Hosting #mommyparties featuring #FastMetabolismDiet by @HaileyPomroy

Sometimes I can't believe my luck.  I was blessed with the opportunity to host a mommy party for my friends and family featuring Hailey Pomroy's new book The Fast Metabolism Diet: Eat More Food and Lose More Weight.

The Fast Metabolism Diet promises to help you lose 20 lbs in 28 days,  all while eating an amazing 5 times a day.  The trick here is to control what you eat during prescribed parts of the week. Each week is divided in to three major portions.  During Phase 1 the goal is to calm your metabolism by eating lots of healthy carbs, natural sugars (from fruits) and some lean protein. During phase 2 you "unlock" stored fat and build muscle by eating lots of protein and vegetables (no carbs, low fat).  During phase 3 you "unleash" the burn by eating some healthy fats, moderate cabs, protein, and low sugar fruits.

Each phase is accompanied by recommended exercise styles that will maximize your efforts during that phase.  Phase 1: Cardio, Phase2: Strength training with weights, Phase 3: Stress Reducing: like yoga or massage.  At the party we shared great ideas for different exercises and routines we could do throughout the week.  I recently found a great zumba set at the library--one disc contains typical zumba dance stuff--a fun way to cardio.  The second disc incorporates free weights with lots of reps--I know, maybe more cardio than the rules require, but I think it might be a good place for someone like me who doesn't typically do serious strength training activities.

Naturally, there are some big diet rules.
You must eat five times a day, every 3 hours... which seems like an aweful lot of food compared to the typically diet.  I think the idea is to keep you filled with good foods so you don't feel hungry enough to stray.  This would really be a problem for my schedule, as I only get the one lunch break at 10:30, and can't eat in front of the kids.  I want to try this diet, but won't have any luck with it until school is out for summer.

Next rules, eat within 30 minutes of getting up, stick with it for at least 28 days, follow the prescribed foods religiously and in order (again, probably easier in the summer since I'll have fewer family functions that would throw the diet off). Also, you must drink half your weight in ounces of water... oy! that's a lot of water... I should get working on this one now. 
As a rule, you should eat organic when possible.  I love that the party came with an opportunity to try Applegate Organic meats!  They were super delicious and everyone loved the meats we tried.  Organic can be so costly at the grocery store, so I had been reluctant to give it a try before.  Now that I know it's so good and good for you, we will have to find a way to make better food choices happen for us.

While I may have to wait to start the diet proper, I think the "don'ts" list offers some tips we can incorporate now.  No corn/no wheat.  The logic being that wheat/corn/soy have been genetically modified to withstand pesticides, poor weather, etc. that they are hard for the body to properly digest and gain nutrition from.  Also, no dairy... they are high in sugar and fat.  (don't read yesterday's article on my new obsession with making homemade ice cream).  No caffeine, no alcohol, no dried fruit or fruit juice and no artificial/ fat free or "diet" foods.

While I confess being scared a little by all of the rules, the what you can eat when, of this diet, I love that there is a complete menu for all 28 days, with all of the yummy recipes to go with it.  Before the party, I made a delicious phase I chili with scores of different beans. It was very filling and warming--it has been an unexpectedly cold gloomy and grey weekend.  I made it in the croq pot and and it filled the house with a great smell.
During the party, guest made and sipped phase III Berry Nut Oatmeal Smoothies...  (this was super good and may replace my typical protein shake in the morning).  We also made Phase III Sweet Potato Hummus which was an interesting twist on hummus.  In addition to sampling the Applegate meats, we also sampled Artisana's Cashew butter, which was as delicious as it sounds.

Guests received coupons and samples of Celestial Seasonings Tea to take home along with their own copy of Pomroy's book.

Big Thanks to Mommy Parties, Random House and all of the party sponsors.  We had such a blast and can't wait to start losing weight with the Fast Metabolism Plan.

Disclaimer:  I received books, recipe cards, a $20 Target gift card and other extra coupons and recipes from brand partners Applegate, Artisana, CrockPot and Celestial Seasonings to help put together my party. 

