Mom Blog and Baby Blog | Baby Bunching

baby bunching bites: honey-basted porch chops, asiago quinoa, and kale chips

I'm actually not sure what's harder - feeding small kids who don't have teeth yet, or feeding big kids who use their mouths to complain about what you cook.  I LOVE to cook, and I'm a big believer in providing a variety of fresh, healthy options at the family dinner table each night so that I can A) expose my kids to a variety of fresh, home-cooked, healthy foods and B) gather the entire family together at least once a day, even if it is just for the 10.5 uber-chaotic seconds that a meal in my household lasts.  

As such, I am on an endless quest for recipes that everyone in my family likes.  I don't really believe in "dumbing down" cooking to suit tiny palates (with hot spice being the one exception) or cooking 15 meals a night to cater to everyone's liking.  I make what I make - for kids and adults- and they can eat it or not. Lest you think I'm a monster, I do make an effort every night to include at least one item I'm pretty sure everyone will eat, plus I always have backup fresh fruit/vegetable staples on hand for those who feel that dinner is absolutely inedible, so they can bulk up on other healthy options.

Tonight's yummo dinner was a success on all fronts!  Not only was it SUPER easy and quick to prepare, surveys showed that all respondents actually LIKED 2 of the 3 items on their plates!  We are officially rotating this one into our list of favorites.  Just thought I'd share it with you, as it was definitely both toddler and adult friendly!

 

Honey Basted Pork Chops (full disclosure: this recipe came from a meal planning service I'm testing out - Nourish Network)

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 T fresh ginger, thinly sliced (I cheated and used powdered and it worked out just fine)

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 boneless pork chops

Combine all ingredients in a giant ziploc bag and let marinate for 4 to 8 hours.  Toss it on the grill until browned on each side/cooked through.  Voila!

 

Asiago Quinoa

2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

3/4 cup quinoa

small handful of asiago cheese 

goat cheese or feta for top

Combine the quinoa and broth and bring to a boil.  Lower heat, simmer covered for about 10 minutes or until liquid mostly cooks off.  Toss in a little asiago cheese.  Serve topped with either feta or goat cheese (would also be yummy with a few scallions on top of the asiago is enough cheese for you).

 

Kale Chips

Shred the kale leaves off the stem, into about 1 inch pieces.  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Drizzle kale with olive oil and season with sea salt on the cookie sheet.  Pop in the over at 350 for about 10 minutes until crisp (watch carefully, because once they are done they brown quickly).  About half a bunch of kale took up a full cookie sheet and served my entire family or would make a tasty midnight snack for me. : )

 

back to school: packing lunch

Hard to believe but both my kids start full-day school tomorrow. I am pretty excited about my first and second grader going off to school tomorrow. [Woop!]

As I was packing lunches tonight for both kids, I realized this is the beginning of a long run of lunchmaking enthusiasm. Um, another 12 years or so? Or at least until they get tired of my sweet little sandwiches and cheesy notes. I wonder when that will be?

Last year was a good test-run with one kid getting lunch so this year I decided I need a plan. Mainly so I could stay organized and always have necessary items on hand and to pull it together quickly at night or in the morning if I had to.

First thing was I made a list of all the "lunch staples" our family needs in any week. I tried to include some fun ideas like making mac & cheese once a week or spaghetti and meatballs (in a thermos of course) for the day. I compiled my list of "must have every week items."

This list looks something like this:

• Bread
• Tortillas (for sandwich wraps and quesadillas)
• Bagels
• Pita chips
• Pasta sauce
• Mozzarella
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Salad dressing for dipping
• Lunch meat
• Mac & cheese
• Meatballs
• Apples
• Fruit in season
• Granola bars
• PB&J
• Yogurt

With these items, I can pull off a week's worth of lunch no problem.

