The Nutritionist Reviews

August 31, 2016

How to Pack a Healthy Lunch for Kids

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. # PackSnacksTheyLove #CollectiveBias Having a healthy lunch at school is so important for kids. There is the option to buy school lunch or to pack your own from home. When I was in school, I bought lunch once a week and brought lunch four times per week. This worked well and I think that we will do the same thing for Adalyn when she starts school. As a dietitian and mom, I think a lot about food and nutrition. Before Adalyn was born, I thought about how I wanted to raise her, how I want her to be a strong woman and how I want her to enjoy healthy foods (with a few treats along the way). Adalyn does not go to school quite yet but when she does, these are some of the things that I will pack in her lunch. At home, we keep her meals pretty balanced as well and feed her all of these foods on a regular basis.

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August 30, 2016

Healthiest Foods for Back to School

Whether we want to admit it or not, back to school is coming. Adalyn won't be going to school quite yet but my husband will! He is starting his sixth year as a teacher and this year, is teaching honors physics, earth science, regular physics and astronomy. With 4 classes to prep, during the school year is very busy for us. Therefore, I like to stock up our fridge, freezer and pantry for back to school to make cooking and healthy eating as easy as possible. I pack our lunches every day, we both bring a breakfast from home and then eat dinner together as a family. Healthy eating is important to me year round and to make the back-to-school hustle easier, I make sure that I have most of these foods on hand.

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August 29, 2016

Mini Fruit Ice Cream Cakes

Make your own ice cream cake at home with this easy, homemade strawberry sweet cream ice cream topped with fresh fruit for the perfect celebration! I have said it before and I will say it again, I am not a baker. I love to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner but baked goods- not my favorite! Baking requires an exact science and I am more of a person who likes to throw in a little of this or a little of that as I feel like it. Therefore, when it comes to special events such as birthdays, I like to find different alternatives to homemade cake since I cannot bake.

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August 26, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 23

1. Sun Basket I love trying meal services so that when people ask me which one is best, I am able to let them know my honest answer after trying a variety of them. Well, friends, I have found my favorite meal service and it is called Sun Basket. Out of all of the meals that I've tried, Sun Basket has the freshest and most flavorful. I was sent three meals to try and loved them all. Each meal featured fresh herbs providing so much flavor to the meal. What I liked was that the meals were completely out of the ordinary. I am a fairly skilled cook and if I can make the recipe at home in 10 minutes without many ingredients, I do not need a meal service to order it.

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August 25, 2016

Tips to Boost Your Energy When You Haven't Slept

This is a sponsored post and all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Nutritionist Reviews possible! As a mom to a young child, I certainly understand sleep deprivation. In fact, last night, my daughter was up at 3 AM crying because she wanted to come into bed with us. Today at work, I find myself yawning. Thankfully, Adalyn being up in the night is a lot less common now than when she was a newborn but that does not mean that I am sleeping well. I am a very type A person. I always have a million things on my mind. I have a to-do list always that is filled with all kinds of things that I-must-do-or-else! Often times, when it is time for bed, my brain does not want to shut off. Part of it is definitely my fault. I am terrible about going on my phone on different social media before bed.

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August 24, 2016

Hidden Greens Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Hidden Greens Chocolate Banana Smoothie is ready to drink in two minutes and is perfect for picky eaters who are not the biggest fan of greens! We are on a one week countdown until Troy has to go back to work. I am so sad about it this year because he makes the best stay-at-home dad. Teachers go back a week before the students at school and the official first day of school is the day after labor day. What has been so awesome about summer is not having to plan meals ahead of time. Troy makes Adalyn whatever they want for breakfast and our dinners are whatever we feel like that night. As someone who gets overwhelmed easily, this meal planning break has been great for me.

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August 23, 2016

5 Tips for Getting Out of the House with a Newborn

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. # Superabsorbent #CollectiveBias On the day after we got home from the hospital with Adalyn, we went grocery shopping. Many people could not believe that I was brave enough to take Adalyn out on her third day of life but I figured, why not? If she was fussy, we would just leave. Plus, we needed to run some errands! We always made sure to bring a diaper bag (with Huggies diapers ) but that was about it. But, I have some other beneficial tips to share to help you get out of the house smoothly with a newborn. Troy went back to work when Adalyn was a week old and that day, her and I went to run some other errands. From the beginning, we got out of the house with our newborn baby and continued doing this through now. It is not always easy getting out of the house with a baby but for my mental sanity, it was very important to do so. Also, I had stuff to do!

