Sippy Cup Heaven

Baby A does not take a bottle to fall asleep, and she does not seem deathly attached to it, so we decided to begin the switch to sippy cups. She's been drinking water from sippies for the last few months and does pretty well with them, except some leaking (from her mouth, not from the cup!).

Last weekend, starting with the first drink of the day, we used a sippy instead of a bottle.  One week later, we are still going strong. We use a variety of brands, including Explora- our new and current favorite!

 

They're about $4 and last week were on sale at Babies R Us for buy one get one half off-awesome huh?  I love the trendy pictures, the handle grips and the soft spout!

Make Your Own: Slow Cooker Minestrone

Healthy, yummy and wow, barely any calories!

Slow Cooker Vegetable Minestrone

Colorful Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain carotenoids, plant pigments that color them red. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help protect cells from damage.

Savor a veggie-packed slow-cooked hearty Italian soup. From eatbetteramerica.

Prep Time:15 min

Start to Finish:7 hr 35 min

makes:12 servings

4	cups vegetable broth or 1 carton (32 oz) Progresso® chicken broth
4	cups tomato juice
1	tablespoon dried basil leaves
1	teaspoon salt
1/2	teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4	teaspoon pepper
2	medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
2	medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)
1	medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1	cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 oz)
2	garlic cloves, finely chopped
1	can (28 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2	cups uncooked rotini pasta (4 1/2 oz)
	Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired

1.	In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except pasta and cheese.
2.	Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
3.	Stir in pasta. Cover; cook on High heat setting 15 to 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 90 (Calories from Fat 0); Total Fat 0g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 850mg; Total Carbohydrate 18g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 6g); Protein 3g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 45%; Vitamin C 20%; Calcium 4%; Iron 10% Exchanges: 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 2 Vegetable Carbohydrate Choices: 1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Au revoir, baby food!

Last weekend, we packed up all the baby food we bought and never used and sent it to a family member that has a new baby.  While I felt badly that we wasted the money, I was happy to see it go! We had bought blends of food for "on-the-go", which turned into only my husband using them with Baby A when I was out doing photography sessions. Once I started preparing and laying out meals for her/him to give her, the baby food was no longer given (woo!). While I was at it, I cleared the freezer of leftover babyfood I had made.  Yahoo!

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Let them eat....

Cake! Or in this case, sandwiches!  We try to allow Baby A to eat whatever we're eating and the other day, it was soup and sandwiches. She's not old enough to handle a sandwich, so I "Ava-ified" it.

Both the cheese and turkey were Mickey-shaped but she devoured the cheese before I could get a picture of an intact Mickey.

Obesity: A Family Affair

Due to President Obama's health care initiative (including Mrs. Obama's childhood obesity initiatives), healthy living has been in the news a lot.   This morning, I read a New York Times article about obesity in children and how, along with society, parents are often to blame.  Check it out here.

 

I do agree that a conscious effort is required to live healthfully. It's so easy to get pulled in the undertow of life and get "out of control".  I often use that phrase (out of control) to define how I feel when we get too busy- we eat out too much, spend too much money and just don't have the time to take a minute to pre-plan and turn it around.

I will say- as with any situation- there are ALWAYS exceptions.  Sometimes disease is to blame, socio-economic conditions, etc, and this is where Mrs. Obama's plan comes in- she wants to make fresh food available EVERYWHERE. 

As a teenager when I went out with friends, I remember thinking, well I should get McDonalds because it's cheaper than buying a salad. Or, I might as well get soda because water costs the same (or more sometimes) and I will "get more" out of it. Eesh.   Every once and while I still slip into those ideas, but I am USUALLY able to be more rational.

That brings me to another idea. I have long thought of seeing a nutritionist, but for varying reasons.
When I was younger it was because I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease. I went the medication route (along with the support of my mom), and my girlfriend decided to treat hers with diet/nutritional counseling-- avoiding certain foods, mainly.  Oddly enough, we ended up having major surgery within one short year of each other, so that just goes to show that it's not always cut and dry.

As I got older, I thought a nutritionist could help me learn to eat better, and leading into pregnancy and now motherhood, I have found myself considering it again.  As a teacher, I always think education is the best way, but like anything, money does thwart your plans sometimes... :)

What do you think about Mrs. Obama's childhood health plans? 
What about seeing a nutritionist for family meal planning/education?








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