How An Egg Drove Me To A Time Out

I nearly lost my shit tonight. It was over an egg. I'm serious.

The kids wanted hard boiled eggs and fruit salad for dinner, which they told me over lunch. Easy enough, I thought. Lucky me! This means easy dinner night! That was my first mistake: thinking that dinner could possibly be easy.

I made the fruit salad during naptime and boiled the eggs as soon as we got home from afternoon preschool. I was ready to start plating at 5:00. But, it's like the kids have an internal radar to go into hunger meltdown mode exactly 15 minutes before dinner is ready. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. No matter what time I'm prepared they will always beat me to the punch. Always. Tonight they were starving as soon as I pulled the plates from the cabinet.

Tonight's drama struck a nerve in the worst way... Why? Because I hate unpeeling hard boiled eggs. I'm terrible at it, which is actually something I didn't know people could be bad at... But, trust me, I am terrible. Imagine how well I unpeeled eggs while three kids screamed about how starving they were and how they needed their eggs NOW.

And for the first time ever I excused myself. I told them I needed a minute if they couldn't stop whining. I went up to my room and took a deep breath. Looking back I can't believe I was that close to freaking out over peeling a few stupid eggs.

So, my question now is... What comes first the meltdown or the egg?

Homemade Oatmeal Bars: I'm Obsessed

I'm obsessed with these homemade oatmeal bars. It was one of those... Hmmm, how can I make an oatmeal snack that everyone will love and can be made with stuff that is already in the pantry? A quick google search and I found this recipe as a starting point.

My variation on KathEats's recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 1/4 cups sliced almonds
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 T shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t salt
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla

Mix all the dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk the eggs and add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the wet to the dry ingredients. It will look like this:

Don't be afraid if it seems too watery. It's all good.

Pour into a baking dish that is well sprayed or lined with parchment (I would suggest the latter). Bake for 40 minutes. I would suggest sprinkling the top with a bit of sugar and cinnamon and then broiling for a couple minutes as they're finishing for a nice sweet, caramelized top for a little sweetness.

With these the combinations are totally endless. I literally opened my cabinet and just used what I had in there. They're all gone. And I can't wait to make another batch tomorrow. Seriously, everyone loved them. What do you have in your cabinet to throw into these bars?

Total Body Rapid Cleanse(d)

To kick off 2014 Matt and I decided we needed a good kick-in-the-ass detox. After our way overly-indulgent holidays (can you say Rumchata?) we just needed a reset. I had no idea what exact cleanse we should us and then found this box at Whole Foods - seven days, on sale. Boom. I bought two.

Then I got home and decided to do a little research (typical me - buy first, research later) and couldn't find a ton of stuff online. So, maybe this little overview might help other people doing the same research or YOU if you need the same kick-in-the-ass that we did. The reality is the idea of a cleanse can be a tad bit intimidating. Could be the horror stories of starvation, sweating out years of toxins, or the need to be within 10 feet of a bathroom at all times... Or just the idea of restricting your diet for a week can be scary. I agree - all very scary.

We wanted something tame. The thought of being stuck in the house, potentially uncomfortable commutes, and detox side effects, was kind of daunting. We didn't want to spend a lot of money. We didn't want to have to make smoothies every day... during the coldest winter in the history of the world.

So, this kit fit the bill and I stocked up on fruits and veggies. We got started on a Monday. Most days were ok. Sure, we were hungry, but we weren't ripping each other's heads off hungry... Until Thursday when we were both seeing a little red and starting to lose our will to continue (especially Matt), so we threw in a handful of almonds, which actually helped. Protein makes everything better. A cocktail with those nuts would have also made everything better, but that would have pretty much killed the detox. Ho hum.

Honestly, though, it really was not that difficult to stick to the diet of fruits and vegetables. We each had at least one avocado a day - usually sprinkled with salt for breakfast - and it was pretty awesome. Also, there is a lot you can do with vegetables, so I tried to get creative with salads and roasted lots of veggies for flavor.

The detox includes pills and a drink twice a day. They didn't mess with our stomachs, weren't a pain to swallow or make us feel off at all. If anything, my biggest complaint was the taste of the drink. Blech. But, it was only twice a day and those skills I learned in college came in handy... We thoroughly enjoyed our twice daily chugging contests, says the reigning champ (me).

So, yeah, not bad... And then there are the results...

How did we feel? Totally awesome. Seriously. No inflammation. Well hydrated. More energy. Skin was clear. Our bodies just felt like they were working efficiently and felt like what I imagine a car feels like after an oil change. A lot of the symptoms that made a doctor think I had celiac last year went away completely.

