Today I’ve got a fun freebie for you–a special download of Valentine’s Day Recipes. Enjoy!
I have several friends that have severe food allergies and they feel like burden to their friends. If they are invited to a party they are often limited to what they can eat and they fear they may end up with something that may cause them problems. The host or hostess on the other hand are afraid that them may make them sick.
 First of all mark all foods that contain peanuts, shell fish and flour. These are the most common food allergies in the U.S.
Secondly do not panic if you have friends that have these allergies. It is an easy fix. For the gluten just make a replacement. There is a flour product in stores that have a wonderful mix of flours including rice, garbanzo bean, tapioca and more that can replace flour in any recipe. It works in quick breads, cakes, pies and cookies.
Shell-fish is a easy fix because you can replace it with other fish products or another meat in most cases. I recommended doing a test run.
Peanut Butter is another easy fix because those who have allergies to peanuts generally do not have allergies to almonds. Buy almond butter and replace it.Â
I have friends overall the time with food allergies and I make a huge effort to make things they can eat and the rest of the guests are non the wiser. The food tastes great and the fellowships and stories of the evening make the party a huge success.
Â
I write a lot about food allergies and health issues. I am a Home Economist, teacher and mom and I am very concerned about the health of our children and families.Â
Sheila Rae
http://www.bizzylizzybakery.com
There are articles, news reports and comedians that put there “two cents†in on what should be this years New Year’s Resolution. So I decided to join them and suggest to the world to eliminate white flour. There are many supporting facts on why we should do this but we are a Wonder Bread Society and habits are hard to break.Â
White flour came onto the scene around the time of the Industrial Revolution. We started milling wheat and removing the beneficial germ to increase the bread self life. Naturalist would say that they removed the life of the grain which is what makes it so beneficial to the body. I think this is a valid point but the thing that scares me the most is the use of chemicals in the process. The most common used in the production of white flour is called alloxan. This chemical is used to make white flour look so beautifully clean and this same chemical has the power to destroy the beta cells of the pancreas. What does that mean to our bodies in the long term, the risk of diabetes? Scientists have known the risk for years and even use it to induce diabetes in lab animals by injecting alloxan directly into the animals. How does alloxan cause diabetes? The alloxan makes beta cells fail to operate normally and they eventually do not produce insulin which causes one variety of adult-onset type 2 diabetes. The white flour industry argues if alloxan was the primary cause of diabetes more Americans would be diabetic. Even though that is a valid point we also know that not just one thing usually causes a single health issue.
If you are diabetic or have a family history of diabetics one of the first steps in prevention is the elimination of white flour.Â
The baker’s at Bizzy Lizzy Bakery have come up with a wonderful solution. They have created a  breakfast “Hearty†cookie that is packed with fiber and protein. These soft and delicious cookies have 4 grams of fiber and NO FLOUR. Most high fiber products have wheat flours, which many are trying to avoid.Â
So many of us wish we knew how to be more organized, save money, and do better for our families. Good news--right now I know of a great deal on something that will help you do a
One of my favorite ways to save money and be more organized is to plan my menus. Food is one of the highest expenses, but is fortunately also one that we can control in some wa
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Many of us have good intentions but don't have the skills or tools to follow through on our goals. Dine Without Whine is a great tool that can make it super-easy for you to have success in this area! Give it a try--I think you'll like it.
~Erica
Hey gals!
I wanted to let you know that I was recently interviewed on a podcast show, talking about the subject of healthier eating. If you are needing some encouragement or inspiration in that area, click here to go listen to the show!
By: Calbury
There’s no doubt about it — feeding babies is a messy business! It may seem easy at first, when you’re in control and feeding your baby from a spoon. But once you give him finger foods, or his own spoon for self-feeding, then you’ll be amazed by the amount of mess he can create!
As hard as it may be, it’s important not to let concerns about mess stop you from enjoying these special times with your baby. If you are a very tidy person, watching your baby cover everything with food can be very stressful and your instincts may scream at you to clean it all up.
But babies actually need to be allowed to explore food at first. This helps them learn more about different textures and tastes and also gives them the freedom to control what they are eating. And this is an important point — your baby has an innate ability to regulate his own calorie intake. If you do not allow him the freedom to feed himself, you can “confuse” this natural ability by giving him more calories than his body actually needs — and this can lead to weight problems in later life.
