Summer Lunches

Summer vacation is here and the flow and energy about the house is so lively.  Kid's in and out of the house every so often, although it seems like the door is opening every 5 minutes.  I don't know about the rest of you, but when I was my children's ages my mother never saw me and my friends.  You know (or maybe you don't) but back in the day when neighborhoods were safe and "strangers" were friendly, you could disappear for hours and play so long and hard that you would come home dirty and yet still happy and excited for summer.  Home just long enough to get fed and go back out. 

Not today, today the kids are "hungry" every half hour, or so it seems.  Are they bored? Are the attention spans not the same as the "older days" because society has our kids wanting everything "right now", "quick", "fast".  Are they really hungry or just bored?  This comes to the questions that has been asked to me many times by loyal fans of fitnessmomwinecountry.  "What do you feed your kids"?  "How can I feed my kids healthy food and keep it exciting"?  Well I am no different than the rest of you "mommies" out there.  I often ask myself the exact same questions as I stand in the middle of my kitchen just staring at the fridge and cupboards thinking what, what can I make them today.  Of course as both my children have now rushed into the house pretty much grumpy and aruging because they are "hungry" or just in need of a nap.  That rush of panic hits me, but I have learned that if I am shopping properly I can produce a healthy lunch/snack and whip it up in a matter of minutes and look like I am the Super Mom of the neighborhood.

First tip to successful and healthy kids meals, shopping. Hit the market and stay smart, stay focussed.  Don't get pulled into the frozen food aisles, you know the one's with the bagel bites, or taquitos, or whatever quick micro meals kids can heat and eat.  I am not saying don't pick up the box of popsicles or icecream for the cones.  The kids have to be kids and it is summer for crying out loud, but you know what I mean.

We can't let society feed our children, we need to feed our children.  We are in control, we are the adults here and we are teaching the kids. I remember growing up and eating bologna sandwiches on white sliced sourdough bread with mayo and lettuce.  I can still taste them and go right back to the sandy beach of Lake Tahoe where I grew up like it was yesterday, boy those were the best and even better with the crunch of the sand granuals.  I don't feed the kids bologna, nor do they even like it. However, I do go with the good old standby Peanut Butter and Jelly, that is always a winner.   Lean turkey, albacore tuna, even salami every once in a while.  I have even gone ahead and whipped up lunch burritos of beans of whatever I have in the pantry, let's say pinto, white and kidney.  Wash and rinse well, heat them up grate some cheddar cheese into them to make a glue like formation and wrap with whole wheat wraps.  If I am really ready I will even have leftover brown rice (although the kids like white) and add that to the beans.  Great healthy lunch that holds them over for sometime and gives them the protein they need. 

We have a child who is hypoglycemic so getting the right foods into him is really important to help the blood sugar and yes a meal/snack every 1 1/2 hour is a must.  Anything after that becomes dangerous to his health as we have found out after watching him black out and hit the floor.  You become aware of the signs after a while, and thank goodness he has learned to read his body.  So eating healthy and wholesome meals is a must.  Not the processed and pre-packaged with all the crap and additives.

 Making lunches at home can become easy, but what about packing up and leaving for a day trip?  Well that should not be any more difficult. Packing up and heading to the beach or off for a family hike or picnic can be just as healthy and easy as staying home.  This will again take smart shopping and planning.  You don't want to get caught up in running to the snack shack and buying the corn dog or greasy burger.  Although we all know they can be tasty.  Think fruit, veggies sure you have the chips and the treat but overall keep with the healthy.  Make it fun, cut the sandwiches into shapes or use cookie cutters.  Pack individual lunch bags for each family member and don't tell them what is in them.  This makes it a fun surprise and they have no choice but to eat what you packed because well you are away from home and they need to eat.

Go with leftovers.  That grilled or baked chicken you cooked the night before, what a great next day sandwich.  Even the leftover grilled veggies can be turned into a wrap of some sort.  It is just about being creative and having fun.  Don't get into the trap of thinking of buying the box of Lunchables, ewww really? No, never.  Make your own.  Buy the deli meat, get your own crackers and cheese and create a fun lunchable that you make from home.