Yum. Homemade Ice cream

I've always had a sweet spot for ice cream.  Lately we've been making our own at home.  It's really pretty easy once you have an ice cream maker. We bought ours at the end of last summer when they are heavily discounted.  I think we only paid $15 for a 4 qt maker.   When you factor in the cost of cream, making ice cream at home probably isn't any cheaper than just buying it at the store.  But I prefer the taste of homemade, and feel slightly better knowing exactly what is in the ice cream without those unnesissary additives.

Over spring break we made Mint and Chip Ice Cream using this recipe from Allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/

Original recipe makes 2 quarts                   

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

•  2 cups 2% milk                                                                     
•  2 cups heavy cream                                                                     
• 1 cup sugar                                                                     
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                                                     
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract                                                                     
• 3 drops green food coloring (optional)                                         
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

 

The recipe is really simple, just put all the ingredients together, and process according to your machine's instructions. You should delay adding the chips.  We waited until about 15 minutes in to processing, but you could wait until the end too, probably.  It was so simple I had my two year old lend a hand.  He was super excited.  He liked the green food coloring part the best--well he liked the green food coloring second only to sampling our creation.

 

When we bought cream for the mint ice cream, I forgot what I needed and we ended up with too much.  Not a problem.  We just made an extra batch of ice cream.  This time, we tried Strawberry.

We used Emeril's recipe  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/fresh-strawberry-ice-cream-recipe/index.html

• 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed and quartered
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half and scraped (we just used vanilla extract)
• 6 egg yolks (because I don't read carefully, we used the entire egg... not noticeably bad outcome)

Directions

 Food process the strawberries and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Process until smooth. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the half-and-half and sugar. Bring to a simmer. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.  Temper eggs. Add the yolk mixture to the liquid and whisk. Bring the liquid back to simmer and continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the strawberries. Whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture.  Cool the mixture completely. Process the mixture according your machines instructions

 .

Because of the cooking required for the eggs, this wasn't nearly as two year old friendly as the first recipe.  Cooking with the eggs results in a very cus

Spring Break: Getting ready for spring

Spring Break started Friday at the Toledo Zoo.  Little man had the day off from day care, so it was time for a family picnic at the zoo.  During the day, they had special Easter egg themed activities for the animals and story times for the kids.  We just liked that for a change, it was a sunny day to get out and walk around.
While at the zoo, we stopped at the polar bear exhibit; one of little man's favorite stops.  He really likes to point out that there is water in the exhibit.  There was a large crowd around the polar bears, as the two adult polar bears, in Little man's words were "wrestling."  They were playful, it was all very fun and cute.  That is, it was fun and cute until the two polar bears decided to do their part to keep the polar bears off the endangered species list.  Lets just say, the crowds around the polar bears dissipated quickly.
Later that night, Little Man and his cousin met at Grandma's house to color eggs.  This was an interesting experience.  The concept of gently placing eggs in the color was a little lost on them.  Splashing commenced and the newspaper below was very colorful when all was said and done.

Saturday was spent with my family.  We took our bird nest treats (see this post) I also made a hot artichoke and spinach dip that was amazingly simple to make. Alton Brown's Artichoke and Spinach Dip Recipe. 
Little man and his cousin had a great day.  After nap time, they had a blast searching for Easter eggs in my parents back yard.  We did an Easter egg hunt last year too, but I was surprised by just how much he remembered.  He didn't need a reminder as to why he should go gather Easter eggs this year--he knew what was inside!  Little man had a zigzag method to searching that must have burned tons of energy.  He would spot an egg at the edge of the yard, then come back for one near the house, only to spot another at the far corner of the yard.  His cousin was far more methodic in her approach.  Surprisingly, they ended up with the same number of eggs. 
After eggs we played Frisbee and blew bubbles outside.  It could have been a little warmer, but we couldn't have asked for a better day at the rate nice days have been coming.

