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Redoing the Garden

September 9, 2010 by

When we moved here I was excited because the backyard already had a vegetable garden. Within a week I was discouraged; it was filled with weeds, rainbow chard that tasted like grass and some other things I couldn’t recognize. The only thing I tended to were the tomatoes, they flourished.


The plants weren’t the only thing wrong, there wasn’t any soil, it was all clay and rocks. I’m not sure what the previous tenants were thinking but the garden as a whole was a nightmare.
Next year I want more tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, spinach, herbs, strawberries and maybe green beans or peas. I’m off to do some research on how to get these things in the ground at the right time and how to build up the garden so it supports my thriving veggies and fruit next year.
I know I’ll need to rip everything up soon and till the space and of course add some quality soil. I did some potted veggies too but I’d like to keep the deck clear next year maybe that way Shae won’t think the grape tomato plant is her own personal snack machine. Do you have any advice on what to grow, how to care for things or a schedule on when to plant certain plants?




Back to School with CLIF Kids ZBaRs and Twisted Fruit Giveaway-CLOSED

August 23, 2010 by

Watching what kids eat today with all of the unhealthy options available is more important then ever and with school about to start it is extremely important to send our kids to school with healthy and nutritional snacks. Clif Kid’s Organic snacks are doing just that with their ZBaR’s and Twisted Fruit. Clif Kid’s organic snacks are giving parents a healthy on the go snack that is tasty and will keep kids nourished all day.

Nationwide, the ZBaR is the number one selling kid’s snack with six awesome flavors to choose from: Chocolate Chip, Blueberry, Honey Graham, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Brownie, and S’mores. Kids love the all-natural and organic ingredients including rolled oats, chocolate chips, blueberries and more. Parents love the nutrition value; they include the right blend of protein, carbohydrates and fiber that work together to balance kids’ energy levels without crashing. And there are no processed sugars or corn syrup added.

Another great snack option is the Twisted Fruit which is the equivalent of one whole serving of fruit and is a good source of vitamin C. And they too like the ZBaR, have no processed sugars or corn syrup added. Twisted Fruit also comes is six terrific flavors: Strawberry, Grape, Mixed Berry, Pineapple, Sour Apple and Tropical Twist.

In my house the ZBaR is a hit with Shaun and Sabreena. Recently I had to take a trip to the local bike shop and while I was making my purchase Shaun spotted a section with all six flavors of the CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR’s. Needless to say he wasn’t going to let me out of the bike shop without buying a few of them which I was happy to do. Shaun likes to be like me (I eat the regular Clif Bars) and eat them while he is riding his bike. On another trip to the bike shop Sabreena spotted the same section of CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR’s Shaun did on a previous trip and again I bought a few which I was happy to do. How could I say no to a snack like these? I couldn’t!

If you are out at the grocery store or local bike shop keep an eye out for CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR’s and CLIF Kid Organic Twisted Fruit. You kids will thank you and you will be happy you picked them up. Win a supply of CLIF Kid Organic ZBaRs and CLIF Kid Organic Twisted Fruit snacks from LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! 2 Winners will each receive a package of 2 dozen snacks. Visit CLifKid and tell me which flavors you think your kids would love the most.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

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Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Friday,  September 17, 2010. The winners will be emailed and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. This contest is open to US residents only. For complete rules please read our contest rules page.

This is a sponsored post but the opinions and descriptions presented belong solely to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! Your experiences and reactions may differ from ours.




Have You Ever Had Pastelillos?

August 2, 2010 by
Here is my question for you, have you ever had a Pastelillos?  Pastelillos is a Spanish beef patty which is a very famous pastry among Puerto Ricans and Dominicans.
If not you need to figure out how to get your hands on these little gems of goodness because they are AWESOME. I have been married to Melinda who is Puerto Rican for 9 years and this is the first time I have had these. Can you believe that? I can’t believe it has taken me so long to have these. It feels like I have been robbed for the last 9 years.  LOL. Her aunt made them and like I said they are soooooooooo good!  Look at that fried goodness above (mouth watering).  I can’t wait until I can have a few of these again.

The funny thing is on Saturday I couldn’t pronounce the name of these so I asked Melinda were there any more Hot Pockets left.  Pastelillos and Hot Pockets same concept but Pastelillos are a million time better!!!!!

I am not sure how to make them but here is a recipe I found online:

Ingredients

1 pk Goya dough for turnover pastries (discos para empanadas) look for it in the frozen Spanish section of your supermarket—they usually come frozen, ten in a pack.

