No Guilt Fajita Recipe

Fajitas are simple, fast, and healthy meals.  We LOVE vegetable fajitas at our house.  This seasoning is extremely easy and cheaper than buying pre-mixed seasoning from the store.  What's better?  You can tailor it to your taste, and you probably have most if not all of the ingredients in your cupboard!

Warning:  I never measure ingredients unless I am baking.  This recipe will not include amounts.  You adjust seasoning amounts to fit your taste buds.

Fajita Guts:

We used about a pounds of sweet peppers, and 1 large yellow onion for this batch.  I also had some leftover salad (spinach ,green pepper, & radish) in the fridge, so I threw that in.  

Just enough oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan.  Whatever oil you prefer, go with it.  I use olive oil in my fajitas.

Fajita Seasoning:

Chili Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Cumin

Garlic

Salt

Chop desired vegetables.  (If using meat, cook meat thoroughly first).  Pour a small amount of oil over the vegetables.  Mix together seasoning and sprinkle it over veggies.  Cook on Medium-High heat until vegetables are softened to your desired texture.

Serve with tortillas or over rice.  

Great sides: Cilantro Lime Rice, Black Beans, Refried Beans, Lettuce

Quinoa Burgers

2 c uncooked quinoa

4 c water

2 celery stalks

2 medium sized yellow onions

2 carrots

1/2 can refried beans

cilantro

garlic

Additional seasoning to taste

preferred cooking oil (opt)

Quinoa burgers are some of our favorites.  They are moderately quick and easy to make.  I do not use exact measurements when I cook.  I have provided estimations.  As you try it out, adapt the recipe to your taste and texture preferences.

1.  Combine 2 c uncooked quinoa grains and 4 c water in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, then cover and turn to low heat until quinoa is a sticky, rice-like consistency.  Quinoa will appear to have rings around it, like a tiny planet.  Remove from heat.

2.  While your qunioa cooks, chop celery, onions, and carrots into a skillet.  Saute with oil or water until tender.

3.  Puree vegetable mix in a blender.  Add to quinoa.  Mix in refried beans, cilantro, garlic, and other desired seasonings.  I used cilantro, seasoning salt, and hot sauce to flavor my quinoa patties.

4.  Mix all ingredients until they become a "meat like" texture.  If your mix is too sticky, you may add flour to reduce stickiness.

5.  Once combined, make burger patties or "meat" balls.  Fry with oil in a skillet or bake on a cookie sheet in the oven.  I prefer frying on the skillet, as it gives the patties a meatier texture.

6.  Serve with or without a bun and your favorite toppings.  Eat like a hamburger.

7.  Leave a comment below telling me your tips, favorite toppings, or other thoughts.

Mamavation Monday: Counting Calories #mamavation

I admit it with no hesitation.  I have NEVER in my entire life been a calorie counter.  Not even for a day.  Last week I read several Mamavation posts that talked about calorie counting and took some time to confront myself about why I have never counted calories as part of a diet effort.

After much reflection here is what I came to:  I don't know.  Maybe I never really thought it was a relevant idea.  Perhaps I've been too lazy with my eating.  Maybe I just don't care.  I cannot come up with a good reason that I have never paid any attention to calories.

I started this thinking last Monday.  As I made lunch (a simple salad) on Monday, I looked at the calorie counts on my favorite toppings (Bac-o's, French Fried Onions, Cheddar Cheese, Blue Cheese Dressing).  What an amazing salad with a frightening calorie count! 

Also on Monday, my sister "invited" me to try out MyFitnessPal.  I am still looking over the app, and working on forming my thoughts about calorie counting.  I do think that it would be beneficial to at least try counting for a few weeks.  Over the past week I have not been counting - but I have been noticing.  I am starting to pay attention to what I am feeding myself so I can make better choices on my intake.

This week I will begin tracking what I eat on a "normal" day.  Now, I am aware that any time you start to pay attention, you are likely to do a better job of control.  I want to get an idea of what I am eating normally and begin a plan to reduce my calories and increase my activity.

Are you a calorie counter?  How did you begin counting?  Has it helped you in any way? What advice do you have for me as a beginner?

Enjoy A Healthier and Happier Thanksgiving Meal - and a giveaway

I announced yesterday that we are expecting baby #4 this summer.  It's an exciting time, but as you may recall, I am diabetic - therefore it is not without challenges.  I have decided that this is going to be my healthiest pregnancy yet (and my doctor seems to think that's a good plan).  As I am working toward health, I've had the priveledge of partnering with GeoPalz once again to share an exciting & fun event! 

