Roasted Chicken 4 Ways

Roasted Chicken 4 Ways

A little bit of meal prepping can go a really long way when it comes to saving time and energy with meals. It is great whether you work full-time (or more), have kids in multiple activities throughout the week or just want something easy to make so you have more time for your favorite shows. Is anyone else watching Ozark right now? OMG! And, how 'bout them Chiefs! There are a few things I like to have on hand to keep lunch simple or to use for dinner when we are running out the door to soccer practice and baseball games.

One of our staples is roasted chicken. I love how versatile it is as far as flavors go and ways to use it. I roast a large pack of boneless chicken breasts at least weekly and use them in some darn delicious meals. Real chefs would tell you to use bone-in chicken for flavor but I don't care to mess with the bone-in breasts myself. If you don't mind it then give it a try! I also like to keep a lot of fresh veggies on hand so I often have most of the ingredients of the recipes I'm giving you today. With the chicken already cooked, meals come together in no time!

Kids Eat Right Month

Kids Eat Right Month

August is Kids Eat Right month with summer ending and school back in session. This is a great time to remember how important nutrition is for our children's health, wellbeing and learning. We as parents have the opportunity to give our kids the tools needed to make great choices now and later in life. These little people are our future!

My last post focused on modeling healthy habits and setting up positive behaviors around food. Really, it was focused on some of my big no-no's when it comes to health and nutrition for kids. Let's focus a little more on what we are giving them and the why when it comes to kids nutrition for learning and for life.

Breakfast is a must!

I know you have all heard that kids do better in school when they eat breakfast. It is so true and they do even better with a nutritious breakfast. Breakfast is an opportunity to provide a lot of nutrients. Kids not only perform better on school work and tests with a good breakfast but they also have more energy and better behavior.

Breakfast Bowl

Breakfast Bowl

So I'm officially obsessed with breakfast foods and coming up with new combos to change up my morning egg routine. Lately the hubs has been making breakfast while I'm at the gym and it's ready when I get home. Two eggs, 1/2 turkey sausage and 1/2 baked sweet potato. It's simple, healthy and yummy. No complaints here except it doesn't give me the chance to experiment as much, or use up all the veggies in my fridge. One day last week he left early for work and I had to fend for myself. I almost whipped up a quick protein shake but after rummaging around in the fridge I decided to go with some kicked up eggs. It was the best breakfast bowl ever and I have made it for dinner twice since. It. is. so. good! My oldest step-son said the other day, "I will never get tired of eating this"! Winner, winner, breakfast bowls for dinner!

What I really want out of my breakfast is that it is real food, nutritious, flavorful and filling. This nailed all 4 of those things! There are so many healthy, tasty ingredients that work really well together so it's pretty much fail proof. Did you know that bell peppers have some of the highest amounts of vitamin C in food? Vitamin C helps with immune function, collagen production, cellular health, wound healing and helps us better absorb iron. Did you know that your body needs fat? It helps us absorb some vitamins and is needed for brain and organ health. Eat the avocado people...don't fear the fat! I tend to lean more toward Mexican flavors, and those are typically the things I have in my fridge, but you can always adjust to your tastes and preferences. Here is my breakfast bowl.

Healthy Travels

Healthy Travels

We have been little traveling peeps this year, at least more so than usual. My husband traveled a lot last year for his previous job and we were fortunate enough to earn a companion pass on Southwest with points. That means wherever he flies, I fly for free (same days and flights only). We are trying to take as much advantage as our bank account and calendar will allow.

We've done Mexico, New Orleans, Austin and Park City, UT. We have hopes for a few more trips before the end of the year, including somewhere fantastic for our 10th anniversary in November. Any recommendations? We are thinking Belize.

Kombucha, Yay or Nay?

Kombucha, Yay or Nay?

I jumped on the Kombucha bandwagon a while back and am still hanging on. I really like it because 1. it isn't very sweet 2. gives me a little pick me up in the afternoon and 3. it helps curb my sweets craving. It is a tea meets juice meets cider meets vinegar drink. Sounds weird and a little hippy, right? It is kind of weird and hippy since it starts from a mushroom kind of thingy and turns into fizzy yumminess with flavors galore. I drink a few ounces occasionally or use it to make cocktails that are really good and not too sweet. I will share a little more about kombucha and some of my favorites.

What is kombucha?

Kombucha, pronouned kom-BOO-cha, is a fermented drink made from tea, sugar, and a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). The SCOBY looks like a rubbery pancake. The mixture ferments to produce enzymes, acids, microflora, B vitamins and a tiny bit of alcohol. The fermentation process can sometimes cause a sour flavor as well as some carbonation. Most of them don't have sugar added after the fermentation process so are pretty low in sugar content.