This week I just want to encourage anyone following me with kids to check out the new Kids Cook Monday website that just launched today! They have cool recipes and tips on cooking with kids broken down by age group along with links to lots of other bloggers that are telling their tale of cooking with their kids. They have food and cooking games and lots of resources to help you kick off your own Kids Cook Monday. Check it out and if you get your kids involved in cooking let me know how and what you cook!
FYI their featured article looks very similar to one of our favorite dishes my husband makes when we do a pot luck (because you can eat it cold). It is basically soba noodles and steamed veggies and though this version is even more complex than what we toss in I'm telling you my kids eat this stuff up and we always get folks asking us for the recipe. We have soba noodles in the pantry now and a veggie box pickup on Tuesday so I think there is a good chance we will be having steamed veggies and soba noodles for dinner one night this week (a package of pre-made potstickers always makes a little extra for the meal if we are feeling a little hungrier than normal).
Enjoy the new site, can't wait to see what the campaign does in the coming weeks.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Meatless Monday
Yesterday my daughter and I picked up groceries and new books at the library. It is like a weekly tradition and it is so fun seeing what new books we will find. This week we picked up a book called "How did this get in my lunchbox?" (see book preview from Random House below). Though a bit more about big farms and processing plants than maybe growing your own or a local farmer it was a terrific read for us to discuss just how hard it really is to get something as simple as lunch on the plate. I loved hearing my daughter refer to food as hard work and also her realization that tomatoes, apples, and oranges all start as flowers...
Admittedly Meatless Monday isn't Monday for us again this week (tonight is spaghetti carbonara) but we do plan on doing some soba noddles with the "mystery" veggies which will be coming from our fruit and veggie box from the Know Thy Food on Tuesday and The first of the in-season strawberries and artichokes are starting to make their way to Portland from California so I broke down and purchased some as side dishes to this weeks meals. Ugg I should not create these posts over lunch as I'm now very hungry!
Admittedly Meatless Monday isn't Monday for us again this week (tonight is spaghetti carbonara) but we do plan on doing some soba noddles with the "mystery" veggies which will be coming from our fruit and veggie box from the Know Thy Food on Tuesday and The first of the in-season strawberries and artichokes are starting to make their way to Portland from California so I broke down and purchased some as side dishes to this weeks meals. Ugg I should not create these posts over lunch as I'm now very hungry!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Catching up on other blogs....
I'm really loving catching up on some of the blogs I follow after a really busy week (not to mention being sick - again). I'm going to share a few of my favorites with you just for fun:
- I really enjoyed Green Backs Gal's post on candied orange peels - thought I'm not sure I would dig the actual candied peels... the sugar water and orange ice cubes in your iced tea tip sounds to die for (you'll have to read her post to see what I'm talking about here).
- Just because my daughter has recently been complaining about what she doesn't have recently... or how she can't stand that something cheep and plastic is now garbage... I liked this post by Money 4 This Not 4 That titled Teaching your children the value of money. I know she is only 4 (almost 5) and actually it more about the "stuff" than the money but still... I really wanted some tips on how to help her understand
- As my older daughter has taken to asking me to be on the lookout for rainbows so we can catch a leprechaun... I think this tutorial on how to make a treasure "blarney" stone by Skip to my Lou is looking super fun (just need to think of something not cheep and plastic to put inside).
Hope you enjoy them too... If you have some good blogs you follow please let me know (not that I need to be feeding that addiction any more but well, bring it on).
- I really enjoyed Green Backs Gal's post on candied orange peels - thought I'm not sure I would dig the actual candied peels... the sugar water and orange ice cubes in your iced tea tip sounds to die for (you'll have to read her post to see what I'm talking about here).
- Just because my daughter has recently been complaining about what she doesn't have recently... or how she can't stand that something cheep and plastic is now garbage... I liked this post by Money 4 This Not 4 That titled Teaching your children the value of money. I know she is only 4 (almost 5) and actually it more about the "stuff" than the money but still... I really wanted some tips on how to help her understand
- As my older daughter has taken to asking me to be on the lookout for rainbows so we can catch a leprechaun... I think this tutorial on how to make a treasure "blarney" stone by Skip to my Lou is looking super fun (just need to think of something not cheep and plastic to put inside).
Hope you enjoy them too... If you have some good blogs you follow please let me know (not that I need to be feeding that addiction any more but well, bring it on).
Friday, March 4, 2011
Guest Blog Posting - Cloth Diapers @ Daycare
I have been so crazy busy and sick that I haven't had time to tell you that I was a guest blog poster over at the Cloth Diaper Whisperer last week. I had written up a long piece a while back about using CD's at daycare...
We are now actually at another daycare as we finally got both our girls at the same center which makes life much easier. This center has a few children in cloth and they even dump poop for me - woot! It is nice to have a center that gets it right from the start - but still, I'm thankful to our old center for giving us a go. I'm also thankful for the lessons I learned through all of it - and now I get to share them with other CD moms!
