November 1, 2011 As November approaches, thoughts turn to the planning and anticipation of the Thanksgiving Day feast. But before you run out the door to stock up on supplies, consider the meaning behind the celebration. Thanksgiving came about as the direct result of farmers that had a plentiful harvest. Tables were filled with foods…
January 13, 2012 Is learning to sew one of your new year’s resolutions? Looking to be a little more crafty this year? Here’s the information you should know before purchasing a sewing machine. A beginner should always keep their sewing machine simple. Beginners need straight-forward machines without fewer options to confuse them while they learn….
November 7, 2011 Farmer’s markets are the absolute easiest way to eat locally grown food. You know where the food comes from and many times get to meet the farmers face-to-face. Farmer’s markets are a great way to eat healthier and support your local community at the same time. The key to farmer’s markets is…
November 7, 2011 Farmer’s markets are the absolute easiest way to eat locally grown food. You know where the food comes from and many times get to meet the farmers face-to-face. Farmer’s markets are a great way to eat healthier and support your local community at the same time. The key to farmer’s markets is…
December 5, 2011 Holidays are quickly approaching. Are you dreaming of decorations and a holiday dinner around the family table, or are you feeling anxious as you try to figure out where you’ll find funds for all of the holiday activities, potlucks and gift-giving? Whether you’re worried “Santa” is not bringing enough gifts for your…
November 9, 2011 When it comes to saving money, one thing we can all do is make sure food doesn’t go to waste. The day after Thanksgiving is one my family looks forward to almost as much as Thanksgiving itself. We are all sandwich lovers and we each have our own version of the perfect…
November 10, 2011 Whether you’re a Martha Stewart wannabe or someone who could care less about the details entertaining can bring out your inner design diva. So, if you’re hosting your friends and family for Thanksgiving you need to not only think about dressing the turkey but also doing the same for the table. If the thought…
November 10, 2011 I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen; and the holiday season is the perfect time to test out new and interesting ideas for recipes. One of my favorite meals to prepare is soup. You can add lots of vegetables (complex carbs) and protein sources to add dimension and nutrients to…
November 14, 2011 Will the holiday season fast approaching; you may be considering hosting a party or family function at your home. Entertaining your guests doesn’t have to come at the cost of Mother Nature though. You can go green this holiday season when planning your functions. Here are a few tips to stay green…
November 16, 2011 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…
November 23, 2011 I am always looking for ways to add a little nutrition into our desserts. I have found the perfect way to do this through carrot cake. This cake is honestly some of the best cake I have ever tasted. Anywhere I take it I get numerous compliments and requests for the (recipe…
December 15, 2011 The Holiday season is a time of feasting and overindulging in delicious foods. Once you have filled yourself with delicious meats, sides and eggnog, you somehow find a way to make a little more room for dessert. It’s the Holidays, after all. Here are a few recipes for desserts that will be…
November 28, 2011 With all the holiday festivities this time of year, it’s easy to get bogged down in the details. Between the office party circuit and informal get-togethers with family and friends, the holiday season can become a blur. Not only do you have to get you and your family’s schedule in order for…
January 11, 2012 Sending a birthday treat into the classroom each year for my kids has always been a challenge. Classroom rules have changed and many schools do not want you to send in cupcakes or sweets. I guess the teachers got sick of dealing with all the kids on a sugar high. I just…
December 12, 2011 Who doesn’t love a good cookie? Come on, fess up. If a big plate of warm chocolate chip cookies, all sweet and innocent, with wafting waves of chocolate bliss, was sitting in front of you, you’d be a stronger woman than I am if you were to decline. What is it about…
December 14, 2011 The Holidays are here. (I hope you already knew that.) With the “most wonderful time of the year” comes a lot of headaches. However, making powerful plays to keep things simple can really create a fantastic holiday. Follow these tips to keep your season full of cheer and devoid of stress. Delegate…
December 20, 2011 … or how the movie “Ratatouille” has changed our cooking life. If there is one thing that has drastically changed our cooking life, it would be the movie Ratatouille. It left such an impression on my children’s brains, sometimes I have to beg them to get out of the kitchen. “If you…
December 21, 2011 It can be tempting to take the “easy way out” when it comes to pre-packaged foods. There are many pre-packaged items, like Mac & Cheese, that are common staple in many kitchen cupboards. But, did you know that some of these common preservative and sodium filled boxed items can be made easily…
December 19, 2011 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…
December 22, 2011 The holiday season is a busy time and sometimes we moms do things because that’s what we’ve always done. However, incorporating healthy holiday habits can be easy and better for your family. Some easy examples of healthier holiday habits are : Toss the Tub The whipped cream in the tub seems to be…
December 14, 2011 Recently Applegate joined forces with STOP Foodborne Illness to form Citizens Against Superbugs– a grassroots campaign designed to raise awareness about the overuse of antibiotics on industrial farms and its link to antibiotic resistant bacteria or superbugs. Eighty percent of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in animal agriculture. The…
December 16, 2011 Soon after Thanksgiving, many old favorites like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” begin to air on various TV channels. That’s one, of many, sure signs that the holidays are here. It’s great to be able to still see movies such as these…
December 28, 2011 Every year we choose to stay in for New Year’s Eve and celebrate with our sons: less crowds, no driving on slippery roads and an incredible meal at a fraction of the cost. The only issue with staying home on New Year’s Eve is, you have to cook and clean, versus being…