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August 22, 2016

The Best Baby Gifts We Received

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. # MomsHelper #CollectiveBias I 've been a mom for two years now and remember the newborn stage in detail. Sure, some memories are fuzzy due to the crazy sleep deprivation but mostly, I remember the highs and lows of the beginning of parenting. When Adalyn was born, people were so sweet to us and were very helpful. We got all kinds of baby gifts at my shower, at the hospital and when people came to meet Adalyn at our home. Today, I want to share the most helpful baby gifts that we received and why they were so special.

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August 20, 2016

Upgrading our Summer with Upper Peninsula Waterfalls

About a month ago, I took one of my favorite trips that I have ever taken. I brought along my sister, husband and daughter and we drove about 6 hours up north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We have been talking about doing this for literally, 9 years and finally made it happen. We figured if not now, then when? I planned the trip to the UP and we had such a great time. We stayed in Munising, MI which was close to a lot of the falls. We started not too far into the UP at Tahquamenon Falls. These were must-see falls because they were big and beautiful and had an upper and lower falls.

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August 19, 2016

Tips for Saving Money on Baby Clothes

This post is sponsored by Carter’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Ever since I found out that I was pregnant with Adalyn, I started shopping for all things baby. Until 20 weeks of pregnancy, I bought little gender neutral blankets, diapers, etc. Once I found out that I was having a girl, I went crazy!! I bought everything that I could find that I loved and that was a great price.

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August 18, 2016

Green Salsa Verde

Green Salsa Verde is ready in 15 minutes and is loaded with flavor. Filled with fresh tomatillos, garlic, onions, cilantro and lime juice, it is sure to be a favorite sauce! Each summer, we plan at least one big bonfire appetizer party at our house. I love entertaining but like to do it simply, otherwise I get very overwhelmed. My husband has a big family and they have always had parties potluck style. This is such a simpler way of entertaining because you do not have to do everything yourself. Then, when I go to their parties, I bring a dish to pass too. It works out so well!

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August 17, 2016

Banana Split Bites

Banana Split Bites are made with just 4 ingredients and are simple, healthy treats that are perfect for summer! My good friend Katie from Mom to Mom Nutrition recently had her third baby, a beautiful baby girl!!! I am so excited for her. While she is taking time to enjoy her new bundle of joy, I wrote a guest post for her website. I made these perfect-for-summer Banana Split Bites. These banana split bites are super easy to make and are fun for adults and kids. If your chocolate is not drippy enough for dipping, add a bit of coconut oil to make it easier to dip. The fruit is rich in vitamins and fiber and provides enough sweetness to be a perfect snack or dessert. Visit Mom to Mom Nutrition for the full post and recipe !

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August 16, 2016

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus takes 5 minutes to make, is full of flavor and is healthier than store-bought hummus! Back to school time can be so busy! Although I do not have a child who is in school yet, I do have a husband who is a teacher and back to school is easily the busiest time of year. A couple of years ago was especially crazy because I was due with Adalyn a couple of weeks after school started. I remember that Troy always had to have his phone nearby in case I was in labor. Luckily, Adalyn waited to come out until a Saturday morning so my husband did not have to leave school in the middle of class!!

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August 15, 2016

Peach Green Tea Sangria

Peach Green Tea Sangria is easy to make and is customizable with your favorite kinds of fruit. Cool down with a iced glass of this fun beverage! This summer, I have been loving iced tea. Usually, I stick to mainly water or coffee (1 cup per day) but having something iced and flavored has been perfect during this hot summer. Did you know that you can make any tea iced? In the winter, I enjoy drinking hot tea and have been loving taking my favorite flavors and making it iced.

