Real Moms Love To Eat
Yesterday, I was introduced to a new site that has some really good information on how Moms like us can create wonderful healthy meals with organic foods and make the right food choices with our family meals. Beth Aldrich is a subscriber to my A Busy’s Mom’s Kitchen e-newsletter and introduced herself to me. It is a pleasure to meet Beth and I look forward to viewing more of her website.
So far, I’ve enjoyed reading some of Beth’s posts and suggestions on healthy foods. Beth is writing a wonderful book with a 21-day healthy eating section due out I believe early next year. She has asked to feature my Harvest Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup recipe. This is very exciting and truly an honor. I appreciate the wonderful feedback on my site and recipes Beth has given me. I’ll keep you all posted on the book, it will be one I’ll add to my collection….But in the meantime, visit Beth at Real Moms Love To Eat by clicking the link below:
Check out the recipe for Sexy Raw Lasagna. Think I might make this for dinner soon!
Do you have any neat healthy websites that you visit?
As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.
Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning. For high quality kitchen tools for your kitchen, visit www. NoelsKitchen.com
Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.
BBQ Battle For A Cause
Cooking for a cause is always enjoyable for me. In our local events section, I read that tonight, The United Way of Nevada County’s 4th Annual BBQ Battle is happening. It’s being held at 5pm in downtown Grass Valley at the Gold Miner Inn. They will be raffling some great raffle prizes; including a Hawaiian vacation getaway, and live music performed by SOLS. Spectators can Cool off under a tent of misting hoses while they enjoy the music and great food.
Proceeds from this event will be going to United Way of Nevada County Community Investment Fund.
We’ll be stopping by and checking out the event and tasting some wonderful BBQ. Hope to see you all there.
Back To School Routines
How was your first week Back to School? One of the great things about summer vacation is the fact that as a kid, you get to sleep in, and families don’t seem to rush around as much. Now that it’s back to school time, daily routines need to be re-established. Kids aren’t the only ones who struggle with the back to school transition; adjusting to a child’s back to school routine and related events can be stressful for parents as well.
Routines during the first part of the school year can be a challenge for many families. Our family started a school routine early, so we are ready for a regular routine. Over the past few school years, I can tell you having a regular school routine can make it not only easier on you but on the kids too. So today, I thought I’d start off with some tips on easing back into those school routines.
Back To School Routines
Breakfasts that boosts ENERGY! is always a great way to start off the day. You can make some delicious breakfast meals for your kids; not only are they fast, easy, and nutritious, but my kids say they taste great too! Good choices would be cereal topped with fresh fruit (instead of sugar); eggs, toast and fruit; yogurt with granola; fruit smoothies; french toast and muffins.
Plan and pack a healthy lunch As a family go shopping and teach your kids how to pack a healthy lunch. It’s great to involve the kids about making the right food choices. This will also establish healthier habits and lifestyles for the whole family.
Plan your kids schedules This will allow the kids day to be smoother and they won’t forget things. Plan a way for them to remember homework, lunch and backpacks each day. Allow half an hour break after school for a quick healthy snack, unwind, than help them get started on their homework before dinner time.
After dinner, the kids can relax, have play time, shower and read a book before bedtime. Rember, during dinner is a great time to re-connect as a family and ask how your kids day went.
Being aware of what is on the school calendar can also help you plan and organize your schedule accordingly–without any last minute hassles.
So what kind of things do you do to ease your family back into the school year? I would love to hear them! I am always open to new ideas.
First Day Of School:A Fresh New Start
Today is an exciting new day! I’m not sure who’s more excited us or the kids. Both our kids start school today-our son, is now a fourth grader and our seven year old daughter is now a second grader. Our two older kids have started a whole new world of adulthood and another year of teen age years in high school. Our oldest son, just turned 18 yesterday. He has become a very talented young man. He will be attending junior college while working part time and practicing with his band. Awesome talented group of young musicians. Their name…The Dehlingers. You can find them on Facebook, My Space and YouTube. They have another concert this weekened at Unity Music in Santa Rosa, CA. Concert tickets are $8.00, so if you’re in the area go check them out. Our oldest daughter, a sophmore juinior( my heart wishes she was still younger) in high school, is transitioning into more rigorous classes, has become a very talented young girl exploring music and has the love for drawing. How times flies!