Did we lose weight? Matt lost 10 pounds. I lost 6 pounds. While most of this was water weight, it has been a month and we've both kept it off.

Would we do it again? Absolutely. We actually plan to do this every few months as a good check in for our systems. I'm seriously excited to do it again.

What did we learn? If you asked me how well our family eats, I would happily brag about it. But, you know what? I'm a total liar? My kids eat awesome. Matt and I get what's left. Since the kids loves fruits and veggies, we often don't get many. So, I wrote a post on it for Chicago Parent. Now, hop on over there and read it. It might just make you reconsider what's on your own plate.

Note: I have no relationship with this company. I did not receive any compensation for this post, nor did I receive complimentary product.

You Gotta Try This #StonyfieldGreek Smoothie

I usually eat a lot of Greek yogurt. It's been my go-to for the last couple of years and in my busiest days I can easily eat it for two meals. My kids also love yogurt, but I can't convince W to eat Greek yogurt for some reason. The other two love it and my guess W doesn't because I've been pushing it on him so much. And why wouldn't I?

Did you know that Stonyfield makes Greek yogurt in 13 different varieties? And they just perfected the recipe, so they found a way to make it even better, as well as introduce new flavoes like black cherry and cafe latte (the hands down personal favorite in our house so far).

Anyway, in my attempts to get W to eat Greek yogurt I put it in a smoothie and suddenly it was delicious.

I just went through the freezer and fridge and used what was on hand: frozen bananas, frozen blueberries from the summer, and a handful of kale.

I threw it all in the blender with Stonyfield Organic Greek Blueberry yogurt and a little almond milk.

And - BINGO - W unknowingly ate and enjoyed Greek yogurt.

Even better, I've been eating cleaner since our cleanse (more on that tomorrow) and was reminded how much I enjoy smoothies and can continue to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet. I've added some chocolate protein powder to mine... Which I bought six months ago when I vowed to get back in shape. But, then life got in the way.

So, now it's time for me to get back on the wagon - especially since we're going on vacation at the end of May. My plan: a mix of running, core power yoga, and the occasional P90X in the basement... Now just to find the time.

Disclosure: I am a Stonyfield Yo-Getter and received complimentary product.

We Kinda Ate Glass For Dinner, But What Matters Is We Ate Dinner

I'm juggling a lot these days and a lot of balls get dropped. A lot of stuff just can't get done (like putting away laundry), but a good control freak like me has to pick and choose battles. The battle I seem to have picked is dinner. I can control dinner. So, I make it every day. I try to meal plan each week and rarely order in. It's not easy. I often do it in steps throughout the day, starting with chopping in the morning, then perhaps sauteing around lunch, etc. etc. If I have help with the kids I might throw together soup and leave it on the burner for the rest of the day.

I've also gotten really creative, because sometimes I can't get to the grocery store for a couple of weeks. So, I have to make do with what we have on hand. As an excellent impulse buyer and a total sucker for a deal, we have plenty of goods and a freezer full of stuff. So, I'm always able to get by.

I threw together what I could find the other day... Chick peas, frozen butternut squash, sweet potatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, chicken broth... Flavored it with some cinnamon and curry and thyme. It was fast, a five minute stew I threw together while I had some help. It sat on the stove for the afternoon.

Later, during the 4:00 meltdown/introduction of tv time, I decided to quickly unload the dishwasher. While moving too fast, in too many directions, I somehow knocked a Pyrex bowl out of the cabinet. It hit our silestone counter top and shattered into about a million pieces. And when I say shattered I mean SHATTERED. I was covered in little glass pieces. It filled the dishwasher, was all over the ground. I screamed at the barefooted B who was just entering the kitchen asking for crackers. And then I spent 40 minutes cleaning. 40 MINUTES. Baby was crying, brothers were bickering and whining about needing snacks, little pieces of glass were stuck in my hands and feet. And I imagined missed little pieces that would no doubt find their way into little feet. It was hell. Seriously.

Once everything was as glass-free as I could get it, I realized that I had uncovered dinner for a quick taste test. I couldn't imagine that the glass made its way into the dutch oven, but couldn't guarantee it hadn't. I looked through it. I took a few bites. I couldn't bear to throw it away. So, I made the kids mac and cheese or something. They ate and I put a few spoonfuls in a bowl. I figured that if I found glass it would be a sign that Matt and I shouldn't eat it. The first bite... CRUNCH. Glass right away. So, I threw away my bowl, but still left the rest on the stove top. It actually pained me to imagine my time and efforts, not to mention delicious, healthy food just get thrown away. What a waste.

