Veggielicious

Quinoa Salad!

2015-06-08T15:52:00.001-07:00

Easy and summery you'll love this recipe I created.

Ingredients:
Quinoa
Tomatoes
Onions
Cumin
Lettuce (I used romaine)
Olive oil
Apple cider vinegar (or a lemon)
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Method:
Cook 1 1/2 cups of quinoa. Allow it to cool. (Takes an hour or two you can take the lid off and stir it to help it cool faster. Once cool add in 1 medium tomato, diced.
The add in half a medium onion, diced. Add 3 to 4 leaves romaine lettuce chopped. (I cut them length wise then width wise to get little squares)
Add approximately: 1 tsp ground cumin, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder.
Then add approximately 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp ACV, OR the juice of one lemon.

Mix well together. Serve at room temperature or cooled in fridge. It's perfect for a hot summer day.

We ate ours alongside baked fries. :)

Baby food : grape watermelon banana

2015-05-20T18:32:00.001-07:00

Simple and super yum. My little guy really liked this combo and it made enough for me to turn half of it into an ice pop. :)

Ingredients
Mini watermelon
Banana
Grapes
Spinach

Method:
Simply blend 1/4 slice of watermelon
A handful of clump (medium clump)
And a half of a banana
A small handful of spinach

Serve and save half (if you want and turn it into an icy teething fruit pop. :)

Hope your baby enjoys this yummy combo :)

Kat

Baby food : banana pear coco yo

2015-05-18T22:48:00.001-07:00

This baby meal is perfect for breakfast or even lunch, my 7 month th old loved it. ;)

Ingredients:
Banana
Pear
Coconut yogurt (vanilla)

Method:
Cut half of perfectly ripe organic pear place into your small blender (I used a magic bullet)
Cut half of banana and place into blender add in about 1/8 of a cup of coconut yogurt.

Puree& Serve and I'm warning you might want to eat some yourself. ;)

Hope your baby enjoys this tasty baby puree as much as mine did.

-Kat

Piña Colada!

2015-05-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

We were craving something tropical and fresh. This virgin piña colada hit the spot.

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen pineapple chunks
1 can of coconut milk
Maple syrup
Almond milk

Method:
Add the bag of pineapple, can of coconut milk 3 tbsp maple syrup and 1 cup of almond milk to your blender.

Blend until smooth.

Serves 4-6

Pour, enjoy.

Hope you love this as much as we did! !

Dreaming of the tropics,

Kat :)

Pisgetti & Neat balls! ;)

2015-05-12T14:27:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely classic the other night. We had what my 4 year old likes to call "pisgetti and neat balls" ;)

We made the neat balls just as the directions suggested. The only recommendation I have is to shorten the baking time to 10 minutes and then cook the remainder 8-10 minutes that the label suggests in the marinara sauce. This way they will be more tender. :) Here's the scoop on what I did.

Ingredients:
GF pasta (brown rice, quinoa, corn etc)
Marinara sauce
Salad mix
Tomatoes
garlic bread (GF or regular)
Parmesan cheese
Eggs

Method:
Add the whole package of Italian Neat into a bowl...
Add 2 eggs (or substitute),
Add 1/3 cup Parmesan (or vegan substitute) Add 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp garlic powder and 2 Tbsp water. Mix well.

On a lightly greased (use veggie oil) baking sheet roll into small "neatballs."

Bake for 10 minutes. Take out and place them into skillet pour marinara sauce over them and cook for 10 more minutes (Allow to simmer)

Serve with your fave noodles, a side salad and garlic bread.

Hope you have enjoy this meatless Italian night dinner.

Warm hugs,

Kat ❤

Happy Mothers Day!!! Feliz Dia de las Madres!!

2015-05-10T14:22:00.001-07:00

I just want to say to all of you beautiful hard working, amazing, wonderful mamas:::::::You are awesome!

I wish you a lovely day wherever you are. That your day may be filled with so much love. Being a mom is the most amazing thing in the world. Thank you for all you do!

Neat tacosss!!!!

2015-05-08T16:41:00.001-07:00

Soooo we just had some AWESOME vegetarian tacos! Can you guys feel my excitement through this page?!

