Neutrogena - Visibly Even Facial Moisturizer

Oh pregnancies -- how you've ruined my skin with blotchy patches. I have tried peels and skin brighteners and much to my dismay not only have they not done much but they can be bank-breakers. Too much money for so little result!

Thank goodness Neutrogena came to the rescue with this lovely Visibly Even daily facial moisturizer. For $14.00 I have seen the blotchy splot on my cheek fade away. Yes, it takes time. But yes, it has worked on me!

Another great thing that I love love LOVE about Neutrogena? All of their products are made here in the USA. They don't ship out to China or anywhere else for that matter -- they keep it in house so that they have full quality control. I feel quite confident when I buy their products that I really am getting what they say I'm buying. Don't get me wrong - I love going overseas and visiting new countries. I've bought amazing products in France and Italy. But I can't say the same about the quality of products I've bought from China. Sorry, China, but you skimp on the major and minor details. Fix that and we can talk shop -- until then I'm sticking with my in-house Neutrogena products.

One more thing - I just got back from a beach vacation (hence my lack of posts!) and was worried about getting more splotchy on my face in the sun. So I bought Neutrogena's Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer - SPF 50. I didn't get any sun on my face AND it didn't make me break out (that alone is a quite a feat!). So if you're in need of some great spf for your face -- check it out.

Hope you enjoy!

Tiny Prints

I love Tiny Prints.

They have been soo good to me. In 2009 I made these really super cute Christmas cards through Tiny Prints. I announced that we were expecting a baby and a very Merry Christmas to you and you! And - get this! - I ordered them BEFORE Thanksgiving. I was so on the ball. Well, about a week after I placed the order I went to my doctors for my check up and there was no heartbeat. Hello - totally out of the blue and I was in my second trimester. To say the least I was devastated. I was in such shock, though, I kept telling the doctor that he must be wrong - not only because we had no inkling anything was wrong but also because I had just ordered over $200 worth of Christmas cards announcing our upcoming arrival. Seriously, that was what I was concerned about (you can see that I was in shock). I'm sure he thought I was crazy - but I didn't care. I had ordered the cards and he needed to keep looking to find that heartbeat!

Unfortunately, no heartbeat was found. I had to deliver (yes, deliver) my baby that night. So I got home and prepared to go to the hospital. But before I did anything I called Tiny Prints. The salesperson on the phone was so wonderful. I asked her if my order had been shipped and she said yes. I started to cry and she asked what was wrong. When I told her the situation she got into action. She said not to worry about it. If she couldn't intercept the package from UPS that I should just throw the whole order away. She would refund my entire order  - shipping and all. Again, I was in shock. Who does that nowadays?

I told her that I still needed cards I just needed to change the wording. Again, she said that was fine. She would redo the inside of the cards FOR FREE and ship them to me FOR FREE. I was not expecting any of this, by the way. I more expected to receive a short curt reply saying basically - too bad for you. But instead I got an angel on the phone.

She intercepted the package from UPS so I never had to see the cards and shipped out new cards with the new inside wording. So while I was dealing with the loss of my baby I didn't have to worry about the cards anymore. It was a huge relief for me and I am forever grateful to that woman on the phone.

So this past year I got an email from Tiny Prints (a mass email, mind you) from the CEO saying thank you for my business and that if I ever had any comments or questions to email him directly. I get emails like this from random companies but rarely do I ever respond. Well, this time I did. I sent him email explaining what had happened and how it helped me get through the rest of the holidays. He responded within hours and was so happy that I had contacted him. He was moved by my story and wanted to know if they could do anything else for me. I said yes -- Find that woman and give her a big bonus!!! He said he would and I hope he did.

So when you have to decide where to order any type of paper product -- cards, notebooks, announcements, invitations etc. - I highly recommend Tiny Prints.

I'll end this with some of the great things on Tiny Prints that I love:

Personalized Notebooks -- you upload your photos and they do the rest.

I love personalized thank you cards. After my kiddo's bday parties I take photos from their party and make thank you cards. I add photos of all the guests too. They love it!

And I just adore their birth announcements. Seriously the cutest things ever. 

So when you need to order anything paper / photo related - I recommend Tiny Prints. You'll get the most amazing customer service and that to me is priceless.

Enjoy.

Fat Guy in a Little Coat

Fat Guy in a Little Coat
Tommy Boy at MOVIECLIPS.com

This clip always makes me laugh! I think of this whenever I try on something that just doesn't fit right. Fat man in a little coat..... I sing that a lot in dressing rooms!

