Category: Blogging

Feeding Little Ones Healthy Meals with Rice

It’s the age old battle. Kids vs. Parents. Junk vs. Real Food. Food vs. Healthy Food.

Growing up, my Mom always made sure we had a complete and healthy meal every single evening. She worked full time and so I imagine this was a challenge for her but she always came through. Now that I am a stay at home Mom I strive to have a healthy meal on the table every night. That is not always the case though. I started working evenings and this has proved to be a big challenge when it comes to feeding my family.

For our family, it is quality over quantity. We try not to buy a lot of junk food even though it is usually always cheaper than whole, fresh food. I try not to use items that have additives and preservatives too. Who needs the extra garbage in our bodies?

Luckily my children LOVE fruit, love it. We can’t keep it around long enough though because they gobble it up. As far as veggies go, that’s a different story. My kids don’t really love raw veggies, even though I would always try to force them to eat them, they refused. I had to get creative.

BINGO – my husbands all time favorite staple is rice, and I agree, it is so versatile, yummy and healthy! I decided to try stir fry veggies with veggie seasoning and serve them over rice, my kids cannot resist. Looks yummy and TASTES delicious!

We went the vegetarian route for a couple of years, which was great! Did you know rice and beans together make a complete protein? A very healthy meal and good for you too. There are so many veggies that go great with rice!

Another way I have incorporated rice into their diet is by using rice/sushi molds. They are so cute and come in a TON of different shapes. My kids love them and they like dipping their Rice shaped bite into Soy Sauce. My husband and I love them with Sriracha.

I must say that our family’s absolute favorite rice dish of all time? It is a tradition passed down through both sides of our families and it is = Rice Pudding! Love it! You prepare it as a dessert and it is heavenly. Creamy, sweet, mellow, smooth, delicious!

Speaking of rice, did you know that Uncle Ben’s is giving away $20,000? You and your children can create a video demonstrating your favorite healthy rice recipe and you will have a chance to win $20,000!! It is called Ben’s Beginners Cooking Contest and it open to submissions until Feb. 26th. Start coming up with ideas now! Did I mention the winner will get to be ON the Rachel Ray Show!?!?!

Think of all the fun you will have with your kids creating a recipe, testing it, making a video and submitting it! Talk about quality time!

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“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Uncle Ben’s blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” (make sure you link to http://BensBeginners.socialmoms.com/about)

January 30, 2012
A Field Trip to the Denver Zoo

A Field Trip to the Denver Zoo

Thanks to Groupon we were able to spend 5 wonderful hours at the Zoo. We went in late November. It was chilly that morning but I checked the weather and it promised to be warm. It ended up being about 57 degrees, for a Coloradan(oan?) that is practically Summer, lol.

When we arrived we were all bundled up and the skies were gray, it was 9:45. By the time we left, we were hot, without coats and the skies were blue. I love Autumn in Colorado, bright blue skies, brisk fresh air.

There were not many people there, so we took our time, enjoyed every sight to see. We rambled along and learned a lot, talked about everything. We sat and had a leisurely lunch next to the Seals, they are so cute and fun to watch. We were happy to have Cousin Adam along with us. The entire field trip was fantastic.

How far can you jump?

Cute little Snow Fox

A Unique Creature – The Okapis – a cousin of the giraffe (look at his head). He had a super-velvety coat.

The Majestic Lion

Samuel with a lizard, I love his reflection on the glass!

Playing iSpy fish

Climbing the Hippo Statue

I love these animal flags! This picture was taken on the way out, check out the blue sky and compare to the first picture, that is why I love Colorado!

After such a fun-filled gorgeous day, we didn’t want it to end so we topped it off with some choclate milks at a downtown Starbucks.

Brothers enjoying a beverage.

Checking out the sights

In the words of my oldest “This was one of the best days ever!”

