grUVy Baby

I know, I couldn't help myself :)

Anyway,

Look at my adorable girl, I could just kiss those baby toes all day. She's quickly becoming a water baby, unlike her sister who was scared to death of the pool until last summer (but has since become a little fishy herself). We've been spending a lot of time floating around the pool and the beach lately, and she's loving it. Here she is at the pool, soaking up the sun - but not too much sun ;)

I'm that mom at the pool chasing after not only my kids but my husband as well, every time the life guard blows the whistle for a rest time, I'm there with the can or tube of sunscreen reapplying to everyone. The thought of letting my family get a sunburn that is pretty much 100% preventable hurts my heart.

The American Cancer Society says there will be over 76,000 new cases of skin cancer every year (as of 2012), and over 9,000 deaths from melanoma. The ACS also says "Many

studies have linked melanoma in the trunk and legs to frequent sunburns (especially in childhood)," so my mama-bear instinct kicks in and of course, I would do anything in this world to protect my children. If that means reapplying sunscreen and making sure they wear protective clothing while we bask in this beautiful weather, then that's what I will do.

Melanoma is so often linked to sun damage over one's lifetime, and it is also the most serious form of skin cancer. The Skin Cancer Society says that a person's risk of melanoma doubles if they have had more than five sunburns. Well, I can tell you, I've had my fair share of sunburns in my life...

Being a preschool teacher gives me the opportunity to know or be familiar with hundreds and hundreds of families. While this is such a blessing, there are often times it can be heart-wrenching as well because, perhaps by chance, that means I know or know of several families who are struggling to fight cancer somewhere within their family, and heart-breakingly, a few of those cancer cases are in young children.

I don't want to make anyone too sad with this post, though we remember those families feel that sadness every day. I know not everything is preventable, but if there are things we can do to better the chances for a long healthy life for ourselves, and more importantly, our children, then I say seize every opportunity for that.

With that being said, I was extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to share one of those things that can make protecting our children's health more simple.

And cute, too, might I add :)

(Woah! That sun is bright!)

That's better :)

grUVy Wear hooked V up with this adorable pink polka dot bathing suit that also happens to be UV protective. Like I said, I slather my girls in sunscreen before and during our outdoor adventures because the thought of letting them get burned is a no-go with me, and this suit really makes my job a little easier. I know that her sweet baby skin that is covered by her suit is protected from the sun with a 50 SPF!

Here is she is trying it on before we headed out to the pool. She's pretty excited to be wearing it :)

I was told the sizes run a little small, so I got her a 12-18months but the top is a little big but I think that's because I forgot to take into account that V herself also runs a little small. She can still wear a 6-9 months size at 11 months old so overall, I'd say this fit her pretty well.


I actually really loved this bathing suit. It was easy to put on her, and while it fit well now, it had a nice stretch to it so I'd be willing to bet she will wear it again next year. It seemed very comfortable - she splashed and played with full enthusiasm as always, and I could rest assured knowing that sweet little belly wasn't getting those harmful UV rays from the sun.

An added bonus to this particular suit is that the pool we ventured to this day was a little chilly, so I feel like this bathing suit kept her warmer both in and out of the pool BUT not too hot in the summer! It is super breathable as well; not to mention, very quick drying.

I also have an added bonus for you, my wonderful readers. grUVy Wear not only hooked V up, but they also hooked me up with a discount code for all of you :) If you use this code to purchase from their online store, you will receive a discount on your order:

SAVE1519

But hurry - this code expires July 15th, so gear your little ones up for all those super fun and sunny summer beach and pool trips!

Have a wonderful and safe summer, y'all!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary outfit from GrUVyWear in exchange for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Emily

Something Fishy

It's summer! I know I missed the official first day; I've been busy thinking up new recipes and prepping for a special project ;) that I haven't even shared one of these in a while.

Last week, we spent some time at the beach and took the girls to the National Aquarium when we traveled back to where we are from for a family wedding. Since then, Alexis has been all about sea life, so I decided to make her this special lunch:

This one is cute, super easy, and adorable for summer - or learning about fish/sea animals.