Matt came home, we agreed to throw it away and have cheese and crackers for dinner once the kids were sleeping. It was 8:30 by the time everyone was settled. We were hungry and Matt thought it smelled good, so he might as well take a taste. And then it tasted so good, he might as well eat some of it. And little by little we each carefully, slowly ate a bowl of glass-free stew. The rest went into the garbage.

But, seriously, that was some damn good stew...

The Farmtastic Food Trek

I really don't like grocery shopping. OK, let me clarify this... I have grown to dislike grocery shopping in big chain grocery stores. Why? The produce is often not local (though this is getting better) and their organic selection tends to be disappointing and overpriced. It's also hard to grocery shop with kids and the stores are seemingly overrun with food marketed to children, yet terrible for them.

I tend to shop at smaller stores, farmer's markets, Whole Foods, and order from services like Artizone, but sometimes I just have to go to the grocery store with the kids. If you're like me and tend to struggle with your visits, I might have just the activity to help...

Illinois Farm Families is hosting the Farmtastic Food Trek now until September 30th. It's a really great way to teach your kids where their food is coming from, turn grocery shopping into a game, and have fun at the grocery store.

Here's how it works: Farmers provide clues on www.WatchUsGrow.org that lead to the food they raise. Families then use those 15 clues to find that food at local grocery stores. Once you identify the food referenced in the clues, use Instagram™ to take pictures of your kids holding the products and add the hashtag #foodtrek in the photo comment.
Go to www.WatchUsGrow.org and use the Farmtastic Food Trek button on the homepage, which will link you to the clues, instructions on how to play, as well as the complete contest rules.

To win, you must upload five accurate photos using the hashtag #foodtrek. Three random winners will be chosen. Check the website for all of the details. The winners will receive: A gift certificate for $500 in free groceries, a family farm tour, and farm games and toys!

Sounds fun, right? The clues are fun and aren't too difficult. Can't wait to start participating the next time we're at the grocery store! I'll share some photos on here so you can see our findings!

Full disclosure: I was compensated for partnering with Illinois Farm Families on this campaign. All opinions are my own.

My Stonyfield Superhero Alter Ego: The Delightful Yogurt

Making banana bread... Secret ingredient? Greek yogurt!

Superheroes are all the rage around our house these days. A certain preschooler is slightly obsessed with them and his little brother follows suit, lifting up any figure he can get his hands on and making it fly through the air as he makes sounds effects. I don't know much about superheroes, but I'm learning a ton and they're actually pretty fun.

Stonyfield is giving moms like me the opportunity to transform ourselves into Food Superheroes. Who am I? The Delightful Yogurt, which is perfect considering I eat yogurt pretty much every day and let's face it... I'm delightful, right?!?!

You can choose your name, your superpower, and your favorite Stonyfield food. Visit www.iWillKnowMyFood.com to make your own persona. Trust me, it's fun! And then come back and tell me what your superhero alter ego is in the comment section. Why?

Because I'm giving away a $50 Whole Foods gift certificate, a Stonyfield "Food Superhero" cape, a coupon for a free 6 oz Stonyfield yogurt, and some temporary tattoos:

Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post and share the name of your Food Superhero alter ego. Be sure to include an email address if it doesn't connect back to your blog. (You must comment to be entered!)

2. Follow Hannemaniacs. (Look on the right side bar to follow.) Click on the "Join this Site" button.

3. Like the Hannemaniacs Facebook page.

4. Follow Hannemaniacs on Twitter.

5. Mention this giveaway to your network on Facebook and/or Twitter (one entry for each) by pasting this in your status: Enter to win a Stonyfield Food Superhero Package including a Whole Foods gift certificate at www.hannemaniacs.com.

Please let me know which of the above actions you have done to be counted.

As always, that's SIX possible entries per person. Contest ends at 9 am Friday, August 31st. Enter now!
Disclosure: I received a $50 Whole Foods certificate, Food Superhero cape, Stonyfield yogurt coupon, and temporary tattoos and another package to give away to a reader. All opinions are my own.

