Dinnertime! {Cookbook Review}


My friends sometimes like to call me Super Mom. Or Martha Stewart. Or even Overachiever (ok they don’t always say that one but I know they’re thinking it!) But I have to say I don’t mind the name-calling anymore because I have a little secret. The secret is that I’m not as creative as I seem…I just know where to get terrific ideas that just make me look like I’m deserving of all those names! You see, I’ve subscribed to Family Fun magazine for eight years now and I look forward to each monthly issue for all the terrific ideas it provides for activities or crafts for the kids, family outing ideas, recipes and so much more!

So when I learned about a new publication of theirs that focused on fresh meal ideas with great kid appeal and required little prep and cook time I was anxious to check it out. It’s called Dinnertime! and I picked up a copy at my local Wal-mart about a month ago. So far we’ve tried several recipes including the Mexican Cheese Fondue, Scrambled Eggs Nests, Crunchy Chicken Tenders with Apricot Dipping Sauce and Granny Smith Slaw.

I have to say there have been more hits than misses. We all loved the Mexican Cheese Fondue. We served ours with steamed green beans, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, bread cubes and Italian American meatballs (that I made awhile back and just pulled out of the freezer). I’m not sure the last time my kids ate that many veggies!
We served the Scrambled Egg Cups at our Breakfast For Dinner night and we all liked them but I think my husband loved them the most! For the other dishes, one child preferred the Chicken Tenders more than the other but the other child preferred the Slaw more than their sibling. So I’m calling this a winner issue!

With over 98 easy recipes (most take only 15-20 minutes to prepare!), the issue is filled with family-tested and approved meals from over 19 years of publication that make for simple and stress-free mealtime. Special sections include:

–Picky Eater Pleasers
–Cheap Eats
–Eat More Veggies
–Kids in the Kitchen
–A helpful Side-Dish Finder (I especially love this because this is my weakest area when it comes to meal planning–so many simple, delicious ideas here!)
–And much more!

I love the helpful hints and tips throughout to make mealtime more fun. And in true Family Fun style, there’s a whole section with conversation starter games, themed meals and more!

Breakfast Challenge-Third Time’s A Charm! {Menu Inspiration Idea}

Now that summer’s here I feel like I can really get into the Breakfast Challenge! I know I’ve tried a couple of times before, but my hope is that I’ll have a little more time now to try more recipes so that once the busy school year returns, we’ll have an all new arsenal of options to help make breakfast time a little more interesting and delicious!

Last month I was contacted by Coach’s Oats to try their steel cut oats. I had read about steel cut oats and the nutritional benefits they had as part of a healthy diet. But I had also read that they take a super long time to cook so had never really tried them. Enter Coach’s Oats. They are steel cut oats but are prepared in a way that allows them to cook much more quickly–in less than five minutes instead of 45!

I received my samples and was anxious to try them. I popped them in the microwave with the suggested amount of water and in about five minutes I had a full serving of oats! I shared some with my son and we added a little brown sugar and some raisins and a dash of milk. The taste test was a success! These oats were a little chewier than rolled oats (that’s the main difference between the two–their nutritional content is about the same) and had a great flavor. My son even went back for seconds and finished two bowls–yep, I had to make more! The second time I prepared them I added a dash of honey and some fresh blueberries on top–yummy!

I hope you’ll join me in the breakfast challenge! Sign up below or leave a comment and let me know if you’re in! I plan a weekly update on our new breakfast ideas. Are you in too? I hope so!

Vote for Me–Best Mom Food Bloggers list!


Babble.com’s just come out with their Top 50 List of the Best Mom Food Bloggers. Some of my favorite blogs are there (as well as a few others that are sure to become new favorites!) Think Meal Planning Magic should be among the list? I hope so! :-) If you do, hop on over to the site and give me a thumbs up or click the ‘like’ button. If you don’t see it right away, scroll down until you find the listing or click the Alphabetical tab to search that way). Thanks for all your support and happy meal planning!

Menu Plan Monday!


Here’s what’s coming up for our menu this week!

DINNER PLAN:
Monday: Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches with onions & bell peppers
Tuesday: Tuna Rollups; garden salad (part of my new year’s resolution for at least one meat-free meal per week)
Wednesday: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Ginger Sauce; garden salad
Thursday: Santa Fe Taco Soup; cornbread muffins
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: extra busy day–out to eat!
Sunday: company in town–out to eat (or dinner at mutal friend’s house!)

BREAKFAST PLAN as part of the Breakfast Challenge:
Monday: buttermilk pancakes (homemade leftovers from freezer) with simple blueberry sauce, whip cream (a little sweetness without all the sugar of syrup!); strawberry-banana smoothie
Tuesday: toast with cheese & egg; orange juice; sliced bananas
Wednesday: multi-grain waffles (purchased) with simple blueberry sauce, whip cream; yogurt tube (we like Horizon’s Tuberz)
Thursday: cereal; fruit smoothie
Friday: banana muffins and bacon with milk
Saturday: something on the go to sports games that morning!
Sunday:: TBA

Picky Eater Persistence Pays Off {Kids Kitchen Connection}

A few weeks ago I made Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup for dinner. Here’s how the conversation went when my daughter saw it cooking in the pot:

“Mom, what are we having for dinner?”
“Italian Tortellini Soup”
“What? Ooh–yuck! I will NOT be eating that.”
“Well, you ate it last time I made it. I think you even had seconds. “
“Um, no. No, I did not. That looks gross.”
“Ok, well, that’s what we’re having for dinner. Guess you’ll be having a good breakfast in the morning.”
“Well, if you want me to starve, I guess that’s fine!”

So, we ended up having the soup for dinner and as I knew it would happen, both kids gobbled theirs up. And the picture above is proof that my daughter DOES like it–so much so she finished every last bit! Maybe I’ll have to print it out so that next time we have it for dinner I can remind her that she does like it.

My point? If I had let her complaining about dinner get to me and convince me to make a separate meal, what would that have accomplished? I would have taken extra time and effort to make something different and taught her that she can get her way if she complains just a little. Instead, I held steady and was persistent that the dinner I was making was it. Period. End of story. So if you have a picky eater (or two or three!) in your family, try holding steady and remain firm. Eventually your kids will “get it” that they eat what is served. The bonus? They try new foods and hopefully learn to love new ones too! And, shhh….don’t tell my kids that the soup had healthy things in it like spinach, onions and tomatoes–guess they were too busy scraping their bowls to notice!

I’m A Featured Blogger on Mamapedia!

I'm a featured blogger on Mamapedia Voices

Hey y’all!  I’m so excited to share with you that I am a featured blogger on Mamapedia.com!  Check out my article on Kids in the Kitchen.  If it seems familiar, that’s because it is!  I posted it on my own blog here last month.  In it you’ll find lots of tips for getting your children…even your toddlers…cooking in the kitchen with you and learning to try new foods.  What a fun way to spend time together!  And the lessons they’ll learn will be more than just learning to cook.  Be sure to search the cookbook reviews I’ve done for family and kid-friendly ideas too.  Have fun and I hope you like it!

Changing The Way America Eats

My kids only buy their lunch at school once a week.  The rest of the days I pack a healthier lunch for them to take from home.  I never really thought their school lunches were all that bad.  And on days like today when I was gone ALL day and was too tired to clean up the dinner dishes much less think about making lunches for tomorrow at school, I could definitely be sweet talked into letting them buy an extra lunch that week.  And all in all, I think our school district is on the right track for at least thinking about what they serve our kids.  A few years ago, they adopted the Go, Slow, Whoa approach to meal options.  And they post nutrition facts for each menu item on their district website.   Both are tools that help students and parents be better informed about the foods that are being served.

But last Sunday, I watched the preview of a Jamie Oliver’s new television program, Food Revolution. In it, Jamie vows to blow the roof off of school lunch programs across the nation and help families realize the poor food choices they are making and how they really affect their health.  Wow.  I had such mixed emotions after watching it.  Without giving too much away, Jamie is not really interested in making friends.  I suppose that’s where my mixed emotions came from.  He’s just interested in helping American’s learn how to eat and live healthier and live longer.  But I haven’t been able let go the thoughts about the nutrition value of our nation’s school lunch offerings.  Obviously there are probably lots of school districts that lead the way in preparing healthy food for their students but sadly, the majority lag behind.  Since the program aired, I haven’t been able to shake the idea that maybe I should look a little closer at the food options in our local schools.  I’ve always wondered why ice cream and chips are sold as “extras” at school.  Because when I have had lunch with my kids I’ve seen many of their fellow students go for the extras and barely touch the food on the main tray.

In the last two years since I started my blog, I’ve learned A LOT more than just how to get organized for meal preparation.  I’ve learned so much more about nutrition and how being organized can help me make healthier food choices for my family.  I hope you’ll try to catch the program’s official season start on Friday, March 26th at 7c/8e p.m. on ABC (and the Oprah Winfrey Show will also have Jamie Oliver on the show the same Friday).   I hope you’ll consider signing the petition Jamie has on his site supporting changes to the national school lunch program.

And together, through my blog, we’ll continue to share ways to feed our families healthy foods and learn how to do it easily and quickly and of course with tools to help get better organized to do it so you can stick with it!  Let me know your thoughts…..

Menu Plan Monday!

Due to some recent entertaining, somehow my freezer filled back up even without a big Freezer Cooking session–ack!  That means I need to plan to use up some more of the things that are in there so I can be ready for my session.  I’m planning a “How-to” series on Freezer Cooking so you can plan along with me, so be sure to look for that in the coming week or two.  Here’s what’s on our menu this week:

Monday: special activity–out to eat!
Tuesday:  Teriyaki Beef Broccoli and Mushrooms; steamed rice (using up leftover steak from the weekend–we had sweet potato fries that day too!)
Wednesday: Dijon Chicken with Panko Crust; Balsamic Roasted Fingerling Potato Wedges (got a great deal on these–they are a seasonal offering!)
Thursday: Classic Reuben Panini (we’re having corned beef–an St. Patty’s Day extra we bought for a great price–made in the slowcooker); carrot sticks
Friday: Spinach Torta (from the Martha Stewart Living Today radio program Weekend Challenge); garden salad (part of my New Year’s Resolution to have at least one vegetarian meal per week)
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: leftovers

What’s on your menu this week?  Happy cooking!

A Breakfast Bacon Burrito Panini? Of course!

Ok, so you know I’ve posted several times about Panini Happy–one of my favorite blogs that features delicious, original panini’s created by blog owner, Kathy.  So when I decided to start the Stop Boring Breakfasts Challenge, I asked Kathy if she’d be interested in creating one to help inspire MY readers to try something new and tasty too!  Enter the Bacon Egg Breakfast Burrito Panini.  Sounds good huh?  What wouldn’t be good about scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and melted cheese all squished together in a burrito?  I think that’s something my family can get excited about–I hope you do too! 

Here’s Kathy’s guest post about her yummy creation just for us–thanks Kathy!

Bacon Breakfast Burritos
by Kathy of PaniniHappy.com

The Smurfs, soccer games and “real breakfast” defined the Saturday mornings of my childhood. I looked forward to each of these events every weekend , but especially the food. I would wake up to the inviting aromas of pancakes, French toast or bacon and eggs wafting from the kitchen. It was usually one of those three dishes, but once in a while my mom would surprise my dad, sisters and me with muffins too. It was my favorite time of the week, when life slowed down and my family could ease into the day together. Until it was time to hit the fields for soccer.

These days I enjoy making “real breakfast” on Saturday mornings for my own family. On last weekend’s menu: breakfast burritos. There’s a taqueria near us that makes excellent ones, full of scrambled eggs, potatoes and smoky bacon. When I made my own version at home I decided to sneak some cheddar cheese inside as well and grill it on the panini press to get the outside nice and crisp. With a little chipotle salsa spooned onto each bite for a kick of heat, these breakfast burritos were a wonderfully satisfying way to start our weekend.

Bacon Breakfast Burritos
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon
2 cups frozen diced potatoes with peppers and onions (sometimes labeled as “Potatoes O’Brien”)*
8 eggs
Salt and pepper
4 flour tortillas, 10-inch “burrito size”
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salsa and sour cream for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Place bacon in a skillet and turn stove on to medium heat. Cook, turning often, until bacon is cooked through and crisp. Remove bacon to drain on a paper towel.

Pour off all but about 2 teaspoons of bacon drippings. Carefully add potato mixture to the skillet (especially if using frozen potatoes it may spatter). Cook about 7-8 minutes until vegetables are cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add eggs. Continue cooking and stirring until eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the panini grill to medium heat.**

For each burrito: Place a tortilla in the microwave on High for 10 seconds to make it fold easily. Place ¼ of the egg mixture in the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top. Fold burrito by folding in the left and right sides and then rolling it up from the bottom.

Place the burrito onto the panini grill, seam side down. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes until tortilla is toasted and golden grill marks appear.

* Alternatively, you can dice your own red potatoes, red and green bell peppers and onions

** If you don’t have a panini grill, you can also bake the burritos in an oven or toaster oven at 350° until the tortillas are browned and toasted.

Stop Boring Breakfasts–It’s Time for a Challenge!

I’m not sure about you but our breakfasts have hit a real slump. When school first started I was all gung-ho about making a balanced breakfast for myself and my kids each morning. I made muffins, pancakes or waffles on the weekends to put in the freezer to pull out on busy mornings. Sure I had the Breakast Meal Plan that helped us have a little variety, but as the year has gotten busier, we’ve gotten a lot simpler and having just a bowl of cereal morning after morning. That’s ok but now the kids are starting to complain! So, it’s time to kick things back into gear and I want you to join me!

So I’m starting a Breakfast Challenge for the month of March. I’ll be planning a big freezer session (and walking you through it so you can do it to!), a guest post with a yummy breakfast option created just for Meal Planning Magic, a giveaway or two and more fun for this month. So if you’re ready to join me, just add a comment or link your own blog below and hopefully by the end of this month we’ll all have a great new variety of breakfast options for our families and we can feel good knowing we’re providing a healthy, nutritious start to our family’s day while saving time in the kitchen too!

I hope you’ll join me today!
P.S. If you don’t have a blog to link to using the form below, just add a comment to share that you want to participate!