January 25, 2012
Merry Christmas

Here we are once again! Waking up today to a white Christmas, all the kids are still cozy in bed and I am getting ready for a wonderfully joyous day. After the boys open presents and see what is in their stockings we will have breakfast at my Mom’s. A family tradition, where we will have cream of wheat, toast and bacon. This has been my Christmas breakfast as long as I can remember, I love this warm breakfast. It is nostalgic for me.

After that we will head to my Sister in Laws house to share present and enjoy delicious food prepared by her Swedish Chef husband. The boys get to run around and have fun with their cousins, while we can all hang out and visit.

I love this time of year. What do I love especially most? It is when we celebrate God coming to earth to dwell among us, Emmanuel. I love that Jesus came to earth in the most humble circumstances, the King of Kings, so that we may have a relationship with God and become children of God. We celebrate the birth of our Savior.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”^[c]

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babylying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Merry Christmas from the Family O!

December 25, 2011
Cookie Exchange 2011

Tis the season for get togethers in all shapes and forms. Last weekend I had a relaxing, fun time with my Mom, Sister, Aunts and Cousins, Sister in Law and her Mom and Daughter too. What a nice time we had, it was our annual Christmas Cookie Exchange.

We each made a 6 dozen cookies and other goodies to share, see my recent article at Social Moms on how to host a Cookie Exchange.

My cousin made enchiladas while my Mom whipped up chips, delicious salsa, and the best guacamole. We had conversation, yummy food and door prizes! I won a really nice apron, I was so happy – I never win anything!

Extended list of goodies:

Carmelitas

Homemade Twinkies

Buck Eye Balls

Black and White Cookies

Peanut Butter bars with Chocolate Granache

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Pretzels

Pizzelles

Blondies

Chocolate Cookies

Homemade Fudge

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Matzo Toffee

No Bake Cookies

Rocky Road Bars

I highly recommended doing this with the ladies in your life! It is the perfect break from all the hustle and bustle.

All the beautiful women who participated, love you ladies!

December 16, 2011
Melted Snowman Cookies
I must say that Pinterest has inspired me to do many things I could never think of. For instance, this time around, I came across these adorable Christmas cookies – Melted Snowmen, so cute! It was posted on the Crazy Domestic blog, hers turned out really good! She credits another blogger for the inspiration: “To see the originalMelted Snowman Cookie, and meet the inventor herself, go check out Meaghan (great name) @ The Decorated Cookie!” Thank you Ladies!

I wanted to try making the melted snowman cookies for our 2^nd grade class.

Mine certainly did not come out as cute, but 2^{nd^{graders are forgiving! They gobbled em’ up and loved them. I had made enough that we were able to share with the Kindergarten class that our middle son is in. Smiles all around!}}

They turned out perfectly golden and crisp.

Frosted, add partially melted marshmellows

For the frosting I used this recipe from allrecipes.com. It is not pure white like the pre-made stuff but it is good!

Frosting

Ingredients
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening (I used butter crisco)
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- food coloring
Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners’ sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.
Couple of notes: I mistakenly bought gel frosting, not a good idea! Definitely need a thinner frosting tip too.
These taste really, really good! Crisp, not too sweet, great with milk!

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December 7, 2011
Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders

*speechless* these are amazing sandwiches! simply tasty and amazing!

Honestly, I have never really been a huge fan of ham. I don’t mind it but I never before did I used to buy it or order it. This past summer we were invited to dinner with some of our wonderful friends. The hostess made the most heavenly delicious ham and cheese sandwiches ever! They were hot ham and swiss (I have never liked swiss either) these were amazing.

I asked for recipe recently. She said she obtained this super secret recipe from a cousin who caters. She was only given the recipe if she promised not to give it out. I completely understood, these are some good sandwiches!

Off to my favorite place, Google! Answering all of lifes questions. I typed in hot ham and cheese sandwich. I came across this recipe from a blog called “The Girl Who Ate Everything”. Love this blog!

