Healthy Eating for Busy Moms- Guest Post!

Healthy Eating for Busy Moms

  

Everyone wants to eat healthy, but most of the time this never really happens. Unhealthy foods have been widely commercialized, making it readily available and cheaper than natural food products. Most of us fall into this trap because of hectic schedules, which leave us minimal time to prepare healthy home cooked meals. Moms, in particular, are considered one of the busiest people on earth, especially if they also have a job outside of the home. They usually fall into routines where taking care of themselves goes way down on their to-do list. Here are several strategies that can help mom’s make a sensible, healthy diet, while juggling household chores, family activities and career.

Make a menu plan

Meal planning is one of the best ways to keep track of you and your family’s daily food intake. This can give you the time to research healthy recipes and list all the necessary ingredients for purchase at the store. It helps keep grocery shopping efficient, which cuts down on unplanned shopping trips. Additionally, having a meal plan can also help in avoiding unhealthy take out food and expensive dining out.

Do not skip breakfast

This is probably the most common rule everyone should follow. Skipping breakfast is a big no-no, especially for busy moms. Breakfast is, after all, the most important meal of the day for several reasons.  It allows you to maintain proper weight, it keeps you nourished early in the day, and it controls and improves your mental performance. Some people assume that skipping breakfast means less calorie intake, but this is not an effective strategy. Breakfast-skippers are more prone to eat more at lunch and throughout the day, and this will cause more unwanted calories. Most moms, especially working moms, tend to skip breakfast because of so little time and too many activities. One of the best strategies to avoid skipping breakfast is to cook extra meals during dinner and reheat them the next morning. Oatmeal with fruit is also one of the easiest breakfasts you can make, especially if you only have a few minutes to spare.

Make ahead healthy snacks

Most of the time, snacks are the culprit behind unhealthy eating because they are readily available and cheap; however, it also plays an important role in avoiding hunger pangs and overeating. Juggling housework and taking care of the kids can be strenuous, especially if hunger gets in your way; however, most snacks that are readily available and cheap are unhealthy. There are numerous snacks that are healthy and filling, but sometimes it takes too much time to prepare them. It’s best to prepare your snacks beforehand so you can use the extra time for other chores. Healthy snacks include trail mix, almonds, fruits, cereal, yogurt and oatmeal.

Stock healthy frozen foods

Most families depend on unhealthy take out food because of insufficient time to shop and prepare home cooked meals. One of the best ways to ensure your family is eating healthy is stocking your freezer with healthy foods that can last longer, without compromising quality. Some of the healthy food choices that you can freeze include fruits, soups, breads, sauces, vegetables and meat.

Avoid artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are an attractive substitute for sugar because of low or zero calorie content; however, these can trigger cravings and hunger that can result in overeating and unhealthy food choices. If you want to stick to healthy eating, try to incorporate natural sweeteners instead of artificial sugar substitutes. Natural sweeteners include honey, molasses, maple syrup, date sugar and agave nectar.

Exercise daily

Exercise is probably the most neglected routine for all busy moms because they think it requires too much time, which they don’t have. This is definitely one of the wrong notions about exercise. A 30-minute exercise daily can do wonders for your body as well as your mind. If you can’t do it in one go, you can divide your fitness sessions it into 3 sets of 10-minute workout throughout the day. There are other activities that can be considered as workouts, including running or playing with your child, pushing a stroller or washing the car. Exercise can also aid in relieving stress, anxiety and depression. It also helps in pumping up your endorphin count, resulting in a feel-good sensation that improves the overall mood for the whole day.

Sleep more

We all know that most moms are sleep-deprived because they have too many things to do with so little time. Getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night can be considered a luxury, but this is definitely not enough. Middle-of-the-night awakenings because of an infant or toddler can be difficult, but there are some ways to maximize the few hours of rest you can squeeze in. Some tend to catch up on work when the kids are sleeping, but taking a nap at the same time may benefit you more than slaving away at chores that can be done later. It’s a good idea to dim the lights when a nap is available, or a soothing bath can also help relax your mind and your body. Avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol a few hours before bedtime, as this can also cause sleeping trouble at night.

David Novak’s byline has appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world.  He’s an avid health enthusiast, and frequently is featured in regional and national health publications. He is also a weekly writer for Healthline.  To visit his other stories on Healthline, visit http://www.healthline.com/. 

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Guest Blogger: Kenny Mihalik!!

I am SO excited to have a guest blogger today. He is one of our sweet friends, Kenny Mihalik. He is a friend of mine from college, but he goes WAY back with my hubby and their group of friends. Kenny kindly volunteered to write up a post and you guys are in for a treat!

