthy versions of soda and pizza, and they gave them a lot of useful information on how to make good food choices. It was nice to have the information we have been teaching them at home reinforced by the hospital dietitians - the kids took that very seriously!

The kids colored pictures of the food pyramid and fruits/veggies /
while we were waiting for class to start.

There were a ton of healthy toppings to choose from!

Grayson sampling the "soda" made from seltzer water and 100% grape juice.

Harper with her pizza creation - whole wheat crust,
pesto sauce, Canadian bacon, tomato, and
  Parmesan cheese.

Grayson tasting his creation -
whole wheat crust, bbq sauce, black beans,
chicken, and cheddar cheese.

The kids LOVED their pizzas! This was a really fun and educational evening. Does your community have classes like this? I encourage you to look for them!

Yep, I made lunches again today

Roast beef & cheese on whole wheat, low fat cottage cheese, apple slices, and veggie straws

Stuff we can learn from the 80s, Part IV

I think this may be my favorite one!

Cooking dinner - it's a winner!

Someone needs to stop me from these cheesey post titles...seriously.

Upon request, I'm going to try to post more of my "quickie" dinner ideas. My biggest hesitation is that I rarely use a recipe, but I will give it a try. I know time is an issue for just about every parent out there, especially when trying to keep it healthy.

Last night I made angel hair with chicken and green beans. Now before anyone calls me out on it...yes, I should have used whole wheat pasta. It would have obviously been the healthier choice, but I don't care for whole wheat angel hair. Personal hang up! We eat enough whole grains that I'm ok with sliding in a dreaded "white" once in a while, but I certainly would challenge everyone else to do better than me. :)

Ingredients (to feed 2 adults, 2 children)
-1.5 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
-lemon juice (to taste)
-onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano (to taste)
-1 can petite diced tomatoes (or fresh, if good ones are available)
-reduced fat feta cheese

Saute the chicken in the lemon juice and seasonings until lightly browned. Add diced tomatoes and simmer. In the meantime, get the water boiling for the pasta. Angel hair takes 3 minutes, so don't cook it until the very last minute. I use the frozen microwavable bags of veggies, which take about 5 minutes. When chicken is done, add a little more lemon juice. I also add lemon juice to the cooked noodles after draining. Top the dish with feta cheese. (Did that make any sense? I'm horrible at trying to write out something I am normally just making up as I go.)

It is easy to make tons of variations to this dish. I've added olives, chick peas, artichokes, etc...depending on what I've got on hand.

All in all, this dinner takes about 20 minutes to prepare, start to finish! 

Smoothie time has returned!

I don't make a lot of smoothies during the coldest part of winter, with the colder temps and lack of good fruit at reasonable prices. Now that the temperatures are rising and the fruit is getting better, the kids are asking for smoothies once again.

Yesterday, I used strawberries that had gotten mushy and grapes that were a couple of days past their prime. Smoothies are a great way to use up fruit you might not want to eat as-is.

What are your favorite smoothies?

Lunch, lunch...love it a bunch

I'm running out of titles for lunch posts, obviously! So, what's for lunch today?

Turkey, cheese, and lettuce on a whole wheat sandwich round, cantaloupe, and sugar snap peas...yum!!

Annoying commercial #22

I'll hand it to the folks at Jimmy Dean...these commercials crack me up! And yes, kids certainly need to eat breakfast to do their best at school each day. But is a frozen and microwaved processed breakfast sandwich the best cure for the "morning villians"? It is just as quick and easy (and far healthier) to opt for whole grain cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc. That'll really get your kids ready to face the day at school!

Growing!!

Everything we planted has sprouted! YAY!

More adventures with an adventurous eater

Wonton soup, cucumber rolls, and spring rolls!

While Harper was at piano lessons the other night, I decided to take Grayson out for a sushi date. Ever since he tried California rolls a few weeks ago (and loved them), he has asked to try more kinds of sushi. I ended up letting him sample several kinds of Asian cuisine while we were there. Remember, what is "foreign" food for us is every day food for people in other countries.Keep exposing your kids to new foods...and make it fun!