So whether you are staying home, heading out on a picnic, family hike or a day at the beach, basically, summer lunches and snacks can be successful and amazing if you put forth the effort.  You are teaching your kids at a young age about good food.  You are  really giving them a great foundation to look back on and you can be the "Cool Mom" that makes fun lunches.

Happy Fathers Day...Husband

It's Father's day 2012 and well as a daughter it is emotional.  I am a child of divorce growing up with both my father and mother having some marriages under their belts.  I of course wanted nothing more growing up than to have "mommy and daddy" living together in the home happy and together as one family. Maybe as a little girl you have visions in your head of dinners together at the table, dad coming in the door from work and still playing with you no matter how tired he may be.  I don't know if the television shows back in the 70's had anything to do with that.  But I know that it was my dream. 

I did get my dad on "his days" along with the step mother and the step siblings.  Don't get me wrong, they were amazing, in fact that actually seemed closer to the stable family life that I had been able to have.  But things don't last forever and well, some "daddies" don't stay around.  Still being young, I had to understand and come to terms that my dad was moving, hmmm okay, moving far.  While we were living in California, he was going to be living in Hawaii. Yep, Maui of all places.  Great, awesome perfect place to visit and vacation.  Yet, not even the same.  Daddy was gone and we were here with mom and the stepfathers.  That is where and when my visions and illusions of "daddies" disappeared.

Growing up as a pre-teen and teenager is a task and challenge in itself, not just for me but the "replacement" fathers along the way.  Although hate is a strong word, you find yourself using it often.  The resentment, the lashing out, the anger and the sadness.  So many emotions for any young girl.  No one could replace daddy, no one!  The relationship with mom turns sour and it just can't seem to rebuild itself.  Years, go by and lots of therapy, sure why not, doesn't everyone?  Time to graduate high school and move on and "grow up", daddy is back.  A day late and a dollar short? So it seems.
Adulthood is here and you find yourself struggling along the way because of the "daddy issues" you have developed.  Great more years of figuring it out and holding on to hurt, anger and blame, only you are not just blaming daddy, you blame mom too.  Finally, that day comes and it has happened, there he is without even looking for him, in fact the last person you would think.  The complete opposite of you, I mean not even your type.   But you just never know, when you least expect it, there it is.  From that point you build on it and after much time goes by you find yourself starting a life with this person.  Building the family, and creating the one you had always dreamed about. 

I am so lucky and so blessed to have my soul mate, my complete opposite, my best friend, my partner who drives me nuts, yet loves me with ALL of my quirks and faults.  The one who is the easy-going, the one who thinks things out, the peace maker.  The one who became my husband (only husband) and the father of our children.  Yes, those dreams and visions I so wanted for myself as a little girl are reality now and with our family.  Our little girl is living the dream I wanted, along with her brothers.  Yes we have the dinners at the table at night, yes "daddy" walks through that door every night after work and after taking but only a few minutes to himself, is ready to listen to the chattering of the kids and myself.  He re-groups enough to gather that energy to play catch outside, or draw chalk on the sidewalk, or help with the math homework that I don't know how to do. He watches Sponge Bob when needs to, plays board games when summoned.  He is Daddy and he is amazing. 

A letter from Faith....

Dear Dad, wow there's alot about you that makes me love you, but let's start simple.  I love you when you come home from work on Red Grape night and bring me my fav soup and bread and that you always remember.  I love you when you go to the store really early in the morning (even before work) to pick up fresh bagels and doughnuts.  I love when we all sit and watch Whale Wars because it is Noah's fav show (although I don't really like it) and one more thing about you is that you are my only dad and I love you! Peace

A letter from Noah....

I like playing football with you and I love you.  I like it when we watch ESPN together and every story about Tim Tebow.  I like that you watch Whale Wars with me and Animal Planet.  I like that you go and buy fresh bagels in the morning.  You are more than just a good dad, you are a GREAT dad. 

Stress Busters ...Right From the Kitchen

Okay so we all get a tad stressed from time to time. Some more than others, and it can be anything. Time of the month, the weather, money, food, body issues, kids, spouse...well you get it, if I kept going I would never finish this blog.  Instead of going to that "comfort" food, or that fattening beer, or too many drinks or worse.  Just look right in your home for some pretty natural and healthy "stress busters".

