Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in kansas city, KS

Eating on the run.

by Jenny Meade

April 27, 2009

I like to eat - but I've never been a great cook.  I don't really like to cook. (Now, baking? That's another story.) Plus I have a couple of picky eaters, so it just never seemed logical to waste time and energy on Food Network-worthy meals when nobody but me would even eat them. (They prefer white or yellow foods, no sauce.)  But for the sake of time and money, I've always tried to have a stash of basic that I could cook quickly that are cheap and easy and will be inhaled by my picky boys. We eat a lot of basic pasta dishes, raw carrots, and fresh fruit. They drink milk, and eat yogurt.  So, not too bad, overall.

But. BUT. This week marks the first time in our lives that we have so many activities to get to in the evenings that I have no idea how I'm going to cook a decent meal for my family even one night a week.  For the month of May, where we have soccer overlapping baseball and swimming lessons and scouts, I will be in the car driving, dropping off or picking up someone, from somewhere, 4 nights per week. 

I have no idea how this happened. I'm slackermommy, remember?  Dude, I'm in trouble.  So, I've started having conversations with my friends who have weathered this heavy activity stage, and received a couple of good suggestions.

• Uncrustables peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I normally don't like to buy these, it pains me to spend that kind of money in pre-made pb&j sandwiches.  But one friend I have swears by them. Because they are frozen, you can take them with you the car, and as you pick up or drop off another kid, just throw 'em toward the back of the car as they thaw out.  I suppose if you had a lot of time on Sunday you could make a bunch of pb&j sandwiches and freeze them in baggies, and do the same thing.
• Yogurt smoothies. Right now Costco has Lifeway Kefir Smoothies in 8 packs.  Since my kids do like drinkable yogurts I know I can get these down them, and these babies have from 8-11 grams of protein per 8oz. bottle. Can't beat that for running into sports practice with some quick fuel.  You can do yogurt in cups with spoons, too, but those carry a bigger drop/spill risk. 
• Bananas. I'm a little weird about bananas, personally. They only have one good day as far as I'm concerned - the day there is no green left at the ends, and no brown spots have appeared.  I know, I birthed picky kids for a reason. But anyway, maybe your house is less picky, so then bananas are a great "perfect food." Bananas may have a minimal amount of protein, but they do have a good carb load and lots of potassium, which does help those little muscles.
• Chocolate milk smoothies. Slimfast makes powered smoothie mix in many flavors. I know, my kids aren't on a diet, but you don't have to view Slimfast as a diet item if it's used as a supplement instead of meal replacement.  If you add 8oz. of 2% milk to a scoop of Slimfast powder, you get 8 grams of protein and a good mix of vitamins and minerals, instead of just adding chocolate syrup. 

My plan to get through this month is to keep a cooler in the car, I think, stocked with water, fresh fruit, smoothies and pb&js. That way I can avoid the drive-thrus as much as possible. If I can ignore the cries and begging for Taco Bell/Pizza Hut coming from behind my seat, that is.

Going natural vs. going all-the-way organic.

by Jenny Meade

April 14, 2009

There wasn't much conversation about going organic back in 2000 when I had my first baby.  But in 2004 we moved to California, and by then the trend toward organic was in full swing, at least at there.  And by the time we moved back to the Midwest two years later, organic was all the rage here, too.  It's hard now to read a parenting magazine online or anywhere that doesn't have some sort category for organic foods.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.  But sometimes, what's good in theory is harder in real life, especially when you have really picky eaters, not to mention a limited budget. 

 Aimee in Denver has a guest post today about going organic, and has some great tips.  But here's a tip from my point of view - sometimes focusing on the "natural" vs. "organic" can be just as good, and usually easier to achieve.  So in the name of baby steps, here's some ideas:

• The easiest way to start with organics is with fresh produce. You can make the trip to your local Saturday morning farmer's market (fun for the kids!) or just focus on the organic produce side of the aisle in your supermarket. Fresh fruits and vegetables that would normally absorb pesticides easily are a great place to start - things like strawberries, peaches and bell peppers. But watch out, because organic produce tends to not last as long as non-organic produce, a little side-problem of having no chemicals being sprayed on them. And in these cases, even though it's more expensive, you're better off to buy smaller packages that you can use before they go bad.

• Costco Milk - Costco's Kirkland Signature brand milk is hormone free, without the certification of organic.   While there has been no proof that cows injected with growth hormones are dangerous in any way, if you're simply trying to hold down the number of chemicals in the food you eat, this is a good start. Most grocery store brands now provide a milk that is RBST free as an alternative, but at Costco, it costs about half as much.
• Newman's Own products - Paul Newman started Newman's Own food company as a charity organization, with salad dressings, and focused on all-natural ingredients.  They started a separate company in 1993 for Newman's Own Organics, but nonetheless, the original line still makes an effort to use natural ingredients that are more widely available. 
• Walmart has a line of organic goods that are pretty easy on the pocketbook.  Love 'em or hate 'em, Walmart knows how to provide their customers with what they want, and organic foods are on everybody's radar these days.

However you choose to manage your shopping, the one thing none of us need is more stress when making shopping decisions for our families. So remember, you can always start with really baby-steps, and just go for the organic chocolate.

Creating in the kitchen - Gifts in a jar

by Jenny Meade

November 26, 2008

Now that your kids are home from school and preschool for the rest of the week, and seeing as how you have all that Thanksgiving prep and cooking to do, you're going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. And the kids are going to be underfoot and wanting to help mommy with her tasks. So why not set aside a space where they can help you get a leg up on some holiday gift giving. Gifts  Read more...

No Campfire? Grill Those S'mores.

by Rita Arens

July 29, 2008

To me, summer = melted chocolate and marshmellows. Normally, I hate marshmellows, particularly in the form of Peeps. (Die, Peeps, die.) However, S'mores take me back to Bar-L Ranch horse camp in Iowa. Ah, the mosquitos and ghost stories and eighth-grade boys threatening to attack in the middle of the night and steal the girls' sheets. If only life could be that simple again. Adults don't get  Read more...