I should have written this back in January. Unfortunately, for many of you, it’s too late this year to start plants from seed for your summer garden. But I hope this will get you thinking and planning on what you’ll need to do for next year (or possibly even that fall garden this year). First off I want to thank Jen for this opportunity to guest blog. I am a BF of her DH. And despite her best efforts, I was in their wedding party. My blogging experience is limited to one previous entry on family preparedness; it’s here if you’re interested

Like anything else if life, there are endless techniques, methods, and opinions on gardening. In no one am I saying these are the best methods, but they are what I’m using (until I find a better way). And some of this advice is geography specific. I live in Zone 5. If you aren’t sure you can enter your zip code in this link to see which zone you live in.
This isn’t a comprehensive gardening guide, but a basic (and hopefully inspirational) guide to starting plants from seed.

I grow my garden from seed for several reasons.

1. It’s fun and easy
2. It’s more economical than buying plants from big box stores
3. I can grow the exact varieties I want, especially non GMO and rare heirlooms

Seed selection

The first rule is to grow things that you and your family like to eat. I don’t grow brussel sprouts because I only eat them when they are drowning in bacon grease. Also, please try to get seeds that are certified non GMO. My personal favorites are really rare and unusual heirlooms. I also strive for 100% organic growing methods.
*Here are some sources that I’ve had great experiences with and highly recommend
Baker Creek, Seeds of Change, Territorial Seeds

Choice of medium
This is easy, you’ll want to start with a commercially available seed starting mix. These can be purchased at any nursery, grocery store, big box store, or home improvement stores. Look for ones that contain vermiculite and or coconut fiber. On my first attempt at starting seeds, I erroneously used mushroom compost. It looked so rich and full of nutrients, I thought it would be perfect. I checked the seed trays every time I walked by and never saw a single sprout. And after 2 weeks, I went online and quickly found that mushroom compost should not be used for seeds on account of its high salinity content.

Starting seedlings
I think the easiest method is using a domed tray. The trays have 72 individual cells with a clear plastic lid that functions as a little greenhouse. These can be found anywhere gardening supplies are sold. They are relatively inexpensive and reusable. If you think 72 plants is too many (or maybe not enough!), your extra starters can be given to friends and neighbors. You can also reuse yogurt containers, dixie cups, etc. Whatever container you decide to use, make sure you make holes in the bottom for drainage. The trays are nice because they utilize the capillary action of water. You just add water to the tray and it wicks up into the cells. If you use something different, you’ll want to make sure you can water it without making a mess. Your soil will need to remain moist, but not soaked.



After you’ve added your seed starting mix, you’ll just want to place the seeds in the containers and gently cover them up. Don’t forget to label them. The bell pepper seedlings look identical to the habanero seedlings. And almost all tomato plants look alike. Popsicle sticks or yogurt containers that have been cut into strips make great markers.

Your seeds will do better if the soil is warm, especially peppers and tomatoes. This can be achieved by placing your seed containers in a window or using a heating mat designed for seed trays. Two advantages of the domed trays are they help regulate moisture and temperature. If you use a tray, you’ll want to offset the lid after germination so your new seedlings don’t get cooked. If you’re not using domed trays, then you can reuse two litre bottles or water bottles to simulate the greenhouse effect. Just cut the bottom off and place it over your container.


Your seedlings should look like this after a few weeks

Your next consideration is lighting. I’ve put together a light box in my basement using a wire shelving unit, light ballasts, fluorescent bulbs, and foil. I’ve had great success with this. Fluorescent bulbs use negligible energy and produce almost no heat. The little heat they do give off is ideal for warming the seed trays without risk of cooking the plants. I wrapped it in foil to capture as much light as possible. I simply place a cardboard box in front of it for easy access. You’d be surprised how little light escapes. I’ve seen similar setups using PVC pipe to make a stand. If this seems overboard, intimidating, or you just don’t have the room, then a window is a great too. You’ll want to have a southern facing window as the plants will need as much light as they can get.


Put on your sunscreen

Hardening off
This is simply a way to introduce your little seedlings to the real world. Initially, you’ll want to expose them to limited direct sunlight, a partially shaded spot by the back door is ideal. Place them out in the morning and bring them in an hour or two later. The next day, place them outside again, but now you can double the amount of time. By the end of the week, the plants should now be able to tolerate the outdoors.

Transplanting

Unless you started your seedlings in larger pots, you’ll likely want to transplant them, or ‘pot them up’. If you used the trays, you’ll notice that the roots have escaped the cells and are now in the tray itself. After germination, the first leaves called cotyledons will form. And these will give way to ‘true leaves’. After the seedlings are a couple of inches tall and have 2 or so sets of true leaves, you can transplant them. You’ll also want to thin out larger plants like tomatoes, peppers, melons, squash, etc. at this point. If more than 1 plant is in the cell, either split them up or remove one. For things like herbs, I transplant them regardless of how many seedlings there are.

