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5 Ways to Challenge Yourself to Eat Healthy in The Kitchen

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I love to find new recipes and am working very hard on finding recipes that my family will enjoy as well. Working with Hormel Family I have learned of five different ways to challenge myself in the kitchen in a way that will help us eat healthier and with different kinds of meals. I really am not a fan of resolutions even though this year, I decided that I’m going to lose 25 pounds. I know I can do it, it just takes time.

 

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Did you know that 45% of Americans make resolutions each year  which is one reason why I don’t like them. ……but only 8% actually achieve them? This year, instead of making resolutions, try setting realistic goals. Joan Hanson, Hormel Foods Test Kitchen Director has provided the top five tips to help you get started with reaching your mealtime goals this year:

 

1. Try at least one new, quick and easy, family-friendly recipe each week (check out Hormel Foods’ recipe ideas on Pinterest and Facebook for ideas!)

2. Put ‘family dinner’ on the schedule at least three times a week and commit to those days as a way to connect with your spouse and children.

3. Incorporate at least three food groups into each meal, such as meat, dairy, and a vegetable

4. Get the whole family involved – whether it’s cooking or cleaning, making it a team effort will ease stress and make it fun!

5. Try to meal plan at least one week each month – it means fewer trips to the grocery store (and less impulse spending) and no uncertainty about what’s for dinner.

Reasons to Eat Cuties And Land In The Middle of Your Holiday Table

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My daughter doesn’t need a single reason to eat cuties any time of year. She loves those little oranges, clementines or whatever you choose to call them. I know that some people though struggle to get something healthy onto the holiday table so I wanted to share some reasons to pop Cuties into your mouth and place them in the middle of your Holiday Table. See our table, they sure do add a pop of color to our holiday table. And if they are on the table your kids are more likely just going to eat them as they walk by. Remember if it’s out of site it’s out of mind so you might as well keep those healthy foods in site!  It’s hard to find another perfectly sized snack that kids and adults love, are portable and can pack all that nutrition!

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· Cuties are rich in antioxidants! Hesperidin and naringenin are antioxidant compounds found only in citrus fruit like Cuties. Studies at the University of Maryland Medical Center report that the flavonoids in citrus fruit may inhibit cancer growth, blood clots and inflammation.

· Cuties are a particularly good source of soluble fiber. Two little Cuties contain 4 grams of fiber. Diets high in fiber have been proven to help heart health.

· Cuties are packed with a number of vitamins including A, vitamin B-6, niacin, thiamine and pantothenic acid. And, they are especially high in folate and vitamin C. Two Cuties provides you with nearly 300% of the U.S.D.A’s recommended daily allowance of vitamin C (based upon 2,000 calorie diet).

· Cuties are also rich in minerals. Two Cuties contain 400 milligrams of potassium. According to Linus Pauling Institute, people who include plenty of high-potassium foods like Cuties in their diet may be less likely to suffer from kidney stones, osteoporosis and stroke.Cuties are also a great source of minerals like copper, iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Together, these nutrients contribute to the synthesis of red blood cells and bone and support immune and nervous system health.

 

 

we received samples.

What’s In The Box: Back to School Naturebox Unboxing

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Samples received

The best deal in a box delivery system for healthy snacks comes from Naturebox. Naturebox provides you five full size snack packages that are healthy once a month for $19.95. Each month, your box will include 15 to 20 servings across the 5 different NatureBox snacks you received. We take pride in picking the healthiest and most delicious snacks for you to enjoy.The products will be made from the most wholesome ingredients and will be minimally processed, if at all. Everything you eat from will abide by their strict quality standards. Here is a video of us opening our Back To School Naturebox Sample for September.

 

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NatureBox helps you eat healthier without needing to change your eating habits. We focus on snacks because that’s the easiest habit to change. Do you know that the average American eats almost 25% of their calories from snacking? In fact, snacking is the leading cause of childhood obesity. NatureBox helps you get more out of your day without wasting calories on the bad stuff.

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Every NatureBox item is carefully sourced and nutritionist approved. Everything inside your NatureBox will be guilt free so that you can feel great about what you’re eating. You can trust that the products will be made from the most wholesome ingredients with no high fructose corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oils, no trans fats, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavors and no artificial colors.

How It Works

  • Step 1: Get Started

    Each NatureBox costs just $19.95 and your monthly box always ships free. You can pause or cancel your delivery at any time.

  • Step 2: Discover

    Every month, you’ll discover nutritionist-approved snacks that taste great. Our snack experts will send you a new Discovery Box of snacks each month.

