We asked you on Facebook the other night what type of recipes you wanted to see more of- and many of you wanted Toddler Friendly Dinners!  So, today I've got one for you! Baby Burgers!  Plus, if you haven't been over to our meal plan page, we update it every Saturday with new menu ideas!  I love these as an alternative to a regular burger because  It's small enough for li.... read more

When I had my first baby, the only baby food options to buy out there were the ones in a jar.  Those are great if you are in a pinch, but on the go, they can be kind of a pain.  You have to have a spoon, open the jar, hold the jar with one hand and the spoon with the other.......you get the idea.  But now they have those cool pouches with the little spout that the baby can just suck.... read more

We have a new category: Book Reviews!  I have many favorite books that I compiled on our "Book Recommendation" page, but no official book review category, because where would we put the books we don't recommend? There are so many helpful books out there to  help parents to feed their kids better, that we might as well start talking about them.  Books are difficult for me to read. By.... read more

It seems like it is that time of year when EVERYONE is sick.  Literally almost everyone I know has been hit with some kind of illness the past month.  At our house it has been colds, coughs, runny noses, pink eye, ear infections and worst of all sore throat! The worst thing about having a cold/cough/sniffles/sore throat is that if you go to the doctor, even if you feel like you might die.... read more

It has been a whopping 10 degrees around here for the last week or so......brrrrrr.  Its funny because normally even when it is cold, you will see kids out and about.  But when the temperature hits single digits, not even those brave 10 year old boys will be found outside.  Which means that everyone is inside.  And sometimes, a house full of bored, rambunctious kids can dr.... read more

I've been watching in awe as my cousin raises her adorable son who has autism.  My aunt recommended I talk to her about dealing with food behavior and kids who have autism. Instead, I thought it would be better for Angela to write the post for me!  And, don't forget we've posted our meal ideas for this week, on the meal plan page. Here is Angela's post: I am mom of a 3 year old w.... read more

  I love eating salads.  I would probably eat a salad every day, but sometimes it seems like such a hassle to get everything out and prepped for just one salad.  I decided I am going to try a new method.  Get everything out once, prep for multiple salads and then store things so they are easy to access for a salad anytime. With all this salad on my brain, I started thinking a.... read more

  It's so exciting when your chubby little baby begins to walk, or 'toddle' their way into a toddler.  But with that comes the challenges of feeding and introducing all sorts of wonderful foods to this little person.  A lot of times, it seems they are barely eating enough to sustain a bird, let alone a body who is constantly on the move! How do you know how much to feed them? Gene.... read more

If you are looking for a dessert that is kid friendly, but also delicious, this is for you!  There is also no better timing for this rainbow dessert bar than springtime!  Some of the most colorful fruits are in season in the spring!   To 'healthify' this dessert, we used plain yogurt instead of ice cream for our sundae's, as well as a variety of colorful fruits! Colorful frui.... read more

  My girls love yogurt.  Greek, Store Brand, Expensive Brand, Vanilla, Plain, Gogurt - you name it they love it.  With one exception -  my 3 year old does not like it when it has fruit chunks.  Unfortunately for me, I just bought a big pack of Yoplait fruit variety at Costco that she won't eat.  Boo.  I personally don't love the fruit chunks in yogurt either.&nb.... read more

Have you ever bought a gigantic bag of fresh baby spinach leaves, only to realize that you have only made it half way through and must plow through the rest of it stat or else it will go bad?  This happened to me last week.  And hence the creation of a tasty little spinach packed bite. The first thing I did was to saute an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic together - until browned .... read more

My 3 year old used to love Goldfish crackers.  Every time she asked for a snack, she would ask for Goldfish.  Personally I don't really care for them, and have often wondered why toddlers love them so much.  And I finally realized why.  It is because we have encouraged our children to love them by having them available in every situation of their little lives!  At home, on.... read more