Our two younger ones getting ready to leave for school:
Now that the kids will be away from the house and at school for the day, I want to be sure they have nutritious snacks and a healthy lunch. Their lunch today consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich, apple slices with a peanut butter dip, a frozen yogurt tube, pretzels and a juice.
If you’re looking for lunch ideas, try a tasty twist to that grilled cheese sandwich. This Grilled Cheese, Ham and Apple sandwich is something your kids are sure to love!
Grilled Cheese, Ham and Apple Sandwich
Ingredients:
8 slices of bread (we enjoy whole wheat)
8 slices of Cheddar or American cheese
8 slices of ham (deli-sliced works perfectly)
1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
Honey mustard
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
Directions:
Melt butter in the microwave. Preheat skillet over medium heat.
Using a basting brush, lightly brush outer slice of bread. On inner pieces of bread, spread honey mustard. Place buttered side down in skillet and add cheese, ham and apple slices. Top with another slice of bread and lightly brush butter on top.
Grill until lightly brown and flip sandwich. Repeat with remaining slices of bread, cheese, ham and apple.
Definitely a classic sandwich. How could kids not give this sandwich 5 stars?
As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.
Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning. For high quality kitchen tools for your kitchen, visit www. NoelsKitchen.com
Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.
Busy Mom’s Guide To Back To School
From School Safety Tips, To School Lunch Ideas, Get Helpful Back-To-School Tips, Advice And Recipes To Start You Kid’s School Year Off Right!
Are You Ready Moms!
It’s Back To School time….are you ready, Moms? If you’re anything like me, you’ll be asking yourself, where has the summer gone? I’ve spent the last couple of weeks preparing tips, recipes and helpful to-do-lists to help busy moms like you be prepared to make this another fun school year. What better way to prioritize getting ready for back to school than a simple checklist. If you start early, you can easily tackle the list a few weeks prior to school starting.
I know just how difficult it can be at time to get your kids ready for school, making sure they have breakfast, make school lunches and even getting yourself ready for the day. As we move into the school year, over the next few weeks, I’ll share with you my energy-boosting breakfast recipes, that surely will make your kids feel ready for their day.
Busy Mom’s Guide To Back To School
We know that most children are in school for at least six hours. They are bound to get hungry after breakfast or lunch. A lot of our children tend to spend more time socializing and playing during their breaks than they do eating. To ensure your kids have a healthy and quick snack, I’ve pulled together some quick snack recipes to help give your children the energy he or she needs to participate in the classroom and concentrate on learning.
How will your child be carrying these delicious snacks? Say goodbye to the traditional paper bag lunch and trade them in for lunch boxes that are eco-friendly. In this month, you’ll learn how to quickly prepare lunch meals for your children that are healthy, affordable, easy and stay green at the same time!
And lastly, I’ll share with you some back to school safety tips to help protect your children from the most frequent kids of school-related injuries by following practical, proven tips.
Grocery Stores like Raley’s, are also offering extra savings for families like this Raley’s Kids Lunchbox.
Spend $10, Get Raley’s Kid’s Lunchbox Net weight 13.5 oz. from Raley’s Deli FREE with coupon. Limit 1
Here’s to another great school year!
See you in the kitchen!
As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.
Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning. For high quality kitchen tools for your kitchen, visit www. NoelsKitchen.com
Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.
Backyard Camping Fun With The Kids
Just open your back door and enjoy the great outdoors right in your own yard.
Camping out in your backyard can be a wonderful experience for kids of all ages. When the weather is nice, our family spends a lot of time outdoors.
Backyard Camping Fun With The Kids
Yesterday with a little help from the kids, we set up a tent in the backyard, tossed in some sleeping bags, a few pillows, a flashlight and the kids were all set for a backyard campout. From the moment we set up the tent, the kids were excited! The kids ran around, playing tag, jumping in and out of the pool, screaming, yelling and laughing it up!
For dinner, I made something simple: BBQ Chicken Chili with the leftovers from the Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches. I tossed in a can of red kidney beans, one can of pinto beans and a can of pork and beans. Slowly cooked ingredients with the BBQ Chicken and served with cheesy Cornmeal Mush. To continue with the campout theme, you could serve this meal in paper bowls or your metal camping bowls.
Around eight o’clock, we all settled in the tent and our nine year old read a few ghost stories….scarey-y-y-y-y-y.
This morning everyone woke up to pancakes and juice for breakfast.
What are some of your fun things to do camping in your backyard?
As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.
Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning. For high quality kitchen tools for your kitchen, visit www. NoelsKitchen.com
Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.
