Happy Easter!

You know your kid is spoiled (or a perfectionist just like you) when you whip these up without notice because you realize that it's the last school day before Easter and you haven't made a treat for the preschoolers yet and her response is, "They were yummy, but next time you should really get jelly beans instead of M&Ms because they look more like eggs."

I am not going to be able to post a lengthy recipe because I totally winged it on these. Here are the components:

1. 24 Funfetti cupcakes made from the box mix substituting unsweetened applesauce for the oil
2. Homemade buttercream tinted light green (totally improvised this by starting with 1 cup of butter whipped in the Kitchen-aid and then just started pouring in dream whip, vanilla extract, milk, and confectioner's sugar til I liked the way it tasted)
3. Easter M&Ms
4. White chocolate bunnies that I used candy melts and a super old bunny lollipop mold (didn't insert the sticks) to make

Anyway, Happy Easter to those that celebrate:-)

Photo Tutorial: Ribbon Curls

I've been less active with blogging this past week because, well, I've been exhausted! I'm usually part time (because our office is too small for 3 full time MDs and 2 full time NPs), but bump up my hours whenever another provider is out of the office. Due to Passover, two of the providers have been out so I spent the first half of the week seeing 3 panels of patients (which added up to 15 patients during the 3 1/2 hour span I was in the office on Monday morning!), doing all my usual chores, planning my Easter dishes, AND gearing up for bug's big 4th birthday bash in two weeks! It might continue to be slower around here until after the party, but I'll do my best to stay connected.

One of the projects for bug's party was inspired by this blogger's post on Disney Princess ribbon headbands. She gives a ribbon curling tutorial, but when I followed her directions the curls were a bit floppy and started to lose their shape. I did some research and this is the method I used instead. I will post a tutorial on my ribbon figures once I finish them all up!

Supplies: Spray starch, grosgrain ribbon (any width you want to use), clothespins, pencils or dowels, scissors, a towel , and a baking sheet

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees while you get the ribbon ready.
Start by pinning one end of your ribbon to the top of the pencil.

Wrap the ribbon around the pencil keeping the ribbon wraps tightly next to each other, but not overlapping.

When you reach the end of the pencil, cut the ribbon and pin the end. Wrap as many pieces as you want/need. I wrap the entire pencil and trim to the lengths I need after it's curled.

Line up the pencils on the towel and spray each side lightly with the spray starch.

Line up on the baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Let cool completely (at least 20 minutes) before unpinning and the curls should slide right off the pencil and be ready for use!

Raising a Kid that Loves to Read

Reading is something that has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have so many memories of reading book series like The Baby-Sitters's Club, Boxcar Children, American Girls, Goosebumps, and Fear Street when I was growing up. Combine the facts that we didn't have a lot of extra money when I was a kid and I was a fast reader, my parents rarely bought me brand new books. Building my collections required a lot of work visiting used book stores, libraries, and yard sales to find the books I was missing. As I got older I continued to read anything I could get my hands on. I eventually allowed my love of reading to guide me into the wonderful liberal arts program at Boston College where I completed an English degree alongside my science core for medical school.

My husband on the other hand, well, he just doesn't read. I don't think he ever completely read a single book we were assigned in high school or college. After years of begging him, he did finally read the HP series and a few biographies about Walt Disney, but that's about it.

Keeping both of our book backgrounds in mind, I really, really wanted to raise our kids to love reading the way I did. Below you'll find some tips on how I've made literature a big part of my kids' lives...

