Cooking Should NOT Be a Household Chore

Cooking is a huge aspect of our lives in this house. My husband loves to cook, I love to cook, and my oldest daughter loves to cook. The middle daughter makes a great sous chef, and the little one is constantly in the mix. We enjoy cooking, so we put love and attention into our cooking and it shows.

Not to sound like I am bragging, but it is possible for anyone to be a great cook. Now, I am not going to be giving Chef Ramsey a run for his money any time soon, but knowing some basic cooking techniques can make for a great repertoire in the kitchen.

Also, when kids participate in the cooking of a meal, they are more apt to give new foods a try. The rule in my house is that you have to give any new food a good try, a bite or two. If you legitimately do not like it, you do not have to eat it. Now, it may come back in a few months, and you should try it then too, but if you still don't like it, I don't push it after that. I just make sure to have enough other options to replace it. Not, cooking two dinners, but other side item options that I KNOW the child likes....or sometimes the adult.

When cooking is done as a family activity it leads to communication of daily activities, fun stories, sharing, and caring. It really bonds a family very closely. It gives us a chance to really come together for the goal of continuing our family communication at the dinner table.

So whether or not you think you are a great cook, or you loathe the idea, give family meal prep a shot. Give everyone a job to do, and let the good times roll!!!

Replace Potato Chips with Pita Chips

My kids can put a hurtin' on a bag of chips. We have found some good organic brands that we love. Organic chips can get pretty expensive though. So we take pita, brush a little butter on both sides and sprinkle a little zaatar, and bake in the oven at 350 for about 12 minutes or until they are your desired crispness.

We serve this with organic hummus, and the kids devour it! It is a much healthier snack than chips and dip, without losing the crunch or the creamy dip. We also love serving raw veggies with hummus.

Pasta With Veggies

Tonight's dinner was a smashing success, thank you, thank you, no applause. I jest! For those of you who do not know, my older girls came to me about three weeks ago professing their desire to become vegetarian. So, like any devoted mommy, I said, "Sure, and I will be one too!" So for the last three weeks we have been eating vegetarian.

Before anyone scoffs and scolds me about protein needs and iron deficiency, let me just say, we eat a lot of beans and a lot of spinach and broccoli in our house. I feel confident between those, and the other veggies and proteins that we are all getting enough. Not to mention, if the girls came to me tomorrow and professed their desire to return to our previous diet, which was mostly chicken, I would oblige. This is their choice for themselves.

Anywho, I digress from tonight's scrumptious meal. Here is the recipe:


Organic Veggie Pasta

1 pound of your favorite pasta, we used Rotini
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 yellow onion (diced)
2 large garlic cloves (minced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 cup baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
2 cups fresh baby spinach (chopped)
1 can chopped tomato

Boil your pasta to al dente and set it aside.

Heat the oil on medium heat in a chef's pan (a deep saute pan). Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add in the can of tomato, and let the liquid cook out for 5 to 10 minutes. Then add in the red and green bell peppers, and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms start to soften. Next, add in the cilantro. Let that cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the spinach, and turn off the heat. Cover the dish and let the spinach cook in the mix for 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!!

I topped mine with a couple kalamata olives and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. All three children had second helpings, even my toddler!

Some Easy Drink Recipes for Kids

Happy Labor Day everyone! Whether you are grilling, or just chillin', I have some great drink options for the kiddos today. Don't get me wrong, the adults can enjoy too! I have a recipe for a blueberry smoothie, that has blueberries, bananas and yogurt. Also in the article are recipes for a tropical smoothie, a cran-orange chiller, and a strawberry smoothie.




There are many ways in which to enjoy being healthy, and making a round of delicious, fruity drinks for the family can be one. Berries are full of antioxidants, so add as much as your taste buds like! Bananas are high in potassium, and low-fat yogurt is a great source of protein. Make them all organic and you up the health ante even more.

Come back soon, when I post some great high protein, toddler friendly smoothie recipes....including one for avocado melon....avocados are a super food, and are amazingly healthy!

Enjoy, and HAPPY LABOR DAY!!

Chunky Guacamole

Today I made a really tasty, flavorful guacamole. It consisted of:

1 avocado
1 medium tomato (chopped)
1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)                                  
1 tablespoon lime juice

First I chopped the tomato, and roughly chopped the avocado after I peeled it. I put both in a bowl and put the lime juice over it. Then I just spooned in the cilantro, mixed, and served.

I put my portion atop my veggie burger, which was FANTASTIC! My middle daughter did the same. My oldest daughter put her portion on top of the rice she was eating, and hubby just ate his straight off the fork.

Everyone loved the guacamole, and it was incredibly nutritious, and healthy. No added oil, mayo or anything like that. It really was fantastic.

