Have a Very Merry and a Holly Jolly!

From our family to yours...

Have a...

VERY MERRY

and a

HOLLY JOLLY!

xoxo,

baby Mia, big boy Daniel, Mari & Dave

(shirts and tutu made by this momma)

Healthy Kid-Friendly Christmas Meals

And just like that...Christmas is upon us. Eight days, to be exact. Why am I counting, you may ask? 

Oh no, no, no. It's not me. It is my five year old Daniel, who since December, thought waking up an hour earlier every day would ensure he is the FIRST person who makes it to our Christmas countdown pillow, and moves the candy cane one day closer to Christmas. He's right! He is definitely the first at 6 am! And all, for this...

If you have kids visiting on Christmas, (highly likely if you're a parent) you may be wondering what meals to prepare for them. It is so easy to give into the abundance of sweets and quick drive-thru or prepackaged meals during the busy holiday season. But I'm here to give you a few clever little ideas that don't require a whole lot of time, and will be healthier choices for your little elves. 

First, I can't think of a cozier way to warm up Christmas morning than with a cup of warm cocoa. Make your own, so that you can avoid the harmful partially hydrogenated oils (which can raise bad cholesterol) and control the sugar content. By presenting it in a festive mug with a "cheerio" candy-cane charm, the kids will have fun sipping and munching, while opening gifts. 

CANDY CANE COCOA

To make the candy cane charm, you will need:
1. toasted oats cereal
2. red pipe-cleaners

Simply thread about 20 toasted oats through the red pipe-cleaner and cut off the rest with a pair of scissors. Tuck the ends over, to prevent the cereal from slipping off. Then hang from your favorite mug!

To make the hot cocoa:
1. 1 tbsp. unsweetened dark cocoa
2. 1 cup organic or raw milk
3. 1-2 tbsp. sweetener of your choice (honey, stevia, coconut sugar, or agave)

Warm the milk over low heat with the cocoa powder. Mix frequently. Before the milk comes to a boil, remove from heat and pour into your mug. Add your sweetener of choice.

RUDOLPH SANDWICH

To make Rudolph, you will need:

1. whole wheat sliced bread (read the label and avoid partially hydrogenated oils)

2. mini pretzels

3. raisins

4. cherry or grape tomatos

5. creamy filling of your choice (hummus, cream-cheese, peanut butter)

6. heart-shaped cookie cutter

7. toothpicks

First, fill your sandwich with your filling of choice. Then, use your cookie cutter to cut out your reindeer's head. Add the pretzels as antlers. The filling will act as a paste to hold them in place. Dab a bit of filling on the back of the raisins to hold them in place as eyes. Cut a toothpick in half and place at the tip to hold your tomato in place as the nose. When serving to children, be sure to remove the toothpick before they dig in.

For more details on the candy-cane charm and reindeer sandwich, please visit our friends at www.thepetitesoiree.blogspot.com.

While brainstorming ideas for more kid-friendly Christmas meals, I came across these other wonderful ideas. I could not resist the cuteness and they look super easy to make! Clicking on the images will lead you to their websites for more details.

RUDOLPH PANCAKES

CHRISTMAS TREE SALAD

SANTA STRAWBERRIES

Here's to some festive meal-planning from our family to yours! Bon Apetit!

Mixed Emotions

Today is a day of mixed emotions.

Earlier, I was excited and happy. Excited because I was featured as a guest blogger for a children's event planning company that I adore, The Petite Soiree. I felt completely honored and thrilled.

Then minutes later...
Unbelief and Confusion.

I read of the tragedy in Connecticut where a 20 year old human being shot and killed 20 innocent people, most of them being children.

I certainly don't understand all of the motives and theories behind this horrible tragedy. I don't understand what he was thinking or anything about his past.

All I understand is...
Sadness.
Pain.
Doubt.

While we await the final details of the news reports, please help me pray for the families of the angels that were lost. May they ultimately find comfort in knowing that their angels are sitting next to their maker, in peace.

