Cooking By Numbers – Use What You Have!
I stumbled on this site (literally – stumbled with www.stumbleupon.com)… and it is really cool!
You check off the ingredients you have in your refrigerator and pantry – and it gives you a list of recipes you can make! How cool is that!?! Forget running to the grocery store at the last minute – or eating out because you don’t know what to make… use this site to create a nice meal from what you already have stocked!
www.cookingbynumbers.com
Enjoy!
Healthy Breakfast Builders
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…
But, if you are like me – thinking in the morning… well, it just doesn’t happen (unless it is 1 o’clock in the morning LOL). Here are some ideas for a healthy start to your child’s (and your) day… Mix and match these for a balanced meal**:
Fruit:
1/2 cup 100% juice
1 piece fresh fruit
1/2 cup berries or chopped fruit such as melon
1/2 cut canned fruit (packed in fruit juice)
1.2 cup frozen fruit
1/4 cup dried fruit such as raisins, apricots or blueberries
Protein:
Low fat milk
slice of cheese or packet of string cheese
canadian bacon
hard boiled or scrambled egg
low fat yogurt
peanut butter or other nut butter
Grains
low-sugar whole grain cereal
whole grain toast
mini whole grain bagel
oatmeal
wholegrain waffle or pancake
whole wheat tortilla
A favorite in our home…
Make French toast with whole grain bread… dipped in a mixture of milk, egg and cinnamin then cooked in a pan. Top with a bit of peanut butter and syrup or berries for a yummy treat!
**from Parents Magazine
Perfect Portions for a 2 Year Old
I was browsing through Parents magazine and found a cool little article about portions for your 2 year old. Here are some suggestions they made – I enjoyed reading this and using it for guidelines for my youngest who is 2 1/2 tomorrow!
Breakfast:
1/2 cup oatmeal made with milk
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup milk
Lunch:
1/2 grilled cheese sandwich made with whole wheat bread and 1/2 slice cheese
1/2 cup cooked carrots
small apple cut into slices
1/2 cup milk
Dinner:
1/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup milk
You can learn more about Parenting magazine here:
www.parentsmag.com
One thing they did with this article is the pictures for each meal didn’t just have the foods on a plate. Each item was in a little bowl that fit it perfectly… kinda a cute presentation. What ideas do you have for small portions for these little tummies?
Interested in SAVING on groceries?
Play the Grocery Game!
This is an amazing system – whether you have tried couponing before or not, the Grocery Game is a great resource. It combines couponing with a list of advertised sales grocery stores are having to get the most savings… many times items end up being free!
You can learn more here – and sign up for a $1 4 week trial!
www.grocerygame.com
Managing the Home
I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at my home… wishing it were a bit more… er, uh… picked up. I can get so caught up in all the things that pull at my time (kids, business, hubby, schooling, etc…) that all of a sudden I realize I’m overwhelmed and undermotivated. Does this ever happen to you?
Well, to help fight it off… I’ve turned to an old favorite of mine. Years ago, I was babysitting for a friend and browsing through their bookshelf. She had a book called the Brides Book. It was a very old book but it was filled with everything anyone would ever need to know about living on their own. It covered how to do laundry… how to set the table for different occasions… how to make the bed… it was an amazing resource for a new bride. A few years later I was looking for something similar and couldn’t find anything that compared – until I was walking through Barnes and Noble and a book caught my eye sitting on top of a pile at the end of an aisle. It was called Home Comforts. It is written by a woman who is works full time out of the home and has a few kids too. She lays out everything she ever learned about keeping house from her mom and grandmothers… it is very much like a modern day ‘brides book’ and I love it! So, every once and while when I get overwhelmed with the clutter… or the toys… or the mail… or the dust… whatever it is, I make a cup of tea and sit down with my ‘Home Comforts’ to see what gems I might gather and apply to help sooth the madness.
Looking to bring in some extra cash?
I’ve recently been invited to be the eBay expert over at www.InternetBasedMoms.com… use the tips I share to make some extra cash selling your used kids clothing and toys on eBay. It is much easier than you think…
http://experts.internetbasedmoms.com/jenni
Snacks for the Road
We went camping last weekend and having snacks for the road was a MUST for our sanity (and survial – if you ask me LOL)… Here are some things we did to keep our kids tummies happy while we traveled…
- baggies of fishy crackers, pretzels and small vanilla wafers
- string cheese
- trailmix – raisins, nuts, cheerios, few M&M’s sprinkled in
What do you do when you travel? Would love to hear your ideas…
Edible Crafts! Fruit on a stick…
This is a fun one at our house…
I cut up strawberries, apples, bananas, peaches… and put them in little bowls on the table. My kids each get a couple of craft sticks and make fruit shiskabobs (is that how you spell that? LOL) – then they eat away. Get creative – you can provide different dips/sauces (chocolate, yogurt, etc.) for them to dip their sticks into.
Enjoy!
