10 Reasons I LOVE Blogging... And Why I'm Taking a Blogging Break

I've been tossing around the idea of taking a blogging break.

In reality, I've pretty much been "taking a break" since February when baby #4 was born, and even more so since June, when we started our several month long moving adventure.

I keep making promises, to myself and to my readers that I'll do more. Last Friday I tried to restart "Food Adventure Friday," only to realize this afternoon that it was Friday AGAIN and I hadn't done a post. I want to do this blog, but I want to do it right. But, before I leave, before I take a break, I want to think about ,and I want to share why I love Blogging. This way, every time I visit the site, I'll be reminded of why I need to return.

10 Reasons I LOVE Blogging

1. Blogging makes me a better mom: I remember reading a blog post in which a mom of 6 kids outlined her very busy day. In response to this, she received comments saying that maybe if she didn't spend time blogging, she would have more time for her kids. Here's the thing. reading other blogs, thinking about my own, it actually keeps me focused on what matters. I see things that other moms are doing and I aspire to do the same for my own. I think about things to do for the blog, but because my blog is about my kids, that means that I'm also thinking about doing things for them- things I may not have done otherwise- things I may have forgotten about it- ideas that may have fallen away.

2. Blogging makes me a better writer: I want to write. I have always wanted to write. Being a blogger forces me to practice the art (daily, or weekly--- whatever.)

3. Blogging keeps me accountable: I had thought several times about the idea of cutting out cereal for breakfast, but I never did it. I knew that it would be better for my kids and better for my family for a number of reasons (if you're curious about what they were or how things went you can check it out here.) Even though I knew it would be a good idea, and even though I wanted to do it... I just didn't DO it... until I said I would, on the blog, to the public, or, at least to the few people who were reading my blog at the time. And that, made me accountable.

4. It helps me to feel connected: Being a parent can be lonely. Being a parent who doesn't have many opportunities to interact with other adults can be lonely. Being a person who has moved multiple times over the past few years, can be lonely. But with blogging, I connect with people every day. 

5. Blogging gives me an outlet for all of the ideas spinning around in my head: It seems like my mind is always spinning with ideas, but until I blogged, they never went anywhere. Now, I have a creative outlet for at least *some* of my ideas.

6. It helps me to stay current and informed: Through my own blog, I've had to learn things in order to make sure that I'm accurate in my posts. Through blogging, I've connected to other blogs and have learned things that I wouldn't otherwise known.

7. Blogging has made me more tech savvy: Before I started blogging, I didn't even really know what a blog WAS, I didn't know what an RSS feeder was, I'd never heard of SEO. I've now learned how to use simple HTML, I've edited photos, I've worked with widgets, I even published an e-book.

8. Blogging helps get me closer to my goals: For years, I wanted to write a book about teaching kids to be a better eater. I would sit down, write a few paragraphs, get writers block, lose my nerve, and forget about it until a later date. When I started the blog, I sat down, wrote a few paragraphs and hit "publish." I always wanted to be a published writer, and suddenly, I was.

9. Blogging helps me to stay positive: My blog is still small enough, and I'm still "green" enough, that I haven't managed to make anyone mad and I haven't particularly posted anything controversial. Because of this, I've received only positive comments. Blog readers may not realize it, but positive comments feed blog writers. They keep us writing.

10. I feel like (maybe?) I'm making a difference: When you have small kids, your days are long, your days are chaotic, and sometimes you feel like you really haven't accomplished anything all day. With my blog, I hope that that, at least in some small way, I can offer advice or encouragement to other parents who want to help their kids be better eaters.

* Note: As of today, Feedburner, the e-mail subscription service and RSS feeder that I (and many other bloggers) use is experiencing some difficulties...if you want to make sure that you don't miss a post once I do return, like the Teaching Good Eaters Facebook Page and you'll be the first to know when the blog returns!

Guacaroni- A Creamy Delicious Dairy Free Alternative to Macaroni and Cheese

It turns out that today is National Guacamole Day, and in honor of that, I am sharing our new family favorite- Guacaroni!! (a.k.a. Avocado Pasta) It is creamy and slightly tangy and totally addictive. It's a perfect alternative to macaroni and cheese and completely dairy free (could be gluten free too-- I LOVE it on Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta!)