A Recipe For Connecting With Your Kids
Do You Enjoy Reading A Good Book While On Vacation?
Our first day of our family staycation began with relaxing by the pool and enjoying a good book. My oldest daughter and I started reading a book by young adult author Stacey Jay. I’m currently reading the sequel, “Undead Much”. (I know, it’s far from the land of the cooking world, but it’s FUN!) The kids and I had the pleasure of meeting Stacey at the Borders in Santa Rosa, CA. a few weeks ago while she was signing a few of her books that included ”You Are So Undead To Me” and “Undead Much”. Stacey Jay writes about zombies. She gives us zombies and romance like Stephanie Meyer gave us Twilight with the vampires, werewolfs and romance. But the way Stacey writes, makes you laugh, is suspenseful and brings reality to what young adults experience in everyday real life. Stacey definitely connects with each and everyone of her readers.
A Recipe For Connecting With Your Kids
I Can Read! BooksBecome an I Can Read! Member
Stacey was kind enough to autograph the books we purchased and spend a little time chatting with us. I have always enjoyed reading books of all types. What I enjoy even more is being able to share my reading experiences with a book with my children. As a parent sometimes we can get out of tune with our children. I find that by reading the same books on occassion, we stay connected. It’s a lot of fun reading a book and doing our own book reviews. What we liked or didn’t like. My daughter and I enjoyed the first book because even though it has zombies, the author brings experiences in the book that young adults can relate to. How they are treated by their peers, emotional feelings they experience, connections bewtween best friends, old and new. It’s all there with a little bit of humor, romance, and mystery. So far, we’re not dissapointed with the second book. If you would like to find out more about Stacey Jay and her books, visit Amazon.com HERE.
What are some of your fun ways to connect with your kids? Share with others tips for getting kids to read during the summer and get an “I Can Read Book” HERE.
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The remainder of our relaxing afternoon was spent by the pool, than later we lit the tiki torches and had a poolside dinner. Here’s my recipe for Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches.
Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (15-ounce can) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6-8 hamburger buns (I make my own)
Lettuce
Tomato slices
Directions:
In a slow cooker on low setting, add the above first 8 ingredients. Mix well. Add chicken breasts, making sure to coat the chicken breasts with the sauce completely. Cook on low setting for 8 hours. At 6 hours, with a knife, shred the chicken. Cook for the reaining 2 hours. I like to use my Mix n Chop kitchen tool to shred the chicken. It cuts and shreds the chicken perfectly. You can find the Mix N Chop kitchen tool at www.NoelsKitchen.com.
Today is Day 2 of our family staycation. We decided to have today be “Kids Day”. This is the day where the kids get to choose what they would like to do. This is their time and is very important to them sowe’ll let them be in charge for one day.
As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.
Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning. For high quality kitchen tools for your kitchen, visit www. NoelsKitchen.com
Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.
*“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an “I Can Read!” book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
Friday Family Favorites:Spend Time With Your Family!
This week has been very busy. I am so glad it’s Friday! I’ve been very busy sharing posts everyday this week with my readers on a few Kid-Friendly recipes, and staying on track with a busy mom’s everyday life with family and househould duties. I have the whole week off next week and looking forward to spending time with the family by the pool, going to the movies, shopping and just having fun. We don’t have to go to some exoctic place that cost a fortune to have fun.
I have my Busy Mom’s Kitchen Newsletter almost finished and ready to go out on Monday. We’re talking about family staycations, they seem to be more popular now than ever. We’ll also taske a look at some fun aprons for the whole family. Of course I’ll have my featured recipe of the week, talk about family time and more highlights from the blog! Lots of fun and very informative, so you don’t want to miss it!
Have a great fun weekend with your families!
As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.
Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning. For high quality kitchen tools for your kitchen, visit www. NoelsKitchen.com
Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.
Happy Father’s Day
Summer Brings Local Farmer’s Markets
Summer Brings Local Farmer’s Markets
Every Saturday throughout the summer in Nevada City, you can enjoy a beautiful morning at the local Farmer’s Market. The Farmer’s Market is the community’s source for LOCAL fresh produce and music, educational demonstrations, face painting, and good old fashioned fun for the entire family. Shopping at your local farmer’s market is an enjoyable activity that brings the community together for food and friendship. It is an educational opportunity for many. You can learn directly from farmers and other experts about growing practices, crop seasons, and even cooking tips.
As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.
Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning.
Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.
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