Tag Archives: a healthy slice of life

Munchkin Meals – #8

Posted on April 3 by Jillian416 • 3 Comments

Boy, have I got some great Munchkin Meals for you!

I think it’s been about two months since I last joined in with Munchkin Meals, but that is primarily because of the move and just not having the time or energy to sit down and talk “baby food.” However, Emmett continues to be a phenomenal eater. He definitely goes in spurts of wanting nothing but carby foods, to eating whatever we put in front of him, but either way he tries almost anything once. This works out nicely because we’re not making two separate meals.

The past month has been a good one as far as Munchkin Meals are concerned, we had a wide variety of foods. Check out all the pictures below.

Emmett is a sucker for berries! We can fill his plate with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries and he’ll go to town on them. Though, as I’m writing this, he’s refusing to eat his blueberries… Could he be over them!? It’s been over a year that they’ve been an Emmett favorite.

It took Emmett awhile to warm up to eggs, but now he loves them, especially because he only gets them on weekend mornings.

Weekday mornings usually consist of yogurt, a bagel and a banana.

This is also Emmett’s first breakfast in the new apartment.

Emmett typically eats lunch at school, but on weekends we tend to keep things simple, opting for sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches, some string cheese and some fruit (that’s what’s in the first picture). But check out this face, covered in sunflower butter – adorable, right!?

And then we have a wide variety of dinners that Emmett has eaten and loved.

kale and mushroom soup (that he loved), garlic stuffed green olives and blueberries

My son is totally mine! He loves green olives stuffed with garlic, he’ll just keep eating them if we let him. And he knows when we go to Wegmans, if I’m filling up at the Olive Bar, that he gets to have one as we walk the aisles.

Chicken Tacos, Rice, blueberries and yogurt (because he didn’t really like the chicken)

Deconstructed hamburgers, french fries, bananas and strawberries

corned beef, potatoes and cabbage

This Irish boy LOVED his daddy’s corned beef and cabbage. He went to town on everything, including the cabbage.

chili, banana and baby carrots

And I just thought I’d share a couple adorable pictures of Emmett. He adores taking photos and saying “CHEESE!”

That about does it for this month’s Munchkin Meals. I love sharing Emmett’s favorites with you, it’s fun to let you into our little world.

Be sure to stop by and visit Brittany and link-up with Munchkin Meals.

Your turn!

Do you find that your child goes in spurts with food? Or do they usually eat pretty well-rounded all of the time? Share in the comments below!

Filed Under: Family, Food & Recipes

Munchkin Meals – #7

Posted on February 7 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Hey Everyone, it’s Munchkin Meals time!

Munchkin Meals is a link up that Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life created to share what her daughter was eating, I link-up monthly to share what Emmett’s been eating.

It’s been awhile since I posted a Munchkin Meals update, I apologize for that! Rest assured that Emmett’s palate continues to advance, and he now has favorites. 🙂

A typical morning breakfast – Greek yogurt, homemade bread and jam, slice bacon and oranges.

Most days, whatever we make for dinner, we will give to Emmett as well. There are times, when it’s a spicy meal, we’ll make him something else, but we usually start with whatever we are eating. Occasionally we’ll have to veer from that and give him yogurt or a grilled cheese sandwich because he’s refusing to eat what we made, but we try at least offer it to him. It seems to work. As of late, he’s eaten things like shredded salsa chicken and pulled pork, two things he had never tried before and now LOVES!

It’s fun to give him new foods and watch him experience the different tastes and textures. One of his most recent favorites are garlic stuffed green olives from the olive bar at Wegmans. You wouldn’t think an 18 month old toddler would like green olives, but he does. He’s just like his momma (although, I hated them as a kid).

Daddy made us waffles!

Emmett has never been big on eating meat, other than chicken nuggets, he usually refuses chicken breast or even burgers. What we found recently, is that he likes shredded meat. I can’t explain why, but I’m not going to question it, we’ll just take a few minutes before dinner and shread up the chicken, steak or pork and serve it to him that way. As for burgers, well, I don’t have answer for that. 😀

He was trying to help me focus the camera.

Be sure to stop on over and visit Brittany, and link-up with her Munchkin Meals!

Your turn!

What are some of your child’s favorite meals?

Do you have to serve your child food a special way, just so that they’ll eat it?

Filed Under: Family, Food & Recipes

Munchkin Meals – #6

Posted on December 5 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

Happy Munchkin Meals Day!

