This week the mini tribe is home with their momma for something their school likes to call “ski week.”  It’s funny to me how schools in California (which is 80 degrees all year) shut down for ski trips, while back home in New York (where it’s chilly in winter) this never happens!  For my family and I, Big Bear Mountain is our perfect retreat, which is only 2 1/2 hours from my home and you could read about it here.

Are we hitting the slopes this week?  Nope, not at all. In fact, my husband will be creating beautiful smiles all week, so it’s just me and my minis.

I have to admit, today was a tough one because one of my kids was under the weather. Typically, when this happens I’m stuck inside the entire day playing nurse. Aside from one child being sick, typically my kids have quite ferocious appetites. To be honest, I feel like I spend countless hours in the kitchen making meal after meal.  They are constantly hungry. Sometimes it feels like I am running a diner, but I guess that’s what having a big family entails.

So, I had to come up with something that was healthy in between meals that could make my little one’s feel full. I found it in the smoothie.  However, in my house, my oldest is quite the picky eater and will only eat orange looking smoothies; mango and peach are my go-to fruits for this fill-me up shake.

I call this my Yogurt Mango Date Shake.  I tweaked it and tweaked it until my picky one would drink it.

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Ingredients

    • Frozen Mangos
    • Peach Greek Yogurt
    • Juice Plus+ French Vanilla Shake Mix (I chose this one because its high in fiber and natural protein, Gluten Free & Non Dairy & it tastes good.)
    • Fish Oil Softgels
    • Almond Milk
    • Half a banana
    • Fresh Dates (2)
    • and if your child would drink it if it looked green add a handful of spinach (no luck in my house)

Directions

Throw all of the above ingredients in a Vitamix with a handful of ice. I swear by a Vitamix because of the way it chops and purees. More specifically, it blends so well that my kids never even taste the dates (a bonus for healthy moms)! As far as the fish oil goes, I recommend cutting open the gel cap and squeezing it into the blender.

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And my last tip I want to share with moms who are running like crazy taking care of the kids is these Trader Joe’s pre-made salads.  My husband and I have been loving these salad creations for quite sometime.  They have just the right portions for lunch.  Next time you are in Trader Joe’s grab a few.  They pack in a lot of protein, veggies and roughage for just $3.50.  I buy 5 different ones for my husband to take to work for lunch and I usually get a few for myself.

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I would love to hear what healthy snacks you cook up for your minis on a weekly basis! Let me know with a comment below!

 

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4 thoughts on “Daily Diner”

  1. Healthy in the Blach household? Lol; well I guess minus the tons of organic quickie tacos that the hubs whips up, I like to do chopped pan fried Brussels sprouts; garlic onion to start and caramelize for about 6-8 min in my wok at medium heat, then sliced/quartered sprouts mixed with curry, cumin (great for health/digestion) a smidge of paprika and kosher salt for about 15-20 min; I like mine longer for more rich flavor but I suppose the more ‘raw’ the veggie tbe more alive the nutrients. All three of my boys dig them anyway I make em’!

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  2. This is what I feel like the first few weeks of summer. We have a blast with smoothies, we are JUST about to the point where Mia can make one herself without making a bigger mess than necessary. Gavin is a veggie monster, we plant our garden and usually have very little to harvest b/c he eats things before I can get to them. A favorite as of late, roasted chick peas. I always struggle myself with getting enough protein, so this is a great little snack. They usually do not last long and go great in salads.

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