1. Build a collection early. If you have any say in your baby shower, ask your friends/family to do what mine did for me - encourage guests to forgo cards and sign a book for the baby instead. After two showers I had a great beginning library for my bug with many classics.
2. Start reading to your kids as early as possible. I really don't think there is any time that is too early. With my first I was spending SO much time working on breast-feeding that I decided to start reading the first HP book out loud to her while she was nursing. Reading one chapter was just about the perfect length of time for her to eat.
3. Make a daily routine that includes reading. When my bug was a few months old I started this routine - each morning I would choose a new book (and toy to coordinate if we had one) and place it on the changing table. After each diaper change I would read her the book and play with the toy for a few minutes.
4. Books at bedtime! We probably didn't really start reading at bedtime until bug was a little older (I want to guess 18 months or so), but now that we have two kids, baby bear has been part of our nighttime reading since she was born. The bug gets to pick out 3-5 books and we snuggle in bed and read them together. Daddy and I swap this routine so we are both involved in reading to them.
5. Have books in every room that your kid spends time for easy assess. We kept a bookshelf in the bug's bedroom, added a bookshelf organizer to the playroom ,and have a bin under the sofa table in the living room.
6. Start the tradition early that books are gifts. Encourage family to buy their favorite books to pass on - my bug always asks who gave her which books when we read them so it's a nice way for her to remember different family members.
7. Visit bookstores and libraries regularly. We try to go to the local library at least once a month and I let bug pick out any books that grab her eye.

Friday Five: Non-candy Easter Baskets

When my bug was first born I was all about good nutrition. She was exclusively breast-fed for the first five months and then started on (mostly) organic purees. As her diet advanced I would bake bread for her, make homemade entrees like mac and cheese from scratch, and served a fruit and vegetable at every meal. She didn't drink juice until she was 2 and even then was only offered a few ounces a week. I was so proud of myself for following all the rules I preached each day at work. 

I can't pinpoint how and when it happened, but somehow the sweets started creeping into her life - some of it was my fault because I loved to bake and some of it was over-eager family wanting to shower her with treats. Before I knew it, my bug was addicted to sugar! If I didn't resort to hiding all the excess treats she was given she'd probably weigh twice as much. Without checking, I know there are a box of peeps, at least two chocolate lollipops, a bag of Hershey's kisses, more than three Pez dispensers, three large decorated sugar cookies from a cookie bouquet, a few dozen lollipops, and mini packets of holiday jelly beans in the treasure trove right now. I feel guilty to throw it away, but I can't let her eat it.

To avoid adding to the collection, I need to get creative this Easter and come up with non-candy treats for bug's basket (and fillers for the eggs for her Easter egg hunt!). Here are my top five non-candy basket and egg filler ideas!

Basket Gifts

1. Books are my favorite for every holiday! Easter books, books from a favorite series, or a completely new book are all great suggestions.
2. BPA-free water bottle. Spring is here and summer is coming, a stylish new water bottle with a promise of an outing in the great outdoors is a practical and fun idea.
3. Figurines to inspire make-believe play. Disney store online has tons of play sets. Bug just discovered My Little Pony and will be getting her favorite pony in her basket.
4. Swimming gear. A new swimsuit, sun hat, and/or sunscreen are an especially good idea if your family is traveling somewhere warm for Spring Break.
5. Something crafty/artsy. Go to your local Joann's/Michael's/Hobby Lobby and look around at the sets they offer to find something that suits your child's interests (paint sets, molding sets, model kits, jewelry making, etc).

Egg Fillers

1. Stamps. My bug loves to craft and I found multiple small Disney stamps in a dollar bin at Joann's crafts that will be perfect size for eggs. 
2. Money! My parents would put quarters and dollars in our eggs so we could buy ourselves a treat and I plan to carry on that tradition.
3. Stickers and tattoos. You can sometimes find sheets that perforate into small squares that would be perfect to fit into a plastic. Otherwise, you can buy any stickers you want and cut them up.
4. Bubbles. I don't know why, but kids LOVE bubbles.You know those tiny bottles of bubbles that people hand out at weddings ? They are the perfect size to fit in Easter eggs! You can find them at party stores and some dollar stores.
5. Small toys (like Squinkies) are popular right now and perfect size for kids over the age of 3.

I hope these ideas help someone else out there who is looking to decrease the Easter sugar overload.

