Mommy FTW

Cameron is a lot better at eating his vegetables than he used to be, but I still like to try to sneak in extra veggies whenever I can – it’s good for him and good for me and my hubby too!  So, when making spaghetti I like to pump up the vegetable content.  Here’s my how to guide for spaghetti with hidden vegetable tomato sauce:

I buy a jar of tomato sauce (I happen to like Trader Joe’s marinara).  Before putting it in the pot to warm up, I sautee some carrots, onions, green peppers, and garlic.  Don’t bother chopping them up too much.  You’ll see why soon.

I also sautee some ground beef (but you can keep it vegetarian if you like).  Then, add in your pasta sauce.

Here’s where it gets extra sneaky – if you’ve got some salad greens in your fridge, take a couple heaping handfuls, give it a rough chop, and toss it in the pot.  It might seem like a lot, but it will really wilt down.  Put the lid on and let it simmer.

Then, take the whole mixture and give it a whir in a food processor.  When it comes out, it looks and tastes like the regular sauce, but you’ve added tons of extra veggies.  No one will be the wiser – except you!

At least a month ago one of my friends from Brooklyn mentioned to me that Trader Joe’s had a yogurt in a tube product, but I had yet to see it at my local store here in the DC area.  Well, it just appeared!

Ogranic, affordable, and Cameron approved

It’s called Yogurt Squishers – an organic yogurt in a tube similar to GoGurt (which Cam loves) at a better price – somehow everything at Trader Joe’s is always so affordable!  Oh, and FYI I’ve heard that Stonyfield Farm makes some of Trader Joe’s yogurt products… which makes it seem like even more of a deal to this mom.  Keep an eye out for it next time you are shopping!

I am always on the look out for new snack options for Cameron.  I know he likes pretzels, and at his 2 year check up his pediatrician mentioned I should try and get him to eat more yogurt.  I’m not sure if yogurt covered pretzels really count in that department, but when I saw them at Trader Joe’s I thought I’d pick some up and see if Cameron liked them.  Indeed – he did!

Ready for snacking!

Overall I think they are a pretty hearty snack for him, plus they transport well.  If you’d like more information on the nutrition aspects of Trader Joe’s Yogurt Pretzels, check out this link.  FYI, I know Whole Foods also has yogurt covered pretzels in the bulk isles – and I’m sure you can find them elsewhere as well.  Give them a try – your toddler might love snacking on them!

On a recent trip to Trader Joe’s I picked up some “party size” (mini) meatballs from the freezer section.  They are made with both pork and beef – and they are super tasty!  And most importantly, Cameron likes them.  They are precooked, so all you have to do is heat up a few at a time (I do this in the microwave).

So many choices - but all tasty!

By the way, Trader Joe’s has several kinds of meatballs, if you aren’t into the pork and beef combo.  I found this blog post on Noshtopia with the nutrition breakdown for the party size meatballs, and their other kinds – beef, turkey, italian, and meatless.

Our vacation is less a week away (!!) so I’ve been asking my fellow moms for advice when it comes to entertaining a toddler on a plane.  None of these are exactly groundbreaking ideas, but maybe some of these them will be helpful to you.

Stickers – lots and lots of stickers! – Cameron is really into stickers lately, so this idea made perfect sense to me.  We’ve been getting them after our weekly visits to Trader Joe’s and Cameron will spend the whole walk back sticking and unsticking them to his pants and anything around him.  I went to Target and picked up a bunch in the Stationary and Scrapbooking sections (on the first floor near the greeting cards).  We went for the truck and farm stickers, but there’s a big assortment.  I also ordered some Melissa and Doug stickers off of Amazon.  I got a pad of paper (also from Target) so that the stickers hopefully end up there instead of all over the plane.  I also plan to bring crayons.

Cameron picks out some stickers at Target

A new toy – I’m going for something blinky that involves batteries.  I haven’t quite picked out something yet, but I’ll keep you posted as to what I end up with.  But, I plan to keep it totally secret until we get on the plane, that way it will be all the more exciting.

Videos – I ordered a Yo Gabba Gabba DVD – It is Cameron’s favorite so I am hoping it will buy me at least an hour or so.  I went for the Dancey Dance Bunch, but I’m pretty sure any of them would do.  Cameron doesn’t seem to mind watching them over and over again.  I also have some Baby Einstein.  Cameron loves Baby Wordsworth, and Neighborhood Animals.

iPhone – Peekaboo Barn is still Cameron’s favorite iPhone App, but he also loves just flipping through the photos (most of them are of him) and pressing the buttons in general.

