I was recently inspired by Chobani’s #ChobaniKids project which encourages kids to live healthy lifestyles. Since this is a topic I’m passionate about, I decided I’d share our family’s healthy habits.

• Have plenty of accessible, healthy snacks: For some weird reason, I can’t get my kids to pick up the raw kale and seaweed snacks sitting on the counter (I know. Weird, right?). So we’ve had to come up with other snacks. We keep bowls of fruit like apples, clementines and  grapes on the counter for easy snacking. We have a jar of mixed nuts constantly out. We also dedicated the lowest shelf in the pantry (kid height) to snacks like applesauce, jerky, peanut-butter and dried fruit. We also make sure to have great “grab snacks” like cheese sticks, snack peppers and Chobani Greek yogurt tubes. This means the kids always have access to a healthy, easy snack. Because even though I try to be a good mom, I don’t always have time to put on my frilly apron and make them a green smoothie for a snack. Priorities baby!

• Limit sugars: Sugars are EVERYWHERE! Breads, crackers, juice, etc. Look at labels and try to keep sugars low. Just because something has the word “organic” in the title or comes in a green box doesn’t mean it’s low in sugar. And check ingredients. Anything that ends in “ose” is a sugar.

• Find fun ways to exercise: Make sure your kids get out and play every day. Rather than make them pull out those P90X DVDs, have a family game of soccer. Play tag outside. Ride bikes. Go for walks and hikes. Jump on the trampoline. Walk to stores/appointments whenever possible. Even in the winter, turn on some music and dance. Just get them moving.

• Educate!: This is one of the most important things you can do to help your kids. If my kids just keep hearing me tell them they can’t have 12 candy bars a day but I don’t tell them why, the message won’t stick. I try to explain to my kids how sugars affect their bodies and the benefits that come from foods like fruits, vegetables, meats, yogurt, etc. My children know chicken has protein and protein makes us stronger. They know yogurt and milk strengthen their bones. They know fruits and vegetables have vitamins to keep them healthy and help with digestion. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. Just explaining the benefits of some foods and the dangers of others can go a long way. Also teach them the importance of exercise. Make sure they know how exercise strengthens your muscles and heart and keeps bad fat away.

• Don’t demonize treats: Treats are just that; treats. Which means they don’t happen every day. We have dessert every Sunday night and we enjoy every bite. But if we eat candy and cookies every day, it ceases to be a treat and becomes a habit. I don’t want my kids to feel guilty for eating ice cream, but I want them to realize it’s not something we do every day.

• Focus on health rather than body size: I made a goal that my children would never hear me call myself “fat,” or hear me say, “I need to lose weight.” I want my kids to make a goal to be healthy; not “skinny” or have the perfect body. When my kids say, “Why aren’t you eating a cookie, mom?” I never say, “Because it will make me fat.” I say, “Because too much sugar can make us unhealthy.”

• Limit screen time: When kids are watching TV, playing video games or playing on an iPad, they are more likely to mindlessly eat and will likely spend more time than they mean to “plugged in.” When we limit their screen time, they are forced to get up and move and are more conscious about what they are eating.

• Get kids involved in meals: My kids love to have a say in what we eat and help me make it. Sometimes we go to the produce section and I let the kids pick a new fruit or vegetable to try. When I cook, they love to add ingredients, stir and chop veggies (with a plastic knife). This is also a great opportunity to educate. When my daughter is tearing spinach, I talk to her about its health benefits.

• Shop the outer rim of the grocery store: The healthiest, whole foods are found on the outer edges of the grocery stores and not in the inner isles. Produce, meats, nuts and dairy products are the best foods for our bodies.

• Switch to homemade whenever possible: To avoid the processed foods, we try to make our own bread, muffins, trail mix, salad dressings, etc. I get how hard it is to find time for everything, and so I don’t plan to start churning my own butter from the cow living in my backyard anytime soon (I don’t really have a cow in my backyard), but even replacing one processed food with a homemade version is a great change.

• Lead by example: This is the most important thing we can do to help our kids be healthy. When we exercise and eat healthy, our kids are more likely to follow in our footsteps than if we have an unhealthy lifestyle. If we’re eating junk food and avoiding exercise, how can we expect our children to do anything else? If we keep packaged cookies and candy all over the house, how can we expect our children to avoid these things? A few weeks ago we had a snow day. My kids asked if we could do yoga together because they know how important exercise is. They also see me eating vegetables and ask for some (because the laws of the universe convince our children that what mom is eating is always better that what they’re eating and they must have a bite right now). We are our childrens’ biggest examples.

