A Nutritious Breakfast for Your Kids that Actually Saves Time

If you are busy moms like us, one of your most stressful times are weekday mornings. Getting kids up, dressed, hair and teeth brushed, etc. is all a race against the clock. Combining this with the need to get a full and nutritious breakfast into your kids makes for a stressful start to your day. All parents know how hard it is to get kids to eat fast.

We found a super way to reduce morning stress and get a full, nutritious meal into the kids that is even packed with things like flaxseed or fish oil - the morning smoothie. We can make smoothies and clean the dishes in less than 10 minutes. If a child sleeps-in, they can drink the smoothie in the car or on the way to school or the bus.

Smoothie Benefits

• Quick to prepare and eat
• Can make multiple servings at the same time
• An easy way to include nutritious items such as fish oil or flaxseed
• Can be eaten on the go

Beverly's Recipe:

Throw these into some cups with a washable straw (wide-mouthed straw – can buy at places like Target or Whole Foods). Throw the straw, blender and cups into the dishwasher when done (make sure to rinse the straw well if you use ground flaxseed).

Kids Smoothie (I double this for my 2 kids):

½ cup plain organic whole-milk yogurt

¼ cup frozen organic blueberries

1/3 organic banana

1 tblsp ground organic flaxseed (you can use flax oil and adjust the amount)

2 tsp fish oil (make sure your brand is tested for contaminants)

2 tblsp organic apple juice (may increase if the smoothie is not sweet enough)

You can use organic ingredients, substitute goat’s milk yogurt or soy yogurt, or use strawberries. The important thing is that it is yummy and looks good to the kids, so make sure it is well blended.

Adult Smoothie (I double this for me and my husband):

1 cup plain, non-fat organic yogurt

½ cup frozen organic blueberries

½ organic banana

2 tblsp ground organic flaxseed

I make these every weekday for my kids, my husband and myself. My kids and I drink these for breakfast, for my husband it’s his mid-morning snack in the office. Amara likes the recipe so much she uses before she heads off to the gym after work. We all like that it’s an easy way to get our daily serving of flaxseed.

When your kids are bored of smoothies, try another quick, nutritious breakfast on weekdays.

French Toast

• Prepare a few extra slices of French toast on the weekend
• Reheat in the toaster and top with peanut butter and serve with a piece of fruit or glass of juice
• Provides protein, carbs, and fat to keep your kid satiated

Can be taken to go and eaten on the way to school.

The Present Alternative

For my children’s birthday parties we give them a choice. They can allow all their friends to bring presents, or they can request no presents and go to the store to pick something out for themselves. They always opt for the latter. You feel great because it means fewer toys to keep track of, no thank-you notes, less items going to some landfill, and less of a hassle for all the parents.

How to “sell it” to your kids? Just take them to the toy store first to get ideas for their special present. My daughter just got her first scooter this way.

Does this mean that family members don’t give presents? Of course not! We only do the no-presents thing for the big birthday party event.

For older kids, you can even have party goers make a donation to your child’s favorite charity. Let your kid decorate a collection “bowl” from an old yogurt or milk container. Then, party goers can make their donations at your event. Sounds really granola, but we’ve seen so many kids love this!

On invitations, the old, “no presents required” phrase doesn’t cut it instead try the following:

“Please, we request no presents and will not have a “present-opening” at the party. Every year we give the kids a choice - presents or they can go to the toy store and pick something. They always opt for the latter and we think it benefits everyone!”

OR

"Please, we request no presents and will not have a “present-opening” at the party. NAME OF CHILD has made a collection bowl for NAME OF CHARITY, and is accepting cash donations at our event. Go to: WEBSITE ID FOR CHARITY to find out more."

Quick Meals for Parents

Has this happened to you? It's a weekday morning, you are running around trying to get ready for work and your kids off to school or day care, you open the fridge and realize you don't have anything for their lunches? Or you just came home from a hectic day at the office only to realize you didn't plan a dinner and there is nothing in the fridge.

Stock-up on quick and easy back-up meals, sides, lunch foods, and ingredients (especially when they are on sale). Examples are mac-n-cheese, individual apple sauce servings, frozen fruit, cereal, juice boxes (only 100% juice!), granola or power bars, peanut or soy butter, soups, and frozen pasta. Pick things your family likes. These items can make a last minute meal in a snap.

On a recent grocery trip, I came across some organic canned ravioli on sale and stocked up. Next time we get caught with no dinner planned, I can heat this up, serve it with some fruit, and know my kids are getting a healthy, nutritious meal quickly (and with very few dishes!).

Watch Our DVD Intro and Meet Us!

Watch the introduction to our new DVD, "Traveling with Kids - Flying Made Easy", and meet us! Our intro is live on YouTube. We're two moms with plenty of frequent flier miles. In our upcoming DVD we show you all our travel secrets that save parents time and keep kids happy.

Our DVD Trailer is Live on YouTube!

We are excited to have our DVD trailer ready and live on YouTube. We are working night and day on final production of the video and editing is going really well. We are looking forward to having our video ready Summer 2008 right in time for Summer Break with the kids!

Check out our trailer and stay tuned for more on the offiical launch date of "Traveling with Kids - Flying Made Easy."

Less Night Coughing and More Sleep for Everyone

Can’t sleep because your sick child is coughing all night and you don’t want to give medicine (that doesn’t work anyway!). After your kid falls asleep, prop them up with extra pillows into an almost sitting position. It’s best if you have a wall as support on one side, but not critical.