• Breakfast,  Family,  Motherhood,  Nutrition,  Nutrition Tips,  Recipes,  Snacks

    The BEST Banana Bread Recipe

    I vowed to use this time at home to bake more with the girls. Their most recent request was for a super gooey, chocolate chip filled banana bread. And where I’ve made good banana breads in the past I was determined to make THE recipe that would wow them and assure that not one crumb would go to waste. This. Is. It. Gooey. Buttery. Full of flavor. And better than any I’ve made before. We hope you enjoy this as much as we have! Let me know what you think! Ingredients: 3 mashed, ripe bananas 1/4 c wildflower honey3 eggs1 cup old fashioned oats4 tbsp butter, softened2 tbsp organic cane…

  • Dinner,  Family,  Lunch,  Motherhood,  Nutrition,  Nutrition Tips,  Recipes

    Easy Loaded Potato Veggie Soup (Kid Approved)

    One of the best compliments I think I’ve ever received came from my ten year old after she took a bite… “Mom! This is delicious! You should open a restaurant and call it ‘Mommy’s Soup Kitchen’ and serve soups just like this!” She doesn’t know I secretly would love to open a little cafe with hearty and healthy soups, gourmet sandwiches, and all kinds of coffee and desserts. But that dream exhausts me to the core thinking about it. And I’m much more content whipping up delicious little family friendly recipes with a healthy twist in the comfort of my own kitchen, and sharing them with friends on my blog.…

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  • Dinner,  Lunch,  Nutrition,  Nutrition Tips,  Recipes

    Chunky Chicken Tortilla Stew (Crockpot & Instant Pot)

    You can’t spell Taco Tuesday without “YES” or “EAT”… And when my picky kids EAT chicken chili that’s loaded with veggies, it makes this momma say, “YES!” This can be done in the crockpot or in the Instant Pot- depending on what you have time for. Personally I fixed this in the slow cooker on a lazy Sunday and the house smelled amazing. I’ve included the Instant Pot directions below too. Ingredients: 3 medium/large chicken breasts, thawed 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes 1 can black beans, drained 1 can kidney beans, drained 1 c carrots, diced 1 c celery, diced 1 c frozen corn 1 c diced mini sweet peppers…

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  • Nutrition,  parenting,  Recipes,  Snacks

    Choco-Banana Gluten Free Granola Bites

    When the monsters awake from their slumber, it’s always a guess what they’re going to want for breakfast.  They’re imdivually picky and equally hard to please so it takes effort to find something they all agree upon.  I was pleased they all love these yummy chocolate banana granola bites aka mini muffins!  They’re gluten free and no added sugar too! Not only do they make for a quick breakfast or to pop in their lunchbox, they’re a great after school snack and have a little extra protein and hidden fruit and veggie in them too! I hope your kiddos enjoy them as much as mine do!   Ingredients:   2 mashed…

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  • Family,  Recipes,  Snacks

    Healthy Organic Smoothie for Kids- What is Daily Sunshine?

    As a mom and a pediatric nurse, want to hear something that freaks me out!?  Today, about one in five school-aged children (ages 6–19) has obesity.  The obesity rates in children has TRIPLED since the 70’s.  And our children are developing more preventable diseases now than ever before.  Their activity levels have declined and their obesity rates have increased.  (Read the latest CDC data HERE) And a big majority of that is due to nutrition.  We’re failing our children, momma’s and dad’s.  And something has to change.   Let’s be honest, as a momma, feeding my kids healthy options isn’t always the easiest.  Some days we count veggie chips as…

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  • Recipes,  Shakeology,  Snacks

    Unicorn Bark!

      It’s truly magical.   That mom moment when you whip up a healthier snack for your kids and they actually like it.  And eat it.  Maybe it’s because I used the word unicorn.  It seems that if you put the word unicorn in front of anything it creates a lot of hype.  Or if you add just enough color and sprinkles.   “Moommmmm… I don’t want broccoli for dinner.” “But it’s unicorn broccoli!” “YUUMMMMM!!! Can I have seconds?!” It’s that easy.   Last night we whipped up this batch of yumminess.  Protein packed, nothing artificial (except for the sprinkles!), and satisfies that sweet tooth- and made for a perfect…

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    Taco Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

    Fall is here.  So much squash.  We have been given large amounts of squash several times in the past few weeks and we’re up to our ears in squash.  Fortunately my kids eat spaghetti & meatballs with spaghetti squash (not always, but we made it work the other night).   But I needed something to do with the rest of the spaghetti squash and I thought I’d take my ground turkey, a little salsa, stuff it and bake it.  And it was everything I dreamed it would be and more!  My husband approved.  He’s not a squash eater by any means so it wasn’t easy to come up with something…

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    Strawberry Shortcake Bites

    “Mooooommmmm!  I’m hungry!!!  Can I have a snack?!” My go-to for my 3 hungry rascals? Protein energy bites.  We usually make plain vanilla or chocolate but we switched it up tonight and went for strawberry shortcake.  A little bit of chia seeds and they turned out perfect!   Ingredients:  1.5 scoops strawberry Shakeology 1/2 scoop vanilla Shakeology  1/2 c natural peanut butter  1/3 c wildflower honey 1.5 c quick oats  1 tbsp chia seeds  Directions:  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.  Roll into 1″ bite sized balls.  Enjoy!  

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    Chicken, Bean, and Veggie Stew

    I love a soupy stew on a cold snowy day!  This is a perfect snow-day stew.  My girls, outside playing in the snow, little feets getting froze, little noses turning from pink to red, cheeks all sorts of rosy, and mittens getting soggy.  Kids barging in through the back door demanding warmth and shuffling off their clothes and crawling under warm blankets on the couch.  “Mooooommmmm!  Can we have some soup and some hot chocolate?”    You betcha.   Ingredients:  3 large chicken breasts, thawed and diced 3 ribs celery, diced 1/2 cup baby carrots, shredded 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1…

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    Pumpkin Spice Waffles

    With three kids with different preferences, I have learned that if I give into everyone’s requests I’d be a short order cook with an even shorter temper!  So when one kid asks for waffles, and one kid asks for muffins, I make one big batch and put some in muffin tins and some in the waffle maker.  Then everyone’s happy! This is the same recipe for my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip mini muffins but the only exception is I left out the chocolate chips.  They could go either way.  Or add nuts.  Or sub pumpkin for banana.  Or applesauce.  Whatever your little one’s hearts desire!   Pumpkin Spice Waffles:  Ingredients:  1…