Two Easy Cook Recipes That Yield 4.5 meals.

I have a toddler boy, but I love cooking and good food. Enter the world of being creative in meal planning (especially when you buy meat according to whether it is on sale). I've been playing around with a few recipes and flavors for a while (credit to my husband and son for hanging in there), and I finally found a few perfect ones. 

Today, I want to share with you 2 dinners that (drum-roll please) make 4.5 meals (for a family of 2-4. 4 if they are little). They are wonderfully good, mostly healthy, sneak in veggies, EASY to put together and cook quick. 

Our first recipe (pair of recipes) is BBQ Pulled Chicken, and BBQ pulled  chicken salad.

Ingredients/ Preparation for Pulled Chicken:

• About 3 1-lb chicken breasts
• Hickory BBQ Sauce (only about 1 cup)
• Squirt of Chipotle Mustard Spread (Found near the mayo and sandwich spreads)
• Pepper, Salt, Garlic
• Maple syrup ( I use Grade B Organic Maple Syrup found at Whole Foods).

Toss everything into a Crockot and cook on High 4-5 hours, or on low 6-8 hours. Shred Chicken with two forks in a "pulling" motion. Stir, turn down to low, and let sit about 15 minutes. Serve on toasted buns with a light spread of mayo.

Side Dishes/preparation:

• Frozen Corn: (1 1/2 times more than you need for your meal)Cooked, with butter, pepper, creole seasoning, salt)
• Tater Tots (more than you need for your meal.)

Save leftover corn and Tater Tots in the fridge for other recipe.

Leftovers Recipe

1. Dice 1/4 to 1/2 cup of red onion
2. Toss in leftover chicken and corn
3. Add desired amount of mayo, and pepper, mix with fork
4. Serve on desired bread and enjoy.

Our Second pair of recipes is Spinach and Tomato Tortellini and Spinach and Tomato Chicken Bake.

Spinach Tomato Tortellini Ingredients/prep:

• 1 Package of Cheese Tortellini (I use Butoni)
• 1 Jar of Alfredo Sauce 
• 1 can of italian diced tomatoes
• 1/2 package of frozen spinach-thawed (you can re-freeze leftovers)
• salt, pepper Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder- to taste
• 1/2 cup of mozzeralla and a spinkle of parmesean cheeses (fresh parm works too)

Cook Tortellini According to package direction.

Start Sauce with Alfredo and Seasonings first (giving the sauce a chance to liven up). Drain liquid from tomatoes and add one spoonful at a time, stirring after each spoon. Stir in Spinach. Add cheese and stir. Continue stirring over low heat until cheese has melted into sauce. Pour 1/2- 3/4 cup over tortellini and serve with garlic bread (and wine). Save the last 1/2 pot of sauce. 

Spinach and Tomato Baked Chicken Ingredients/ prep:

• 2-3 Chicken Breasts
• Tomato Spinach Alfredo Sauce
• Garlic Powder, pepper, salt.

Pre-heat Oven to 350 Degrees. Rinse Chicken well. Trim off excess fat. Rub garlic powder, pepper, and salt into chicken. Let sit for at least 10 minutes in fridge. Place chicken in baking pan, pour sauce over. Cook covered 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until chicken is no longer pink in the very middle of the largest breast. 

So, what about the tater tots? Glad You asked!

Tater-cakes! (kind of like hash browns).

• Leftover Tater Tots 
• 1 Egg
• Garlic, pepper, salt
• Vegetable oil

1. Smash up cold tater tots until in pieces, add egg and seasoning. Mixture should be thick like a meatloaf mixture. 
2. Heat pan over medium. Add oil to hot pan. (Always add oil to a hot pan). 
3. Fry on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with eggs and fruit.

So there you have it. 2 recipes, 4.5 meals. :) Enjoy your free time. 

The amazing benefits of baby led weaning- a personal experience.

