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Mom Lessons: I Must Be Doing Something Right, and A Mother’s Work is Never Done.

August 27, 2012 By 11 Comments
little league throwing a ball

My little baseball pitcher, circa 2008. Last week threw me a curveball, but when the week was over, I had learned a couple of important mom lessons I'd love to share with you. {And I'd love for you to share yours with me too!} The week was supposed to go something like this... Planned To Do List: Week of August 20 Plan weekly dinner menu for the week and shop for groceries. {Monday} Enjoy some beach time with the kids. {Tuesday, Thursday} Take kids back-to-school supply shopping. {Wednesday} Take kids to Balboa Park for some … [Read more...]

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Stay Fit This Summer Family Style {Fun Giveaway Too!}

July 3, 2012 By 17 Comments
summertime fitness {family style} poster

The kids have been out of school for 2 weeks now, so my fitness routine {if you can call it a routine since I am used to "last minute" workouts right before the kids get out of school} has become a little wonky.  Not wonky as in "bad wonky", but wonky as in "good wonky" :-) Instead of bemoaning the lack of time I have to exercise this summer, I've decided to suck it up and embrace the chaos in my life with the kids out of school, and stay fit with them family style. One thing my kids and their friends have taught me {ok they have taught … [Read more...]

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Kids in the Kitchen: Homemade Chocolate Lollipops Just Like Ina’s!

December 19, 2011 By 19 Comments
lolliblog1

Can I tell you about my latest Saturday morning? I promise you I'll be quick since I know the main reason you're here is for the lollipops! Anyways, this past Saturday I had a lovely morning... With the tree decorated, the house clean, the kids on vacation (no homework!), AND, no kids sporting events to attend, I managed to spend the morning relaxing in front of a warm fire, coffee in hand, watching Ina on the Food Network Channel. You all know who Ina is, right? No worries if you don't.  After all, my celebrity savvy husband, … [Read more...]

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A 10th Birthday to Remember and A Tale of The Chocolate Cake That Never Was

September 9, 2011 By 41 Comments
SBdayblog1

The morning started out like all 10th birthday mornings should... The birthday girl was all smiles and giddiness... I can't believe I'm 10!  This is going to be the best day ever! Birthday waffles were served per SiSi's request. {This gluten-free waffle recipe has become a new family favorite.} And the birthday girl even got to open one present... Green polka dot sheets from Pottery Barn Teen to go with her 10th birthday room makeover. Then it was off to school for the kids, and time for me to head to the store for birthday … [Read more...]

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Kids in the Kitchen: Back to School Breakfast and Lunch Favorites!

August 27, 2011 By 34 Comments
Schoolblog1

Many, many years ago when I was a little girl... Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, was a favorite book of mine. If you're unfamiliar with the story, Frances is a bear who wants to eat nothing other than bread and jam for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Meanwhile, her friend Albert brings fancy lunches to school everyday that would make any hungry little bear want to eat more than bread and jam. His mother even packs him a linen napkin and a cardboard shaker of salt to go with his hard boiled egg.  Ultimately Frances tires of … [Read more...]

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My Top Ten Tips For Raising Lifelong Healthy Eaters.

May 6, 2011 By 12 Comments
eatplayloveblog

Welcome to my first Top Ten Post! I wrote this post as a participant in the Eat, Play, Love blog carnival hosted by Meals Matter and Dairy Council of California to share ideas on positive and fun ways to teach children healthy eating habits. A list of other registered dietitians and moms who are participating in the carnival will be listed at the bottom of this post or can be found on Meals Matter. As fate would have it, last week I gave a nutrition talk to the parents at my children's elementary school, and as part of the talk I … [Read more...]

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Confessions of a Perfectly Imperfect Dietitian Mom

April 23, 2011 By 18 Comments
confessionsblog

This morning I was at a PTA meeting at my children's school.  One of the moms had brought in some delicious looking {and delicious tasting from what I hear} chocolate chip bars.  The mom, knowing I'm a dietitian, mentioned to me, jokingly {I think!}, that she wouldn't have served chocolate chip bars for breakfast if she had known I was going to be there.  Well... Here's the thing... Had they been gluten-free, I DEFINITELY would have eaten one, and I would have enjoyed it, guilt free, because MOST mornings I eat pretty healthy foods for … [Read more...]

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Vanilla Birthday Cake {Gluten-Free} with Fresh Strawberries and Whipped Cream

April 13, 2011 By 21 Comments
bdaycakeblog1

Yesterday was Big Tex's 8th birthday, so, naturally, we celebrated with a special cake. It was "vanilla" per his request. It was "gluten-free" per my request. And, it had fresh strawberries and whipped cream, because, really, how can you go wrong with berries and cream on cake? I would love to show you a photo of the cake BEI {Before Eating It}, but no such luck, because once I finished decorating it with the strawberries and whipped cream, Big Tex wanted to eat it right away.  Even before he opened his presents. So we … [Read more...]