Banana Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

After reading one of my healthy weight watchers recipes and then checking my facebook and seeing a photo of the extremely unhealthy cupcakes I made for my husband's birthday, my cousin challenged me to create a delicious cupcake that was low in points. I was going to wait until the weekend so that I had more time to play around with ingredients, but I was eager to get started and came up with this recipe this morning. It's obviously not the Coffee Heath Crunch Cupcake (recipe coming soon!) seen below, but I take it as a big compliment that my picky three year old who usually licks the frosting off cupcakes and throws the rest away ate the whole thing!

Banana Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting (3 points plus)
Recipe makes 24 cupcakes

Banana Cupcakes (serving size one cupcake, 2 points plus)
2 cups all-purpose unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fat free egg substitute (equivalent of 3 eggs)
2 tbsp fat free milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
2. Blend butter and yogurt in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment for 2 minutes.
3. Add sugar to the bowl and beat until well blended.
4. Beat in eggs 1/4 cup at a time, mixing until incorporated. 
5. Add in milk and vanilla.
6. Stir in half of the flour mixture, then the bananas.
7. Finally, add the last of the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated.
8. Divide evenly into 24 cupcakes liners, fill each approximately 2/3.
9. Bake for 18-22 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutella Frosting (serving size ~1 tbsp, 1 point plus)

4 tbsp butter, softened

2 tbsp nutella

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1-2 tsp fat free milk

1. Using hand mixer, beat butter and nutella together until smooth.
2. Add confectioner's sugar 1/4 cup at a time beating until fully incorporated after each addition.
3. Finally, add milk by 1/2tsp until desired consistency is reached (I used the full 2 tsp).

*After I took my photos I saw one of the heath cupcakes I made for my husband and quickly calculated the points and realized you can top each cupcake with 1 tsp crushed heath without increasing the points value!*

The cupcake that started it all...

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

I purchased some all natural/grass-fed/antibiotic-free beef when I was at the grocery store this weekend with the intention of cooking Beef, Potato, and Quinoa soup from Skinnytaste. My day ended up getting too busy with the girls and I didn't get it on the stove cooking early enough. I needed to use the beef, so I decided to improvise. My husband doesn't like plain old beef stew (the obvious choice), so this is what I came up with instead.

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew (3 points plus)
Serves 6 with a serving size of a heaping 1/2 cup

2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup scallions (white and green parts)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 lb beef for stewing, cut into small bite sized pieces
1 cup beef broth
1 large sweet potato, diced

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. 
2. Add scallions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add cilantro and diced tomatoes and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Mix beef and cumin into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes until meat is no longer pink.
5. Remove pan from heat and pour beef mixture into crockpot.
6. Stir in sweet potatoes and beef broth.
7. Cook on high for 4 hours

I served this over white rice (3 points plus) and topped with fresh salsa. Instead, you could skip the rice and eat a full cup of the stew for the same point value.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We've been getting in the green spirit for a few weeks around here and we topped off the morning with an entirely green breakfast! Daddy made some disturbingly green eggs and ham for the bug for breakfast while I whipped up a batch of these semi-healthy donuts. The original recipe can be found here. I modified only by replacing 1 cup of regular white flour with whole wheat flour.

I wouldn't call these donuts fabulous, but they had a great texture/crumb and were tastier dipped in my cup of coffee. Also, the glaze looked pretty, but didn't have much flavor. Next time, I would add a tablespoon of melted butter to make it richer.

Friday Five: St. Patrick's Day Yummies!

Just in time for this St. Patty's Day this weekend I'm sharing some of the yummy things I've whipped up in the past week or so to celebrate at home, school, and work.

 

Start St. Patrick's Day off right with a well rounded breakfast. I used my favorite basic pancake recipe with whole wheat white flour and tinted with Wilton icing colors to get vibrant hues.

For the kiddos: "Rainbow" pancakes, banana "clouds", and a scrambled egg "pot of gold"

For the grown-ups: Rainbow silver dollars

If you're looking for a treat that is colorful and only requires a few ingredients (but a bit of time to assemble), try out these rainbow rice krispie treats. I was inspired by this blogger, but I think that her recipe made them too crisp and if I made them again I would add more marshmallows and perhaps a dash of heavy cream during the cooking phase to make them chewier.