Meal Planning: Using Up My Produce

We are renovating our kitchen later this week, which means we won't be able to make dinner on Thursday and Friday and all of the fresh organic produce sitting around needs to be used quickly. So, I looked through the fridge and made a plan for getting through as much as possible:

Monday: Frozen Cheese Pizza with Apple, Celery & Parmesan Salad
Tuesday: Ribollita
Wednesday: Shallot, Zucchini, Leek & Fontina Frittata with Green Salad and Orange, Banana, Blueberry Yogurt Smoothies

Since this week is going to be extremely hot and I'll be busy with work and pre-kitchen renovation preparations, my plan is to make the Tuesday and Wednesday dinners the night before and then just reheat when I get home from work. Both riballita and frittatas are perfect to prepare ahead of time and easy enough to throw together once the boys are sleeping.

Sometimes you just have to look through the fridge and get creative to remind yourself that there is almost always a way to throw together a solid dinner with what you have on hand. And (though I've fallen off the wagon lately) meal planning makes an incredible difference in making those meals happen.

May is National Strawberry Month:A Giveaway From Stonyfield & Tom's of Maine

W's most favorite food are strawberries. No matter what the season he craves them and has an endless appetite and ability to consume them with incredible speed. Needless to say, strawberries don't last too long around here. Right now strawberries are in season, and I found some great ones at our Farmer's Market last weekend. It's feels much better buying them there than it does when I buy them in the middle of winter. We try to buy according to what's in season, but we'll always have to bend the rules when it comes to strawberries for W.

YoKids is teaming up with Tom's of Maine on strawberry flavored goodies and I'm excited to have package for one of you lucky readers... A YoKids lunch sack filled with several Tom's of Maine products including a full 4.2oz tube of Silly Strawberry children's toothpaste, as well as samples of their Naturally Dry deodorant and Daily Moisture soap.  The bag also includes FREE YoKids and YoKids Greek coupons, YoKids temporary tattoos, and YoKids Strawberry-flavored Eco Lips chapstick!

We've been using Tom's strawberry toothpaste for William since we started brushing his teeth and he totally loves it. I've been trying to switch over to as many of their natural products as I can and have been happy with what I've tried so far, including the deodorant. Being a Yo-Getter allows me to try fun products like this and enjoy coupons for Stonyfield products, like their Yo-Kids Greek Yogurt.

Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post and share your favorite strawberry treat. Be sure to include an email address if it doesn't connect back to your blog. (You must comment to be entered!)

2. Follow Hannemaniacs. (Look on the right side bar to follow.) Click on the "Join this Site" button.

3. Like the Hannemaniacs Facebook page.

4. Follow Hannemaniacs on Twitter.

5. Mention this giveaway to your network on Facebook and/or Twitter (one entry for each) by pasting this in your status: Enter to win a package of strawberry flavored goodies from Stonyfield and Tom's of Maine at www.hannemaniacs.com. 
Please let me know which of the above actions you have done to be counted.

So, that's SIX possible entries per person. Contest ends at 9 am Wednesday, June 6th. Enter now!

Disclosure: I received one complimentary package of strawberry flavored goodies for my family and one to give away to a reader. All opinions are my own.

Produce Delivery Overwhelmed Me This Week, So I Meal Planned

Remember this year started with some serious meal planning determination? Yeah, me too... And then I got tired and busy and lost my enthusiasm. But, last week I decided to place an order with Artizone and use a Ripe Organics deal that I purchased a while back to give me a reason to plan and cook again.

Silly me, I scheduled an Artizone order, which also included a small box of organic produce from The Green Grocer (which was delivered on Monday):

Fennel, rhubarb, asparagus, apples, strawberries, portabella mushrooms and red leaf lettuce

And I redeemed my purchase of a small box of organic produce from Ripe Organics (which was delivered on Tuesday):

Cauliflower, bananas, apples, broccoli, potatoes, oranges, romaine lettuce, and green onions

We also went to Whole Foods on Sunday. So, basically, we're overwhelmed by produce - fresh, organic, cannot-be-wasted produce. Here is how I'm getting through it:

Monday: Chefdruck's Simple Roast Beef with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli
Tuesday: Shrimp cocktail and a red lettuce and fennel salad
Wednesday: Vegetable fajitas (portabella mushrooms, asparagus, green onion, red and green peppers) and vanilla ice cream with strawberry-rhubarb mint compote for dessert
Thursday: Baked chicken breast cutlets with roasted cauliflower and salad
Friday: Lentil soup

And, for the record, mixed boxes of organic produce is totally the way to go! It's surprisingly inexpensive and I'm very happy with the quality of what we received! We're looking for a CSA for the summer, but I would recommend either The Green Grocer or Ripe Organics, neither compensated me in any way.

Good Deeds 2012 Week 13: Just Label It Campaign

Good Deed: Signed a petition asking the FDA to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. 

I could go on and on about the many ways that this country's relationship with food scares me, which is why I focus on organic ingredients and making what I can from scratch. Healthy feeding has become a huge priority for me and as my kids get older, I become more committed to creating good habits in my children and providing them with a healthy foundation for life. It's also another reason I'm so happy to be a Stonyfield Yo-Getter. It's a brand that I use and trust and my family totally loves. Not to mention their philosophy and business practices make me excited!

They partnered on the Just Label It Campaign to move the FDA to create more educated consumers and a transparent food industry. Today one million people have signed the petition - more than any petition that has been filed with the FDA! But, one million signatures is just the beginning of a food revolution.

How about taking a moment to sign this petition yourself? What were your good deeds this week?

Disclaimer: I am a Stonyfield Yo-Getter, which is an ambassador program for which I do not receive compensation. They did provide product coupons and items, however I lost the coupons. Go figure! All opinions are my own.

I Make My Own Salad Dressing... And You Can, Too

We're trying to cut out as much processed food as we can. We won't be able to cut out all processed foods, but each thing makes a difference. It's wonderful to know exactly what goes into your food. I stopped buying salad dressing a couple years ago, because I really prefer the taste of my own. And now that I've consistently made my own dressing, I just can't go back.

Here's how I do it:

The base: one part olive oil, 3 parts vinegar (we really like vinegar heavy dressings and I use different types of vinegar, depending on what else we're eating), salt, pepper, onion powder

Additions I might add (depending on what I'm pairing it with): Dijon mustard, herbs (dry or fresh), honey, garlic powder, horse radish, agave nectar, citrus, parmesan cheese

Throw it all together in a container, seal, and shake the heck out of it. Then toss with salad.

You won't go back to prepared salad dressings and it's very, very easy.

My February Farmer's Market Finds

Seems like I've been talking a lot about food lately, right? Well, it's not just here... I've also blogged about it over at TheChicagoMoms.com. Check out my latest post about finding a Farmer's Market in Chicago in February and how excited it made me.


I hope you'll read it... You may also notice my very outdated bio, which doesn't even include mention of sweet little B. Time to edit my bio there and on all the other sites to which I contribute. But, honestly, I might as well wait until I have another kid by the time I get around to it. And, NO, that was not a hint.

Okay, enough rambling, check out my new TheChicagoMoms.com post!

My Dream Starts With Composting

For the From Left to Write Book Club we read Animal Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which inspired this post.

When it comes to eating healthy, we make considerable attempts... I cook our meals from whole foods (the vast majority of which are organic). If I could make almost all of our food from scratch, I would happily. I'd love to bake our bread and pasta, can jams and tomato sauce and make our own salsas and pesto. But, right now, it just doesn't seem possible. We live in a small house with a tiny kitchen and I have about three square feet of usable counter top space. We also have an odd shaped yard with old, beautiful trees that don't allow for much direct sun.

I dream of a large kitchen with space to grow herbs in the windows all year and a large island I can use for rolling out scones ad chopping vegetables for soup. I imagine I would have room to use my Kitchenaid mixer (the wedding gift that's been sitting in the box for over six years) and maybe even have a faucet over the stove top. If I'm really laying it all out there, I'd like a cozy booth in the corner for the kids to hang out while I make dinner. Outside we'd have a sunny, large space where I could have a large vegetable garden and a couple of fruit trees and bushes. I'm not opposed to keeping a few chickens for fresh eggs. I'm not asking for much, right?

When we first bought our house more than three years ago (seriously, where does the time go?) I declared that we would start composting and I would have a vegetable garden. Our composting started during our first summer and we were diligent and determined to compost everything possible. We purchased a composter, tucked it next to the house, and started filling it every day. By the end of the summer Matt and my dad had built out my vegetable garden in the only usable space on our property.

Look at all those scraps ready to compost... Better in here, than in a garbage bag.

The following summer was crazy (remember I had shingles?) and we traveled a lot, so we settled for a few tomato plants that did alright, not spectacular. I figured it was because we planted them late and weren't always on top of watering with our busy travel schedule. We weren't great at plants, but we learned a lot about composting and started to enjoy it.

W getting excited about opening his pet worms to eat all that food.

By our third summer I was determined to grow my own vegetables. We checked the composter after its winter break, added some early spring additions, three containers of worms, and waited. A couple of weeks later we had the compost we were hoping for - It was awesome.

Look at that awesome compost! Took a year, but worth it.

