Oatmeal on the Go

This quick, simple breakfast can be eaten on the go! Whether you drive or walk to school with your kids in the morning, I'm sure most mornings are rushed- leaving little time for sitting and eating breakfast. These oatmeal bars will keep your kiddies full until lunchtime- and the best thing is, you can pre- make them the night before!

My friend Gina of Skinnytaste made breakfast cookies and I was intrigued! I attempted making them but was missing the chocolate chips that the recipe called for. In place of the chocolate chips I used peanut butter- but it just didn't do it for the cookies! I was determined to make such a simple breakfast, so I got crack-a-lackin and came up with these oatmeal bars.

My husband ate 3 of these yesterday- this proves how good they are! Normally, he's not one for my healthy antics! Chloe had hers on our morning walk to school and loved the chocolate chips- she is my daughter after all! 

You can mix it up and throw in some raisins or craisins in place of the chocolate chips. In my house- chocolate prevails all! 

Yummy Mummy Marshmallow Treat

Seeing Chloe and Max's faces light up when they came home to these marsh-mummies was a treat in itself! They both love marshmallows so I kinda knew these easy Halloween treats would be a hit. I plan on making a batch for each of their classes fall festival celebrations - since I love seeing little faces light up so much!

I'm absolutely loving this fall. The weather, the festivities, the sweaters and boots, and of course-the food. I'm happy to be enjoying another season as much as I do summer! This is definitely a new found love for me- but I'm welcoming it with opened arms! The kids and I went pumpkin picking on a farm last week with friends. We went on a hay ride and fed some bunnies along with some other smelly animals! As much as I enjoyed myself, the city girl in me cannot handle smelly animals! Luckily there were also some good smells too, like that of roasted corn on the cob! The farm had it's own gourmet market that had many yummy things to buy such as zucchini chips and butternut squash & apple soup. My friend Gina and I shared a fresh mozzarella panini with balsamic reduction that was pretty darn good! The market is where I got the inspiration for these marsh-mummies.  It was a great day with friends and my favorite little peeps! 

Spaghetti Squash Mashed Potatoes

As a child, mashed potatoes were by far one of my favorite foods. My German grandma made them for me with almost every meal. Now that the weather is cooling off here in New York, my body is craving the warmth certain foods offer. Warm cups of tea, soups, oatmeal, and of course - mashed potatoes. I can't eat them like I did at Grandma's because I wouldn't want to house an extra ass on my body this winter- although it would provide additional warmth- it's not welcomed! 

I made spaghetti squash on it's own with a little salt, pepper, and butter but the kids didn't care for it much. I baked one in the oven yesterday and knowing the kids wouldn't eat it, thought blending it with some potatoes I was mashing would be ingenious! They were amazing- the kids ate them without any suspicions, and they made the perfect side dish for my roast beef. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

I'm a summer girl at heart. I love the beach, not wearing a jacket or having to bundle up the kids, and of course, flip-flops! My feet were seriously rejecting my boots the first day I wore them last week! However, fall...you had me at pumpkin! I embrace the fall by indulging in the many pumpkin-y treats this season has to offer. 

I like Chloe and Max to come home to a healthy after school snack. They both come have ravenous, as if they haven't eaten in days! This is when I introduce something new- giving them little choice to decline! Who would turn down a muffin served by a spider waiter anyway?

I wanted to make a healthier pumpkin muffin. I try to sneak wheat germ into anything I can because it's such a superfood. I used oatmeal instead of flour. Oats are low in fat, and are sodium free, cholesterol free, and preservative free. Oats add fiber, texture and a mild nutty flavor to baked goods. I had semi-sweet chocolate chips in the house and I knew the kids would definitely be more open to eating anything with chocolate!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup applesauce (I use Mott's Medleys because it has blended vegetables in it)
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cup of old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup of wheat germ
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs pumpkin butter (optional)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Line your muffin pans with cupcake baking cups- or spray the muffin pan with non-stick spray

Blend all the ingredients until mixture is smooth

Fill approximately 14/15 muffins with mixture

Bake 25 minutes or until tops are brown

These are even better the next day- so if you can, bake ahead! These don't just make for a great after school snack, they make a great breakfast as well!

Ghost Toast & Three Little Ghosties- Books to Belly Halloween Edition!