Easter was spent driving up to visit Little Man's other Grandma up north.  We hadn't planned to go because Grandma is recovering from surgery and we didn't want little man to cause her to "overdo it."  We decided to travel the night before, on the suggestion of my father who said that grandkids were probably the best medicine out there.  They still have snow up North, but it was totally worth it to surprise grandma. We sent little man in the house first, to a grandma who didn't even hear him come in.  It wasn't until she looked up from the deviled eggs she was making that she noticed he was standing there, smiling.  That may have been the best part of spring break.

When we arrived home, we noticed that our first crocus bloomed. This week we are tackling some major outside projects.  I know it's too early to plant outside, but I really can't wait for spring.  It wasn't a hard winter hear, but it just seems like winter won't let go quite yet.

Couldn't Wait to Tell You about #ConsciousBox #Giveaway

As a product reviewer, there is nothing I like more than coming home to a delightful surprise in my mailbox.  Its like a small glimpse of Christmas morning as I'm pulling in the drive at the end of a long day.  Despite this insanely gray winter, surprises in the mail are my little rays of sunshine that lift the soul.

That's probably one of the biggest reasons I am so glad to bring you a review and giveaway from Conscious Box. Conscious Box is a subscription based service that once a month delivers to your door a little ray of sunshine.  Their box made of recycled materials is crammed full of the "purest, most natural products on the planet." 
Get New Eco-Friendly Products Delivered Right to Your Door! You can subscribe for one month, three months (you could win 3 months below!), six months or even a year.  I happened to get a Classic Box, but you can also select a Vegan or Gluten Free box. Each month of your subscription, Conscious Box will deliver new, exciting and earth friendly products to your door step.

I received a free box to try this month.  I could hardly wait for it to arrive!  Inside my box I found 2 Two Degrees quinoa, chia and millet bars which really look scrumptious. I also found a 1 day adult and 1 day kid smarty pants gummy vitamin supplement.  I am excited by the OldeMan Granola that genuinely  looks like granola that I would have made. My husband tried the Zarbee's All natural cough syrup, which seems to be predominately comprised of dark honey. For the tea drinker, there are multiple packets, and Nektar honey crystals--which sounds like a fascinating way to travel with honey. There's also a bottle of wheatgrass boost--which looks a little like 5 hour energy for the green crowd -- I don't think it makes the same 5 hour energy claims. The small tube of Motherlove diaper rash cream looks like it should be cloth diaper okay, so that's always something good to have on hand. 

The last product, I'm really not sure about.... it's a box of disposable iPhone sleeves. It's from a company called chef sleeve, and the idea is you wrap your phone in these protective sleeves while cooking so you can still access the recipe on your phone, without caking it in flour.  I get the concept, and truth be told, if the sent one for iPads, while I might not use it for cooking, I so would use it to guard the screen against Peanut.  Honestly, you have no idea how embarrassing it is to go to work with all of the grime Little Man gets all over the screen--I don't know how he does it.  HOWEVER, I was a little taken aback by this selection... most of the products were organic, eco-packaged.... Even though it's recyclable--it's still a throwaway product.  The packaging doesn't make clear what number plastic it is, so I'm not even sure if my city can recycle this product... Jury is still out on this.  But that's just me, and this was only one month's box.  Next month may have an even bigger and better haul of treasures.

Overall, for someone who doesn't have a Whole Foods in her neighborhood, I feel that the box provides a good way to trial some of the products I browse on the shelf, but might be shy to commit to.  I happen to appreciate that many of the products in the box I received are also made in the US. 

Want to give conscious box a try for your self?  Head over to their website now!  Use promocode: DISCOVERNATURAL and receive 50% off any subscription!  Wouldn't this be a great Earth Day/Mothers Day gift for that hard to buy for someone?

Half off is pretty good, but FREE is definitely better.  Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter for your chance to win a free 3 month conscious box subscription--that's a $59 value!

This was not a paid post. I received the product mentioned above in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Conscious Box who supplied the product for review and giveaway.

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Progresso Recipe Starters Game Day Review and Giveaway!

It sure has been a long time since I've had the opportunity to bring you a great product to win.  Where does the time go?
Want to win an amazing appetizer kit like this?  Read more.

