Maneuvering Life and Motherhood with Twins Plus One
Oil pulling, an ancient Ayurvedic practice that many consumers are beginning to incorporate into their oral care routines, at the encouragement of their dentists. That’s because oil pulling can result in whiter teeth, better breath, cavity and gingivitis prevention, and less plaque build-up. Of course, it is still necessary to brush and floss teeth as well. Continue reading “Oil Pulling”
Smith & Vandiver carries a full line of bath and body products, and in a variety of scents. They have something for everyone. The Grapefruit-Ginger-Basil Spa…ah line smells amazing and refreshing. Start with a warm bath and their bath fizz. Pamper yourself with a skin-softening bath indulgence. Moisturizing sunflower oil and mineral-rich sea salts turn your tub into a delightful spa-like experience.
Follow up with the Smith & Vandiver thick and creamy body butter in the accompanying scent to moisturize your skin while balancing your energy. Pure essential oils of Grapefruit and Basil to restore balance and uplift mood, while Ginger, Aloe Vera and Shea Butter tone, hydrate and repair. Continue reading “Smith & Vandiver Ginger Grapefruit bath trio”
Someone used their magical powers to freeze dry these apples and turn them from regular, ordinary apples to special, take with you anywhere, eat anytime apples! Ready for building a snowman, playing dress up, or building your very own ice castle, the Brothers All Natural Frozen Fruit Crisps are the perfect snack for the princess on the move! Continue reading “Brothers Fruit Crisps”
Maybe you recall a science experiment in grade school regarding acids and bases, mixing some vinegar with baking soda? Well take these two fun ingredients, some water and a touch of essential oil, and voila! Chemical free fabric softener. The recipe is really very simple and I mixed the ingredients down to only about one-eighth of the full recipe, that way I could test a small batch and the results were amazing! Continue reading “DIY Fabric Softener Recipe”
Now that the kids are back to school my home can have some resemblance of normalcy and order. By order I mean that the cleanliness will be much easier to maintain throughout the week, if not weeks, while school is in session. So I spent the earliest part of my Friday morning power cleaning my house in celebration of back to school. Despising the work of cleaning, yet embracing it’s cathartic powers, I recalled how I was provided a new non-toxic cleaning solution to try in my home and I was put at ease. My disdain with cleaning comes from the lack of effective non-toxic products on the market that are readily available. As a mother of three children, a Lhasa-Poo, toad and husband, ensuring their overall health is my top priority. Continue reading “JAWS Non-toxic Cleaning: Safer, Greener”
The other day while perusing Facebook a friend of mine had shared a great video for an awesome recipe for guacamole. An easy and awesome recipe for guacamole, literally five ingredients or less. I could not resist having this recipe, making said recipe and sharing with my family. Then exploiting the awesomeness with each of you. I digress. This recipe was like no other and looked exceptionally tasty and did not require roasting hot peppers and hours or dicing and mashing. Continue reading “Easy Guacamole Recipe”
Food is such an integral part of our lives. As a conversation piece, comfort and of course sustenance. For new moms, feeding your infant and or toddler can be worrisome, frustrating and concerning. Am I giving them enough options? Am I feeding them the right foods? Should I feed them these foods? When I had my twins I threw the traditional thoughts out the window and gave them everything. Brussels Sprouts were my favorite when they were teething, as were apples, bell peppers, the whole gamut of different fruits and vegetables. From the time they could sit up unassisted and gnaw on foods, I experimented on them. With G-man I was more concerned on being the perfect mom, giving him the “right” foods and never rocking the boat. I wish I had this book with my oldest, First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers, so I had some sort of compass and guide to tackle simple struggles like picky eating.
Picky Eaters
I’ve been interviewing experts about dealing with picky eaters for years and there are times when all that I have learned goes out the window! Do your best and when all else fails, take a deep breath and let it go. Don’t get up and make something different, let your child take ownership and decide not to eat, they won’t starve to death if they skip dinner one night. Allow them to have some of the control, it will empower them believe it or not they will (almost always) come around.
