Snow Day Activities For Young Kids

We are officially snowed in! YEP! Thanks a lot Jonas! But we are loving every minute of it. We are trying out some fun snowed in activities to keep the kids occupied and happy, without going over our allotted tablet/tv time. That means getting a little creative. So here are some fun activities we are trying out!

Schedule a Neighborhood Play Date
Go out when everyone is out. We had a fun time sledding in our neighbors yard yesterday with quite a few neighbors we haven't seen in awhile! Mason was quite upset when it was time to say good-bye. That just means he had so much fun! 

Whip up Snow Cones
After playing in the snow with the kids, gather up clean, freshly fallen snow and bring it inside. Divide it into cups and pour lemon juice and a little sugar or some fruit juice over each and you and the kids can enjoy some healthy homemade snow cones. For an even more fun recipe click here.

Build a Living Room Campsite
Kids love when their parents flip normal household routines upside down. Creating a campsite in the living room is the perfect way to take them by surprise! Turn out the lights, wear PJs, bust out the sleeping bags or fun blankets and sit around telling stories. If you don't have a tent, be creative and build a fort using blankets, couch cushions and pillows. Oh and stock up on some marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers for snow day s'mores.

Craft an Indoor Snowman
You don't always have to freeze outside to build a snowman -- be creative and make one using marshmallows, or cotton balls. Outline a snowman on construction paper and trace glue around each circle. Place mini marshmallows or cotton balls onto the glue. Add details with other materials from around the house. Grab scraps of felt for his hat or yarn for his scarf and color in his face with markers or dried food products. When he's dry, the kids can name and hang him up in the house. 

Snow themed Coloring Books
Have a grandparent in another part of the country. Have the kids color snow-themed coloring pages and mail them to the grandparents to let them know that you were thinking of them on your snowy days! Google free printable coloring pages for TONS of options! 

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9 Tips To Transitioning Your Family To Clean Eating

Often times it is us mom's who want to change our diet. What is that old saying, when mom is on a diet, we all are! So true. But here is the thing. I remember always fussing and complaining about the change of foods growing up. So here are my 9 tips to help transition your family into eating a more healthy clean diet. 

1) Start slow if you need to. Rather than trying to make a big change all at once or eliminating all their favorite foods, start by adding in the healthy stuff. Before you know it, some of the unhealthy choices are being crowded out. 

2) Make changes to the meals you already enjoy. Clean eating doesn’t mean you can never eat things your kids love like pizza and spaghetti.  Just make healthy swaps. Whole grain pita for the crust, low sugar pizza sauce (or make your own) and loads of veggies.  My kids love spaghetti, so I use whole wheat or brown rice noodles and sauce without added sugar.  Is it completely clean? No, but remember the 80/20 rule. 

3) Encourage your kids to add a fruit or vegetable to every meal. I find if I let them pick something out at the grocery store, they are excited about eating it.  

4) Meal prep on the weekend for the upcoming week. I try to cook a large batch of chicken breasts for the upcoming week in the crockpot, then shred and freeze it.  I am going to start pre-cook lean hamburger and ground turkey. We love Mexican food, so I often cook salsa chicken or baked chicken fajitas so we have meat ready to add to tacos, burritos, salads, etc. I make oatmeal and a large baked omelet so there are healthy breakfast options available to reheat. 

  

5) Add extra veggies to everything. Casseroles are easy to sneak them in, but you can also add them to most sauces, smoothies, meatloaf, etc. 

  

6) To save money, buy things in bulk. Also, since meat is expensive, I often replace half the meat in a recipe with quinoa. It’s still high protein and makes your grocery budget stretch further.  

7) Don’t fall into the trap of making one meal for your family and a separate clean meal for you. I often add something to the meal that I know my family will like even if it’s something I may not eat.  

  

8) Educate yourself and your family as you make these changes so you know WHY you’re doing it. Help them see it’s not just “another new diet,” but a lifelong plan to keep them strong and healthy.  