1 lb lean ground beef

3 tbs sofrito or (1 tbs chopped onions, green peppers, red peppers and garlic, and 2 tbs chopped cilantro or you may use one teaspoon of Adobo Goya)

1 cup cooking oil

2 envelopes of Sason Goya with annatto, for coloring

Salt and pepper to taste

Rolling pin

All purpose flour

(For spicy hot flavor add Cayenne powder or hot sauce to the ground beef mixture.)

Directions on how to make them:

  • In a skillet, brown the ground beef. No need to drain ground beef if you used lean meat. Otherwise drain.
  • Add the sofrito (or alternative), the salt and pepper and the Sason Goya. Stir. Simmer at low heat until meat is completely cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, pour oil in a small-medium skillet. While the oil gets hot, dust some flour on your counter. Put one pastry disc over the dusted counter and stretch out the dough, turn it over on the other side and do the same.
  • Spoon some beef mixture in the center of the disc. Close the disc to a half-moon. Seal the edges by pressing around it with a fork. By this time your oil should be hot.
  • Being careful, you may drop the filled pastry disc into the hot oil. Fry pastries until golden brown (one-two minutes.) Turn it over other side and cook until golden brown.
  • Remove from oil and rest it on paper towel. Repeat the same process and fry the rest of the discs. You may find it easier to fill and fry two pastry discs at the time.

Warning! The filling is very hot, although the pastry is probably not as hot.

Enjoy your pastelillos.

If you have had Pastelillos before let me know what you thought of them. 




Fresh from the Garden

July 31, 2010 by

My garden to be specific.

This just makes me happy. The thought of fresh fresh veggies, fruits and herbs 10 feet from my kitchen door is so exciting to me.  Hopefully I can get the bigger garden down in the yard really going next year and produce tons more stuff.




Let’s Talk Tasty Food on a Budget

July 28, 2010 by

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Mission Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.
3 kids, 2 adults equals mini squabbles at dinnertime. Shae doesn’t like sauce, Shaun doesn’t like chicken, Sabreena doesn’t like beans, Rob and I eat almost anything and expect the kids to eat what’s on their plate.

Most nights are pretty successful, I know what the kids like and try to offer some choices with veggies or sides but our main meal is for the most part not up for discussion. If I want a meal to go off without a hitch I go for Mexican. Mission Tortillas are my godsend. Food stuffed in a tortilla the kids will eat. From tacos to enchiladas to most recently beef and bean burritos, Mexican food is a hit. Always on our grocery list we go through about 2 packs a week, small ones for lunch (cheese quesadillas, peanut butter and jelly rolls) and big ones for dinner. I find Mission brand tortillas fresher, softer and tastier than other brands and low in fat and calories making them a guilt free meal or snack.

Beginning today Mission Foods kicking off the Mission Menus Challenge; a contest encouraging consumers to submit their budget conscious recipes for a chance to win a $10,000 Dream Kitchen Makeover and to participate in a LA area cook-off. All recipes must be original, include Mission Flour Tortillas and feed a family of 5 for $10 or less. Quick this contest ends August 9, 2010

Visit Mission Menus Challenge for all the rules and details and to also learn about Mission’s commitment to end childhood hunger through Share our Strength.




Setting Some Limits – FINALLY!

July 22, 2010 by

Melinda, the kids and I are going on a trip in 30 days and Melinda and I realized we need/would love to lose some weight before then.

I feel during the day we eat pretty well. In a typical day I eat oatmeal for breakfast along with some kind of fruit, a reasonable lunch and dinner typically consists of chicken or ground turkey. Melinda eats well during the day also but sometimes skips breakfast or lunch due to making sure the kids are fed first. Since the kids come first by the time she is finished with them she moves to her next task often without eating.

After discussing how we could lose a few pounds it was obvious – CUT OUT SNACKING. Melinda and I are good for snacking at night while watching TV and then going to bed. Don’t get me wrong we don’t eat 50 cookies or anything like that but we have chips or maybe a bowl of ice cream. We realized that eating before bed isn’t a bad thing but we need to make smarter choices.

On Tuesday night we decided starting Wednesday that we would not eat anything bad like cookies, ice cream etc. We told each other if one of us makes a move for an unhealthy snack to tell them NO! What makes this funny is on Tuesday we went to Philly for our anniversary and went to dinner and afterwards went to an awesome bakery and got 5 cannolis and a piece of Italian Cream cake (Was so YUMMY). Tuesday night I ate the cream cake and a cannoli (so bad that I ate all of this), Melinda had a cannoli and so did Shaun and Shae. On Wednesday night we had 1 cannoli left and I wanted it so bad but Melinda told me NO due to our agreement. The kids didn’t want it either as they chose a popsicle so Melinda threw the cannoli away. I made a move to get the cannoli from the trash but Melinda was holding me back so after I gave up and walked away she poured dish soap on the cannoli. I am not sure I would have eaten it from the trash anyway (maybe I would have) but it is funny that she put dish soap on it so there was no way I would eat it. I just didn’t want to waste such a delicious cannoli. LOL.