  • Step 3: Be Delighted

    See what you’ve been missing: all-natural snacks that taste great. We’re so sure you’ll enjoy your snacks that we’ll happily issue a refund if you’re not 100% satisfied.

Six Bean Hummus & Veggie Chili Recipe

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I’m making a recipe for Beano as part of a compensated campaign and my opinions are my own. Now, I really didn’t want to be clique and use beans, but the procrastinator that I am, couldn’t come up with anything more creative. We were hanging out at the lake with some friends yesterday and my friend said that she made home made hummus for the first time and I thought, that’s it. That’s what I’m going to make, I’m going to make a five bean hummus recipe. Well once I got home I decided to use every type of bean that I had in my pantry to make the hummus and then I also ended up with chili too. Here’s what I did.

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I used 1/2 cup of each type of bean (soaking them in water overnight first then I put them in the crock put today for 8 hours on low with 6 tablespoons of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of salt. I also added 2 cups whole wheat pasta and 3 ounces quinoa.

Six Bean Hummus & Veggie Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup black eyed peas
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup red beans
1/2 cup pinto beans
1/2 cup kidney beans
1/2 cup lentils
2 cups whole wheat pasta
3 ounces quinoa
6 Tablespoons minced garlic (would be better with fresh garlic cloves)
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chili powder

Mexican Blend Cheese To top

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the crock pot, cover with 2 inches of water and cook on low for 8 hours

Add cheese if desired

 

Now since my original goal was to make the hummus I took one cup of the chili out of the pot and use it to make the hummus.

 

 

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Six Bean Hummus Recipe

Ingredients:

Same as above plus
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cook as above

Let the one cup of beans cool

Place oil, seeds and beans and salt in a food processor and mix until well blended

 

Beano can help you with fresh healthy veggies. Beano enables you to enjoy your favorite healthy foods. It even comes in three varieties: Beano Tablets, Beano Meltaways and Beano To Go. Beano contains a natural enzyme that helps prevent gas before it starts. It works with your body’s digestion to break down complex carbohydrates found in gassy foods, making them more digestible.

Six Tips To Make Healthy Eating Habits Easy By Kate Samela Munchkin Giveaway

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Munchkin has partnered with pediatric dietitian Kate Samela, author of Give Peas a Chance, to help parents introduce their babies to fresh fruits and vegetables at a young age with Munchkin’s new Fresh Baby Food System – which makes homemade baby food as easy as 1-2-3!

· Step 1: Chop & Steam – Start with Munchkin’s Fresh Food Chopper & Steamer, which chops and steams food quickly with a stainless steel cutting blade and convertible lid for steaming in the microwave.

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· Step 2: Mash – Next, use the Fresh Food Grinder to mash food into safe-to-swallow textures.

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· Step 3: Store – Lastly, stock your freezer with homemade baby food in stackable Click Lock Fresh Food Freezer Trays or Click Lock Fresh Food Freezer Pops with easy-to-hold handles for little hands.

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Six Tips to Make Healthy Eating Easy from Kate Samela:

1.) Be prepared: The one thing I always emphasize to parents is that they must be sure to have a variety of fresh foods in the house in order to make healthy meals in a flash. Even if you have the best intentions to make a healthful meal or snack, if the ingredients you need are not on hand, it’s not going to happen. Plan to dedicate a once per week (without your kids if possible!) healthy grocery outing, where your focus is on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and fiber.

2.) Think Fresh First: Having staples of canned, frozen, or dried items such as beans, tuna fish, vegetables, and fruits is easy to do and necessary for building a healthy pantry; taking healthy a step further, be sure to keep a variety of perishable foods on hand you know you are going to use within 3-5 days to expose your child to food in its most natural state. Your child, even at an early age, can learn how easy good nutrition is, just by watching you peel an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter, and grating it or dicing for home made applesauce.

3.) Stick to a regular schedule: This may not seem so important, but to me, it remains one of the most overlooked “rules” of feeding healthy from the start. When you stick to scheduled meals and snacks, you are supporting your child’s ability to regulate their hunger, which helps them learn what it means to feel full. If you allow your child to snack or “graze” all day, they eat just enough to get by, but never really learn to eat a full nutrient dense meal. This leaves parents feeling that their kids eat nothing when it comes to dinner time!

4.) Go with Color: Pick foods that are bright in color to maximize exposure to essential nutrients and antioxidants. Rotate your colors of grains, fresh fruits and vegetables over the course of the week using the colors of the rainbow as your guide.

5.) Learn to Cook – or at least learn to “prepare” food at home: Making food from scratch does not have to be complicated. Home cooked foods offer more nutrition than processed foods, as cooking allows you to add fresh herbs and spices and natural fats that make food taste terrific. If cooking in the kitchen seems like a daunting task, start small by learning to make a few key items your family eats often that might be prepared or come from a package (i.e Pizza!)