Baby led weaning is a topic not commonly understood in the states. It is the idea that when your child is ready for solid foods, you give them what you are eating (or a healthier option then what you are eating). When I first heard about it, the concept was both intriguing and frightening. As a first time mother, I am terrified of everything ESPECIALLY choking. While the idea of giving my child REAL WHOLE food without spending hours making baby food was tempting, I couldn't bring myself to give him a cookie or banana. Out came the Gerber and the cheerios.

Little One at Thanksgiving, 8 months old.

Fast Forward Two Months:

My son turned his nose up at anything pureed. He started reaching for my food, so determined he actually knocked over my plate trying to get my carrots. I can't blame him. My food looked and smelled a whole lot better than his did. So (being as it was November) He had the dinner we were having. Spices, butter and all. We did of course shred his chicken and pull apart his bread, but Thanksgiving was a good trial run for us. We didn't eat anything we were super concerned about him choking on to begin with that day. So our journey began. 

Success with flaw:

With my son now refusing any and all "baby food" I found things for him to eat. One day while in the baby department buying diapers, I stumbled upon Gerber Little Entrees. It was like the skies opened. I no longer needed to worry about too much fat, too much sodium, choking, portioning, or any of the like. I still gave my son the food we were eating on and off, depending on what it was. Most of the time he had his little entrees, and I never gave it a second thought. That was until he started having stomach problems. My son has always been very sensitive to everything. He could only use certain diapers and wipes, only certain laundry detergents, and needed special formula. I didn't give Gerber a second thought. It had no preservatives, and many kids do just fine. We thought he was maybe lactose intolerant, he wasn't. We thought he was gluten sensitive, he wasn't. With no answers from doctors I started on a mission. Ditch all of the packaged food, preservatives or no preservatives. I was on a kick to find toddler meal recipes. They were either incredibly complicated, or incredibly lame (can you say PBJ?). So we returned to him eating what we were, spices and all. As we generally eat very healthy (lean meat, fresh produce, limited sweets and fats, ect) I felt he would do better. He did. 

The new normal:

Little One today- Broccoli, Pork Chops, and beans for dinner

My toddler (all 14 months of him) now eats whatever we do. There is no "picky". He eats what we do, when we do (usually more often since he also snacks) and there is no alternative unless we are eating fast food. He will eat fish as easily and happily as he eats macaroni and cheese. He delights in fruit, and devours his vegetables. He eats string cheese and bananas whole without choking. His disliked foods have changed slightly; He is not fond of carrots or green beans anymore, but he devours broccoli, tomatoes, onion, mushroom, and many other vegetables. He always tries what we put in front of him, and after a few bites may or may not leave the rest on his plate. He eats things a lot of toddlers would spit out: Thai curry (which is a complex flavor but not spicy), pico de gallo, peas, tuna fish, eggs, ect. I have a few Gerber snacks and entrees for him, but only for when we are on the go (since fast food is even worse).

Why it works:

Although I am not 100% sure of why this works like it does, I like to think the reason he eats so well is that he weaned on his own terms. I put healthy foods in front of him, and he ate what he liked. He was young enough that the curiosity about new food still overshadowed the hesitance of trying something new. He also seems to have an easier time chewing things. He tries everything on his own, I don't have to force him. Even if he doesn't he will take a few more bites before abandoning it. 

How to:

• Vegetables-Overcook vegetables by steaming them until fork tender. If you have to put any effort into getting the fork in, it is still too hard. 
• Meat- For pork, chicken and fish, shred the meat once it has cooked fully. Cook steak until it is falling apart and shred. Ground beef and ground turkey should be small pieces (smaller than a pea)
• Shredded cheese is best to start with-shred it yourself to avoid additives. When your child is ready, and you are comfortable, chunks of cheese or cheese sticks may be given. 
• Fruit- most fruit is already soft. for apples and pears, cut into large enough pieces that they will not fit in the mouth whole. They are typically too hard for a baby or young toddler to bite through the center.  Kiwi, banana, watermelon, melon and peaches are all soft but slippery, cut these up small until your child has learned to hold and bite off small portions. 
• Bread, crackers, rice, legumes, pasta. Bread, crackers, and rice are all very managable on their own. To pump up your Little one's flavor palate, these are also easy to add spices or vegetables in (zucchini bread, curried rice, Spanish rice). Legumes need to obviously be soft cooked, but you don't need to do any special preparation. Kidney beans make a great protein for lunch or dinner, and are already finger food friendly. Stay away from peanuts and their butter until Little One is a year old. Make sure pasta is managable, Little One cant twirl spaghetti like you. 
• THINGS TO AVOID: 
• If your Little One is under 1: Nut butters, egg, honey, cookies, candy, pudding, hot dogs, uncooked baby carrots- these all have associated allergy risks, are too high in sugar, or are a choking risk.

7 touching commercials for parents.

Is it just me, or are advertisements getting more spot on and personal? It may be they are getting better, or that I am now in the target market.. or both. Either way, I had to find all of my favorites to share. 

1.)This is my FAVORITE. It came out right after I had my son, it makes me tear up because sometimes I NEED to know I'm doing ok.

2.) This one is my second favorite. My son is growing up so fast! 

3.) Did I say my son was growing up fast? Here is my CLOSE third.

4.) This one is just plain sweet.

5.)This one hits home-hard. I have State Farm, I love them. Any parent would be pouting after watching this. 

6.) This one came out before I had my son, and it didn't REALLY hit me until it did. I HAD to dig it up again after I had him. 

7.) This one is brand new. It's cute, but it hasn't grown on me as much as the others yet.

So those are my favorites, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Crib Teething Guard

I admit I am a new mom, even though my son is a year old next week (tear). Some things still scare the crap out of me. Like when I went into his bedroom to pick up something (I don't remember what) and found all the little teeth marks on his beautiful crib my mother bought him. The cosmetic damage I can handle, but 1.) I have this thing about teeth. I am super OCD about teeth. I hate dentists, brush my teeth compulsively, and can't stand the thought of mouth injuries. 2.) I noticed a CHUNK of wood missing on one side. After a frantic call to my mother, my brother who spent a good 6 years as an Army medic and is now a Pre-Med student put some of my fears to rest. I still found myself pushing on his stomach to check for internal bleeding and sifting through his poop this morning. So I made a deal with myself that I would fix it RIGHT THEN, even if it was temporary. I dug through his dresser drawers to find his old receiving blankets and tied them around the top rails until I thought of a solution in the morning. 

Going into this project, I had to remember that my sewing machine is still needing to be repaired. Which means I needed a no-sew solution to pad and protect the crib rails (and his teeth and GI tract). I finally figured it out this morning, and as soon as the husband is awake I am going to race to my local Wal-Mart for supplies. Here is what you need to to it:

One of these: Yes it is a pool noodle. Take a sharp pair of

scissors and cut it to the size of your crib rail. Then cut a slit down the middle of one side to the center hole so it slips on to the crib edge. 

Now This: Blizzard Fleece. You can get it at any fabric store, and it goes on sale at the beginning ans end of winter. Measure your crib rail length and cut it to size. Make sure it is two inches wider then what you think you will need.Drape it over the crib rail and pool noodle.If you remember ever making no sew fleece blankets this will be a breeze. Cut slits on each side of the fleece and TIGHTLY knot them together. 

Repeat this on all sides of the crib. I only need 2 noodles and about 3 yards of fabric but measure your crib to make sure.

Low fat, Low calorie one pot dinner, PLUS Dessert!