I assume that most everyone knows about lavender.  Well I hate to assume so maybe I shouldn't, I  guess it is because I live in the Wine Country and it is everywhere.  Back to why I mentioned the lavender.  You can diffuse lavender oil with a ceramic candle warmer and let sit in a room.  This is suppose to lower anxiety levels.

The coconut, let's talk about that.  I know I love coconut oil on my skin after a hot shower or warm bath.  I love to use it for shaving my legs, because I don't get that irritating razor burn.  But did you know that the scent of coconut may actually slow down the heart rate when in a really stressed mood?  It has been studied that people who breathed in coconut fragrance "actually saw their blood pressure recover more quickly after a challenging task.  It seems that inhaling a pleasant scent can enhance alertness while soothing our responses to stress.  I know I love the smell of coconut and normally I am taken away in my mind to some exotic beach location, works for me.

What about those green apples?  What is the saying? "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"?  But did you know that embracing the aroma of a green apple can help to alleviate headaches?  Good for our bodies and our heads.

Tea, love drinking tea.  I recall just posting something on black tea just last week.  Apparently drinking caffeinated black, green or oolong tea can elicit a "more alert state of mind".  An amino acid which is present in these teas seem to work synergistically with the caffeine to improve our attention and focus.  Don't drink sodas or coffee, go with the tea.  Well you should not be drinking soda at all! That is an entire different post.

What about carbs? Well we know that unless we are training our butts off and burning a ton of calories, then normally carbs are something we don't really want alot of .  However, eating carbs can stimulate the release of serotonin, you know, the "feel-good" brain chemical.  Opt for the whole grains like quinoa and oatmeal, these will have more fiber and nutrients than refined.

Oh the dark chocolate....where do I start and how can we go wrong? This beautiful food can help reduce the levels of cortisol and catecholamines (the hormones associated with stress) and this is even more so for those with high anxiety. You don't need to tell me twice. Of course the darker the chocolate, the healthier.  However, though stress relieving, it can also put on the weight if we take advantage of it.  So go easy but keep it in the fridge.

Of course there are many stress relievers that are good for us, exercise, working out , sex, laughter,crying.  But I thought I would share these tips from Eating Well. 

Simple Fontina Spinach-Stuffed Chicken

It's pretty much Summer and time for really light meals. We don't have the new grill up yet, however we can still get creative in a warm weather way with cooking indoors.  I want to devote more time to this blog, but with days busy with other activities, well it seems to be difficult.  I tend to feel guilty being on a computer during the nice days instead of playing with the kids, even though they are not lacking in the attention area from us.
I really love when my hubby is home from work and we can plan out a "date" dinner.  Those are my most fav meals.  This Fontina Chicken is one we had last night.

Serve for 4 Peeps

Chicken Breast, boned and skinless 4
Fontina Cheese
Granulated Garlic
Fresh Spinach Leaves (if you are not able to get good fresh produce) go with the frozen spinach but defrost first
Green Scallions
Rice (white or brown)
Low Sodium Veggie Broth
EVOO

Pound the chicken out, place in between Saran wrap to keep mess minimal
Sprinkle sea salt and ground pepper and add two slices of Fontina cheese and about 8 spinach leaves *NOTE* this is for each breast
Roll the breast and turn left side, then right side and place fold down on foil in baking dish, drizzle EVOO over the top and sprinkle with fav seasonings.

Bake for about 20 mins at 350 degrees OR until the center of the breast is 165 degrees. Serve with rice.

Cook rice in low sodium veggie broth OR chicken broth and add sliced green scallions after cooked for color and flavor. Add some sauteed or steamed veggies for a side or not, this was just filling enough without feeling super full.

Chicken Thigh Sloppy Joes....Yes You Read That Right

Okay Sloppy Joes, a standard fav in most households right?  Super easy, you can make a mess and get away with it, mom does not need to think about dinner because most of the Sloppy Joes are made from cooking up some ground beef and opening a "can" (yikes) of some kind of tasty sauce that when we were younger and growing up thought it was the best stuff ever.  Never thinking about what was really in it.  Well why can't we have sloppy joes in a somewhat more healthier and maybe "cooler", "hipper" version?

I have been thinking on this for a while, but just kept putting it off until the other day when my kids where talking abou them and I knew we had a busy schedule that night.  Go with me on this, trust me, if I can get my hubby to eat these (yes I got the eye roll when he got home from work), then I really have complete confidence you will be able to pass these off to the family.

If you have been reading my blog posts and following along with me on Fitnessmom, then you know I don't measure and I hate to (which is why you won't find any baking recipes coming from me). 

Boneless Chicken thighs (hence the title of the Blog)
One can of cream of celery soup mix
Once can of stewed tomatoes
One can of pinto beans
Ground pepper
Paprika
Granulated garlic
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

*NOTE*  AS always I use the lowest form of sodium ingredients possible, also watch and look at the sugar content and count in food items.  If I were to add a bit of salt, I would just use a pinch of Sea Salt.
Add all ingredient to the slow cooker BEFORE adding the chicken.  Add 1/2 cup of water to the cream of celery soup mix OR 1/2 cup of low sodium chicken broth.  Whisk all together then add your chicken and set to cook for about 4 hours.  When done, just pull apart chicken with 2 forks.

For the recipe here, we used Whole Wheat buns for the kids.  You are thinking well isn't the entire point of a Sloppy Joe is to have a bun?  Yes, so using just half on one would be better (if really concerned about cals and carbs) a fork helps also.  :) 

Just throw together a simple salad for the side and done.  The meal looks heavier than it is.  And the good thing about this, you are not still starving after so you are not wanting to "snack" later that night.

The kids loved them, and the hubby.....well he apologized for the "eye rolling" and enjoyed them very much.

Healthy and Clean Cinco DeMayo

A Cinco De Mayo meal made healthy...

Fresh is the key to this dinner, no canned sauces, no re-fried beans, nothing heavy.  You can have seconds with this meal. 

Chicken Fajitas -

Start with sliced red onions (julian)
sliced onions (julian)
sliced green bell pepper (julian)
sliced chicken breasts (thin)
sea salt
ground pepper
paprika
granulated garlic
ground cumin
ground cinnamon
EVOO

Sautee all veggies until cooked but still firm, add seasons, add chicken.  Continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked, mix and let simmer for 5 minutes.  *NOTE* if you do not have the seasons needed you can use enchilada sauce and add when 1/2 cooked.  Serve the fajitia mixture in soft white corn tortialla (double layering is preferred to keep from ripping apart.

Pinto beans on the side are the healthiest choice over re-fried.  Cook up some rice if desired.  Place some sour cream (low-fat) and homemade quacamole out for extra yummies.

Homemade chips top off the meal.  A pitcher of iced lime/lemon water on the table and you are good to go. 

Dinner by Faith....

Nothing pleases me more than preparing wholesome, fresh food at home.  It is even better when the kids get involved.  Turkey burgers made by Faith tonight. 

Ingredients
Lean ground turkey
1/2 zuch
1/2 yellow squash
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 carrot
Plain bread crumbs
1 egg
Sea salt
Ground Pepper
EVOO
Black Beans
Whole wheat/grain buns (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Add ground turkey, egg and bread crumbs in a bowl.  Cut veggies and place in food processor with a dash of EVOO and a splash of water.  Blend, remove and add to the turkey mixture.  Rinse black beans then add handful to food processor and blend.  Also remove and add to turkey mixture.  Knead all ingredients together and shape burger patties.

Saute the extra veggies with EVOO to and dash of seal salt and pepper.  Use as topping for your burger.

Add burgers to pan with oil just to sear both sides, then remove and place in baking dish and bake for about 20-30, until thoroughly cooked.  You can either use the whole grain bun OR just do a plain burger.  We have been doing so well lately with our meals that tonight we treated ourselves to the whole grain bun.  Top the burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, etc. and enjoy.

No side dish was needed for this meal tonight, as it had everything in it.  The kids ate it up and Faith did a wonderful job. 

Wine Country Lasagne...Fitnessmom Way

Normally lasagna is full of meat and cheese.  Well, in this house that is not the case.  Personally I hate eating lasagna with meat and and too much cheese is not appealing to me.  So I usually make veggie lasagna, which of course goes over real well with the hubby and kids.  Most of the time I do big chunks of veggies that you get in almost every bite, but the kids tend to fork it apart and dissect it.  Then it came to me.  Yes, I had figured it out!  I was going to create the Winecountry Lasagna "Fitnessmom way".