I bought these awesome ghost and bat cookie cutters to fulfill all of my quirky food fantasies for the kiddies! Target has lots of great Halloween goodies that make this time of year that much more fun. 

On our last trip to the library, the kids chose some books, one of them being Three Little Ghosties. Upon finishing their burnt toasties, the three little ghosties set off to scare some girlsies and boyses but their plan doesn't exactly work out for them! How much trouble can three harmless little ghosts get into in one night? Plenty! Maybe they are hanging around my house! 

We read our story before our breakfast of Ghost Toast which I made with fluff and peanut butter dotted eyes. You can also use cream cheese and dot jelly eyes. The bats are made with Nutella and I dotted the eyes with fluff. The kids ate this up like the ghosties were coming! 

Today was a perfect Books to Belly day. Both kids were home sick so it was a nice little reading activity to do with them. Chloe and Max enjoyed eating their ghost toasties while trying to scare one another like the ghosts in the story! Nothing like making connections! 

I hope your lil guys & ghouls enjoy this Halloween edition of Books to Belly!! 

Mummy Dogs- Revamped!

When I made these mummy dogs last Fall, Max was eating turkey and chicken hot dogs. As the seasons change, so does that of a newly 4 year olds palette! 

Once he had the taste of a beef hot dog, he wasn't going back. I don't mind him eating them at an occasional BBQ- however, I'm not giving them to him at home. I bought Applegate organic hot dogs because they are all natural, have no nitrates and are hormone free. They are also less fattening than your average hot dog. If he's eating a hot dog, I feel better giving him these!

Max absolutely loves mummy dogs! He was so excited when I gave him his lunch in it's little coffin! He was cracking up when he opened it up! You can buy the coffin at Michaels for $1.00! 

Mummy Dogs

• 1 package of Applegate hot dogs
• Pillsbury crescent rolls
• mustard

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Line a cookie sheet wit tin foil (no spray)
• Take crescent rolls out one at a time and cut into 1 inch strips with a kitchen scissor
• Wrap crescent rolls around the hot dog- there is no rhyme or reason to wrapping!
• Bake for 18-20 minutes 
• Let the dogs cool 5 minutes before dotting on mustard eyes! 

These are so simple - yet, so much fun! Enjoy!!!!


                  

                           

Pumpkin Shake

My kids take after me with my seasonal pumpkin addiction! Since it's still warm here in New York, I wanted to make them a cool pumpkin treat to come home from school to. We can still get our pumpkin on even though the weather isn't very Fall like!

This is so yummy and very simple.

Pumpkin Shake

Ingredients:

1 cup Pumpkin Ice Cream (Trader Joe's is A-mazing)

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 tbsp pumpkin butter (optional)

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1 cup of ice cubes

Whipped cream for topping

Semi-sweet chocolate chips for topping

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together (except toppings!) until ice is completely blended.

Pour in glass and top with whipped cream and chocolate chips.

Makes two- 6 oz shakes

Healthier Whole Wheat Pancakes

Looking for healthier pancake? These are infused with sweet potato and wheat germ! Not only are sweet potatoes readily available, inexpensive, and delicious, there are many other reasons to love them! They are high in vitamin B6, they are a great source of vitamins C & D, they contain iron, magnesium, potassium, and are high in carotenoids like beta carotene. 

I added wheat germ because it is an excellent source of so many essential vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. It's considered to be one of the top ten healthiest foods! Because of its health benefits, I add it into anything I can such as oatmeal, yogurt, cereal, smoothies...I even mix it into breadcrumbs. The best thing, the kids have no idea! 

I adapted Gina's recipe from Skinnytaste.com by adding in my little extras. Max is a pancake fanatic- but not so much a veggie fanatic, so I have to get veggies in him whenever hiding them is a possibility! You cannot even see the sweet potato in the pancakes- no detection of veggies= happy Max & happy Mama!

            Healthier Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill)
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp fat free milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• cooking spray
• 2 tbsp wheat germ
• 1/3 cup of sweet potato (baked)

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon. 

I use a large electric griddle - so many pancakes can cook at once so cooking time is reduced! Spray your pan and pour on batter according to whatever size pancakes you like. Flip pancakes once you see bubbles. 

We read two books to accompany our breakfast. The first, If You Give A Pig A Pancake by Laura Numeroff. The second, The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler. 

If You Give A Pig A Pancake is close in comparison to daily life as a mommy. If you give your kid a pancake, they will surely ask for syrup...once they have the syrup- of course they'll need a fork.. and a drink... and a napkin!!! The little girl managing all of the pigs requests is exhausted by the end of the story- I feel ya girl!

The Hungry Thing is an adorable story that gets your children thinking! What exactly does the Hungry Thing want to eat? Shmancakes...and tickles...and feetloaf...and gollipops of course! Chloe loved guessing it was pancakes, pickles, meatloaf, and lollipops just to name a few. She was quicker than Max in the guessing department but he enjoyed the story just the same! 

Happy hiding & even happier eating!

Books to Belly; Blueberries for Sal & Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones

I've had this recipe for whole wheat blueberry scones hanging on my fridge for months. As soon as Gaga (my mom!) gave us the book Blueberries for Sal, I knew it was go time!  

My kids immediately loved the story because my dads name is Sal! They were so excited that Paw-Paws name was in the title of our next story and inspiration for scones.

I fell in love with this story before reading a word. The first page is wordless, depicting a little girl in the kitchen with her mom (need I say more!). Chloe said, "look ma, just like me and you"...as I was thinking the very same thing. Chloe had made a text to self connection with the story by comparing herself in the kitchen with me, to the little girl in the story and her mom- before even starting the actual reading. I was glad to see she was interested from the start because of this connection. As Sal and her mom head out to collect blueberries to can for the winter ahead, a bear and her cub go out to eat as much blueberries as they can for their winter hibernation ahead. The comparison between the human mom and child and the bear mom and cub is so sweet and similar in nature. Chloe and Max were both anxious to go blueberry picking after the story- so what's a city girl to do? Pack up the car and drive straight to Trader Joe's of course! 

As for the scones, they came out fantastic for our first go at them. I'm not a baker! However, I had my trustee sous chef Chloe at my side who also helped take care of my thumb that had a nasty run in with the grater (yikes!!!). Needless to say, the scones are long gone and the fam is not so patiently awaiting a second batch. Maybe when the thumb is fully healed! 

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones (recipe from Parents magazine)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. old-fashioned oats, divided
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup), frozen
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (of course!)
• 1 Tbs. coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup pats, brown sugar, and baking powder. Grate (yikes- be careful!) butter into flour mixture using the largest holes of a box grater; mix. 

In a small bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir in berries. Gently stir liquid mixture into flour mixture until combined. Use your hands to bring dough together. Refrigerate 15 minutes if sticky.

Mix remaining 2 tbs. oats with coarse sugar. Sprinkle half of it over a cutting board. Form dough into 2-4 in. rounds using your hands. Set them in oat mixture; press lightly. Top with remaining oats and sugar.

Cut rounds into 6 wedges each. Set on a cookie sheet at least 1 in. apart; bake for 24 to 26 minutes.

We hope you enjoy Blueberries for Sal and the whole wheat blueberry scones as much as we did!

Books to Belly: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

We might be experiencing a heat wave here in New York this week- my prediction? Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs! 

In the town of Chewandswallow, the people get their meals by simply stepping outdoors! I'm ready to pack up and move! However, things get rather sticky (literally!) when the weather becomes unpredictable showering down syrup that floods the streets and pancakes that cover houses. The meatballs were so dangerously large that the towns people had to up and move in fear of their lives. Maybe hamburgers falling from the sky instead of rain isn't so great after all!

Chloe and I  agreed that our turkey meatballs would be a perfect accompaniment to the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. She has seriously become my little sous chef! She's even asking for cooking lessons!

I use ground turkey opposed to beef not only because it's healthier, because I like the taste better and honestly- they taste just as great. My Italian dad loves them!

Turkey Meatballs

• 1.3 lbs lean ground turkey (shady brook farms)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray.

Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl.

Roll turkey into balls (not tight) and place on tin. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

If you're making sauce, cook meatballs in sauce for another 20 minutes.

Chloe ate 2 meatballs for lunch after she helped make them today! We read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs prior to making our lunch and discussed all of the food we would love to fall from the sky while we waited to eat. Ice cream, oreos, pizza and empanadas like Grandmas were a few!

Making these connections between reading and food have been so much fun. Chloe is enjoying cooking as much as the literature...and I am loving spending this special time with Chloe. 

Creating meals based on children's literature not only helps you connect to your child, but also helps your child make connections to the text- a very important part of being a good reader. This is also an excellent way to get picky eaters to try new foods! I hope you are enjoying Books to Belly as much as we are!

Baked "Cupcake" Eggs

Making the right food choices is a constant battle for me. I love carbs- especially pizza! Ive learned that working out alone doesn't do it for my body. Exercise and diet go hand in hand for me. When I am being really good, I get in this zone that puts me in this mindset that certain foods, like pizza, are not an option...not even the crust that Max leaves on his plate!  I still make the kids the foods they like, I've just conditioned myself to stay away from them. Yes, its hard- but very worth it. 

I am human and do fall off the foodie wagon! Last week between all of the BBQ's and extracurricular activities I partook in, I ate and drank like it was nobodies business...but I'm paying for it with my fluffiness! I'll work extra hard this week by paying close attention to what I put in my mouth and bring out the she beast at the gym! I did a run on Saturday and a spin class on Sunday to start the process. 

In my house, breakfast is our favorite meal. I should seriously consider housing a chicken- that's how many eggs we go through! I happily cook up eggs in the morning because of the protein they offer. When my kids were toddlers, I would whip up spinach and cheese omelette's and they would gobble them up along side me. As they grew and got pickier, spinach in eggs were no longer an option- for them. For me, I love throwing some greens into my eggs. Instead of making two batches of eggs, I utilize my cupcake pan to make every one's breakfast to their liking. 

I use my 2 cup measuring cup to crack the eggs and to mix them up (I despise dishes!). It's also much easier pouring them into the cupcake pan using this. 

Ingredients

• 6 eggs (makes 8 cupcake eggs)
• 1/2 cup of 2% milk (or whatever you have)
• salt & pepper to taste
• American cheese (shredded or diced)
• asparagus (I used 3)
• goat cheese (crumbled)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk your eggs with the milk. 

Spray the cupcake pan with non-stick spray. Right now, I'm loving Trader Joe's coconut oil spray. There's no fat, no calories, no sodium, sugar or carbs! 

Fill your pan with the eggs starting with halfway then fill more with the remaining eggs.

Top off four of the eggs with American cheese. As well as cracking and whisking the eggs, Chloe and Max assist with topping off their eggs. I feel like this gives them ownership of their meal, making them want to eat their creation. 

Top off the other four with asparagus and goat cheese. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Check them at 18 by sticking a fork in. If the fork is clean, take them out- just like real cupcakes! If the fork has egg on it, leave them in for the 20. 

I made biscuits with the eggs that I didn't eat! I had a small bowl of Kashi cereal on the side. Making simple changes like this will help pounds come off and your body healthier. This is an easy way to prepare something for your family that everyone can eat at the same time. Alter your ingredients to your liking and to switch things up.

Books to Belly; Dragons Love Tacos & Shrimp Tacos

Forget dinner and a movie- dinner and a book is way better! 

It wasn't hard getting inspiration to create a meal based on the children's book Dragons Love Tacos!  Much like my family, the way to a dragons heart is always through his stomach! 

Chloe and Max chose Dragons Love Tacos at our local library and I immediately knew we had to have tacos to accompany the story! 

Creating a meal based around a children's book is a great way to promote a love of reading over the summer. Part of being a good reader is making connections to what you are reading. What better way to connect to a story than through food! Its also an excellent way to introduce new foods to your children and get picky eaters to try new ones. 

I read the story before preparing our shrimp tacos. Chloe and Max loved hearing why dragons love eating tacos so much. They especially enjoyed checking off the ingredients dragons love in their tacos because we were including most of the same in ours. We were very careful not to include the one ingredient dragons should never have in their tacos (anything spicy) because we do not like spicy either!

I truly enjoyed this time with my children. I cannot wait to select the next book with Chloe and Max and cook a meal together. Chloe loves to help in the kitchen and I hope through this, she will love reading just as much.

I look forward to sharing more "Books to Belly" posts with you and your families! 

                                                                                 

Shrimp Tacos

• 2 pounds of shrimp (feeds 4)
• taco shells (hard or soft- or both if you want to get crazy!!!)
• lettuce
• tomato
• avocado (optional)
• shredded Mexican cheese (I use Sargento Mexican blend)
• reduced fat sour cream (optional)
• Margie's all natural mango herb & garlic marinade for the shrimp.