Snacks – lots and lots of snacks.  I think we all know that there isn’t much food on airplanes anymore, so don’t forget to pack an arsenal.  It was also suggested to me to try lollipops.  This isn’t something I would normally give Cameron, but when it comes to keeping a toddler quiet on a plane, I’ll go for pretty much anything.

Non-Refrigerated Milk (yes, they make that!) – I actually plan to bring this for not just the plane, but the vacation in general.  You can get it on Fresh Direct (it’s called Farmland Lil’ Milk Stay Fresh Whole Milk).  By the way, they also have 1% and 2% if your little one is no longer on Whole Milk.

Other Passengers – Cameron loves to make friends.  Hopefully some of my fellow passengers will be interested in making friends back!  If so, I plan to use them for as much entertainment as possible.

Books and Puzzles – Just like his videos, Cameron can play with his puzzles and books over and over and not get bored of them.  He also really likes his touch and feel flash cards.  I think I’ll stick with his most favorite ones (tractor, firetruck, dog, cat, ball).

Any of you mommies out there have other ideas to share with everyone?  I can use all the help I can get!

When Cameron was younger he used to go to bed much earlier, which left me with lots of time in the evening to do some work and make a nice dinner before my husband got home from work.  But now adays Cameron is going to bed around 7:30 which doesn’t leave me much time to get anything done in the evenings.  Although I like ordering out, I get pretty sick of the options, and I also miss cooking.  So I’ve been trying to come up with fast and easy dinners – and I thought maybe some of you out there could use a little inspiration!  Below you can see a meal I made with a pre breaded chicken cutlet from Fresh Direct, and a fast pasta sauce that you can make in less time than it takes to boil water and cook pasta.

Yummy and easy!

Fast and Tasty Pasta:

Boil some water for whatever kind of pasta you like.  Be sure to salt the water.

Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil in a small sauce pan.  Throw in a few red pepper flakes.  Once the oil is hot and rippling, throw in a handful of halved cherry tomatoes.  Sprinkle in a little salt.  FYI, Trader Joe’s has a little package of Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes that I personally like.  Put the lid on the pan, turn the heat to medium-low and forget about it for 5 minutes.  The tomatoes will sweat a little and sort of release their juicyness.

Put your pasta in the water and cook it according to package instructions.  Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.

When your pasta is almost done, throw some greens in the tomato sauce.  I use any salad greens I have… Spinach, arugula, whatever.  Put in about as much as you would in a salad.  Trust me, it will wilt down.  Put the lid back on.

Drain your pasta, then dump it in the tomato sauce.  Throw in a handful of crumbled cheese – I used goat cheese (again from Trader Joe’s).  I bet mozzarella or Parmesan would also work nicely, but the goat cheese made it tangy and creamy.  If the sauce seems too stiff then add some of the reserved pasta water.  Salt and pepper to taste.  This is enough for 2 side portions – but none of it is exact.  Play with the recipe to make it how you like it!

I was at Trader Joe’s last week and as I entered the Court Street store an employee asked me if she could park my stroller for me.  “Oh my God – you guys do that?!” was my reaction.  I took my valuables, threw Cameron in a cart, and sent her off with my stroller.

Waiting for me at the check out!

They park them at the end of the check out line, right before the lane of cash registers.  After we did our shopping, we waited in line, and pick up our stroller on the way out.  It was awesome!  Cameron is much more entertained when he gets to ride in a grocery cart – so it made my shopping experience much easier.  Next time you head over to Trader Joe’s – ask them if you can park your stroller!

Cameron enjoys toast – peanut butter toast, french toast – but sometimes you need a change.  So when I was at Trader Joe’s recently I picked up some of their whole wheat “British muffins” (English muffins) and some tasty toppings.

I’ve been toasting them lightly and putting hummus on (per my pediatrician’s recommendation), or some peanut butter and honey.  I was even thinking of Apple or Pumpkin butter (though I haven’t gotten to those yet).  Another mom also told me that her toddler loves the cinnamon raisin British muffins.  Next time, I’ll give those a try!

Another mom was telling me about her daughter’s love of Trader Joe’s Freeze Dried Mangoes, so I went and picked some up a few weeks ago.  I was pleased to see that there were no other ingredients besides “mangoes” in this treat!  They have the consistency of Astronaut Ice Cream (if that means anything to you guys?!) Anyways last Friday I was at Trader Joe’s again and I noticed this time they had a lot more freeze dried fruit options – I picked up some blueberries, bananas, and strawberries in edition to the mangoes.   Healthy treats with a long shelf life – not too shabby!

Yum Yum, Gimmie Some!

What are your favorite toddler and baby snacks from Trader Joe’s?  Leave a comment and share with us!