Some direction

I have been doing a little research about blogging and how to really make a go of it, professionally. One suggestion that I came across was to specialize and tailor the blog to a specific parenting issue, so as to become somewhat of a subject matter expert.

If I had to tailor my blog to one thing, I think at this point I would pick nutrition, and healthy eating. I am thinking of taking this blog in a more concentrated direction....with some track derailment here and there...

I would love to know how you all would feel about this. I would be including article, written by others, and myself. I would start posting research, pointers, real advice on how to get kids to eat healthier, and tips and tricks I use myself.

The biggest aspect is that I may have to look at changing blogging locations. Not sure yet. I am still doing the research on that.

For now, I would love to know how receptive everyone would be to a blog that focused on the health, and nutrition aspect of parenting.

Coffee, Old School Style.

So it is no secret that I am a coffee fanatic.  I love my coffee, not just for the boost, but the taste itself, and the smell is one of the best in the whole world.  The other day my coffee world almost came tumbling down, down, down.

The coffee maker has been acting up.  I am still in the age of the regular ole coffee maker, no Keurig craze here.  I drink Bustelo every morning, which is a great Spanish coffee.  It is strong, bold, and full of flavor, and so am I. Anywho, the coffee maker was brewing half the coffee for the water I put in the machine.  I put in 8 cups of water, and it would brew 4 cups of coffee.  While I enjoy my coffee strong, that is a bit ridiculous, even for me.  So for a day or two I just added extra water into the pot itself so that it would equal out as it brewed. 

Yesterday I took the whole machine apart, cleaned it, and found what I thought was the problem.  I found a small piece of broken off coffee filter in the water uptake compartment, and I surmised that this was blocking the flow, and meanwhile the heat was evaporating about half the water in the process.  So, I put it back together, and somewhere along the way I broke a piece.  Not just a piece, but a critical component.  I was mortified.  It was late, so I did not want to run out and buy another machine then, so I decided this morning to make coffee old school, because that is how I roll. 

I present this picture to you.  I put a filter into a strainer, boiled water, and then slowly poured it through the strainer/filter.  I then repeated the process so that the coffee would be a little stronger.  It was great!  But I had to laugh because the site of this reminded me of something I would be watching Wilma Flintstone do.  In this age of push button living, here I am standing over a make shift coffee machine, getting antsy when it takes 20 minutes to prepare my coffee at 5am. 

I savored every last drop....

Combatting Picky Eaters

One of the biggest compliments I get is that my kids are great eaters.  This goes across the board with all three girls.  My 19 month old daughter's favorite food is broccoli, and next to that is avocado.  She also loves bean sprouts.  My older daughters are great eaters also, they love spinach, broccoli, peppers, etc.  This is not a situation in which I just got lucky three times.  It is no happy accident that I have three kids who eat well, and appreciate healthy fruits and vegetables. 

From the time they started eating solid foods I pushed fruits and more so vegetables.  Starting as early as possible I started feeding them every veggie I could, even the ones that I do not particularly care for myself.  It  is important that kids develop their own tastes.  Just because I did not like brussel sprouts as a child does not mean my kids would hate them.  As a matter of fact I discovered that when cooked properly, those things are quite delicious!  Who knew?!?!  I have a deal with my girls regarding new foods.  If they give it one or two bites, real bites not little nibbles that you cannot even see on the spoon, and they do not like it then they do not have to eat it.  All I ask is that they try, and they do.  I think having the ultimate say over whether or not they are going to be eating this food has made a world of difference.  They know there is no fight, just try it, give it a fair shot, and if you do not like it, then that's okay.  But here is the catch, the next time I make it (which will not be for a while) you have to try it again.  Maybe I will try to cook it differently, season it differently, or your taste buds have matured enough to palate the food now.  But you have to give it a true shot, every time. 

In saying that, it is important that I say something to all my parents out here.  If your child tries something and really just does not like it, then you have to be real about how frequently you cook it.  You really do have to consider their preferences when you are planning meals, get them involved, it makes a difference. 

My girls love to help cook dinner.  They are constantly asking how something is made, what is in it, what they can do to contribute to the meal also.  They have a vested interest in what they are going to be eating, and guess what, that also makes them want to try things even if they are unsure how it is going to taste.  Are you seeing the control theme throughout this post yet??  It is true, kids want to be a part of what decisions effect them, and what they eat is one of those decisions.  I have never had to have a show down at the dinner table, ever.  I have never had to bargain with my kids to eat all their vegetable, or anything, in order to get something else.  I have, however, hidden vegetables in my oldest daughter's smoothies when she was a toddler. 