December 30, 2011 Nothing says party like a festive atmosphere, good friends, and delicious food. Appetizers are a fantastic choice to serve at your New Years Eve party for a number of reasons. Many of the appetizers you can make well in advance, so when your guests arrive all the cooking is done. Appetizers also…
January 31, 2012 Getting your kids to eat fruits and vegetables can be similar to pulling teeth or even moving mountains. For some reason, kids always shy away from anything that resembles a fruit or a vegetable, but that’s about half of the food they should be eating. Ohio State University conducted a study in…
January 9, 2012 Many of us are so used to using pre-packaged foods that we forget how simple it can be to make some of these items from scratch. I have been guilty in the past of reaching for the little round tubes of pre-made biscuit dough, but why? Is it easier? Is it cheaper? The…
January 8, 2012 Congratulations to Diva Dietitian: the SocialMoms Blog of the Week! Looking for ways to get healthy and reach your diet goals this year, then definitely check out Diva Dietitian. Kristie is a self-diagnosed food snob, who shares her obsession with healthy food, cool kitchen gadgets and more. I chatted with Kristie about…
January 16, 2012 Children’s bedrooms are their playrooms, their space, their place to create, think and play. Whether they are playing alone or with a sibling the entire space should be totally accessible for them. Here are some easy key elements to turn your child’s room into their space. A bulletin board can be constantly tweaked for their interests that seem…
January 17, 2012 We have talked about how to make our mac & cheese and biscuits, but did you know you can easily make your own granola bars as well? Making your own granola bars from scratch is actually very simple and will even save you some money. Wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what…
February 7, 2012 Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year to eat out and rightfully so. However, this can make for a not-so-romantic dinner if you are packed in a crowded restaurant getting bumped by the waiter or feel like you are sharing a table with strangers. Why not try something…
February 28, 2012 Sure, it’s easy to make dough or bread in the bread machine – but what about other foods? Here are some of my favorite time-saving recipes that are easy to make at home in your bread machine. Note: Make sure you read the instruction for your bread machine to know how to add…
February 15, 2012 Batch cooking is a great way to spend a little extra time to save a lot of time and money later. Once the food is prepared, all you need to do is prepare and serve later. And even better, there’s less clean up. Here are a few batch cooking recipes I love…
January 27, 2012 Romance is in the air this time of year but with three children in tow, sometimes it can be tricky to find alone time to go out to a nice dinner with hubby. When we were dating, we’d plan our Valentine’s dinner weeks in advance, making sure to secure a prime table…
January 25, 2012 I’ll admit it, I’m an avid pretzel fan. I love soft pretzels, hard pretzels, dripping in garlic butter pretzels. They are low-fat (no trans-fat), filling, and very satisfying. You can even buy them in organic, gluten-free, and multigrain options. Pretzels are very easy to turn into a fun hors d’oeuvre or…
February 8, 2012 A lovely way to start your family’s Valentine’s Day off is with homemade chocolate whipped cream and mini-chocolate pancakes. They will be thanking you all day. This recipe is very easy and fun to make, and you may find your kids wanting to help with the cooking – or at the very…
February 1, 2012 There’s a bit of irony in the fact that the New Year, with all its itinerant resolutions around diet, strikes at exactly the same time as the peak of football season. Somehow junk food has become part and parcel to watching sports, with the Super Bowl being ultimate in overindulgence. Trying to…
March 27, 2012 One of my favorite beverages is coffee – hot or cold, in a cup or in a cake. Since I love messing around in the kitchen, it was only natural that eventually I combined these 2 loves into fun new recipes. The first time I mixed coffee with baking was when I…
February 9, 2012 Instead of a night out on Valentine’s Day you and your honey are planning on avoiding the crammed restaurants and having a quiet evening at home. Dinner is all planned, but what about dessert? Instead of buying something ready-made, why not make something that lets you put a little love into it. Here…
February 2, 2012 You may think you know who you and your child are cuddling with, and though I wish it were Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling or Cookie Monster, it’s not. Nope, instead we’re getting comfy with thousands of microscopic bugs known as dust mites and their doo, which causes us to sneeze, wheeze, and…
February 5, 2012 Congratulations to MOMables™: the SocialMoms Blog of the Week! Looking for innovative ways to get your kids to eat a healthy lunch? Feeding your kids wholesome food doesn’t have to be complicated. MOMables picky-eater, kid-tested recipes are made quickly — in ten minutes or less — with simple and fresh ingredients. They even streamline…
February 20, 2012 Getting your kids ready for school and out the door can sometimes be a daunting task. I am always looking for easy, healthy, and tasty breakfast recipes. This applesauce and cinnamon muffin recipe is extremely simple and incredibly delicious. Applesauce is a staple in our household. With three under the age of…
February 27, 2012 I have talked about numerous ways that you can green up your driving, green up your workplace, and green up your cleaning routine – now I want to talk about some of the “crazy” ways to go green. I recently read an article from EcoFriend on the Seven Most Weird Ways to Go Green…
February 23, 2012 I’ve been focused on trying to come up with new and exciting meals for my family. With the food prices going up, I have had to be creative with my recipes, while at the same time providing healthy, real (not processed) meals. This red salmon is one of our new favorites –…
February 22, 2012 I don’t know about you, but this winter has been pretty mellow. It’s felt like Spring since the New Year! And with Spring comes that task on everyone’s to-do list. Spring cleaning. While many people take this as a time to go through their wardrobe, do some organization of their closets, and…
March 16, 2012 Have you ever thought to yourself that you wish you knew the history behind St. Patrick’s Day? Or ever wondered if there is more to the day than wearing green? Well read up and enjoy sharing your St. Patty’s Day knowledge with friends and family – maybe even stumping a few along…