Plus, of course, your baby should be given the spoon in order to develop the necessary skills to spoon-feed himself.
So what are the best ways to keep mess — and stress — to a minimum?
* Use a good bib to protect your baby’s clothes. When he first begins to feed himself, a “coverall” bib with sleeves is ideal. Alternatively — and when the weather allows — feed him with no clothes on!
* Protect the floor all around your baby’s highchair (not just underneath… sometimes a little food goes a long way!). Either invest in a highchair splash mat, or improvise and make your own, using any wipe-clean material. A shower curtain or liner is ideal for the purpose — not only is it easy to clean, but it’s nice and big too!
* Consider investing in a highchair cover if the highchair you’re using is particularly difficult to clean.
* Give your baby a bowl with a suction pad that you can attach to the tray on his highchair. This will limit him to only being able to throw the food that is in the bowl… and not the bowl itself!
* After preparing your baby’s meal, spoon only a small amount into HIS bowl and keep the rest beside you! This is less messy than allowing him to handle a large quantity of food and also means that you have some food left in reserve if too much of his ends up on the floor!
* As your baby learns to feed himself from a spoon, make his life easier by serving foods that he is able to scoop up without too much difficulty. Try thickening runny foods (like soup) so that they will cling to the spoon — some great thickeners include mashed egg yolk, wheat germ and pureed silken tofu.
* When the meal is over, invite the family pet in to help you clear up!
Don’t discipline your baby for being messy.
Quite simply, it is out of his control and he would not understand why he was being punished. Of course, if your baby is a little older and is throwing his food on the floor, then it’s time to gently set some family mealtime rules…
* When your baby throws food, try to determine if he’s doing it because he’s full. This is the actually the most common reason for doing so. If this is the case, then simply remove the food and say to your baby something along the lines of “I’m full”, “I’m done” or “No more”. This teaches your baby that he can actually communicate this fact rather than demonstrate it!
* If you feel that your baby is throwing food for fun, then try removing it for a minute or two, keeping it where he can see it. Calmly explain that “we don’t throw food”. (Keeping calm is important — your baby will very easily pick up on any sign of anxiety and the dinner table can rapidly turn into a battleground!). If your baby is hungry, he will be upset about the removal of his food, so return it to him. But be consistent — by removing his food each time he throws some, he will quickly learn that this is unacceptable behaviour.
* Sometimes, babies throw food to get attention… and it works! So be sure to give your baby lots of attention when he’s eating nicely, too.
Above all, keep things in perspective. Most babies go through a very messy phase and, although it seems to last for ages, he will have grown out of it before you know it! Then, of course, you will look back fondly at those happy days when he learned to feed himself! There is plenty of time for good table manners (and vacuuming!) later on in your baby’s life… for now, just have fun and encourage your baby’s delight in the wonderful world of food!
Article Source: http://www.thewahmshack.com/articledirectory
About The Author: Christine Albury is a mother of four and the author of Homemade Baby Food Recipes - your complete guide to solid feeding during baby’s first year. Homemade Baby Food Recipes, which was recently featured by the BBC, includes a very active blog - keeping parents up to date with all important baby food news - plus a free monthly newsletter.
By: Jenni Hunt
Are you worried about your child’s current eating habits? Instead of worrying about it, plan a routine for feeding your little one. If you are unsure about how to plan your child’s diet regime, follow the tips below:
· Well-timed snacks can help in balancing out an uneven diet and will surely help your baby be happier and healthier!
· If your children are being difficult when you are trying to feed them, then the best option is to engage them in conversation during this time, preferably by sitting together and eating as a family.
· Cook more than one dish, so that your child has a few options to choose from. Also try to make the dishes look tempting.
· Don’t force your child to eat a large portion of a food item. Allow them to eat a small portion if that is what they want.
Children can be finicky eaters sometimes. They like something one day and a few days later they simply detest it. Also, sometimes they don’t like to eat too much at one time and prefer to eat at regular, but frequent, intervals. For this reason, snacks form a very important part in a child’s diet.
It is very essential that you take charge of your child’s diet now, otherwise it will be too difficult to monitor their eating habits when they are older. Since they are still dependent on you and can’t run to the nearest store to get food for themselves, they rely solely on what you serve. So, now is the best time to take advantage of this fact. Choose the most nutritious food you can. Give them foods with higher content of proteins, nutrients, minerals etc.
