toddler meal planning

It is helpful and beneficial to meal plan for your family meals, but have you thought of meal planning for your toddler?

www.wholesometoddlerfood.com (the title is a link) has some excellent information about meal planning and some sample meal plans for your toddler. One very helpful hint from this website is to use a muffin pan to prepare toddler meals for the week-ie- fill muffin cups with fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses, ect. that way you have a variety of food on hand and prepared in advance to ensure a wholesome week of eating. I find this particularly helpful because I know I am more prone to grab what is easy and put it on Ethan's tray- ie raisins, o's, string cheese... but this makes more vitamin fortified foods easy to serve.

Here are some ideas to fill up your muffin pan:

Fruits:
blueberries
grapes
kiwi*
prunes
apples*
banana*
peaches*
avocado*
pears*
raisins

Veggies:
carrots
spinach leaves
squash
broccoli
mushrooms
bell peppers
snow peas
sweet potatos*

Dairy:
yogurt
cheese
tofu
egg*

Meat/Protein:
chicken (cooked, obviously)
turkey (bake turkey breast, not deli meat)
lentils (cooked)
beans (cooked)
canned salmon

*Keep food item whole to prevent browning, or cut fruits in half- and definately keep the egg in it's shell!

Fill up your pan however you like and now you have easy snacks/meals for your toddler! I use those little colorful take and toss containers (by The First Years) to put the food in and then put the container in the pan. AND that way if you are going somewhere, you have an easy snack to grab! You can even keep a pan of pantry snacks (raisins, o's, etc...).

Your little one will benefit greatly from this extra step of planning and it will save you a little time and brain power!

meal planning

I am a big fan of meal planning. Since I am married to a man who enjoys family meals every night, meal planning has made this a much less stressful and more enjoyable experience. When we were first married, I used to cringe at the daily question "what's for dinner?"... but now I am fully prepared and no longer left to, quite literally, make something up.

Throughout the winter, I stuck with having one soup a week, one chili a week, and one more specific meal a week. I have found this to be a nice pattern for a few reasons: 1) soup is cheap to make!, 2) both soup and chili can be made in the crockpot, 3) These meals promote leftovers, 4) it saves money- and nothing goes to waste, and 5) it's a nice pattern to follow so I don't have to come up with something totally different every single day.

ie: March Looks something like this:

Week 1:
Monday: French Onion Soup
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Chili and Rice
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Leftovers

Week 2:
Monday: Potato Soup
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Leftovers (it makes a lot and Carl doesn't mind!)
Thursday: White Chicken Chili and Rice
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Rice and Beans

Week 3:
Monday: Spinach and Lintel Soup
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Crockpot Enchilladas
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chicken Panini's
Saturday: Leftovers

Sundays are a little different because sometimes people bring meals over or I cook-every week is different. I keep "extras" on hand for those weeks.

I only plan for three weeks because, as most things go, this does not always go according to plan. Sometimes we go to someone's house and eat there, sometimes I make something else or the leftovers carry on another day.. so the last week of the month is "catch-up" week. I make whatever is left to make, or use an "extra" on hand; such as Breakfast or Spaghetti.

Also, as you can see, I like one dish meals. It is just easier for me to throw stuff into one pot, or crockpot rather, and be finished.

Happy planning!

homemade cleaner recpie: wood polish

I quit using my usual Plege to polish my tables because I wanted to find a safer alternative. I tried the Method brand of wood cleaner, but it is super expensive. So, I found a recipe off of the website I have previously shared, sideroad.com, and made my own (hint: the blog title is a link, and I am currently making all my blog titles links if there is a website involved ;) It works great!

And it is:
1 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

Pour into a spray bottle and shake, shake, shake- It's done!

passionate homemaking blog

This blog is AMAZING. Check it out- thanks Stephanie!
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com

item 'j'

Sooo, I planted my little seedlings this past monday for our garden. If all goes well, we will have tomatos, squash, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, strawberries, red onions and sweet peas.