Thanks to my friend Phil, over at Neat I got to try out an amazing new product. It's called Neat and I'm thoroughly impressed!
The funny thing is that my 4 year old has been saying "neat" for so long and I thought it was so adorable I only corrected him a few times. (It's meat not "neat" baby)

Well now I have to correct myself! Neat is awesome! I highly recommend this product.

It's 2 main ingredients are pecans and garbanzo beans which are ground super fine along with organic whole grain cornmeal, seasonings and and spices. (This is for the Mexican mix, which is perfect for tacos, nachos, enchiladas, etc) I went for veggie tacos as a quick lunch idea. Here is what I did.

Ingredients:
1 package of Neat (Mexican mix)
Onion
Lettuce
Mini corn tortillas
Salsa
Thousand island

Method:
Measure 2/3 cup of Neat in a bowl
To a medium heat skillet add:
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 medium onion (chopped)
1/3 cup salsa (I used a bottled kind)
To the bowl of Neat add
1 egg
2 tbsp water

I also added 1/2 tsp of salt
Mix well until evenly distributed
And add the mixture into the skillet
Brown for about 7 minutes and/or until it seems well cooked. I also added another 1/3 cup of salsa to the skillet and stirred it in.

I layered this on mini yellow corn tortillas making this a 100% gluten free recipe. *for egg free you can use the "neat egg" in the neat mix to add the consistency it requires.
Hope you get a chance to try this tasty dish!

Behind the scenes

2015-05-05T09:56:00.001-07:00

Mamas are behind the scenes workers.
My grandma would say We are the boss..... and we are the servant....
All rolled into one.

To my stay and home mamas:
How many times have you heard oh so you stay home all day with your kids so what do you do all day?

I usually want to reply, "uh EVERYTHING."

I mean seriously. You have to wear many hats and exchange them as you go, fluidly as though you were trained for this. But the only thing is you weren't. None of us are.

Living in the moment is an understatement. You have to live in the now!
Especially when all 3 kids need you in the same exact minute and you wish you had octopus hands.

To my working mamas…..you are rockstars! I want you to know that what you do is meaningful. I admire what you are doing for your family.
I'm here to encourage you. Life is hard for all moms. All parents.
All of us want only the best for our kids. They are our reason. Our hearts walking outside of our body. Our life. Our pride & joy. Our e v e r y t h i n g. All packaged in a little human being.

We do what we believe is best for them, even when it's inconvenient to us and our "schedules."

I want to encourage you today and tell you it's ok, it's allllll ok. The pile of laundry can wait, the dishes too, the lovely mani pedi you've been wanting can wait too.
What can not wait is that precious little 6 month old human in your arms who is teething right now and needs you to hold him to sleep. ..
That precocious little 2 year old who is roaring like a baby t Rex to get your attention...and that 4 going on 15 year old who asks you questions like, "why do babies cry so much? " and "why do I need to sleep every night? " or "Where did God come from?"

They. need. You.

They need you to be their strength, comfort, security, courage.

Where do we get this strength from?

God. He is the only one that sustains our souls. When we feel like what we are doing isn't being noticed or that it isn't being appreciated, just know that God is there. He is encouraging you, cheering for you and ready to be the shoulder to cry on/lean on when you need it. He knows how hard it is to be a parent, after all He our Heavenly Father.

My hubby and I just read Galatians 5:22 tonight. It was truly inspiring.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness"

Can I get an amen? Lord help us to be more like You. Forgive us for our short comings. Thank you for your almighty Love. 

I hope this encouraged you today/tonight.

Warm hugs,

Kat 

On the left: what you see. On the right: what everyone else sees.

Tofu Scramble

2015-05-04T13:24:00.001-07:00

I made an easy and tasty tofu scramble the other day. This would make a great weekend breakfast or meal any time. It's casual and light. I made a breakfast burrito with mine. Just used an organic flour tortilla. ;)

1 block of firm tofu
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
Turmeric
Nutritional yeast flakes
Braggs
Sea salt
Garlic powder
Salsa

Method:
Add half of the onion (chopped) into a medium heat skillet with about 1/2 tbsp of veg oil.
Next add the firm tofu (drained)
Smash the tofu with a potato masher.
Add 1 tsp sea salt (add more or less to suit your taste)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Braggs
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

Mix until evenly distributed and the tofu is well cooked.