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Kids in the Kitchen: Macaroni and Cheese and a Sweet Surprise…

April 8, 2011 By 6 Comments
icecrmsandblog1

Today's post will be less talk, more food, because the Kids in the Kitchen Chefs, my husband, and myself are heading out of town today for a Spring Break Ski Trip. We're headed up north to our favorite family ski area, Mammoth Mountain.. You'll note the picture of me above from our last trip to Mammoth.   I'm quite the ski jumper, no?  :-) But, before we head out of town, I want to give you a little dinner and dessert inspiration for the weekend... The first recipe is for macaroni and cheese that was {very slightly} adapted from The … [Read more...]

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Kids in the Kitchen…Quesadillas with Homemade Pineapple Salsa.

March 24, 2011 By 4 Comments
pineapplesalsablog2

So how's everyone doing getting lots of color on your plate this month? As I promised in my first "Eating a Rainbow" post, here's a little bit more info on what all those gorgeous colors are providing in your diet... Carotenoids are natural plant pigments found in red, orange, yellow, and green foods.  Beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin are just some of the carotenoids.  These are found in a wide range of fruits and veggies including tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, sweet potatoes, carrots {Yes, … [Read more...]

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Kids in the Kitchen: Quick and Easy Chicken and Veggie Stir Fried Rice.

February 13, 2011 By 10 Comments
friedriceblog

This is the kind of recipe you need to make when you have "one of those" days... or, in my case, "one of those" weeks... Here are just a FEW highlights from our past week... Softball AND baseball season have begun for SiSi and Big Tex.  All you parents with kids in sports...I know you know what this means.... Computer trouble!!! {Any other Mac owners have Helvetica font problems???}.  I owe a HUGE thanks to my dad and to the UTC Apple store Genius Bar for helping me get it fixed! Unexpected trip Friday night/early Saturday … [Read more...]

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Super Easy Super Cheesy Super Bowl Toast

February 5, 2011 By 12 Comments
sbsnacksblog2

So, guess who I am cheering for to win the Super Bowl tomorrow??? Truth be told, since the Chargers aren't playing (again!) in the Super Bowl, I don't really have another favorite team.  But, in my eccentric, mixed up mind, I just can't help but cheer for the team whose fans call themselves "Cheeseheads." So, in honor of all the Cheesehead fans, here is a super easy,  super cheesy Super Bowl snack that uses only 4 ingredients, plus your bread of choice.  {I hope all you Steelers fans will try it too!} This recipe was inspired … [Read more...]

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Kids in the Kitchen: Cheese Enchiladas with Friends!

December 21, 2010 By 5 Comments
enchiladablog

Yesterday was a great day for a KITK (Kids in the Kitchen) Meal. We had a lovely, LAZY rainy day. Perfect for making the cheese enchiladas that Big Tex had chosen to cook earlier in the week. As it was a weekend day, Big Tex had a friend over to play. Naturally his friend, Big N., joined us in the kitchen to cook. It was a lot of fun cooking with the boys, and since there were beans in the enchiladas, there was A LOT of giggling and "tooting" jokes going around! Later, in the evening, we had our good friends, Tom and Jen, and their two … [Read more...]

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Kids in the Kitchen: Pancakes for dinner? But, of course!

December 4, 2010 By 21 Comments
SiSipancakeblog

Welcome to the first installment of Kids in the Kitchen (KITK). Inspired by the last 3 weeks of cooking with my children, I have decided to start a regular post featuring meals planned, prepared, served and, (hopefully!), eaten by my 2 budding sous chefs, who will from here on out be referred to as SiSi and Big Tex. As a mom and a dietitian, I think one of the best ways we can help our children become lifelong healthy eaters, is to teach them to cook.  And, I am also a firm believer in teaching our children what constitutes a healthy … [Read more...]

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Saturday Morning Eggstravaganza

November 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
eggstravaganzablog

Happy Saturday! I hope you are all having a fantastic day!  My family and I just finished a lovely breakfast. I have personally been waiting for this breakfast for over 2 months now.  You see, in late August, my son started playing flag football.  Each and every Saturday morning these past two months has been devoted to watching his team (comprised of 5, 6, and 7 year olds) play flag football.  {FYI-For a game called "Flag Football" there was an awful lot of tackling going on!}  But, football officially ended last Saturday. I can not … [Read more...]

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