I am really loving having a toddler who loves to cook. We have really enjoyed getting in the kitchen together and experimenting with fun recipes. When she helps cook something, she is also more motivated to try it.
I found this recipe for Apple Breakfast Cookies from Melomeals and they seemed like the perfect afternoon snack for Aidalyn and me to make together. These are full of nutrients and low on sugar, so they are the perfect snack. I also loved that these contain a good amount of fiber. Sometimes toddlers are prone to constipation and this would be an easy treat to give them when they need help getting things moving along.read more
Here are some space saving ideas that Adam and I are implementing to help organize our house this year. Along with our health New Years Resolutions, Adam and I made some organization resolutions for our home. We moved to Richmond last year, and then I immediately got pregnant (and pretty sick initially). The house just has never been as organized as we would like.
Adam started reading a book about organizing your life and house room by room. We started last week in my sewing area and play room. This week we moved into the kitchen. So far we have made some good progress and I want to show you some of our space saving ideas.read more
Hey there, creative moms looking to add a little extra fun to playtime! If you’re on the hunt for new ways to spark your child’s imagination and creativity, you’re in for a treat. Today, we’re diving into the wonderful world of pipettes—a simple yet versatile tool that can unlock endless possibilities for play and exploration. From art projects to sensory play and beyond, pipettes are a fantastic addition to your parenting toolkit. So grab your little ones and let’s discover 10 exciting ways to use pipettes for play that will ignite their curiosity and inspire hours of joyful experimentation! read more
Glucomannan is becoming my favorite new cooking addition
I had never heard of glucomannan before reading Trim Healthy Mama. Since adding it to our pantry, I can’t believe this is such a secret! It has many health benefits too, so if you haven’t tried glucomannan yet – let this be your sign.
It is basically a thickener. It absorbs liquids without changing the flavor and without needing to be heated. It is able to turn 1 cup of liquid into a thick pudding with only using a teaspoon. This also fills you up and keeps you full longer, which can benefit people trying to lose weight. Glucomannan is fiber, so it helps keep you regular too!
It can be used to replace corn starch, flour rouxs, and xanthan gum in most recipes. It has zero carbs or calories, and add no bad aftertaste or slimy texture.
On the plus side, you don’t even have to heat it up to use it. You can whip it up in your cold smoothies and it immediately goes to work. I used it in these Asian Lettuce Wraps to thicken up the sauce.
Can Glucomannan Help with Weight loss?
In one study, participants lost an average of 5.5 pounds in eight weeks by adding one gram of glucomannan to their diet one hour before meals – with no other changes. Now that is something to get excited about! With any new supplement, you should always ask your health care provider if this is something you should try.
Where do you buy Glucomannan?
I buy my glucomannan from Amazon. You can probably find it in your local health store too. It is gaining more popularity, so it should be fairly easy to find. It also lasts forever, because most recipes don’t use a huge amount.
I don’t think my kitchen will ever be complete without having glucomannan in the cabinets.
Have you tried Glucomannan yet? What are you favorite ways to use it?
Chicken Nuggets are such a staple in most kid’s diets (and some adults too!). We love the taste of fried chicken in little tasty bites… But all too frequently American’s feel trapped into getting fast food Chicken Nuggets.
We know that McDonald’s isn’t health food, but we expect to be eating only fried chicken and breading when you order their chicken nuggets.
It can’t be too bad, right?
Natural News.com released a forensic investigation to find out what was in McDonald’s chicken nuggets. The chicken nuggets that were inspected were from a McDonald’s located in Austin. Tx.
The investigators found several items in the chicken nuggets that were not chicken or breading!
1) Dark black hair like structures
Where did these come from since chickens don’t have hair?
There was a recent study that showed that American’s have a limited amount of time devoted to health activities: cooking healthy meals or exercising. We all know that time is precious. Where we choose to spend our time should be focused on the activity that affects us the most overall health-wise. Both cooking healthy meals and exercising are both good things for improving your health, where will you decide to spend your time?