Hope you enjoy this easy, delicious tofu scramble.

Warm hugs from my kitchen to yours,

Kat 💗

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie!

2015-05-04T09:24:00.001-07:00

This smoothie couldn't be any easier! It's so tasty and would make a great breakfast shake!

Ingredients:
Almond milk
2 bananas
Peanut butter (I used PB2)

Method
Add 1 cup of almond milk
Add 2 bananas
Add 2 Tbsp PB2

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Hugs,

-Kat

Yes that is a Clifford the Big Red Dog in the background! ;)

Veggie wraps!

2015-05-03T14:40:00.002-07:00

I made these super easy, quick and yummy veggie wraps for lunch yesterday and they were so so good!

Ingredients:
Organic flour tortillas (for Gluten free check out Udi's)
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Onion
Vegan mayo
Carrots
Cheese (I used hormone free provolone)
*You can choose a vegan sliced cheese such as this one from Daiya*

Method
On a flat griddle heat the tortillas on medium heat.
Warm them up on each side.
Once they start to bubble a bit take them off the heat immediately.
Slather some vegan mayo
Place cheese first
Lettuce
Tomato
Onions (chopped or sliced whichever you prefer)
Top with shredded carrots
Wrap it and secure it with a couple of toothpicks
Voila!!

Easy/quick/healthy lunch.

Serve with baby carrots, chips and even a pickle if you like pickles like me! 

Kids + Brussel Sprouts!

2015-05-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

These Brussel Sprouts turned out to be a success. Even the kids liked them! Yay!

Ingredients
1 bag of fresh Brussel Sprouts
1 bag of organic potatoes (I used red)
4 garlic cloves
Agave
Sea salt
Simply Asia seasoning
Dried basil
Earth Balance

Method
Steam potatoes before working on the Brussel Sprouts
After washing and draining the Brussel Sprouts I cut them up into quarter slices
Add 1 Tbsp earth balance
Add 4 minced garlic cloves
Add 1/2 tbsp agave
Add a few sprinkles of the McCormick asian seasoning
Add 1/2 tsp sea salt
Cook until tender but careful not to overcook (they will get too mushy)

Potatoes
First boil them in about an inch worth of water and cover with lid so they steam.
Once they are soft enough to cut through easily turn off heat and allow them to cool for a bit.
Slice them into wedges.
Sprinkle them with sea salt & dry basil.
Place on a baking sheet at 400 degrees and bake for about 20-25 minutes depending on how golden you want them.
I decided to make these oil & butter free to make healthier. They turned out good although we did end up adding a bit of earth balance to them on our plates. 

Serve with avocados, carrots, tomatoes or whatever other veggies you like.

Insmomnia and Beach Bliss

2015-04-30T10:55:00.001-07:00

So yesterday we had the most perfect beach day. Which I really needed since the night before last I had a bad case of what I like to call InsMOMnia!
You know when your child wakes you up in the middle of the night and you nurse/comfort whatever is it and they go back to sleep but you just can't dose off even though you are exhausted to the max.

You're mind starts thinking of all the things you need to do and you get overwhelmed so you go on the computer and next thing you know it's almost time for the kids to wake up.....and you got maybe a couple hours of sleep and are ready to drop your face into a pillow.... then all of a sudden you hear the little people are up.... so you have to muster up whatever energy you have in your already depleted reserves and start the day....which leads to a massive headache. ... (at least for me)

But some how you manage to fix breakfast for everyone and you all of a sudden feel okay again.

Whew!

Well yesterday was one of those mornings for me.....

Surprisingly, my hubby had the day off so we decided to go to the beach. It was so much fun and we got to have a picnic on the beach.

We got veggies burgers from the Burger Lounge. I was so impressed! They make a house organic quinoa patty and they fry their french fries in Non Gmo sunflower oil.....sooo tasty…. in fact that I forgot to take a picture lol! I know I'm fired! Hehe I did however take pics of the kiddos.   

Pure BLISS

You know just doing some ups at the beach ;)

Row of Palm Trees juxtaposed to a row of cars

Catch me if you can!

My little digger girl

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

2015-04-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

So we had a strong cravi ng for chocolate chip cookies.....