The colors didn't come out nearly as vibrant in this photo as they were in person

The in production shot before I portioned them...

These St. Patty's cake pops are stunners, but require MANY hours of dedication to create. I got the idea for a rainbow cake pop from this blogger's beautiful picture tutorial, but wasn't confident I could handle the wrapping of layers of cake without just squishing it all up into a mess. Instead, I opted to roll each color out between sheets of wax paper and then layered them in rainbow order. After a 6 hour rest in the fridge, I cut the big block of cake into small rectangles. I realled wanted to make sure they stayed together when dipping in the chocolate, so I rested them in the freezer for another 30-60 minutes before inserting the sticks and dipping them.

Funky lighting because I snapped this as they were chillin' in the fridge while I dipped another batch 

Outside: Green chocolate and some festive sprinkles

Inside: Surprise! Rainbow cake!
The poor lighting in my kitchen at 11pm when I finished these does not do them justice:-(

This "adults only" Guiness/Jameson/Bailey's cupcake will leave you with a buzz as well as a sugar rush. I shared these a few years ago (see my old post here) and have been making them yearly ever since.

 

Once again, not a great photo because I finished them at night and then I snapped this in our lunchroom just now

For those of you who are trying to behave and follow a diet (like me!) here's a healthy St. Patty's Day treat - Green Fruit Salad!

Diced kiwi, honeydew melon, and green grapes

 

Friday Five: Themed Parties

I LOVE to plan and throw parties. I've always (since I was a little kid) enjoyed the idea of mixing color schemes and creating fun and crafty centerpieces, favors, and decorations, but the birth of my children in combination with blogs and sites dedicated to party planning have really driven me over the edge when it comes to thinking up some crazy ideas. Today I'm sharing five parties I want to throw someday...

Harry Potter: This party WILL happen someday

1. The food: The menu will consist of many HP favs including pumpkin pasties, butterbeer, bacon sandwiches, onion soup, trifle, etc.
2. The dress code: Robes encouraged, but Muggle attire is allowed
3. The entertainment: House sorting, potion making, wizard chess, and maybe even a game of quidditch!

Arrested Development: Look at Banner!

1. The food: DIY frozen bananas, candy beans, hot ham water, and plenty of hard liquor
2. The dress code: Best George Michael shirt wins a prize!
3. The entertainment: A magic show Illusions, therapy sessions from the world's only analrapist, Blue Man Group performance

Old School Mario Bros: Because it's awesome, that's why

1. The food: Mushroom EVERYTHING
2. The dress code: Mustaches and coveralls for all!
3. The entertainment: Smashin' blocks and a rousing game of escape the bob-omb

College Rewind: All the good stuff without the studying

1. The food: Assorted takeout from places with questionable quality, but fast delivery
2. The dress code: Collegiate apparel - show your school spirit!
3. The entertainment: Beirut and flip cup tournaments - get ready for the flavor explosion that is Busch Light

The Phish Experience: The music and food without the drugs

1. The food: Veggie burritos, grilled cheese, micro brews, and goo balls - all 1 for $3 and 2 for $5
2. The dress code: Band tees
3. The entertainment: Glowstick wars and tunes that are "totally better than post-hiatus, but nothing compared to that run of shows I saw back in '94 when I was on tour sleeping in my car and selling lot shirts"

Fruit and Oatmeal Cookies

 

 

I've mentioned before that I am always looking for recipes to use up leftover bananas so when Gina over at Skinnytaste posted her recipe for 3 ingredient Healthy Cookies I knew I would be trying them out soon. I was all set to make them per her recipe, but then I realized I had an over-ripe mango in the fruit bowl as well. Hmmm...could pureed mango work the same way as the bananas? I figured the worst that could happen would be that I would have to throw it away. I also decided to add some cranberries and chocolate chips for good measure.

 

Fruit and Oatmeal Cookies (1 point plus per cookie)

2 mashed medium sized bananas

1/2 cup pureed mango

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 tbsp mini chocolate chips

 

Put all the ingredients in a bowl

Mix everything together

Measure level tablespoons of "dough" and place on a cookie sheet.