Cook shrimp until pink throughout. I did ours in a pan on the stove. You can grill them on the BBQ as well. 


Involve the kids by having them assemble the ingredients in a platter. Before heating the pan, I had Chloe scoop the shrimp into the pan and clean the celery in the sink.

Breakfast S'mores

We kicked off the first day of summer in our house with S'mores for breakfast- no flame required! I mixed the summertime staple with classic French Toast and created a tiny miracle! If you think this looks good, wait until you taste it! 

First step is making your French Toast. You can even prepare it the night before and warm before serving. I use quinoa bread (pronounced keen-wah) from Trader Joe's. Known for its amazing nutritional value, quinoa is high in protein and iron and low in fat. Max and I love this bread. Chloe needs some convincing at times but had no trouble getting down her breakfast S'mores and actually asked for more! 

Ingredients:

• Sliced bread of your choice ( I use the quinoa to boost the nutritional value)
• Eggs
• Milk
• Cinnamon
• Nutella
• Fluff
• Graham Crackers

For my French Toast, I mix a little milk in eggs and sprinkle cinnamon directly into the mixture. After the French Toast is cooked, let it cool a bit and cut a circle out of each piece using a glass. My kids don't eat the crust so making everything crustless here has become second nature! If your kids eat the crust- you can leave the bread whole.

While the French Toast cools, take 2-3 graham crackers and grind them in your food processor. I use a magic bullet. 

Take your circle and spread on the Nutella. If the French Toast is too hot, it will melt off- same for the Fluff. 

Fluff is hard to work with. I took a snack sized Ziploc bag, cut off the tip, and spooned in the Fluff. I then squeezed it on top of the Nutella in a circular motion.

Finally, sprinkle the graham crackers on top of the Fluff!

I hope your family loves this breakfast as much as mine! It is something simple that your kids will love so much. 

Enjoy you summer...and your Breakfast S'mores!

Fourth of July Shrimp Skewers

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned....it's been over 2 months since my last blog post! My kitchen remodel has kept me from cooking! With Fourth of July around the corner, I wanted to make these fun Fourth of July star spangled shrimp skewers for Chloe (my little shrimp lover)! You can't get any more patriotic than star shaped food! I wanted an alternative to meat which Chloe hardly eats. I will be bringing these to many a BBQ over the holiday weekend! 

I used my Pampered Chef cookie cutters to cut the red bell peppers into stars. Perfect Fourth of July food...and easy too!

I saved the remaining pepper to cut up in a salad. You can also save them to make fajitas, sausage and peppers or an add in for your morning omelet.

Fourth of July Shrimp Skewers

1 1/2 pounds of extra large jumbo shrimp

1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt & pepper (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon of Adobo (found in Spanish aisle)

Add shrimp to a bowl and mix in the olive oil. Add salt, pepper and Adobo. Mix 

well. I let them marinade for at least an hour. 

While shrimp marinades, soak your wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning. 

I grilled them on my indoor grill on 350 until they were pink throughout. If you are cooking them on the BBQ, you can lay foil down to prevent burning. Chloe will not eat anything from the grill if it has char marks or "black" as she refers to it! Watch them carefully- they cook quickly. 

Try these with chicken or steak, whichever your children prefer! They will definitely love the pepper stars!

        Happy Fourth of July from my little star to yours!

We are Mothers, Hear us Roar!

 

 

Being a mom, I'm constantly reminded of just how strong I have become. Carrying two pregnancies, giving birth, producing milk to nourish my babies. Besides the fascination of what my body has been capable of doing, I'm honestly amazed at how much my strength has magnified since having children. I think this hammer strength is a woman's right of passage upon entering motherhood.

 

Before the kids came along, I made a pact with my husband. I would be on shit duty-he puke. I couldn't see puke, smell it, hear it or think it. If I did, all hell would break loose...can't possibly take care of a vomiting child when you're puking yourself. This weak stomach of mine somehow metamorphosed into steel when I became a mom. It comes with the territory. I am now capable of handling human feces and vomit like no other. I wear this badge honorably because I earned it!