It is a known fact that with a proper routine, children eventually develop good eating habits. If you start serving your kids healthy snacks at regular intervals from an early age, they will get accustomed to it and prefer these healthier foods to junk food.
Now let us see why small children need snacks?
Young children have small appetites and they need adequate nutrients for healthy growth and development. So nutrient rich snacks through the day, will provide all the necessary nutrients their bodies need, ensuring proper development.
Many children decline certain foods at certain times. By offering small snacks frequently will make your child happy and at the same time, fulfill their dietary requirements. With healthy snacks, your child can be prevented from over eating as well as under eating, helping to maintain a good balance.
Healthful snacks are imperative in providing essential nutrients and energy. Avoid giving heavy snacks too close to mealtimes. Giving nutritious snacks will ensure maximum energy in the young kids. To give them appeal, make the snacks as interesting as possible. Some popular, yet healthy, snack ideas would be fresh fruits, cheese, peanut butter, raisin bread, fruit loaf, muffins, biscuits, vegetable sticks, etc. Treat your baby with something new each day. They will simply love it!
Article Source: http://www.thewahmshack.com/articledirectory
About The Author: Looking for new snack ideas? www.snacksfortoddlers.com offers healthy snack ideas for busy children to help get them through their day.
By: Nancy Miller
Are you undecided whether you should prepare your own
baby food or just buy it from the store? If so, then take
a look at these 5 good reasons for doing it yourself - they
may help you make up your mind…
1. It’s Healthier and More Nutritious
Commercial baby foods contain additional fat, salt,
sugar, fillers or other ingredients that are completely
unnecessary (and often inappropriate) to your baby’s diet.
These additives are an attempt to add flavor, texture and
bulk to poor-quality products. They contribute nothing at
all to your baby’s health or well-being. By preparing the
food yourself, you can be sure that your baby is getting
exactly what his/her little body needs - and nothing that
it doesn’t.
2. You’re in Control
By preparing your baby’s food yourself, you know exactly
what your baby is eating. When you prepare an apple sauce,
you know he/she is getting fresh, pure apple and all the
goodness it contains. However, when you buy apple-sauce
at the store, you’d almost need a degree in nutrition
just to decipher the list of ingredients.
3. It’s Easy
Once you get started cooking for your baby, you’ll quickly
realize just how easy it is. All you need is a food blender
and some fresh ingredients to quickly prepare healthy,
tasty, home-made meals for your little one. Furthermore,
by making large amounts of his/her favorite meals in
advance, and then freezing them for later, you’ll be able
to serve up delicious, healthy meals in minutes — every
day of the week.
4. It’s Much Cheaper
The prices that baby food manufacturers charge for their
products is nothing short of scandalous and are in no way
justifiable. The reason they can charge so much is because
they’ve conditioned most parents to believe that they have
no choice but to buy from them. By preparing your baby’s
food yourself, you can avoid being a victim of this
daylight robbery, and find yourself with extra cash to
spend on all those other things that a growing baby needs.
5. It’s Very Gratifying
Watching your baby enjoy the meal you’ve just prepared for
him/her is already a very gratifying experience. On top of
that, however, you have the satisfaction and pride of
knowing that you’re giving your child the gift of a healthy
and nutritious diet - and saving yourself money as well.
And finally…
If all that weren’t enough, here’s another great reason to
do it yourself: home-made baby food is much tastier than any
commercial product. Delicious food is one of life’s great
pleasures and your baby deserves to enjoy the rich flavor
and texture of real home cooking just as much as you or I.
After all, none of us would enjoy eating ‘TV Dinners’
morning, noon and night - and that goes for your baby too!
So, don’t put it off. Get started today. Your baby will
thank you for it in more ways than one.
Nancy.
Article Source: http://www.thewahmshack.com/articledirectory
About The Author: Nancy Miller is author of ‘How to Make Your Own Healthy Baby Food’ and a full-time working mom. Visit Nancy’s website at www.healthy-baby-food.com
When babies cry for hours on end, their parents (especially first-time parents) can be driven to distraction. It is quite clear that something is bothering the baby. What is not obvious is how to relieve the baby’s pain. The result is that someone walks with the crying, fretful baby for hours on end hoping to calm him or her, so that the house can be peaceful and that everyone has a hope of getting a decent night’s sleep. The parents are exhausted. The baby is exhausted. Each day blends into the one before, with fussiness and crying as the grand finale to really long days.