Today I'd love to tell you about our experience with Progresso's Recipe Starters.  Its just the sort of thing to get you ready for the big game.  As a mother, it's also just the sort of staple to keep stashed in your pantry for a quick but satisfying weeknight meal.
Remember all of those casseroles your mother used to make using a can of cream of mushroom? Well you can make those and so much more with Progresso's Recipe Starters.  They come in five great varieties:
Creamy Parmesan Basil
Creamy Portabella Mushroom
Creamy Roasted Garlic
Creamy Three Cheese
and Fire Roasted Tomato

For the purposes of this review, we received a can of Creamy Roasted Garlic.  If you are ever at a loss for what to make for dinner, I love that each can has a great recipe printed on it.  The other night, nothing sounded good, so I nearly made the Chicken Pot Pie recipe printed on the can.  Instead, in the spirit of getting prepped for game day, we tried the Easy White Chicken Chili.  I'm a huge white chicken chili fan--a local restaurant serves the best white chicken chili--if they were closer, I think I would have to pick some up for lunch daily--it's sooo good.

As it is written, this is a super easy, super tasty meal that would be so quick. Combine these ingredients, warm through, top with tortillas and sour cream--super easy.

• 2 cans (18 oz each) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ creamy roasted garlic with chicken stock cooking sauce
• 2 cups cubed deli rotisserie chicken
• 1 can (15 oz) Progresso® cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
• 4 teaspoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)

Of course, I never do things the easy way.  I only had the one can of recipe starters, and I'm cheap and never buy already cooked chicken.  I think rotisserie chicken is a brilliant idea though--I've read in multiple places how it makes cooking so much easier. I really should aspire to be a rotisserie chicken buying girl. 
 As it was, I took two chicken leg quarters I had--and boiled those down in a small pot of water (seasoned with some fresh garlic, parsley salt and pepper) for about 30 minutes--ish. I pulled the chicken, cooled till I could handle it, then proceeded with the next steps.  Lacking both cans of recipe starter, I cut back a little  on the beans, chiles and spices.  It felt like I had too much chicken--even though I like a pretty hearty soup, so I added a little of the stock from cooking my chicken.  (of course, I then proceeded to add too much stock-- so I tempered some sour cream in to the mix).

The moral of this story: There are easier ways--and for the game on Sunday, I will be resorting to those far easier methods. I find ways to make what should be a simple meal into one that's fairly complex.  The good news, it tasted awesome, was very filling and with the recent arctic blast here, I was glad of a meal that warmed our house.

Need some ideas for the big day?  Check out these other great recipes.

 Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms featuring Creamy Portabella Mushroom
Chicken and Ham Slab Sandwiches featuring Creamy Portabella Mushroom
Chorizo Con Queso featuring Creamy Three Cheese
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches featuring Fire Roasted Tomato 
 Want some help getting started?  Check out this great coupon:
http://bit.ly/U3JoYK

In addition to my can of Progresso Recipe I received an entire Recipe Starters gift set of a beautiful 10 piece cheese and appetizer set--including a gorgeous bamboo cutting board. 

Disclosure:  The information, products and Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ gift packs were provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark. I received no additional compensation.  My opinions are 100% my own. 

Want a chance to win, Use the rafflecopter entry below.
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MMM.... Butter

It's official. Peanut is his grandmother's grandson.  His Paternal grandmother is a certified butter addict.  At dinner, the woman can go through multiple packs of butter on a single dinner roll.  Butter on steak, extra butter on the mashed potatoes... you get the idea.  In all fairness, my own family members are strong proponents of the creamy light yellow pats of heavenly delight as well. 
Little Man recently found two ways to express his fondness for this cholesterol inducing miracle food. Last week Jack learned to move and climb chairs.  While I was out of the kitchen, he moved the chair, climbed to the table and acquired a spatula from the counter top.  He proceeded to turn and attack the butter dish left on the table, which here to fore, had been beyond his grasp.  Next thing I know, I return to the kitchen to find Jack licking butter by the spatula full.
Last night Jack and I visited my parents where we partook in some of the first sweet corn of the season, which was surprisingly delightful for being so early in the year.   Anyway, Peanut doesn't do hot foods--so Grandpa gave him a half eaten half cob, that had previously been buttered and salted, while I pulled a hot cob to begin cooling.  Little Man is absolutely mad about his corn--on the cob any way.  He smashes in to the corn.  I'm not sure exactly how much he actually gets in his mouth, but he has the best time using all of his amazing teeth.  Anyway, when the second unflavored cob was cool, I offered it to Jack.  After just a few bites, he handed it back to me--a very odd occurrence, given how much the kid loves his corn.  Apparently his love of corn, is now second only to his love of butter, which he instantly began pointing at.  Once I'd slathered a light coating over the cob, he ferociously attacked his cob with the zest of a true victor.
 Unfortunately, not even butter will make him love broccoli.

Hodgson Mills Grain Holiday Contest & Giveaway

Hodgson Mill® is a family-owned company with more than 125 years’ experience producing all-natural, delicious, healthy, stone-ground whole grain and organic foods made from premium quality ingredients and milled in small batches to retain each grain’s nutritional benefits. Hodgson Mill® products include: flours, corn meals, gluten-free flours, baking mixes, pastas, cereals, and more. Since 1882, Hodgson Mill®’s family of employees has been stone-grinding 100% whole grain to create wholesome, naturally healthy food – with no artificial preservatives, additives or colorings.

This weekend was one of many cookie weekends for my family.  From time in memorium, December means baking.  We must go through multiple batches of at least 6 different varieties of cookies--and trust me, this is pared down from what we used to make.  We used to make so many Christmas cookies, we had frozen cookies that would last well in to February.

This year, I'm trying to do something a little bit better.  I'm trying to bake with more whole grains.    I've had a few disasterous botches with whole wheat flour.  I've learned that it doesn't work just right in Spatzles or in our crepe recipe.  Inspired by the Hodgson Mill's "Have a  Grain Holiday" Contest, I attempted to make cookie with Whole Wheat flour.  Competing with 49 other bloggers, I've attempted to create a delicious and nutritious holiday recipe using Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour and/or Hodgson Mill Best For Bread Flour.  I'm competing for the chance to win exciting prizes including an iPad 2, gift certificates to Williams Sonoma, and gift certificates to the Hodgson Mill online store. 


Here's my recipe. I was amazingly pleased with the results.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Cinnamon 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)




1)Cream the sugar, butter, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Mix in Cinammon, baking soda, salt and flour until smooth.  Stir in Oats, chocolate chips and walnuts.  Works best if you allow dough to chill in fridge for a few hours or over night


2) Drop dough by the tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 350 oven for 9-12 minutes until edges are slightly brown.


3) Cool slightly then remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack.
Makes about 4-5 dozen


Do you have lots of holiday baking to do? Wouldn't you love to give this recipe a try for yourself? If so, enter below for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Hodgson Mill online store.

Until December 25th, you can also stop here: http://www.hodgsonmill.com/grainday-thank-you/ for a chance to win one of 50 Hodgson Mill gift packs containing $85 worth of Hodgson Mill products!





I received samples of Hodgson Mill products in exchange for my entry in "Have a Grain Holiday Contest." Official Contest Rules  from Hodgson Mill can be found here: bit.ly/sWjRtv
I received no additional compensation in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed here in are my own. 

Something Sweet about the Holidays

Listening to the radio on the way to work, I heard both inspiring and depressing news about those wonderfully sweet holiday favorites.  They were running down a list of the holiday treats that are the absolute worst for you.  Topping the list were my favorites egg nog and pecan pie. 
Where's the upside?  One of the radio co-hosts mentioned his personal philosophy for surviving the holidays.  He made a pact to ignore calories from November 1-Jan 1.  They simply don't count.  That way he can enjoy the holidays.  After that, it's back to health conscious business as usual. 
I don't know that I need that excuse, but seriously, for my family, the holidays equal food and lots of it.  I try to be good, but some of these food are only made once a year.  So although I will probably hate myself in January, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it through the holidays without sampling my favorites.  Perhaps portion control is a more realistic strategy?  One cookie instead of three....

One of my all time favorites has always been pecan pie.  It's so sweet a gooey and crunchy and wonderful.  I only make it once a year, but it is sooooo good.
This is the recipe I follow:
1 cup light corn syryp
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups pecans
1 9 inch unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. In large bowl, mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter vanilla, and salt. Fold in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. 
3. Place foil around crust edge to keep from burning.  Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Top should be golden and carmel color.  Center should spring back slightly when touched. Cool before serving.  Serve with a cup of hot coffee!

Do you have a favorite sweet recipe, especially one using Karo syrup?  Would you love to win a trip to Chicago?  If so, head over to their facebook page and enter the Karo Syrup "Tis the Season" sweepstakes by entering your favorite recipe.  The winner and a guest will spend New Years eve at the Wit Hotel, dine at Mastro's Steakhouse and take a chocolate tour featuring Sarah's Pasteries and Candies. 

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Karo Syrup prize package in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place. All opinions are my own.

Making A Small Difference

The holidays are about generosity and giving from the heart. It's about more than just presents, despite what society wants us to believe.  Witnessing the news reports of black friday shoppers gone wild, I was abhored by the behavior of my fellow holiday shoppers.  Seriously people? Seriously!  We can do better.

Here's a short list of ways I'm going to try to be better this holiday season.

1) I will park in the back row of the mall and walk rather than cursing when someone takes "my" parking spot.

2) I will give any change I have to the salvation army whenever I enter a store with a bell ringer.

3) I will say thank you to my cashier, even if I had to wait in a really long line. 

4) I will give thanks daily for my amazing family

5) I will try really hard not to stress myself or others if the holiday isn't "perfect."

Yes, I'm not going to change the world with this. But wouldn't the world be just a little bit nicer if we all made an effort to be just a little kinder, especially this month.

Looking for a super easy way to do something good for someone else this holiday season?  Even better-- it won't cost you a thing.

Primrose Schools is announcing the return of their 2nd annual Cans for Fans virtual food drive. Now through December 31, Primrose Schools will donate one can of food for every new "like" they receive on their Facebook page. Not only that, they will donate two cans of food every time a fan "shares" the Cans for Fans status post. I did my part and you can too! 

Drinking Green--week 1

Smoothies that is.
Last Monday I began my effort to eat better.  I have been inspired by my recent review of Beth Aldrich's Real Moms Love to Eat book.  One challenge for week one is to drink green smoothies in place of your normal breakfast routine.
I've never been a morning shake kind of girl.  On the surface, it sounds a little counter-intuitive.  See, I usually ate cereal or toast, but I was starving by 10:00--not cool.  Drinking a shake sounded crazy since how could a liquid fill me up--it has no crunch, no substanance.  But you know me, I'm crazy enough to try anything once.  I figured I could give it a week since I didn't really have anything to lose.

Green smoothies are more than just your typical fruit and juice in a blender combo.  Per the recipe, I also add a scoop of protein powder (vanilla soy in my case) and green powder, and ground flax seed--all of which were purchased on a recent visit to my sister and the Whole Foods in Columbus. (Money saving tip on the flax seed-- I bought bulk whole flax seed at 2.99/lb and used my sister's coffee grinder to make ground flax seed for half the cost!)

Fall in Love with Food: Book Review-- Real Moms Love to Eat

Fact:  I need to eat better.
Fact: I want to eat better.
Fact: I make way to many excuses for why I don't eat better.

There was a time when I really loved to cook. I think this was especially true during the first year I moved into my own house.  I did all of my shopping--my trick for avoiding bad snack choices was simple--I didn't buy them.  This doesn't mean I didn't eat them, especially when going to my parents' house--but I didn't have them tempting me in my house.  I ate good and I felt great--without working too hard, I dropped 3-4 sizes over about a year or two span.  This was incredible for me, because I'd always been the same size since seventh grade no matter how much I tried to diet.