 

Both kids were sick last week-unfortunately simultaneously with me. Although the flu test resulted in a negative, it very much mirrored it. I woke up one night with a fever- freezing, dry mouth, sore throat and headache from hell. I couldn't even lift my head to take a sip of water from my nightstand! I felt like absolute shit. I envisioned myself getting up to take Tylenol in the kitchen while getting an extra blanket from the living room. I laid there for what felt like forever, listening to the beat of my headache, shivering, thinking of all the things that would make me feel better, completely and utterly immobile- until hearing..."mommyyyyy"!!! And... right out of bed I went. Just like that. For myself, I laid there suffering. My son needed me and there wasn't a moments hesitation. Knowing he felt similar to how I did - made me feel worse. After getting him what he needed, I lay cuddled next to him in his twin bed- shivering synchronized, praying to God to transfer his pain to me. If only cuddling could somehow access that transfer, our kids would go unscathed for life- and, we really would be able to do it all!

 

A mother's strength comes in many different forms. I never thought I would make it when both kids stopped napping!  It can be a bouncy house rescue- climbing a blow-up ladder military style with one arm, while carrying a child in another! Sometimes its finding the courage to speak up at school when need be. This animal instinct to protect my young is a strength within me I never knew existed. I have evolved into this Superwoman that can get through just about anything. I always knew I wanted to be a mom...I just didn't know I would feel this amazing being one. Putting their needs, wants and desires first takes a lot of strength...I believe we suddenly possess this strength because Lord knows- we need it!

 

Being a mom is empowering. I have never felt as confident as I do today as Chloe and Max's mom. Sure there are days I want to have a cocktail by 10am- but that strength within me gets me through the day (or at least until 5pm) without it! I brought them into this world and have watched them grow into these amazing little people- because of me. I always second guessed myself and what I was good at before having them. This- I got. This is what I was meant to be. A mommy. And... I couldn't be happier with my title...or my new found mommy muscle.

 

This post is dedicated to my two little loves, Chloe and Max. Thank you both for making me feel so important. The love you both have for me feeds the Superwoman in me to keep me going on those not so fun days. Mommy loves you both more than my heart can hold. You have made my life what I wanted it to be.

 

xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dirty Dozen- Which Fruits & Veggies to Buy Organic

 

 

Organic blueberries- a must!

 

When I found out I was pregnant with Chloe, eating clean became a top priority in my life. I wanted to provide her with the best nourishment I could from the start. Once she was born and started eating herself, going strictly organic was important to me. I made my own baby food for both of my children using only organic fruits and veggies. Feeding my kids is my shtick! I get pure joy out of feeding them to this day.

Now at 5 and 3, I no longer buy strictly organic. Although I still feed them as healthily as I possibly can, the cost is too high for me to be able to buy everything organic. My staples are milk and yogurt and the fruits and veggies referred to as "the dirty dozen"! You can lower your families pesticide intake substantially just by buying these fruits and veggies. Most of the foods listed below have either thin skin or no skin, which is the reason they are exposed to more pesticides that we end up eating (so scary to me). These fruits and veggies represent the USDA's list of most contaminated.

The Dirty Dozen

• Strawberries
• Apples
• Peaches
• Celery
• Sweet bell peppers
• Nectarines
• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Potatoes

Green beans and leafy greens such as kale and collard greens were recently added to the dirty dozen because of the highly toxic insecticides they are contaminated with. The dirty fourteen doesn't sound as good as the dirty dozen! I find that Trader Joe's has decent prices on their organic fruits and veggies. If I don't buy them there, I buy at Bj's. Just be careful when buying in bulk because organic tends to go bad quickly. Freeze freezable fruits in baggies if you can't use them in due time. Frozen fruits are great for smoothies.

To keep your cost of food shopping down, here is a list of safer foods that you can buy non- organic. These are referred to as "the clean 15". Love the quirky titles!

The Clean 15

• Onions
• Pineapple
• Mangoes
• Avocado
• Watermelon
• Sweet Corn
• Cabbage
• Sweet Peas
• Asparagus (which surprise me)
• Cantaloupe
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms (again, surprised)
• Sweet Potatoes
• Eggplant
• Kiwi

Happy & healthy eating!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

             Baked Chicken Taquitos

For the most part, my kids eat healthily. They do eat cake. They do eat candy. They do eat cookies- all in moderation. The only time I ever went nuts about food was when my husband fed Max a hot dog! Max was around 2 at the time and he never ate a hot dog! To me, it doesn't get worse than that! It did get close, if not- equally bad, when Dave, the second time offender came home with frozen taquitos! This is why he is now banned from food shopping! Max loved them! I was horrified. He asked for them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I knew I had to figure out a way to create a healthier version.