6.) Practice buying packaged foods with the shortest list of ingredients:

We all rely on packaged foods or prepared foods regularly. Make it a habit to purchase packaged foods with the least amount of ingredients – if you don’t understand what is on the label, put it back on the shelf.

 

Enter to Win:

Munchkin Fresh Food Kit

To Enter:

Leave a message telling me how you have your family eat healthy

Extra Entries:

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This giveaway ends March 12th. Please see our giveaway rules.  Samples received.

Tell Honey Bunches of Oats Your Favorite Fun, Healthy Way To Spend Time Together

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Getting the whole family to agree is hard, every morning I let the kids decide what they want for breakfast. I’m very lucky because mine always want the same thing. Zoe wants to be different but her brother always wants what she is having. We tried Honey Bunches of Oats with more oats this summer and it was a big hit we even took it camping with us. Our whole family will loved the crispy flakes and tasty, crunchy granola clusters with just a touch of honey and we or I should say I love knowing it has 10g of whole grain per serving. Getting the kids to have whole grain helps them feel full longer and that’s really important to me.

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Our family loves to go camping and it’s good for me because when we go camping we usually don’t have phone reception and my computer stays behind. Therefore we’re fully engages as a family. My kids have no electronics and my husband has our complete attention and I know it’s really important to him to have that every now and then.

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Plus it’s a weekend full of activities. We go hiking, ride bikes tell spooky ghost stories and play in the ocean. Zoe loves collecting sea shells and walking with her dad. I love watching my family love each other in such tender ways.

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How does your family enjoy spending time together.

 

 

 

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Guest Post: 4 Easy Lunch Ideas That Taste Great

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4 Easy Lunch Ideas That Taste Great

Eating lunch on the go is a challenge, and getting a healthy meal when you are busy is even harder. If you want to stay on top of your health, then you need to learn how to plan simple and easy recipes for on the go. Here are four great ideas for when you just can’t stomach another fast-food salad:

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Veggie Roll-Ups

This easy recipe for lunch couldn’t get any tastier. All you need are tortillas, vegetables and some faux-meat products of your choice. Follow the simple steps below for a fast meal.

Start with a flavorful tortilla. Tomato basil is always a good choice. Layer with greens, peppers and thinly sliced avocado. Use your favorite dressing on top of the veggies. Layer a few slices of a vegetarian-meat product on top of the veggies. Roll your tortilla and pack it away for lunch.

Couscous Salad

Couscous is super easy to make and it cooks faster than pasta. To make your couscous salad, do the following:

Boil two cups of couscous for about 10 minutes. Drain the couscous and let cool. Add chopped tomato, cucumber and onion to the couscous. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into the mixture. Top the salad with a half tablespoon of olive oil. Mix everything together and refrigerate overnight.

Veggie Sandwich

Nothing is easier than throwing veggies on some whole-grain bread. Follow this recipe for a fast, healthy and satiating meal.

Choose your vegetables. Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, sprouts, peppers and onions are good choices. Choose your bread. Wide and sturdy pieces of whole-wheat bread are the best choices. Choose your sauce. A spicy mustard goes great with everything. Chop the veggies and place on your bread. Add dressing to taste. Pop in the fridge for the next day.

Rice Stir-fry

A filling meal of rice and edamame is the perfect high-protein lunch. It’s also high in fiber and nutrients to keep you energized on the go.

Cook rice until soft and fluffy. Add oil to a pan and saute garlic, onions and broccoli together. Heat up a cup of edamame. Incorporate all of the ingredients and cook rice it is fried. Store for your lunch the next day.

These recipes are wholesome, easy to prepare and make great leftovers. You can prepare lunches ahead of time to have filling meals all week. Chopping vegetables all at once is also an easy way to make your lunches faster. You will be energized for your work day and hunger will be banished.

Guest Post: 3 Healthy Food Ideas Your Children Will Love

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Getting children to eat healthy foods isn’t always easy. Children are picky. They don’t like strong tastes, and they would happily choose ketchup over tomatoes. Preparing healthy foods for your toddler or young child may seem like a daunting task. That’s where you get sneaky. Here are three fast and easy foods for your children that are healthy too.

Green Smoothies

It sounds gross, but children love color. Making a green smoothie goes beyond the typical fruity smoothie. All you need to do is toss together your child’s favorite fruits, add in a small amount of greens and a piece of celery. Put the ingredients in a blender, and puree them until they are smooth. Your child will drink up this nutritious snack without realizing it has leafy-green vegetables. The color of the drink will vary from bright green to dark green, but the bright green is usually more appealing to young ones. This is the perfect drink to take on the road to singing lessons or ballet practice.