9) Most important of all. Don’t stress. You’ll get the hang of it, and soon you’ll be surprised how much your family loves it.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

6 Tips To Eat Clean While Eating Out

Here are my tips to eating clean while eating out! It can be so hard,and so tempting to just eat what you want, why not! You are eating out, and we only do that every now and then. So when you are going out, here are my 6 tips to keep me on point for the day! 

1) Find local restaurants that have healthier options. Farm to table restaurants are amazing!

2) It is ok to ask what is used to prepare a meal or what ingredients are used

3) Look online to view menu options and nutritional information and plan ahead

4) Pay attention to portions. Don’t be afraid to eat half of your meal and take the rest home for lunch

5) Ask for healthier options. Most restaurants will be happy to cater to your needs

6) Eat a salad before your main meal, but be cautious of unhealthy dressings. Oil and vinegar dressings are usually a safe bet.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free daily advice, support, motivation, encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Are you following my INSTAGRAM yet? Check out my stories and feed to see how I fit a healthy lifestyle into my busy mom life!

Clean Eating Does Not Have To Be Expensive!

The biggest complaint I have about someone starting to eat clean or organic is: But Isn’t It Expensive?

Eating real whole foods does not have to be expensive! You buy what you can eat and not more. And you make the intention that you ARE going to eat what you buy. I can easily get a haul of fresh fruit and veggies at a really low cost. Shop at smaller stores, like Trader Joe’s. Or go to Costco and freeze what you don't eat in the week. I often hear the excuse that eating healthy is expensive. I do keep some thing at the house to always have and to munch on or use for meals (such as beans $.80/can — chicken breast ~$2/lb — brown rice ~$3/bag — quinoa ~$3/bag — frozen veggies and fruit ~$2/bag) and this stuff normally lasts a while.

Here are a few tips to help keep the cost lower when making that change to buying organic or "clean foods":

• Keep it super simple
• Make a plan
• Buy ingredients that can be used multiple times
• Stock up on staples
• Make your own dressings
• Season and prepare your own food
• Stick to the outer perimeter of the store
• Freeze portions to prevent waste. Freeze fruit and veggies too!
• Try new things
• Drink water…it costs way less than sugary beverages
•  Decide where you will spend the extra money on organic foods. Organic milk, grass fed meats, organic eggs, or organic produce.
• Not everything has to be organic, but generally for produce, if it has a soft exterior it should be organic.

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Always Read The Ingredients List

I attended a couple of discussions this past weekend about health and wellness. One thing is very clear. DO NOT GET ALL CAUGHT UP WITH THE FRONT OF BOXES AND SUCH! One of the most overwhelming things out there is going to the store and looking at foods that say, "Whole grains!" "LOW FAT!" "HEALTHY" These are all marketing strategies used to get you to buy what might look healthy on the front. Which is exactly why cereal companies and "health foods" spend so much on on marketing. 

I get it. Eating healthy, or organic foods is more expensive. But here is one thing you can do in the grocery store on a tight budget to ensure that you are getting the best food for you and your family! 

Read The Ingredients, not just the nutrition facts but the INGREDIENTS! 

The ingredients are the most important thing you need to know about your food. Big companies spend MILLION of dollars to advertise their products to you, and there is a lot of false advertising going on! Skip to the labels, calories and nutrition facts and go straight there. No of that matters if you are putting harmful materials into your body. 

Here are my two biggest tips: 

If you don’t recognize it or can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it!

Try to stick to food that is in its whole state (ex. fruit/vegetables) or food that has just a few ingredients. Make sure they are ingredients you recognize.

Which one would you choose? 

Avoid anything that is labeled low-fat, fat-free, or diet!

When the fat is taken out of food it becomes “bland” so most fat free, low fat or reduced fat foods are filled with processed fillers, chemicals, or artificial flavors to replace it. These can be harmful to the body.

Take the time to read the ingredients. The more you do it the more familiar you will get with it and it will become easier. Boxed foods are the biggest culprit so make sure to look closely and carefully! 

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!