If you have never had the opportunity to see this classic film, "Tommy Boy" starring Chris Farley and David Spade, you are truly missing out. If you're sad and depressed -- this is a great way to get rid of the blues. If you're celebrating life - another great way to celebrate is to watch this film.

A short story to go along with this film:
Once upon a time I lived alone in a cute little apartment by the beach. One weekend my parents and youngest brother came to visit me. We went out for a very nice dinner and then we came back to my place for just a bit. My parents wanted to go to back to their hotel and get some rest. My brother, however, had a different idea. He put this movie in and said he just wanted to see a minute of it. Next thing you know my parents are completely glued to the show and loving it. My dad was laughing so hard and so loud that it was echoing (i'm sure) throughout my entire apartment building. They ended up watching the entire movie and laughing throughout the show. They loved it! My brother loved it! I loved it and still do! Seriously great comedy.

Enjoy the clip.

Maybelline: Super Stay 24 Color (Lip Stain)

All I know is that my bare face with no lipstick can sometimes resemble a dead person. I know. Pretty, huh? I love applying lipstick and adding color to my face. It really does "wake me up" and helps me feel prettier and more confidant. But there is nothing worse than going all day -- forgetting to reapply the lip color -- and coming home to find that you look faded and washed out.

Ugh.

Welcome to my latest discovery! I actually discovered this awhile ago and I SWEAR by it now. Maybelline's Super Stay Lip Stain is AMAZING.  I put it on in the morning and by evening I still have lip color! Hurrah!
I just have to reapply lip gloss or plain balm throughout the day to keep my lips nice and fresh. But other than that it's easy-peasy-nice-n-easy.

Some tips - the directions state to wait a full 2 minutes after applying the color before applying the balm. This is not to be messed with! I don't ever count the seconds -- I can tell when my lips are dry and then I add the balm. I usually apply my lip color first (while applying all my makeup) and by the time I'm done with the rest of my face I can add the balm. If you don't wait the lip stuff flakes off and is really gross. So trust me - don't try to rush the process. If you're in a hurry -- apply it and then apply the balm in the car. I now have lip balm (with sunscreen) in my car 24/7. I can't live without it.

I buy this at my local drugstore. It usually runs less than $8.00 and there are specials on it all the time. So if you're lacking time to keep pretty -- this has been my BEST solution.

Enjoy!

Mark Bittman's Blog

Photo from NY Times

Do you know Mark Bittman? You might have heard of him or seen him on The Today Show as one of their "foodies" -- which btw, he's really funny on live TV. He should have his own cooking show, but that's my lovely opinion. Ha!

I have read a few of Mark Bittman's articles in the NY Times but I absolutely loved his book, "Food Matters" that came out a few years ago (or more). I read it after reading another favorite of mine, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," by Barbara Kingsolver. It has helped me with how I buy my family's food and how I like to eat. At first I went a bit overboard and got rid of everything / anything that was "fake." But you know what? It drove me and my family members crazy. So I've decided for us it's all about balance. I try to eat healthy, but I'll also have some candy or dessert in the house so that no one goes nuts w/o their sugar fix. Is it the "BEST" thing for us? Physically I'm sure no. Mentally, yes. And since we all have to live together mental health is just as important as physical health!

Anyway, to get back to my post -- I discovered today that Mark Bittman has his own blog on the New York Times' website! Yay! You can find it at  http://bittman.blogs.nytimes.com/. I really like his style of writing, his way of thinking when it comes to food and how he's concerned with where our food comes from and how it is made.

"How to Cook Everything" was a huge hit amongst my cooking friends. I have yet to purchase it (I can only have so many cookbooks in my house -- and currently I'm out of room). But if I were to purchase another cookbook I think I'd have to purchase his book that followed "How to Cook Everything" and get the book "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian."

This is what Mr. Bittman says about his follow up book:

Why, you ask, does a non-vegetarian (me) write a huge book about vegetarian cooking?

Mostly because I saw the need for one. Partly because I wanted to experiment with "lessmeatarianism"—a way of eating that involved fewer animal products. (If I could have called this book "How to Cook Everything without Meat" I would have, because that's more descriptive than "Vegetarian," but it's not exactly a title that sings.) And partly—as I came to believe in the course of writing HTCE Veg (as I call it)—because lessmeatarianism is really the way of the future. (This line of thinking eventually lead directly to Food Matters....)

I cannot tell you how much I learned in the course of putting Veg together, and how much I believe you would learn if you began to cook from it.

If you think, for example, that winter squash is boring, that whole grains take forever to cook (and that they're all the same), that all beans are created equal (and take forever to cook), that you can't be satisfied unless you eat meat, that vegetarian meals are never interesting… I assure you that cooking from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian will change your mind about all of these common misconceptions.

I wasn’t a vegetarian when I started writing Veg, and I’m not one now. But I have a far greater appreciation for the non-carnivorous world, an appreciation that doesn't feel like a compromise but rather as if I've expanded my culinary universe. In the world of cooking, the available plants are more numerous and arguably more interesting than the available animals, and they're produced and consumed at far less cost to personal health, the environment, and the economy. Every good cook owes it to her- or himself to explore this world, and to make more of it available to his or her family and friends.

So while I have not gone vegetarian myself I appreciate all of his research and his recipes.

To end this post I'll leave you with one of his recipes I found online that I think I'll make tonight for dinner. I'm making mine the "southwest" version since I just got avocado's in my CSA box this week. Yay!

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

For a range of colors, flavors, and textures, this pretty little salad is a tough one to beat. If you have leftover sweet potatoes and quinoa, you can whip it up in no time, but even if you start from scratch it isn’t much work. As is often the case, you can substitute millet for the quinoa if you like; the golden color is lovely.

 

From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

 

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 40 minutes

 

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or other small-kernel grain or 1 cup raw
1 large or 2 medium (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes
Salt
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup minced red onion or shallot
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh chives or parsley leaves

1. If you haven’t already, cook the quinoa or other grain. Drain in a strainer and rinse. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato and dice it into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Cook it in boiling salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes; drain well.
2. Toss together the potato, quinoa, bell pepper, and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss the salad with about half of this mixture; add all or some of the rest to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the chives and serve.

Southwestern Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad. Add 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced, to the mix, along with the sweet potato and quinoa; add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, chili powder, or hot red pepper flakes. Add 1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Use freshly squeezed lime juice in place of the vinegar and cilantro in place of the chives.

Enjoy!

Fini Balsamic Vinegar

photo from Williams-Sonoma website

I love a good balsamic vinegar. I remember the first time I tried it with olive oil and amazingly delicious crusty bread. I had just moved to Los Angeles and my cousin took me to Il Fornaio, her favorite restaurant. I know it's a chain and some people don't like chain restaurants (me being one of them) but I have to say they do serve great food here. Anyway, back to the story. They brought out their bread basket and the plates. My cousin had them make a plate of oil and vinegar for us and then she showed me how she dipped her bread in it.

Oh heaven. How we love you so. Whenever I eat something amazing I feel like it's just a taste of heaven. And taking that first bite of bread with oil and vinegar was like stepping into heaven. Dramatic, maybe just a bit. But when something alerts all of your senses in a wonderful way -- isn't that what heaven is going to be like? Mine is, anyway!

Cut to going to the store to buy olive oil and vinegar. I've bought some very expensive oils and vinegar from specialty stores. I even pre-ordered a special olive oil from Italy from an Italian specialty food store. But never have I been able to create at home the same experience. Until now.

Welcome FINI Balsamic Vinegar.

It is thick, it is rich and it is the perfect balance between sour and sweet. I add it to EVERYTHING. For example tonight I sauteed some greens and yellow bell pepper (I throw in whatever is in the fridge to add as a side "green" dish for dinner). To give it some added flavor I drizzled some of the Fini vinegar over it.

It's sooooo good. And yes, put it with some amazing extra virgin olive oil and an amazing loaf of crusty bread and you too will have welcomed heaven into your life as well.

Oh, in case you were wondering where to buy -- Williams Sonoma, Amazon, an other online shopping places.

Enjoy!

Do you know about Penzey Spices?

I have often heard about great spices. And I've read in a some articles about this new spice store opening up in Santa Monica. I just never ventured to the store itself. Until today. Hello Penzeys Spices!

Wow.

There are some really very interesting spices there. If you don't feel like cooking or baking when you enter - you most definitely will by the time you leave. How many types of salt do you think you could buy? Well, here in this store it's a whole 6 shelves dedicated to salt. Cinnamon on your recipe list? Come prepared to smell all 6 that they have in the store. Oh wait, you want to make tacos tomorrow night and you hate the store bought stuff. No worries -- they carry that too! Oh I know -- you like buttermilk ranch dressing but aren't quite sure about the stuff you get in the store. What are those ingredients you can't pronounce? Well, they don't have that problem. I could read and understand what was in their spices (LOVE THAT). They have a whole section dedicated to different salad dressings. Buttermilk Ranch, Green Goddess (smells like summer) and more.