Whenever I read blogs like this, I feel totally overwhelmed. As a mom who doesn’t do it all and falls short in several areas my advice is, don’t feel guilty or like you have to change everything in your life. The point is to pick a few things you can do to change and do those. If you can’t do this entire list, pick one or two things and focus on them. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Small and simple changes can make a big difference in our childrens’ lives.

The post How to Grow Healthy Kids first appeared on The Pink Apron.

• Meatloaf – Luckily, my daughter loves meatloaf. But turn it into a muffin and it’s basically the most fun dinner ever for a four-year-old. Just use whatever meatloaf recipe you like and bake individual servings in muffin tins at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. If you are a fancy person (we’re not so much) you could pipe mashed potatoes on top to look like frosting. We just added the “glaze” the last 10 minutes of baking and called it good. And as you’ll see is a theme with this post, these can also be frozen in a Ziploc freezer bag and thawed individually.
• Eggs – We love scrambled eggs but we all like different fillings. Just spray your 12-cup muffin tins and fill them about 1/3 full with whatever each person wants. We usually brown sausage for all the cups and then add onions, peppers, tomatoes, cheese and herbs based on what each person likes. Then beat 6 eggs and add 1/3 c milk (we use almond milk but any milk works) Pour the eggs into each muffin cup and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. These also freeze well and can be individually microwaved for about 45 seconds each.
• Customized muffins – Like the eggs, we don’t all like the same fillings and toppings on our muffins. This day, we made a basic cinnamon muffin. Some are topped with more cinnamon, some with chocolate chips, some with chopped nuts and others with cinnamon coconut. You could also add fruit to some and leave others plain. This makes everyone happy.

Breakfast cups – This are one of my favorite quick, healthy breakfasts. They are also a great “ice cream” treat when everyone around you is having ice cream. Just mix 1 C plain Greek yogurt with 2T all-natural peanut butter. Stir in 1 C berries. We used 1/4 C each of strawberries blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Divide this mixture between six muffin tins lined with parchment wrappers and freeze. After they’re frozen, remove them from the tin and put them in a ziploc freezer bag. Set them out for about 5 minutes and the wrapper easily comes off.  

I’ve also heard of people using muffin tins to separate crafts supplies for a project for kids or separating snacks for a group. How do you use your muffin tins?

The post More than a Muffin Tin first appeared on The Pink Apron.

Start with the sauce. This is so easy because you can mix it all together in your slow cooker. Just add all the sauce ingredients and mix them together. As you can see, I had a lovely assistant help me make dinner this day.

Now for the meatballs. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except for the meat. I always add the meat last after everything else is mixed so I don’t over-work the meat. Once the meat is incorporated, form the meatballs.

Now just gently drop the meatballs into the sauce. Try to gently push them down so they are all mostly covered in sauce. Let them cook on low while you do exciting things like clean bathrooms and take the kids to piano lessons (can you tell what I do all day?).

I like to serve this over mashed sweet potatoes but it would also be delicious over regular mashed potatoes, rice, or on its own. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Picture fluffy, orange sweet potatoes topped with juicy meatballs and thick, tangy BBQ sauce. I’m pretty sure that speaks for itself.

Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs

BBQ sauce:

In the slow cooker, mix together:

• 2 C tomato sauce
• 1 C beef broth
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 t worchestershire sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 t oregano
• 2 t cumin
• 1/2 t ground chipotle pepper (leave this out if you don’t like spicy food)
• salt and pepper to taste

BBQ Meatballs:

Now assemble the meatballs. In a bowl combine:

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 t salt
• 1 t black pepper
• 2 t oregano
• 1/2 t ground chipotle pepper (change to 1/4 to keep the spice low)
• 1 t cumin

Once this is mixed together add the meat.

• 2 lbs ground meat (this can be beef, pork, chicken, turkey or a combination of any of the above. I like combining beef and pork, but use what you have on hand)

Form the meatballs into 2T size balls and drop them into the slow cooker sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours.

The post Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs first appeared on The Pink Apron.

Last week we purchased these rather adorable, plastic mailboxes from Target for $1 each. We added our names and decorated them with stickers. For some reason, my husband doesn’t think covering every inch with stickers is appealing. Weird.

