April Goals - Leslie

I apologize in advance for the more short and to the point post.  A is running a fever today and is very clingy, so I am writing one-handed with a whiny toddler on my lap.  My April goals are pretty typical for this time of year, what with the start of spring and all.  My strategy to accomplish these goals is to take out a big chunk this week since school (and work) is out on spring break.  That way I won't have to worry about getting the time consuming things done on weekends or try to fit them in on work days.  Now... we'll just see if that's what actually happens.

Goal #1 - Spring Cleaning
This place is a mess.  There is stuff EVERYWHERE.  It's time to go through and purge, clean, and organize.  That will be the project for the majority of my spring break.  I just can't stand all the clutter anymore.  Here is a rough schedule of things I'd like to accomplish:

Sunday 3/31 - Bathroom, kitchen, and laundry.
Monday 4/1 - Living Room and dining room.
Tuesday 4/2 - Bedroom and laundry.
Wednesday 4/3 - Deep clean and organize front of apt.
Thursday 4/4 - Deep clean and organize back of apt.
Friday 4/5 - Haul stuff to Goodwill.

Goal #2 - Health
I want to start eating better, as I'm sure most people do.  However, I'm really trying to give it a good shot and not just give up entirely if I mess up once.  My goal for April is to be mindful of what I'm putting inside my body.  I also want to start exercising.  I don't do anything more than just my day to day activity and I know that has to change.  I will take advantage of the sunshine and just walk or take A to the playground and run around with her.  I want to do something more than what I am without trying to push myself too far too fast.

Goal #3 - Family Time/Personal Time
Hopefully by getting the major cleaning tasks done this week, I can free up some much needed family time for the rest of the month.  I'm hoping that all I will have to worry about with cleaning is just maintaining, rather than starting from a super mess.  I would love to be able to sit down and read a book more often, or play with Addie, or go outside and not have to worry about the dishes that need to be washed or the mountain of laundry waiting for me. 

Goal #4 - A Activities
I want to find more things to do with A.  It's getting warmer and thus I think there will be more available to choose from.  I would love to find something we can afford to get her involved with as well, whether it's dance, an art class, a music class, a sport, or just a playgroup.  I want her to be more involved with other kids her age starting now since we are planning to homeschool.  I want her to be able to form those bonds of friendship with others.  We go to the local library toddler time every week, but she is shy and slowly starting to be more comfortable there.  I would like for her to do something else as well, if we could.

Goal #5 - Save Money
A major goal for me, and not just in April.  We've had some difficulty getting adjusted lately, but I want to start putting away some green to use in emergencies or for vacations.  S'yeah.

Those are my goals for April and hopefully I can check at least some, if not all, off the list.  Wish me luck!

If you have any topic suggestions please feel free to send them our way!  thecaseofthemissingcheerios@gmail.com

Personal Goals of April and Jazz~priddymomma

Oddly, my monthly goals are quite similar to Tori’s!  I guess maybe that isn’t so strange.  Spring is in the air, so it’s only natural to begin spring cleaning.  And then there’s the whole we’re-both-moms thing.  Also, “great minds think alike” and all that jazz.  (Oh, the conceit!)

First and foremost in my mind is getting ready for Easter.  We’re hosting an Easter brunch this year with my parents, hubby’s parents, my grandparents, and my brother and his girlfriend.  And (the wonder!) the four people that actually live in my house will be there too.  Ugh.  Just mentioning it causes me to start an internal dialogue about how many chairs I need, which room I should clean first, blah blah blah.  Then I also need to get a couple more things for the kids’ baskets, dye Easter eggs (which, because I’m difficult, are going to be done with natural dyes *sigh*), AND figure out who is making what foods and what we’re actually eating!  You know what?  Jesus knows my house is usually a mess…it’s just my in-laws that aren’t in on that secret.  I need to quit with all this stress. (And then I saw a flying pig!  I did!)