Then I made sure we have all the right gear. Yes, if you know us well here at Baby Bunching, you know we are all about gear. That includes food gear. We have slowly been moving away from plastic bags and trying to be more eco-friendly. My absolute favorite food container for every member of my house hold is the Sistema Food-to-Go. It's divided for three different things but it folds up nice and compact. This year, I'm adding a thermos because my younger child likes to take hot lunches. I had a hard time finding one that was short and wide enough for their lunch boxes. But I settled on these from Pottery Barn Kids. Also from Pottery Barn, I love love love, their little itty bitty storage container. I think it's about $2 in the store. I use it for dips and ketchup. It's the perfect size and cleans up easily. I actually went back this year and bought a few extra because even my husband likes it for salad dressing. New to me this year are the Lunchkins Sandwich and Snack bags. So we're going to give these a go.

I'm just wondering if I can keep up this energy throughout the year.

Now for all of you...we'd love to hear what about your kid's favorite packed lunch beyond PB&J or ham and cheese.

(photo from Pottery Barn Kids.)

reflections on reflux

Disclaimer: Please remember that we at Baby Bunching do not have medical degrees and we would never, ever suggest that you take our medical advice (especially that involving medication for your child) without the knowledge and support of your pediatrician.  So read the following advice...and then consult your doctor.

Recently, I had a park play date with a Baby Bunching friend whose youngest child (at 5 months old and CUTE as a button!) broke my heart because I think he may be struggling with reflux (gastroesophogal reflux disease, or GERD, in the medical world).  

I say *may* because I feel as though reflux is the mystery ailment of the baby world.  Linda is convinced that EVERY baby has reflux. This is a theory I would support, but for the fact that my eldest child was literally the happiest baby on the block.  After three children (and half a dozen pediatricians along the way), I'm convinced that even pediatricians don't know definitively.  If it looks like reflux and smells like reflux, they'll encourage you to give the reflux meds a try and see if it IS reflux.

My third baby was "diagnosed" with reflux after a particularly high-stress trip to urgent care over Labor Day weekend when he was a little over a month old.  My husband, who had had just about enough of the constant crying, laid down the law and insisted that there MUST be something wrong with the kid and it was inhumane to "wait and see" until regular doctor's hours on Monday morning.  With little reflux diagnostic technology on hand in urgent care on a Saturday night, the pediatrician on call suggested that we give the medicine a try.  I resisted the idea of medication at first, being the type of person that will walk around for 4 days with a  headache before taking an Advil, and I certainly didn't like the idea of a daily dose of anything for my newborn.  But the doctor insisted that the medication was so safe that it was used on preemies and that we should just give it a try and see if it worked.  

It worked.  Just a few hours later, we had an entirely different baby on our hands, and silence that was music to our ears - for the first time in a month.  

Although my mother had previously suggested the possibility of reflux, I poo-pooed the suggestion because the symptoms didn't "match."  Although the baby was fussy, he wasn't projectile vomiting (and in fact, barely spit up), slept in decent stretches, and was appropriately gaining weight.  He nursed ok (although not great, and did better from a bottle once I introduced it around the 3-week mark).  He was just fussy and fidgety every waking hour. It turns out that reflux has a stealth mode - otherwise known as "Silent Reflux" - that doesn't involve any projectile vomiting, but hurts just as much.  And while most babies grow out of it around the 6 to 9-month mark, it makes for a VERY long 6 to 9 months if not diagnosed and treated.  In addition to medication, we were under strict instructions to feed the baby sitting up (as opposed to reclining), leave him sitting up for 30 minutes after each feeding, and put his mattress at an incline.  As you can imagine, these instructions make for some tricky nursing acrobatics, but we made it work (although now I can barely remember how, in all honesty).

In retrospect, I believe that my Baby #2 had undiagnosed reflux.  To this day, I'm overwhelmed with guilt at the notion that not only was he in pain for months, but I let it mess up nursing.  After going dairy-free myself, and then finally moving through soy and the full range of "sensitive tummy" formulas, we finalIy settled on the uber-expensive Alimentum because it was the only thing his little tummy could tolerate.  With him (and his 18-month old older brother in tow), I was in a Baby Bunching haze, quite honestly.  He could've projectile vomited in my face 10 times a day and it probably wouldn't have raised a red flag.   When I stumbled upon a solution that "worked," I didn't question it - I just went with it. For these reasons, I am on a one-woman mission to save all of my mommy friends and their precious darlings from the hell that is reflux. If your baby fusses all the time or never seems "settled,"  consider this friendly advice to ask your doctor (or an objective friend, or a grandma) about the possibility of reflux.  

