Anyone getting ready to travel for the holidays? We are going on a twelve-hour road trip to visit family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Twelve hours in a car with a two-year-old. Sounds fun, right? We break the trip into two days, which means we'll have four meals plus snacks on the road. There ...
Kid Friendly Recipes
Toddler Eats: Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast
It's been one of those weeks. Daylight savings time has not been kind to us. Five straight days of waking in the wee hours of the morning coupled with naps being spoiled by ill-timed bowel movements (I resisted the urge to call them "big poopies"), and Meghan is a bit out of sorts. So this ...
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal-The Real Kind
If you are still serving instant oatmeal to your kids (or yourself), I am begging you to stop. I have talked about how I think processed foods are detrimental to our health on this blog before, but have never really gone into detail. Today, I want to illustrate why I strive to provide a diet that ...
Toddler Eats: Cinnamon Raisin Cookie Bars
All right, I'll admit it. I like the homemade 'Larabars' just as much as Meghan does. I do make them especially for her, though, so I will call them Toddler Eats. These fruit and nut based bars have become a go-to snack for us; they are really perfect. They take about 5 minutes to make. For a ...
Split Pea Soup (is Really Good)
Something about the name Split Pea Soup doesn't make it sound very appetizing. I'll admit it. I pre-judged this soup by its name. Before this week, I'd never even tried Split Pea Soup because I really didn't think it would be good. How can I teach my daughter to not judge people based on their ...
Coconut-Strawberry Smoothie
Today as I was checking my email, in my inbox was an article about the benefits of coconut oil. I don't know how I feel about the author of the article, Dr. Mercola. In some ways, I think he is an over-the-top extremist. He posted an article about agave nectar, for example, that through careful ...
Vegan Sloppy Joes
I grew up loving Sloppy Joes. I was never a huge meat-eater, but there was something about the old Sloppy Joes that I could not get enough of. (And make 'em extra sloppy!) Looking back, it wasn't the meat that made the Joe something special. It was that flavor. Straight-from-the-can Manwich ...
Toddler Eats: Gluten-Free Quinoa Peanut Butter Balls
We have been blessed with a child who hasn't shown any food allergies or intolerances in her two years of life. (Will you please knock on wood for me?) So no, I don't need to create gluten-free snacks for Meghan because she is allergic. It is important, however, to eat a variety of whole grains ...
Toddler Tuesday: Homemade Larabars
Meghan has completely fallen in love with Larabars. 95% of the time when I tell her it is time for snack, she replies with, "Larabar, please, Mommy." She's got the manners down, and I'm actually pleased with her snack choice. They are great whole food snack bars made with basically just nuts and ...
Super Healthy Banana-Pumpkin Muffins
Yesterday was the first day that really felt like fall and I was thinking about making banana-pumpkin muffins all day. Between church, laundry, and extended time playing outside in the wonderful crisp air with Meghan, it didn't happen. Today, however, once Meghan was down for her nap, I was on it. ...
A Birthday Picnic for my Baby Girl
Two years ago today, I was sure my heart must have grown to twice its size, because how else could it fit so much love? If you are a mother, you know what I am talking about. I cannot describe the emotion I felt when I first held Meghan. In an instant, everything changed. Nothing in my life would ...
I’m in Pumpkin Heaven
I have an obsession with all things pumpkin goin' on. I'm the kind of gal who would happily forgo the turkey on Thanksgiving, but starts dreaming of the pumpkin pie in early October. It isn't even officially fall yet, and I've already had 3 pumpkin-spiced lattes from Starbucks. In order to go a ...