There is hope. There is a reason why the baby is fussy. Many times, the reason for the fussiness at night is that a breastfeeding baby is reacting quite negatively to what his or her mother is eating. During the first months of life, a newborn’s digestive system is quite porous, which allows larger particles of foods through the lining of the digestive system into the blood stream. Little bits of food particles normally found in a breastfeeding mom’s breast milk can actually irritate the baby’s digestive system, and can cause pain. Also, the food bits that cross the lining of the digestive system can create slight allergic responses that become either frank food allergies, or food intolerances. Both can result in the baby experiencing gas, pain and/or discomfort.
By eliminating certain foods on a short term basis, many breastfeeding mothers find that their babies’ crying time decreases dramatically. The diet modification process is relatively short, but effective. Many mothers notice that if they cheat and eat the foods of concern, their babies cry and fuss throughout the evening. When they follow the breastfeeding elimination diet, their babies hardly cry at all! By about the fourth month, the lining of the baby’s digestive system matures and many of the foods can be eaten with no ill-effects.
Here is one of the delicious breastfeeding-friendly recipes found in The Calm Baby Cookbook. It is delicious way to use up any leftovers that you may have:
Waldorf Turkey Sandwiches
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup diced turkey
½ cup diced apple
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
¼ cup raisins
½ cup Lite Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves
Whole wheat rolls
Preheat a non-stick frying pan to medium-low and add the sunflower seeds and walnuts. Stir often until they are toasted evenly. Remove from the burner and let cool.
In a bowl, combine the Lite Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, lemon peel, sea salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to coat. Spoon onto fresh rolls and top with fresh lettuce.
Enjoy!
For more information about the foods that cause a baby’s discomfort, please visit drmelaniebee.org
Article Source: http://www.thewahmshack.com/articledirectory
About The Author: Dr. Melanie Beingessner is a chiropractor, a breastfeeding counsellor, a certified infant massage instructor & the mother of three fabulous kids. She is the author of The Calm Baby Cookbook , written to help breastfeeding moms calm their fussy babies by changing their diets. Dr. Melanie’s website provides information about pregnancy, breastfeeding, ADD/ADHD, chiropractic, health and wellness at drmelaniebee.org
I saw this article on one of my egroups and the author, Marybeth, was kind enough to allow me to share it with all of you. Enjoy!
Here are a few ideas and recipes for making and
storing baby food……
Storing Homemade Baby Food:
When making more than just a one meal’s worth of food,
you need a way to store a larger volume safely. By
freezing foods, you will have the benefits of variety
and convenience of prepared foods and you will find it
easy to cook in volume. You can always keep an
adequate supply on hand and never need to rush to
prepare food for a hungry baby!
The Food Cube Method”
1. Take prepared , pureed food and pour into plastic
“pop out” ice cube trays.
2. Freeze the food cubes quickly.
3. Pop out cubes and transfer to plastic freezer
bags.
4. Label and date. Can be stored up to 2 months!
The “Plop” Method
1. Take pureed or finely ground goods and “plop” by
sponfuls onto a cookie sheet. The size of each “plop”
depends on how much you think the baby will eat at one
meal.
2. Freeze “plops” quickly.
3. When frozen, remocve from sheet and transfer to
plastic freezer bags.
4. Label and date. Can be stored up to 2 months.
*Keep foods, cereals, vegetables and fruites in
separate freezer bags when storing.
Before a meal, take out the food you will be serving ,
and thaw it in the refirgerator or warm it (carefully)
in the microwave. The microwave can give you hot
spots in the food, so be sure to stir it and heat
slowly…
Fruits:
Except for banana’s, you will have to cook other
fruits until they are soft. Stay away from
strawberries until the baby is older. They tend to
cause allergic reactions. Also be careful of fruit
with tiny seeds…blackberries, raspberries etc. Use
ripe bananas, they are very easy to mash.
Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums and Apricots-
Wash, peel and cut fruit into small pieces: Add 1/2
cup boiling water to 1 cup of fruit. Simmer until
tender (10-20 minutes). There is no need to add
sugar. Blend or puree until smooth Freeze balance.
* When the baby is eating yogert you can add the fruit
cubes to the yogert….really tasty!
Veggies:
Fresh is best! Frozen is next! ( I know that sounds
stupid , but it is a good rule of thumb when feeding
your baby veggies)
Best Basic Recipe for Cooking Beets, Carrots, Sweet
Potatoes, Peas, Green Beans, and Potatoes:
Water Method:
Peel and slice for fast cooking or use frozen. Cook
in 1-1/2 inches of water 20 minutes. Puree or blend
with some of the cookingwater.
Steam Method: Peel and slice for fast cooking or use
frozen. Steam over boiling water until tender. Puree
or blend adding cooking water fro right consistency.
Baked Sweet Potato and Apples:
3/4 c cooked sweet potato
1/4 c liquid (cooking water)
1 cup applesauce (unsweetened) or apples that you
cooked and mashed.
Preheat oven to 350 . Remove skin and core and slice
apples. Mix sweet potatoes and apples in baking dish.
Pour liquid over. Cover and bake fro 30 minutes.
Puree or mash with a fork. Serve and then freeze into
plops.
Meats:
You can use meats that you have cooked for your
family, or cook up a month’s supply of baby food at a
time , and puree it. (Food processor or blender or
baby food grinder ) * I bought my grinder at “Whole
Foods” if you have one in your area they are great
for having “hard to find items”, such as a
grinder….they are also really helpful if you have
questions about making baby food. They will give you
more tips and ideas….
If you want a smoother meat consistency, mix the
pureed meat with some water. You can combine chicken
with a little bit of ripe banana to get a smooth
texture. You can also cook meat in a crock pot with
some water until tender ( no seasonings ) and then
puree them. Freeze and store.
Basic Stew
1 cup of cubed chicken, turkey, beef, cooked
1/4 cup vegetables, cooked
1/4 cup water
Blend or puree together and make into food cubes or
plops. As the baby gets older you can use chicken
broth in place of water to give the food more flavor .
You can also add 1/4 cup of rice ,cooked.
Ok….. this is a start. I will keep looking around
for more information for you and will post it …….I
always made my own baby food. It was so much easier
and soooooo much less expensive. My word of advice is
to go buy a grinder. And to just dive in. Your baby
will be very happy with the variety of foods he is
enjoying!
Let me know if you have any questions…..you can
email me ! Have a great day!
Marybeth Krol CBE, Doula
athenasbymbk@yahoo.com
Quick breads are so easy to make, and the whole family will enjoy it!
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup margarine
¾ cup crunchy style peanut butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed banana
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a medium loaf pan and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and sift into a large bowl. In a separate bowl add the peanut butter, margarine and sugar and mix together. Add the eggs and mix. Add this mixture to the sifted dry ingredients and mix together but do not over beat. Gently fold in the mashed banana and transfer to baking pan. Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until baked through.
Hey Gals!
I found out about a great new online service that helps you with menu planning (even healthy recipes and vegetarian menus!) and ready-to-print shopping lists! You can check it out and get some great freebies here.
Muffins are so great for breakfast, snacks, or to go along with dinner, and they’re super easy to make, too!
Ingredients:
¾ cup flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup uncooked oatmeal (traditional slow cooking oats)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup butter or margarine
¾ cup buttermilk
1 egg
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin well and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon and oatmeal in a large bowl. Mix together well. In a separate bowl mix together the butter, buttermilk and egg. Mix well. Gently fold into the dry ingredients. Take care not to over mix. Pour batter into 12 muffin cup tin and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until baked through. Best served warm with a little butter and jam.
Need to use up the applesauce before it goes bad? This recipe is a winner!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 cups apple sauce
3 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
1 ¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup seedless raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a medium sized baking pan and lightly sprinkle with flour. Set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the applesauce (make sure it’s cold) and 2 ¾ cups flour. Mix well. Fold in the raisins, remaining flour and vanilla extract. Mix well and poured into greased baking pan. Bake approximately 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes until golden and baked through. Let cool for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Note: You can also add 1 cup chopped walnuts to this bread when you fold in the raisins.
Hey gals!