I don't know about the rest of you parents out there, but when my girls first learned to eat they were messy!  Oh wait........they are still messy!  Alright, I have to give my 3 year old some credit.  She actually doesn't use a bib that often and most of the time is clean after a meal.  But on nights when we have chili, or anything with marinara sauce, I usually make her wear o.... read more

We've all made chicken nuggets using bite size pieces of chicken, rolled in a breading, and baked, right?  We eat those a lot and love them!  But, I got to thinking about how hard that is for kids to chew! Sometimes, meat can be tough for toddlers without all their teeth.  One reason processed nuggets are so popular among little kids (beyond the salt, fat, and chemicals), is of cour.... read more

Sometimes getting my 18 month old daughter to sit still and eat a meal is harder than trying to convince my husband that I really do need another pair of shoes!  Sometimes I breakdown and let her 'roam' with her breakfast so that she will eat something. My little Sophie is super skinny and she can't afford to skip a meal.  At her last doctor visit I was discussing my dilemma with her pe.... read more

Around our house we love spicy food.  For my husband, the spicier the better!  Even my 3 year old doesn't mind a little spice - but eating an entire jalapeno would definitely be too much for her!  These Pepper Poppers are perfect for little mouths who want to join in the fun of eating 'grown-up' appetizers or snacks without the tongue flaming side effects of a Jalapeno Popper. &nbs.... read more

Good morning!  I need to share more of my emails with you, as many of you might have the same question.  So today's questions comes from reader, Kim, who is concerned about her kids eating too much!   Hi Amy.  I love your blog and spend lots of time there picking up ideas and advice.  I think we're doing a decent job feeding our twin boys healthy food but we're having .... read more

My friend and neighbor Liz, asked me this week, what appropriate portion sizes are for a toddler.  It's tough to use the old rule of letting their appetite dictate how much they eat, because when my kids were toddlers, they would often be "too full" for the rest of their dinner, but somehow have plenty of room in their little tummies for dessert!  First realize, children's calories wil.... read more

Here is another helpful post for mothers with toddlers by Emily, The Toddler Expert! [caption id="attachment_1576" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Let them work for exercise, even if they are only half dressed."][/caption] One day I was a really bad mom.  It started in the morning, when I got my one-year-old son out of his crib and strapped him in his highchair for breakfast.  .... read more

Another post by Toddler expert Emily; In my house growing up, we made a huge Christmas breakfast that we had to eat BEFORE we opened presents.  It was rich food that we weren't used to, and we ate as fast as we could since we could see all the unopened presents from where we sat.  It was the perfect recipe for a stomachache.   Last year, we started a new tradition in our family.... read more

Another informative post from Emily for all you parents with toddlers. If you missed her last one, read it here. When I taught 4-year-old dance, I learned to distract the little dancers with games so they wouldn't know they were stretching. Children don't like to be uncomfortable; anything that hurts is bad. I sang songs and recited nursery rhymes to take their minds off the pain, but they still g.... read more

LaDonna asked if I would talk about feeding those stubborn but adorable toddlers, but I really couldn't remember much of our toddler days.  That's when I turned to toddler expert, dancer, housewife, primary president, neighbor and friend EMILY!  Here is what she wrote for LaDonna and all those having trouble feeding toddlers. Feeding my children is one of my biggest challenges as a mot.... read more

Although it's summer, I try and keep my kids learning every day.  I am having my 7 year old teach my 5 year old reading skills, my 9 year old teach my 7 year old to play the piano, and I'll teach nutrition, of course.  Ketchup boys preschool teacher taught them a unit on nutrition.  I thought it was so appropriate for the ages, and all my kids have since caught on.  The simpl.... read more

Quick respose to a question first, and Kristin, I'll get to your question Monday. Question of the week from Ailene: My kids won't eat anything orange. Actually, they won't eat any fruits and vegetables for that matter. What can I do? The biggest most effective way to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables is to be a role model.  This is a great quote, "One study, using sliced bel.... read more