 

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I know this is a random number, but I got 19 cookies from my batch. If you get 19-20 cookies the points are 1 per cookie. If you get 16-18 cookies out of your batch the points increase to 2 per cookie.

 

 



These cookies will keep in an air-tight container for a few days, but are best when eaten within 24 hours. These are healthy and hearty enough to eat with a cup of yogurt and some orange slices for a yummy, filling breakfast

 

Mommy Tips: Breast-feeding basics

I skipped a week of mommy tips, but now I'm back again! Before I start a post like this I want to remind any readers that although I am a pediatrician and some of this advice inevitably comes from my medical knowledge and experience (it's impossible to separate mommy and MD when it comes to some issues), nothing you read on the internet should ever serve as a substitute to discussion with your own pediatrician! I offer these tips as mommy sharing, not medical advice.

1. If you know you want to nurse your baby, try to read up on it or meet with a lactation consultant ahead of time to give yourself some background. An easy book I read was put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics and had a lot of basic info. I also spent time with a hospital based lactation nurse learning about proper latch.
2. Let your delivery room nurse know you plan to breast feed and that you want to try to nurse your newborn as soon as possible after birth. Don't be afraid to remind them when the time comes. For both my deliveries the nurses were great advocates.
3. It will take time for your milk to come in (72 hours or more is normal!), but colostrum (early, yellow, fat amd calorie rich milk) is there right away. Keep trying to nurse every 2-3 hours to get your body stimulated to make more.
4. Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat enough food, breast-feeding places a lot of demands your body! I didn't do so well with this the first time around and my supply dropped because of it.
5. If you need to supplement formula in the beginning because of jaundice, excessive weight loss, or your baby is too hungry, it's OK. Don't beat yourself up! You can still catch up with the baby and get rid of the bottles in no time.
6. Be prepared for pain. Even if you have the perfect latch, it takes time for your nipples to "toughen up" and you will have to deal with soreness, cracking, and potentially bleeding. Have some lanolin on hand!
7. Even if you have a long maternity leave (or will be staying home), its a good idea to get the hang of breast pumping early so you have milk available if you need to be away (or want your partner to give the baby a bottle overnight so you can get a little more sleep!). I've used only Medela pumps (hospital grade, Pump in Style, and Freestyle), but hear good things about Avent brand as well. To save money, check with your local hospitals about pump rental and with your insurance company to see if a pump purchase is covered.
8. Pumping can be a lifesaver in the beginning once your milk comes in if you are becoming engorged or if you are lucky enough to have an awesome baby like mine who goes to bed at 8pm and doesn't wake up until at least 3am. I made the mistake of not pumping excess with my first, went back to work at 3 months, and ran through all of my excess milk by the time she was 5 months old. Living day to day with only what I pumped the day before was super stressful and pushed me to start solids sooner than I planned. This time I started pumping excess within the first week after birth and now have a stockpile of 40 bags (3-4oz per day) of frozen milk.
9. Use pumping to try and mimic the baby's feeding schedule to keep your supply up - if your baby nurses every 2-3 hours, pump that often too! If you have a job that makes that difficult (residency made it IMPOSSIBLE), do the best you can and try not to stress. The more you stress, the harder it will be to let down while pumping.
10. My safety tips for using pumped milk are as follows: use or freeze anything you store in the fridge within 72 hours, frozen milk is good for 3 months in a regular fridge/freezer or 6 months in a dedicated freezer, and thawed milk is only good for 24 hours.
11. When my supply dipped with my first baby (I tried the progestin birth control pills and was in residency which means I was not pumping nearly enough, was always tired, and wasn't staying well fed/hydrated), I took the herbal supplement called Fenugreek to boost my production. This stuff comes as a tea or as a capsule - I took the capsules and really thought it helped. I've also heard of drinking ONE very hoppy beer (IPAs work well) per day.
12. The best tip I can give overall is to be calm and enjoy yourself! Trust your body and your instincts about what is working for you and your baby. Breast-feeding is awesome nutrition for your baby and will definitely help you loose the baby weight and get yourself back into shape.

