I know you are bombarded on a daily basis regarding eating healthy.  I have found out myself how important this is, and wanted to share some personal experiences.

If you can’t pronounce it don’t eat it.

This is the exact reason why my kids refuse to pronounce “brussel sprouts” correctly.  Seriously, the more ‘whole foods’ you eat, the better you will feel.  I tell my children all the time the fewer preservatives they consume, the better.  Think about it too, do you really want to eat a meal out of a box that has been sitting on a grocery store shelf for who knows how long?  This sounds weird, but I’d rather eat something fresh that I know will eventually go bad.

Drink water.

Like many of you, I was a soda drinker, a juice drinker, a tea drinker, an anything-but-water drinker for a long time.  A while back I switched and for one whole week I only drank water throughout the day (plus two cups of coffee each morning – not giving that up!).  I was able to stay awake later at night, didn’t get my 3pm drowsy feeling, and felt better all around.  The following week (without thinking) I had soda and juice one day, and only half the amount of water I was consuming.  The next day felt like the day after a 21st birthday; I had a horrible headache from dehydration and just felt crummy all day long.  Since then, I make sure to drink my water each day.

Eat a little bit of everything.

Much like “enjoy in moderation”.  When I don’t eat protein for a while, my body craves it.  When I don’t drink enough water, I can tell.  The great thing about this suggestion is that it includes things such as chocolate.  Notice the word LITTLE though – a ‘little’ bit of everything.  Not the entire box of chocolate, just a little bit.

Eat a little more fruits and vegetables.

One summer session of college I took a nutrition class.  While in that class I thought I’d run a little experiment on myself.  For the length of the session, I only drank water (didn’t have my coffee addiction yet).  I ate whole grain rice, ate small servings of chicken or fish every few days (not every day) and consumed mostly fruits and vegetables.   I was in wonderful shape and felt great the entire summer (not to mention the 20 pounds I lost).  Your body loves fruits and vegetables, so love your body back and eat them more often.

Don’t eat fast food.  Ever.

If you haven’t seen pictures of what chicken nuggets actually look like before they’re breaded and fried to a beautiful golden brown, google it.  Watch the documentaries.  Hop on YouTube.  You will not want to eat fast food ever again.  That same summer session I spoke of above I completely eliminated fast food from my diet (which in college is pretty impressive).  The following fall, I ran through a drive thru and grabbed a quick bite.  I ate half the meal and felt sick for the next day and a half.  Once you stop eating it, you won’t be able to eat it anymore.

Don’t beat yourself up.

There are days when I sit down with an enormous bowl of ice cream smothered in caramel and hot fudge.  I love pizza and french fries as much as the next person.  When I eat that stuff, I don’t feel guilty.  I don’t beat myself up.  I eat it, enjoy every bite, drink a big glass of water, and go for a walk.

What you eat is based upon habits you’ve formed, so you’re breaking habits which can take a long time and sometimes be frustrating!  Take it slow, make one change at a time, replace a bad habit with a good one, and before you know it you’re body will thank you for it.

Naturally I was thrilled when I tried these at my in-laws home.  My mother-in-law graciously offered the recipe and I was thrilled at how quick and easy they were!  Of course, I made a few modifications of my own, and you should feel free to do the same!

Original Recipe from Taste of Home

Inspired both by recipes I had seen floating around the internet and by an appetizer we often order at an Irish Pub/Restaurant we have been to, I worked up this tasty appetizer.  I ended up making it twice in one week.

Today is no different, especially since everyone in our family loves Mexican.  If you want to join in the food festivities of this holiday but aren’t sure what to make, I’ve put together a list of my favorites!

Yes, I realize Chicken with Corn and Black Beans is on there twice.  One is a crockpot dish, one is an oven dish.

In all reality, my favorite quick and easy Mexican dish?  The Salsa Chicken simplified.  Throw some chicken breasts in the crockpot.  Cover with a jar of salsa.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve however you’d like.  A 2 ingredient, 2 minute meal.  Love it.

These are fun too, if you’re having a Cinco de Mayo party.  Put your layered taco appetizer in clear plastic single serving size cups.  I layer meat mixture (sometimes adding refried beans to it), sour cream mixed with taco sauce, cheese, lettuce, salsa, and a jalapeno.  Double dipping allowed since you have your own little serving!

Whatever you decide to make, have a great Cinco de Mayo!

Believe it or not, I had never actually made a blackened fish recipe before.  After the first bite, however, my husband immediately told me that this had to go into my arsenal of dinner recipes and our normal dinner rotation.  After my first bite, I quickly agreed.