Prep time is about 1/2 hour
Ingredients:
Cauliflower (did you think I wouldn't)?
Broccoli
Zuchs
Yellow Squash
Yellow onion
Mushrooms
Raw Garlic
Red Wine (hence the Winecountry name)
EVOO
Sea Salt (if you are wanting to add)
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Salt Free All Purpose Seasoning
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Of course lasagna noodles

As you know, if you have been following me....I don't measure, so this is all done by your own personal preference. 




Cut the cauliflower and place in a baking dish and drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with garlic powder (garlic salt will add too much sodium to the recipe).  Bake the cauliflower for 30 min at 350 degrees.  While this is baking, take the broccoli, zuchs, yellow squash, onion and raw garlic, cut up and saute in EVOO and sprinkle with salt free all purpose seasoning and pepper.  Now here is where the red wine comes in, (I just use some from an open bottle on the counter) pour some into the saute pan with the veggies (again at your own preference) take a glass out of the wine cupboard and pour one for yourself. 

Let the veggies cook up until somewhat soft, then remove from pan and pour into a bowl, set aside.  Cut up the mushrooms and saute them in the same pan with the leftover flavors, adding a tad more EVOO if needed.  Remove cauliflower from oven and add to the veggie bowl, (again, set aside).  This is a great time to start boiling your noodles.  Drink your glass of wine.  Once the veggies have somewhat cooled, place them in your food processor.  I had quite a few so I had to do this about 3 separate times.  Remember to add a bit of water so as to blend well.  Add the blended veggies to the saute pan with the mushrooms until you have blended all of them. 

I am not an "Italian" gal, so no homemade sauces coming from me (not yet anyway) so the jar will have to do.  Add your tomato sauce to your blended veggies in the pan and fold together and heat.  At this point the noodles are done and rinsed, start layering them in your baking dish.  Then spoon in the veggie mixture combined with the sauce.  Spoon on ricotta cheese, then grate some mozz.  Repeat this layering process two more times (depending how much you make and how high you want to go). 

Place in pre-heated oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour.  The fun part is taking the left over noodles and spooning up the extra sauce from the pan with them, the kids and I love to do that.  

Success! Lasagna Fitnessmom way, with a twist of winecountry.  The kids ate it up and my hubby had two helpings.  Doing the veggies blended like this really made more of a "meaty" type of meal without the meat.  By the way, this dish make great leftovers.....:)

 

Mandarin Chicken at home..

Okay, so who does NOT like ordering their fav takeout from the fav Chinese place? Well we love to every so often when that "craving" kicks in.  However, you start to think about all the sauce, sodium and oils.  I know our kids love Mandarin Orange chicken and they like to eat if often enough that I had to come up with a version I could do at  home.  Hopefully a tad healthier and more cost effective. 

After searching for some time, I stumbbled upon one, only it added alot of sugar.  So I took it and made it more my own and modified.  Here we go.

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
1 cup cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

4 tbs ketchup (also has sugar)
1/4 cup seasoned Rice vinegar (now 1tbls of this has 5 sugar grams) so using 1/4 cup OR even 1/2 cup is adding your sugar count
1 tbs soy sauce (this is where your sodium count comes in) So go low Sodium
1 tsp granulated garlic

* NOTE * With the ingredients already carrying their own sugar and sodium count...There is NO need to add any extra added sugar or salt to this recipe...

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for 1/2 hour and during the baking process you should turn the chicken once.

Caribbean Shrimp...Our way

Was in the mood for Shrimp, the grill is put away for the winter so I asked the hubby to please make something in the kitchen.  Here is Caribbean Shrimp, done Fitnessmom way. 

71-90 count raw shrimp peeled and de-vained
Yellow bell pepper
Red bell pepper
Red onion
Green onion

Sliced fresh garlic
Left over homemade salsa - Recipe
Kiwi
Mango
Cilantro
Chili powder
Kosher salt
1/2 Serrano diced pepper

Saute all the veggies in EVOO then add the shrimp and cook until pink.  Add the salsa to the mix and fold all together.  Serve over rice.  

*NOTE* Cooking your rice in low sodium Veggie Broth makes for extra flavor.  Again, I don't measure, so make your own adjustments with this and enjoy.  Great meal to share with friends.