Thank you to goodnessknows for sponsoring this conversation.

Things I never did before becoming a mom:

Consume a bowl of cereal for every meal and snack of the day.

Pull a crushed pack of goldfish crackers out of my bag and dump it in my mouth in a ravenous rage. 

Utter the words, “I’m just too tired to eat.” 

These days, however, those experiences aren’t too far outside the realm of possibility. 

Eating healthy and at regular times often seems impossible when your focus is consumed by the safety and well being of little ones. We moms tend to put so much emphasis on wholesome meals and snacks for our kids, we forget that we need those things too. 

These super helpful snacking tips for busy moms can help you get back on track—so you don’t have to spend another day living off cereal and crushed goldfish crackers.  More →

Thanks to Sprout® for sponsoring this conversation.

A skipped breakfast.

A lunch packed so quickly it lacks any fruits or veggies.

A processed pack of cookies as an after school snack.

A trip to the drive-thru after soccer practice for dinner.

If yours is a busy family on the go, then one or more of these scenarios might look familiar. I know I recognize a few.

As the pace of our lives increases—and the open space on our calendars decreases—some corners have to be cut. Unfortunately, those corners often involve our health and wellbeing.

But that doesn’t have to be so.

My family is trying our best to keep our health a priority—that goes for the kids and the grown ups alike—even in the face of crazy schedules and full plates. Here are a few of the healthy eating tips we’re relying on as our lives take us here, there, and everywhere. More →

Now don’t get me wrong, I love trying new recipes. But let’s be honest: Using a recipe requires a certain degree of effort that I’m not willing to put forth most evenings of the week.

Finding the recipe.

Saving the recipe.

Making sure I have the proper ingredients for the recipe.

Pulling the recipe up on my tablet before I start cooking, then fearing I’m going to spill sauce on the screen while referencing it.

Measuring, measuring, measuring.

That’s why most nights I rely on my family’s list of “No Recipe Dinner Ideas.” These suggestions don’t really require an ingredient list or a measuring cup. They’re easily customizable depending on what you already have in your fridge or pantry. And best of all, they all come together in relatively little time!

Kid-Approved No Recipe Dinner Ideas

The next time you want to get dinner on the table without looking anything up beforehand, just turn to one of these suggestions. They’re kid-friendly, and many of them stand on their own. Otherwise you can always serve a salad, cooked veggies, and/or dinner rolls on the side. 

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“Startin’ him a little young, don’t you think?”

“Are you gunning for an athletic scholarship in a few years?”

“What, do you think he’s the next Pelé or something?”

Those are the general reactions I get when I tell people I signed my 2.5-year-old up for soccer this spring.

They think I’m either delusional—believing my son to be some kind of athletic prodigy who should be groomed for the big leagues right away—or crazy competitive, obsessed with watching my son win from the sidelines.

But I don’t think I’m either of those.

Today I’m over at Coach Daddy talking about the reasons why I’m signing my toddler up for sports. Are there real benefits for the preschool-aged group or not?

Join me there and let me know what you think!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Quidsi. All opinions are entirely my own.

Healthy snacking during pregnancy is absolutely essential, for several reasons.

First, it’s a simple way to get the extra calories your body needs to support your growing baby—without relying on extra servings of cookies or French fries. (There’s a time and a place for junk food, of course, but moderation is just as important in pregnancy as it is at any other time, if not more so!)

Second, as your baby gets bigger and takes up more and more space, you’re likely to feel full more quickly than usual, which makes eating large meals next to impossible. A mixture of small meals and lots of snacks is much more doable.

Similarly, being pregnant makes you more prone to bloating, gas, and constipation (lovely!), which are all made worse by eating big meals. Snacking frequently throughout the day can help ease your digestive symptoms.

More →