5 Tips For Picky Little Eaters

1. Give them Variety.

When I give my boys a variety of different foods, it keeps them sitting at the table longer which leads to getting more food into their bellies. It also makes me feel like they have some say in what they choose to eat. 

2. Dip It.
Let them try dipping their food. Even if it's carrots in ketchup? Sure why not. It can make eating a little more fun and hopefully get some of that food into their belly.

3. Let them eat off Mom's plate.
For some reason, the food on Mom's plate sometimes looks more tasty then the food on their plate (even when it's the same food.) So Sometimes I will make up a plate of food and stare it between the 3 of us. I do this mostly with breakfast foods.

4. Tubby time + Snack Time.
I learned this trick from my Mama. Stick them in the tub with toys and feed them while they are busy splashing around and playing. This works really well with getting food into Jovi.

5. Keep trying.

If they don't like it the first time that doesn't mean they won't like it the 2nd, 3rd 5th even 20th time. So keep trying.

For those wondering where the plates are from, you can find them here--->>>

Re-Play Divided Plates, Aqua, Green, Orange, 3-Count

xoXox

Easy Spinach Wraps

 

 

Recipe

• Eggs
• Sugar
• Rice
• Spinach Leaves
• Onion
• Chicken
• Frozen Corn
• Soy Sauce

 

These were pretty simple to make, and turned out so good!! I was surprised because I really had know idea what I was doing and made it up as I went along. keep in mind I'm NOT a professional cook.

 

First, cook the chicken in olive oil and minced garlic over medium/low heat in a frying pan. In a separate pan, cook the eggs with sliced onions and a bit of sugar (I learned this trick from one of our Japanese students that stayed with us, it just adds a bit of sweetness to it and is really good.) Once the eggs are cooked, add the rice and frozen corn.(I used rice that I  had cooked the night before.)

 

 Mix it well while adding in some soy sauce and cook over medium heat for about 10 mins. **Have spinach steaming in another pan during this process.  Once the chicken is fully cooked, cut it into chunks and add it into the rice mixture.

 

When the spinach leaves are soft, place the leaves down flat, then spoon some of the rice mixture onto the middle of the leaves and roll it. ( I used a bamboo placemat I had on hand for this process.)

For an extra bit of goodness, spread a bit of butter over the top and sprinkle on some sea salt.

 

 



 

 

 

They probably would have been even more tasty had I been able to finish eating them while they were still warm. But between Nixon needing more hot water in his bath, jovi needing extra attention as we are potty training him and Gibby crying in her swing because she was needing another bottle, it just didn't happen.

It's usually eat on the run for me.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

xoXox

The Raw Food Diet

So lately I have been craving fruits and veggies like no ones business. Probably because I haven't been eating the best lately... I'm sure my body is trying to tell me something. 

It's just so hard finding something that sounds good to eat when I'm pregnant, and when I do find something (healthy or not) it's a happy day! 

The Hubs and I are suckers for a good documentary, especially ones that have anything to do with living off the system, food, architecture, and eating more healthy. Which is funny because I wouldn't label us the "healthiest of eaters"

But I have noticed that we have been doing a lot better at eating more healthy compared to when we first were married, we also haven't been eating out as much. Yay!

We have this crazy dream of living in this awesome 60's inspired modern solar home with a lot of windows living on a half acre of land with a huge garden and maybe even some chickens? Maybe? Evan is still trying to convince me on that one.. Basically just live off the grid. Sounds crazy right?

Some of our friends are moving to go become organic farmers. That just sounds like the life to me! I'm sure it won't be easy and will take a lot of work, but I think it's awesome they are going out to give it a shot. Maybe we will go join them someday!;)

 I have been researching about the raw food diet lately. And when I say researching I mean googling and you tubing it to death. I find it so inspiring and really look up to the people who actually do it! I'm not sure I could...  But I like the idea of it.

One of the videos I found talked about how to tell when the fruits and vegetables are ripe and ready to eat. I found it very helpful because I am always wondering with some fruits if they are ripe or not and usually jump the gun and bite into them before they are ripe.Yum. She talks about using your 5 senses can help tell when it's ripe. I would share the link with you but I can't find it anymore!

On an effort to eating more healthy, Evan started making these killer salads that are seriously the best! It's a little different every time but here is one of my favorites he makes.