I love snacks and snacking and this is going to be a tough few days until I get over the hump and then it will become common place. Last night Melinda ate watermelon for snack and I had a glass of chocolate milk so hopefully we are on our way to healthier snacking and losing a few pounds before our trip.

Next step exercise more!

 




Smores without the Fire-Recipe

July 19, 2010 by

We camp, not tent camp but air-conditioned, running water, olympic sized pool included camper camping. Aside from the water park our favorite part about camping is a glowing fire with S’mores!  Since camping only comes around a couple times a year I had to figure out a way to bring s’mores to the table more often.

Grilled S’mores! That’s right, Grilled S’mores. Here’s what you’ll need.

graham crackers
marshmallows
chocolate bars
bbq grill (or oven)

heat up grill or oven to a low temperature (around 225), I turn the gas on a little bit and just turn on the burner in the back.  this makes the inside warm but not HOT

Break graham crackers in half (2 squares each) and place on grill or cookie sheet. Top half of the crackers with marshmallows, close cover or place in oven until marshmallow is soft.  Check the marshmallow progress after 3-4 minutes.  Once the marshmallows have puffed it’s time to remove from heat and assemble.  The heat from the marshmallow and graham cracker is enough to soften the chocolate. While you don’t get that real campfire char on the marshmallows these are a great alternative when a roaring fire is nowhere to be found.

This isn’t an exact recipe just a guideline, amounts,timing, temperatures and textures may vary.




Funky Monkey, Fruit that Crunches

January 6, 2010 by

With 3 kids in the house you can imagine how many snacks we have in the house. At any given moment there are over a dozen choices that they can make, some healthy some not so much. I really prefer to have healthful options such as fresh fruit, veggies, granola and cereal ready for the picking but just like me the kids get tired of the same things over and over again. Funky Monkey snacks are one of our new favorites and one of the non-messy ones.

Funky Monkey is the fruit that crunches. All Funky Monkey snacks are made using a proprietary freeze-drying process on whole slices and large chunks of fruit. This process removes 97% of the moisture leaving a crisp, crunchy and 100% all natural fruit snack that is nutritionally equivalent to its fresh brothers and sisters.
Funky Monkey recently introduced 3 new flavors: Applemon, MangOJ and Pink Pineapple. We got to try all 3. My favorite is MangOJ, crunchy bits of mango infused with sweet orange juice. Shae likes Applemon best: apple slices with a bit of cinnamon. The crunchiest ones of the bunch is Pink Pineapple. My friends Sofie and Lily like this flavor the best, so much that Sof screams for more!

These snacks pack a punch of not only flavor but nutritional quality. In one little freeze dried ounce you get 3 servings of fruit without added sugar, fat, sodium, color or preservatives. It’s real food with a twist.

I would love to see veggies incorporated into Funky Monkey Snacks. Has anyone had freeze dried broccoli? What about red pepper strips? Dusted with ranch dressing powder would be delish! My kids usually don’t have a problem with fruit and most veggies but this would be a great way to get those green ones in them with less hassle.  I also would love the option of reclosing the bags.  We opened all 3 flavors to try and didn’t eat them all in one sitting, storage wasn’t easy.

Try them for yourself! Funky Monkey Snacks can be found at major retailers and online. Become a Facebook Fan or follow on Twitter of Funky Monkey Snacks to stay connected on new flavors, products and news.

This is a sponsored post but the opinions and descriptions presented belong solely to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too!




Kids and Dessert

September 3, 2009 by

Sweets are a favorite in our house but I guess it is probably a favorite in alot of peoples homes. Every night shortly after dinner Shaun asks for dessert. I typically don’t mind the kids having dessert I just ask it be within reason.

We always have ice cream in the house and sometimes have cookies or brownies too. The ice cream is not plain either I buy the ice cream with candy and stuff in it but Shaun always pushes for additional toppings. He will come into the living room and ask “Dad, can we have like two or three toppings”. It is funny because usually I say yes but Melinda feels the ice cream is loaded already so why does he need additional toppings. The more I think about it I sorta agree but I am just like Shaun, actually Shaun is just like me because I like to crumble a cookie (if we have any) in the bowl first then scoop some ice cream and put some carmel sauce and whip cream (if we have it). A funny thing about the whip cream is when we have it in the house it doesn’t last long because everyone wants a shot in their mouth, even Shae, LOL. I am trying to cut back myself as well as with Shaun and have just one topping but dam it is hard. I LOVE ICE CREAM.

See, now that I wrote this post I want some ice cream. If you want tell me what your favorite sweet is or if you love ice cream as much as me.




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