We were ready to plant the garden and a week before Baby B was due, I bought seed packs and filled our garden with strawberries, green beans, shallots, zucchini, carrots, cucumber and three types of tomatoes. I had no plan. I over packed the hell out of my little garden (did I mention it's 6 feet by 3 feet?). But, I was nesting and starting to fear that it was now or never... So, I planted as quickly as I could. Matt wrapped wire around the garden to protect it from squirrels and we waited. And waited...

Strawberries are W's favorite food... This is the only one we grew.

Needless to say our garden did not thrive. All in all, I think we got 20 green beans, 1 cucumber, 10 tomatoes, 1 strawberry, and 1 half inch carrot out of the garden. Pitiful. I realized that my little garden spot only got partial sun and vegetables need SUN to grow. And the way I stuffed the garden full of seeds didn't help, I'm sure. We again had really good compost. But, no matter how great your compost, a garden needs sun.

One day I'll have my dream kitchen and garden. Until then I'll continue to compost and grow what little produce I can, because there is something real satisfying about making your own compost. Give it a try.

Could you live an entire year eating locally or the food from your garden? Barbara Kingsolver transplanted her family from the deserts of Arizona to the mountains of Virginia for their endeavor. Join From Left to Write on February 21 as we discuss Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. As a member of From Left to Write, I received a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

No Name Premium Meats: Review and Give Away

I really try to make sure we all sit down and eat together each night. I know that W is only 3 and B is 8 months, but I feel like I'm building our family dinner foundation now. There are all sorts of studies about communication, brains, healthy eating habits, yada, yada, yada that encourage doing this.

But, that's not what makes me want to make family dinners a priority. We both grew up with family dinners and I think it's a very important part of family life. It allows us all to take some time together before bedtime. Our week nights are crazy hectic. I get home at 5:00. Matt doesn't get home until close to 6:30 and B goes to bed at 7:00, so dinner has to be ready when he gets home.

Meal planning and having some reliable standbys make dinner possible each week. I don't like to rely on pre-made, packaged meals. But, that being said, I'm not opposed to using packaged items during busy weeks. They're great for the base of a meal with fresh sides.

Last week was one of those weeks... We were gone over the weekend. I didn't have time to pull my meal plan together. And I had a few No Name Premium Meats in the freezer for this kind of week. So, No Name became our meal plan.

On Monday I made the Original No Name Steaks:

Photo courtesy of my sweet skills with my iPhone. I wish I had a better picture.

I don't cook red meat often. Once a month tops, so I'm not very confident when I do cook red meat. I seasoned this with salt and pepper and followed the exact directions to cook it on the stove top in a pan. And, I have to say, it was awesome. Really, really good. They were tender and there wasn't a trace of fat on them. W and I split one and I think we both would have had more.

True story: Matt and I went out for my birthday dinner two nights before I made this and Matt thought this steak was better than the $42 steak he had when we were out. True story.

I made a quick chopped salad to go with this and it was a very nice dinner. This was probably more labor intensive than I would usually do on a weeknight, though. On a stressful, hectic night I would opt to bake these in the oven.

On Tuesday night I made the No Name Superb & Simple Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts:

The color of this meal is freaking me out. It looked much prettier on the plate. Trust me.

I'm a fan of just about anything parmesan, let's just get that straight. As far as flavor and tenderness, these chicken breasts were great. I also followed the directions specifically and they baked perfectly.

These are not something that I would normally use, because we don't usually eat chicken with breading. But, this was good chicken and went really well with fresh handmade Mushroom Pasta from Pasta Puttana and peas.

This was the easiest meal by far.

On Wednesday I made No Name Original Salmon Fillets:

Don't judge based on this sad picture. Seriously, I need photo lessons.

I thought the salmon itself had good flavor and I liked the pop-up timer indicator (see them in the photo?). Of the three meals, I enjoyed the salmon the least. I found it to be over seasoned and needed more time to bake than the directions indicated. Matt really liked it, he is easy to please and loves salmon.

I served the salmon with sauteed cabbage, which was not my original plan, but I had an entire head of cabbage (which I purchased to stuff my bra to bring down the awful engorgement from laying off the nursing). I hate to see a whole cabbage go to waste, so I used it and it was pretty good.

My favorite product by far were the steaks. I would absolutely cook them again. I like to know what is going into our food and I felt these steaks really allowed me to control the flavor and seasoning level. It's only fair to mention that eating these products on a regular basis doesn't fit in my goal for 80% of our meals to be organic, but leaves room for them. All the meals were easy and pretty healthy and I would eat them again.

Did all this meat talk make you hungry? Well, here is your chance to try out some No Name Premium Meats yourself. I'm giving away a package that will give you coupons for free steaks and chicken, as well as an additional $5 off coupon. That's a $45 value!

Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post about which No Name Premium Meats product you'd like the most. Be sure to include an email address if it doesn't connect back to your blog. (You must comment to be entered!)

2. Follow Hannemaniacs. (Look on the right side bar to follow.) Click on the "Join this Site" button.

3. Like the Hannemaniacs Facebook page.

4. Follow Hannemaniacs on Twitter.

5. Mention this giveaway to your network on Facebook and/or Twitter (one entry for each) by pasting this in your status: Enter to win free No Name meats at www.hannemaniacs.com. 

Please let me know which of the above actions you have done to be counted.

So, that's SIX possible entries per person. Contest ends at 9 am Friday, February 24th. Enter now!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! The winner was chosen by using RANDOM.ORG: Nicki from What Others Dream, Dreamers Do! I'll contact you for addresses and the meat will be sent to you!

Thanks for everyone for participating!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned No Name Premium Meats complimentary for review, as well as a prize package to give away. All opinions are my own.

Are Picky Eaters Born That Way?

Even Big Brother can't convince this baby that pureed food is a delicacy.

W has always been a great eater. He's adventurous, has a variety of foods that he enjoys, and doesn't like junky foods. Currently his favorite foods are California rolls and chopped salad. He's three, so I realize this is rare. I always kind of assumed that I could take credit for his terrific eating habits. All of his baby food was homemade and organic and I made him try just about every fruit and vegetable I could get my hands on. I became a baby food making lover.

So, yes, though I may not have admitted it at the time, I was patting myself on the back for creating a good, healthy eater. And I figured that if I just did it the same way with B I'd have another great eater on my hands.

We've been working on the feeding process with B for a couple of months. And it's not going too well. (Honestly, it's been total crap.) This kid does not like food. And not only does he not like it, he forces himself to throw up if he especially doesn't like it. Very dramatic.


Seriously? You're trying the carrots again?
No can do, lady.

I've broken food into four categories for B:

1. Foods that make him throw up: avocado, peas

2. Foods he accepts, spits out, and then refuses: apple, mango, carrots, rice cereal

3. Foods that had limited success (a few teaspoons forced into his mouth): butternut squash, parsnips, banana, peach, zucchini, sweet potato

4. Food he likes: pears (and, come on, pears are a gimme!)
I really felt that feeding was one of my areas of expertise as a mom. Was it just that I had an easy kid?


OK, now this is just gross.

That's the thing with being a parent, you never know what's coming around the corner. And you never stop learning, even when it comes to the things that you're good at. Making baby food takes work and there is something about having that food turned down and go to waste that is really, really painful. But, it doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying.

You just try to break my love of making baby food, little man. I dare you.

Thankful

I asked W what he was thankful for without giving him the definition of thankful. I wasn't sure what he was going to say, but I'm really glad I hit record:

While I may not need to explain the word "thankful" to W, we might want to clear up his confusion on the definition of question vs. answer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Attune Foods Give Away

I like to feel good about what I eat and feed my little guys. The more I learn about what is going into our food, the more determined I am to make good decisions, so I appreciate companies that deliver good organic options, like Attune.

I try to buy organic as much as possible. My goal is that 80% of everything we eat is organic. It isn't that hard and it's more expensive, but I like knowing that our food is as pure as possible. If I can't actually make it myself, the fewer ingredients and chemicals I can't pronounce, the better.

I really like trying different options for organic snacks, so was happy to try some Attune products for the family. They have a few different product lines and I tried options that I thought were good fits for us:

Uncle Sam Multi-Grain Cereal: If you like really healthy tasting cereals, you'll love this cereal. It's full of fiber and hearty. I especially enjoyed it in yogurt or mixed with another cereal. It is a little hard to eat on its own with milk. I also think it would be a good addition to homemade granola. I didn't attempt to give this to W, because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be into it. This is definitely more of a mom cereal.

New Morning Cinnamon Graham Crackers: These taste like a less sweet version of the graham crackers that we're all used to, which I liked. There is a really nice, strong cinnamon flavor, but they don't necessarily hold their crispness when enjoying with coffee in this morning. W actually really liked these and I handed them to a couple of other kids who were used to regular graham crackers and they didn't seem to notice a difference.

Erehwon Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries Cereal: This is great cereal. It works on its own with milk, but can also be mixed with another cereal (like the Uncle Sam's) and stays pretty crispy. I especially enjoyed the berries and the larger sized crisped rice. I didn't get a chance to give it a try, but I think I could have made some pretty awesome rice krispie treats with this cereal.