As I plan for our holiday season, here are a few tips that I plan to use in keeping our family moving toward health.  Make sure to read to the end so you can learn about a fantastic giveaway from GeoPalz!  (Don't forget to check out their website - they offer great games to help entice young people to exercise!)


1. Snack sparingly throughout the day, choose a healthy option if the kids have to snack. Opt for a full meal instead of high-calorie snacking. It’s difficult to monitor how much the kids are eating when they’re grazing the buffet. Click to Tweet!

2. Create colorful fruit salads and fruit-based desserts for a healthy way to satisfy your kid’s sweet tooth. Make an apple or peach pie using whole-wheat flour instead of white flour. Click to Tweet!

3. Fill your kid’s plate with half veggies, a quarter potatoes, and the rest with meat. Help your kids learn portion control by using normal or undersized portions. Encourage them to fill their plates with healthy and colorful food. Click to Tweet!

4. Have fun and play games together! Promote playtime with fun and physical activities. Play a game of touch football, Frisbee, or kickball together. With younger kids, play hopscotch, jump rope, or tag. Click to Tweet!





Make the most of your Thanksgiving holiday with the children’s pedometer, GeoPalz! To get you started, they’ve provided 12 tips for a healthier and happier Thanksgiving meal. Follow their tips and share them with friends to be entered into a Healthy Family Thanksgiving Giveaway!

At the end of the month, GeoPalz will pick one lucky parent who’s shared these tips via Twitter with a Thanksgiving prize pack including 4 GeoPalz pedometers for your kids and a $100 Target gift card for you!

Here’s how to enter:
1. Click the included link to tweet your favorite tip!
2. Follow GeoPalz on Twitter to find out if you’ve won.

For contest rules and regulations, please visit the GeoPalz blog.

***Disclaimer: I have received a product in exchange for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.***

Healthy Family Date: Review

Do you ever go on "Family Dates"?  We love to go out with our boys for fun activities.  They enjoy hiking, playgrounds, shopping (yes, weird boys), library visits, and so many other things that are going on around town.  We love it that they can get excited about healthy, cultural events!

Recently we decided to look for a different kind of healthy date.  The requirements for this "big event" were 1) healthy food (remember we are working on a vegan diet);  2) lots of movement that our 2 and 4 year old could enjoy together with us; and 3) a reasonable price.  You would never believe where we found it.  We found a restaurant with a salad bar and a LOT of fun games and play areas.  The best salad bar in Fort Wayne comes at a cost of about $7 per person for all you can eat (unfortunately there are not discounts for being a young child).

We decided that we would have the amazing salad bar for myself and Mr. Crum and let the boys slack a little on healthy eating, they shared a pizza.  The package for their pizza, drinks, and a handful of tokens was only about $20.  We could easily have shared this package with our whole family of 5 and had enough to eat.  The food was fantastic.  Side note: we ate here about a year ago and did not like the pizza very well at that time.  I think they have improved their formula over the last year.

Health: Chuck E Cheese offers a variety of food options varying from extremely healthy to not so much.  There are reasonably priced choices for the whole family.  They have also just begun offering gluten free pizza and cupcakes nation wide as an option for families who are facing gluten intolerance!  Way to go Chuck E Cheese!

Cassius getting his hand stamped.

Safety: Every person that enters the doors at Chuck E Cheese is given an invisible stamp on the hand.  This special ink glows in a black light to help the gate keepers make sure that all children leave with the adults they came in with.  There are also regular sweeps of the restaurant to keep it clean and free of debris that could be harmful for visitors.  Excellent job on safety!

The big climber/slide.

Entertainment:  Chuck E Cheese has always been high on entertainment, that's their thing.  They offer an excellent variety of activities to keep the whole family going.  Our 2 year old loved the climber & slide.  Our 4 year old loved the rides & games.  We enjoyed bouncing from activity to activity with them and helping them understand how different things worked.  On this visit, our children were not very interested in the show.  They did, however, participate in a costume parade with Chuck E Cheese and dance with him to earn extra prize tickets.

Mr. Crum teaching Manasseh about air hockey.

We happened to show up during "Chucktober", which is celebrated by inviting children to come in costumes and participate in extra ticket giveaway activities.

