My Holiday Advice for you

Practically every article you read this time of year warns you about the dangers of overindulging in Holiday fare.

"Eat a light snack before attending your office party so you don't eat too many sweets. Wouldn't want all those crunches to be for naught".


You know what I say to that? Bah Humbug!

My advice is this:

• Take a dessert from each and every tray that passes before your eyes.
• Load up your plate with every flavor of cheese and a few of each type of meat. 
• Slather a roll in butter. The butter should look like frosting on a cake.
• Stick an olive on every finger. Eat and repeat.
• Slop a big ole glob of that cream cheese/chili sauce concoction right down on your plate and only use the crackers as vehicles for shoveling it into your mouth.
• Drink an entire bottle of apple cider by yourself if you want to.
• Savor each bite. 
• Have seconds and feel no guilt. Have thirds if there's still room!
• Be thankful for what you have been provided with.
• Enjoy yourself.

Like I always say:                           Food is love.

I want to wish you all a very joyous Holiday Season.
Remember to have fun, be safe, and never pass up a dessert :)

31 Trips Around the Sun

It only seemed appropriate that we celebrate my birthday with one of my favorite things: Fair Food.

But I couldn't let you think I was completely uncultured & food obsessed, so I threw in some of the amazing art that's being shown at the Exhibition Halls at the CA State Fair:

funnel cake instead of the traditional birthday cake

chocolate covered bacon. amazing.

beautiful sculpture, I would love to have this

Wall of individual lucha libre paintings by a local artist

rad art car, by a local Sac artist. fully drivable!

Lucha Libre & funnel cake. How could I have anything but an amazing 31st birthday with those components?

Sneaky Pizza

What kid doesn't like pizza? I can't think of any.  Why not try making your own pizza from scratch instead of having those cardboard frozen kind that are filled with preservatives?
It's really easy to whip up a pizza dough.
There are only 5 ingredients*:
2 1/2 C Flour
1 C water
Packet of yeast
1/2 t salt
2 T olive oil

-Mix 1/2 the flour with the rest of your ingredients for 3 mins on medium speed
-Knead in the rest of the flour for about 5 minutes, then separate the dough into 2 halves, cover in your bowl & let rise for 10 minutes.
-After that, you just role it out to desired thickness, roll up the edges of your crust & poke the dough with a fork for ventilation.
-Bake in a 425 degree oven (top rack) for 8mins minutes then add whatever toppings you'd like & bake for another 8-10 mins.

For the sauce, try mixing some cooked spinach into your tomato base- it's LOADED with vitamins and is a powerhouse for calcium. The kids will not even notice, I swear!
I find that the kids are more likely to eat it without a second glance if they can't really SEE the veggies.
Since it takes kids about 10 tries of any new food before they will voluntarily eat it, I generally reserve telling them what's in the sauce until after they've raved about how good it is.
If you are lucky & have kids that love to eat veggies, throw some diced zucchini & carrots in the sauce.
I add a bit of garlic salt, onion powder, oregano & cumin to my sauce and voila! Better than store-bought.
Top with anything you like, but please for the love of Maude, forego the greasy meats.

I was able to whip up 2 pizzas using the recipe above in about 30mins from start to table.
My 2 yr old ate 4 mini pieces of pizza, so I'd say that's not too shabby!

Let me know if you make homemade pizza, I'd love to see how creative you get & what your personal touches are.

*this is the most very basic pizza recipe that anybody could make regardless of skill or experience

What you feed your kid says a lot about you.

We all know how important it is to eat healthy, right?  I have been so disturbed recently to find out the way that children are being fed across this Country. I cannot imagine never feeding my kids vegetables, or sending potato chips in their lunch bags. Pop tarts for breakfast, and candy for snacks. It makes me sad, and actually a little bit angry.  Desserts are fun, and I love a good cupcake but they should really be reserved for special occasions, not served in place of a nutritious meal.
It really only takes minimal effort to provide your kids with healthy, enjoyable food.
Take it from a busy mom of 4:
It can be done!

Here's a typical breakfast for my 2 year old:

-Frozen peaches (we love these, it feels like dessert even though it's not)
-Heart-shaped whole wheat toast (no butter. why give your kids the extra fat?)
-Scrambled egg w/ salsa (Tomato is a "super-food" but ketchup is loaded with high fructose corn syrup)
-Low fat cottage cheese
-Water (kids need water. juice will rot their teeth)
The only thing on her plate I had to make was the egg and all I did was cook it in the microwave.
Of course, when I have more time, like on the weekends, I cook it the "correct" way.

On to my 7 yr old's lunch:

-Natural peanut butter & small bit of honey on whole wheat bread, cut in a circle (young kids LOVE things cut into shapes. Don't try this with your teen, haha)
-Cut apples
-Edamame & mozzarella cubes (I don't know any kid who doesn't like edamame once they try it)
-Carrot sticks (no salad dressing. kids need to know that veggies are good the way they are)


I cooked & shucked the edamame & cut the carrots the night before, which saves me time in the morning, and all I had to do was make his sandwich & cut the apple which took maybe 5 minutes at most.

I'd like to point out that the "lunchbox" my son uses was purchased for a mere $2 at our local Grocery Outlet store, and so was the majority of food, which makes eating healthy very affordable.

If you're confused & don't know where to start, there are a lot of great resources available for you.
You can contact your local W.I.C. office for nutrition advice and help with paying for groceries if you qualify.
There are also Food Banks in almost every community, you just have to be willing to take the time to look for them.
And if you're just looking for some great meal ides, check out some of these links:

Laptop Lunches
Easy Lunchboxes
Vegan Lunch Box

Please think about the food that feed your family.  Show them that you care about them enough to make the small effort it takes to provide them with healthy meals, not junk food. Nutrition=love.
Teaching kids to eat right is teaching them to respect their bodies, and how can that be bad?