Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Fiber Fun For Kids: Fun Ways to Encourage Healthy eating

As a Mom of 5 and chief caretaker of my 2, bustling toddler nephews, I have fought many a battle with finicky eaters. I am always on the prowl for new and informative ways to make meal time and snack time fun. I have to admit that a little mom-tuitive creativity goes a long way.
Parents know that nutrients like fiber are great for their kids and are an important part of their kids' diets, but finding ways to increase their children's fiber intake can be challenging.
"To get our kids to enjoy eating healthful foods, we often have to be creative in how we present them," says Cricket Azima, children's cookbook author and founder of The Creative Kitchen. "An increase of fiber to the cereals our kids request everyday makes breakfast an easy place to help them get the important nutrients they need without the battle."
To make breakfast a fun and easy place for kids to get the nutrition they need, Kellogg Company is adding a boost of fiber to some of its most popular kid cereals. With three grams of fiber per serving, Froot Loops and Apple Jacks cereals now have the same great taste kids have always loved and help make fiber fun.
Fiber provides children with a number of benefits, including helping to keep their digestive system healthy so it can absorb nutrients. However, like many adults, U.S. children consume less than half the recommended fiber each day.

Azima says a little creativity can go a long way towards getting kids the nutrients they need:
Presentation is Key: Kids like foods that are fun! Entertain your kids with the presentation of the food and they will be more excited to eat it. Arrange bite sized food to look like a cute animal or a funny face. Shape sandwiches with a cookie cutter, use small or cut foods to make the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Arrange foods by color and make a rainbow on the plate. Have the kids help you in these efforts.
Engage the Mind and the Mouth: Ask kids to count how many colors are in their bowl or on their plate. Challenge them to spell the names of foods. Think of creative ways to interest them in what they're eating. This engagement increases the likelihood of children eating well and ensures a healthy dialogue at the family table.
Don't Skip Dessert: Fruit is naturally sweet and makes a wonderful dessert! Serve up a healthy fruit fondue by dipping skewered fruit into yogurt-based dipping sauce or make a fresh fruit salad exciting by adding a handful of Kellogg's Froot Loops cereal to each serving. Dessert has never been so nutrient rich.

For more information about Froot Loops and Apple Jacks cereals and Kellogg Company's commitment to fiber,

visit http://www.kellogg.com/.



FROOT LOOP SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail

1/2 cup frsh orange sections OR mandarin orange sections, drained

1/3 cup sliced, fresh strawberries

1/4 cup fresh red raspberries

1/4 cup seedless, green grape halves

1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

2 cups Kellogg's® Froot Loops® cereal

DIRECTIONS

1.In medium bowl stir together pineapple juice and cranberry juice cocktail.

2.Stir in orange sections, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and blueberries. Ladle into 4 serving bowls. Top with KELLOGG'S FROOT LOOPS cereal. Serve immediately.




APPLE JACKS PARFAIT

INGREDIENTS

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups Kellogg's® Apple Jacks® cereal

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup chopped, dried apple slices

4 tsp raisins

DIRECTIONS

1.In two 12-ounce parfait glasses or clear glasses, layer half of the yogurt, half of the KELLOGG's APPLE JACKS cereal, half of the applesauce, half of the apple and half of the raisins. Repeat layers. Serve immediately.


*This post is strictly informational. I was not endorsed or compensated in any way for my opinions about Kellogg's products, I just like them and thought that you might, too.*

Tastey Thai Beef Salad Wraps

I love Thai food, and being half Thai, I can certainly vouch for the authenticity of this tantalizing recipe. This dish has all the bright, fresh flavors and crunchy textures of a summer roll. The tortilla wrappers make it a satisfying main dish, but you can easily cut these in half and serve as appetizers.


Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 wrap)


Ingredients
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
1 cup cubed peeled cucumber
1/2 cup grape or cherry tomato halves
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
12 Bibb lettuce leaves

Preparation

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Sprinkle the steak with salt and black pepper. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let rest 5 minutes.

Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Combine sliced steak, cucumber, and next 5 ingredients (through cilantro) in a large bowl. Combine sugar, soy sauce, juice, and red pepper. Drizzle over steak mixture; toss well to coat.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Arrange 2 lettuce leaves on each tortilla. Spoon 2/3 cup steak mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up.

Nutritional Information

Calories:399 (28% from fat)
Fat:12.4g (sat 4.3g,mono 5.6g,poly 1.1g)
Protein:22.4g
Carbohydrate:48.5g
Fiber:3.1g
Cholesterol:39mg
Iron:4.4mg
Sodium:760mg
Calcium:113mg

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year




Its been a long December and there's reason to believe,
Maybe this year will be better than the last,
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself,
to hold onto these moments as they pass.

To all of my readers, old and new...thanks for sharing with me and bearing with me as I tread the waters both here and at Mommy's Multiple Mayhem, and here's wishing 2010 to be the best ever! Be safe, be merry, be wise...enjoy your family and loved ones tonight. I'll be thinking of you as I keep watch over my hospitalized patients tonight........till next year!