Told you I saw him

After Easter (because I like to stress out and die early in life), we’re planning a combined birthday celebration for our kiddos.  Cheerio Champ turned five this week, and Princess Cheerio turns one the first week of April.  The theme is going to be bugs.  Each kid is going to get bug themed loot.  Naturally, there will be cake.  With bugs.  And in my infinite wisdom, I decided to make a smash cake for both my kids.  So I have 48 cupcakes and two smash cakes to bake, in addition to making dirt pudding (a must for a bug theme), snack bags, planning the menu (mostly crock-pot things), and purchasing decorations.  Don’t forget!  I also have to remember/stress over all the things I’ve forgotten!

We’re finally getting family photos taken!  We’ve been a family of four for a year now.  There aren’t any photos with all of us in them (to my knowledge.  Creepy stalker people not included).  That’s partly because I take the photos around here, and ,mostly because I was so uncomfortable with my weight and/or what I was capable of fitting into clothes-wise that I avoided the camera like the plague.  There’s a photo place in a nearby town that prints your photos the same day, so we decided to go there.  They do smash cake photos too!  I can’t tell you how happy I am about that!  I was going to do a set up for Princess Cheerio with a shower curtain liner at her party, but now I don’t have to let her get nearly as messy at the party proper.  The downside is I now have to make yet ANOTHER cake for the photo that will take place between Easter and the birthday party!  I should mention that I never bake cakes.  Ever.

I also plan to do some crafting/sewing in April.  First up is a tutu for Princess Cheerio.  I had planned to make her one for the party, and I thought she’d look adorable in the tutu with cake all over her.  Now, as we’re doing the smash cake at the photo place, I don’t know what she’s wearing!  The tutu I bought tulle for matched the party colors and was part of the planned outfit for the day.  I think I’m making yet another tutu in some other color for the smash cake photo.  I’m out of my mind. 

Earth Day is coming up April 22^nd.  I’m hoping to find some way to celebrate Earth Day this year.  We usually go to a combined Arbor Day/Earth Day celebration at a local park, which I’m hoping falls at a time hubby isn’t working.  They give away free trees, which we have planted in past years.  This year though, we don’t have a yard big enough for one.  How sad is that?  Maybe my folks want another tree?

I’ve been overhauling our family diet.  We don’t eat a lot of overtly unhealthy foods, but we eat a lot of processed foods.  Most of it comes in the form of snack foods.  I decided to add more fruits and vegetables these past few weeks, and it has helped us to feel tremendously better.  I’m still struggling to get Cheerio Champ to put down anything at all that is green.  My April goal is to make sure we each get a serving of fruit and a vegetable serving with each meal.  If we don’t get one or the other with a meal, we make up for that by having it as a snack.  And then there is one additional serving each of fruits and vegetables for a snack during the day.  It has definitely cost me more in produce (but less in pantry items!), and I have to go to the store every week when I prefer to be an every-couple-weeks kind of gal, but it’s worth it.

I regularly do yoga with Cheerio Champ.  I would like to start doing some walking or strength training in April in addition to the yoga.  I have seven more pounds to lose before I’m at my goal weight, but I’m not in nearly the shape I’d like to be.  I can’t walk for twenty minutes at a brisk pace without being exhausted.  That just isn’t acceptable.  I have two kiddos I have to keep up with, so I want to be in the best shape I possibly can.

Sort of related to that is a self-defense related goal of mine.  It is my career goal to become a self-defense instructor.  I would like to regularly begin training in aikido next month.  I’m sort of toying around with it here and there at the moment, but I’d like to dedicate a certain block of time to it several days a week.  I also plan to read another self-defense book this coming month.

I have to do some shopping in April.  Christmas shopping.  Feel free to slap me with a fish.  Actually, don’t do that.  And I don’t know why I said that.  It’s early, okay??  But as I say, I need to start Christmas shopping.  Every year, I tell myself I won’t wait until the last minute.  Every year I lie profusely and am still shopping for someone and/or something a few days before Yule.  This year I mean it!  I have one Christmas gift already purchased!  ONE!!  That’s one more than this time last year!  I’d like to be done with it come November.  Then I can just sit back and laugh at all of you/get insanely busy with crafts and other Christmas-y things I feel I have to do.

