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!