What are your kids favorite ethnic foods? What do you do to encourage your kids to try "weird" dishes?

New life!

Good morning, cucumber sprouts! My kids are so excited to watch this process, and I am too! This is an amazing yet simple science project, and will produce such wonderful rewards!

Developing an adventurous eater

My kids will literally try anything. I mean anything...things most adults wouldn't touch.

For instance, my son asked me to buy him sardines to try this past weekend. Sardines? Really? OK. After I opened the can, he was a little more hesitant because they "look like real dead fish," but he ate a few bites and so did my daughter. Neither one of them loved the sardines, but they didn't hate them either.

How did we get so lucky? I don't think it was luck. We taught our kids to be good eaters. We defined them as good eaters who will try anything, and it worked. They've always been expected to try one bite of everything given to them, even if they hated it the last time I served it. We never labeled them as picky eaters when they turned their noses up to something or didn't like a certain food. I believe that labels will stick with a person, good or bad...so why not start off with a good one? Grayson is well known as the kid who eats anything, and Harper is not far behind him.


We talk about food...a lot. My kids know what certain types of food do for your body, good and bad. They are involved in making the grocery lists and meal plans. They help me cook. They help me garden. We watch cooking shows together. I believe being involved with your food and educated about it helps a great deal, too.

 Are your kids adventurous eaters? If so, how do you think they got that way?

Getting the garden started

Easy enough for a four year old!

This weekend, we spent some time planting seeds for our garden - cucumber, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe, corn, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, spinach, squash, and zucchini. In about 6 weeks, they should be ready to plant in the ground - giving us a leg up on our garden!

Sharing this process with your kids is a great way of getting them involved with the preparation of vegetables and fruits. Seeing this project through from seeds to on their plate is quite a learning experience!

I bought everything to grow 88 plants for about $20. Well worth every penny, and then some! Not only will you reap delicious fruits and vegetables, but you get to have a fun and educational project with your kids!

This is the first time I've used one of these mini greenhouse systems, and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Strawberries are BACK!

This time of year, there are plenty of signals to let us know warmer weather is just around the corner. One of my favorites is seeing strawberries on sale at the grocery store. This week, I found them for $2.00/quart (not organic - that is pretty hard to come by in this area, especially this time of year, unfortunately). My kids can easily go through a quart in a day, but I try to at least stretch one to two days.

Lunch - turkey & cheese on whole wheat, midget dill pickles, and STRAWBERRIES!

Strawberries are full of nutritional goodness. Did you know just one medium-sized strawberry contains 12% of the vitamin C you need in a day? They are easy to serve because all you have to do to prepare them is wash them well and remove the hull.

Now I can't wait to go pick local berries!

Stuff we can learn from the 80s - Part III

February has been a rough month for my family - flu all around, and now I've been suffering from a raging ear infection for the past week. I know the blog has been slack, and I apologize - I'll be back at it in no time! I've got lots of ideas, so stay tuned.

But for now...

Guest blogger: How to eat healthy in a restaurant

Today's guest blogger is Nick, a recent college graduate and fellow blogger (slimminusthegym.wordpress.com). This is really good advice for all of us, but especially helpful for teenagers who are venturing out to restaurants with their friends, and may need a little guidance on how to order without mom and dad around. Many thanks to Nick!

 

If you’re trying to stay healthy, the best advice I can give you is to avoid going out to eat entirely. The latest “Barbecue Ranch Quesadilla Explosion!!” concoction at your local mid-range family joint may sound and taste delicious, but one too many of those monsters and you’re going to end up with a lot of inches where you don’t want them (and a lot less dollars where you DO want them!) But let’s be real: it’s Friday night; everyone’s going out and obviously you don’t want to be left behind. So how do you eat out without busting a gut?