The study showed that this unconscious trade-off was made across all demographics: men, women, single, married, with and without children. As the time spent on cooking healthy meals increased, the activity spent on exercising decreased in a given day period.
Where should we spend our time for the biggest health benefits?
There is much discussion about the best way to improve your health. Should you eat better? or workout more?
Psychological Science reported that people who thought that eating right was the key to weight loss showed lower BMI (body mass index) compared to people who thought exercising was the key to weight control.
Maybe the people who valued eating right for health benefits, ate healthier in general and this choice caused lower BMI numbers. Or possibly the people who thought working out was the key to weight loss, had more muscle mass and that skewed their BMI numbers.
Both eating right and exercising are beneficial to your health… so if you have to choose where you spend your time, what choice do you make?
When asked most people agreed that it was easier to change how they ate then adding exercise into their schedule. Everyone finds time to eat. When trying to figure out what was more important for certain goals, Women’s Health Magazine reports that diet was most important for weight loss and reducing heart disease. Exercise was more important for boosting energy, prevention of diabetes, and improving mood. Both eating right and exercising were important for cancer prevention.
Every day you make the choice for where you are going to spend your time. Some days we may decide to spend a little more time moving and exercising and another day we may spend it preparing healthy meals in the kitchen.
Tips to save you time in the kitchen for days that you exercise:
Take one day to prepare foods in advance
Use a crock pot for making healthy meals
Prepare extra of some meals to freeze to use on busier days
Where do you choose to spend your time on health?read more
I fell in love with lettuce wraps not to long ago… and I am hooked. We had them first at Cheesecake Factory. They were chicken and mushroom lettuce wraps and they were amazing! I was hooked from the first bite. I knew I would need to figure out a way to make these at home, because I couldn’t afford to go to Cheesecake Factory as often as I would want to eat these Asian lettuce wraps.
Since opening my world to lettuce wraps, I have a love for all things wrapped in lettuce. I know that if you haven’t tried them yet, you may not think they could be that wonderful… but just wait til you try these!!! I am going to be working on Mexican Lettuce Wraps, Peanut Sauce Lettuce Wraps, and Cheeseburger lettuce wraps.read more
This challenge won’t only affect your health, but will also affect your wallet.
Have I mentioned that I’m cheap?
One of the first reasons I started cooking when Adam and I got married was because we couldn’t afford to eat out. I was in school and we were both commuting an hour to work and school (in opposite directions). Talk about burning through some cash!
By eating at home and cooking from basic ingredients, we were able to save so much money and would usually be able to eat leftovers for a bonus meal.
Know what is in the food you are eating
Have your ever looked at the ingredient list in a chicken nugget? Sometimes it is hard to find the chicken?
As I became more and more aware of ingredients in processed take out and boxed foods, I began to cook more and more from scratch. This process didn’t happen over night.
This challenge is to first make the decision to cook at home.
Second, take a favorite meal that your family loves and turn it into a whole foods meal.
That way you know exactly what you are eating!
I am pretty much a self-taught cook. I’m no fancy chef. I started with simple Rachel Ray type 30 minute meals which helped me get more and more comfortable cooking.
I’ve learned a few tricks over the years and can throw a meal together without a recipe now. When I started cooking, I was slave to the written recipe.
Recipes don’t have to limit you, they can be a jumping off board.
Start with a meal you know and see how you can modify it to make it healthier!
Do you have a favorite meal that uses canned cream of soup? Have you looked at the ingredients? MSG is usually one of them… besides hydrogenated yuckiness.
When you are planning eat out, here are tips and what to order to help you stay on track even at restaurants. Read how to eat out on a diet.
ditch your sugar cravings
Healthy lifestyles are easy to follow when you are at home. You are in control of all the ingredients when you are cooking. You know exactly how many teaspoons of butter you put on your sweet potato. But we live in a real world where we need to know how to eat healthy even when we are not at home.
The good news is that it can be easier than you think!
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