We all know that toddlers are wonderful little beings, until they discover free will.  Then it is on like Donkey Kong.  My oldest daughter went through a phase where she would not eat vegetables, but she was 18 months old.  She only wanted fruits.  I kept offering them at almost every meal in every way I could think to prepare them.  She refused to eat them.  I even said something to the doctor, who informed me it was a phase, and she would return to her normal veggie loving self in time.  Well that was all fine and good but not enough for me to feel better.  Every morning this child asked for a fruit smoothie, which I happily made for her.  Then, one morning, I decided to see what would happen if I added the leftover broccoli that she refused from dinner the night before.  I upped the amount of fruit a little bit, and voila!  She drank it without any issue.  She had no idea that she was drinking a broccoli smoothie, but I felt better about her getting the nutrients that I was paranoid about her missing.  Eventually, after I continued to offer veggies, she came around, and began eating regularly again. 

It was a control issue, she was standing her ground against doing something she knew I really wanted her to do.  I just got creative.  I felt better, and relaxed more about her not devouring the veggies, and she picked up on my feelings.  She relaxed her grip on controlling what was going into her mouth when she felt that her feelings were being respected.  I know it may sound silly to be talking about a child who was 18 months old when this happened, but trust and believe, this is the reality of it.  Toddlers are little people, they have personalities, and traits that adults have also.  We have to learn how to communicate in their language since they are unable to communicate in our completely.  When I gave my child the understanding that I was not going to control what she ate, she ate everything in sight.  My job as a parent was to get creative and yes, sneaky.  This same child now wants to go to culinary school and someday be a chef.  She eats just about anything.  She loves to cook, and loves to try new foods. 

My 19 month old daughter is currently a vegetarian.  She eats all types of veggies, fruits, grains, etc.  Now, that is not to say she eats everything because she does not.  But I keep offering everything because at some point she will probably begin to like the things she does not care for right now, like peppers.  I make sure that whatever we are eating, there is enough that I know for sure she does like, and then give her a little of the other things that she may or may not care for also.  It is a balance, but one that will make the future so much easier.  No more, my child only eats chicken nuggets and fries, or worse.  Kids are going to go through phases of preferences, yes, but we have to be diligent as parents in offering things to them.  We have to walk the tightrope of control, never fully relinquishing it, but giving our children enough of it themselves that they feel like we respect them.  That is what picky eating is about, control. 

If you have a picky eater, start out slow.  Buy a kids cookbook and let your child pick out a recipe for you to make together.  Something easy and simple, just to put your toes in the water at first.  When they see that they created something, and they like it, they will want to do it again, and again.  Get creative, get sneaky if you have to, but most of all, get proactive!  Get kids involved, and they will overcome their pickiness.  If you give them a good, healthy example, they will follow.  We are the biggest influence in our children's lives, and it is our obligation as their parents to make sure that we are positive influences. 

Veggie Wednesday

Every Wednesday we eat a vegetarian dinner.  It is fun!  The kids love it, and it gives us a chance to really get creative with our food.  This is a picture of tonight's dinner.  It is a black bean veggie burger with eggplant chips on the side. 

I am really proud of this meal.  It was insanely delicious, and my kids loved it.  I love getting creative with food, and so does every member of my family.  We all love to cook.  My ten year old wants to go to culinary school and become a chef.  I could not be prouder of her. 

Every veggie on this plate is also organic, something else that is very important to us as a family.  We try to eat as organic as possible, and eat as many NON-GMO foods as possible.  We teach the kids the reality of food, processed food dangers, organic versus non-organic, what the heck GMO means.  They know it all.  But we also have moments where we just order a pizza and sit back and relax.  I want my kids to be well informed and make good choices, but I also want them to know it is not something that needs to be obsessive.  We cook 95% of our meals at home, actually probably more, but I am being conservative.  We encourage the kids to participate in meal preparation with us as well. 

My ten year old made breakfast for the family last weekend.  She made a nutty cornbread in which she incorporated walnuts into cornbread.  She said she wanted to use walnuts because, "they will add a buttery flavor, which will compliment the cornbread nicely."  Yes, she is ten years old.  I love her to death.  She is very aware for her age, she always has been.  I think she has a very old soul.  But, I digress. 

I tell my girls, find something you love, and make it your own.  They have each shown a desire to really take cooking to a whole new level, although the oldest seems to really want to run with the ball.  She is making her own cookbook.  I tell them both all the time, food has several important aspects.  It needs to nourish your body, it needs to be something you enjoy preparing, and it needs to have universal appeal if you are sharing it with others.  The colors, flavors, and textures are all important and must work together. 

Tonight's dinner was not just our typical veggie Wednesday, it was a wonderful, family meal prepared together, enjoyed together.  They praised my veggie burger to the heavens, they helped prep all the fixins' for the burgers.  They devoured every last morsel on their plates, and helped clean up afterwards. 