Restaurant menus are, obviously, designed to make you hungry. They wouldn't exist if they couldn't make you want food. Of course, they couldn’t sell food if they advertised things as being “full of fat!” or “loaded with sugar!” or “three days worth of sodium!” So what do they do? They change the language around –

o       Creamy – On a restaurant menu, the word “creamy” means “mayonnaise or sour cream based.” Now I don’t know if the rest of you have as much of a problem with mayonnaise as I do (it’s a personal thing) but that makes it sound pretty gross to me.

o       *Fun fact* - Want to know what ranch dressing is made of? Mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream and seasoning. In other words: fat, fat, fat and salt. Enjoy!

o       Crunchy (or crispy) – These words usually mean the same thing: fried. This is particularly true with chicken. Often seen paired with the words “on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.”

o       Pan-fried – Sounds healthier than deep-fried, but in general it’s usually just as bad. Consider what they’re pan-frying your food in – usually butter.

o       (Anything) crusted – parmesan-crusted whatever is a common item on many restaurant menus. How do you crust something? Batter it and fry it.

o       “Slathered” or “smothered in” – the phrase “slathered or smothered in our special sauce” roughly translates into “we take this baby and soak it in as many empty calories as possible.” I should actually make “our own sauce” its own separate entry on this list – most “our own sauces” are basically doctored mayonnaise.

So now that I’ve described just about every item on every menu ever, what are you actually supposed to eat? There are actually a surprising number of menu items that taste great and won’t leave you feeling 10 lbs heavier when you walk out of the door:

o       Grilled anything – while you’ll lose some of the crispiness of fried foods, grilled foods usually seasoned specially so that all of the flavor remains.

o       Chicken or fish – lean meats like chicken and fish are almost always going to be healthier than beef (unless you opt for the crispy chicken with creamy dressing). Beef is naturally higher in saturated fats and cholesterol, and the protein trade off isn’t really enough to make it worth it.

o       Steamed vegetables – I know, I know, who wants to eat vegetables at a restaurant? They’re not the most fun thing in the world, but steaming vegetables is actually the healthiest way to cook them, and with a little salt they’ll taste every bit as good as the French fries your buddies are dunking in their “Southwest Chipotle Ranch Tsunami” sauce. 

Now granted, if you’re generally healthy and only go out once a week, you can eat pretty much whatever you want and it won’t do much of anything. But if you want to make a commitment to staying healthy while still having fun with your friends, following the above advice will help you reach your goals without sacrificing your social life.

Breakfast is EASY!

On the weekends, I make the whole family nice, hot breakfasts. During the week, I just don't have time to do that, nor do I have the desire to wake up earlier to make it happen. I find breakfast to be the easiest time to feed my kids easy, healthy foods, and I feel great knowing I'm sending them to school with a belly full of good nutrition.

I follow the same basic format for breakfast every morning - whole grain (bar, bread, cereal, etc.), fruit, and calcium/protein (yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.).

This morning, the kids had a Kashi Strawberry TLC bar, mango slices, and vanilla yogurt with a tiny drizzle of chocolate syrup (the kids think they are really getting a treat, when in reality it might be 1/4 teaspoon worth of chocolate). Three minutes = awesome breakfast!

Who got lucky??

Congratulations to the winners of our 50% off coupon codes for the EasyLunchbox System - Andy (#1) and Michelle (#10). I will email both of you with your codes, and I hope you enjoy your new goodies!

An extra special Valentine treat...just for you!

Readers of this blog should know by now that I am a BIG fan of the EasyLunchbox system - I've included pics of this fantastic product in many of my lunch entries. It has definitely made packing lunches for my family (kids AND husband) easier by helping keep food items separated, cutting down on baggies and tiny plastic containers, and controlling portions.


The product keeps getting cooler...check out the first episode of a new series from EasyLunchboxes, featuring Barry Williams (aka, Greg Brady!).



If you haven't gotten your own EasyLunchbox system already, now may be the chance you were looking for. TWO of my lucky readers will receive a special 50% off code for the product (which means you'll get the whole system - 4 containers and a cooler bag - for just $10.95!). All you have to do to enter for your chance is leave a comment by Friday, February 18, 11:59 pm with a way for me to contact you if you win. 

(Please only enter if you are genuinely interested in purchasing this product. Thanks!)