Good options are solo cups, reused yogurt cups, peat pots, and recycled newspaper pots. Be sure to drill holes in the bottom of plastic cups to allow for drainage.
I prefer the solo and yogurt cups over the peat and newspaper pots. The plastic cups are reusable year after year. The peat and newspaper break down and cannot be reused. In addition, the plastic containers retain moisture while the natural materials wick moisture away and will need more frequent watering. Don’t forget to label your plants.
Your plants will be in these containers for several months. Your plants will benefit from a diluted fertilizer of phosphorous and nitrogen, fish meal and bone/blood are great organic choices.



Newly potted plants


Almost ready for the garden


Lettuce is very easy to care for. It grows almost as fast as you can eat it.


Finally, into the garden
After the threat of frost, you’re ready to plant in your garden. Raised beds and containers are obvious choices. But don’t forget about growing vertically and doing companion planting. Companion planting is a way to combine certain plants to maximize their growing potential and minimize any diseases and pests.

Why organic matters?

Much of the food supply has been compromised by the introduction of GMO foods. Much of the world has banned these frankenfoods, but not here in the good ‘ol US of A.
Just with bacteria, many insects and weeds are becoming resistant to pesticides and herbicides. This prompts the use for ever stronger poisons. There are so many great resources for growing naturally. Please think twice before using harmful chemicals on the food you eat.

http://naturalsociety.com/monsanto-knowingly-poisoned-workers-devastating-birth-defects/



Thanks again Kenny! I love your passion you have for gardening and I am definitely inspired to start a garden in our new house. Maybe I will start with lettuce since I will actually eat that. :)

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Guest Post: Little Altars

Hi, Lil Mop Top readers! My name is Arlene, from Little Altars, and I'm excited about the opportunity to guest blog here. I started blogging several years ago as a way to share what was going on in my life with family and friends. It has morphed into a crafting, sewing, cooking, gardening, travel journal, stream of consciousness with some photography thrown in, along with the thoughts and reflections of a grandma who has been caught off guard by the complete magnificence of grandchildren. I work with special needs/deaf kids in my real life and do some photography on the side but spend most of my time trying to plan ways to see the grandkids, take trips and recreate everything on my boards on Pinterest. You can come see some of the fun on my blog and some of my photography at arlenecloudimages.com.

Today I am going to share a birthday party for my grandson, Reid...

We made it! With 2 weeks left before Baby Wingnut is officially due and a few days before the Doc thinks it will come, we managed to pull off the birthday party. Meg felt sure she would make it, but brought everything she would need if the baby came here (or any place between here and San Antonio).

Last year's party morphed into something just a little this side of over-the-top. This year she wanted something geared more towards what Reid would enjoy, inviting only a few 2 year old boys, his best buddies. Reid LOVES trucks, especially fire trucks. The "venue" was a little boy's dream. The Fire Station, and not just any fire station, but Papawfiretruck's fire station. No getting stuck in the community room for these guys, we set the whole thing up in the app room. The firemen moved a couple of trucks out, leaving one on either side, and we had the party in the middle. Tons of fun was had by all. I don't know if I've ever been to a toddler party where not one kid cried. Reid got enough trucks/trains to fill every dirty little hand and there was lots of room to drive them around. Running, climbing and general little boy mayhem was the perfect "party game".

Once the theme was decided, all the fun planning began. I designed and made the invitations, based on what Meg had requested. For favors I designed and made felt appliqued shirts for each of the boys to match the theme. Meg made the cake at home and brought everything here to decorate. There was a vintage fire truck on top, but it didn't stay there long. You can see it in his hand.


We wanted the food to be kid friendly and easy to eat without plates and silverware. We had soft pretzels, cinnamon popcorn, and fudge lollipopsicles. We didn't even mess with chairs or tables. Just something on which to serve the food. I liked the look of the metal scaffolding so I used it as the tables. I just covered a couple of boards with some coordinating fabric to put between them. We wanted to add some color so we tied the balloons onto the ladder and used them as a backdrop for the food table.

Meg found some cute fire truck water bottles

Appliqued shirts for the boys

I even went a little crazy at the last minute (like midnight the night before) and made one for myself.

We thought about ice cream, but we didn't think that the boys would sit long enough to eat it. Instead, I used a recipe I found on Pinterest for fudgesicles and altered it a little. Instead of using popsicle molds, I used shallow condiment cups and 1/2 a straw for the stick. I think they turned out great and the kids loved them. They were easy to eat, didn't melt fast and were a small enough portion that there were none left lying around when little ones got tired of eating them.

Here is picture of all the guys. The two boys on the left are brothers and I worked with their mom during the Best Year Ever. The boy top right is my neighbors' little guy. He comes to my house, knocks on the door (even if I'm outside with him) , trots in to the pantry and signs "more, please". He knows what Mamie expects! The cutie on the bottom is the grandson of one of my besties and the son of of one of Meg's besties from HS. The birthday boy and the greatest husband/dad/Papawfiretruck in the world are front, center. Good looking group, huh?