Multiple Blessings to You and Yours


Celebrate New Year's 2010 With Cookies


Orange-Glazed Cookies
It's the last day of 2009, why not celebrate with cookies? Here's one to try: Orange-Glazed Cookies, which happen to be hubster's favorite.


Makes 60 Total Time: 3hr 00m 
 

Ingredients: Basic Sugar Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for shaping the cookies
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions for Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
  3. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a disk and (unless otherwise specified in an individual recipe) refrigerate, wrapped, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. 
 

Directions

  1. Divide the basic sugar cookie dough in half and form into 1-by-1½-inch rectangular logs (do not substitute slice-and-bake dough). Refrigerate until firm. Slice ¼ inch thick.
  2. Bake at 350° F on parchment-lined baking sheets until just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  4. Dip tops of cooled cookies in a mixture of 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Best Bubbly Picks for a BYOB New Year's Bash

When the clock strikes midnight, pop open one of these affordable bottles of bubbly.



 Italian Zardetto Prosecco Brut is a crowd-pleaser. Fresh and lively with just a hint of sweetness, it has a fruity taste and a tangy, slightly mineral finish. It goes as well with prosciutto and oil-cured olives as it does with takeout Thai. To buy: $13, astorwines.com.


 Spanish sparkler Poema Cava Brut has an Old World soul: You can taste the stony soil in its tiny bubbles, but they’re wrapped in green apple, bright lemon, and white peach flavors. Made in the expensive Champagne tradition (the second fermentation that produces the bubbles happens right in the bottle, not a big tank), Cava is the real deal. Serve it with these festive Spanish appetizers. To buy: $11, binnys.com.


When you’re ready to splurge, make it real Champagne. Deutz Brut Classic Champagne is vibrant and creamy―full of gentle lemon blossoms, pears, hints of stone fruit, and a touch of caramel apple. Delicious with crab or shrimp. To buy: $40, binnys.com


Gruet Blanc de Noirs, a delicious pale pink wine from New Mexico, dances with the flavors of wild strawberries, bright cherries, and creamy citrus. Grapefruit and intriguing herbs give it a tiny edge, making it a lively match for hors d’oeuvres like chicken skewers and baked Camembert To buy: $14, astorwines.com.


 

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fashionable Holiday Handbags for Busy Moms – Coach Giveaway!


Coach has partnered with The Fashionable Housewife  and Fashionable Gals for an amazing giveaway! These two fabulous blogs are each part of Coach’s 30 favorite bloggers and have partnered with them for their Holiday Blog-a-Day promotion this year!

The Fashionable Housewife blog is so excited to be a part of such an amazing group of bloggers and have the opportunity to show their readers a few pieces from the Coach Holiday collection, and give one lucky reader the chance to win the fabulous Amethyst Texture Metallic Audrey Shoulderbag!!!

Coach Audrey Textured Metallic
  
The winner on  The Fashionable Housewife blog  will receive the Amethyst Texture Metallic Audrey Shoulderbag as shown above ( ARV $398 )



The Fashionable Gals blog is also very excited to be a part of such an amazing group of bloggers and have the opportunity to show their readers a few pieces from the Coach Holiday collection, and give one lucky reader the chance to win the fabulous Poppy Sequins Mini Flap!!!
poppy mini flap

The winner on Fashionable Gals blog will receive the Poppy Sequins Mini Flap  as shown above     ( ARV $138)


If you visit www.coach.com/holidayblog each day during the promotion, you can read what read what this group of truly talented fashionistas have to say about Coach, including giveaways, reviews, pictorials and more!

The Fashionable Housewife: 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza

The Fashionable Housewife
is celebrating the Christmas season
with their first annual
12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!
The first annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza started December 1 and will feature a new giveaway each day until December 12th. You’ll have a chance to enter each giveaway once a day until Dec 20th, 2009.



All giveaways end December 20th at 11:59pm ET.
Click on each link and follow the rules to enter each giveaway. You have from now until December 20th to enter all the giveaways listed above on The Fashionable Housewife Blog.

Day 12 – HP Envy 13 Laptop with Windows 7

Sarah-Jean, the fashion forward editor from The Fashionable Housewife blog has partnered with HP for the last and final day of their 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!

One lucky reader will receive the NEW HP Envy 13 valued at $1,899.99!!


HP Envy


❝The HP Envy 13 is super thin, weighs about 3.74 lbs. and is less than 1″ thin, and features a 13.1″ HD Radiance display with up to 410 nit/82% color gamut which is twice as bright as other notebook displays in its class, BluRay and Beats Audio make it an ideal device for experiencing music and video...❞

To learn more about this fabulous and totally fashionable laptop, visit www.hp.com/go/envy. Click here for more info about Windows 7.  

 Thanks to The Fashionable Housewife Blog and to HP

and all of the 12 days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza Sponsors!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza