Judy

The Other December Holiday – Hanukkah

December 19, 2011 By Judy Leave a Comment

Learn the traditions surrounding Hanukkah celebrations.

Hanukkah may not enjoy the same name recognition (or consistent spelling) as Christmas, but it is a fun holiday with its own family traditions. And gifts and chocolate. What’s not to like? For kids, the gift giving is a particular appeal, and one of Hanukkah’s many assets (at least from a kid-friendly point of view) is eight nights of presents. For parents, this can be a bit of a nightmare, worsened when you have more than one kid. You have to satisfy your kids night after night. Some of ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Holidays, Home & Food Tagged With: candlestick, celebrations, chocolate money, Christmas Tree, culture, december, december holidays, dreidel, food and drink, Hanukkah, holiday, jewish cuisine, kid friendly, kids, menorah, new york, night, potato pancake, religion, sufganiyah, surrounds, the other, traditions

Tips For an Eco-Ski Vacation

December 16, 2011 By Judy Leave a Comment

Next time you head to the slopes, try to make it an eco-ski vacation.

Skiing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors during the winter holidays, but you may be concerned about your carbon footprint. Many ski resorts rely on water-hogging snow guns, use tons of energy running high speed gondolas, and are frequented by gas-guzzling SUVs with gear strapped on top. Here are a few tips for your next eco-ski vacation. Take a Longer Trip Save gas and money by skiing for a week, rather than a couple of weekend trips. By making just one trip to the mountain you'll qualify ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Green Tagged With: eco, hotel ski, mountain creek, resorts, ski camp, ski vacations, skiing resorts, skis, slope, tips, vacation, weekend trips

Tips for First Time Skiing

December 1, 2011 By Judy Leave a Comment

Going skiing can be daunting – for both children and parents. Follow these trips for a great ski trip.

For both parents and children, going skiing for the first time can seem daunting. But the potential rewards are so great that most families who ski together can’t wait till their next trip to the mountain. Clothes The key to your ski clothes is to dress in layers. Weather can change quickly in the mountains, so you want to be able to peel off or add on a layer. Wear one good pair of socks and bring a spare pair of socks for every member of the family. We swear by Smartwool ski socks ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: children, clothing, daunting, first time, parenting, recreation, ski clothing, ski goggles, ski lessons, ski socks, ski suit, skiing, skiing trip, skis, sports, tips, trips

Festive Chestnut Soup for Thanksgiving

November 16, 2011 By Judy Leave a Comment

Enjoy a rich, guilt-free chestnut soup this Thanksgiving.

Around Thanksgiving, people always ask me how, as a vegetarian I survive a turkey-free day. With hors d’oeuvres, soup, stuffing, and 5 or 6 vegetable side dishes, I have way more food than usual. In fact, I could stop at the soup. I usually make a rich chestnut soup for our family gathering, a crowd-pleasing soup that is also deceptively easy to make. The key is to buy peeled chestnuts, in a can or jar. These are not the candied chestnuts, used in baking, just whole roasted ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: biology, botany, carrot, chestnut, chestnut roasting, chestnuts, enjoy, festive, food, food and drink, guilt, rich, soup, soups, stock, thanksgiving, vegetable broth, vegetable side dishes

Family Travel: Theme Parks and Halloween

October 4, 2011 By Judy Leave a Comment

Head to a Halloween event at theme parks across the country.

When my older daughters were toddlers, my husband had a convention in Orlando, and families were invited. There was just one snafu. The convention was over Halloween weekend, and my kids wanted to go trick or treating. As is turns out, Disney World had a Halloween event, with just the right amount of candy and costuming. Throughout the year, kids dress up to go to Disney World, and during October, the theme park ratchets up the festivities, with special parades and not-terrifying Halloween ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: busch garden, disney villains, disney world, entertainment, family, family travel, film, halloween, halloween activities, halloween event, halloween spooktacular, howl o scream, independent films, kids dresses, magic kingdom, mickey's not so scary halloween party, parking, sesame place, sesame street, theme parks, themes parks, time, trick or treating

Hide the Vegetables: Pancakes for Dinner Recipe

September 23, 2011 By Judy Leave a Comment

Slip a few vegetables into pancakes for dinner and your kids may think it’s a special treat.