Munchkin Meals is a link up that Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life created to share what her daughter was eating, I link-up monthly to share what Emmett’s been eating.

Unfortunately, last month I didn’t get around to posting Emmett’s Munchkin Meals because I just forgot about doing it and then it was too late. I didn’t forget today, though!

For the most part, Emmett continues to be a fantastic eater. If there’s something that we’re eating that he’s not interested in, we continue to offer it to him and eventually he’ll try it and and will usually like it. There are some things that he will perpetually push away, pickles, for instance, which he used to like, he won’t even touch now. However, even in an instance like that, we will still offer it to him, you just never know when he’ll want to eat it again.

There are also some weeks where he’ll refuse everything we make and end up eating a lot of Greek yogurt or sunflower butter and Grandma’s jam sandwiches. If this were the norm, I’d worry but because it happens here and there we allow him to decide what he wants and will actually eat. I can’t complain about Emmett’s eating habits, I sincerely believe that Baby Led Weaning was the way to go. Emmett has been able to feed himself with fully solid foods from the moment he started eating.

So, would you like to see some of the many Munchkin Meals we’ve been feeding Emmett? Yeah, I thought so! 🙂

This was one of the first times we gave Emmett eggs, he didn’t really eat much but we have persisted and every weekend morning, we give him eggs and now he loves them. He is particularly fond of baby egg sandwiches! Here are a few other of his breakfast plates.

Yummy banana & pecan waffles made with love by Grandma Patty.

Emmett’s a fan of sweeter foods, because of that we try to keep real sugary foods, like cookies, out of his diet, except for on special occasions. The pancake and waffles in the pictures above are fairly light on the sugar end, but he still LOVED them!

We usually send Emmett to school with lunch, and I’ve forgotten to take any photos of what we’ve sent, but here are a few pics of lunches from the weekends.

And finally, an adorable picture from tonight’s dinner, which was homemade meatloaf, red potatoes and bread-sticks. Emmett loved it!

Those are just a few of the many many meals we’ve fed Emmett over the past two months. We keep trying to expand his menu, so that he likes all foods, even cucumbers!

Your turn!

What were some of your favorite foods as a kid?

What are some of your kids favorite foods?

Filed Under: Food & Recipes

Munchkin Meals – #5

Posted on October 3 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Holy moley! Time for Munchkin Meals again!

Munchkin Meals is a link up that Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life created to share what her daughter was eating, I link-up monthly to share what Emmett’s been eating.

I cannot believe that it’s time to share what Emmett’s been eating for the past month. We’ve had our ups and downs with food, some days he eats really well and others he’s very picky. When he’s picky he goes on kicks where he’ll only eat one type of food at a time. Over the past month he was really into bread and other carbs, pasta, rice, etc and then there was a span of time where he was really into apples. I can’t lie, there are times when I worry that he’s not eating enough or eating too much of one food, but I try to remind myself that he’s eating what he needs and that he won’t starve himself. Sure enough, within a few weeks he goes back to his old eating ways, which includes anything and everything.

So what HAS Emmett been eating for his Munchkin Meals this month?

For breakfasts he’s been eating the same thing since he’s been eating a real breakfast. Yogurt, a banana, dry cheerios and a cup of whole milk. I know that I get really bored of the same breakfast over and over again, but this kid LOVES this breakfast. He gets really excited when he sees me packing up his bag for day care.

Emmett is really into sweet things, so as a treat this past weekend Seamus made pumpkin pancakes. They were really really good! We obviously had to include some raisins and apples too, they complemented each other perfectly.

Lunches always vary, but are often leftovers of what we had for dinner the night before. Like today, he took some leftover pasta and meatballs and he always gets a serving of raisins and some sort of fruit or veggie. Today was some baby carrots. He probably only eats a few bites but I will always offer that healthy food, so that he realizes it is a permanent fixture in his diet.

Tomorrow his lunch includes today’s leftovers, homemade potato latkes that Seamus made (they were awesome). some chicken sausage from the sausage guy at the farmer’s market (Yes, I do realize how that sounds – lol), raisins and some cut up apple. He devoured tonight’s dinner, so I’m assuming he’ll polish it off again at day care.

Dinner’s also always vary, but his most recent favorite has been the Mexican Pizza that Seamus found a recipe for, on Wegmans. It’s a really easy quick meal for a weeknight, we make it pretty frequently for just that reason. If you like Mexican and you like quick meals, check out the linked up recipe!

We keep trying to advance Emmett’s palate, so that he’s always willing to try new and interesting foods throughout his life. I’m hoping next month to have some pictures of some new foods we’ve given Emmett to try.

Your turn!

What some of your child’s favorite Munchkin Meals?

Be sure to check-out my other Munchkin Meal posts!

Filed Under: Munchkin Meals

Blogs I Read – Mommy Blogs

Posted on September 22 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am constantly on the lookout for new, quality blogs to read. AND since word of mouth is the best way to share great blogs, I thought I’d dedicate this post entirely to some of my favorite Mommy Blogs. Enjoy!

My Favorite Mommy Blogs

A Healthy Slice of Life – I think my favorite thing about Brittany and A Healthy Slice of life is her Munchkin Meals link-up. Every first Thursday of the month she shares what her daughter is eating and provides a link-up for other mommies to share what they’re feeding their children. She also shares so much about her daughter, meal prep, the foods she eats and the different products she likes.

Ain’t No Mom Jeans – One of my absolute favorites! Shana shares great fashion finds for the momma. Clothes that are flattering to the leftover baby pooch, bras for saggy boobs and so much more. Shana was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and is currently undergoing chemo. Stop in, read her blog and wish her well. She is an inspiration!

BuyModernBaby.com – A great site for all the new modern finds for babies and kids. Some of the room designs they feature, are items I’d love to buy and decorate my next child’s room with. They’re so beautiful!

Fitness Cheerleader – Janice’s blog is a new find to me, but I’m thrilled that I found it. She’s a working mom with three little girls who also manages to workout and stay in great shape. This blog is highly motivational for me because I’m always struggling with balancing work, exercise, being a wife and being a mom.

Healthy Tipping Point – A favorite and an old standby. I love Caitlin’s blog, always have, always will! She is currently training for a half Iron Man and seeing how much she works out and continues to be a great mom is so SO inspirational.

Kath Eats Real Food – Kath’s blog has so much food inspiration. She shares all the foods she feeds her family and since she is a Registered Dietitian everything is very healthy AND it looks so delicious.

The Alpha Parent – If you’re considering breastfeeding, bookmark this blog! It is pro-breastfeeding, and helps you believe in yourself and your ability as a mother to nurse your baby. There are weekly stories called Triumphant Tuesdays, where mothers share their birth stories and how outside forces tried to thwart their efforts to breastfeed. Reading this blog helped me to understand there is NO excuse not to breastfeed. Check it out!

The Art of Making a Baby – Another standby for me! I’ve been reading this blog since just after Emmett was born. Elena’s photos are stunning (and her daughter is so flippin’ adorable), her articles are always full of great information for new and old moms.

This Little Chickpea – A new find I found while reading A Healthy Slice of Life’s Munchkin Meals link-up. She’s also a working mom, with two kids and manages to keep things healthy in her house. There’s some great motivation to be found here!

There you have it, my current favorite Mommy Blogs.

Your turn!

What mommy blogs do you read that I haven’t mentioned?

Filed Under: Blogs

Currently

Posted on August 18 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

There’s another fun post going around the blogosphere, it’s called “Currently.” Basically you answer a few questions on what you are currently doing. I thought it would be fun to share and give another sneaky peek into my world. Brittany at A Healthy Slice of life, also posted one recently (you can see her’s here), I thought I’d join in.

Currently Reading…

Well, I’m in the middle of two different books, but technically I’m only reading one, the other I am listening to as an audio-book. I’m reading Vegan Before 6 (yes still), life is so so busy! This is a great book and I’m trying to take my time reading it and absorbing as much as possible. I’m desperate to make a lifestyle change and this one seems like it could fit my needs very well.

I’m also in the middle of The Devil Wears Prada, this is the audio-book I am listening to. My commutes in the morning are really tough and I was starting to get REALLY stressed out with all the traffic and just being at a standstill for 30 minutes. Enter, audio-books! I thought I’d give it a try and man has it changed my stress level this week. My morning drive in is cake and on the way home (where I typically deal with heavier traffic) I am able to drive and not focus on staying in one place. It’s perfect!

Currently Watching…

Seamus and I are a little (a lot) behind the train but we started watching Dexter this week. We’re 3 episodes into the first season and I am hooked. We need to also catch up on the latest season of Mad Men, we were watching the last two seasons of 30 Rock (but put that aside for Dexter), we’re behind on New Girl and pretty soon all of our weekly shows will be back. We need more time in the day, however there are more productive ways to spend our time than TV! 😉

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Currently in Emmett’s Life…

He’s pretty much a walking pro! He still stumbles and wobbles but definitely walks more than he crawls and it seems like each day he is getting better and better. It really impresses me! He is also fully into the mimicking phase, Seamus or I will make a noise or a gesture and little Mister Emmett will attempt to do the same thing. It’s pretty adorable but now we need to be more conscious of what we say and do around him.