Followed it to a T, except for the poppyseeds. These are so delicious, everyone in my family loves them. So good, so worth the extra effort.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

adapted slightly from the Recipe Club

24 good white dinner rolls

24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce (you probably could half this…I had plenty extra)
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

** sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

Preparing them in the pan, this time I used Ciabatti rolls but I have also used

Kings Hawaiian Savory Rolls and regular hard rolls, all are good.

This is after pouring the dressing on and letting it set for 10 minutes

Hot and fresh outta the oven!

December 3, 2011
Golden Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
Bread. Glorious bread. I love any type of good fresh bread and I think you’ll love these cloverleaf rolls. I always prefer to make and bake from scratch but I do not do it as often as I would like. My Mom hosted Thanksgiving festivities this year and asked me to make rolls. I was a bit scared because the particular kind she had in mind takes hours to shape. I ran to my favorite recipe resource, Allrecipes.com. I found a highly rated “Golden Dinner Rolls”, as I read the reviews some people suggested Cloverleaf style. I was excited to try because it sounded so simple.
Ingredients
- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 6 cups unbleached flour
Directions
1. Soften yeast in warm water. Place sugar and salt in large mixing bowl. Set aside. Heat and stir milk and shortening until shortening melts (120 degrees F-130 degrees F). Add to mixing bowl along with eggs and yeast mixture. Stir in 1 cup of flour at a time to form a soft dough that can be kneaded. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a large greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into desired rolls or loaves. Place on greased baking sheets or in bread pans. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake rolls at 375 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Bake loaves at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until bread tests done. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
They are scrumptious! Bon Appetit!
November 30, 2011
Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving – Giving thanks to the Creator, our Lord. Happy Thanksgiving!

¹ Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
² Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
³ Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
⁴ Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

⁵ Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
⁶ you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
⁷ He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

⁸ He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
⁹ the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
¹⁰ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
¹¹ “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.”

November 24, 2011
Gotta Love Shutterfly!

Just finished my Christmas card order for this year! I also threw in 75 prints and a Photo book thanks to Shutterfly for some great deals! I am astounded at how much I saved! Here is a sneak peek at our cards this year:

5×7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

November 16, 2011
Gearing Up for Christmas: Win 25 Free Cards from Shutterfly

November brings along that crisp breeze of fresh air accompanied by a bright, blue sky. People start putting up Christmas decorations, the stores stock up on goodies and send out their catalogs. The coffee shops offer the yummiest drinks of the year. There’s gathering with friends for coffee and conversation during the holiday rush. Christmas is the most joyous occasion, there are so many wonderful things about it! I am getting very excited.

The holiday season is fast approaching. I already RSVP’d to a cookie exchange, Children’s Christmas Pageant and a women’s Chirstmas tea. Sounds fun, right?

I think I will start decorating this weekend. I love savoring the season because it brings so much joy, good food and time well spent with family and friends. Most of all, I cherish the reason for the season, celebrating the birth of the King of Kings, Jesus!

One major thing that I will start today is my annual Christmas card and gift order from Shutterfly. Now that our family pictures are done I can place the order! Let me just say, I love Shutterfly! I buy all my photobooks from them and pick up prints every couple of months. The quality of their products is top notch.

At Christmas time I use them for my Christmas cards, here is the card we used last year, we received tons of compliments:

Totally cute, right?

When I place my card order I make sure and hit the Photo Gift section and pick up gifts. I usually pick up 2 calendars for the Grandma’s, something for Dad to have at the office and a photobook or two for my sister with all the pictures I have of my nephew. I can never resist getting a little something special for myself, this year I think it will be an ornament with our family picture.

Want to win 25 FREE cards from Shutterfly? I am giving 3 readers this fantastic gift courtesy of Shutterfly. Leave a comment below, tell me your FAVORITE Christmas food or drink. Deadline is Sunday, November 13th, 10PM MST.

>“Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q”

>Disclaimer: this blog post helped me earn free cards from Shutterfly.

November 9, 2011