I decided to make some that had some nutritional value to them by using oatmeal, by modifying the classic Quaker Oats oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I think these turned out pretty good :) The kiddos had a lot of fun helping me make these and shape them into cookies.

Here's the recipe.

3 cups of quick oats
1 1/2 cup organic all purpose flour
2 organic eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
About 4 packets of stevia in the raw
1 tsp. Baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 stick of butter
6 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

These turned out like chocolate chip chewy granola bars in a cookie shape... So if you want to eat some for breakfast I'd recommend them. hehe 

They were tasty and pretty guilt free too. Hehe. I totally forgot to take a pic of the final product because we ate them all lol!

Pizza night! Semi-homemade style!

2015-04-12T16:25:00.001-07:00

We had some fun making pizzas together! My youngest sister was here and we had fun just being silly around each other.

And get this we fed the whole family (6 total including baby hehe ) for less than $25 bucks! Now that's an awesome bargain!!!

Thanks to Trader Joes this dinner couldn't have been easier. They have pizza dough ready to go, pizza sauce and organic shredded mozarella.
The salad was a cinch too.

Fruity Ice Pops!

2015-04-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

These ice pops are so much fun!!! They will make you happy inside out!

My big boy wanted to make them colorful so we expirimented with different ingredients and made these pleasing to the eye and the taste buds- joyful popsicles!

Ingredients:

Strawberries
raspberries
peaches
mangos
pineapple
bananas
Kale
Apple juice

**the fruit can be either frozen or fresh, please note if you use frozen fruit, you will most likely need more apple juice about 3/4 cup or add in as you need it**

Instructions:

For:

Red ice pop
1/2 cup strawberries + 1/2 cup raspberries blend with 1/2 cup apple juice

Green ice pop
1 banana + 2-3 kale leaves (no stem)
blend with1/2 cup apple juice

Orange ice pop
1/2 cup of mango + 1/2 cup peaches
Blend with 1/2 cups apple juice

Yellow/ orange pops
1/2 pineapple + 1/2 mango
Blend with 1/2 cup apple juice.

For the organic strawberry ice pops I made last time I used the zoku Popsicle molds. I liked the molds but they are some what hard to remove. This time I used these ones from Mastrad They rock!!! So easy to pull the ice pops out of the molds!

This recipe will make about 8 popsicles + more so if you have extra drink up. 

I'm working on my servings sizes. I usually eyeball everything....I'm trying to measure everything now so that I can share with you all with more accuracy.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Hugs,

Kat 

Veggie burritos

2015-03-31T17:35:00.001-07:00

The kids and I had a craving for Chipotle so we decided to make some vegan burritos at home.

You can never turn down a good home made burrito with the classics.
They were soooo good.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Rice
Black beans
Onion
Garlic
Frozen veggie medley
Braggs liquid aminos
Nutritional yeast flakes
Sea salt
Turmeric
Avocados
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Lemons

*you can also add whatever toppings you want such as salsa, cheese, lettuce, sour cream.

Instructions:

Measure out 1 cup of black beans and add about 2-3 cups water to pot.

Peel 2 garlic cloves, slice in half and throw into the pot.

Next chop about 1/3 of an onion (any type really) And add 1 garlic clove, smashed and roughly chopped.

Once you start smelling that wonderful onion and garlic sautéing add 1 cup of rice. (I used white long grain)

Allow the rice to heat up a bit stir around for a minute or two.

Then add 1 tsp liquid aminos.
2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast flakes and 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp sea salt.

Add 2 cups of water and stir gently.

Then add in about 1/3 cup of frozen veggies.
Cook on medium heat without a lid. Once you see that most of the water is evaporated put on low heat and simmer for the last minute or two.

Check on the beans and add 1/2 tsp sea salt.

Next onto the guacamole. Cut 2 medium avocados in half. Scoop out all the avocado goodness onto a plate. Smash with a potato masher or large fork. Leave some texture. Add the juice of 1 lemon a 1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste) and 1/2 garlic powder & 1/2 tsp onion powder. Mix together. Done.

Check on beans they should be almost ready by now... add a bit of water if dry. You can use them whole or blend them like I did.

Lastly assemble your burritos! You can use a gluten free tortilla to make this a gluten free meal if you have any sensitivity. Other wise you can use organic whole wheat tortillas like I did.