You can absolutely try going dairy-free, eliminating other gassy foods from your diet and sampling a variety of formulas, but it can take weeks for dairy to work its way out of your system and in the meantime your baby is fussing his way through the "wait and see" approach.  I will admit that I am normally a big proponent of "wait and see" parenting, believing that kids progress differently at different developmental stages and in their own time, and also that some conditions clear up on their own if left alone.  However, this is one situation where if your pediatrician agrees that your baby may be a candidate for reflux medication, it's worth taking a shot at seeing if it works - for your own sanity and the baby's!

baby bunching Q/A: the thanksgiving table

Q: How do you keep 2+ kids occupied/entertained at the Thanksgiving table long enough to eat your own food? Seems like just as I finish serving the kids and finally sit down after having to get up 50 times to refill sippy cups, get new utensils to replace the ones thrown on the floor, etc, the kids are ready to take off. I'd like to sit down all together as a family, but maybe this is just a ridiculous fantasy?

A: Good luck! Depending on the age, this might be hard to do. But here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) If you have family surrounding you for this special day, take advantage and give them kid duty. Make Uncle Joe be in charge of one kid and put Grandma with the baby. Have them play sippy cup fetch with the kids or play another round of Uno. It hasn't grown old for them yet.

2) There should be enough food variety for any picky kid to take some time to explore new flavors and textures at the table. Isn't that why we make 20 dishes for 10 people? They should be busy mashing up potatoes with their fingers in a bowl or rolling some green beans around. Just let them if they are happy and behaved enough so you can eat. (As a side note, just found this cute article about kid-friendly side dishes for Thanksgiving.)

3) Get everyone to the table, put the food on, say your blessings, snap your photo and let it go. If the kids are running around while you eat, have a glass of wine and enjoy the fact that you have extra hands to help you clean up later.

4) Keep in mind it is what it is. Whatever Martha-like Thanksgivings you've had in the past, realize you may not see these again for a very long time. Take the china and crystal away from the 2-year old and explain to your mom again why it's not going to work. If the kids are misbehaving and talking when the grown ups are, remind Grandpa that they are 2 and 3 and there's not much you can do about it. Send your cousin to play with the kids and do dinner in shifts. Heck, that's part of being a family.

Chances are it will never be as bad as you think. It's Thanksgiving. People expect chaos and mess and still feel a sense of fulfillment afterwards. In fact, Thanksgiving may be a metaphor for Baby Bunching.

Have a great holiday!

delish make-ahead meals for your bunch

Finding great make-ahead recipes (beyond lasagna) that you can freeze, are great treasure finds. They are perfect as welcome gifts for new moms or novice Baby Bunchers. They are nice for afternoons when the activities are so crazy you just don't have time to prep a meal. It's a great meal strategy for working moms who may have the time on the weekend, but not during the week. They are even great packaged for sick grandmas or neighbors who need a little extra TLC. And many times on cool rainy days, like today, I use the time inside to do a little meal prep for a busier day.

About two years ago, a Baby Bunching friend of mine--who also happens to be a caterer--passed along her collection of make-ahead recipes. I was looking for something beyond the normal 'cassaroley' type things that I could take to a new mom in town or to my own mom (who is ill) and doesn't have the desire to cook. Since then, many of these awesome recipes have been incorporated into my weekly menu. These recipes have been tested and tweaked by my friend's cooking group--and me--so I promise they are delish! Some of these are so yum, like the Fish Veracruz, you could make them to serve later on for company. My family's personal favorites from this line up include: Chicken Pot Pie, Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Relish (perfect for fall), Beef Strognaoff, Mexican Manicotti and Crab Quiche. They all come with directions on how to store in the freezer.

Check out the complete collection of what I like to call Leslie's Make Ahead Recipes. If you have a few of other favorites that you enjoy, let us know. We love to recipe swap. Leslie, if you're reading, let us know if you have any new favs to add to this list.  