The guy at the store had me smelling most of his favorites. Cocoa powder on the brain? You can smell that as well. I was in heaven. They have a spice for everything. They also have affordable gift boxes. For $20 you can get the cook in your life a nice mix of spices. I love this place!

So if you're in the mood for some AMAZING spices -- I highly recommend splurging at Penzey's!
Enjoy!

Soups On!

I'll admit - I'm not the biggest soup fan. Most of them are watered down broths with overcooked vegetables, that I'm sure by that point, have hardly any nutritional value. But lately I've encountered some great soups. I have to say that even I (the soup hater) have been impressed.

For the past year I've been making what I call "Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup." I have a great cookbook about traditional Chinese foods (seee photo above) by Nina Simonds and I've tinkered with a recipe in there and came up with my own. Yum. It's my favorite soup for when I'm sick, stressed out or in need of healthy comfort food. If you want the original recipe it's on page 33 - "Homey Chicken Soup." Here is my version though:

Katie's Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup

1 32 oz. chicken (or veggie) broth
1 small head of Napa cabbage (although I've used regular cabbage when that's all I could find at the store)
1 tsp. canola oil
4 carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 celery chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed lightly
2 inches (?) of fresh ginger, peeled and diced
3-4 baby bok choy (love these little guys)
2 Tblsp rice wine or sake
1/2 lb of FRESH shitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and cut in quarters
2 ounces bean threads (cellophane noodles), softened in hot water to cover (or if unavail substitute 1/3 lb thin rice stick noodles or vermicelli, softened in warm water to cover)
Salt
Sesame oil
Cooked chicken (whatever pieces you have on hand that are skinned and boned. I usually add in some breasts or thighs or both! Or I add in raw chicken while it's boiling and boil the chicken. Whatever works!).
OPTIONAL - Kimchi!

1. Using a sharp knife, cut away stem of cabbage and discard. Cut the cabbage in half and cut the leaves into 2-inch squares, separating the leafy sections from the tough ones. Do the same with the bok choy. Place the cabbage and bok choy sections in a bowl. Set by the stove with the shitake mushrooms.


2. Heat a large pot and add oil. Heat until VERY hot. Add the garlic cloves, ginger, the harder sections of the cabbage and bok choy, carrots and celery and stir-fry over high heat for about 1 minute. Add the sake, cover, and continue cooking about 5 minutes until tender. Add the leafier sections, the shitake mushrooms and the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes uncovered.

3. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Drain the bean threads and cut them into 4-inch lengths. Add them to the soup and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in salt and sesame oil to taste.

4. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

If I'm feeling like I need some more spice to really kick the cold out of me I add in a small jar of kimchi. I know, I know, it's not Chinese, but it tastes really good and it kicks my cold to the curb. Take that cold!

So if you have that nasty cold that is going around I hope this helps. I swear by this soup. It really makes me feel like I've taken a powerful anti-cold drug and fought back HARD against the stupid cold.

Enjoy!

Smoothies

Photo from www.smoothieweb.com

I have never been  breakfast person. I know - odd. Most people love a big breakfast. I'm just not that hungry in the morning and if I have a large breakfast I need to take a nap afterward. So breakfast has always been tough for me. I'm just not ready to eat at 8 am. I prefer 10 am brunch and even then I usually order lunch.

Here is where the smoothie comes in. I can drink things in the morning but it can't be too sweet. So I've been on a quest to gather great smoothie recipes over the last few years. They have changed my mornings! Super fast and super easy and super healthy. If it fits all three -- then I'm in!

Hint -- Always FREEZE your bananas! A frozen banana turns your smoothie into a creamy delicious-like shake. Frozen berries are great too but they don't turn your smoothie creamy. And even if spinach is in the recipe it doesn't mean that you can taste it. It just looks green. Don't let that scare you (or your kids) away.

Here are some of my favorites:

Jedi Juice
(from Lisa M. - she told her kids that to be a good Jedi they needed to drink good food. It worked!)

2 cups of Orange Juice
2 cups of spinach (washed and torn)
1 frozen banana
*I also add 2 Tblsp ground flaxseed and wheat germ


Healthy Smoothie
(Cathy Silvers from Healthy Living made this for me one Saturday. Loved it!)
*I saw what she put in but not how much. So I've just messed around with it until I found something that worked. It all worked!

Handful of pitted dates (get good dates -- makes a difference!)
2 cups spinach
1 whole apple (sliced if your blender is old like mine)
2 cups water
*I always add the flaxseed and wheat germ -- why not?