I found out about this really neat resource from Trish Berg. It’s called Supper Swapping. Basically, she teaches you how to organize a group of other women that would like to work out a co-op deal with their dinners.
Here’s basically how it works:
You, Janice, Sarah, and Beth have a Supper Swapping Co-op.
Monday Janice will bring the other 3 families in her Supper Swapping Co-op a chicken casserole. So, the three other women don’t end up cooking on Monday.
Tuesday Sarah will bring the 3 other families in the group a lasagne.
Wed. Beth would be bringing the 3 other families hamburgers and macaroni and cheese dinner.
Thurs. it would be your turn to take Janice, Sarah, and Beth’s families whatever dinner you prepared.
Basically, each family has to cook less, shop less, and gets more down time to enjoy family life.
With families really struggling these days for time to cook healthy meals or even to sit down together for a meal, I bet there are a lot of you that would benefit from a plan like this.
You can learn more about Supper Swapping and Trish’s book at her website here.
Probably most moms know that you’re never supposed to go to the grocery store without a list. Yes, it’ll help you spend less money if you’ve got a plan written down. For me, it’s most helpful to have a list so that the stuff I need to remember to get doesn’t fall through the cracks in my collander-brain! (There’s nothing quite so annoying as having shlepped all the way through the grocery store with kids in tow, and getting to the car and realizing that I forgot something that I really, really needed to get….)
This week I have a little freebie for you that will make your grocery shopping easier. It’s a cute little Grocery Shopping List that you can save to your computer and print out as often as you like. I enjoy having one of these lists taped to the front of the refrigerator so that I can write down the things we run out of, and put them directly into the category where I’ll find that item at the store. Waaaaay better than a helter-skelter list of stuff all jumbled together!
Enjoy! And feel free to tell your friends so they can come and get their free shopping list too!
I just love quick breads. Mix and bake–super easy!
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or make it healthier with whole wheat flour)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder (get the kind without aluminum!)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 orange (rind and juice)
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a medium sized loaf tin. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Wash and grate the orange zest into a large bowl. Squeeze the orange juice over the zest. Add 1 cup of boiling water and mix. Add the melted butter or margarine, sugar, beaten egg and vanilla to the bowl and mix together.
Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients and lightly mix (take care not to over mix). Gently fold in the chopped walnuts and transfer to baking pan. Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until baked through.
Here’s a simple cookie recipe for times when you want to make a snack but don’t have any fancy ingredients on hand.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (or you can substitute ½ cup butter, ½ cup margarine)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together. When light and fluffy add the beaten eggs and beat until well blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, all the nutmeg, flour and vanilla extract. Stir until mixed through. Shape into a log shape and wrap with cling film. Place in refrigerator for approximately 4 hours until chilled.
Preheat oven to 350F and grease two cookie sheets.
Unwrap the dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut into ¼ inch slices and place an inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until golden and baked through. Mix the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon and a little sugar and sprinkle over the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
I don’t know how many readers I have that are moms of many youngsters, but this tip can also be a help to you anytime you have extra kids in your home for meals.
For several years I struggles with trying to serve food when our table was primarily occupied by young children, toddlers, and babies. I’d get the table set (pretending we were a civilized bunch!) and then struggle to go around the table serving food, cutting meat, and constantly being interrupted by requests for leftovers, etc. It was tricky to reach all around the table when I’m not an octopus!
One evening we had some friends visiting. The husband was born and raised in Belgium and was one of six siblings. (or possibly more–I’m not entirely sure any more) As I struggled to serve the food I asked him what his mother did when she served food to so many little children. His simple response changed our meal times!
He said that she put all the plates in a pile in front of her, along with silverware, etc. and had the food all within her reach. She then made up each plate right in front of her and passed it along to the children.
Isn’t it funny how the simplest ideas can revolutionize our life? 
Tonite I remembered this because I realized that now my children are old enough that we could probably just set the table and pass things. Wow. You think you’re never going to get out of a stage, and then time goes by, and you do. Amazing!
I made these yummy cookies for my family yesterday because I had some bananas getting over-ripe. They were a BIG hit with the whole family. Try ‘em!
Preheat oven to 350. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (use the kind without aluminum in it)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves or cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans — I used mini chocolate chips instead
Mix it all up and drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 10 min. Cool on wire racks. Yummy!