Try to:
Try not to:
(Photo and excerpt from FIRST BITES: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers with the permission of Perigee/Penguin. Copyright Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, 2015.)
Today I do one of the “try not to” with my kids, but they are now 7,7 and 12 so having them finish their plate usually consists of did you at least eat all of your vegetables on your plate? When I was growing up I was limited on my exposure to foods, fruits and vegetables. I wasn’t even aware of farmers markets, local farmer co-ops, or the like. At the young age of 17 I was exposed to artichokes and capers. I never looked back. My children were a fraction of my age when they were exposed and that is one of their all time favorite requests, including asparagus, roasted Brussels Sprouts, stuffed bell peppers, bok choy, spinach, mushrooms, onions and kale.
What I found with my oldest is just as Dana suggests, have your kids take ownership. I let my kids rummage through the fridge when they were toddling and we discussed the different fruits and vegetables and I let them try. I also tried. I stock my fridge to this day with an assortment of foods. Such an empowering feeling to have your children try and share and tell others about the foods they like.
Seth defined that moment and humbled me as a parent when at his Boy Scout den meeting he explained the various foods on his plate as part of a nutrition project. Mind you, my little gem is barely six at the time and he explained grilled chicken or salmon as his protein, quinoa or brown rice as his grain, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, asparagus and green beans (because he clarified those are his favorite) as his veggie, strawberries as his fruit and Gouda was his choice of cheese (dairy) but he also likes almond milk. His dessert, of course, was my gluten free, dairy free, caramel apple cake. Of course, a meal would be incomplete without dessert!
When his den leader and The Chad shared this with me I felt so proud. I felt like we crested a hump. A pressure was relieved regarding the work I put into my kids to ensure they are eating the right foods and are educated about proper nutrition.
However I know I am truly blessed because my children do not lack a food allergy. Many children these days have or develop food allergies which can make meals tricky and tough to navigate, First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers helps provide helpful tips and insightful information on how to ensure we as parents are maximizing our children’s diets. The book release and copy could not have come at a better time as a friend from church was experiencing her own frustrations and concerns as a new mom. Her post on Facebook immediately prompted me to provide her with my copy of the book, to give her the tools I wish I had when I was a new mom, the tools I just figured out with having twins. If you are facing some of these struggles: food allergies, picky eaters, maximizing a vegetarian/vegan diet, or food transitions First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers should be in your arsenal of tools in the kitchen and your home. First Bites was released on February 3rd and is available nationwide and on Amazon, get your copy today and take the frustration out of navigating meals and foods for your child with amazing meal options and friendly recipes sure to transform even the pickiest of eaters.
Nothing is more comforting that curling up to a nice cup of hot tea, unless it’s with your special someone. I received two samplings from Tea Gallerie and my husband and I enjoyed them together. I always look forward to Tea Galleries loose tea to share with family and friends. A good hot cup of tea can take the chill out of you and help you relax.
I tend to gravitate to the green teas and Tea Gallerie has a wonderful selection:
These loose teas are not only delicious to brew but pretty to look at. I keep mine in glass mason jars with labels. I gives the kitchen a homey look and fills us with natural antioxidants, and other good things.
Say I love you with a cup of tea. Tea Gallerie is going to give one person China Jasmine and the Green Pomegranate teas to try.
Best of all is our giveaway this month. We are giving away THREE (3) copies of “What The Fork Are You Eating: An Action Plan for Your Pantry and Plate” where the author debunks food myths and misconceptions. Stephanie Sacks is a certified dietary nutritionist, dietician, who breaks down the best way to shop and eat foods. Her personal struggle with food allergies and conditions and extensive knowledge makes her rich in the topic. The book shares 50 mouth watering recipes that help you clean up your pantry and save time and money as well!