This party proved that less can be more. We kept it simple (or at least from going completely over the top) and we kept our focus on the important thing, Reid having fun and making memories. It was also a LOT less expensive. I designed the invites myself and had them printed using a credit I had at a photo printing place (I won a design contest and am still using credit I won. Thanks Simply Color Lab!). Meg made the cake herself, using one of Papaw's firetrucks at the topper. Pretzels were on sale for $1 a box and I used one bag of popcorn to fill the popcorn bags I found on sale for .99. We served water in the water bottles Meg found at the Dollar Store for, you guessed it, $1. The fudgesicles were made with stuff I already had on hand. The only real expense was the shirts. I found them at Target on sale for less that $5 each and bought the felt at Michael's using a coupon. Did you know that if you are a teacher you can get an additional 15% off the total, even with another coupon? You can thank me later. I drew the pattern myself and printed it on stiff paper. After ironing fusible bonding stuff on the felt, I traced the truck on the back, cut it out and ironed it on the shirt. Then I stitched the trucks and letters on using a quick running stitch. Viola! Quick, reusable party favors.

If we can make it thru Halloween, and it's looking good that we will, we will be ready for the baby. Everything is finished for the nursery and everything is done here. If I can be a little selfish, I would like to be able to get the facial I have scheduled for Saturday. I've waited a long time for it and I'd like to look nice for my new grand daughter/son.

Don't know if I'll have time to do this ever again, but here is 24 months of my sweet baby. I love you, Reiderbug!

It went over 2 mins. and 40 seconds, but I tried!

Please come check out my blog where I share things like...

A fun Pinterest Party, home decorating and furniture transformations, and of course photography of my favorite subjects, my sweet grandchildren!

Thanks for reading. Come on over and share some ideas with me!


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rainBOW Baby Shower

We have another guest post today! Yay! My sister, Emily, from Refreshingly Chic, is here to show off her fabulous 'Somewhere over a RainBOW' baby shower. I love how everything turned out (and I am only a tad biased!). I also designed her invitations so I am more than a tad biased about those. So, please welcome Miss Emily!

One of my great friends, Stefanie, is having a baby girl in March and I helped throw a baby shower for her at my house over the weekend.

We wanted to do something different that we haven’t seen all of Pinterest (love) and that we haven’t already seen at our own friends’ showers… so we came up with a build a bow collection.  My sister, Jen, helped design our ADORABLE invitations.  I got TONS of compliments on them and everyone seemed to love the theme.  So happy with the outcome!

A few months ago I saw a picture of a string of origami bows and I knew I wanted to do that as part of the décor.  I didn’t think it would be so hard to find a video on how to make these but it was!  After some research, the bows were made and ready to go.

These bows added with some balloons were the main decoration for the fireplace and mantel area, which is where we put all of Stefanie’s presents.

The activity for the shower was a RainBOW of blessings.  I cut out a bow shape and traced it onto 6 different pieces of scrapbook paper and cut those out (duh).  I made a chalkboard and bow holder and put the instructions to write a blessing on a bow and using a baby clothespin attach it to the bow holder for Stef to take home.  Stef had mentioned to me a month ago that she wanted to make a bow holder that she found on Pinterest, but little did she know I already made it for her!





*Check out Refreshingly Chic and like them on Facebook to find out how to make the bow holder and chalkboard yourself!*

As you can see there is also a wreath in the decorations.  I have a SLIGHT wreath obsession, so what better to do than make one for Stefanie to use at the hospital and then in her home!  I bought some white yarn that has a glimmer of iridescent to it and wrapped the whole wreath in it.  Then using the Cricut I made a banner that spelled out Baby Girl.  I got the letter A and painted it red to match her nursery and my lovely husband wired it on there and Wah-Lah!  Wreath complete.

One of the hostess made a diaper cake and another made favors for our guests.  The favors were Rice Krispie treats, YUM.

Next was the food.  We had about 25-30 people RSVP and it was from 1-3pm so we wanted to make sure people got plenty of options.  On Pinterest I saw a rainbow of fruit with marshmellows as the clouds so I knew that I wanted to do that.  Sara, hostess, made the cupcakes and made the cupcake toppers, which I thought were perfect for the shower theme.  Sadly, I couldn’t eat one, but I am sure they were delish!  I also added balloons entering the room with the food.  I never get to use balloons with shower so I used them a lot! ha!

Here are some pictures of my sweet Emma playing with my friend Kendra’s baby, Asher.  They were too cute together!  And, of course, some pictures of Stef opening presents.

Hope you enjoyed the shower!!!

Thanks again to Em for being here today! Be sure to check out her facebook page Refreshingly Chic...and after you check out mine of course! :)

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