OK, I definitely have more tips, but I think this post is too long already. I am going to break this topic down and come back with breast-feeding tips that are more targeted (pain, pumping, weaning, supplies, etc) soon. Happy feeding for now!

Snicker-DO-dlles

Prior to a few months ago I had never made snickerdoodles. Whenever I was looking for a new recipe they never seemed "exciting" enough, so I would pass them over. Back in the fall I had pinned a recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles and the pumpkin addict in me couldn't help making them. They were quite delicious and my bug really enjoyed them because the process of rolling the dough into balls, dipping in cinnamon sugar, and squashing them with a cup was fun for her.

The bug has a ridiculously detailed memory for a 3/4 year old and started asking me again this past week if we could make snickerdoodles. As we were getting together with some family this weekend, I told her we could make them on Saturday. I did a quick check of the pantry to make sure I didn't need anything at the store and saw what I thought was a can of pumpkin.

Fast forward to yesterday when we were literally 3/4 of the way through the recipe - the wet ingredients were mixing in our Kitchen aid while my bug was whisking together the dry ingredients - when I went to grab the can of pumpkin and discovered it was actually a can of evaporated milk with a picture of pumpkin pie on the front! Oops! As I was frantically looking around the kitchen trying to determine what I could use in place of the pumpkin (applesauce?? all out! bananas?? not ripe enough! ahhhh!), my bug was becoming more and more frustrated with the delay. Finally, she gave me a withering dirty look and said, "Mommy, just DO IT!"

So I did. I skipped adding the pumpkin and just added the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. The dough was WAY too thick, so I grabbed the fat free half and half from the fridge and added about 1/4 cup. The dough was still firmer than when we made the pumpkin version, but it was actually easier to roll.

I crossed my fingers and popped them in the oven. Wouldn't you know, they came out delicious! They were lightly spiced, sweet, and with a dense crumb that made them crisp to bite, but melt in your mouth buttery. Mmm, I think I'm going to go get one to dunk in my coffee right now!

Snicker-DO-oodles
For cookies:
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk or half and half
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger

For cinnamon sugar coating:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
sprinkle of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice

Flattened cookies on their way into the oven

Just baked on the cooling rack

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add egg and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and spices).
5. In small increments, add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl (warning: it will be very thick!)
6. Add the milk to soften the dough up.
7. Roll dough into balls (the size is up to you!).
8. Coat balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet.
9. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies.
10. Bake for 8 minutes if small cookies (bug made bite sized ones), 10-12 minutes if larger cookies.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash

Weekend breakfasts are a thing in our house. We love cooking up eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, french toast and anything else I can think up to have a big family breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Last weekend I was on call for my practice and had to spend my morning rounding at the hospital and seeing urgent visits in the office so we missed breakfast together. I decided to make something a little extra special today to make up for it. 

Years ago I found this recipe from Diane Schnier's site and my family loved it. As time has gone on I've adjusted it to suit our tastes - taking out anything spicy (for the bug) and adding meat (for the husband). This is the first time I've made it and thought about the oil/fat content to make it WW friendly. Served with a fried egg (only using fat free cooking spray to coat the pan) and swirl of ketchup the points come to a very reasonable 5 points plus for a generous 1/2 cup portion.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash (3 points plus)

12 oz sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 tsp olive oil

3 sausage links

1 tbsp water

salt and pepper to taste

ground cinnamon

ground nutmeg

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and onions to the pan and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will start to cook, but still be a but crisp at this point.
3. Remove the potato mixture from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the sausage links to the pan with 1 tbsp water and cover. Cook covered for the first 3-5 minutes. Then uncover and turn the sausages so they are browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the sausages from the pan.
5. Add the sweet potato mixture back to the pan and turn the heat to low.
6. Dice the sausage links and mix into the potatoes.
7. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir to fully incorporate. Cook for 2 more minutes on low.
8. Turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner and cover. Let sit for 3 minutes covered before serving (this last step just softens the potatoes up a little bit more so they are more kid friendly. If you want them a bit more crisp you don't have to do this).