Stuff we can learn from the 80s - Part III

Little Miss Independent

My 4 year old making her own PB&J. They can do it on their own, so let them! Trust me!

On the run...

Last night was one of those last minute busy nights where I didn't have a plan and didn't have my head on straight. I had to get Harper to piano lessons by 6:00, and she was starving. I decided to make a run by McDonald's and get her the best things I could find on the menu...a wild berry smoothie and the fruit & maple oatmeal.

To go please...

Here are the ingredients:

Wild Berry Smoothie:
Wild Berry Fruit Blend
Strawberry puree, water, sugar, blackberry puree, blueberry puree, concentrated pineapple juice, concentrated apple juice, contains less than 1% of the following: cellulose powder, xanthan gum, colored with fruit and vegetable juice, natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, pectin, citric acid. 
Low Fat Yogurt
Cultured Grade A reduced fat milk, sugar, whey protein concentrate, fructose, corn starch, gelatin. Contains active yogurt cultures.
Ice
Fruit & Maple Oatmeal:
Oatmeal
Whole grain rolled oats, brown sugar, food starch-modified, salt, natural flavor (plant source), barley malt extract, caramel color.
Diced Apples
Apples, calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C to maintain freshness and color).
Cranberry Raisin Blend
Dried sweetened cranberries (sugar, cranberries), California raisins, golden raisins, sunflower oil, sulfur dioxide (preservative).
Light Cream
Milk, cream, sodium phosphate, datem, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium citrate, carrageenan.

Sure, there could be some improvements made to these items to make them even healthier (less/no added sugar and a couple less added unnecessary ingredients would be great), but overall, these are pretty good options when you're on the go and in a bind. 

Harper approved!

Let's chat about school fundraisers

I'm earning a reputation around my town as the fundraiser-hating mom. Not completely true - I understand the need for fundraising and am completely willing to help with it...I just don't want to sell junk food and I don't like my kids having sales presentations made to them with hopes and dreams of awesome prizes (that's a subject for a different blogger though!).

Grayson's school's biggest fundraiser of the year is cookie dough (big, huge tubs of it) sales. For the past two years I have fought against it by writing letters to the principal, superintendent, other parents, etc. Bottom line - it makes the most money. Period.

I have no interest in me or my children peddling unhealthy, expensive food to people that don't need or want it. I need your help!

I've looked into many other healthier and more practical fundraising options, but I need to know from real people who have done it - what school fundraisers work that you can also be proud to participate in? What kind of numbers did you see from them? I would really appreciate feedback on this. Thanks in advance!

Stuff we can learn from the 80s - Part II

My home computer is still out of commission, so I will entertain you with another 80s PSA on nutrition. These are awesome, and definitely worth sharing with kids today!



Yep, still holds up after 25ish years!

Who is the winner?!?!

The lucky winner of of Clif Kids giveaway is commenter #32 - Gchord88! CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you to everyone who entered, and stay tuned for the next giveaway contest!

Crunchy lunchy

(That title sure is cheesy...even for me!)

I took Grayson to the grocery store with me today, and I let him pick out exactly what he wanted for lunch this week. He picked whole wheat wraps with romaine lettuce, cucumbers, cheese, turkey, and raspberry vinaigrette.

Crrrrrrunch!

He has all of the food groups in this one wrap, which makes me very proud of my 7 year old. If we teach our kids what they need to know about nutrition and lead by example, they will learn what they need to keep their bodies healthy...which will help them for a lifetime!

Time is ticking...have you entered?

 The latest giveaway ends tomorrow! If you haven't already, head over to my anniversary post and leave a comment to enter to win a  box of Clif Kids ZBaRs and a box of Twisted Fruit. Good luck!

Dinner time!

I'm bad about posting dinner meals, and I'm sorry. Because the early evenings are the busiest part of my day, I simply forget most nights to take pictures!

Last night, I made chicken tacos/fajitas...not sure if they fit either mold exactly. I used my Rachel Ray grill pan to grill up some chicken tenders quickly tossed in taco sauce, lime juice, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. They take about 10-15 minutes to cook.

