Blog
Rooting for Turnips! Embracing a New Favorite in Our Kitchen
When my husband and I were newly married, I was working late one evening and asked him to prepare the Sloppy Joes recipe on Spend Smart. Eat Smart. The recipe calls for an onion and my husband, thinking he was grabbing an onion from the produce drawer in the fridge, chopped up a turnip and added it to the meat and vegetable mixture. To both of our surprise, it was actually really good! We had a good laugh that he couldn’t distinguish a turnip from an onion, and I realized that I could become more adventurous with turnips than simply roasting them.
The ‘Colorful’ Plate
Before my daughters were born, I pictured myself making elaborate homemade meals to fill their plates with a variety of foods. I’m 6 years into being a mom and to be honest, feeding my two kids can be tough, especially when they are often choosy eaters! My own expectations of feeding my kids have changed as time has gone on. The older my girls get the harder it is to get them to eat a variety of foods. We often go through phases where they love a specific food one week and then turn up their nose to it the next.
Sweet Snacks for Sweet Moments
Recently a friend of mine welcomed their third baby. When my husband and I brought our oldest home from the hospital six years ago, we had several friends and family drop off meals and snacks as we transitioned to becoming new parents. Not having to worry about meal planning those first few weeks was so helpful as we navigated sleepless nights and new routines. With my friend bringing home their third, figuring out what to feed their two older children could have been quite the chore!
Giving New Life to Leftovers
I am a big fan of eating leftovers for lunch. I find that most dishes even taste better the second or third time after they have had a chance to marinate in the fridge. If you have been following Spend Smart. Eat Smart., you likely know that I am a fan of both pizza and tacos. I almost always have the ingredients for those dishes on hand, and I rarely get tired of eating them.
The Perfect Summer Treat
With summer in full swing, my kids enjoy having a cold treat when we get home from a walk or the pool. If it were up to my oldest, who is 5, she would love to have popsicles or ice cream cones every day. As a compromise, we make Frozen Pudding Sandwiches to keep in the freezer when we want a frozen treat. The combination of peanut butter and pudding is tasty and filling.
Making (Messy!) Memories
I have fond memories of cooking and baking with my mom as a child. Some of my favorite kitchen memories include baking muffins and cookies, and making homemade beach plum jelly with fruit we would handpick from the beach. Being one of four kids, spending time with my mom in the kitchen allowed for quality one on one time, and now that I have children of my own, I see just how valuable that time can be.
Pizza Made Easy
Whenever I get asked what my favorite foods are, pizza is at the top of my list with tacos being a close second. There are so many options for pizza that I could write it into my meal plan several times in one week and not get tired of eating it. When I have a hankering for a slice (or two!), especially for lunch, Pizza Boats are a quick way for me to satisfy that craving.
The microwave is singing!
Occasionally I need recipes that require minimal time, effort, and equipment. I love cooking and making big meals for my family. But with both of our kids in activities during the week, sometimes a meal or a snack that can be made in the microwave is the way to go. My kids enjoy that our microwave is low enough in our pantry for them to help. My preschooler can practice her numbers by helping me use it for cooking, and when the timer ends it sings a little jingle which my toddler loves to dance to. Using the microwave throughout the day is a win for everyone at my house!
“Mom, What’s for Dinner”?
As a busy mom to two kids under 5, I get asked “mom, what’s for dinner?” around the same time every day. To help me stay organized, every Saturday I decide on a meal plan devoted strictly to dinners for the upcoming week. By looking at each day individually I have a better idea of how much time I will have to devote to preparing dinner. This also helps me track which days my family has evening commitments that may make it more difficult to prepare a time-intensive meal.
Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Staying Active During Iowa Winters
I am not the biggest fan of Iowa winters. I grew up on the coast with mild winters. My first experience in Iowa, where the temperatures reached single digits and schools were still open, was an adjustment! One thing that has stuck with me since relocating to a colder state is ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’. Now that I have two young kids at home, it’s important to keep my family as active as I can during the winter to burn off their energy while increasing mine.
The Breakfast that Makes Itself!
I am not the biggest fan of warm oatmeal. I never seem to get the consistency right making it either too runny or too dry. Though I don’t like traditional oatmeal, I do love using old fashioned and quick oats when I bake. Over the years I have found that my container of oats sometimes sits in the kitchen cabinet untouched for months. Cue Overnight Oats! This is a great breakfast option that uses oats as one of the star ingredients. Not only do I get to use an item in my kitchen that would normally sit on the shelf (sometimes past its prime), but I also have a nutritious breakfast that I can grab and go when I am in a bit of a rush.
“Mom, I’m hungry!”
As a mom of two young kids, it seems like I spend most of my day preparing meals and snacks. Now that my oldest is back at preschool, having planned snacks during the week saves me a lot of time when we are running to and from activities. I love snacks that can be thrown together quickly and are easy to transport wherever we find ourselves throughout the day.