Even the pickiest eaters can usually be coaxed into eating fried food, and if you tell kids they are having a special treat, breakfast for dinner, you can even slip a few vegetables in. These are not pale, insipid pancakes drowned in maple syrup. Corn pancakes, bursting with fresh kernels (you can use frozen out of season) are hearty on their own, but you can serve them with a kid-pleasing fresh vegetable salsa for even more flavor and vitamins. The squash or pumpkin pancakes work equally ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Home & Food, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast foods, cooking weights and measures, cuisine, dinner recipe, dinner recipes, dinners, food and drink, fresh vegetables, hide, imperial units, maple syrup, measurement, oil, pancake recipe, pancakes, pumpkin pancakes, recipes, special treat, spoons, sweet corn, tablespoon, teaspoon, vegetables

Family Breakfast: Homemade Granola Recipe

September 2, 2011 By Judy 3 Comments

Honey Almond Granola with Shredded Coconut

Make healthy homemade granola for a great family breakfast or snack time treat!

Cereal is a quick and easy breakfast, but it isn’t always healthy. If you check the ingredients, you might be alarmed at how much sugar, and how little fiber, you are feeding your kids. Allegedly healthy cereal like granola is loaded with sugar and fat, so I started making my own when my oldest daughter was born. Mixing up a batch of granola takes very little time, but the baking takes awhile. Since we were around the house a lot of the time, I figured I could create our own healthy ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Home & Food Tagged With: breakfast, breakfast cereal, cereals, easy breakfast, family, food and drink, granola, granola recipe, healthy, healthy cereals, homemade granola, homemade granola recipe, matzo farfel granola, oat, recipe, recipes, rolled oats, snack foods, snacks, wheat germ

Where’s the Beef? Vegetarian Family Meals

August 5, 2011 By Judy Leave a Comment

Even if you don’t want to eliminate meat entirely, you can cut down on consumption and easily feed your family healthy vegetarian meals.

One of the arguments against vegetarian cooking is that it takes too long. While slapping down a piece of meat on the grill and throwing a few potatoes in the oven is undoubtedly quick, you can also prepare a few vegetarian meals that are easy and kid friendly. Even if you don't want to eliminate meat entirely, you can cut down on consumption and easily feed your family healthy meals. Vegetarian family meals should be green in two senses: good for the environment, and providing healthy, green ... Continue Reading

Join the forum discussion on this post

Filed Under: Home & Food, Recipes Tagged With: american cuisine, burrito, chili con carne, cuisine of the southwestern united states, cuisine of the western united states, entirely, family healthy, family meal, family meals, food and drink, geography of the united states, lover, meals, meat, meat lover, mexican cuisine, quick vegetarian meals, san francisco burrito, tex mex cuisine, tortilla, vegetarian, vegetarian cooking, vegetarian meals, vegetarianism

The Other December Holiday – Hanukkah

Tips For an Eco-Ski Vacation

Tips for First Time Skiing

Festive Chestnut Soup for Thanksgiving

Family Travel: Theme Parks and Halloween

Hide the Vegetables: Pancakes for Dinner Recipe

Family Breakfast: Homemade Granola Recipe

Where’s the Beef? Vegetarian Family Meals

Join My SocialMoms Rewards!

Sign in to the Social Moms network

Login

Recent Posts

Questions

Ask a Question

Twitter

Featured Contributors

Archives

Join My SocialMoms Rewards!

Sign in to the Social Moms network

Login

Recent Posts

Questions

Ask a Question

Twitter

Featured Contributors

Archives

Tags