Food can bring a family together.  The family dinner should be alive and well in every household.  It is a vital piece to the puzzle that can mean so much to everyone in the family.  My girls will grow up remembering all the great meals we tried out together.  They will go on with their own families with the foundation of everyone in the kitchen, working and sharing together.

It is not just a meal, it is an event.  It is a memory that will last us all a lifetime.

Dark Chocolate Bark

I gave up desserts for Lent, and lost 10 pounds...WOOT.  Well, now that I am allowed to partake again, I was looking for a dessert that would calm the sweet tooth, but not pack those 10 pounds back on, plus some. 

My friend gave me a recipe for Dark Chocolate Bark....OMG!  Delicious, and not too bad for the waistline either!! 

DARK CHOCOLATE BARK RECIPE:

24 OZ DARK CHOCOLATE MORSELS
1 CUP DRIED BERRIES (CHERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, OR  CRANBERRIES)
1 CUP NUTS (ALMONDS, WALNUTS, OR PECANS)

Line a 12X15 pan with wax paper.  In a glass bowl, microwave the chocolate morsels for 3 minutes, stirring every minute.  Spread the chocolate out in the pan, sprinkle the berries and nuts throughout, and use a spoon to press them in.  Refrigerate for 2 hours, and there ya go!!!  Cut it up and enjoy!

Scrambled Eggs in Pita

This morning my 7 year old proclaimed that she wanted the same thing for breakfast this morning as yesterday.  This would be scrambled eggs inside of a toasted pita....with a little Italian cheese in the eggs. 
This time though, she wanted to be the "assistant chef."  I cracked enough eggs for her, her sister, and my hubby (who is still upstairs sleeping with the baby...lol).  She scrambled and I toasted the pitas...added the cheese.  She informed me that I make eggs different than Daddy.  Well there is a surprise, we do a lot of things differently.
She is growing up so fast.  She is my itty bitty...meaning, she is really tiny for her age.  At almost 8, in August, she weighs 40 pounds, and is a little over 3 1/2 feet tall.  She has always been on the small side.  This means that often times it is harder for her to do things that her peers can do easily. 
This was a great morning for me...cooking with my itty bitty!

National Beef Recall...

Apparently this mostly affects those in the South/Southeast regions.....

http://www.igobogo.com/Portal/featured-articles/national-beef-recall-affects-publix-winn-dixie-walmart-sams-club-more/

A Mother’s Nightmare: Bacteria Resistant To Antibiotics | Healthy Child Healthy World

A Mother’s Nightmare: Bacteria Resistant To Antibiotics Healthy Child Healthy World


This article just got me. As a Mom, the health and well being of my children is so incredibly important to me. This is why I try and turn to organics and locally grown produce and meats as often as possible. As a SAHM the cost of both is a concern to me, but really, the benefit outweighs the monetary cost. I think if we all adjust our eating habits so that we are once again eating to live, not living to eat...well, it's the best relationship to have with food.
Whether you have children or not, read this, it is eye opening, to say the least.

Yummy! Baked Teriyaki Chicken

I get the recipe of the day from allrecipes.com, and today is Baked Teriyaki Chicken.  It looks delicious!!

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

 

By: Marian Collins 

"A much requested chicken recipe! Easy to double for a large group. Delicious!"

Rate/Review | Read Reviews (2,397)
70,161 people have saved this | 55 custom versions

Prep Time:
30 Min

Cook Time:
1 Hr

Ready In:
1 Hr 30 Min

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12 skinless chicken thighs

Directions

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 278 | Total Fat: 10.1g | Cholesterol: 88mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Best Mac and Cheese, EVER.

In our house, we are BIG on cooking everything from scratch.  We eat as little processed food as possible.  I found this great recipe for Baked Mac-N-Cheese, by Alton Brown from Food Network.  Some of my friends have tried it too, and OMG, it is smack yo Momma good...LOL.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Hello, Good Morning!

Good morning, what a gorgeous day here in Virginia! The storms rolled through last night, and thankfully today, all seems to be doing well. My thoughts and prayers with those not so fortunate with last night's weather. So here I am, a stay at home Mom, with 8 and 6 year old daughters, and a baby on the way. I was divorced, and remarried last May, so I am also a newlywed, who is currently expecting a baby this September, and Mom to Tai, our Puggle puppy. Our life is full of life, love, and laughter. One of my joys in life is sharing my experiences with others, good, bad, ugly, whatever. This blog is about sharing information, opinions, ideas, advice....everything that comes with the art of being Mom. I have plenty to share in the realms of cooking, cleaning, parenting, etc. And I am always looking for new points of views on old topics.