It's that time of year again. It's just after New Years, and a few months before military PFA testing. Which means we are either trying to LOSE weight, or watch what we eat. Trying to think of a creative (meat free- I'm so burned out on meat, especially chicken and lean steak cuts), healthy, quick, and tasty meal tonight, I remembered some of the random pasta dishes my mother in law makes. The flavors pack a punch, but they are light and refreshing. So I dug around in the kitchen and put something together! It was AMAZING. I am proud of myself for making a meal (in one pot in a half hour) that had less then 500 calories, and about 5 grams of total fat. The dessert is about 115 calories, and 2.5 grams of fat. Here are the recipes!

4 Vegetable Pasta (makes about 4-6 servings):

1 Can of stewed tomatoes-drained

6 medium sized mushrooms

1/4 cup of sliced red onion

1/2 thinly sliced red pepper

1/2 box of rotini pasta

garlic,pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder to taste

cooking spray

1.) boil pasta until aldente (7-9 minutes)

2.) strain pasta- do not rinse- leave in strainer

3.) spray same pot with cooking spray, heat over medium

4.)saute onion, red pepper, and mushrooms until just tender

5.) add in tomatoes and heat about 3 minutes- add in garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning and pepper

6.) turn heat to medium-low and toss pasta and veggies together in pot. Heat for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Serve with a side of steamed vegetables.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie:

1 chocolate snack pack

1 ripe banana

ice

Toss all in blender and enjoy!

Who said low fat foods were bland? :)

Family Friendly Outings

Family Friendly Outings That Wont Have You Spending a Fortune, or Tearing Your Hair Out. 

One thing you learn REALLY fast when you don't have a babysitter is how to juggle an infant or toddler so you can still get out of the house. We go everywhere with our son for the most part. We have learned how to do pretty much everything a normal couple with a babysitter does WITH our child. While I still REALLY need to find a good babysitter so we can go on dates baby-free, we have learned how to cope without one. Below are some of our favorite (and soon to be favorite) kid friendly outings that are fun for parents too! 

1.) The Park- I can't stress how important it is to take your child to the park, no matter what age they are. My son's first outing to the park was at four months old. Now that he is ten months old and climbing, chasing, ect. It is a blast for him. Take a ball, some snacks, sunscreen, a large blanket, and some favorite toys and have playtime outdoors. Lounge in the shade or sun, and enjoy the time with your child. It can be pretty peaceful. Point out objects, and let them touch them. Grass, leaves, dirt, flowers, rock. Be careful not to let your child eat anything! Be watchful for poison oak or poison ivy as well if you live in an area where they are prevalent. Parks are not only fun and a great learning experience for little ones, but you will be surprised how some fresh air can knock your little one into a deep slumber after a few hours. 

2.) Drive in Movies- Depending on where you live they DO still have these! They are perfect for parents with little ones who get restless in a theater. They are generally not as loud as movies in the theater as well. You may even get your little one to sleep in their car seat the whole time! If they make a fuss, you wont have other people eyeing you for having a crying baby. 

3.) Mommy Movies. The Bump has a great program where they have mommy movies every month. It is a matinee where you can bring your baby, and is for parents with small children ONLY. The only drawback is they only have one movie per month, and it has never been anything above a PG-13 rating.

http://pregnant.thebump.com/bring-your-baby.aspx

4.) Buffet restaurants- Most are very inexpensive for children, and free for toddlers. If you have a small child, baby, ect. that eats at least some table food, it is worth every penny. Family restaurants like Red Robin and Ihop have the standard kids menus, but at a buffet you have more variety- meaning a higher likely hood of finding something your child enjoys, and there are a TON of HEALTHY finger food options for babies and kids. We went the other night ourselves and our son feasted on peas, shredded cheese, cottage cheese, jello, macaroni and cheese, kidney beans, and beets. The time before he had mixed veggies, beets, kidney beans, steamed rice, and yogurt. Since buffets are also generally louder and geared towards families, nobody looks twice at a crying or babbling baby, and you and your significant other can relax, eat slowly, and get whatever you want to eat. 

