Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 18 + Giveaway
June 30, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 18 + Giveaway

1. Elli Quark Ever since I tried Elli Quark a year or so ago, I have been obsessed with it. It is super thick and creamy and is only 18 calories. Quark is actually not yogurt but is a cheese. It does taste like yogurt though and has 14 grams of protein per serving. It comes in the traditional flavors such as cherry, blueberry and peach but also has some unique flavors which are my favorite. These include sea salt caramel, mint chocolate, bananas foster and red velvet. My daughter and I both enjoy these. **Keep reading for a Banza Pasta giveaway!

Quinoa Bell Pepper Pilaf
June 29, 2016

Quinoa Bell Pepper Pilaf

This Quinoa Bell Pepper Pilaf is a simple side dish that has toasted quinoa, sweet peppers and garlic. It can be served hot, cold or room temperature! Protein-packed quinoa is toasted, then cooked until tender with sweet peppers and garlic for a hearty side dish.  You can serve this wholesome grain dish hot, at room temperature or even chilled- perfect for any season! Until this recipe, I never liked quinoa. In fact, I gave all of my quinoa stash to my mom. Now, I found a recipe that I love and my family loves. I can't believe it!

Food to Pack for a Day Out
June 29, 2016

Food to Pack for a Day Out

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GladToGo #CollectiveBias In the summer, we are always doing something fun. Take this past weekend for example, one night we had a family BBQ, another night we had a family birthday and the next day, we went to a parade/BBQ. Along with that, we went to our local pool, a bike trip to the splash pad and on a couple of walks. I love to be busy and make the most of summer so that often means being out from the house when it comes to mealtime. I have a huge summer bucket list that I cannot wait to start tackling. This includes trips to every splash pad and park we can find, zoo trips, a visit to Michigan State University to visit their gardens and dairy store, etc. We want to visit family and have a couple of Michigan vacations planned. Can't wait!!  Pack all of your snacks in a cooler with ice packs to keep it cold. I have always been

How to Get Your Toddler to Drink Milk
June 28, 2016

How to Get Your Toddler to Drink Milk

I recently posted about how my daughter is not good about drinking milk. Granted, she does enjoy yogurt and cheese and other foods with calcium but the mom side of me still worries that she is not getting enough calcium daily. If you have a child that does not like drinking milk straight, I have some tips for you! One day, Troy and I sat down and brainstormed how we can get Adalyn to drink more milk and came up with a few ideas. Thank goodness, it is working! She is not drinking an 8-ounce cup of milk or anything but is doing so much better than before! I am thrilled. I want to make sure that Adalyn gets enough calcium so that her bones grow strong and so that she is not at a higher risk for osteoporosis. Here are my top tips and recipes that I use milk in to get my toddler to have more milk: 1. Shot Glass Trick This trick probably only should be used if your child will not drink milk. My husband Troy came up with it and it has been working for about two weeks now!! We

Lemon Chicken Piccata + Kitchen Clean-Up Tips
June 27, 2016

Lemon Chicken Piccata + Kitchen Clean-Up Tips

Lemon Chicken Piccata with Vegetables only requires one pan, is simple to make and is loaded with a tangy lemon sauce that is sure to become a family favorite! I love to cook but what makes me crazy is the cleanup. Our kitchen is also where we enter our house so it can often get very messy, even before I start cooking. It is the place where our lunch bags full of dirty dishes, Adalyn's diaper bag, etc. goes. Seeing my kitchen messy makes me feel unorganized and therefore, I am constantly working at organizing it to make it look clean and not have clutter.

What To Do, Where To Stay, What to Eat in Traverse City
June 25, 2016

What To Do, Where To Stay, What to Eat in Traverse City

For years, I have heard about how amazing Traverse City is but didn’t fully believe it until I saw it myself. We are on our way back from a 5 day trip from the beautiful Traverse City located in Northern Michigan and it was the best vacation that we have taken, aside from our honeymoon. I feel sad leaving because we had such an incredible time. In typical fashion, I took 7 million photos and will be sharing them over a couple of posts in a What to Do, Where to Stay, What to Eat in Traverse City style post. I hope you enjoy and if you get the chance, definitely visit Traverse City because it is amazing. After being there for two hours, we already started planning our trip back, really. Hopefully this fall, we will be headed back to TC.

How My Husband and I Learned to Compromise
June 24, 2016

How My Husband and I Learned to Compromise

One of our first Christmas's together! When you are dating and first meet someone, it is super fun to get to know them. You get to know their likes, their dislikes, what they are passionate about and all about their history. When Troy and I met (and still to this day), we could talk for hours and hours. When I think back to the summer of 2007, I feel very nostalgic. We were first dating and getting to know each other. It was a blast.

