armommy

everyone <3 mexican lasagna (recipe)

Posted on June 19, 2013 by rae

i wish i could say that having my brood makes me an expert at picky eaters… but not so much. every time i think i have it figured out, the next one is picky in a totally different way. for instance, my oldest, ozzie required dippy to eat during his toddler years. while my youngest, griffey is choosy about ev.er.y.thing…. child doesn’t even eat fruit right now unless it’s in smoothie form. same song for the middles, too. just a different tune.

the good news is that my older three have (mostly) come out of the picky eater stage to the other side, healthy and still opinionated, but willing to try just about anything. (persistence pays off!)

while I don’t have a foolproof plan to share there are a few tricks and yummy recipes i’ve learned and this mexican lasagna recipe is the perfect example of both.

here’s why:

* if your little ones enjoy helping out in the kitchen, this recipe is the perfect fit for them (and you). lots of prepping and assembling to keep their hands busy and kids love to eat what they helped make. usually.

* it’s colorful, which is a good distraction.

* i’m not one to hide veggies in my kids food, but this recipe is full of yummy carrots that are grated so they won’t even notice. (mom – 1, fussy eater – 0)

* the greatest advice i’ve received is to have my kids try something multiple times before deciding to scratch it off my recipe list. this recipe makes a big enough batch that you’ll have plenty of leftovers to offer to little ones if they don’t like it right away.

* lastly, it’s a total crowd pleaser…. hasn’t failed me yet and even gets rave reviews at yoder’s (my hubs) fire station!

click the image above to view or download a printable copy.

doesn’t it look good? in a messy sorta way?

we’d love to hear about your little eater(s) in the comments below…. or perhaps a tip you might have to share!

also, if you would like to join us for some more recipes and sanity saving meals you should check out the monthly spread, a meal plan for busy peeps! read more HERE!

<3 . rae

(images by stacy jacobsen)

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Posted in DIWY, kids, life with kids, menus, recipe | Leave a comment

our little adventure (traveling with kids)

Posted on June 17, 2013 by rae

happy day after father’s day weekend! hope you were able to spoil the important men in your life. we facetimed with family on the east coast, made (and devoured) yummy food, and had a couple little adventures at my parent’s house.

i’ve missed you the last couple weeks… despite my best intentions and a list of fun posts we wanted to publish i had trouble finding time to get them up! however, tilly and i are back from so-cal, life has settled down and i’m excited to get the belated posts up!

let’s start with this little travelers map we put together (before leaving for LA) so we can start keeping track of our adventures together as a family. it’s still hanging up in the kitchen, but will probably be moved upstairs to the hallway outside the kids’ room.

we cut triangles from patterned scotch tape (washi tape would work) to mark the places we’ve been with the kids. our map is pretty bare…. looks like we have some traveling to do!

—-> a little peek inside tilly’s carry-on: trail mix, string cheese with crumbled tortilla chips to dip them in, ipod touch & headphones, colored pencils & a journal, candy wrappers to make this bracelet, sunnies for when we get off the plane, & some DIY postcards (download below).

—-> not pictured, in my carry-on: blow pops, gum & a copy of the friendship show.

(side note - no matter what kind of outing we go on i find that snacks or treats that take a longer time to eat are always a good idea… keeps em busy & content longer!)

i had fun putting together a carry-on for tilly’s first plane ride. so much fun in fact that i totally failed to prep my little girl for what happens during take off. she’s so daring and wild by nature and i was so excited to dig into her bag and play that it didn’t even occur to me! well. there was a minor freak-out episode involving threats of puking and wanting to get off the plane NOW. ooops. luckily she settled down quickly once the plane leveled out and barely acknowledged the takeoff on the way home.

a-few nights before our trip i stayed up late making a new messy bag out of drop cloth and this cute peacock fabric. i fully intended for the body of the bag to be the peacock pattern, but i guess that’s what i get for sewing at 1am. instead of getting my seam ripper out i opted for some painted polka dots to add some color and like how it turned out with such a pretty lining.

we included these DIY postcards with the map poster download, but wanted to share them here (for freeeeeeee…. guess that movie?) to use during summer travels.

C L I C K H E R E T O D O W N L O A D

speaking of summer travels, do you have any trips planned!? road trips? camping? weekend getaways? or maybe just lots of trips to fro-yo…. totally counts!

xo . rae

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Posted in DIWY, DIY, freebie, life with kids, printable | Tagged travel, traveling with kids | 5 Comments

5 THINGS – to love about the monthly spread

Posted on May 30, 2013 by rae

a year ago this week we launched the very first addition of the monthly spread. we were beyond stoked to get this project off the ground and could hardly wait to see where it went and how it would help. but shortly after it became overwhelming and was obvious we needed back up. we were spending so much time planning and testing recipes that we weren’t using our own product!

so we put things on hold while we regrouped and found an amazing dietician and recipe developer (heather) to work with and then relaunched in may… and OMG… it’s been wonderful hearing all the great feedback and to actually use the meal plan in my own home, and it’s so much fun to follow along with our lovely subscribers.

there is a lot that we’ve enjoyed about the monthly spread, but here are the top 5 things that stood out to me to share with you.