"Dr." Manasseh dreaming of his future car.

Take Away:  We left Chuck E Cheese with a few photos and a couple of plastic frogs.  More importantly, we left with children that have a fond memory of a great day interacting with their parents.  I LOVE that my boys have those memories.  I think that a few hours at Chuck E Cheese every once in a while is a great way to build some relationship with my boys (and stay healthy while doing it).

Azariah taking his first ride - this one snaps a picture.

Recommendation:  I think that if you're okay with crowds and enjoy high levels of activity, this is a fantastic family date.  The food is amazing (yep, I'm talking about Chuck E Cheese) and the games are a lot of fun.  All games and rides are 1 token (about a quarter each - less depending on how many tokens you buy) and they can promote family togetherness.  Consider taking a trip to Chuck E Cheese to shake off the winter blahs!

THANKS CHUCK E CHEESE FOR A FUN, HEALTHY FAMILY DATE!

***Disclaimer: I did receive a product or products in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.***

Warming it up: No cereal breakfast (er - kind of)

Okay, so this is hot cereal, but it's not boxed junk filled with sugar and other weird things that give you all kinds of ridiculous health problems that I just don't even want to think about my kids having...

Fruity Oatmeal

This is not hard folks - if you don't know how to make oatmeal, buy a canister and read the package.  Then chuck a bunch of your favorite fruits in it.  It was too hot for the boys, so I added some yogurt (seemed like a good change from milk).  I also had some leftover banana puree, so I put that into the mix.  Mama's oatmeal had peanut butter and banana, no other fruit or yogurt.

What a great way to start the day!

Do you like hot cereal?  If so, what do you put in it?

Mama's thoughts about vegetables

Brussels Sprouts, Oranges, and Bean filled lasagna roll up

"When I see what your kids eat, I feel guilty."

"How can I help my family be healthier?"

These are small parts of actual conversations with friends.  It's true, my boys like fruits and vegetables, and their diet is heavy on them.  Monkey cheers for beans and begs for nuts.  He'll eat any fruit you offer him.  Crackers begged for broccoli at dinner the other night.  They even eat raw spinach.

It hasn't always been like this though.  I remember a period of time that we were putting ketchup on everything for Monkey - even green beans - just to get him to eat it.  Then there was the period of time that he was opposed to nearly every vegetable and it was tricky to get him to eat well.  Crackers has never had an aversion to food - other than olives.  He has always eaten whatever we will serve him.  

We learned after Monkey to change the way we were serving food.  We Crackers has had ketchup only a few times, and I rarely give him other "dips" for his food - he doesn't even think to ask for them unless Monkey has some.  We serve him what we are eating and expect that he will eat it.  Is it silly to expect a 2 year old to eat what his parents eat?  Not really.  He is able to eat it and it is good for him.  He can choose to eat it, or he can choose to be hungry.

Eat what is served, or be hungry.  That seems harsh.  Kids need food, right?  I've seen it so many times with kids in daycares where I have worked - a lot of families feed kids "what they will eat".  They believe they need to serve "kid friendly foods".  They let the children determine what the family's menu will be.  They expect children to take the lead in making healthy choices for themselves.  It's true, there is a time that kids have to start making choices about what they eat, but children don't know what it means to make healthy choices unless someone teaches them.  

So, how do you teach your kid to eat vegetables?

Serve vegetables at least 2 meals a day.

If you are in the habit of offering seconds at meals, insist that children at least taste veggies before they get more of something else.

If there is a food your child doesn't like, keep trying.  Eventually they may change their minds.

Try making it differently - add cheese, ketchup, or ranch; serve it frozen, raw, steamed, or baked;  use a different seasoning; put it in a favorite dish (noodles are great carriers for veggies).

Offer a variety.

Try something new to you.

Let kids help cook.

Change the name - Monkey doesn't like "chili", but he will eat "beans with meat".

Hide it - mash it, grind it, puree it - then put it in pasta sauce.

Grow a garden - let him plant, water, weed, and pick his veggies.

Talk it up - When serving foods, talk about how wonderful they taste.

Eat them yourself - you can't expect that your kids will try them if you won't.

Shop together, invite your child to help pick out fresh produce.

How about you?

What are your tricks to getting your child to eat well?

What are your children's favorite foods?

Do you have a great "child friendly" vegetable recipe?