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!

Chicken salad makeover!

Who doesn't love a good chicken salad sandwich for lunch? If you add in mayonnaise, it sure will taste good but it might not be so good for you. I make a version of chicken salad that my family loves, with a healthy kick!

Avocado Chicken Salad served on Arnold Sandwich Thins Fill'ems

Avocado Chicken Salad
Leftover chicken breasts, shredded (2 breasts should be about right)
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
Red onion (to taste), diced
Lime juice, onion powder, chili powder, salt & pepper - all to taste

Mix together well - it is ok if the avocado gets mashed up, it serves as the mayo you're not adding. Do not omit the lime juice - it keeps the avocados from browning.

My family seems to prefer this version, and I serve it frequently for guests as well.

Quick, cheap dinner time!

As most of you can relate to, I want to make a quick, healthy, inexpensive homemade dinner for my family each night. After working all day and having to do the normal evening stuff, I don't have the time or energy for an elaborate meal, so I do my best to get dinner on the table in 20-30 minutes.

Tonight I made a black beans and rice dish that was a big hit!
Ingredients:
1 pack chicken tenderloins
1 can black beans, drained
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4-1/2 cup taco sauce
1 steam bag of brown rice (cooked)
chili powder, onion powder, salt, & pepper to taste

After cutting into small pieces, I sauteed the chicken until done in a touch of canola oil, then added the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for about 10 minutes to combine flavors.

The whole meal cost about $6 to feed a family of four (chicken - $3, black beans - $1, tomato sauce - $0.50, brown rice - $1). The kids loved it! Oh, and I only used one pot!

Adventures in food traditions

Collard greens cooked with a ham hock for flavor

As many people do, our family had to eat black eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day for good luck. My kids like greens pretty well, but it isn't a favorite. On New Year's, they ate them willingly because that is what we were supposed to do that day.

This got me thinking...maybe coming up with more unusual food traditions would be a good way to get kids to try more new foods in a fun way. Maybe a different food on Valentine's Day or Groundhog Day that is special for your family, something a little non-traditional but healthy. I will look to the next holiday to come up with something fun!

Does your family have any special food traditions?

Back to school...back to reality...back to packing lunches!

The kids had 11 days off from school for the holidays (wow!), and today is their first day back. I had a break from making lunches there for a while, but now I have to get back in the groove. For Christmas, my mom gave me some new containers that I've seen other bloggers use that I really wanted to try out, so today is the day. The Lock & Lock container is really cool for making the most out of a small space and packing an efficient lunch box.

Today's lunch:
-Turkey & cheese on whole wheat
-baby carrots
-peaches (frozen, we'll see how that works out by lunch time...an experiment)

Sandwich is cut into quarters and stacked. I like that it is deep enough to do that. 

This is what it looks like closed. I made sure Harper could open it before sending her off to school with it. 

I can't wait to experiment some more with new things to put in this! It has 2 other small dividers, so the options are endless!

I'm back, and hopefully better than ever!

I know, I know...for the past couple of months, I have really been slacking off on my blog. I can blame it on a lot of things - too busy, a little uninspired, blah blah blah. Point is, I want to do better, and that is what I'm going to do!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to feed my children more new foods - things I wouldn't normally cook because they intimidate me or that I personally don't like. My kids are pretty adventurous eaters, and I don't want that to change.

Grayson shoveling in the gazpacho my sister made on Christmas - something I never would think to make, but now I will!

What do you plan to do differently this year with your kids' diets? What do you want to see from this blog this year? I am open to any suggestions!

Happy New Year!!