Warm the tortillas up a bit then add your ingredients in whatever order you prefer.

Now for the FUN PART! Taking a bite! Nom nom nom.....

Organic strawberry-chia Power Smoothie!

2015-03-27T23:11:00.001-07:00

Since we loaded up our fridge with organic strawberries the kids and I decided to make a delicious and nutritious drink and here are the deets on how you can treat your taste buds and your body to some goodness.....

Ingredients

Organic strawberries
Original Almond milk (or soy milk if you prefer)
3 frozen bananas
Chia seeds
Maple syrup* optional

Directions

Wash and cut stems off the strawberries. Place 1 cup into blender.
Add 2 cups of non dairy milk of choice. (I prefer the Silk Almond Original)
Add 1 Tbsp chia seeds
Add 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Blend away......

Serve with a strawberry and banana slice garnish oh and sprinkle some chia seeds on top. 

 Your taste buds will love you. So will your body. 

Organic Strawberry Ice pops!

2015-03-24T15:18:00.001-07:00

We're so happy that spring has arrived! Spring is such a fun time of year! The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping.  Local fruit is plentiful. 

We just stocked up our fridge with organic, California grown, strawberries....mmmmmm.....

We made strawberry popsicles. They are so refreshing.

Ingredients:

16 oz organic strawberries (1 package)
Coconut palm sugar (regular cane sugar is fine too)
Apple juice
Blackberry crush or any type of berry juice.
Chia seeds* (optional)

You will need:

A Blender
Popsicle molds

Wash and cut the stems off the strawberries.
Place all strawberries into the blender.
Add 1/2 cup blackberry crush juice.
Add 1/2 cup apple juice.
Add 2 Tbsp. Coconut palm sugar.
*optional
Add 1 Tbsp. Chia seeds

Blend until smooth. Pour into molds.

This should make about 6 ice pops but my kiddos misplaced 2 of the molds lol.... C'est la vie.... I'll probs find them in their toy chest later. 

Cauliflower yumminess

2015-03-16T00:37:00.001-07:00

I made a cauliflower dish that I grew up on for the first time today! I remember my grandma making this and I loved it every time but I was always too intimidated take it myself. I decided it was time to get over that intimidation! ;)



It's a bit time consuming.

Totally worth it though. ;)

Ingredients

1 organic cauliflower head
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Italian seasoning
5 eggs (we will be using all the whites plus 1 yolk) (We got organic eggs from my mother in laws chickens;)
2 teaspoons of organic flour

Rice

Instructions

Wash cauliflower as you normally would. Separate/ cut into different sized pieces.
Pat dry with paper towel.

In a bowl add in seasonings. About 2 tbsp. Of onion powder and 2 tbsp. Of garlic powder. 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning. Sprinkle some salt.

Mix it all together making sure the cauliflower has enough seasoning all over it.

Whisk the egg whites you can use an electric mixer or get your work out for the day like I did by whisking it by hand. Lol.

Whisk away until egg whites are nice are fluffy.

Dip the cauliflower pieces one by one. Make sure each peace is completely coated with the fluffy egg whites.

Add about 1/4 of a cup of frying oil. Choose a high heat oil such as canola, sunflower, and/or safflower.

Once the oil is hot enough start placing the cauliflower in the wok one by one.

Leave enough space between each of them to be able to turn them to evenly brown them.

Once finished with all of them you can eat them this way as an hors d'oeuvre if you're absolutely ravenous after this! (Which I was! Haha)

But ideally you would finish the dish by sautéing 1/3 of a yellow/white onion and 1/2 roma tomato in about 1 tbsp of oil. After the onion is clear and the tomato soft you add about 1/2 cup water and place all the browned cauliflower in the broth. Add a pinch of salt to the broth. (to taste)

Then serve this luscious yumminess over your rice. Comfort food. MMMM

Bon Apetite!

Warm hugs from my kitchen to your yours,

Kat 

Do you ever feel like you're not enough or is it just me ?

2015-03-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong era, like I should've been born generations ago.

My yearning is for a simpler life. I just feel like everything has been so hectic lately. House hunting, all 3 kids have gotten sick, no sleep, some other random stuff, it all adds up you know?

