Posts tagged food
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Jun 14th
Today I’m joining LCW at Waking up Williams as she launches her new blog project, Momma’s Munchies. Please go check out her blog for details. What a great idea for sharing some of your favorite recipes! This weeks theme is “For Starters” and I’m sharing a family favorite, Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
This is a quick and easy recipe. Very yummy, but not very healthy 
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 bag of frozen chopped spinach
- 1 can artichoke hearts, unmarinated
- 8oz grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded Monteray Jack cheese
Directions:
Drain artichoke hearts completely. You will need to squeeze the excess juice out of the artichokes by putting them in a paper towel and squeezing them. Chop them up. In a medium sized bowl combine the mayo, all of the parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups of the monteray jack cheese, the spinach and the chopped artichoke hearts. Mix well. Put mixture into a casserole dish and top with remaining monteray jack cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
I usually serve it with Wheat Thins or Tostitos Scoops.
Enjoy!
Wait! Hold the Phone!
May 4th
It seems like the suggested guidelines for raising your child are constantly changing. How is one supposed to keep up with the latest research and new studies? I still consider my oldest child a baby, she’s three and a half. But a lot of what I was told while raising her during her infancy and toddlerhood has gone right out the window. When is the American Academy of Pediatrics going to make up their minds? I know what you’re saying… “They have to change their suggested guidelines based on new research.” While I appreciate that, it makes it hard that I have to keep changing the things that I was doing with my first daughter now that I’m raising a second one three years later. I mean, the first one turned out ok, so do I really need to change my ways?
Case in point – Three years ago when it became time to introduce Brinley to solid foods, her pediatrician strongly suggested that I start with rice cereal, then move on to oatmeal, and then barley. From there he suggested starting fruits and veggies, one at a time, leaving a few days in between to make note of any reactions. I followed protocol to a tee. I was also instructed that under no circumstance was I to give her nuts of any sort, eggs, citrus, honey or shell fish before she turned two years old. Again, I followed what I was told.
Fast forward to about seven months ago… I’m at Nora’s four month well visit with the same pediatrician and the topic of starting solids comes up. He asks me when I’m planning to start and I tell him probably in a month or so. He asks what I plan to start her with and I say rice cereal. He let’s me know that I may start with any of the grains and go from there. Alright, a little different than with Brinley but nothing too different. Same rules applied for the fruits and veggies, one at a time with a few days in between. Then he lays it on me, “Once she get’s the hang of eating, go ahead and offer her anything that you happen to be eating.” I, thinking I’m all smart, say, “Right, but make sure not to give her nuts, shell fish, citrus, honey or eggs until she’s two.” He says, “No, no. You can go ahead and give her all of that stuff, except for the honey, right away. There’s no need to wait. The earlier you expose her to those things the less likely she will be to develop an allergy.”
Wait! Hold the phone! You mean I should be giving her peanut butter and scrambled eggs and shrimp? Before she’s two? Well, apparently, yes I should. According to the AAP, “Current evidence is insufficient to document a significant protective effect of maternal dietary restrictions during pregnancy or lactation. Nor is there sufficient evidence that any dietary intervention after 4-6 months of age prevents allergic disease. This includes delaying the introduction of complementary foods.”
So, Nora has dined on everything thus far from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, to tuna fish, to strawberries. It’s a good thing that this new research came about because Nora is a human garbage disposal. She will and does eat anything. So if I’m eating it, you better believe that some of it is in her mouth as well. Since PB&J is pretty much a staple in my life (I ate it for lunch every single day of my grammar school career) it’s a good thing that I don’t have to try to keep it away from her. One of the only foods that she doesn’t like so far is pasta. Must be too bland for her. Among her favorites are taco beef, black olives, Mexican rice, and baked beans. Could she be any more different from her big sister who eats maybe four things total?
“I’m Sorry, Gluten Free??”
Apr 16th
Today’s guest post is from Devan over at Accustomed Chaos. She is a mommy to three little ones and lives her life Gluten Free. Her blog is great because she is so full of information and shares lots of recipes and ideas on how to live without gluten in your diet. Even if you don’t need to eliminate gluten from your diet, you can still enjoy her recipes. It’s really amazing to read about her journey and how she has done so much to help herself and her family. Here she shares with you a bit about her journey with Celiac Disease. For more recipes and information about the disease, be sure to visit her blog.
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“I’m Sorry, Gluten Free??” : My journey through Celiac Disease
“Gluten Free” – 3 years ago when I was told by my doctor that this was the only treatment for what I was just diagnosed with, I was both relieved and freaking out. I was a young mother who just had her second child 4 months ago and was just learning how to handle 2 kids 14 months apart and now I was thrown this curve ball.
My heath had been an issue for some time and while I was relieved to finally have an answer for what was going on with me, I was not prepared to have to completely change my eating habits. Celiac disease … celiac disease was the reason for my weight loss, brittle bones, fatigue, digestive issues, walking around with a 6 month-looking pregnant belly (when I wasn’t). Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by a substance called gluten – hence the “Gluten Free Diet”. There is no “cure” but the treatment is to strictly follow the diet.
OK… so gluten free, what does that mean? Gluten is in what seems like EVERYTHING. Pasta, breads, cookies, crackers, pizza, beer, … even the glue on the back of envelopes. I had to learn a whole new way to shop, cook, plan and come to terms that I might not be able to eat certain foods ever again.