5 Reasons I Can't Wait to Watch the Olympics + Giveaway
June 23, 2016

5 Reasons I Can't Wait to Watch the Olympics + Giveaway

I am not a huge sports fan typically but that all changes when the Olympics come on. I get super excited about them and usually tune in a little bit each day to watch. This summer, the Olympics will be taking place in Rio, Brazil from August 5th-21st! I can't wait to watch. Here are some of the reasons that I cannot wait to watch the 2016 summer Olympics: 1. The opening ceremony My family and I love to get together to watch the opening ceremony together. I love to see what each country comes up with and how they added their culture to the ceremony. I also like to watch the excitement that the athletes have as they get ready to compete.

7 Must-Have Athleisure Clothing Items
June 22, 2016

7 Must-Have Athleisure Clothing Items

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Guides4eBay #CollectiveBias I am excited to be sharing some of my favorite must-have clothing items over at eBay ! I have tried so many different workout clothes and have some tips for finding the best items so you are comfortable during your workouts. And hey, if you decide to wear your workout gear when you are not exercising too, that is okay. I do it too! Yoga pants and leggings are worn all day long sometimes. eBay has so many different cute clothing options. While making this guide, I actually decided to bid on a workout jacket from a brand that I love in my size and my favorite color yellow!

Grilled Apple Crisp Packets
June 22, 2016

Grilled Apple Crisp Packets

These Grilled Apple Crisp Packets are full of flavor, take about 10 minutes to make and are a healthier but still delicious dessert!  Summer is coming! I can feel it! That means putting away the heavy clothes, pulling out the outdoor furniture and firing up the grill. Grilling is one of my favorite ways to cook, especially when it is hot out. The last thing that I want to do is to heat up my house when it is already hot.

Oatmeal Cookie Banana Ice Cream
June 21, 2016

Oatmeal Cookie Banana Ice Cream

Oatmeal Cookie Banana Ice Cream is ready in just 5 minutes and tastes like dessert but has no-added sugar and is rich in fiber and protein.  To me, banana ice cream is one of the best known healthy "hacks". It tastes like ice cream but is so much healthier. You can customize it however you like. I have made chocolate peanut butter banana protein ice cream , mint chocolate chip protein ice cream and 3-ingredient strawberry banana ice cream .

French Toast Kebabs with Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle
June 20, 2016

French Toast Kebabs with Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle

French Toast Kebabs with Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle are a simple and fun brunch recipe that is loaded with fresh bananas, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries! When it comes to creating breakfast recipes, I like to think outside of the box. I love to create fun and unique recipes and that is what I did with these French toast kebabs. It is a take on traditional French toast that is drizzled in chocolate hazelnut spread. It is the perfect fish to serve at a brunch or for kids.

Our New Favorite Form of Exercise: Biking
June 17, 2016

Our New Favorite Form of Exercise: Biking

Review of the Croozer 2016 Kid Plus for two bike trailer, stroller and jogger- perfect for biking, walking and running! I talk a lot about being active as a family and how important it is to me. Our most common way to be active is to go on walks together. Before I was pregnant with Adalyn, my sister and I loved to bike together. I remember going on one super long (for me) bike ride that was 15 miles. Since I had Adalyn, I have barely biked. The reason is because I forgot how much I liked it and I did not have a bike seat or bike trailer to bring Adalyn along in.

7 Outdoor Activities for Toddlers
June 16, 2016

7 Outdoor Activities for Toddlers

We are loving this gorgeous weather!! To me, there is nothing like spending time outside. It is good for the soul. I feel so much happier when the weather is beautiful and we try to take advantage of being outside as much as possible. Here are some of our favorite toddler activities to do outside when the weather is nice. 1. Run through the sprinklers Adalyn loves running through the sprinklers on a hot day. It is so easy to hook up a little sprinkler in the yard for her and it is something fun that Troy and I can do with her as well.

Cheesecake Fruit Dip
June 15, 2016

Cheesecake Fruit Dip

Cheesecake Fruit Dip has just 5 ingredients, takes 5 minutes to make and is super creamy while being a light and healthy dip for your favorite fruits! We recently went to Troy's dad's house for a wee kend barbecue  and a family member made an awesome cheesecake dip that I loved. The dip was perfect on fruit and of course, my dip loving daughter went crazy over it. We ate it with a huge fruit salad which was so good. 