Beginning Monday, we will do an act of service (big or small) for a member of the family. After, we’ll write what we did on a small piece of paper and put it in the mailbox. We’ll each do an act of service each day, leaving the description in the mailbox. We’ve already decided our kids will be responsible for serving each other and my husband and I will do the same for one another.

On Saturday night at dinner (we’ll be eating shrimp while the children indulge in macaroni and cheese), we’ll open our mailboxes and read the acts of service that blessed us throughout the week. I also plan to include a small piece of valentine candy in each mailbox, just because candy is fun. The goal is for all of us to grow closer through serving each other and recognize how blessed we are to have each other.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The post Teaching Kids Love at Valentine’s Day first appeared on The Pink Apron.

Saute a sliced apple in the coconut oil until it’s tender. I used a Granny Smith apple because they were on sale but any apple will work fine. Set the apple slices aside in a bowl.

Top the chicken with the cinnamon, salt and pepper and add that to the pan with the rest of the coconut oil. Just brown both sides here. You’ll completely cook the chicken a little later.

Now set the chicken aside. Don’t worry about keeping it warm as it’s going to go back in the pan later. Add the onion, cover it and cook it until it’s soft. If you don’t cover the pan, the onion with get brown and  crunchy. You don’t want that. You want the onion as soft as the apple.

Now add in the liquids and let that simmer a bit before adding the chicken back in. Once the chicken is completely cooked, add the apples and make sure everything is warm.

We ate this over rice, but you can use quinoa or even pasta.

Apple Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

• 3 T coconut oil
• 1 Apple; peeled, cored and sliced
• Four chicken breasts
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
• Hot rice or Quinoa

Directions:

• Heat 1 coconut oil in a large skillet.
• Saute the apple until tender and brown (8-10 minutes) Set this aside in a bowl.
• Combine the cinnamon, salt and pepper and sprinkle it on the chicken breasts
• Add the remaining 2 T to the skillet and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Set aside on a plate
• Add the onion, cover and cook about 8 minutes until soft. Add the broth and vinegar and simmer for about two minutes.
• Add the chicken back to the pan and cook it until it’s done, occasionally basting the chicken with the pan juices. This should take about 7 minutes.
• Add the apples back to the pan and cook until everything is warm.
• Serve over rice or quinoa

The post Apple Chicken Breasts first appeared on The Pink Apron.

The problem is, I still get sugar cravings. When I just can’t ignore them anymore, I turn to these quick fixes. I am not a nutrition or fitness expert. I don’t have a degree in human anatomy and I can’t even sing the song “Dem Bones.” But I am a busy mom in her 30’s who gets stressed, tired and just wants a Snickers every now and again. I feel that does make me an expert to some extent.

1. Dark Chocolate – I’m not talking semi-sweet. I’m talking DARK chocolate. These Lindt  90% cocoa chocolate bars are GREAT for cutting the craving. One square has less than a gram of sugar and helps to satisfy those cravings. I eat one after dinner as an end to my eating day.

2. Fruit – Yes, fruit does have sugar. But I feel better about eating a strawberry than I do a maple-glazed donut. If I’m really craving sugar, a few berries does the trick. I lean toward blackberries, but try eating a few raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. They have enough sweetness to get you through the rough times.

3. Cinnamon – Cinnamon has the ability to make things taste sweet without actually adding sugar. It’s kind of like it’s own little miracle. I add it to a glass of warm almond milk for a sweet treat, put it in stews and chili and even put it over a little plain yogurt. It’s also great for your heart which is an added benefit.

4. Sugar-Free Sweet Treats – And by “sugar-free” I don’t mean added, crappy, artificial sweeteners like aspartame. I mean no sugar at all. Check out the 21-Day Sugar Detox. This woman is a genius. She includes recipes for sweet treats that don’t actually use sugar. These two are my favorites: Lemon Vanilla Meltaways and Chocolate Almond Butter Cups (without the maple syrup)

5. Vanilla Extract – Like Cinnamon, vanilla gives the impression of being sweet without containing sugar. Add it to almond milk or yogurt for a sweet treat

6. Nuts – You have to be very careful with nuts as they pack a punch (a punch of fat and calories). If I limit myself to 5-10 nuts, I feel satisfied and can talk myself off the sugar ledge. I lean toward almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts and pistachios. Plus, they are healthy fats so if you don’t binge on them, the won’t actually make you fat. Woah!