A lot of people think that whole wheat isn’t something their family would enjoy. There are actually lots of great ways to get whole grains into your family’s diet without a struggle, and this is one of them!
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup margarine or butter
¼ cup honey
½ cup warm water
2 packages baking yeast
½ cup finely chopped apple (peeled)
½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions:
Mix the white and whole wheat flour together and set aside. Heat the milk in a small sauce pan but do not boil. Stir in sugar, salt, margarine or butter, and honey and mix. Set aside to cool.
Add ½ cup warm water to a large bowl and stir in the yeast. Add the milk mixture. Then stir in the flour. Batter should be thick but light enough to mix through. Cover with a clean cloth and place in a warm place to rise. The dough should double in size.
Once the dough has risen, fold in the apple and pecan pieces. Lightly grease 18 large muffin cups and spoon the batter into them. Cover and set aside to rise until double. Once doubled again bake at 375F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until baked through. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Note: When setting the dough aside to rise make sure you place it in a warm place (a little warmer than room temperature) and away from any drafts.
With dance practice, choir, cub scouts, and tae kwon do, who has time to prepare
an appetizing meal for the kids after school? You do! You can have time if you
serve an easy to cook kids’ meal.
Of course it’s a no-brainer to throw a hotdog in the microwave or set a tortilla
in a pan on top of the stove, add some cheese and 90 seconds later have a simple
quesadilla, but what’s the excitement in that? Instead experiment with
Casseroles or one-pot meals which in most cases go over well with the kids; and
are simple to whip together.
Try this quick kids meal:
1 – lb. ground beef
1 - 16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 - cup water
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 - cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Crumble beef in a three-qrt glass baking dish and microwave for 4-5 minutes, or
until beef is no longer pink. Mix & rotate part way through cooking time. Drain
Beef. Stir in sauce, water and macaroni. Microwave another 12 minutes, stirring
part way through. Sprinkle cheese on top and allow to stand covered
approximately 5 minutes before serving. Serves a couple hungry kids.
There are many meals you can cook with hamburger. Any recipe that asks for
hamburger will work just fine replaced with ground turkey, chicken or venison
instead. The simple recipe below uses ground meat. It takes nearly an hour to
bake but merely a blink to prepare.
Combine together:
2 pounds ground meat
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
Crinkle Cut French Fries
Brown ground beef and drain the grease. Add both soups to strained ground beef
and spoon into a 9×13 greased baking dish. Top off with cut French fries and
bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until French fries are light brown.
Taco salads are very quick and easy to prepare. Begin with lettuce. Add tomato,
onion and cheese (if your kids will approve of it.) Fry up some meat and toss in
an envelope of taco seasoning – or just incorporate some taco sauce to the meat.
Next add crushed tortilla chips or Fritos. Finish off with salsa or Ranch salad
dressing. Remember the sour cream and guacamole too! Kids love this meal!
For a fast, on the go, healthy, cold meal try:
A head of lettuce (not bagged lettuce)
Ham or Roast Beef slices
Cheese slices
Condiments
Step 1: Peel off a medium lettuce leaf.
Step 2: Assemble meat, cheese, and condiments.
Step 3: Roll up and stick a toothpick in the middle.
Step 4: Gobble Up.
Step 5: Wipe your face, there is a trace of mayo. on your cheek.
How about an interesting twist to the normal macaroni and cheese kids recipe?
1 (16 ounce) box macaroni (elbow, seashell, bowtie – doesn’t matter, just not
spaghetti)
1 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1. Cook macaroni according to package instructions.
2. Stir in cottage cheese, sugar, and cinnamon with drained macaroni.
3. Taste and add sugar or cinnamon, if required.
4. Serve right away. Delicious!
Incorporate a bit of creativity to incorporate a twist on a tried and true
recipe and even with the chaotic after school activities you will find time to
cook a nourishing meal for your kids evening meal.
Desire More Quick & Easy Kid Approved Meals? Visit
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!
Each and every year, after the holiday credit card bill shows up, we make resolutions with the best of intentions. And, within a month or maybe less … we’ve given up completely. Why is that?