I owe $43 on a hospital bill for when Princess Cheerio was born nearly a year ago!  I’m almost paid off!  I plan to pay that off in April, and almost completely pay off my final student loan from my big whopping one year of college.  I’ll actually finish paying that off in May.  And then on to the large chunk of student loans we owe from hubby’s schooling.  Yay?

Story of my life.  :(

The final thing is to buy a house.  Well, that’s not accurate.  The final thing is to talk about the prospects of buying a house.  That’s completely different.  I think hubby and I are going to go to a home-buying seminar and read some books/do other research and check out our credit report.  We’ve wanted to get started on this process for several months, but I told hubby I’d like to wait until all the party stress was out of the way before we discussed anything more stressful (see?  I can be wise on occasion).  It’ll be at least three years before we’re ready to buy I believe.  But what do I know?  Not enough.  That’s why there’s research to be done!

Looking back on this post, I’m convinced that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.  But it is what it is.  I’ll make it through April.  I always do.  What are some of your goals for this coming month?  Any advice on home buying?  Check back Saturday for Leslie’s post, and naturally we’ll have a new topic next week! 

Personal Goals for April ~ Tori

Today I'm going to share with you some of my personal goals I have set for myself for the month of April 2013.
This is going to be a simple post for me because I am a list person. I make grocery lists, goal lists, chore lists, etc. Even if I lose them and have to start over lists help keep me grounded, and I already have my goal list made out for the month of April.

Keep Exercising

I have been working out every day. I can't always get to all the routines I want to work through because when your a mom things happen. BUT...I have been making sure to exercise daily. I usually do so in the morning when everyone is asleep, but there are the occasional times my ruckus will wake up the kiddos and I either need to find a workout routine they can join me in (like yoga), or wait until everyone is in bed. This is part of a long-term goal in my weight loss mission, but exercising helps me feel so much better. I've been on this journey before, but I admit I've gotten lazy and given up time after time. I'm going to keep with it though because I am more determined this time around.

Keep Eating Healthy Foods

This has been the most hardest goal for me. I am a huge fan of chocolate. I'm talking BIG. When there is chocolate in the house I am suddenly an addict and I must get my chocolate fix. BUT, I have been doing my best to restrain myself. NOT to say I haven't slipped now and again because let's face it, as much as you guys think so, I'm not perfect. LOL (joke there, I'm really not that self-centered in real life I promise).

Anyway I have been watching portions, I've been watching what types of foods I eat, been watching calories, etc. It's hard for me because I love food. I love to cook, I love to eat, and I grew up with a high metabolism. I was able to eat any and everything without gaining weight, until the last five years or so.

I find that I have actually started craving certain vegetables and fruits since I've incorporated them more into my eating plan. I actually reached for an apple over a fudge round the other day! I almost had a heart attack myself. Even though I'm sure I'm going to fall off the healthy eating wagon now and again I'm determined to stick to this. I'm hoping I don't fall off, but I don't want to set myself up for disappointment either. I'm going to do my best to meet this goal, and so far so good. Gotta keep at it.

Take More Pictures

Even though I don't have as nice a camera as listed above (I do wish, however), I do have a camera. I take pictures, but not as much as I should I admit. I'm a lazy photographer. I love taking pictures so why I neglect my camera is a mystery. I'm going to work on that. While I don't share pics of my kids online I want to have more pictures of them. I take pictures of them often, but I need to more often. These years are too short for my liking. My oldest is five and while I love seeing how he has grown it makes me sad. Time is flying! I always get too caught up in life and forget to just be STILL. I rush around here and there, getting chores done, running errands, planning, and I don't take as much time as I would like to just ENJOY! And I want to document these wonderful times because they go quickly. If it's my kids making silly faces, us coloring, a flower with a bumblebee perched atop it, a tree blooming, I want to photograph it to keep for my memories. There's too much beauty in the world not to.