(Note: These recipes are posted with permission from my Baby Bunching friend who generously put them together for people to use to help with meal preparation. Please do not take this collection and pretend it is yours. That would be mean.)

baby bunching Q/A: morning craziness

We received this question from Shell on our Facebook page.

Q: Any tips on how to successfully get several children that wake at the same time our of bed and downstairs? I have a 2 1/2 year old and 16 months old. I am expecting #3 in September. I have just ordered at Stop Light clock for my oldest with hopes of teaching him to get out of bed by himself, but would love any other ideas!

A: Your morning routine will be dictated by two things:  1) what time everyone wakes up (and if everyone happens to wake up at the same time) and 2) whether Dad is around to help. While some moms find it easier if children wake up in a staggered order so you can start putting them through the morning routine assembly line (diaper change, breakfast, dressed, shoes) in the order in which they arise, most of us aren't blessed with this capability to choose when our kids wake up.   We get what we get and embrace it!

However, Baby Bunchers universally agree (no study needed) that given the choice, we prefer to have Dad around to help as much as possible in the morning.  This makes it easier for you to either Divide and Conquer (put a parent on each kid) or put Dad on the kids while you treat yourself to a quick shower and throwing on some clothes. If you can, get Dad to focus on getting your oldest child fed and dressed so that you can focus on getting baby ready for the day.

Whether or not the morning routine is a team effort, we do have a few Baby Buncher tips for streamlining the process.  Again, organization factors in heavily here.  Since it is a pain in the butt to travel back and forth from areas (upstairs/downstairs) as a unit, try to bring everything you need to get everyone dressed into the kitchen/dining area when you bring the children in for breakfast.  This means diapers, clothes, shoes/socks, toothbrushes (you should already have these at your kitchen sink, per our earlier recommendations).  Don’t forget any combs or hair stuff you might need.  We also recommend keeping a stack of inexpensive washcloths in the kitchen somewhere.  These are good not only for food spills and mop-ups, but also for face cleaning and hair-wetting when getting ready.

Assessing your children's eating habits can help alleviate morning crazies as well. Perhaps one child awakes starving and would be happier with a cheerio-like cereal or banana in his belly before moving onto the next activity of the morning or the other child isn't ready to be served breakfast until a morning poo. Watching toddler pick at cereal while you nurse a baby gives you time to snack everyone in the same place. Knowing everyone's eating preferences is a good skill and one that will help you down the road. (The good news is: many times how they prefer to eat won't change as they get older. So do your observing now.)

Certainly getting everyone out the door for work/daycare has a different level of energy than not. Here's a great post we found on Alpha Mom for getting your household ready in the morning. The tip about the coffee pot is a great one for Baby Bunchers as well. Schedule your morning cup of jo so it's ready when you wake up!  

Do yourself a favor and do NOT get the children dressed until after they have eaten.  They are only going to get food all over whatever you put them in, so spare yourself an outfit change.  Depending on your child’s age, we even dare to suggest that you put off changing morning diapers until after everyone has eaten – it is one less trip to the changing station and one less change of pants.  Obviously we don’t recommend this if your child’s pants are dirty or so wet they are sagging off his body – use your judgment here.  After they are done eating, once you have a kid pinned down for a diaper change, get them dressed from head to toe before you let them go so you can check that kid off the list as “ready for the day”.

One last bit that might help is to turn on the tunes. During the frantic mornings, it's amazing what music will do to calm not just the adults, but the kids. One of our favorite CDs for morning, noon and night is Susie Tallman's Lullabies for Sleepy Eyes. The next time your morning starts to take a turn for the worse, reset with some mood music and watch what it can do.

Everyone's household is varied with different morning routines, personalities and appetites. Remember that kids read you. Frantic mornings can make for frantic days. Many mornings may include food disasters, spills (from you and then), poo, stains, and tears. Believe us when we say that you are not alone. Laugh it off and move on because naptime is right around the corner.

product review: magic bullet

Yes, you absolutely read the title right. As you all know, my sister-in-law moved in with our family a few months ago. The first thing she insisted on purchasing for the house was a Magic Bullet. Since I don't have TV in the house (yes, that's a whole other blog post), I didn't quite get what all the snickering was about from her. Then this blendery thing appeared on my counter.