If you haven’t signed up yet this month please do so! Otherwise please enjoy our giveaway and the great recipes from our fellow bloggers for our February Eat In Challenge.
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Disclaimer: Participating blogs were not compensated for this event, may contain affiliate links. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per address. Void where prohibited by law. Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. The sponsor will be responsible for product shipment to winner of this sweepstakes. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. Contactus@networkingperks.com if you have any additional questions or comments.
Are you looking to incorporate more veggies into your diet with a new year? Here is a great starter recipe for you meat lovers that are on the fence about changing up your diet with more veggies. Vegetables do not have to be boring, tasteless, and dirt like. My husband had this same vision of vegetables, he was an anti-veg type of guy due to the horrific experience he had as a child. Sharing the terror of how his mother would cook vegetables to the point where they could be transformed to baby puree. Gross. Lifeless. Tasteless. Uninspiring. Damaging.
Overcooking vegetables results in the overall loss of nutrition content and pointless to eat other than pure aesthetics to your plate.
New Years goals and resolutions are a great way to get started taking control of your health and diet. Our waistlines are controlled by 80% of what we put into them and 20% what we do to them (proper sleep, exercise, stress, etc). My family was the family that had basic vegetables in the house: green beans, broccoli, carrots, corn. Super exciting. One day I made the radical decision to cut the crap. In that same breath of a decision I also decided to join a CSA which is a food coop with local farmers. By joining the CSA we began to transform the way we ate and how we ate food. Eating seasonal foods, foods that we had never tried before, vegetables that looked and sounded less than tempting to eat.
As we began to transform the way we ate, we wanted to know if we could still accomplish a “meat” type vegetable. A former employee of mine was a vegetarian and reformed meat eater. His diet helped to evolve my own foods and my family. One of our favorite dishes contains no meat products at all and is the most easy and flavorful meals I enjoy making.
Portabello Burger
One of the most delectable fungi I have had the pleasure to cook with. Meaty and universal to pretty much anything you want to cook. Mild in flavor and truly a hearty addition to any dish. Portabello mushrooms can be purchased pre-packaged (which are more expensive) or you can purchase them loose and by the pound which run about $3.99 per pound.
I have grilled, sauteed, and eaten these babies raw, they are magnificent. Not as much as they are when made into a burger. Here is how you can have an all veggie burger without sacrificing taste or texture (serves 2):
1 zucchini, sliced length wise into 1/4 inch sticks
1 Portabello Mushroom, sliced length wise into thin slices, not too thin
1/4 red onion sliced
1 red bell pepper (you can add any other bell pepper but the red tastes best)
1 TBSP coconut oil
1/4 avocado, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Favorite bread item – This dish is EXCELLENT on ciabatta, we have had on Dave’s Killer Organic and English muffins. Also amazing on a salad.
Warm the pan over a medium heat and allow coconut oil to melt, toss in the onions and mushrooms first as they will soak up most of your oil. Cook for 2 minutes before adding in remaining veggies. Toss in pan to equally cook and coat. I like to use a lid to hold in the moisture and create a great browning and crunch to the zucchini. Be careful not to overcook, this is a saute type dish, cook the mushrooms and onions enough to be soft without being mushy.
While the vegetable medley is still warm serve atop your bread of choice with sliced avocado and cheese if you so desire. Provolone is excellent as is Swiss or a smoked gouda.
If you are feeling exceptionally edgy with your vegetables add in some thinly sliced eggplant for a truly mind blowing meaty flavor and taste to your vegetable medley burger. Eggplant is a savory, delicate veggie with a robust amount of meat.
Embrace your inner vegetarian. Even though you are a meat lover does not mean you cannot have a love affair with veggies. Vegetables do not have to be dull, lifeless and boring. Moreover veggies are not all about salads. You can create amazing smoothies, sides and full meals with the right veggies. Find some great meal ideas in our recipe section and spice up your meal ideas this year.