The fish are cheddar cheese cut (by hand, no cookie cutters) into ovals for the bodies and small triangles or rectangles (the scraps from cutting out the ovals) for the fins and tails. Each fish has one green jimmie sprinkle pressed in for its eye. The bubbles they are blowing are blueberries. The ground/sand/sea floor is a whole grain turkey wrap cut into small slices, and my version of a coral reef or sea rock (not sure which, but it looked good) is banana slices. I also made some seaweed by arranging some steamed peas on the plate as well.

Green veggies are my favorite and I try to get my girls to eat something green every day. When they actually like them and want to eat them it's an added bonus. Alexis thoroughly enjoyed eating these peas :)

Happy Summer!

Emily

Best Oatmeal Ever

So I could rant and rave about the deliciousness and health benefits and ease of this stuff ALL day.

To me, this is the ultimate super food. It's yummy and packed with healthy stuff.

I don't normally (actually, to date, ever) post ideas that I've seen on other blogs/websites, but in this case I'm going to make an exception. A few months ago, I happened across the base recipe for this on this great food blog and it has literally, changed. my. life.

It's oatmeal, essentially, but it's also so much more. It's pretty well-known how heart and weight healthy a good dose of whole grain oats can be.

It's also made with Greek yogurt, which is an amazing source of protein along with other healthful goodness.

This super-protein, high-fiber, whole-grain breakfast keeps me full and energized for hours after I eat, even with my two little birdies who keep me on my toes.

After you make your base, you can mix just about any add-ins you want in to make an endless variety of flavors.

I've adapted the recipe a little to meet my own diet needs; I've found a great oatmeal blend which uses oats, barley, and flax instead of just oats so an added bonus is that this breakfast is AMAZING for breastfeeding mamas (or anyone). Oatmeal, barley, and flax have all been shown to help increase and/or maintain milk supply and from my own personal testing, I'd have to say I agree.

But one of the best parts of this breakfast is...

You make it almost completely the night before.

I don't know about you, but time is of the essence in the morning around our way. When my girls wake up in the morning, they're hungry, and it doesn't leave me a lot of time to whip up something both tasty and healthy.  Made the night before, with a little two-minute prep in the morning, you have an amazing, wholesome breakfast.

Since I found this recipe a few months ago, I have played around with it a little, tweaked it to my tastes (which is another bullet-point check-mark of this, it is easily adapted so you can personalize it), and have found my favorite way to make it.  It's become a regular on my breakfast menu and the kiddos love it too.

Here's how I make it:

The night before you want to eat it, in a container with a lid (no, it doesn't have to be a mason jar, it can be a good ol' fashion Tupperware, I just have a love for mason jars), mix thoroughly 1/2 cup each whole oats (they have to be old-fashioned style, not the quick-cooking or instant oats), low-fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt (it's less sour than plain), and milk. Seal your container and put it in the refrigerator. The "hard" part is done.

Overnight, the oats will absorb the moisture and fluff up. Yet another great aspect of this recipe, it's no-cook. It took me a little while to get used to the idea of cold oatmeal, but trust me, it's amazing. The oats will thicken, and since I like my oatmeal a little thinner, in the morning I add a little extra milk and stir until it thins out slightly. Then I mash in 1 medium banana (broken into bits), 2 tablespoons blackberry jam, and 1/4-1/2 cup fresh blueberries. If I have them, I add raspberries as well.

Stir well. And enjoy. And soak up that yummy, healthy goodness.

You can also try mix-ins like peanut butter, canned pumpkin, cinnamon & sugar, etc. Like I said, the possibilities are endless, but this banana-berry version is my favorite.

It's not often that I declare a food has "changed my life," but this one has definitely changed the way I do breakfast and it's one I can feel good about eating as well.

A su salud!

To your health!

Emily

Banana Pancakes

Whew! Things have been busy around here! Finally, things are quiet, every one is napping and I have a moment to sit and share a little :)

Despite my love of cupcakes and chocolate in general, the food that my family eats is very important to me. I always make sure to include fresh fruits and veggies in every meal, some way or another. When things get busy though, I need to find ways to do that quickly and yummily (yummily? You know, meaning: "in a yummy way"), and make it something we all can enjoy.

This is one of my simple, semi-homemade recipes that uses a not-so-from-scratch base with a few things added to make it even better.

You need:

Your favorite pancake mix - for 10-12 pancakes - and all the ingredients as per mix recipe

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling

3 medium bananas

Make your pancake mix as the recipe calls for.

Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, and 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar (of course you can add a little extra of any of those if you like a stronger flavor).