Now I love to cook. I have gadgets everywhere and this one looks just like a little handy-dandy food processor. I rolled my eyes as she mixed her protein shakes and smoothies. Whatever.

Only problem is now I love the damn thing! And when she leaves, I'm going to have buy one for myself. Every morning now I make myself a smoothie--banana, frozen berries (blueberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries), low fat yogurt, milk and protein powder. I swear it's the only breakfast I've ever made that has held me over until lunch and makes me feel great all day long. My kids will eat them, too.

And at dinnertime you will catch me using it to chop up onions, make breadcrumbs, puree some salsa or mix up pesto. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why I love it so much. If it's because it lives next to my sink or because it really is that easy to clean up. Now that I own one, I have seen the infomercial--which is really quite entertaining--on Sunday morning at the gym. Now I roll my eyes because I actually own something that said "As Seen on TV" on the box!

I wished I'd had this when my kids were little. What an easy way to make baby food out of whatever you're cooking for dinner for Big Baby. Throw it all in there. Grind it up, puree it, whatever and clean up....OMG, it really is as easy as the infomercial says it is.

(I was not paid in any way or give free product for this post. I really do think I may need one of these when it leaves my house for good.)

gardening with your bunch

By Jenny Rulli

Spring is the time of year when I drive around eying front yards and window boxes looking for ideas, jealous of one house’s great sunlight or a decades old hydrangea bush. I haven’t lived in any one house long enough to cultivate a ten year old anything but I’ve managed to restart a garden every two or so years and keep my bunch involved too.

The most important reason why I garden with my kids (or sometimes, just within earshot of my kids) is to teach them about nature. I started to think about this more and more as we visited the neighborhood farmer’s market and local farms and decided that I shouldn’t just show my kids nature, I should really get my hands dirty.

Most of us want to instill these values in our bunch but when it comes to all the things that need to get done in a given day, its priority falls somewhere between organizing the junk drawer and vacuuming the mini blinds, that is, “it can wait for another day.” But the great thing about putting in the work now is the almost immediate return you get on your time and money. Your bunch may even burn off some energy and gain some vitamin D after 30 minutes in the garden.

I can’t overestimate the importance of the soil you use. In Virginia, I see nothing but clay. This is where the real labor comes in. Break up your soil and remove any weeds. Add a few bags of humus from your gardening center or compost if you are a gardening overachiever (and don’t get me started on how awesome compost is!). Topsoil with peat moss is another good thing to throw on there if you want extra insurance on those plants.

Now the soil step takes time, so you’ll need to keep your Bunch busy and happy. Our neighborhood uses the “it takes a village” approach with kids flitting back and forth while the moms work in the garden. My neighbor has been known to bring out her 3 y.o. and baby, park the baby in the bouncy seat, set the 3 y.o. on his scooter and get down to work. Baby is happy as long as he can see mom and his older brother can scoot with his friends. A glass of wine when the work is done is a nice treat for you too.

Some other outdoor distractions for your bunch: playing with the hose, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, collecting acorns, feeding the birds or even the pesky squirrels. Another great activity is building a hideout under a tree (mom should check for poison ivy first).

And for those kids who tend to wander, fill a large plastic tub with a little water and let them take an outdoor bath in their swimsuits. Play with some bath toys or water guns. My daughter eventually turns this into compost “soup” by adding any scraps she finds in the yard. At the end of the day, we pour it on the plants to water them. This way, she feels as if collecting leaves, acorns and dirt did some good for the garden. She’s also a lot happier if she has her own gloves and a pink shovel from Target. A girl’s gotta accessorize.

If you are juggling a toddler and a baby or just have low gardening self-esteem, start with potted plants . You can move them around to find the best light and if they wither and die, you haven’t lost a ton of money. They make your back deck or your front porch look happy. Hell, they make me happy every time I drag my children home after a long day.

