By Angella of Dutch Blitz
1. Use Whiskey
No, not the beverage; the word. If you try to make your kids smile by telling them to say cheese their smiles will look, well, cheesy. If you have them say “whiskey” (or “monkey” if you have an adverse reaction to whiskey), their smiles look more natural.
2. Shoot Them (Off-centered)
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Do your kids like scrambled eggs? Chances are yes, most kids do. (If not, so sorry, this post is just not for for you.) If they do like them, then this may be your ticket to introducing new flavors and ingredients. Just like chicken, eggs are a great blank protein slate…guess it’s not so surprising, since they’re related. Pretty much every culture has eggs in their cuisine, so you know that they are adaptable to all kinds of different seasonings.
This is a great place to let your kids get creative, too, in terms of making up their own recipes. My younger son invented a recipe he called Charlie’s Olive Percenter (because it’s 100% good, says he). It’s scrambled eggs with sliced green olives with pimentos mixed in, and after they are cooked up and put on the plate, they are covered with thinly sliced cool fresh cucumbers. A lovely salty/refreshing/hot/cold medley. We eat it all the time.
Need some pointers on basic scrambled eggs? No problem. There are a few schools of thought on this. One has to do with very long slow low cooking, but frankly in my house when scrambled eggs are being made, there are hungry kids at the table, and often an imminent school bell about to ring (if not literally, you get the gist). So I go for medium-high heat, and lots of stirring. But not too much, because I like the fluffy lumps that appear, and I don’t like them too broken up.
Here’s what to do:
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By Jim Lin from The Busy Dad Blog
I thought I was broken. At 4 years of age, one’s assessment of everyday situations pretty much oscillates between extremes. “You’re my best friend” vs “you’re my worstest enemy in the whole wide world!” “This is my FAVORITE food!” vs “YUCK, that’s disgusting times infinity” “I’m Superman; watch me fly” vs “Uh oh, I’m broken. I’m gonna die.”
Sitting on the toilet constipated? Conclusion: broken.
Luckily my mom was there with prune juice, STAT! As I sat there on the bowl sipping this nastiness between rounds of sphincter-robics, mom said “See? You need to eat vegetables.”
And until I discovered coffee, I was damn good at making sure I had at least some form of fiber entering my system on a pretty consistent basis to ensure regularity. I haven’t really touched a vegetable or fruit for about 20 years now, but when my son Fury was born, I chose to adopt the parenting platform of “even if all else fails, at least my kid will eat right.”
And I rocked it.
Image from Food and Wine
I love quiche for dinner (and lunch and breakfast) and think it makes a full meal served with a salad or a soup. Miraculously, even when she was a pretty picky eater, our daughter always loved quiche, so it’s often a staple for weekend brunch at home. But I’ve never actually made one — we get our favorite at Trader Joe’s. A brunch home-made seemingly easy quiche we just had at my friend’s house as inspired me to look up a few recipes to try (for dinner or brunch or lunch or dinner):
Simply Recipes: Cheesy crustless quiche
Food and Wine: Over the top mushroom quiche
Food Network: Chicken broccoli quiche
Enjoy!
By Jen of Quarter Life Crisis
The thing I loved the most about breastfeeding when I was on maternity leave was the ease. When I needed to feed the baby (read: ALL THE TIME, it seemed), my milk was always just ready to go. It was the perfect temperature and consistency, and I didn’t have to fuss with formula and bottles. If I needed just a few more minutes of precious sleep in the early morning hours, my husband would bring the baby into our bed so I could nurse him on my side while I continued to snooze. And thanks to a recent law passed in my state making breastfeeding in a public place a civil right, I could feed my baby wherever, whenever.
The plan was to breastfeed for up to a year, for the bonding experience and health benefits it provided my son, yes, but mainly because I didn’t want to pay for formula on top of all our other newly acquired baby expenses. As my maternity leave came to a close, and I started to prepare for my return to work, continuing to breastfeed suddenly seemed difficult. I began to feel a little apprehensive about the prospect of pumping at work – would it interfere with my workflow, would I be able to produce enough milk for my son’s insatiable appetite, would my co-workers look at me differently as I made the twice-daily trek to my make-shift lactation station?
All were valid concerns, but fortunately for me, the answers were mostly no, mostly yes, and definitely not. I got lucky in that my employer was extremely supportive of my endeavor to continue breastfeeding. Before I came back to work, I sat down with my boss and let her know my plans. I was very clear about when I would need to pump (once in the 10 a.m. hour, once in the 2 p.m. hour), and that if it ever interfered with meetings, I could easily adjust my schedule. Cognizant of the time I’d spend away from my desk and work, I proposed a shorter lunch break to make up the time. Thankfully, my boss wasn’t too concerned about the time it would take to pump. “Just do what you need to do,” she said.
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Football season = chicken wings.
Oh man, there’s not much I care less about than watching football. But I love the snacks. So, I’m dedicating this post to the unofficial food of football season, chicken wings. Two weekends ago, Buffalo, New York hosted the 8th annual National Buffalo Wing Festival, where they calculated that 92,000 fans devoured 40 tons of chicken wings. Wowsers.
But we’re all pretty much aware that a less healthy food is hard to find, especially when you factor in the deep-fried aspect of most of the restaurant or fair/festival varieties. But sometimes one has to park your nutritional conscience in a corner, and indulge your inner sports fan.
Here’s a recipe for baked chicken wings that have all of the flavor, the crispiness, and the appeal of one of the best foods on the planet, with a little less guilt.
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By Momo Fali
It’s that time of year again; time for early mornings, homework schedules and blisters from new shoes.
My children are in the fifth and first grades and I work at their school, so I have seen a lot of back-to-school jitters from kids and parents alike. Here are my tips for a stress-free transition to your new routine.
* Have your child meet his teacher before school begins. Being familiar with the only adult in the room will help him feel at ease and less likely to pee his pants because he was afraid to ask to go to the bathroom. Trust me.
By Anissa from #FreeAnissa
Everyone likes to have a few fun party tricks up their sleeves when they’re hosting grown ups. Unless you’re hosting a group of frat boys, your proficiency at tying a cherry stem with your tongue and your made beer pong skills aren’t going to go far.
One opportunity to wow your crowd is to offer some upscale, bar-quality cocktails in lieu of your customary beer and wine. Anyone can put some rum into a glass of coke, but to really impress with your bar-tending savvy, you may have to put in a little time practicing and *gulp* taste-testing.
I know, tough job, right?
The authentic Mojito recipe that Hemingway himself enjoyed in Cuba is easier than you might think.