Most of the time I feel like I'm not enough. I'm not doing enough, I'm not ____enough. Whatever it is. Not a good enough friend. Not smart enough. Not a good enough mom. Not pretty enough. Not thin enough. Not a good enough daughter. Etc etc

This gets me thinking into a downward spiral of self doubt. I have often looked for ways to stop my brain from thinking too hard in the wee hours of the night. (My kids are sleeping and I should be too but you know)

I feel like I want to do so much but I am limited right now. My kids are 4, 2 and 5 months. I know I'm not going to climb mount everest any time soon but it just seems like I'm expected to have them in preschool, gymnastics, rock climbing, swimming lessons, karate, ballet, pilates for toddlers. (okay I made that one up ) but you get the picture. Can you say hashtag: firstworldproblems?

Can't I just play with glue and play doh and mega blocks? And watch kiddie shows and lounge while I breastfeed my little guy? I feel a pull and I'm ready to let go.

I want a simple life……and extra sprinkles of love and rays of sunshine…..warm food and a clean kitchen..... a simple life with a dog and cat for the kids to play with…….and an occasional looong steamy shower to melt away all the stress of the day.

Is that too much to ask for? I don't know how "other" mom's do it. It seems like they can manage everything and I'm the only one struggling over here trying to find myself in the midst of this new me as a mom.

Being a mom is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Also the most daunting thing I've ever come across.

Everyday brings new joys, challenges, risks, fears, heart melting moments.

I just have to take a deep breath and exhale knowing that I am enough because I'm giving it my Best.

When my mind tells me I'm not a good enough mom. I'm not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not amazing enough.

I will quietly but firmly tell it: Yes I am enough because I am trying my best. And that is all I can really do.

Earlier today I had tears running down my face because I felt so overwhelmed by life.....and those tears carried away my sadness. The seeds of joy that were buried underneath of all the dirt were watered by my tears and I can say with confidence I'm looking forward to seeing the seeds grow.

For we are nothing but seeds that need watered by the Living Water and warmed by the beautiful Sonshine.

I had a lot on my mind and wanted to release the words orbiting my cranium. Lol.

What are some things that you are overcoming in your life right now? I'd love to hear all about it.

Much love. 

Warm hugs,

Kat

Beating the yearly cold!

2015-03-09T22:58:00.001-07:00

Hey you.

Soooooo all 3 of my precious kiddos are sick. 😩
Daddy caught it first Then it was inevitable... the kids got it too...

We've been using Zarbees for the pesky cough and have loaded up on organic strawberries and blueberries. The kids were in much better spirits today. It's been brutal but thankfully I haven't caught the nasty virus and I'm hoping to escape it all together! 😉

Besides, how else will I function right?! 😊

Anyway I've been drinking my milk maid tea since I've been trying breastfeed my lil guy more frequently. (I havent been giving him any meds since he's only 5 months old) I've also been drinking lemon water and today I had some corn chips with cayenne and lemon. Mm mm mmm! Cayenne and lemon are an awesome duo for fighting those bad bugs and boosting your immunity!

We also had cucumbers with salt and lemon. My cooking has been minimal so we've been relying on Cascadian farms cereal, rice and veggies, fruit and pasta. (Mainly for me since I'm breastfeeding and I need extra calories.)
The kids haven't had as big of an apetite due to their cold. They've been snacking on fruit, corn chips and berries.

We had some ruby rockets ice pops when they had fevers. They did not want anything to eat but these were a hit! I love these! They're made with fruits and veggies and are fruit sweetened and they even added probiotics! It was something fun and healthy for the kids and relieve their fevers a bit.

Do you have any go-tos for that yearly cold? Comment below I'd love to hear about them!

Warm hugs,

Kat 💗

PS.
Can you tell by this pic they are feeling much better?! Aaaaand today was sunny and gorgeous!

8 steps on potty training your kiddo!