7. Sugar-Free Gum – This is an old trick but it really works. I buy the fruity variety that tastes terrible after about 20 minutes. But those 20 minutes help me get the sweet hit I need. I’m not a big fan of the sweeteners in sugar-free gum, so I don’t do this often. But it’s a rather small amount of sweetener and again, probably better than a Snickers bar (for some reason I keep mentioning Snickers. Crave much?).

8. Fruit Water – This stuff tastes great. Infuse water with lemon, strawberries, lime or orange. It’s a fun change from plain water and provides enough natural sweetener to help with tough cravings.

9. Coconut – Coconut is a beautiful, delicious, healthy, wonderful, sweet (okay I’ll stop) thing. It contains no sugar but has a sweet flavor. Make sure you get it unsweetened as it’s one of those things companies think they need to sweeten, which makes no sense to me. I use coconut chips, shredded coconut, coconut oil, coconut butter and coconut milk. If it says “coconut,” I’m going to stop and check it out. Plus coconut is extremely healthy for you. Another added bonus.

10. Give yourself time and be patient – Sugar is a real addiction. Deciding mentally to give up sugar doesn’t mean your body will automatically comply. It takes time to break those cravings but DON’T GIVE UP! If you struggle after one day, don’t assume it will always be so. Your body will evolve if you are persistent. This will get better. I find arguing with myself is also effective (you know you occasionally talk to yourself too). I try to think how I’ll feel in half an hour if I give eat and eat that sugar. I’ll feel like crap. My pants will feel tighter (even if it’s only psychologically), and my mind will feel defeated. You generally don’t regret resisting food, but often feel guilty for giving in and eating that treat.

That said, I’m not one for suggesting you give up sugar 100%. If I told myself I’d never eat sugar again, I’d eat the entire candy isle of Target. Set rules for yourself but allow yourself opportunities to indulge. Still limit yourself on those indulgences to one serving (an entire pan of brownies is not a healthy indulgence), but choose something you can stick with. A crash diet isn’t going to change your life, but a healthy lifestyle will.

The post 10 Healthy Ways to Satisfy Sugar Cravings first appeared on The Pink Apron.

1. Morning lemon water – I drink lemon water every morning. Before I go to bed each night, I squeeze half a lemon into my water bottle and fill it with water. The next morning it’s ready to go. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning is great for digestion, appetite control and natural cleansing. Check out more here. On that same note, drinking water throughout the day keeps you healthier and helps you feel fuller.

2. Eat on a schedule – I eat breakfast, lunch, my mid-day snack and dinner at the same time each day. If it’s not that time, I can’t eat. I also don’t eat after dinner. As a mom, I have a tendency to want to munch after the kids go down. Having a schedule stops me from doing this. This can be hard at first, but after a few days to a week, your body will learn the new schedule and will quickly adapt.

3. Find a workout you love – Exercise shouldn’t be a chore. If you wake up dreading what you are about to do, exercise will not add to your quality of life. Try several things to find something you love. Try running, martial arts, yoga, weight lifting, Zumba, biking, etc. Exercise should push you to your limits but it should also be fun.

4. Make healthy snacks more accessible – As a busy mom, I know how hard it is to find time to get a healthy snack. I’ve often run out of the house with a package of fruit snacks. Keep healthy snacks more accessible. Set time aside each week to cut up veggies. Keep fruit on the counter so it’s the most accessible thing. Buy pre-packaged jerky and even keep some in your purse. Buy nuts, but portion them out into individual baggies (This keeps you from binging on nuts, which is possible). Buy small peanut-butter packages for a quick snack. I give these to my son all the time as he always needs protein on the go. My favorite high-energy snack is a hard-boiled egg. I boil six eggs every Monday and keep them in the fridge. Then when I need a snack all I have to do is peel it.

5. Keep a food journal – Write down what you eat each day. You don’t have to write down calories, sugars, fat, carbs, etc. Just write down what exactly you eat. It’s amazing how becoming more aware of what you eat changes habits. I noticed I’m a food-picker. When I pour my kids cereal, I eat a flake. When I chop chicken for a salad I eat some. When I make chocolate chip cookies, I eat 2 or 3 or 76 chocolate chips. Keeping a journal helped me stop being a picker. Also, record each morning in just a sentence or two how what you ate affected how you feel. This will help you see how sugars affect you, where you need to add more or less carbohydrates, etc. Before you can make changes in your body, you have to listen to it and understand its needs.

Good luck on making 2015 a healthy year!

The post 5 Healthy Lifestyle changes for 2015 first appeared on The Pink Apron.