5.) Family restaurants with a bar- Applebees, Red Robin, TGI Fridays, Chilies, ect. Go earlier in the evening when it is still mostly families. If your child is older, order them their food when you order your drinks and appetizers so it comes out first. This gives you the ability to relax, eat, and have a few "adult drinks". Just make sure you plan to take a cab, or have a designated driver ahead of time, only TWO-THREE REGULAR STRENGTH DRINKS  is enough to make the average person legally intoxicated. 2 beers, 2 glasses of wine, or 1 cocktail is safe and legal for MY husband. If you have even ONE double cocktail, margarita, or three beers, you need to call a cab, whether or not you are "buzzed". The last thing you want is to either be in an accident, or get pulled over with your child in the car. 

6.) Shopping malls- I ONLY recommend this if you have a baby or a VERY young toddler, before they get a bad case of the "I wants". They are so curious about everything most babies are fascinated if you show them objects you are looking at. Even little boys are in wonder at the sparkle of jewelry and women's boutique stores. 

7.) The beach- we have yet to do this one, but it is in the works for spring. This is a toddler and child activity, I am sure you can take a younger baby, but I am overprotective about the sun. Make it family friendly, don't expect to be sipping secret cocktails and reading a book. Bring sunscreen, water, juice, snacks, shovels, and pails. If you toddler loves water like mine, slap a life jacket on them and take them into the shallow water. If not, show them shells, tide pools, and kelp. Let them pick up little rocks and put them in a bucket, help them build a sand castle. Let them help bury you in the sand. Just make sure you bring and STAY ON TOP OF the sunscreen. You need to reapply it every few hours, so pay attention to the directions on the bottle and the time. 

There are many, MANY more. Even the grocery store can be fun for children if you let it be. I am sure I will be posting more of these in the future. My little family has lots of fun together. :)

Kids- Keep it Simple.

I am looking at all of the toys in my closet that I have to wrap for my 9 month old son's first Christmas! I admit, I went a little overboard... which brings me to the point of this. A very dear family friend is having her first baby soon, and my step-brother had his first last month. Naturally, because I have a 9 month old, people think I have a plethora of knowledge and wisdom on what to do, what not to do, buy, ect. Well, newsflash, I figured it out the hard way. I prioritized what I thought was going to be really important... and bought more INVALUABLE things later. So, since I spend so much time on Pintrest anyway trying to figure out how to entertain my son, I looked there. What a crock of crap! I can NOT believe some of the things new parents are DYING over... that are totally not important to have. I have found, that honestly, no matter what I think my son will like or need, I am wrong. So here is the list of misc. items I find totally over the top, with what I bought/did instead.

1.) Sophie the Giraffe: Whoever invented this little plastic/rubber animal is a genius. Not because it is revolutionary, but they know how to sucker people out of money. When my son was teething I looked at this little thing. It is natural rubber (whatever that means?) and natural paint and whatever. I'm all for green toys and whatnot, but it is a teething toy... a "revolutionary" teething toy that "babies go crazy for". Guess how much this little rubber animal is? $22 for the "standard model". No. Freaking. Way. Nothing is too good for my child, except maybe this. I have a VERY hard time believing this is any better then any other thing to chew on. I had little wooden beaded ring things to chew on as a baby and plastic keys. I bought my son a few $3 teething toys.. and after a few, guess what his favorite thing to chew on ended up being? The TV remote. YUP, an extra TV remote he found in a drawer. Buy whatever you want, but most likely, your kid will chew on you or some other random item they prefer. 

2.) Baby Bottle Keurig, or BabyNes: OK! How freaking lazy do you have to be (even in the middle of the night) to not warm up some breast milk or some water and measure out formula. Dropping like $200 (roughly) into one of these things is just asking for your Mother in Law to criticize you. Not to mention that $200 is roughly 10 cases of Huggies. I never would have bought one of these, my son didnt even LIKE warm milk after I stopped breastfeeding. (see number 3)

3.) Baby Bottle Warmers: Like number 2, why on EARTH would you spend $60 for one of these things? It takes 30 seconds to a minute to warm up some water from the tap (see number 4). Plus, you can check it on your wrist before you even mix your formula. Breastfeed? Run the bottle under hot tap water and check the milk temp. 