Strawberry Smoothie
(this is from one of my daughter's friends)

1 cup frozen berries (or fresh -- even better, but keep the greens on. They're supposed to be like any other green top from a veggie -- good for us!)
vanilla yogurt (i put in a small child-size container)
2 cups soy milk or almond milk
scoop of protein powder
frozen banana is optional
flaxseed and wheat germ
*I have interchanged strawberry with blueberries and raspberries and it works great as well.

Choco - Banana Smoothie
(my son makes this a lot for an after school snack)

2 cups milk (or more if he's really hungry or if I want some too)
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup sweetened chocolate powder
flaxseed and wheat germ

I use almond milk a lot in the smoothies or mix it half and half with regular milk.

Do you have a favorite smoothie? Let me know! I'm always looking to try a new one.
Enjoy!

Making Music

I'm having a hard time writing about any "fluff'" after reading and watching about what is happening in Egypt right now. I'm just so sad for everyone over there who is living with all of the violence and especially the uncertainty about what is going to happen next. I cannot imagine living in that sort of situation. It is just crazy to see the footage on the news. My heart goes out to everyone there.

So today's post is about a good friend who has tried to make a difference in war-torn countries. Let me tell you about the wonderfully amazingly superbly unselfish Liz Shropshire. In 1999 Liz was living in Los Angeles as a music instructor. One day while sitting in horrible traffic she listened to NPR and heard what was happening in Kosovo. (In case you don't remember in 1998, Slobodan Milosovic ordered Serbian security forces to escalate a ten-year campaign of repression against the Albanian population of Kosova into a scorched-earth ethnic cleansing campaign. After a four-month NATO bombing campaign, Serbian forces withdrew from Kosova in 1999).  Liz was horrified and wanted to do something to help the people who were not "cleansed". Long story short she sold all she had, fundraised like crazy, contacted music instrument manufacturers and went over there to help teach children music.

The pictures that she sent home that first year were horrifying. Children played with guns like they were dolls. Towns were now just rubble. Children lost their parents, grandparents, older brothers, aunts, uncles -- you name it. There was now a host of people without any family left.

Liz decided to do something and she did. Over the years she has successfully created a music program for war torn countries. Kosovo was the first. She is now in Uganda and Northern Ireland teaching children music - not war.

Here is what her website says about her organization:

The Shropshire Music Foundation provides free musical instruments and instruction to former child soldiers and refugees in some of the world’s most wartorn places: Uganda, Kosovo, and Northern Ireland. Since 1999, we have taught more than 10,000 young people that through music they can bring healing, hope, and peace to their communities.

The Shropshire Music Foundation mission is to redress psychosocial trauma, advance emotional health, develop scholastic achievement, foster ethnic tolerance, promote peace, and improve the quality of life for war-affected children and adolescents through the establishment of on-going music education and performance programs.

So while you're sitting in your comfortable house, on your comfortable couch watching the uncomfortable and horrific photos of what is going on in Egypt. Take a minute to think of Liz and send her a donation. She runs her entire program solely on donations. Even if you all you have is $5.00 -- send it. It all goes towards one of the most amazing programs in the world.

For everyone in Egypt my heart and prayers go out to you. I wish for peace and wished that we had more of it in the world. Thank you Liz for being an amazing inspiration to me and to others!

Uh-Oh...I Discovered Love & Olive Oil!

Have you heard of the blog Love & Olive Oil?
I just found it.
I'm in trouble now. Such great food posts. Mmmmmmmmm.
Today's post looks amazing. I might just have to bring this to our superbowl party on Sunday.
Thoughts?

Cookie Dough Cream Pie

Two of my fave pies together = cookie dough and cream pie. YUM!

Or I could try these:
Cinnamon Chocolate Churro Cupcakes

I love how they added chocolate to the middle of the cupcake. Great idea!

Or this
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

I can't tell if these would be too sweet or not. Guess I'll have to make them to find out!

If you're looking for something more savory than sweet... I also stumbled upon these two great recipes.

Apricot Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

If you've never had roasted chicken with dried apricots - you are really missing out. Seriously.

Grilled Cheese with Apricot Jam and Arugula

This sandwich = I'm in love!

My three favorite things - cheese, arugula and apricot jam. I would never have thought to put all three together. But now that I see it done it seems so "of course you do this together!". Why didn't I ever think of it?? Must try this out this weekend. Mmmmmmm mmmmmmm mmmmmmmm.