But I wasn't dieting, and I wasn't working out,  I was just eating better.  I loved food and I loved to cook too. I could spend an hour in Williams-Sonoma dreaming about new gourmet tools, drooling over their glossy colored recipe books and scheming excuses to make something new.  I felt like I was destined for true culinary genius--and did I mention I felt great.  I was fitting in to a new dress size for each major formal dance--which meant a regular rewarding shopping trip.  I was finally able to have a selection of dresses that would fit to choose from--instead of settling for the lesser of two evils because it was all they had in my size.

I regret to report that whatever I was doing right faded away.  It's hard to define the exact moment when things definitively began to take a turn for the worse. I think it all started when I became involved with some poor influences.   I started dating a guy who insisted on eating out regand cooking decadent foods--hello pumpkin ice cream.  My job became super stressful--the return of the anxious eating habits. The school I worked for closed and the idiot dumped me--more self-loathing and pity eating.
I moved in to an uninspiring apartment with a galley kitchen.  To make it worse--it was an hour drive to the nearest Williams-Sonoma (oh the humanity).   I worked late nights and was too tired to cook when I came home. Then I became pregnant and nothing sounded good or tasted good except Popsicle.  Since the baby, I have felt so drained when I get home from work that we settle for the over processed boxed foods.... Oh how this downward spiral compounded with baby fat I never lost has brought me back to that dreaded size I was back in seventh grade and all through high school and college.

I did love to eat--but now food is just something to fill the empty.  I've been so uninspired.  I think that's why I'm pinning some hope on Beth Aldrich's new book Real Moms Love to Eat How to Conduct  Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous.  This isn't some fly-by-night diet fad.  It's really about returning that spark in your food romance by learning to fall in love with the right foods and lifestyle that will treat you like the person you know you want to be.

Granola Goodness

 

I know I shouldn’t snack, but I do.  I try to be good.  With little temptation at work, I’m usually  a little better at controlling my impulse to munch.  But when I get home, look out.  I walk in the door and hit the cupboard. I’ve notice my son is becoming a snacker too. He’s a constant mooch.  If anyone is eating, he needs to be eating too.  And I admit this is a bad habit for him to inherit. 

Recently we’ve had a chance to sample Nature’s Hand Granola.  I know what you’re thinking—granola is typically high in sugar and preservatives.  If it's not high in sugar, it's typically low in taste, so why bother. Not true with Nature’s Hand—just 6 grams per serving from brown sugar and honey.  I also like that all the ingredients are 100% natural.  There are no artificial preservatives, colors or flavor.  Full of whole grain oats and wheat, as well as sunflower seeds, Nature’s Hand Granola packs a lot of nutritious fiber in a small hand full.  

Tastes like Spring

Spring is officially here.  After a crazy weekend filled with out of town guests, finishing a major home renovation and steaming the carpet, we had a sweet moment to enjoy as a family on Sunday evening.  With a beautiful and sunny evening in store and far too much exhaustion to cook dinner, we splurged and went out.  No, not pizza, or burgers--something far more delightful and far less healthy.  We had ice cream for dinner.  Not just any ice cream--Mel-o-cream--the best soft serve ice cream in town.  We drove past three or five other ice cream stands to get there.  While waiting in line, I wavered on what I'd pick when I finally arrived at the window.  My dad waited with Peanut in the car.  By the time we returned with our delectable loot, Grandpa and peanut were had the trunk open and were "tailgateing."  I had a swirl cone in a cup, with Reese's. Peanut had a taste from just about everyone.  He's a big fan of ice cream and I'm sure if he or his grandmother has their way, Mel-O-Creme will soon be on our regular weekend schedule.