Every recipe I came across had ingredients Max would not eat. I had to simplify. I came across a recipe on Pinterest that used egg roll wrappers and I thought that was ingenious! I took that portion of the recipe and thought of things Max liked to eat. He just started liking tacos with ground turkey. I figured if he liked tacos, why not use the ground turkey for the taquitos. I made my own low sodium taco seasoning following the recipe from Shrinking Kitchen and went to work.

Low Sodium Taco Seasoning

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and store them in an airtight container. If making your own is out of the question, Ortega makes a packet of 40% less sodium taco seasoning. For 1 pound of meat, use 3 tablespoons of seasoning.

What you need:

• 1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey
• 1 package of Nasoyo egg roll wrappers
• taco seasoning (homemade or packet)
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese (I use Sargento)
• 1 container of reduced fat sour cream (I swear by Breakstones) for dipping
• olive oil for brushing

 

What you need to do:

Preheat your oven for 375.

Brown the turkey meat on a medium flame.

When the meat is almost fully cooked, add in the taco seasoning and water.

Stir until fully mixed.

Bring to a boil then lower flame to a simmer.

Simmer until thickening occurs.

Add in 1 cup of the shredded cheese and mix until blended.

 

Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray with Pam.

Lay out the egg roll wrappers adding a spoonful of meat on one side. Make sure its even & not lumpy.

Before rolling, sprinkle a little more cheese over the meat.

Roll up.

Brush each taquito with olive oil. If you don't have a brush, you can use the back of a spoon.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

This makes approximately 20 taquitos. You can make them as thick or thin as you like! You can also make them with shredded chicken or steak!

 

Freeze remaining taquitos and reheat for a quick lunch!

 

I was thrilled when Max ate them! My version is much better for him and now I can feel good about feeding him one of his favorite foods.

 

 

 

He likes them! He really likes them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                            

 

 

 

 

Learning How to Run

 A few months ago, I couldn't run more than 3 minutes without losing my breath, getting shin splints, and a pain in my side. I didn't believe runners that told me that this would subside. I never imagined I would be able to run longer than 5 minutes. I was determined. I tried and tried, pushing myself one minute longer each time I reached my goal. Yesterday, I ran ten minutes straight- the longest I have ever ran without a break! This was success for me! I felt amazing walking out of that gym!

How I started:

I started off real slow- running two minutes and stopping until I was able to catch my breath again. I ran again when I felt the urge to. I read somewhere to run until your tired and walk until your bored and it must have resonated with me!

 

Once I was able to reach the two minute goal without feeling like I was going to die, I added another minute! I repeated this until I made it to 6 minutes. I told a friend how much trouble I was having running longer than the 6 minutes and she told me to lower the speed. I was running at 5.0-5.2 so I lowered it to 4.7 (thanks Doreen!). Her advice helped me so much! I was able to go straight from six minutes to ten.

 

That night, I started with a 5 minute warm-up walk, then ran for ten minutes.

I stopped at ten minutes and walked for another five before running another ten. I finished off with a 5 minute cool down.

 

Tips to take to the gym:

Set small goals for yourself- even if it's a one minute goal.

Stretch first before running.

Bring lots of water.

Make a playlist that will get you ampted!

Remember that this isn't easy & that Rome wasn't built in a day! This takes time!

If I can run- I swear anyone can!

Stretch after your run.

 

Obviously I am still a long work in progress myself. I started this process approximately two months ago. I do not consider myself a runner by any means! I am just someone who has the desire and drive to run. I have always wanted to and just couldn't believe that I was able to. I am a beginner runner myself, trying to inspire those with the same desire as me.

 

My shin splint pain has subsided as well as the pain in my side...damn runners were right! I am also able to breath easier running at a slower pace.

 

My ankles do hurt- but I kinda like it! I reminds me of all the hard work I did.

 

My goal is to be able to run 30 minutes straight.

 

I hope this post gets in your head and gets you on your feet! If you're a mom like me, running helps get the crazy out!

 

Let me know how it goes if you give it a go!