There are a TON more fabulous recipes (garlic jelly, homemade vanilla, balsamic onion tart with goat cheese and thyme....). So I definitely recommend you go check it out www.loveandoliveoil.com.

Enjoy!

If You're Going to Live Small....

then this is how you do it.

My question is how do they do it? I can't live like that in a large space. I have so much clutter on my desk it's crazy. I clean it off constantly but with homework, projects, bills, lessons, mail, mail and more mail... it just piles up. Sigh....

In the meantime though - this is how I dream of living. I found it through the blog, House of Turquoise (love this blog). Here is the other blog Delikatessen. I think it might be from Spain??? Not sure - but love this apartment nonetheless. Check out these pics of a very small, yet very lovely apartment. I have to say that I would live here as well.

There are more photos on the Delikatessen website but I wanted to show some of m faves. How sweet is this? I love it!!! If only my space where I live could look so put together.

One day.... right?
Enjoy!

Today I Ate a Rainbow

I saw this in Family Fun this month and am seriously considering buying it for the family.

"Today I Ate A Rainbow" is a fun chart that tracks your children (or yourself) progress during the day for eating as many colors of the rainbow as possible.

 

Here is more info about it:

“Today I Ate A Rainbow!™” is an interactive nutritional chart that makes eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables fun! Designed for children ages 3 and up, this product is made up of a colourful rainbow chart and bright coloured magnets that allow up to 4 children (or two children and their parents!) to easily track the fruits and vegetables they eat throughout the day. Also included are four achievement magnets and a rainbow colour-coded shopping list. 

Sometimes it can be challenging to get children to eat their fruits and vegetables – especially the 5 or more servings a day that is recommended. This chart provides a tangible and fun way for children to track their intake of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and powerful phytonutrients.

Many phytonutrients give fruit and vegetables their bright colour… the brighter the better! Our chart is made up of these major colour groups: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue-Purple. The different bright colours signify the different phytonutrients that each fruit or vegetable contains, therefore we use the Rainbow colours as a guide to getting a wide range of phytonutrients and nutrients in your children’s diet. Young children don’t need to know what specific nutrients each fruit or vegetable features: this chart makes it really easy for them – they just need to Eat a Rainbow every day!

How great is this?! I love it. I really think that WE ALL need to eat more of the rainbow. I try. Really I do try but sometimes I come up really short. Take last night for example. I made a great recipe of chicken breasts (or tenders - whatever) marinated in salsa, brown rice and broiled broccolini. My son at the rice and chicken and would not even taste a little TINY taste of the broccolini. Well, I did. And I loved it so much I ate the entire serving of broccolini. I love it broiled. I shake it in a bag of olive oil, salt and pepper and broil it for 5 - 7 minutes. It's soooo good.

The picante sauce has tomatoes, peppers and onions ... but my son had not one green item. Argh.

One can only do their best, though. So maybe this calendar will be the trick to help him at least TRY more foods. One can only hope too!

Enjoy.

You can tell I'm preggers....

Because I have the biggest craving for any chip that is flavored Sea Salt and Black Pepper!

The Pop Chips are my favorite. They are light and tasty. They're not that high in calories either -- so if you don't eat the entire bag in one sitting it's not half bad (for a chip).

My friend Andrea introduced me to these lovelies when I went to see her in San Francisco. We stopped to get a snack while driving our kiddos around the city and she brought these for us to share. I was hooked after one bite. I had not heard of this flavor yet (I'm not into buying a lot of chips anyway) and was intrigued by it. I thought at first it was sea salt and vinegar (which is also tasty) but not as tasty as the salt and pepper chips!

Anyway, if you're in the need for a new snack I highly recommend. You can buy these online at amazon.com or find them at most grocery stores.

Enjoy!

Boden USA

Do you know Boden Clothing? I love getting this catalog in the mail. I don't toss it for days...even weeks and scour it for hours looking at all of the beautiful clothes.

Here are a few of my favorites from my last viewing....

Womens Nude Boulevard Necklace

Rainy Day Duffle

Pleat Detail Wool Dress (aka The Little Black Dress)

Cropped Cashmere Cardigan (comes in SOOO many different colors)

And did you know that they make maternity, mens, teen boy/ girl and little girls clothes too? Oh yes they do! Here's a sampling of those as well.

Little Girls - Vintage Dress Marina Spot

 

 

Teen Boy - Overhead Hoody

Men's Spring Collection

Baby Changing Bag -- love this!!

So there are some of my favorites. Hope you enjoy!