I was laughing SO hard at this video!!

Currently Focusing on…

Does it ever change? I seem to be in a constant state of trying to fit in exercise and eating whole clean foods. I know the secret, stop making excuses and just do it, I just seem to be stuck.

I’m also thinking of doing a road race with my bike, the breast cancer awareness ride. They have 10, 25 and 45 mile rides, I could easily do 10 or 25, I just need to decide whether I really want to challenge myself and sign-up for the 45 mile ride, not sure if I’m ready for that yet.

Currently Listening to…

The fish tank’s air pump running. Emmett’s asleep, Seamus is playing video games and the TV is off. I love being a mom but having this quiet time at night is lovely.

Currently Enjoying…

Blogging. Seriously! I have been really into blogging and coming up with different blog ideas. Anytime I’m not working, my brain is running off, thinking about new things I can do with my blog. I hope all of you are enjoying my posts as much as I have been enjoying writing them lately.

Also, this bag! I have been using a rolley bag since I was about 6 months pregnant and I’ve been wanting to stop using it for about 4 months but haven’t found the exact bag that I want. When I saw this, I knew it was the one, the issue is the cost. I need to fit it into my budget without taking money away from bills, so I keep on waiting. Anyone want to buy it for me!? 😉

[source]

Currently Giggling at…

My neighbors across the street, they’re yelling at their dog like it is a child. The dog is on his chain and ran to the opposite side of the house and the owner yells, “DON’T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!” I was sitting on my porch and I literally laughed out loud. How silly!

Also this…

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I love pugs!

Your turn!

What are you currently doing?

Does anyone have any suggestions for a bag that can be used for a laptop bag and a gym bag?

Filed Under: All About Me, Daily Updates, Family

Munchkin Meals #3

Posted on August 8 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

To see where Munchkin Meals originated, be sure to visit Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life.

When feeding Emmett on Wednesdays, I look for easy, healthy options. I make an effort to serve him the very freshest of fruits and use only whole ingredients in his food. There are times when that just isn’t possible, but I would say 7 meals out of 10 are made healthfully. We buy him 100% whole grain breads and farm fresh eggs, organic milk and mostly organic fruit and veg. Rarely does Emmett have foods high in fake sugars, or even regular sweets, like cookies or cake. We treat foods like those as foods meant for special occasions. I want him to grow up knowing that foods that taste the best are those that are good for him. I say all this, not to brag, or to say I’m better than any other mom, I say it because I am a full-time working (outside the home) mom, and I work hard to ensure Emmett eats a balanced diet. I’ll admit that I am incredibly lucky to have a husband that is a partner in this endeavor, and is there assisting in any possible way.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there are two main reasons that I believe Emmett is such a good eater. One is that he is a breastfed baby, so he was (and continues to be – we’re going on 13 months!) used to different flavors. Breast-milk can taste different depending on what I’ve eaten that day, so he was used to a variety of flavors right off the bat. The second, is Baby Led Weaning (BLW). Emmett was introduced to real whole foods from the very first moment he had solids. We never bought one jar of baby food, and he’s pretty much always eaten what we’ve eaten. With BLW, the baby is in charge of what goes into their mouth from the get-go, they have the control which leads to happy confident eaters. After seeing its effects on Emmett, I believe that it works.

For breakfast yesterday, Emmett had one scrambled egg, a piece of whole grain bread with sunflower butter and a mixture of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. He didn’t eat much at breakfast, but I never worry about whether he’s eating too much or too little because I know if he’s hungry, he’ll eat.

Lunch was some leftover cheese ravioli with tomato sauce, carrots and blueberries.

This kid LOVES blueberries, I don’t think I could get him to stop eating them, even if I tried.

Snack was some water and Wegmans colby jack cheese (no pic).

Dinner consisted of a baby panini! Seamus made it on the smallest slices of the rosemary, olive oil bread with some provolone cheese and some ham, watermelon and broccoli which I did not get a picture of, sorry.

And finally… Some adorable pics of Emmett!

Question of the Day:

What are some of your children’s favorite foods?

Filed Under: Food & Recipes, Munchkin Meals