Overnight Oats

This fun dish is healthy and bursting with color and flavor. It’s also perfect for busy families. All you do is pour old-fashioned oats into a container. A jar is a good choice. You then fill with a proportionate amount of milk. Almond and coconut milk are perfect choices. Add in your child’s favorite fruits. Shake the jar. Let it refrigerate overnight. When morning comes, the fruit will have softened. The flavors blend together for a cold and delicious breakfast. Your child can get it before rushing out the door with you to scat singing class.

Wraps

Wraps are easily portable and customizable. The key to making it healthy is using the right wrap. You can purchase wraps with vegetables in them. The spinach ones are not easily recognizable as spinach. You can tell your child that it is simply a green tortilla. Fill it with their favorite healthy ingredients. They can eat this on the road without making a mess, but be careful with adding dressings.

These are just a few ideas for getting your toddler or child to eat healthy meals. The above suggestions are colorful, tasty and bursting with nutrients. Fruits and greens add plenty of vitamins. Oats add fiber and protein. Wraps are easy to take everywhere. These food ideas can also be modified to meet your child’s taste preferences. It doesn’t get much easier.

Send Healthy Lunches to School V8-Fusion Concord Grape Raspberry

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My kids are still the age where I make their lunch every day for the most part. Zoe had her first all day field trip and I had to make her lunch. I always make the kids healthy lunches, we have a sandwich and carrots and water. My kids are pretty good at eating healthy. We talk about healthy choices all the time. I knew she might be a little more hungry and wasn’t sure they would give them a snack, I don’t like the snacks they give them anyway. But that’s another post altogether.

imageRanting aside, I gave her a bag of grapes, a bag of carrots, and a sandwich. It was turkey and cheese. I might have given her an apple too. I was surprised and reassured when her teacher said, “that’s a healthy lunch, good to see”. It made me wonder, were not all the parents sending healthy lunches? Am I the only one that stresses over making sure my kids are eating the best food possible? Surely not!

Anyways, It’s hard enough making sure kids get the nutrition they need at mealtime, let alone when mom’s not around. That’s why this back-to-school season the makers of V8 are excited to introduce another variety of the new twist on a classic family favorite: V8 V-Fusion Concord Grape Raspberry in new 6-packs of 8-ounce- slim cans. Now with a great-tasting flavor and portable, single-serving can there’s no excuse for not getting enough fruits and veggies at lunch time. The new portable cans are a great tasting way for mom to sneak in a few more veggies into school lunches.

This presents a tasty option to those parents who have trouble getting veggies into their kids. I love this juice, I love to drink it and give it to my kids.

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This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Mami2cjn.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules. We received samples.

Hormel Afterschool Snack Time Challenge

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Hormel asked me to challenge my children by letting them pick out their own snacks. The challenge, I was provided with a gift card to take my children shopping at the grocery store, we chose Costco because it’s really close, has lots of organic options and it’s a great price to buy snacks in bulk. The kids love fruit, it’s their favorite snack.

The hardest part of the kids in picking out their favorite snacks was getting them to go in the cold section at Costco. They hate going into the refrigerated rooms, but they LOVE picking out fruit. With organic apples, watermelons, and raspberries just to name a few it was hard for them to make a decision.

Zoe picked out cantaloupe, grapes, apples, and dried fruit crisps. I talk to them a lot about what’s healthy and they have a basic understanding of some things. This is what they say, candy is tasty but it isn’t good for you. It’s not healthy, but fruit is healthy and tasty. They understand that not everything that tastes good is good for you.

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Miles picked out Carrots, bananas and salsa. One of the best snacks in his opinion is carrots and Salsa. Both of my children love to dip, and finding dips really low in calories like fat free yogurt and salsa is super easy. Hormel’s brand CHI CHI’s,  the makers of CHI-CHI’S® Snackers™ brought salsa, one of America’s most popular condiments, out of the cupboard and into snack time. The single-serving, 4-ounce portable packages offer us, Miles especially, a chance to create a fiesta at any time with three of CHI-CHI’S® salsas’ most popular varieties. (Zoe likes it too, but not as much as her brother does.)  The fun-sized packs pair great with veggies and are the perfect serving size for the kids. Usually, they eat half of one and we save the rest for the next snack time. Hormel Foods offers online coupons? Check out their website for constantly rotating offers on all your favorite Hormel products!

 

This post was written as part of an on-going campaign with Hormel and enters me into a contest to win a Hormel Family blogger Grand Prize.