Around my house, we don't love the idea of being scared or watching scary movies, but we do love dressing up and being silly around Halloween. We are satisfied with cute little ghosts and pretend mummies - we want to steer clear of any potential nightmare situations (parents included). With the lighter side of the holiday in mind, I came up with a few harmless breakfast ideas to serve up to the kids. Much better than candy for breakfast, right? All the directions for these Halloween morning … [Read more...]
Easy Meal Ideas Using Fall Produce
Fall produce: it's not all pumpkins and apple, folks. There's a lot more to choose from come harvest time. Check out this list of goodies you'll start to see at your market in the next few weeks (if not already!): VegetablesBroccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celery root, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, kohlrabi, leafy greens, mushrooms, pumpkin, winter squash (acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata), sweet potatoes, yamsFruitsApples, cranberries, dates, figs, grapes, … [Read more...]
A Month’s Worth of Healthy Family Snacking
Afternoons can be a busy time for parents. We get the kids in the door after school or practice and just as we start to think about preparing dinner, we hear those little voices asking for a snack. Active kids require almost constant fuel. Having healthy snack ingredients handy can keep them from lashing out or melting down. I’ve pulled together 18 easy snack ideas for you - half are savory and half are sweet. That’s about a month’s worth of after-school snacks for you and your family. … [Read more...]
MEGA Round Up of School Lunches (for Everyone!)
School is back. The thought alone is overwhelming for most of us. (Myself included, and I don't even have any kids in school!) Thankfully, the entire blogosphere is here to prepare us and keep us from mountains of school-related stress. I've combed through tons of blog posts to bring you this GIANT round up of school lunch ideas. There are literally THOUSANDS of lunch ideas in the links below. Can you handle it? We've got your simple lunches, your non-sandwich lunches, your … [Read more...]
16 Mouth-Watering Summer Fruit Recipes
Fresh summer fruit season comes and goes so quickly. It seems like just yesterday I was seeing the first watermelons in stores, and here we are in August already. That means the summer crop is ending and the autumn produce isn't far behind. Let's take advantage of the summer bounty while we can and get as much fruit as possible into our days! I'm talking watermelon, peaches, cherries - the works.As if the taste wasn't incentive enough, some quick health benefits on your favorite summer … [Read more...]
Patriotic Pancake Stacks: A Fourth of July Breakfast
Where has summer gone? I know it only officially started a few days ago but I'm already feeling like it's half over. Admittedly, this is probably because the second half of our summer is jam-packed with travel and moving plans. So the leisurely, "lets just chill and not plan anything more than a 30 minute swim lesson every day", part of summer feels like it's rapidly disappearing. Never-the-less, we still have a few quintessential summer milestone to go. Not the least of which is the 4th of … [Read more...]
Four Summer Drinks for Tired Mamas
Today Natalie's got four of our favorite summer drink recipes - perfect for capping off a hot and a busy day. Pick you4 favorite and invite your friends over for a BBQ this weekend!Summertime is full of fun for the kiddies, but us mamas need a little bit of fun, too, don't you think? Like a fruity drink for relaxation after a long, hot day of chasing the kids around. It can get truly tiring and the grownups need some refreshment after a hard day's work! I'm sharing a few recipes today that … [Read more...]
Fresh Ideas for Summer Lunching
You know why I love having a team here on MPMK? Because it allows me to cover topics I'm interested in but, frankly, are out of my wheelhouse. This post, for example, came together like so... Natalie: Any ideas for my next post? Me: It's getting on that time of year when Moms are spending lunchtime at the park. Any ideas for creative, healthy, and portable meals? Natalie: I'm on it. And then, boom!, a few days later the following post arrives and I'm totally blown away (and also … [Read more...]
Getting Kids in the Kitchen with Dad
Natalie's with us today sharing her favorite tasty treats that Dad and the kiddos can tackle together for Mother's Day. Forward it to your hubby or, better yet, to your best mom friend's hubby! QUESTION OF THE DAY How do you celebrate Mother's Day? With your mom, with your own nuclear family, or do you split your time?Mother's Day is around the corner again, and what a funny little holiday it is. As a mom, I'm used to taking care of holiday preparations and making the days feel … [Read more...]