Serves 4 - each serving is a heaping 1/2 cup

This can be modified in so many ways to fit so many different tastes. Consider a southwest twist by adding some diced bell peppers and chili powder and serving with salsa on top, a spicy twist by adding diced jalapenos and drizzling with sriracha, or a heartier vegetable version by leaving out the sausage and adding diced celery, carrots, bell peppers, etc.

Avocado Egg Salad for One

I really am not the type of person to toot my own horn, but I've been having a lot of success with Weight Watchers and want to celebrate it! My daughter will be 4 months old on Tuesday and since the day I gave birth I've lost 38lbs - 26 of that was "baby weight" and the other 12 are baggage I've been holding on to for way too long.

I can not understate how much easier losing the weight was because of breast-feeding. For the math savvy moms out there, each ounce of breast-milk is 20 calories and the average 3 month old drinks between 20-30 ounces per day which means 400-600 calories literally pour out of you on a daily basis!

Of course, the other part of losing the weight was following a reasonable diet. After hearing much praise for WW from some family members, I decided to join about 3 weeks after the baby was born. In the beginning I was too exhausted to spend time playing with recipe builder and figuring out points for meals myself, so I relied heavily on recipes from skinnytaste and laaloosh to get me through. Now that we are in more of a routine, I've been starting to play around a bit more and am adapting my own favorite recipes into WW friendly meals. Here is my super yummy version of egg salad that makes just enough for one hearty sized portion...

Avocado Egg Salad (3 points plus)

1 hard boiled egg, diced
1 oz avocado, mashed
1 tsp light mayonnaise
1 oz plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
*This is delicious and creamy without the mustard, but has a nice little kick with it added. *

Mix everything together in a bowl until smooth. Simple as that!

When I was a little girl my mom always made me egg salad sandwiches on a lightly toasted English muffin and I loved it. By serving it this way my lunch came to a total of 6 points (3 for the salad, 3 for the English muffin). Fresh sides included red and yellow bell pepper strips and granny smith apple slices.

Friday Five: Places to Grocery Shop

Today I'm sharing my favorite places to do my family's grocery shopping. Ideally, I would hit up each and every one of these places during my weekend shopping trip, but that may times in and out of the car with an infant and a defiant almost 4 year old is not good for my sanity. Right now I am working on a system to plan out my shopping that lets me rotate between stores on different weeks so I can get all my favorite items, save the most money, and make the fewest number of trips to the store. I'll let you know how it pans out.

5. Sam's Club: When there are items you need A LOT of, Sam's Club is the place to be. Right now this is my place for diapers and wipes. I also stock up on items when we are planning a party.

4. Hannaford: When I need a basic supermarket to get multiple items from one place, this is my preferred spot. I do find myself hitting up Price Chopper sometimes because of the gas discount they offer, but really think the prices tend to be higher overall and find the produce to be lacking in freshness.

3. Roma's: This is a small local business with two locations in the greater capital district area (so if you happen to be reading this and are outside the Albany, NY, area you are out of luck!). I have been frequenting this place since I was a little kid and went there on the weekends with my mom to get deli meat for my school lunch. The store has grown since then and in addition to the best sandwich meat (they make their own ham, roast beef, and turkey that are fabulous!), they now offer a good selection of non-antibiotic/grass-fed/free range beef, chicken, and pork products.

2. Aldi: I have to admit I just rediscovered this place because when I started getting more into organic, less processed foods I shunned Aldi. I thought of it as being a discount food store where all the food must be full of chemicals and disgusting things. After spending over an hour there recently, writing down prices and reading food labels, I discovered that there are many (not all!) products that are just as good as what I am buying at the regular supermarket for a fraction of the price.

1. Trader Joe's: After being introduced to TJ's 10 years ago when I was a college student in Boston I was SO HAPPY when this place finally opened up locally. I love the unique products, friendly staff, and great prices.