Attune Chocolate Probiotic Bars: I tried the Milk Chocolate Crisp Probiotic Bar and the Mint Chocolate Probiotic Bar. (All in the name of research, right????) Chocolate with probiotics... Enough said. But, seriously, these were really, really good. Nice flavor. Super tasty. Very crispy. Healthy chocolate (yay!).

All in all, I think they have a lot of great products for my tastes. I like things that taste healthy. Don't you?

So, here's your opportunity to give Attune products a try! I'm excited to hold a giveaway for your choice of five Attune Foods products. TWO WINNERS will be chosen!

Here's how you can enter the Attune Foods Giveaway:

1. Comment on this post about which product you'd like to try. Be sure to include an email address if it doesn't connect back to your blog. (You must comment to be entered!)

2. Follow Hannemaniacs. (Look on the right side bar to follow.)

3. Like the newly-created Hannemaniacs Facebook page.

4. Follow Hannemaniacs on Twitter.

5. Mention this giveaway to your network on Facebook and/or Twitter (one entry for each) by pasting this in your status: Enter to win Attune organic food products at www.hannemaniacs.com. (please let me know in your comment that you have done these!)

So, that's SIX possible entries per person. Contest ends at 9 am Wednesday, November 2nd. Enter now!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! The winners were chosen by using RANDOM.ORG and are... Kari and Rita from Look It's Megryansmom. Please contact me with your address and the package will be sent to you! (If I don't hear from the winner by Friday at 9 am a new winner will be chosen.)

Thanks for everyone for participating!
Disclosure: I received five complimentary Attune food products to review. All opinions are my own.

Meal MacGyver: Chicken and Orzo Lemon Soup

Tonight I managed to surprise all of us with a delicious soup that I threw together in under an hour. It was rainy and cold and I'd been busy hosting my sister's baby shower all day. At the end of the day we all wanted something comforting and tasty without too much effort.

For a moment I considered ordering out, but I looked at what we had on hand: cooked orzo, lemons, chicken breasts, chicken stock, and eggs... Why not try making a lemon soup. I looked online for ideas and put my own spin on it.

First I heated up 2 quarts of chicken stock and added three cups of pre-cooked orzo. I chopped two chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and dropped them in to let them cook a bit while I beat two eggs. I juiced two lemons and zested one of them, which I whisked into the eggs and then slowly added a cup of the hot stock while whisking to make sure the eggs didn't get weird. I added the egg/lemon mixture to the soup while stirring quickly, which thickened it up a bit. At that point I added a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley, fresh thyme, a lot of onion powder, seasoned salt, pepper, a couple pinches of saffron, and a chicken bouillon cube. And then I let it cook on low for about 15 minutes.

And I have to say it was really, really good. William declared, "I love this soup" and ate his entire bowl, then asked for more. Trust me, it was really, really good.

So, next time you think about ordering out... Take a look in your kitchen and see what you can figure out.

What's the last meal you created from nothing?

Back to School Tip from Hannemaniacs and Whole Foods

Whole Foods is one of my most favorite places to shop. I mean, seriously, who doesn't love that joint?

So, when they asked me to create a video to be featured in the Whole Foods Back to School Campaign, I was really excited. Talking about my kids, food, healthy feeding, and Whole Foods... I could go on forever. I decided to share my dipping, stacking, crunching tips that work for W.

Check out my tip for healthy back to school eating on one of these local Whole Foods store Facebook pages:
http://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketPalatine
http://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketRiverForest
http://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketSauganash
http://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsSchaumburg
http://www.facebook.com/wfmwheaton
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whole-Foods-Market-Willowbrook/102781769596
http://www.facebook.com/wholefoodsmarket.Hinsdale
http://www.facebook.com/wfmchi
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whole-Foods-Market-Deerfield/112971536365
http://www.facebook.com/WFMEVANSTON
http://www.facebook.com/wholefoodsnpv
http://www.facebook.com/wholefoodsnbk
http://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketAnnArbor
http://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarket.MetroDetroit
http://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketLakeCalhoun
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whole-Foods-Market-St-Paul/107741135641
http://www.facebook.com/wfmyorkville
http://www.facebook.com/wfmoakville

Also, be sure to checkout the Weekly Special Sign-Up for a chance to win a $500 gift card to Whole Foods.

Now it's your turn... What is your favorite healthy tip for sending the kids back to school?

Disclosure: I was compensated for taking part in this video campaign. The thoughts are my own.