Great plants for pots: peppermint (grows like a weed), lavender, strawberries, coleus (vibrant foliage in purples, greens and reds), sweet potato vine (limey green heart-shaped leaves) or impatiens in any color. Just make sure you water regularly because these will dry out faster than plants in the ground. Other creative ideas on a small scale are hanging baskets and windowboxes. The newest ones even have reservoirs so that you don’t have to water them everyday. How easy is that?

Build your confidence further by successfully turning over a small section of yard. If you think about the whole darn thing, you’ll give up and have a glass of wine. But if you accomplish a reasonable plan or list of items, you’ll want to do this every week.

When you are in your planning stages, ask your child to draw a picture of what she thinks it should look like too. Maybe give her a small section that’s all her own. Let her plant some surprise seeds and just see what happens.

So what do I plant? Put a few tall bushes in back to anchor the space and then you can begin to layer smaller plants in front. You do not need to complete everything in one afternoon! Add one plant a week until it feels “done.” Keep in mind that if you buy plants at Home Depot or Lowe’s and they die within a year, you can return them! You must keep the original sku and receipt.

How much sun? Those of us with lots of shade have surrendered our dreams of abundant flowers and instead planted hostas, heuchera, nandina and astilbe. Maybe some impatiens in a pot to add some color. I’ve found that the Home Depot type stores sell very few shade plants. You really need to go to a true gardening center for these. If you have sun, the sky is the limit. You cannot kill a “knockout” rose bush! Ask the experts at the garden center for recommendations for your climate and light.

You don’t need to have a farm to grow food! I love to mix my herb garden in with my flowers. You would never know that there’s a kitchen garden hidden in my front yard in between the pansies. If I didn’t have time to make it to Trader Joe’s because of my four-year old's tantrum, I can clip some kale for dinner out of the front yard. Better yet, I can get him to fill up a colander himself, with a pair of kid scissors. I have a yard smaller than my bedroom but I’ve grown zucchini, acorn squash, tomatoes, strawberries, leafy greens, lettuce and every herb I can think of. Not all have been perfectly successful but I harvested much more than I thought possible in a small space.

Planting seeds with your kids is a fun project in springtime and it tricks them into learning about science. Let your kids pick some seed packets at the store. Beans work well as do lettuces and herbs. Have them choose something they like to eat or a bright flower. Buy some starter soil and fiber pots which breathe better than plastic ones. Help your bunch plant a few seeds in each pot.

Older kids can label their pots and find a sunny window for them to grow. Once a week, ask your child for an update on their seedlings. Is it sprouting yet? Can we measure it with a ruler? Does the soil seem dry? Give them very small amounts of water and keep them out of reach of little hands that might want to overwater them. Once the plants are several inches high, you can plant the whole pot in the ground outside. Make sure your child puts the plant label in the ground too. Hopefully, once grown, the kids will want to eat their own project or bring their own flowers to Grandma. My kids have a love of anything green and fragrant thanks to these kinds of experiments.

Like any other project we take on as moms, be realistic and congratulate yourself when you have a small success. Take lots of pictures to remind yourself how you started and how you transformed your corner of earth. Your bunch will be the better for it.

Websites to check out:
http://www.kidsgardening.org/ (click on Parents’ Primer)
http://www.composting101.com/
http://familyfun.go.com/ (type gardening in to the search field)
http://www.gardeningwithkids.org/ (catalog)

Jenny is mom to two children ages 6 and 4. She lives in Northern Virginia.

baby bunching Q/A: making time for healthy food

This question came up in comments last week's from our about going organic. By the way, Ashleigh was our contest winner for the book Food Rules.

Q: How do you make time to eat like this? I'm sure once you make it part of your routine it's easy, but I have to admit I do feed my kids crappy, processed foods like goldfish, fruit snacks, frozen dinners etc. because they are easy and fast- especially when we're on the go. Not a good excuse, but it's true.

A: This is a great question that pertains to us Bunchers because we never have extra time. And yes, the answer is all about routine. Haven't we all come to know that's how we survive Baby Bunching? You all have a routine for the foods you buy. Probably most of us have the grocery store mapped out in our head and can virtually shop from our living room. So there will be some upfront work on this. But research and experimentation is part of the game and how we succeed at everything--even parenting.