Spend More Quality Family Time / Relax and Enjoy

We always spend time together as a family. I play with my kids daily, we have lessons, activities, etc. But it's still not as much time as I'd like. No matter how much I urge it to take a vacation, Life comes knocking on my door followed by it's good friend Chores. But it's time to do more activities together. Hubby has been working quite a bit lately. It's been rough on everyone, but mostly the kids. The other day he was off and we were packing. The kids were being good and coloring quietly. We decided to take a break and color with them. It was all so reserved which is usually nice, but we were thinking when the last time we actually had some loud crazy fun. It was time to get our sillies out! So we all bundled up (as we had a snowstorm), and took the kids outside for awhile. We had a crazy insane snowball fight, and it was a blast! We all chased each other (even my 2 year old got in on the action), and just let loose. It was awesome, even the part when I got blasted square in the face with a giant ball of snow and it filled my nostrils (It was even crazy hilarious to me). There was so much crazy laughter, stress forgotten for the time being, and it was just some plain ole' quality family time. It was much needed, and we came back in and enjoyed some hot chocolate while all snuggled on the couch. Life gets so hectic that it's easy to rush through things, or be focused on one thing when your suppose to be having family time. Sometimes we gotta just relax and enjoy.

Organize Our Household

We are moving in a few short days, and upon our packing journey I realized a sad fact: I am not as organized as I thought I was. Seriously I need to get better with this, I'm a MOM! We are suppose to be organized with everything in it's rightful place! But I'll let you in on a little secret, I don't. SHHH!!! No wonder why I always have a cluttered closet in my house somewhere! So during my spring cleaning journey, and in the month of April, I will be eliminating tons of stuff while organizing keeps. There are so many ideas on Pinterest on how to organize. Pins I've pinned, and it's time to make good use of them. I have a lot organized, but I need to organize BETTER. I want to have NO cluttered closets, and I want every object to have it's rightful place. It may sound like a fantasy land, but it can happen. I'm bound and determined. LOL

So these are some of my major personal goals for the month of April. I have an entire list, but these are the main ones I'll be working on. Stay tuned for Priddymomma's post on Thursday and Leslie's on Saturday! I'm eager to hear their goals myself! :)

What are some of your goals for the upcoming month?

Kid-Loved Recipes - Leslie

This week is all about the foods our kids love to eat.  Right now A, being two, is in this picky eater stage.  Most of the time she's not willing to try ANYTHING new, which I find frustrating because I know that a lot of the time if she would just try it, she would like it.  We even try singing the "Try It, You'll Like It" song from Yo Gabba Gabba.  It has about a 5.3% success rate so far.  Or maybe that's me being a little too generous today.  *sigh*  Sometimes she even has a problem with things she previously liked, but now finds to be the wrong color or whatever other reasons that only make sense to a two-year-old. Or maybe they only make sense to MY two-year-old.  Or maybe they don't even make sense to her but she enjoys the way mommy's face turns dark red and has to leave the room for a minute.  Especially when a quarter of the plate is gone before she declares that her food is nasty and she doesn't like it, so can she have a cookie please?  That must be pretty funny!  Ha!

Anyway, on to the recipes!

French Bread Pizza
Ingredients:
Loaf of french bread
Your choice of pizza sauce, or make your own!
Your favorite cheese
Your choice of toppings
(Usually we have pepperoni or sausage available, black olives, and mushrooms)
Any herbs you like

Preheat your oven to 325*
 
If you use sausage or any other topping that needs to be prepared before being put on the pizza, do that first.  We always pre-cook our sausage into smaller, crumbly pieces ahead of time.

Get a cookie sheet and cover the bottom.  I like parchment paper for this, but I have used foil successfully as well.