Adventures in Real Food: Part 2

Now pushing 7 months, peanut has gone beyond his first foods.  He's also becoming more particular in his likes and dislikes.  He has a strong preference for fruits.  He really doesn't care for cereals at all any more.  I think this is because it's so bland and he recieved some with every meal for awhile there.  He'll tolerate cereal in the morning, but will throw a fit if you serve it with dinner or more than once a day. 
Since last food post, he's tried butternut and acorn squash.  I like thes because they're easy to cook and puree up very smoothly with just a little extra formula.  The acorn squash worked out exceptionally well, and is relatively thick for homemade squash baby foods.
Peanut has also had carrots, but they were his first strongly disliked food.  He now eats them, but usually makes a face for the first bite.  We learned a valuable lesson durring his first days of carrots--they go through him quickle.  We reguallarly combine his carrots with squash for "squarrots" which he likes better.
Another combo he likes--"guaccabeans" and "quaccapeas."  We tried avaccado since it is a very easy "instant" fresh baby food that I don't have to cook or run through the food processor.  He really didn't care for avacado by itself, as it has so little flavor on it's own. However, if you blend it with another green vegatable, you really have something.  It makes the homemade greenbeans a little bit smoother. I was surprised to discover that the remaining avacado can be frozen in an ice cube tray like our other homemade baby foods and doesn't brown up too bad.  It did begin to look a little discolored after being in the freezer for a few weeks, so I wouldn't recommend doing a large batch in advance.
On to the fruit.  As mentioned, there isn't a fruit he won't eat.  Apples were probably his first fruit.  We picked a bushel in the fall, and made homemade applesauce with no sugar or additives. 
He also eats bannanas--another great no-fuss baby food.  He wasn't crazy about them at first, I think because of the semi-slimmy texture.  However, if you add a little formula to cut the slime, he is less likely to object.  He also likes bannanas blended with other fruits or with cinamon.
His next fruit was slightly tropical--mango.  Wow, does he love mango.  I'm not a huge mango eater myself, but I figured it would blend up smoothly and it does.  He'd eat a whole meal of mango if you let him.
Most recently, we've blended fresh strawberries into an awesome purree.  We all also love blended bluberries. When combined it's a challenge to see who can eat more of them first.  Although they are delicious, the berry purees are also really messy--especially the bluberries.  We find mixing them with cereal or more solid fruits like bananas helps contain the mess.
  

Adventures in Real Food: Round 1

Over five months and pushing sixteen pounds, our little peanut is becoming quite the conesuir of non-formula foods.

Food experiment one: Rice Cereal.

Reaction: meh. He wasn’t too impressed. I must admit, I am impressed with neither rice cereal’s appearance nor taste. We add a shake of cinnamon on occasion to spice things up. Peanut is like his dad and loves his cinnamon. After the first two days of cereal dinner, peanut would push his bottle away at dinner time, awaiting his cereal.

Food experiment two: green beans

Reaction: Good at first. Peanut used to scarf down green beans, until he discovered peas. Now he makes a face when he gets green beans, wishing he was having peas instead.

Food experiment three: peas

Did I mention, peanut loves his peas? He would eat peas for every meal if he could. We’ve been making our own baby food purees. We use frozen veggies with a little formula and a whole lot of food processing. We pour the purees in to ice cube trays and freeze. Frozen veggie cubes are stored in freezer bags and thawed as needed. One cube microwaved about 30 seconds makes a pretty good meal.

Food experiment four: Oatmeal
Reaction: No noticeable preference between rice or oatmeal.

Food experiment five: Pumpkin.
Reaction: Yeah, that’s right. Peanut is now on his orange veggies. He’s had two gallon sized bags of pumpkin puree waiting for him for several months. Grandpa bought peanut a very large and very cheap pumpkin near Halloween. Since we didn’t get a chance to carve it, it became baby food. I split the pumpkin and threw out the innards. I steam baked the pumpkin for about an hour. Then let it cool, and purred the pulp.
Pumpkin is actually pretty watery. Normally I add a little formula to his veggies, but not pumpkin. Our doctor said to start with green veggies first, but if she hadn’t so instructed, his first food likely would have been the pumpkin. It pureed so smoothly. Pumpkin likes to blow bubbles in the pumpkin on his spoon. He has also timed a sneeze appropriately and managed to spray pumpkin all over both of us.

It’s pretty silly, but I think dinner time is becoming one of my favorite parts of the day. Despite the mess, I really look forward to it and hope peanut does too. If not, I know he loves the bath that follows—a close second for my favorite time of day.