For a side dish, I just mixed together corn and black beans with the same marinade I used on the chicken and simmered while the chicken was cooking. Super easy! 

I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished product...of course. I served these with whole wheat tortillas, guacamole, tomatoes, and light cheese. Light sour cream would have been good, but I was out! :(

Another fast, cheap, and healthy dinner on the fly!

Stuff we can learn from the 80s - Part I

Remember this? Love it!




I think I will make this a new blog feature...more to come!

Has Valentine's Day gone too far?

While doing a little grocery shopping in Walmart yesterday, I ventured down the Valentine candy aisle. And when I say candy, I mean ONLY candy - the decorations, cards, stuffed animals, gifts, etc were all in another section of the store - this was just candy.

Candy as far as the eye can see...

I noticed that about 75% of the candy was marketed toward children. When did Valentine's Day become a major holiday for kids? Last I checked, it was a romantic holiday for couples. Now it seems we have to send candy-filled goody bags to school, have parties, etc. When I was in elementary school, we exchanged small cards that *might* have had a tiny lollipop attached, and that was it (and we were excited and happy for it!). Not anymore.

I want to stop the madness, but I don't want to be the "bad guy," so I will be looking for some sort of balance in the coming weeks. I'm looking for ideas! How do you celebrate in your homes and schools?

Annoying commercial #21

I despise everything about Lunchables, so of course I would find the commercials annoying. I couldn't find the newest one on youtube, which is the worst one I've seen yet, but this one conveys the same message - eating Lunchables is healthy and makes you "powerful." WRONG!

Here is the ingredient list for the product advertised in this particular commercial:

Ingredients: INGREDIENTS: WATER - SPRING WATER. APPLESAUCE - APPLES, WATER, CONCENTRATED APPLE JUICE, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C). SUB BUN - ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR ([WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE VITAMIN B1, RIBOFLAVIN VITAMIN B2, FOLIC ACID], MALTED BARLEY FLOUR), WATER, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: SOYBEAN OIL, YEAST, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, ENZYME MODIFIED SOY LECITHIN, DATEM), SALT, GUAR GUM, MODIFIED CELLULOSE, CALCIUM PROPIONATE PRESERVATIVE), XANTHAN GUM, ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, ENZYMES. CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY. OVEN ROASTED TURKEY BREAST - CURED - SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED - BROWNED WITH CARAMEL COLOR - TURKEY BREAST, WATER, POTASSIUM LACTATE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, DEXTROSE, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM DIACETATE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SMOKE FLAVOR, CARAMEL COLOR. REDUCED FAT CHEDDAR PASTEURIZED PREPARED CHEESE PRODUCT - PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, SODIUM CITRATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, SALT, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), VITAMIN A PALMITATE, ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE, WITH STARCH ADDED FOR SLICE SEPARATION. CONTAINS: MILK. NILLA WAFERS - UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, WHEY (FROM MILK), EGGS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES (EMULSIFIER). CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, EGG. NONFAT MAYONNAISE DRESSING - WATER, VINEGAR, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SUGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOYBEAN OIL*, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, CELLULOSE GEL, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, XANTHAN GUM, EGG YOLKS*, MUSTARD FLOUR, LACTIC ACID, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CELLULOSE GUM, VITAMIN E ACETATE, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, DRIED GARLIC, DRIED ONIONS, SPICE, YELLOW 6, BETA CAROTENE (COLOR), BLUE 1, WITH POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA AS PRESERVATIVES. *TRIVIAL SOURCE OF FAT AND CHOLESTEROL. CONTAINS: EGG. TROPICAL PUNCH ARTIFICIAL FLAVORED SOFT DRINK MIX - SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, CITRIC ACID (PROVIDES TARTNESS), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN E ACETATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE (PREVENTS CAKING), ACESULFAME POTASSIUM AND SUCRALOSE (SWEETENERS), ARTIFICIAL COLOR, RED 40, BLUE 1, BHA (PRESERVES FRESHNESS).