Fast forward 3 years to today, and I can tell you that it really isn’t as scary as it may seem. The whole house is gluten free, if my husband wants a treat he must have it outside the house. My older daughter (she is 3 now) has also been put on the gluten free diet so it was safer and easier for us to have a totally gluten free kitchen. I have a strict NO GLUTEN rule (one breadcrumb will send me into a downward spiral) and as bizarre as it sounds my husband would tell you he doesn’t feel like he lives in food h*ll, we actually eat pretty good!
The initial learning period can be hard to navigate, but once you align yourself with some really great resources you will quickly realize that you are not condemned to a lifetime of bad food. The gluten free market has grown so much in the last few years and products like gluten free beer, ‘oreo-esque’ cookies, gluten free pretzels, pizza, bread and more – are all available and taste great. My favorite gluten free recipes that I cook on a regular are gluten free lasagna, orange beef with fried rice and peanut butter bars.
Things are not always easy being gluten free. I run a busy household with 3 kids 3.5 years apart and one of the biggest road blocks of being gluten free is we can not easily go out for dinner or do take out. I am also facing another gluten free dilemma when my 4 year old starts school this fall. Although he does not exhibit signs of having celiac disease I am going to have to be aware of what he touches and eats while at school (play doh is not even gluten free).
I am actually one of the lucky ones. Typically it takes the average person 10 years of symptoms and doctors visits before they are correctly diagnosed with Celiac disease. I am feeling so much healthier and I am thankful that my daughter was caught early. Gluten free isn’t a life sentence to bad food but a wonderful way to discover what it’s like to feel healthy and to use that creative cooking side.
Have you ever heard of Celiac Disease? What is the one food you don’t think you could give up?
A battle I won’t fight.
Mar 24th
To say that Brinley is a picky eater would be an huge understatement. Her food groups consist of dairy, grains and fruit snacks. She won’t eat a fruit or a vegetable to save her life and isn’t a big fan of meat either. So where did I go wrong? I just can’t put my finger on it. She used to eat broccoli and green beans like they were going out of style. I remember the days when she’d eat an entire banana every morning with breakfast. I can’t pinpoint when she stopped doing this, but somehow it just happened. It’s definitely not for a lack of effort. Scott and I are constantly trying to get her to eat new things but she won’t budge. She eats what she likes and that’s it.
Am I worried about it? Yes and no. I worry that she’s not getting all of the nutrition that she needs because her diet lacks fruits and vegetables. But when I take her to the doctor for her well visits and her pediatrician asks me how she eats and I tell him. He is not the least bit concerned. She is growing and gaining weight just fine. I’ve asked the doctor before why she suddenly stopped eating the way she used to. His answer to me, “She’s three.” I’m convinced that it’s a control thing. I know she likes the taste of things fruity because she loves applesauce, fruit bars, fruit smoothies, fruit snacks, etc. She just doesn’t want to give me the satisfaction of her eating the actual fruit.
I’ve read and heard all of the suggestions for trying to get your kid to eat/try new foods and don’t think I haven’t tried them all. I’ve tried just putting things on her plate in hopes that she might try them but that usually results in her not eating ANYTHING on her plate. I’ve tried “hiding” things in her food. But if something that she is eating looks even remotely different than it did the last time she ate it, she’ll refuse it. I’ve tried bribing her to try new things and doing the “just one bite” song and dance. All to no avail. So please don’t think I’m a slacker mom who just gives her kid whatever she wants because I’m too lazy to try to get her to eat new things. Food battles are just ones I’m not willing to fight.
Another reason that I don’t worry about it is because I know that I was the same way as a kid. I can remember being an extremely picky kid. Every single day for 12 years I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to school for lunch. Every.single.day! I wouldn’t try new things and I would only eat foods that I knew I liked. There were a lot of things that I didn’t even try until I was an adult, like shrimp and tomatoes. Now I love both of them. So I still hold hope that someday she will broaden her tastes and try new things. For now, I’ll just let her be a carb-o-holic!
Here is proof that Brinley used to eat vegetables:
Scott and I often show her these pictures to let her see that she used to eat green beans and broccoli. She still doesn’t buy it!
The magical crock pot does it again!
Feb 15th
So tonight we had pulled pork sandwiches and they were absolutely delish! I was very skeptical about how this would turn out and I was extremely surprised. I can’t take credit for this recipe but I want to share it anyway. Again, I just used one of the McCormick seasoning packets found in the spice aisle at the grocery store.
Ingredients:
- 3 lb pork shoulder roast, well trimmed
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- McCormick Slow Cooker Pulled Pork packet
Basically put the pork roast in the crock pot, mix everything else together in a bowl and then pour it over the roast. Turn the crock pot on and cook for 4 hrs on high or 8 hrs on low. Near the end of the cook time, remove the pork and shred it with two forks. Return it to the crock pot and mix it together with the juices. Let it all heat up for about 20 minutes.
I think the key to this one is getting a nice fresh bulky roll. It was so sloppy and delicious. The only issue I had was trying to trim the roast before cooking it. It’s really hard to cut fat off of raw pork. So I did my best and then I just cooked it. What was good was that when I pulled the pork out to shred it, most of the fat just fell off anyway and I threw it away.
I wish I had had some sweet potato fries or corn bread to serve with it, but I did not so we just had it with corn. Yum!