Make sure your griddle or pan is well-greased so the brown sugar doesn't stick. Pour your pancake batter in 5-6 inch circles onto the griddle and working quickly before the pancake starts to cook through, add several 1/8" slices of banana (roughly dividing amount of banana evenly among your pancakes).

Allow pancake to cook thoroughly on one side - it will start to look dry on the top side - then flip. Cook until golden brown on both sides. The banana will soften and start to caramelize with the brown sugar.

Sprinkle with a little extra brown sugar and serve immediately with your favorite toppings. We ate them classic pancake-style with butter and maple syrup but these are just as yummy with nothing more than a little whipped cream on top :) 

Enjoy!

Emily

Grilled Corn & Zucchini Cakes

You probably would never guess that I actually cook things besides sweet treats, but...I do! In fact, I love vegetables. In fact, until I was pregnant with my youngest, I was a vegetarian for nearly 15 years but some how that little baby inside me drove my mind to the brink of insanity with one thought: "fried chicken," until I gave into the urge and ate it, and I haven't looked back since. So vegetables have a special place in my heart (along with crescent rolls ;) ). Zucchini (or squashes in general) is one of my favorites, and since my beloved grater has returned from its hiatus, zucchini is being sneaked into a lot of foods (though my kids both tend to eat a lot of veggies without sneaking them in).

I recently made these grilled zucchini and corn cakes and they were so yummy. Alexis kept telling me while I was cooking them, "Mommy, I don't like zoo-candy, I don't want to eat zoo-candy" but the second she saw her baby sister eat that "zoo-candy" she had to try it too, then she ate almost three of these.

She really liked the dip that I made to go along with them. Of course she did, what kid doesn't like to dip things? This was a really simple recipe too, I just experimented a little until I got the right flavors and consistency I was looking for. What's best is that you can probably take this recipe and tweak it fairly easily to your own tastes.

For example, this batch did not have red peppers in it - I thought that might be a little strong for the girls, but next time if I made some just for the grown-ups, I would definitely add a little diced red pepper and feta cheese chunks. We love feta around here :)

Anyway, what you need for these is:

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian style)

1 large egg

1 medium-large zucchini (run through the fine grate of a hand grater this makes about 1 1/2 cups shredded)

1/2 cup whole kernel yellow corn

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

a few pinches garlic salt (or even better, 1/2 finely diced fresh garlic clove, then salt to taste)

For the dip (so easy!):

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh chopped dill (or dried from the spice aisle)

First, run your zucchini through the fine grate on a hand grater. You can eye ball the final amount (it should be on the fuller side of 1 1/2 cups) so you don't need to dirty another bowl, but you can always take it out and measure if you need to. Then add bread crumbs and stir thoroughly so most of the bread crumbs become wet with the zucchini. Add your egg and mix together well with a fork, making sure to break the yolk and spread evenly through mixture (you could use 2 egg whites in place of 1 egg if you prefer). Add the Parmesan cheese, soy sauce, and corn and mix thoroughly again. Add a few pinches of garlic salt (or fresh chopped garlic and salt) to taste (Remember: the soy sauce and Parmesan both add a slight flavor of salt to the mixture so it does not take too much).

Heat a lightly greased griddle or pan to 325*F. I always use a good quality extra virgin olive oil to coat my cooking surfaces but cooking spray will work too.

Using an ice cream scoop or reliable spoon of roughly that size, spoon out blobs of your veggie/bread crumb mixture onto your griddle and smash them down a little to form patties.

Grill on each side for about 7-9 minutes. I chose the longer time because I like my grilled food a little on the crispy side, but by no means were they burnt, so if you prefer a little burn you could even go longer.

What's important about cooking these is to cook them all the way through since they contain egg. If you are using the proper temperature, the outsides will be a nice brown color and the corn kernels will start to brown as well. Serve immediately.

In the meantime:

Mix together thoroughly your sour cream and dill for your dipping sauce.

There are a ton of serving options for these. We ate them just like this, with forks, and dipped them into the sauce. You could also serve them as a side dish. You could serve them on top of a fresh salad, or on a bun with lettuce and tomato, and the sour cream dip in place of mayonnaise/ketchup/mustard.

I love how versatile these are and how much zucchini my kids will consume while eating these :)

Eat your veggies as well as your chocolate!

Emily