(a little love note: while i am head over heels for the spread and think everyone should try it, i don’t want you to feel like i’m pressuring you! we’ve posted lots of recipes on the blog and have a gallery you can check out {here are some of our favorites (1 / 2 / 3)} and will continue to share lots of fun stuff to help out in the kitchen! no pressure.)

1. our day is and feels more organized – regardless of wether we are running around for work and sports or we’re all at the table together, dinnertime is such an important part of our day. it’s a great time to appreciate what we have, work together, learn manners (oiy), regroup, hold conversations (however short lived), and nurture our bodies. because i know what’s on the menu and have all the ingredients (no hoping at 6 o’ clock that i have enough bread for 6 grilled cheese sandwiches!) i don’t procrastinate and everything comes together more effortlessly. even if we are eating on the run!

2. i’ve been using my little helpers (mucho) – it’s so much easier to include the littles in the kitchen when i am not frantically trying to throw something together with a 2 year old clinging to my leg…. nuff said.

3. the recipes – they are creative and delicious without taking a lot of time or gourmet skills to make. some of my favorites so far include salmon tacos, lasagna rolls, blender crepes, and the greek inspired chicken piccata (pictured above). it’s always refreshing to have a new take on a no-fail classic. oh, and have i mentioned the date-night-in recipes? more on that in a later post

4. everyone is in the know – theres no guessing games or 6 different dinner requests (myself included). in addition, if i’m running late i just call johan and ask him to start prepping dinner. he knows just where to find everything – so money.

5. happiness all around – there is heathy, seasonal food in our kitchen, i’ve found sanity during the dinner rush hour, the hubs and kids are loving the yummy new flavors… well, the kids don’t love every meal, but i’m convinced that they will thank me later. especially after living off of top ramen in college!

so there you have it. my top 5 list for the monthly spread!

now we want to hear from you:

what’s most challenging about getting dinner on the table – do you have a hard time keeping the kids occupied? or maybe cooking isn’t your fave? or grocery shopping is torture…?

also, please feel free to send us a note or leave a comment if you have any questions about the monthly spread. i hope you will join us for sanity saving mealtimes!

xo . rae

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Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

father’s day valet tray (DIY)

Posted on May 28, 2013 by rae

if you’ve hung out with us on the blog for awhile, you might have noticed my slight obsession with using trays to keep things (looking) put together. so when i was wandering the isles of our local craft store searching for a father’s day gift idea, and saw a stack of unfinished wood trays i got excited.

immediately i thought of all the handsome man accessories scattered around our room and how nice it would be if they had a gathering place. so i took one home and decided to give it a little paint job with a stenciled message.

it isn’t as fancy as one you would find at the store, but it will work perfectly and look great on my baby-daddy’s night stand. and (bonus) i think he will really love it.

if you are on the hunt for a father’s day gift idea, here is how we did it… it would be cute for a grandpa, too!

supplies: a small tray, letter stickers (we used 3/4″ stickers from the office supply store), ruler, pencil, paint and brush

step 1: wipe your tray with a damp cloth. pick a fun phrase or word (i asked the kids for ideas) and decide where you want it on the tray. if you want it centered, measure and mark the middle so you keep things spaced evenly and have a starting place.

step 2: starting from the middle of your word (for me the middle was between the “E” and ”A”) stick the letters to the tray.

step 3: paint your tray until you like how it looks and let dry completely. (i only did one coat so you can still see the woodgrain.)

step 4 (optional): find accessories to fill the tray. the kids and i ran to target and bought a wallet and cool sunnies to wrap up with the gift. some other ideas might be a watch, tie–pin, little frame, cufflinks, a small bowl to hold change, pocket knife, fancy pen,….

any other ideas? what would your tray say? or maybe you have another father’s day gift ideas?

it’s less than three weeks away… love celebrating the daddies out there!

xo . rae

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Posted in DIY, holidays | Tagged dad's day, father's day | Leave a comment

greek inspired chicken piccata (recipe)

Posted on May 23, 2013 by rae

ever feel like you could really use a happy surprise? a change of pace? maybe with regards to dinner — and a no-fail chicken and noodles recipe you follow because everyone likes pasta and no one complains about chicken?

i have just the thing. that will taste like heaven in your mouth. especially if your down with all the greek flavors.

say hello to:

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Greek inspired Chicken Piccata over Herbed Noodles
The Monthly Spread, MAY (week 1)

Serves 6 (with chicken leftovers for lunch)
Gluten Free, Dairy Free (if served without Feta)
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes

8- 6 ounce chicken breasts, slightly pounded
1 cup rice flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped, pitted kalamata olives
1 small can artichoke hearts in water, drained and coarsely chopped
2 cups spinach
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from approx 3 lemons)
2 tablespoons chopped and rinsed capers
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

For coating: In medium size bowl, add rice flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Dredge the chicken breasts in mixture. Set aside.

In skillet, add oil over medium-high heat. Pan fry chicken breast until golden brown on each side. Remove cooked chicken breasts from skillet and drain excess oil. Remove two of the chicken breasts for a later lunch recipe (see BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe). Add chicken breasts back to skillet over medium-high heat and add olives, artichoke hearts, stock, lemon juice and capers. Cook over medium heat until sauce boils and thickens, then reduce heat to medium, add spinach and cook until chicken is cooked thouroughly. Remove from heat and serve family style with parsley and feta.

For noodles (gf if desired), boil according to directions sprinkled with olive oil, lemon juice and chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

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