Vague Goals The goals we oftentimes set are unrealistic or are too vague to be trackable. Here are some examples of resolutions Bad Resolution: “Pay off credit card debt.†Better Resolution: “Pay an extra $20 each month towards credit card debt until it’s paid off.†Do you see the difference? One is vague. You can’t possibly hold yourself accountable. The other is much more trackable.
Here’s another example. Bad Resolution: “Spend less money eating at restaurants.†Better Resolution: “Use a menu planning service to ensure that we have groceries in the house at all times. Eat at restaurants or fast food only twice per week or less.â€
Difficult Goals It’s wonderful to make resolutions, but, they do no good if you don’t have a plan in place to help you reach them. Let’s go back to that “Pay an extra $20 each month towards credit card debt.†Where is that $20/month going to come from? Is it magically going to appear just because you set a goal? Will the “New Year’s Fairy†deliver a wad of cash to you each month? Of course not. You have to have a plan in place to make the extra money available to you. For instance, the two goals could be combined. The second goal is reachable. Instead of just saying to eat fast food once per week, it adds on a way to do just that – by signing up for a menu planning service. The best Resolution could be a combination of both goals: “Use menu planning service to ensure that we have groceries in the house at all times. Eat at restaurants or fast food only twice per week or less. Take the money we save and apply at least $20 each month towards credit card debt until it’s paid off. It’s a new year, which means that it’s a new chance to actually make New Year’s Resolutions and KEEP THEM.
We hope these examples will help you to set achievable new year’s goals and put systems into place so you can achieve them. Christine Steendahl created a menu planner for busy moms. For a free one week trial of this family friendly meal planning service which includes a weekly grocery shopping list, visit Dine Without Whine by clicking this banner:
You know the drill; you make a resolution to lose weight on New Year’s
Eve. You go grocery shopping for all kinds of health food on January 2nd,
and while you are at it, you join a new gym. Everything goes well for a
few days and you start to see the pounds drop off. Then things slow down,
and you start to lose interest. Cravings for your favorite foods set in
and you’re getting tired of these diet meals. By the end of January, most
of us have given up on our weight loss resolution. Don’t let this happen
to you.
Make this year different; make your resolution to lose weight actually
work. It’s really not that hard, but you have to do it right. The best way
to make sure you will stick to your weight loss resolution is to find
little ways to hold yourself accountable. Announce your resolution to
family and friends. Find a weight loss buddy that has the same goals. The
two of you can check on each other and motivate each other to stick with
the plan. If you can’t find a weight loss buddy, make your spouse or close
friend your accountability partner. You report your weight loss to them
weekly, and they will do their best to keep you motivated to keep going.
An alternative to using people to hold you accountable is a weight loss
journal. By simply putting what you eat, how much you worked out and how
much you weigh into a journal, you will feel more responsible about what
you are doing and are less likely to skip that workout or sneak in an
extra snack. A weight loss journal can also be a great motivator when you
glance back though the pages and see how much you have accomplished over
the past weeks and months.
One last piece of advice – don’t be too strict on your diet. The main
reason people give up on their weight loss plan is that they aren’t
allowed any of their favorite foods. You should aim more for lifestyle
changes you can stick with for the rest of your life than a traditional
diet. This means that the piece of chocolate or that cheeseburger are ok –
in moderation. Limit yourself to one small piece of chocolate a day, and
only indulge in that cheeseburger or slice of pizza once a week. If you
eat healthy foods the rest of the time, you will be able to indulge every
once in awhile and still see those pounds melt off.
Are you struggling with keeping your weight loss resolution? Healthy Menu Planning is the
solution – it helps you stay on track. Sign up for a free 7-day sneak peak
today.
There’s a lot in the media about the importance of families eating their meals together. My family is unusual, I guess, in that we eat together for every meal except for the lunch times when the children are at school. However, with six children in the family, I have often wondered if we are really getting very much value out of these meals, because there is so much noise, complaining, getting up and down for drinks and things, and goofing off. It is hard to have a meaningful conversation most of the time! On the occasions when it isn’t chaos at our table, I usually have a hard time thinking of what we could talk about. Today I found out about a new tool from the Menu Mailer lady: downloadable Conversation starters!
So, if you’re like me and need a helping hand for ways to make your family meal times more meaningful, or if you’ve got company coming for Thanksgiving and need some good ways to get the group interacting in a positive way, check it out!