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August 12, 2016

8 Tips for Traveling with a Toddler

This post was sponsored by Evenflo as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received the Evenflo Sibby Travel System to facilitate my review. We love to travel with our daughter. This can include trips where we are gone for a few days or even little day trips. I am very lucky that I do not work Wednesdays and my husband does not work in the summer (he is a teacher). We have an extra day each week together where we love to go and knock different things off our summer bucket list.

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August 11, 2016

Banana Split Overnight Oats

Banana Split Overnight Oats taste like your favorite dessert but are made healthy with oats, Greek yogurt, almond cashew butter and fresh fruit! When the weather is too hot to cook but you still want a delicious and filling breakfast, these banana split overnight oats are an awesome option. Made to taste like your favorite dessert, you will wonder whether you are eating breakfast or dessert.

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August 10, 2016

Yogurt Parfait Popsicles

These Yogurt Parfait Popsicles make the perfect summer breakfast! Filled with yogurt, fresh fruit and whole-grain granola, they are filling and delicious! On a hot summer morning, the last thing that I want to do is turn on the stove to heat up the house. Oatmeal makes me too hot, waffles sometimes seem too filling, etc. I created these yogurt parfait popsicles because my daughter loves popsicles and these are actually healthy. They are for breakfast but can also be eaten for a snack or for dessert.

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August 09, 2016

Adalyn's Almost 2 Year Old Update

Wow, somehow, I have not written an Adalyn update since she was 18 months old! She is now 22 1/2 months old (she turns two on September 20th) and I figured that I would share an update- mostly so I do not forget the fun things going on with her at this age.

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August 08, 2016

Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats

Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats take 5 minutes of prep time the night before and you will have a delicious breakfast ready to go in the morning! Though overnight oats have been around for a long time, I recently got into the trend. I had a hard time believing that the liquid would be soaked up by the oats without cooking them since I always eat hot oats. I was pleasantly surprised and really ended up enjoying overnight oats.

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August 05, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 22

1. Learning Resources Kids Toys I love finding new learning toys for Adalyn. She is almost two and super smart and talking up a storm. The one area that we are having a bit of trouble with is learning her colors. She knows all of the colors and can say them but cannot identify them. That is when I found this amazing game called Learning Resources Farmer's Market Color Sorting Set for her. 

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August 04, 2016

Beach Packing List for Toddlers

This post was sponsored by WaterWipes as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. We have taken two vacations this summer and have a couple more little trips coming up. Before our first trip this summer, I way over packed thinking that we would need all of this stuff that we didn't end up needing. By the second trip, I packed a lot lighter which made packing and unpacking a lot easier. My daughter is almost two years old and there are certain items that I have found to be must-haves for the beach. These items make a beach trip so much less stressful when you know that you have a well-stocked bag.

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August 03, 2016

5 Ways to Save Money on a Road trip + Fruit Salsa Recipe

This Easy Fruit Salsa with lime dressing takes 5 minutes to make, is the perfect healthy snack for a road trip and is completely customizable! I have been enjoying writing about travel here on the blog. Road trips require a lot of planning and always include packing a bunch of food and stuff for my daughter so it often makes me stressed out. Another aspect of travel that can be stressful is that it can be expensive. Therefore, I like doing different things to save money on travel such as packing my own food, saving on fuel at Kroger and more!

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August 02, 2016

How We Saved Time to Have More Time Together

Life is busy and in order to get everything done, sometimes, I take shortcuts. I am constantly trying to learn new shortcuts such as meal prep, grocery shopping during my lunch break, cleaning up for 10 minutes after dinner to avoid big cleanups, etc. I found a new way to save time that I am excited about sharing with you! It is called Google Express . Google Express helped us to save time so that we have more time for Saturday family activities which is so important to me. Instead of spending Saturday running errands, we get to choose a fun activity to do together. There is nothing like family time!

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August 01, 2016

Parmesan Tomato Zucchini Bake

Parmesan Tomato Squash Bake is a simple recipe with layered fresh tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash topped with garlic, onion and parmesan cheese! Summer produce is finally here! Our garden is producing delicious vegetables and the farmers markets are bursting with local, fresh produce. This time of year, I try to use fresh produce for every meal as we all know, soon enough, it will be gone.  In my neck of the woods, zucchini , squash and tomatoes seem to be the most plentiful vegetables and we look for different ways to get creative with them.

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