A few months ago, I was suffering from a severe case of new baby exhaustion. My husband wasn't going to be home for dinner and I needed a quick and effortless dinner for the kids and me.

I decided to cook some pasta and toss it with a jar of sauce--- however, I can't eat tomatoes and I was hungry too!

I had a few "almost-past-their-prime" avocados on the counter and began to wonder if they could be used to make a sauce.

After a quick search, I found a super-easy recipe for avocado pasta on Oh She Glows.

It was amazing! 

The only problem is that the kids didn't want to eat their dinner... they all wanted mine!

Now if I make it, I basically have to make it for everyone or pretty much hide in the closet to eat it...

I have had multiple people ask me for the recipe. It's so simple that you barely need one and, even though I generally reference the Oh She Glows recipe every time I make it, I also find that it tends to turn out best when I don't try to follow it exactly... So, here's my "not really a recipe," recipe.

Guacaroni 

(Family Size)

3 Ripe Haas Avocados (They should be black on the outside, soft to the touch but not black inside)

The juice of 1/2-1 Lemon depending upon how much kick you want... the lemon flavor is cut down once it's added to pasta so you may want a little more than you think you do!)

@ 1-2 tsp. minced garlic (I actually prefer this with jarred garlic- the fresh stuff is just too overpowering for my tastes- If you go with fresh, you may want to try making a garlic paste with the salt.)

@1/2-1 tsp salt

5 T olive oil (you may need to add more- you want a creamy but not at all watery texture)

Put all ingredients in a blender, food processor, or Magic Bullet- I just bought a "fake" Magic Bullet at Aldi for $14 (The brand is Crofton) and it works great- They may still have them until this Wednesday. Blend until you have a smooth creamy texture. Taste it- If you feel compelled to keep eating it from the spoon- it's done- if not- adjust with more lemon, garlic or salt. Keep in mind that the taste will be more mild once it is on the pasta.

You do not need to heat the sauce! Simply mix it in with warm pasta and serve!

It works best with pasta that will allow the sauce to stick- rotini, shells, and angel hair are my favorites- When I served it with penne it cut the taste of the sauce too much.

Happy Guacamole Day! If you make Guacaroni, please come back and tell me what you think! 

My kids LOVE this stuff, but they also love avocados--- please let me know what your kids think!

Food Adventure Friday- Finally, Back Again!!

I started Food Adventure Friday as a way to inspire people to have more fun with food and find fun ways to get kids to eat new foods... somewhere along the way, I became discouraged because it was difficult to come up with a new adventure every week. However, I've decided to five it a try again, and I have a few "adventures stored up that I can share!

I've mentioned before that grocery store samples are a great way to get kids to try new things. My kids LOVE samples and will try anything that is being sampled. Clubs like Costco, Sam's and BJ's are great places for sampling, but many grocery stores also have specific days when they have lots of samples.

I recently discovered that the local Giant Eagle Market District has lots of samples on Mondays. My oldest son had a blast eating his way through the store!

We even got a "bonus" sample. One of the samples was right next to a bowl of fingerling limes. they were so tiny that I couldn't imagine how you could even eat them. The woman handing out samples had half of a lime on her stand and was kind enough to show us how they are eaten and then let us try.

To eat them, you cut them along the "equator" and then squeeze out little "champagne bubbles" of lime. They are crazy expensive, but such a fun food experience that I bought one (one little tiny lime cost @ $1.50!) home to share with the other kiddos.

Do your kids like to try samples at the store? Do you find that they'll try things there that they may not try at home?

What the Baby Ate Wednesday

I promise... posts about something other than what the baby ate are coming soon! To all of you who have chosen to follow me, but are missing my regular content- thanks for sticking with me--

Coming later this week: Guacaroni Pasta (a new favorite around here!) and the Return of Food Adventure Friday!! (Come back to link-up!) Also coming in October-- an entire month dedicated to helping kids eat more vegetables!

And so...

At 7 months, one month into solid foods- Here's what the baby ate:

Pumpkin and banana squeeze pack for breakfast along with some smashed pieces of a whole banana.

Avocado cut in small pieces that he picked up himself (with some help when he got too frustrated.)

Sampled some hummus left over from his brothers' lunches (LOVED it!!)

Beans (smashed) and corn from our Kielbasa Beans and Rice dinner--- he loved this too spices and all!

I intended to give him a little bit of prunes squeezie pack but I placed it on his tray to take a picture and he grabbed it and made a horrible mess... so, I helped him finish it so that I could throw it away instead of having to clean it!

I've been starting to introduce more and more flavors into his diet. I believe that the more flavors he is introduced to now, the more open he will be to them as he gets older.

Haven't found one he hasn't liked yet! What unusual flavors have you introduced to your little ones?

This post is linked up to What I Ate Wednesday

What the Baby Ate Wednesday- Addicted to the Squeezie Pouch

When my 3 year old was just making his way out of the baby food stage, my sister discovered baby food in "squeezie pouches." I bought some and kept them in the car for those times when he was hungry and we need "fast food."

Fast Forward 3 years...

These buggers are expensive so I never intended to make them a main source of food for my little guy.

But...

With 4 kids- it's hard to make the little guy's schedule a priority. It seems like while we are at home he's sleeping and then I have to yank him up and toss him in the car to take someone somewhere, leaving little to no time to feed the baby.

Enter- Fast Food- Convenience- The Squeezie Pouch!

Breakfast, is nearly always a squeezie pouch these days. Getting all of the kids up, dressed, fed and out the door is challenge enough without a 6 month old screaming at me because I'm not feeding him fast enough...

And so- Squeezie Pouch it is. On this day it was Carrot and Banana which he "chugged." Yes, Chugged!  I'm amazed at how much this kid eats already!!

He can now suck it from the straw though I do hold it for him. Want to see what happened when I got lazy and tried to let him hold one himself??

I had a really soft avocado so I was able to feed him slices of it for lunch. I just held it to his mouth and he gummed off bites of it.

I realized that after just a week of tempting him and then putting puffs on his tray, he is now able to pick them up and put them in his mouth. Since avocado is a little slippery for him to pick up, I smashed some avocado through the holes of the puffs so that he could pick up some "avocado puffs" as a snack.

Frustrated by the price of the squeezie pouches, I decided to try to create my own for "dinner." I cut off the bottom of a used pouch, smashed some avocado and added extra water to make it thinner, filled the pouch and then taped the bottom closed with packing tape.

It worked, but after all of those steps it kind of lacked the "fast food," element...

What about you? Are you hooked on the squeezie pouch? Any suggestions to break me of my addiction?

Shared at What I ate Wednesday

The Question You Should Never Ask if You Want Your Kid to Eat a Carrot

I know better. Honestly, I do.

And yet, I still asked, "Who wants a carrot?"

Can you guess the responses?

"No Thanks."  "Not me."

I messed up with 2 out of 3 and the third one was on his way into the kitchen. I had to think fast.

Fortunately, it was the boy who eats anything, which also increased my odds. "Do you want your carrot in a long stick or cut into slices?"

"Slices," and from across the room, the one who said, "Not me," just moments ago responded, "I want a long carrot!"

Almost there... one more to go, "Would you like hummus or ranch with your carrots?"

"Ok, I guess I'll have a carrot too. Can I have it with ranch?"

I've found that, more often than not, my success or failure when it comes to getting my children to eat what I want them to eat is dependent upon the questions that I ask.

There are two factors at work here. The first, not surprisingly, has to do with control. This was a lesson that I had to learn early on as a teacher and that I have to relearn every day as a parent. By giving choices (both of which accomplish what I want) my kids are able to exercise some control and are more willing participants.

The second reason is what I call the "Five Star Restaurant Effect." Let's be honest. If you walked into a five star restaurant and the waiter came up to your table and asked if you wanted a carrot, what would your answer be?

My answer would be no. My assumption is that the restaurant has something a little more enticing to offer...

The same holds true with your kids. Their assumption is that if they say, "No," to carrots, there is probably a more enticing offer yet to come.

Therefore, if you want your kid to eat a carrot (or anything else that you want them to eat), the first thing you need to do is to make sure that it is the only option. If they say, "No," don't back it up with something better. Even if you do this consistently, they will still try, "Can I have a cheese stick?" "Can I have yogurt?" The answer needs to be "Carrot (or whatever you want them to eat) or nothing," or you will most likely never get a, "Yes," to the carrot.

Then you need to ask the right question(s).

