This is an easy recipe for Low Carb Cinnamon Tortilla Chips with Cinnamon Pecan Cream Cheese Dip using simple ingredients.
Tell me if this sounds familiar…
You find yourself REALLY wanting a sweet snack but knowing that you REALLY don’t need all the sugar?
That’s like my whole life right now! Managing my tendency toward gestational diabetes means that I really can’t deal with sugar or carbs so I’ve been experimenting!
Cut tortillas into 6 triangles each and dip each side into stevia/Cinnamon blend.
Bake at 350 degrees on baking tray covered in parchment paper for 10 minutes.
Beat together cream cheese, stevia, and cinnamon until smooth.
Fold in pecans.
Note: The stevia blend I use is a cup for cup substitute for sugar (this one is a good choice if you want to try it!). You can use any sweetener you like, just sweeten to taste.
This keto chocolate muffin in a mug recipe is perfect for curbing your chocolate cravings without the carbs. It’s a great keto friendly dessert or snack! When I was pregnant, I had gestational diabetes. I found that eating low carb was the easiest way for me to control my blood sugar from spiking. But I had intense pregnancy cravings! This was the recipe that I made almost daily to give me extra protein and curb my cravings the low carb way.
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
Chocolate can be enjoyed on a keto diet, but it’s important to choose the right type of chocolate and consume it in moderation due to its carb content.read more
So many people struggle with falling asleep each night. With this DIY Lavender Pillow Spray, you can use the power of essential oils to help you fall asleep.
Moms, the day that’s all about you is almost here—Mother’s Day! With everything you do as a super mom, you’ve earned a day of “R & R.” The trouble with a lot of the “Sleep Help” products and recipes out there is that they are full of fillers or chemicals you might not want on your pillow while you sleep at night!read more
This is a quick and easy breakfast recipe your whole family can enjoy! Healthy low sugar high protein chocolate pancakes are a delicious way to start your day with protein and healthy superfoods too.
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
When your girls want chocolate pancakes… you make high protein, low sugar chocolate pancakes and they love it!!!
Because I’m that kind of mom, haha.
When Adam and I changed our whole way of eating… it was before we were parents. We knew that being healthy wasn’t just for adults – it was something for the whole family! We had to show our girls how to eat to feed their body.read more
However, when you carve a pumpkin there are some downsides…
When you carve it, it may ROT!
No one wants a stinky pumpkin rotting on their front porch! There are a few tips to help your pumpkin last longer – Click here to check them out!read more
It is a special time for a new mom following the birth of a child.
So many emotions are going through a new mom’s head: I’m not pregnant any more! This is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen! Will I get my waist back? I’m already exhausted! Will I ever sleep through the night again? Are they breathing? Am I doing this right? They are so tiny! Oww I need a Tylenol… And this is just in the first 5 minutes!
Everyone wants to help a new mom out, but sometimes we forget what they need the most. Moms need to relax and recover for at least 2 weeks following birth. Having a baby is no easy task for a mom’s body to go through. If they push themselves too soon, they could hemorrhage or develop mastitis.
This is the perfect time to offer to help them out and let them do what only they can do: Take care of the baby.
Here is my list of ways that my family and friends helped me the most following my births:
1) Keep the older kids entertained.
Aidalyn was 2.5 years old when Annaleigh was born. Luckily, Aidalyn did well with the extra TV time that she had while we were all recovering from Annaleigh’s birth. My mom was such a huge help to us before Annaleigh was born and right after. She stayed with us for about 5 weeks total, helping me with Aidalyn and the house. Not having to worry about Aidalyn helped me give my full attention to recovering and taking care of Annaleigh.
2) Cook meals for the family
Following both of my births, my church family really helped me out by cooking meals for 2 weeks. Having a hot meal coming each night was so amazing. I didn’t have to worry about what we were going to eat and it helped us all recover by being able to relax at dinner time. We used Sign up Genius to schedule meals and it made the process so easy.
3) Do laundry
Births and babies generate a lot of laundry. Adam’s mom and my mom both helped me with laundry following the births of my girls. It is not glamorous by any means, but it is such a HUGE deal to a new mom to not have to worry about.
4) Clean the kitchen and put dishes away.
Just like the laundry, this is not a fun job to do… but some things just have to get done and we don’t want our new mom to feel like it is her job. Ask her what would make the biggest help to her (maybe it is unloading the dishwasher or wiping down the counter tops). Everyone has that one thing that bugs them, see if you can scratch that off her “to-do” list.
5) Let Mom get a shower
Getting a shower and feeling normal again is so important to a new mom. She will be pouring all of herself into this new little baby and forget she needs to care for herself too. Newborns will want to be held all the time, so showers and baths become a luxury.
6) Text her to see if she needs anything from diaper cream to coffee.
New moms don’t always know what they need until after the baby arrives (or they run out of something faster than expected!) Don’t call, just in case she is sleeping or dealing with the baby. A text allows her to get to your message at her convenience. She can reply and let you know if she needs anything from the store.
7) Let her know you are there if she needs to talk or ask advice. read more
The children’s lunch included: meat, potatoes, carrot, milk, and an orange. Under the school’s “balanced” guidelines, a parent is supposed to pack: 1 milk, 1 meat, 1 grain, and 2 fruits and vegetables. This mom actually packed an extra vegetable – a starch (the potato) – which is by far better than a Ritz cracker.