I know this is not what I want my kids eating. Nor do I want to spend my money on garbage that I can easily prepare at home in a healthy manner with far less packaging. It takes five minutes to make a turkey sandwich at home, with good ingredients...and it is cheaper! What is the advantage of Lunchables?

An anniversary giveaway!!

One year ago today, I wrote my first blog entry on What are my kids eating?. I had no idea at that time what this would grow into! I know I'm not as big and popular as many other blogs, but the amount of readers, feedback, and encouragement I've gotten from doing this...well, I never would have guessed it! Thanks to each and every one of you!

That said, I have some fun news - a chance for you to win a really cool prize! Clif Bar & Company has offered to give one lucky reader a box of Organic ZBaR (S'mores) and a box of Twisted Fruit (flavor of your choice - grape, mixed berry, pineapple, strawberry, sour apple, or tropical twist) from their Clif Kid product line.

The kind folks at Clif were kind enough to send me one of each flavor of ZBaR and Twisted Fruit for my own kids to try out. With 100% honesty, I can say that each variety was a hit with the kiddos. With whole grains, real fruit, and no funky stuff, you can feel good giving your kids these yummy treats. My son said the Twisted Fruit tasted like candy, which is probably the highest praise any product could receive! They are clearly a much better quality than the average fruit snack. The ZBaR seemed more like a cookie/brownie than a cereal or granola bar, and could easily be passed off as a dessert item. While they both have a touch more sugar than I would like, I will happily give these to my kids as a healthy treat, on occasion. I think these products would be great to provide instead of other junk at parties, gatherings, Halloween, etc.

Want some for your own? Just leave me a comment with a way for me to get in touch with you, the Twisted Fruit flavor you would like to try, and a big fat anniversary wish for me (just kidding!). The contest will end on Monday, January 24 at 11:59 pm. One entry per person please! Good luck!

P.S. These might say "kid" on them, but the grown ups in your house will like them too. :)

Do you LIKE this blog?

For the past few months, I have kept a Facebook page for this blog and have had a lot of fun doing so. I try to keep the information I post there different from what I post here. On Facebook, I post coupons for healthy items, relevant news articles, contest reminders, and other snippets of information I think my readers will enjoy. I promise I am not one of those folks that posts something every 5 minutes...normally I only post one item a day, and not always that much.

So if you're interested, head on over to my Facebook page and LIKE me. Thanks!

P.S. Stay tuned tomorrow for an extra special one year anniversary blog post!!

Love Soup

A church friend of ours gave us a lovely gift for Christmas - a jar of homemade soup mix called Love Soup. It had everything I needed to make a pot of homemade soup...all I had to do was add one pound of ground beef and water.

I forgot to take a picture before I opened it - you had to take out the pasta on top before preparing. 

It took one hour to cook, but virtually no preparation time, so it was an easy weeknight dinner. It made more than enough for dinner, and I had leftovers (which would have been packed for next day lunches, but we have missed school a lot this week for winter weather). Plus, it was chocked full of good stuff!

Thick, hearty soup tastes best in a Dora bowl.

I really appreciated getting a healthy and yummy treat for Christmas gift. It was a nice step outside of the candy and cookie treats that we normally get. Now that I have the recipe, I plan on making this for gifts next year.

Making the most of it

Times are tough in our household right now, and we are doing our best to stretch every dollar. One way I do this is to buy cheaper cuts of meat and prepare them creatively. Slow cookers are a great way to save time and money - cheap cuts of meat can be cooked all day long, meaning you will have dinner ready when you get home and the evening AND you didn't have to spend much to get it there!

Another way to make a cheaper cut of meat delicious is to marinade it for a long time. I bought a London Broil on sale at the grocery store for $3. Normally they are pretty tough, but I scored the meat and marinated it in orange juice, lime juice, and spices all day long before grilling on the George Foreman.

I cooked this for about 10-12 minutes on the GF...yum!

Something about the scoring and citrus juices really tenderizes this lean cut of meat, and gives it a wonderful flavor. Plus, there was enough leftover for my lunch the next day - BONUS!