The first thing is to know and understand is your ingredients. When you know what the "bad" food are you can make informed decisions on what is deemed Bad, OK and Fabulous.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese has these ingredients: ”whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, contains less than 2% of citric acid, sodium phosphate, lactic acid, milk, calcium phosphate, yellow 5, yellow 6, cheese culture, enzymes." Not bad, actually and yes, it tastes good, but who's eating it? You or the kids? (We know you're taking tastes, too.) 

But Trader Joe's Mac and Cheese has "cheddar cheese, whey, buttermilk, butter, disodium phosphate (basically salt) and extractives of annatto and beta carotene for color. " So while the ingredient list is pretty similar it's the food dyes (Yellow 5 and 6) that scream 'no!' Food dyes have all kinds of strange effects on children, including disrupting behavior like hyperactivity, immunologic responses, anxiety, headaches, and sleep disturbance. So if you know that one brand--and you may have to search out the natural food section--is better than another, go ahead and make the change to help make your lunchtime fun every now and then. A little better for you is still better.  And I know what you're thinking if it's not one thing it's another--BPA, Aspertame, Yellow 5--and I agree, but it's important to at least know what these ingredients can do so you know when it's Ok (for you and your kids) to have them in moderation.

Making food from the basics is best, but we don't always have time for that. You'd be surprised how many healthier recipes you can make quickly from the basics--spaghetti with some chopped up chicken, pizza from refrigerated pizza dough, quesadillas with beans and cheese. I plan for four-five meals a week. And most times I keep ingredients for these easier throw-together on hand for when things are crazy. But I do plan for our meals every week. I feel it saves on frantic evenings and extra runs to the store. It's an upfront investment, but one I feel is worth it for my family.

When it comes to snacks, it's about stocking up on the right things. Instead of going down the cracker aisle at the store, explore a bit with different snacks--yogurt sticks/cups, cheese sticks or chopped up cheese, grapes, strawberries, carrots and dip/hummus, pita chips, pretzels, homemade trail mix (cheerios, peanuts, raisins, pretzels, leftovery stuff), a bowl of cereal, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, apples/celery/carrots and peanut butter, yogurt fruit smoothies, dried fruit (make sure it's actually fruit and not sugar), cheese and lunch meat rolled up, or popcorn. These are all amazingly fun and healthy snacks for kids. But it's easy to cave if it's in the house. We went cold turkey for about 6 months and my kids just learned we were making a change. I have no problem with them eating it at a friends' house because then it's considered a treat.

So to answer your question on how I make time for this....I just do. My advice is to do three grocery store visits on your own, one each week. Leave your Bunch with someone (dad, grandma, auntie) while you go to the store for just three weeks in row so you can concentrate. The first visit will be the hardest, but after about three weeks you'll figure out what you like/don't like and what you can manage financially. Read labels and makes some very quick notes of what to research. Buy a coffee and make it an outing for yourself!

product review: polar gear baby portable booster seat

The further away Linda and I get from the baby years of our Bunches, the harder it gets for us to stay on top of handy new gear (sooo....sad because we are lovers of the gear!).  That's why we rely on readers and friends to keep us up to speed.  I was super pumped when friends of mine recently visited from the UK with this nifty little gadget in tow. and knew I had to share it with you girls. 

In my 6 years of parenting I've used a boatload of booster and highchairs, but I've never owned or seen one of these.  With family scattered around the country, we get around quite a bit given the number of small children we have and I sure wished I'd known about these babies 4 years ago - they fold up quite compactly and are lightweight enough to stuff one (or two!) in a suitcase or even a large diaper bag.  My friend's active 21-month old was fastened quite securely and at no point did she seem in danger of falling out.

Seemingly widely available in the UK, I had no luck finding these online here in the states (eBay, maybe?).  The First Years does make a similar counterpart, but there are a few complaints about flimsiness, safety concerns, and poor inflation on the bottom so I'm not sure how they compare.  Chime in if you've used either model!

Baby/toddler gear is an estimated $8-10 billion dollar market, and on my third time around this block I'm acutely aware of how much I overspent on the first two trips.  But this is a product I'd happily spend my money on if I didn't already own three travel boosters.