Adapted from http://www.flickr.com/photos/buzzymelibee/8696769797/
What is in a Ritz Cracker?
Ritz cracker ingredients: Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Raising Agents (Ammonium and Sodium Bicarbonates, Disodium Diphosphate), Salt, Glucose Syrup, barley Malt Flour. The crackers have more sugar than a potato and include vegetable oil (which is not a health food, read about healthy fats here). This doesn’t sound very healthy or balanced to me. If the school plans to routinely supplement children’s meals with Ritz crackers for health and nutritional reasons… they may need to rethink their plan.
The school should widen it’s view of a “balanced” lunch. They possibly should eliminate the need to include grains entirely, because you can eat a balanced meal without eating grains. The school could offer one of the foods in the 4 food groups list to supplement a meal, if their goal is health. If the school continues to require grains to be included in the school lunch, parents could send my Almond flour Cheese Crackers (shhh they are grain free). These gluten free crackers are easy to make. They are grain-free, gluten-free and have good healthy saturated fats (one of the 4 food groups all kids need).
How to keep growing and to have life among the growing.
Life Among the Growing…. What does that actually mean to me?
This phrase really speaks to me deeply in several ways.
First, I think about how I want to be continually growing into a better person with each day and opportunity I get. If you aren’t moving forward, you are moving backwards. If you aren’t growing, you are dying.
This is in my personal life as a wife and mom. In my spiritual life, I want to continually study and grow in God’s words.
Secondly, I think about my little girls. I love life with them as I get to watch them grow. Time flies by so quickly and I’m blessed that I am able to stay home with them in this fleeting stage.
Thirdly, I like to think about life. What is happening in my life and around me. What am I learningthese days?
What are some ways that we can continue to grow and not become stagnant?
1) Try something new.
Visit a new town, a new restaurant, a new museum.
2) Read a book.
How many books have you read recently? I prefer nonfiction for sure, but last summer I got into some mystery novels that were fun to read as well.
3) Learn a new skill.
Always wanted to know how to fix something by yourself or understand how something works? Find out!
4) Be around others who are growing.
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.read more
Why My 3 Year old is Not Potty Trained, and Why I’m Okay with That
Potty training is a huge topic among moms of preschoolers. How did you potty train? How long did it take to potty train? Did you do it cold turkey? What did you do about nights?
We actually did start potty training Aidalyn around 26 months old. I was pregnant with our second and was motivated to not have two in diapers at the same time. Potty training while being pregnant was not fun. We did the 3 day potty training boot camp. She was excited about big girl panties. She was excited about getting stickers and chocolate.
Aidalyn did great during the day. She was showing really great progress for about 3 months. We still had accidents during the night (never once was dry in the morning and rarely was dry after a nap). We were never “completely” potty trained. We could leave the house and stay dry, though. We thought we were on the right track.
Then the rains came down (literately).
Our house flooded from an upstairs toilet over-flowing… I was 35 weeks pregnant. (You can read the story here) We had to move out of our house for about 3 months. During this time, I gave birth to my second daughter (read her home birth story here).
This whole series of events was too much for a 2.5 year old. We spent one month in a hotel room, one month in a rental house, and 3 weeks in Louisiana with my parents while our house was being worked on.
The Regression
Aidalyn started acting out in the hotel room. She was drawing on the walls and sheets with crayons ( she had never shown any sort of rebellion like this before). She also started crying about having to use the potty. She basically refused to use her potty or the hotel’s potty. She also had to start sleeping with the light on at night.
Using the potty got a little better once we moved into the rental house. We were back in big girl panties and using her little potty with lots of encouragement and rewards.
Then Annaleigh was born and that was another huge life change for a 2.5 year old.
Aidalyn’s personality is that of being a perfectionist, type A and in control. Her little world as she knew it was spinning out of control and the only thing she could control was #1 using the potty or not and #2 eating or not. We saw both of these issues expressed to the max.
We tried rewards, we tried charts… they worked for a short time. Then they stopped working.
Now she cries at the mention of using the potty. She will tell us at random times “I don’t want to use the potty.” She also says that the potty is scary.
I’m not saying that I don’t believe your 3 year old should be potty trained. I am saying I’m okay with my 3 year old not being potty trained.
Adam and I are both over achievers and like to put success on reaching goals.
When it comes to our children and their development…
It isn’t a race.
It isn’t something to brag about.
These are little people who need to be respected and given their own time to progress and grow.
Every child is different, despite the charts and graphs you always see.
Our job as parents is to help build the scaffolding to ease them into the next phase of growth.
I think that we would have been potty trained already if all the other crisis didn’t happen during the time of that developing skill. Who knows.
Right now, I’m focusing on changing Aidalyn’s inner voice. I keep reminding her that “The potty isn’t scary.” “Big girls use the potty.” “When you are ready, you let mommy know and we will use the potty together.”
I am going to be ready for her to show me that she is ready. I will help her as she gets over her fear of using the potty. Once that happens, I will be there to support and encourage her. But for now, I am waiting.
So to the mom who’s 3 year old isn’t potty trained, the mom who’s 6 month won’t sleep through the night, the five year old who isn’t reading novels:read more