2015-03-05T16:31:00.001-08:00

This might seem like a funny post to include in my blog but it's really just a practical thing. It's also earth friendly to potty train your child sooner than later because it means less diapers going into landfills! We used both disposable and cloth diapers. I used disposable diapers whenever I traveled and when I needed a break from using the cloth diapers. (I would say I was an 80 % cloth diaper mom)

Some of my friends and family have asked me how I potty trained my kids so young. Well I'll tell you how.
I'll be real, it won't happen in 2 days and certainly not overnight. It will probably take 2-6 months realistically for your child to be 100% potty trained. (Meaning your child won't need to wear a diaper at night even, unless you both feel more comfortable doing so. My son hated wearing diapers once he had a taste of the softness of real cotton underwear but every child is different. )

This is the recipe I found was successful for me: (I potty trained both of my 2 eldest children at ages 24 months and 21 months) my 21 month old reverted when her little brother was born (she was 23 months old) but she got back on track at 26 months old.

1)Praise when appropriate. If they are loving your praise get crazy with it! Have fun! Make it an enjoyable experience. We danced and sang a potty song I made up, yes we acted a little looney but the kids loved it so hey. ;)

2)Create a fun, tangible association with using the potty. Aka what I like to call "The Potty Notebook" that your child can use while he/she is on the potty. My son absolutely loved cars/construction/monster truck/star stickers. Every single time he used the potty I gave him the potty notebook. Also you can "play potty" With my son we used a dump truck that had to use the potty and my daughter likes using stuffed animals. Haha its really cute.

3) Have a "naked hour" every day. What that means is no diaper, no pull up. (They can wear a training Gerber undie. ) It's a philosophy called "elimination communication". They will feel the need to go when they feel the discomfort directly on their skin versus a super absorbing disposable diaper)

I just made up "Naked hour" but it can be as long as you want it to be. I say this because you will need to be on top of it monitoring them.

4) Use a comfortable, sturdy and practical potty. We have the baby Bjorn one and I absolutely love it. The kids feel safe and comfy sitting on it.

5) Talk about using the potty throughout the day. Talk about how everyone uses the potty and how nice it feels to have a clean, dry bottom. Watch potty videos like Sesame Street's Elmo using the potty.

6) Take the potty with you to each room and place you go. It sounds like a pain but it makes it easier for your tike. Especially since they have the tedency to wait until the last minute to let you know they have to go.

7) Do not give any liquids an hour before bed unless they seem a little dehydrated (Allow a bit of water if so)

8) Go shopping for cute undies! Get cute little undies that your kid can feel happy about wearing and proud about wearing. Also make sure they are very soft and comfy so they will naturally prefer wearing them over diapers.

**Lastly remember to be forgiving, patient, and gracious. They are tiny little humans who have never used a toilet before so it's literally a foreign concept. Take it one day at a time.

Also reward at the end of a whole week of successfully going to the potty. I remember we got a dump truck for my son after the first week he went without a diaper day and night. We told him that this dump truck was specifically for him doing so good going to the potty. He felt so proud of himself ;)

Remember consistency is key! Good luck!
PS I used this adorable book to help my daughter get into a groove. Every time she wanted to use the potty I read this book to her and let her place the stickers on the chart.

The Cabbage experience

2015-03-05T16:11:00.001-08:00

So my big boy and I decided to make a little home made experiment. We boiled some water and added chopped purple cabbage to it to see what would happen. ;)

Guess what happened? It turned into the prettiest shade of blue violet. So that proves it vegetables not only make yummy snacks and meals better but also fun experiences in the kitchen. ;)

Have you used any veggies in a creative way lately? What veggie and how did you use it? Share below I'd love to hear your ideas.

Warm hugs from my kitchen to yours,

Kat 💗💗

Comfort food- Linguini

2015-03-05T15:36:00.001-08:00

Luscious buttery linguini with garlic & basil. Easy peasy, and delish!

Okay so remember I have 3 kids ages 4 and under so although I absolutely love gourmet, home made, time consuming eats I do also love a quick dinner, especially when hubby is at work and it's just me and the babies. ;)

Literally, this took me a grand total of probably 30 minutes. From boiling water to steamy and ready to eat in my bowl.

1 packet of linguini
2 tsp Garlic powder with parsley flakes
1 tsp Basil, dry or if u have fresh chop it up and add at the end.
1 stick Butter (yes 1 whole stick, comfort food remember?)
Salt to taste

Voila!

Do you have any fave go to comfort foods that are quick and easy to make?

Warm hugs from my kitchen to yours,

Kat