He will cover you with his feathers, 

and under his wings you will find refuge; 

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Psalm 91:4)

Breakfast Baby

This morning my cupcake (Daniel) woke up craving waffles. He is a "warm food" kind of kid and prefers warm meals in the morning like a comforting bowl of cream of wheat or a freshly toasted egg and cheese sandwich.

The challenge is squeezing in the time in the morning, while balancing getting myself and both of my little ones ready. It would be fabulously easier to pop open a box of cereal every morning or throw some pre-frozen waffles in the toaster. Not that there is anything wrong with that on occasion (I hear my dad's voice whispering "everything in moderation"), but there is something to be said about knowing what ingredients you are putting into your kid's food. Especially when you can add extra healthy goodness to the mixes, like fruits or chia seeds.

Chia seeds are my new favorite food add-on. They are so easy to hide into mixes like pancakes, waffles, and muffins and come from the plant source with the highest source of Omega-3. Plus, they are full of antioxidants and are a complete protein with amino acids, calcium, and magnesium. Score!

Home-made pancake and waffle mixes are great because you can make a big batch of batter and refrigerate whatever you don't use for the next day. Or even yet, cook a bunch and freeze what you are aren't going to eat. Then simply pop them in your toaster straight from your freezer.

This morning, cupcake wanted to help me make the waffles. It was a great ad-lib lesson on math and measurements as he helped read and measure the ingredients. We put everything into my Go-To mixer, the Ninja Master Prep. I love it because it mixes really well, saves counter space, and doesn't make a big mess.

Once everything was well mixed, we poured the batter into our waffle maker and voila! Yummy banana waffles! You can find a good waffle maker inexpensively at most retail chains, like Target or Wal-mart.

Our Waffle Recipe:
2 cups of whole wheat white flour (we like King's Arthur)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs (organic, free-range)
1 1/2 cups of milk (organic or raw is what we like)
1 ripe banana
3 tbsp un-salted butter
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp chia seeds

Place all of the ingredients, except for 1 cup of flour, milk, and baking powder in the mixer. Mix until well blended. Then add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Warm up your waffle maker and pour your batter in. Cook and enjoy!

Long (Healthy) Days Out With the Kids

Today was a typical Sunday for me and my crew (that would be me, the hubby, baby Mia and Daniel). It's somewhat of a process...
A production, actually.

I make everyone breakfast, we all get dressed, and rush out the door to attend church.

Sounds easy, right?

Wrong. Not easy.

You see, church is in New York City, which - on a good day - can take anywhere between 40-60 minutes to get to, then you mustn't forget to tack on another 10 minutes to look for parking. It is a looong day, to say the least.

Most of my Jersey friends think we are crazy commuting into the city on Sundays with a one year old and a five year old. Not to mention, the ridiculously expensive tolls and gas, traffic, and pain-in-the-booty-lack-thereof-parking.

But, we do it for so many reasons. We love our church. We love our family. Our church is family. You feel right at home as you walk in and are greeted with smiles, hugs, and kisses. And yes, sometimes I barely hear the preaching while I'm busy being a mom, but I still feel a sense of peace knowing we are in God's temple.

The commute has now become a part of our family tradition. And although we don't make it in every Sunday, when we do, I become very obsessive about packing the kid's a cooler. I can not go to church without it, and I've made this a part of our new tradition for the benefit of their health.

In our little green cooler, I typically pack drinks, snacks, and lunch.

Here is what we packed today:

1. Raw milk for Mia's bottle
2. Fruitables juice boxes in Tropical Orange
3. Diced up apples (Don't forget to squeeze a 1/2 lemon over top, so that they don't turn brown.)
4. Pasta made with home-made sauce of pureed squash, butter, and milk. You can find the recipe, in my recipes section. (To keep food warm, I always use a Foogo thermos, which you can find almost anywhere. We purchased ours from diapers.com.
5. Wheat crackers

So although our little tradition is a production, I feel good knowing there are ways to keep long days a little healthier just by adding a few new additions, like our little green cooler!

xoxo, Mari