1. Fresh bread and jam/jelly – Not only is this a change, but it makes your life easier as well. Berries are generally cheaper in the summer and time seems a bit more abundant. I make homemade jam or jelly in the summer and give it to neighbors at Christmastime. I got this idea from my brilliant mother the year my sister got married on December 22. No neighbor-gift stress that year. You can pair it with homemade bread if you wish; in a ceramic, mini-loaf pan.

2. Hot chocolate kit – Make homemade hot chocolate mix or just buy a big ole’ tub of pre-made stuff from Costco/Sam’s club. Once you divide it into tins, it doesn’t really matter. Include:

• Candy Canes
• Dipped spoons: Scoop up some Nutella or other nut butter in a plastic spoon, and then dip the spoon in melted white or milk chocolate. Top it with crushed up candy cane or m&ms. Let these harden and put them in a cellophane bag with a Christmas ribbon

• Dipped marshmallows: Put marshmallows on a stick and dip them in white or milk chocolate. Then dip them in crushed up candy canes, toffee bits, or chocolate sprinkles.

3. Homemade soaps

4, Homemade cake, cookie or bread mixes

5. Stove Top Potpouri ingredients – Since I’ve decided to do this this year, I’ve done some research and here are a few recipes I’ve found that look WONDERFUL! (p.s. If you’re my neighbor, forget you read that).

• Stove Top Potpouri by Liz on Call
• Christmas Scent on the Stove Top by Mamas Girls

6. Homemade applesauce – Again, I made this in early fall before all the Holiday rush (which begins October 1st really). And since I got the apples from a kindly neighbor, it also made it less expensive than other gifts.

7. A bag of Cuties mandarins – A nice healthy treat amid all the holiday sugar.

8. A Christmas story with a scented candle – Candles can be a bit pricey, so you could just put together a collection of Christmas stories.

9. Cinnamon Ornaments – These smell like you’re making a delicious treat without the calories. Whoop whoop!!

10. Christmas wrapping – This may sound strange, but sometimes practicality is the most appreciated gift. Include a roll of Christmas wrapping paper, some tape, a spool of ribbon or bows and some to/from tags.

May you and your neighbors have a very merry Christmas this year!

The post Merry Christmas Neighbor!: 10 Neighbor Christmas Gifts first appeared on The Pink Apron.

Basic, guilt-free hot chocolate:

• Heat 1 C unsweetened almond milk in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes
• Whisk in 1T unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 packs (about 1/2 t) stevia. If you really don’t like stevia, you could add about 1t honey or maple syrup instead. The stevia makes it more guilt-free and gives me the kick of sweet I need.

Almond Hot chocolate

• 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
• Stir in 1/8 t almond extract

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

• 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
• Stir in 1/4 t peppermint extract or 1 drop pure peppermint oil

Coconut Hot Chocolate

• Make 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate, but use coconut milk instead of almond milk

Mexican Hot Chocolate

• 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
• Whisk in 1/4 t cinnamon and 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Orange Hot Chocolate

• 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
• Stir in 1/4 t orange extract

Using almond milk keeps the sugars low, but makes the hot chocolate extremely creamy. If you’re not a fan of dark chocolate, add less cocoa. If you like your chocolate super dark, consider adding more cocoa. This hot chocolate has been a big part of my life this cold season (which only started two weeks ago???) and will likely last through March.

The post Six Guilt-Free Hot Chocolates first appeared on The Pink Apron.

Start with half a sheet of card stock paper. Fold each in half from the top down, like a card.

Inside each card write, “I am thankful for…” Before dinner, have everyone write what they are thankful for, so they can share during dinner.

Now we add a turkey. I thought about just cutting out a turkey and gluing it on, but I wanted the kids to be more involved. I found a free turkey picture on Clip Art, and cut out everything but the turkey feathers. I tasked the kids with making the feathers.

Using five or six pipe cleaners per turkey, hold each pipe cleaner on a pencil, with about 1 1/2-2 inches hanging over the side to remain strait. Sorry for the fuzzy pictures. Just pretend it’s interpretive art.

Now start wrapping the pipe cleaner around the pencil. You should end up with a spiral with a strait end.

Now hot glue the “feathers” onto the front of the place card, in a fan shape.

Glue the turkey body in place.

Now just add the name and put it up by opening the card and letting it balance on itself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The post Thanksgiving Place Cards first appeared on The Pink Apron.