What Not to Ask if You Want Your Kid to Eat a Carrot.... "Do You Want a Carrot?"

What You Should Ask if You Want Your Kid to Eat a Carrot

1. Would you like your carrot whole or in slices?

2. Would you like ranch or hummus with your carrots?

3. Would you like your carrots on a plate or in a bowl?

4. Would you like 2 slices of carrot or 3 slices of carrot? 

5. Which carrot would you like?

6. Do you want an orange carrot, yellow carrot, or red carrot (I recently found multicolored carrots.)

Or.... don't ask any question at all, simply put the carrots in front of them when they are hungry and don't offer any other options.

Or... serve them as part of a fun Bento or Muffin Tin Meal.

First Day of 2nd Grade Bento: Two of Everything...

 (with "double decker" cashew butter and jelly sandwiches.)

Muffin Tin Meal with kiwi, carrots, hummus, Dr. Kracker Apple Oat Krunch Crackers, Strawberries and corn chips with melted cheese

"Snack Tin for 3" Carrots, Pistacious, apples, avocado and pita crackers

This post shared at:

Also Shared at: Refresh Your Nest- Best of Summer

What the Baby Ate Wednesday- Grains for Baby?

So... I've been a little ambivalent about starting grains.

You'd think that as someone who writes a blog about teaching kids to be good eaters and who has even written a post about how to feed babies so that they learn to be good eaters, that I would have it all figured out...

Far from it. And my biggest area of confusion has to do with grains.

Baby #1 hated rice cereal and it caused her to be majorly constipated. She had very few grains at the early stages except for all oat (no wheat) "O" cereal which was her introduction to finger foods.

Baby #2 liked EVERYTHING and ate so much food that I fed him baby cereals with his other food to help fill him up so that he didn't eat us out of house and home.

Baby #3 hmm.... I honestly don't remember, but I think I did a little bit of baby cereal because I felt like I should, but then really didn't stick with it.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with #4. I knew that I didn't want to start with rice cereal for a few reasons. First of all, I wanted his first food to have flavor. Secondly, I was concerned with constipation. Thirdly, I am allergic rice (which is very uncommon, but so is my brother) so, in my family, rice could be an allergy concern.

After starting foods only a few weeks ago, my little guy is starting to consume large quantities of food! This is a bit of a concern for me...

It's simply not in me to make big batches of baby food, freeze them and then thaw them (though I think it's a fabulous idea if you do have it "in you.") Therefore, I rarely have "homemade" baby food on hand.

Buying lots of baby food is very expensive... so- I decided to give grains a try in an effort to fill him up cheaply (don't judge!) I bought Plum Organics Baby Oatmeal.

Then, I remembered another reason why I don't like baby cereal... this stuff looks like fish food, smells like cardboard....

and when you mix it up, it looks like paste.

Now, I will admit... I didn't try to increase it's desirability by adding breast milk. I intended to mix it with fruits and vegetables. But I tried it on its own (mixed with water) as an experiment.

He ate two bites without "comment" and then gagged on the third.

I then added some smashed banana and he ate a few more bites and he stopped opening his mouth.

At this point, I think I may be  done with baby cereal- I'll need to find another way to fill up my baby!

I gave him a little bit of sweet potato which I had baked, scooped, and smashed the night before...

I added a little bit of warm water to both "heat" and thin the mixture. it

Later he "snacked" on some Plum Organics Super Puffs (these do contain rice, but he's only eating a small bit.)

My goal is to get my babies to finger foods as early as possible and these are part of my "training." They're fairly easy to pick up (though I don't think he can do it yet) and they dissolve easily in their mouths. I start by putting one in his mouth and holding it until it starts to dissolve (to peak his interest), then I put some on the try and let him try to get them.

It also kept him busy long enough for me to get some work done!

Lunch was some more sweet potato along with a little bit of avocado.

I was out running errands when my little guy woke up from his nap and was fussy so my husband gave him a carrot and apple "squeeze pack" for dinner.

He ended up really constipated that evening, which I'm attributing (perhaps legitimately perhaps due to my bias) to the cereal. He was crying in pain- poor guy.

What are your experiences with babies and grains? Did you feed your babies "baby" cereal? Did you give your child grains in another form? If so, at what age. If not, how did you fill your baby up? (And what about the "iron," concern?)