6 Simple Wellness Strategies That Will Keep Your Family Healthy
June 14, 2016

6 Simple Wellness Strategies That Will Keep Your Family Healthy

These days, many parents are interested in creating a healthy family culture. Whether you're trying to fight disease or ensure that your loved ones have a ton of energy and stable moods, there are numerous strategies you can implement to help optimize everyone's level of wellness. Here are six of them:

10 Calcium Rich Foods for Kids
June 14, 2016

10 Calcium Rich Foods for Kids

Calcium is important for building strong bones. These 10 foods are rich in calcium to help your kids get the calcium they need. After stopping nursing, I started to give Adalyn regular cow's milk. The problem is that she will not drink it. She takes maybe 1 sip and then throws the sippy cup across the room. We have tried many things and she is not a fan of drinking milk plain. As a registered dietitian, it is very important to me for Adalyn to get enough calcium. I talked to her doctor about it and he said that she needs about three sources of calcium-rich foods per day. I dug back into my knowledge from school about alternative sources of calcium beyond milk. Of course, dairy rich foods are high in calcium but so are some other foods. The Institute of Medicine recommends that kids ages 1-3 get 700 milligrams of calcium per day. Kids 4-8 need 1,000 milligrams and kids 9-18 need 1,300 milligrams of calcium each day. Calcium is important for building strong bones, espec

Blueberry Breakfast Cookies
June 13, 2016

Blueberry Breakfast Cookies

These Blueberry Breakfast Cookies are packed with nutritious ingredients such as fresh blueberries, flax and muesli for a healthy and delicious breakfast! When it comes to feeding my daughter breakfast, the number one thing that matters (to her) is that it is ready in 2 seconds. Adalyn wakes up starving and wants breakfast right away or else, she gets pretty cranky. We were making homemade chilaquiles the other day which took way too long for Adalyn's liking.

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 17
June 12, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 17

1. Green Chef I absolutely love trying food delivery services because the meals are always fun to make. I really enjoyed trying Green Chef. We made an awesome Jamaican stew which my husband and I both loved. We also got to make some sweet, broiled plantains which we had not had before. They were delicious! I would make them again.

10 Tips to Save Money on Grocery Items
June 10, 2016

10 Tips to Save Money on Grocery Items

I absolutely love to save money while providing my family with quality food and other groceries. I used to coupon a ton but I barely do it anymore because I feel like my time is better spent elsewhere such as with my daughter and husband, blogging or taking care of my home. Instead, I have found a bunch of other ways to keep our grocery bill low and still have money in my budget for fun foods such as cashew butter and mango fruit roll-ups. Here are some of my best tips for saving money on grocery items: 1. Save on non food items We buy our toiletries on sale always. We are not brand specific to deodorant, shampoo, face wash, toothpaste, etc. so when an item we need goes on sale, we do not have an issue using that brand. We often buy toilet paper in quantity. We rarely use paper towel and use reusable kitchen towels instead. We like the  Hefty Ultra Strong  trash bags best because they are affordable and do not break. There is nothing worse than your garbage bags breaking

Foods that Boost Fertility
June 09, 2016

Foods that Boost Fertility

Adequate  nutrition is very important for helping you conceive. These 5 foods are shown to help boost fertility. While I have received compensation for this post from Fertility Planit , all opinions are my own. When I was in school and in my internship to be a dietitian, I loved learning about which foods help different diseases and conditions. I loved learning that cinnamon could help with blood sugar control for diabetes or that reducing your salt intake could help with high blood pressure. I love writing these nutrition articles because it helps bring back the knowledge that I learned in school about different topics that I do not necessarily use everyday. 16 vs 26 vs 36 weeks pregnant with Adalyn Fertility is a tough topic. We were very lucky not to struggle with infertility when having our daughter. I know several people who are going through fertility issues or that have gone through fertility issues and I cannot imagine what they are going through. I know that I love

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 16
June 08, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 16

1. prAna Kara Jeans These prAna Kara jeans are lightweight and perfect for a cooler summer evening out. They have a slight stretch and are made of 75% organic cotton. They are very long so that they can be cuffed. I am 5'6" and they are long on me. They are available in so many different colors and prints. These are the red mixer pattern.  They have a slim fit and tapered leg. I like them and know that I will get good use out of them year round. I will wear them with a sweater in the fall and winter and with a tank top in the summer. I love to shop and get new clothing and these pants help satisfy my summer shopping cravings. For 15% off your prAna purchase, use code SCS16AMHE. 2.  Stonyfield Whole Milk Yogurt Until quite recently, I thought that fat-free yogurt was best. Why have the extra calories from fat? I was not scared of fat per se but often thought that the lower the calories are in a yogurt, the better. My mind has changed quite a lot recently. Sinc