 Romaine Lettuce

Red, Yellow and green peppers

carrots

mushroom

tomatoes

red onion

avocado

It's sooo tasty!

So back to the raw food diet... as of right now, I don't think I'm going to fully convert over to a "raw food diet" there's just so many foods that I'm not willing to give up right now. But watching these videos and reading about it definitely has inspired me to start putting more fruits and veggies into my diet. And I have.

One last thing, one of the videos I watched reminded me of something my Mom and I used to do every morning when I lived at home. We would squeeze fresh lemon into at least 8 oz of water and drink it first thing every morning. It's a great way to start your day and helps with cleansing your body. I'm not sure why I ever stopped! I'm starting this again and I'm going to have Evan do it with me. Anyone else who wants to join us is welcome!  

I know I bounce around a lot in my posts and probably don't make any sense most of the time... But I just get so excited about learning new things and want to share it with everyone! Here are some of the videos I have watched.

WHY EAT FULLY RAW? 
HOW TO START THE RAW FOOD DIET 
OVERCOME STRUGGLES GOING RAW
HOW TO EAT FULLY RAW

 

xoXox

Picky Eaters 101

So I am starting off this new year with tackling two things.

1. Cooking (from scratch) more healthy meals.
2. Getting healthy foods into two picky little boys (the stress of my life.)

How am I going to do this?
 Well... I have been reading and researching on google "how to get picky eaters to eat more healthy" and I have been learning some very helpful tips. 

In one of the books I have been reading, Eat This Not That, it talks about making eating time fun for your toddlers by -Shaping the food into fun things, -Cutting potatoes, sweet potatoes or carrots into stripes like french fries and baking them with a little bit of olive oil, sea salt and paprika. 

I have also talked to friends to get their advice and one of them said she blends veggies all together in the blender and hides them in other foods. Like spaghetti sauce and muffins. 

I know it's all going to be hit or miss with these two. But persistence is key. 
Here are a few meals I have tried so far! (I find a lot of my recipes on the Whole Foods website)

Spinach and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

sliced potatoes with olive oil and sea salt.

For those of you who also have picky eaters, or want ideas on healthier meals for your kiddos, here are the websites I have found very helpful!

Healthy Eating

The 20 Best Snacks for Kids

Healthy Snacks for Kids

Nutrition Tips for Kids and Teens

Spoonfuls of Sugar

Why Spoonfuls of Sugar? Well Evan actually came up with the title. He's also the one that came up with the name for my little Photography business. He's my go to guy. 

 I always have random pictures on my camera and phone that I want to post and when I do,  I usually just title them something like Update or lately on instagram... I never liked those titles but couldn't think of anything better.

 So I was talking to Ev about this and he said how about call it Spoonfuls of Sugar. It's what helps the medicine go down. I laughed because I'm pretty sure he was kidding or at least half-kidding. But then It kind of stuck. So since then, those little moments that matter most and helps the medicine or (hard times in life) go down, are posted as Spoonfuls of Sugar. Thanks to that brilliant Husband of mine. 

Spoonfuls of Sugar

Eating at one of our favorite Diners with Babe. 

I'm slightly obsessed with Papa Murphy's garlic chicken and cheesy bread.
Thanks to my friend Lindsy for introducing it to us!

The boys and I made some HaLlOwEeN cookies. 

I was hoping he wouldn't figure out how to take these ones off.

The only way I can get Jovi to eat bananas. 

Some of my favorite oils. 

Playing with his new washable stamp set.

This is usually how story time ends up. 

In the Kitchen

So lately I have been trying to be a better house wife by making better-healthy-meals. It's a work in progress. 

I used to cook with couscous a lot when I was in Italy, I really liked how easy it was to make. So I thought I'd try it out on the family. I'm all about easy healthy meals. 

Ingredients

-Couscous

-Tofurky

-Red and Green peppers

-Red onion

-carrots

*Cook the couscous in a separate pan.

Cut and steam all the veggies just to soften them up a bit. You want them to still have a little crunch. 

Cook the tofurky in butter or olive oil in a sauce pan on low/medium heat. 

After the tofurky is cooked, cut it into small chunks.

Then combined all the ingredients together in a bowl to serve.

And enjoy!

Another healthy snack idea.

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