We are now actually at another daycare as we finally got both our girls at the same center which makes life much easier. This center has a few children in cloth and they even dump poop for me - woot! It is nice to have a center that gets it right from the start - but still, I'm thankful to our old center for giving us a go. I'm also thankful for the lessons I learned through all of it - and now I get to share them with other CD moms!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Meatless Monday
A few weeks back I signed us up for a sort of food co-op through a local group called Portland Green Parenting. The food arm is known as Know Thy Food. It connects local food to individuals who by pooling purchase power are able to bring fresh, local food at an affordable price. We've been trying it out and the best part is I can adjust our order to our needs and change from week to week.
I have had CSA boxes and home deliveries in the past but the weekly commitment are not always affordable and most don't have near the selection or prices thanks to the group. So I'm loving the group and the very first week this is just a peek at the huge box of food I hauled home.There is much more too it than first meets the eye and quite honestly I need a lot more time to figure it all out. I'm also hoping to volunteer to help at some point in the future.
From this box we made potato and kale soup,watched our kids devour fruit salad, and we all tried new foods. While this box isn't totally local this time of year you can choose one that is, along with milk,eggs,bread,meat,and oh so much more.
So, I know this isn't exactly Meatless Monday recipes... But the boxes inspire several creative dishes and more meatless dishes to try. The potato soup with Kale (needed something more - it wasn't a huge hit), and got our kids trying new foods (like brussels sprouts - which was a tough sell but my older did do a great job trying them).
I have had CSA boxes and home deliveries in the past but the weekly commitment are not always affordable and most don't have near the selection or prices thanks to the group. So I'm loving the group and the very first week this is just a peek at the huge box of food I hauled home.There is much more too it than first meets the eye and quite honestly I need a lot more time to figure it all out. I'm also hoping to volunteer to help at some point in the future.
This is out box from a few weeks back (I'm picking up a new one today)
From this box we made potato and kale soup,watched our kids devour fruit salad, and we all tried new foods. While this box isn't totally local this time of year you can choose one that is, along with milk,eggs,bread,meat,and oh so much more.
So, I know this isn't exactly Meatless Monday recipes... But the boxes inspire several creative dishes and more meatless dishes to try. The potato soup with Kale (needed something more - it wasn't a huge hit), and got our kids trying new foods (like brussels sprouts - which was a tough sell but my older did do a great job trying them).
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Living in Virus-ville
What seems like the weekly delima around here... I need MORE time off and LESS sickness in our house.
Before kids I was the workaholic who always had more time off then I knew what to do with, worked late, and had no idea that one day I would dream of asking for LESS pay in exchange for MORE time off (or even a backup childcare program bonus - would love to see something like this where I work). I do remember the days of our older daughters first year in daycare - I do... and now she is rarely ever sick. So I know this too shall pass. But the balance between having a job, earning money, being with my kids, enjoying time off for fun stuff, and caring for sick kiddos is exhausting me.
I would love to see more backup childcare centers out there like those mentioned in the Working Mom's Guide to Sick Kids article posted recently at Parents.com. My husband and I don't have a backup plan - more like a mutual sharing of the duties and balancing of who needs to work - but even that is difficult on some days. I'm not sure I would want a really sick kiddo to be with anyone but me, however the option of a play space/day center for just a coughing sortta sick kiddo that would allow me to work and NOT infect other kids at her regular center seems like a brilliant idea. Would LOVE to see something like this in PDX!!
Anyone out there ever used or heard of backup child care programs? Sounds like a great business plan or someone some day - one can only hope... Until then, here is hoping we can get over the latest round and make it a few more weeks!
Before kids I was the workaholic who always had more time off then I knew what to do with, worked late, and had no idea that one day I would dream of asking for LESS pay in exchange for MORE time off (or even a backup childcare program bonus - would love to see something like this where I work). I do remember the days of our older daughters first year in daycare - I do... and now she is rarely ever sick. So I know this too shall pass. But the balance between having a job, earning money, being with my kids, enjoying time off for fun stuff, and caring for sick kiddos is exhausting me.
I would love to see more backup childcare centers out there like those mentioned in the Working Mom's Guide to Sick Kids article posted recently at Parents.com. My husband and I don't have a backup plan - more like a mutual sharing of the duties and balancing of who needs to work - but even that is difficult on some days. I'm not sure I would want a really sick kiddo to be with anyone but me, however the option of a play space/day center for just a coughing sortta sick kiddo that would allow me to work and NOT infect other kids at her regular center seems like a brilliant idea. Would LOVE to see something like this in PDX!!
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| Image from Working Mom's Guide to Sick Kids @ parents.com |
Anyone out there ever used or heard of backup child care programs? Sounds like a great business plan or someone some day - one can only hope... Until then, here is hoping we can get over the latest round and make it a few more weeks!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Kids Cook Monday - Contest
Want some new tools, tips, and recipes for cooking with your kids. Check out the Sweet Potato Chronicles Kids Cook Contest.
I'm going to have to think about what our favorite recipe just might be - cause a few of these books look awesome!
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