4.) Nursery Water: Now I really do love people's reaction to my using tap water for baby formula. It is usually along the lines of "eww chemicals and blah blah blah".. yet they are buying water that comes in plastic bottles, that you cant refill with more nursery water. Not only do these come with a large price tag (about $1.25 a gallon, it adds up fast once you child is drinking 6 oz at a time), but pediatricians actually advise AGAINST using it. Tap water has natural vitamins and minerals that get taken out of nursery water, fluoride, and the plastic bottles could have BPA in them.

5.) Dr. Brown's Baby Bottles: Probably the biggest waste of money I have seen. The have rave reviews and are highly recommended by parenting magazines, but guess what? Not only are they expensive, they are misleading and impractical. Here is why: 1. They have a GAZILLION parts, any mom on the go will easily lose a piece and not be able to feed a baby in the middle of a crowded mall. 2. Not all babies have colic- this is IMPORTANT. They are acclaimed as reducing colic significantly, but not all bottles are created equal or even "better" to treat colic. Some babies do GREAT with less expensive, more simple bottles after parents have dropped hundreds on more complicated ones. Another issue about colic- it is not always simply colic that can be fixed by using expensive bottles. Milk sensitivities are a big factor also if you are formula feeding, and there are MANY formula options: soy, alimentum, sensitive, advance, pro.. the list goes on and varies by brand. 3.) part of having a million parts to these bottles, is cleaning them all. I'd rather spend that time with my child (who has no history of colic). 

Take note of the 5 million parts.

6.) The Baby Bullet: Super popular at showers! It IS a great idea, but it isn't a "must have" item. If you have never heard of The Baby Bullet, it is used to make home made baby food. Here is the issue I have with it- it is not that helpful in the long run. It is pretty much a food processor that comes with Tupperware. You still have to cook the food, dump it in, blend it, and put it in the little containers. At about $65 retail, if you already have a blender or a food processor, then pick up some little Rubbermaid containers for about $2 for 2. 

7.) Sleep Sacks: Basically, another super expensive baby item used for cutting corners. Two things to consider here- 1. Not all babies like being swaddled, after the first week of life, my son hated it. So did my sister's son, and my brother's daughter and so on. 2. You are spending $22 on 2 sleep sacks. A package of receiving blankets is $10 for 5, and can be used for LOTS of other things- my sister STILL HAS some of hers, and her son is 5. Learn to swaddle in the hospital, they will teach you, and thank me later. 

8.) Water temperature Rubber Ducks: I am 100% guilty of this. It was so cute, and seemed so practical I HAD to have it. Here is the problem, it was expensive (for a rubber duck) and does not even do it's job, but made me paranoid. These are the little rubber ducks that say HOT on the bottom. When the water is "too hot" the writing turns white. After 3 baths of my son shivering (because even though the water felt too cool to me the duck said HOT) I put it away until he was old enough to actually play with it. 

Now, what IS invaluable? Here is a quick rundown:

1.) Onesies: You can never have too many. Regular, plain, printed, colored onesies. They get poopy, pukey, and stained, and will be changed several times a day. 

2.) All Free and Clear: Babies have sensitive skin, Dreft is expensive, and you are going to be doing a LOT of laundry. 

3.) A GOOD thermometer that you can use well into older years: Splurge here. Buy a good one. Not a pacifier or rectal... try using THAT on a 7 year old and tel me how it work out. When in doubt, in ear is best.

4.) INEXPENSIVE teething toys: These will be taken everywhere. They will get dropped, lost, abused, and well chewed on. Don't go TOO cheap though, they need to be safe too. A good price range is $3-$5.