Last year on our first Farmer’s Market trip our daughter (who is normally a night owl and NOT a morning person) woke us up at 4:30am, dressed and ready to go.  We begged her for a bit more sleep, and after that we were up and driving.  I think it wonderful that she loves it for many of the same reasons we do; the sights, the sounds, the smells, the fresh vegetables, the cheese curds, and simply the experience and family time we get too.

In addition, we do let her have a giant cookie for breakfast, so that’s probably another reason she loves the Farmer’s Market trips.  

Our Farmer’s Market has been voted as one of America’s top Farmer’s Market in numerous different magazines, websites, and polls.  I would definitely agree; there is none like it around.  The variety and sheer number of vendors, the setting, everything about it is wonderful.

Of course, what we like the most is dinner the night after we visit the Farmer’s Market.  Most often is begins with our Grilled Veggie Salad, all veggies having been purchased that morning.  Yum – I can’t wait!  Our Market opened up last Saturday but we had previous plans, so I’m excited for our first Farmer’s Market trip of the year.

And, of course, the food that comes out of it.

But mostly I would think they’ll remember their role in cooking, baking, or sitting at the breakfast bar watching, tasting, and sampling.  My husband basically designed our house around our kitchen.  There are other key elements in our house as well (like the theater room downstairs and the beautiful front porch) but knowing that I love to cook and we hang out a lot in our kitchen cooking and baking together, he made the kitchen the focal point in our home.

I’m so glad he did.

Sure enough, other than sleeping, we’re in our kitchen most of the time we’re at home.  Cooking together, baking together, or just spending time as a family.

It’s not that food is so important in our house, it’s what surrounds the food.  Family, friends, laughs, stories – time spent enjoying each other.  This is especially true on birthdays.

My youngest recently turned seven.  Each of our kids get to choose what type of cake they get for their birthday (though that’s always the same) and what they get for dinner.  This year, she picked Mexican and Carrot cake, with a Disney Tangled theme.

Mexican?  Easy.  I put 4-5 chicken breasts in my crockpot, covered them with a can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, 1/2 cup salsa, and about 1-2 tsp of garlic powder and cumin and cooked on low for 8 hours.  We sauteed peppers, mushrooms, and onions and kept them warm in the oven.  The Zesty Fish Tacos didn’t survive to be leftovers (those are a huge hit in our family).  I did the usual ground beef with taco mix.  I also had a platter with sour cream, two kinds of cheese, chopped green onions, and sliced jalapenos.  Oh!  Can’t forget the chips and salsa, as well as choice of hard or soft shells.  This spread, although there’s a lot to it, was great because everyone could make their own taco, fajita, taco salad – whatever they want!

Tangled?  No problem – plates, napkins, balloons.  We used a frying pan instead of a baseball bat for the pinata.  But the cake?  This could be interesting.

So, I went scouring online and found hundreds of ideas!  The number one choice seemed to be the tower, but in all honestly that scared me a bit.  But, I settled on a sheet cake with a small tower (made from Babycakes cupcakes).  I made the carrot cake and began to construct it, my husband came in with ingenuity to complete the tower construction, and my oldest went wild with decorating.

The tower is constructed of 5 mini cupcakes as the base.  I stuck a wooden dowel through the base and piled mini cupcakes all the way up, using cream cheese frosting as glue.  We let that set overnight, and then my daughter decorated it the next day.  Nothing is proportionate, but we didn’t care.  Not bad for amateurs!

Best part?  For leftovers I’ve had taco salad, a soft shell taco, and will probably make Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I love it when leftovers can be transformed into many different dishes.

Nope, I take that back.  The truly best part?  The hours before the party, getting the food and the cake ready, spending that time with my family.

Original Recipe is posted on Knorr

Honestly, I don’t think she can be in the kitchen for more than an hour without getting that urge to bake something.  Since my baking urge only comes about once a year around the holidays, it works out well.

I lost my baking urge a while ago.  I had it when I was a kid, always making cookies and attempting to make fudge (which failed miserably until I found this fudge recipe).  My favorite cookies are Peanut Butter.  I love Chocolate Chip cookies too.  And Oatmeal!  Okay, my three favorite cookies are Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal.  So imagine my delight when I found these – Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.  YUM.  I found Averie on Pinterest, where her pictures are good enough to eat.  The recipes are even better.

When I showed these to my oldest daughter, she didn’t even speak and ran straight to the oven to preheat it.  A bit later she came into my office with a mixing bowl and spatula in her hand and said, “Natalie, remember when we were talking about making Trail Mix Cookies?  I could easily add some things to this and make it work.”

Voila!  Granted, her pictures are way better than mine.  I’m still learning!  But here’s what you really want – the recipe!

Take Averie’s Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.  Add 1/4 cup raisins, 2-3 tbsp chopped peanuts, and 1/3 cup M&Ms.  I think in our next batch we might add craisins too.  That’s the beauty of trail mix and these cookies – add whatever sounds good.