Item 'j' is on its way to being complete for the "living an intentional 2009" list!

homemade cleaner recipes

http://www.sideroad.com/Budgeting/homemade-cleaners.html

recipes for fabric softener, glass cleaner, dishwasher rinse, furniture polish, wood floor cleaner, all pourpose cleaner and more.

my mama

A few of you are aware that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a week before Thanksgiving of 2008. If you didn't know this, FEAR NOT. Thanks to digital mamograms, they have caught it at stage 0 and removed it. She successfully finished her 5 weeks of radiation and is recovering just fine.

Alarming, shocking, and sureal would probably be the right terms to describe how it felt to hear this news. But, thank you, Jesus, it was caught super early and is highly treatable. She got to business and is getting it done. That's my mom.

Now, it's time to work. Regular excise, a wholesome diet, and a change in routine is what lies ahead for my mom, and really, for the rest of our family. It's going to be hard work, but I know she can do this! Please pray for her.

JJ Cole Collections

About a year ago, I bought a JJ Cole diaper bag from Babies "R" Us. I absolutely love this diaper bag. It has a place for EVERYTHING! This past weekend, one of the zippers broke, so I called JJ Cole and asked them about it. They carry a 2 year warranty on all of their products, so I was able to get a new one without any hassle. And they said I could even change the color if I wanted-bonus!

I also used their bundle me cover when Ethan was an infant and LOVED it as well- it's really cozy and convenient.
www.jjcoleusa.com

Tom's of Maine

I have started using a couple of products by Tom's of Maine.


One is the unscented, aluminum free deodorant...and it WORKS!


The other is the natural antiplaque (fluoride free) cinnamint toothpaste (fennel shown in photo). It is also a great product.
I wanted to start using these products because 1) I don't want to keep smearing aluminum in my armpits and 2) we get so much fluoride in our water that there is no need to get more from our toothpaste. Try 'em!

hot chocolate

Stovetop:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
Dash salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups (1 qt.) milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in pot; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.

Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve with marshmallows or whipped cream.

VARIATIONS: Add one of the following with the vanilla extract:
SPICED COCOA: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Serve with cinnamon stick, if desired.
MINT COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon mint extract OR 3 tablespoons crushed hard peppermint candy OR 2 to 3 tablespoons white creme de menthe. Serve with peppermint candy stick, if desired.
CITRUS COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon orange extract OR 2 to 3 tablespoons orange liqueur.
SWISS MOCHA: 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee.
COCOA AU LAIT: Omit marshmallows or whipped cream. Spoon 2 tablespoons softened vanilla ice cream on top of each cup of cocoa at serving time.
SLIM-TRIM COCOA: Omit sugar. Combine cocoa, salt and water; substitute nonfat milk. Proceed as above. With vanilla, stir in sugar substitute with sweetening equivalence of 1/2 cup sugar.
CANADIAN COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon maple extract.
(from www.hersheys.com)


Dry Mix:
4 cups dry milk
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the ingredients and put them into an airtight container.
(from CDKitchen.com)

dang quesadillas

(Think glorified grilled cheese)

Tortilla wraps
Butter
Salt
Cheddar cheese
Whatever you want to put in them! Diced onions, peppers,.. anything!

Spread butter on one side of tortilla. Salt buttered side. Place on electric griddle butter side down. Sprinkle with cheese and fillin's. Butter one side of another tortilla. Salt buttered side. Place on top of the fillin's with butter side out. Flip when golden brown. Cook other side until golden brown. Cut and dip in salsa and sour cream!

white bean chicken chili

3-4 chicken breasts
4cups chicken broth
2 yellow peppers
1 onion
1 jar of green salsa
1 can green chilies
2 cans of great white northern beans
1 lime-juiced (or 2 tbs lime juice concentrate)
1/4tsp groud cloves
1tbs garlic powder
2tsp cumin
2tsp cayan pepper
1cup chopped tortilla chips
1 bottle of corona
additional tortilla chips
mozarella cheese

Crockpot chicken for 6 hrs on high. Once chicken is cooked (about three hours later), add all other ingredients. Let cook for another 2 or three hours. Serve with tortilla chips and mozzarella cheese! There's dinner for a few nights! yummers!

baby food

When Ethan started solids (at 11 months), I decided to make his own food for a few reasons: it's cheaper, healthier (no preservatives), and probably tastes better.

I found this website to be very helpful with cooking, preparing, and freezing his food:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com

Also, a great tip about solids that my Doula shared with me is "if he can eat it in the form God made it, he can have it."

Really, who wants pureed peas...bleh!

liquid gold

When Ethan was first born, he got an infected tear duct. His bottom eye lid was red and puffy, so I called my Doula (who should write a book about these things!) and she said to drop a few drops of breastmilk in it and it would clear up in a day or so. And that is exactly what happened. This stuff is loaded! Breastmilk sterilizes, heals, and provides baby with the perfect meal every time he/she nurses.

This webpage has more info/uses for breastmilk (though I will admit that I flinched at a few of them:
http://members.tripod.com/~bmsg/breastmilkuses.htm

If you have any questions about anything reguarding breastfeeding, nursing complications, or ANYTHING this is a really helpful website:
http://www.kellymom.com

Seventh Generation

I have started using a few products by Seventh Generation. Overall, I am really pleased with their products, however; they are a little more expensive.

I am currently using the following:
Blue Euclalyptus and Lavender Laundry Detergent
Blue Euclalyptus and Lavender Fabric Softener
Free and Clear Laundry Detergent (For Cloth Diapers Only)
Free and Clear Dish Soap

I have also tried:
Size 4 Diapers: They are a bit leaky.
Baby Wipes: Good, but a little on the dry side and VERY expensive.

The Seventh Generation website (www.seventhgeneration.com) offers coupons, articles and a lot of information about cleaning products and other things. I like that they acknowledge how high their prices are and provide recipes for making cleaners at home.

meet the grizzy's

My family is incredible. My husband, Carl, is my best friend. He works tirelessly to provide for us while letting me stay home and hold down the fort. Our marriage has been such an awesome experience. We are celebrating our 5 year anniversary this May!

The next family member is our 3 year old 80lb lab named Wendy. She is THE best dog I have ever owned. She is super obedient and obsessive about fetch.

Then came Ethan, our firstborn son in November of 2007. He has totally rocked our world- for the better. Carl and I are crazy over this child and delight in watching him expore our world.

Thank God for this blessing of family!

living an intentional 2009

Life without a plan means that things don't intentionally happen, rather, they JUST happen (or worse, DON'T happen). So here's the to-do list for 2009:

a) Read 5 Books. Any suggestions?
b) Find a Mentor.
c) Get Pictures organized.
d) Start a compost pile/ recycle.
e) Have a Yard Sale.
f) Train Ethan Mentally, Physically, and Spiritually as is age appropriate.
g) Exercise regularly- including Wendy! (I know, really typical, but so far so good!)
h) Community, community, COMMUNITY!! LIVE in community with our family and those in our neighborhood.
i) Continue to grow as a wife, mom, and lab owner.
j) Grow a veggie garden.

Feel free to ask how it's going.

suck it up

Carl and I are getting ready to invest in a really high quality vacuum. We are currently the not-so-proud owners of a Bissell, which blows more dirt out than sucks in. So, a friend of ours who works at Kirkwood Sweeper recommended a Simplicity vacuum. I brought it home and vacuumed every last square inch of our carpet and voalah! Our carpet looks great. And the bag... was full- a sure sign that the Bissell does not work and the Simplicity does.

it smells like vinegar...

...because it is! I have begun using white distilled vinegar as a household cleaner and it cleans EVERYTHING! I like the fact that I now have only one cleaner that I need to tote around the house instead of the previous 8. After reading different articles about the many dangers of household cleaners, I made the switch. Now when Ethan kisses (licks) my mirrors, I don't have to worry about him injesting anything harmful.

Here is one article I read about typical cleaning supplies:
http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp

Here is a website naming the many uses for vinegar:
http://www.vinegartips.com/

To make a simple household cleaner, fill a spray bottle with 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar. Spray away on counter tops, windows, mirrors, tile, floors, tubs, sinks, and yup- the toilet.

The cost of 2 gallons of vinegar at Sam's Club is only $3.99. That is a lot of cleaner!

it's easy being green

I've made the switch in many ways to make our home more green and will continue to do so throughout this new year. I'm not so much concerned for the planet, but for the health of my family. The more changes I make, the more I am amazed at how much more simple life is becoming.