You don't necessarily have to use french bread for this.  Sometimes we use pita bread in place of the french or even hamburger buns if you want more of a pizza burger feel.  If you do use french bread, cut it in half and then cut each half down to whatever sizes you would like your pizzas.  For a small loaf, often you can get away with just cutting the whole thing into quarters.  Larger loafs will be easier to eat if they are cut smaller than that.  You can also make it even healthier by using any sturdy wheat bread.

Arrange your bread onto the cookie sheet.  (An optional step if you are using the french bread is to spread a very thin layer of butter onto the cut side of the bread and put in the oven to pre-toast a little, about 5 minutes)

Add your toppings as you like.  I love this recipe because A can get up there and put whatever she likes on her own.  Usually I just spread the sauce on hers first and then she does the rest with a little help.  You can be as weird as you want.  It's your pizza!  Everyone here pokes fun at me for putting my pepperoni on before my sauce.  I can't help it that I like crunchier bread underneath!  Usually once everyone has their cheese on, we shake some oregano over the whole pan.  It makes such a big difference.

When everyone has their pizza the way they like it, put into the oven and bake just until the cheese is melted. 


Quesadillas
Tortilla Ingredients:
Your choice of cheese.  I like really any Mexican blends for this.
Tortillas (you can get wheat if you like)
For us, about 2 chicken breasts is good for 5 or 6 quesadillas
Quesadilla sauce (Optional, but so so good.)
Any other veggies you may enjoy with Mexican food (Optional)

Sauce Ingredients (Can be easily doubled):
1/4 C Mayonnaise
2 tsp minced jalapenos and 2 tsp jalapeno juice
     OR
4 tsp jalapeno juice
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 dash of salt

If you choose to use it, make the sauce at least an hour or two (or even better, the day before).  Just put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix until well incorporated.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until ready to use.

Cook the chicken until all pink is gone.  We cook with taco seasoning or just a little cumin to give it a bit more flavor.  Shred the chicken.  I have found that using my stand mixer is GREAT for shredding chicken.  Just put the cooked breasts into the mixer with the paddle attachment and turn it on.  Shred until it's the size you like.  It saves so much time.

Turn your griddle or pan on medium heat.

You can spray your tortillas on one side with oil if you like or just leave them alone.  Spread a thin layer of the quesadilla sauce onto the whole tortilla (non oiled side).  Sprinkle a layer of cheese and chicken onto only half of the tortilla and then flip the other side over the top.  Place in the pan and cook until the cheese is melted and the outside is as soft or crunchy as you like.

I like to take a little of the sauce and use it to dip while I'm eating.  A wants to like the sauce so badly, but it is a little spicy and she usually complains after a couple of bites.  Haha.  She gets a little sour cream instead.  The sauce is online as a copy of the recipe Taco Bell uses for their quesadilla sauce.  I don't think it tastes anything like TB's sauce.  In fact, this sauce is WAY better than theirs.


Rice with Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients:
White or brown rice
Chicken broth
Garlic powder (optional)
1-2 chicken breasts
Vegetables that you and your kids enjoy

Cook the rice according to package directions, but use the chicken broth instead of water.  I use the Brown Minute Rice, so it's pretty quick.  I also sprinkle in a few shakes of garlic powder at the beginning.

Cut the chicken into bite size (not too big for little mouths) pieces and cook.  I season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

A likes peas, corn, and carrots with hers.  I usually steam the carrots and cook the peas and corn in boiling water.

Mix into bowl together and enjoy.

A LOVES rice, so this is a perfect healthy dish for her.  Seasons can be adjusted in whatever way you like.  Experiment and find what YOU like.  I sure do.


Pinterest Brownies
Source
Ingredients :
1 C sugar
1/2 C flour
1/3 C cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate or butterscotch chips (optional)
Nuts (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350*

I find that this recipe makes a fairly thin brownie, so we often double it for thicker ones and just let them cook a little longer.  (Keep checking them so they don't overcook!)

Spray or grease a square brownie pan well.

Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk together.  Add to that the wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated.  Fold in any of the chips or nuts you would like to add.  I find that folding them in at the end makes mixing easier.  For me, anyway.  If you want, you can always put them in with the dry ingredients.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.


Other:

Roast Beast and Monster Sandwiches
This is something new we were actually able to get A to try.  We made the name fun, so she thought it was a blast and really liked it.  All it is, is a roast beef lunchmeat sandwich (use any bread they like) with muenster cheese.  That's it!  A won't eat any condiments, so hers is dry, but you can add any they might like.  We serve with fruit and pretzel sticks or carrot sticks.

Peanut Butter and Jelly
Ah.  The ol' go-to.  Please tell me you know how to make these.  :P  Served the same way.

Peanut Butter Sandwich
Yes, A will just eat a plain peanut butter sandwich.  She likes to have a banana and milk on the side.


A will eat just about any fruit as a snack.  Her favorites are bananas.  They seriously don't last long in this place.  She also loves strawberries, apples, pears, and oranges.  Her favorite veggies are carrots, corn, green beans, and peas.  Other snacks she loves are yogurt (we get Greek yogurt with fruit added), applesauce, pretzel sticks, and pita chips.

We don't try to force her to eat things she doesn't like, but a lot of the time I will have her try something more than once.  For example, at first she would not touch avocado.  She wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.  Then she would at least smell it.  Then I told her it was kind of like lettuce so she tried it, but hated it.  Now I will put a little on her plate and sometimes she'll eat a few bites and other times she won't touch it at all, but she's more open to it being an option.  Like Heather said, you can't expect them to like it if you just try once and then give up.

So there are a few things we make around here.  Hope you enjoyed! 

    

    

Kid-Loved Recipes~priddymomma

I laughed myself stupid when I saw this week’s topic.  Cheerio Champ isn’t in love with too many recipes.  He’s kind of picky.  Long gone are the days when I could put a few sprinkles on top of a new food and watch him devour it with relish (oddest thing?  Lasagna).  I also haven’t had the chance to experiment with recipes like I would like to, because I have an eleven month old daughter as well.  Finding time to cook can be a challenge.  Alas!  I do, however, have some recipes and some mom-in-the-trenches advice to share.  Be sure to check back Saturday for Leslie’s post (I know I will be!  She’s a master cook.)

Blueberry Muffins

These are adapted from a recipe hyped by Gwyneth Paltrow, which you can view here: http://www.self.com/healthystars/2011/05/gwyneth-paltrows-favorite-recipes-slideshow?slide=3   My version is healthier, in that it uses 1% milk instead of whole milk, and whole wheat flour instead of white.

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 eggs

½ cup 1% milk

2 cups whole wheat flour

¾ cup sugar, plus 1 tsp. to top muffins

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries (fresh are best, but either is good)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.  Whisk butter, eggs, and milk in a bowl.  Combine flour, ¾ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in another bowl.  Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients (add slightly more milk if batter is too dry.  Whole wheat flour tends to drink it in); fold in blueberries.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. sugar.  Bake until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  25-30 minutes.  Serve warm.  (I actually like mine refrigerated too, but I’m weird like that.)

Hawaiian Pizza Quesadillas

My husband and I thought up these after seeing a recipe for pizza quesadillas.  Best of all, they are quick and easy to make.

Barbecue sauce (your favorite.  Ours is Sweet Baby Ray’s)

Smoked ham or Canadian bacon

1 small can pineapple tidbits (you can use fresh, but unless it is already in tidbit size, it

won’t be very quick)

Mozzarella cheese

Whole wheat tortillas

You decide amounts.  Less cheese = less calories.  We make them in a skillet, but you can also bake them on a cookie sheet for 6-10 minutes at 400 degrees.  In a skillet, the easiest way is to cover half a tortilla and fold it over on itself to cook.  These can be quite sweet, depending on the barbecue sauce you like best.

Tropical Fruit Salad (feeds four)

1 mango

2 bananas

2 kiwis

Juice from ½ of a lime

Peal fruits, cut into pieces, combine, and squeeze juice over top.  BEST FRUIT SALAD EVER!  It is also surprisingly filling.  I think it would also be awesome with some fresh pineapple, though I have yet to try that.

Cheerio Champ isn’t willing to try new foods 75% of the time, but he eats some surprising foods on a regular basis.  Cheerio Champ will eat marinated chicken breast of any sort, provided that you give him ketchup to dip it in.  He likes fish (again with the ketchup).  He loves sweet potato fries.  His favorite lunch is a peanut butter, nutella, and banana sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread, served with carrots and grapes.  He loves having yogurt, granola, and fruit for breakfast.  And he practically begs for cottage cheese (Princess Cheerio also inhales cottage cheese).

Other tips:

Here are some tips on how to get your picky eater to sample new foods.

• Presentation.  Try making a design on a plate that is appealing to the eye.  Funny faces are a hit here.
• Steam it.  The whole family adores steamed veggies.  Steamed broccoli is more kid-friendly, as steaming it takes out the offensive sulfur-like flavor that most people don’t care for.  Also, try squeezing some fresh lemon juice on it.  There are some amazing microwave steam bags on the market.  You can do fish too!
• If they’re little, trick them into it.  Add veggie purees to dishes to get the veggies in (it makes brownies moister, btw).  Add some cheese to the top, or goldfish crackers (or again, sprinkles if they are into that). 
• Introduce literature and movies or shows that demonstrate healthy eating is cool.  Sid the Science Kid is a great place to start.
• Give the foods funky names.  Broccoli can be called “trees”, for instance. 
• Try, try again.  Kids need to be exposed to foods a countless number of times before they can become accustomed to them.  They will never like carrots if you try them once and give up.
• Serve them several ways.  Not into veggies raw?  Steam them, bake them!  Try a stir-fry!  Vegetable soup!  Give them something to dip veggies in (hummus is a great option).
• Get your kids involved in the shopping.  They’ll be more likely to try turnips if they picked the freshest ones themselves.
• Don’t make it a big deal.  Trying to force your child to eat anything is only going to lead to a power struggle you don’t want to have and possibly a life-long issue with trying new things.  And don’t be a short-order cook!  If your kid doesn’t want to eat what is on his plate for dinner, too bad.  He’ll be plenty hungry for breakfast, and it won’t hurt him to miss one meal.  If you are really worried about it, serve a side that you know he’ll love.

Kid Loved Recipes ~ Tori

This week we are going to be sharing some recipes that our kiddos love. Every kid has different tastes, likes, dislikes, etc. But maybe you will rediscover an old favorite, or find a new one! :)

Homemade Pizza

My kids love homemade pizza. And it is actually inexpensive. You don't have to spend a fortune, and you can tweak it how you like it. Your creating your own masterpiece. My kids are big into cheese so they love sharp cheddar, colby, and mozzarella. It doesn't take long to bake, and it's much healthier than the stuff you buy frozen or out, and so much cheaper. You control the amount of cheese and sauce.

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets from Skinnytaste

Credit for this recipe: skinnytaste.com

I found this recipe on a blog almost a year ago. I made it and the kids went crazy over it. It's now one of their favorites. You only need some boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bites, parmesan cheese, seasoned breading, and a few other items. The complete recipe is here. I've tweaked the breading a few times to mix it up a bit, but they always love it.

Mac & Cheese & Corn Casserole

Because my kids are fanatics of cheese and corn I decided to mix the two. 

• 1 (8-oz.) package elbow macaroni
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 can of corn (depending on how much you want to add)
• 1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided 

Directions::

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Keep warm.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta, 1 cup shredded cheese, and corn.
3. Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 2-qt. baking dish; top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
4. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tilapia baked with Roasted Veggies

As simple as the title. Gorton's has some of the best tilapia, but it's something that my kids really love. Plus it's healthy so it's a win win.