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Healthy Eating & Cooking With Kids Tips for the Holidays With PBS Kids

November 12, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 56 Comments 

Holidays are right around the corner. With all the sugary goodness, how do you plan to help your kids—and yourself!—eat healthy during this sweet season?

Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, the new PBS KIDS GO! web-only series launching Monday, November 16, helps get kids excited about healthy eating. It’s a great tool for parents too as it features more than 30 recipes and short instructional videos.

Join the #gno Twitter party Tuesday, November 17 with the creators of FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB and the PBS Parents team where we’ll be sharing tips, tricks, and techniques for healthy eating/cooking!

Also, join the #gno Whrrl story to share your healthy eating tips and techniques for cooking with children! Click here to join, contribute to, or view.

What: PBS KIDS is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, November 17, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #pbskids.)

Topic: Healthy eating and cooking with children

Who: @fujimama @lunchlab @mommymomo @momspark @mommadethat @jylmomIF @pbsparents @pbssupersisters @savorthethyme @tjstaab @evo_conference

Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a PBS KIDS gift pack.


RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.

Libby’s Picnic Basket Giveaway Worth $450 (3 Winners)

September 12, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 393 Comments 

Think picnic season is over? Think again! This trendy Picnic Time Metro Basket is going to make you want to move your picnic indoors this fall when you see all the goodies that come inside!

Prizes

Three lucky winners will each receive this picnic basket filled with everything you need to make a delicious family meal, including:

• Assorted Libby’s Vegetables
• Hannah Keeley’s Total Mom Makeover book
• Picnic Time Metro Basket
• Scanpan CTX Saute Pan
• Scanpan CTX Fry Pan

This entire basket has an approximate retail value of $450.00.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do two things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).
Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.

1. Sign up to become a member of Libby’s Get Back to the Table community, which promotes family togetherness.
2. Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:

Join #gno Tues 9/15 from 9-11 ET 2 share tips on family togetherness & mealtimes w/ #Libby’s & @feedingamerica RSVP: http://bit.ly/espTa

GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 a chance 2 win picnic basket w/ #Libby’s veggies, ScanPan pans, & more! (Ret Val $450) http://bit.ly/aooGl

Extra Entries

You can earn up to five extra entries for this week’s giveaways. These extra entries count for both giveaways. You do not need to repeat them twice!

1. Join the Mom It Forward Facebook group.
2. Post the “Mom Is a Verb” button on your blog. (See right-hand sidebar for button with code.)
3. Join the Mom It Forward Facebook page and leave a comment on the wall, answering one of the questions about mealtime and family togetherness.
4. Join the Mom It Forward Google Friend Connect. (See right-hand sidebar.)
5. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Libbys and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, September 20 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older.

Touch Other’s Hearts by Going Through Their Stomachs!

July 12, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 24 Comments 

10 Delicious Ways to Make a Difference This Week

Service doesn’t have to be bland or boring! Spice it up. Sweeten the pot. Make it delicious. Think of people that need a little love and touch their heart by going through their stomach during this week’s Summer of Service Challenge, sponsored by Campbell’s. How? By making and sharing a tasty treat, including one or more of the 10 ideas listed below!

For more ideas, join us for a great Girl’s Night Out (#gno) on Twitter this Tuesday night. And, please share a comment on this post with other ways to serve others by sharing a tasty treat.

1. Make some baked goods—cupcakes, cookies, bread, muffins, etc.—and take them to a neighbor.
2. Take a meal to someone in your community that is sick or needs a night off from kitchen duty.
3. Spend one-on-one time with your children by having a cooking class with them to prepare dinner for the family! For a special treat, do a craft activity beforehand to make paper chef’s hats.
4. Have a family activity where you make a tasty treat together, such as suckers, decorated sugar cookies, chocolate-dipped strawberries and pretzels, etc.
5. Have a couple’s night in! Invite your closest friends over with their significant others for a fondue party. Play the newlywed game no matter how long everyone has been in their relationship.
6. As a family, choose another family that needs some love or an act of kindness/service. Drop off an anonymous treat on their doorstep with a nice card telling them how much you love them.
7. Organize a girl’s night out with your closest girlfriends and have a progressive dinner where you rotate houses during the meal, starting with appetizers, moving on to salad, heading to the main course, and ending somewhere else for the dessert.
8. Treat your spouse or close friend to a dinner at his or her favorite restaurant!
9. Make your family’s favorite meal and decorate the table special just for them. Devote the evening to family time by turning off phones, TV, etc.
10. Make your children’s favorite cookies, making a different batch once a week until you’ve made all of their favorites. Don’t forget to include your favorite as well!

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for sharing a tasty treat?
• How has touching other’s hearts by going through their stomach made a meaningful difference this week for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s prizes from Campbell’s.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

RSVP—#GNO Shares Simple Summer Meal Ideas Tues on Twitter!

July 12, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 25 Comments 

With everything going on during the summer months, sometimes it’s hard to put together quick, easy, and healthy meals in minutes. Join #GNO here this Tuesday where we can all share simple summer meal ideas!

• What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)
• When: Tuesday, July 14, 9-11 p.m. EDT
• Where: Party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtag #gno.)
  
• Topic: Simple Summer Meals
  
• Who: @bowlher @citymama @mombloggersclub @erikalehmann @plussizemommy @rachelferrucci @scrappinmichele @thinkmaya
• Party Favors: Remember to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Campbell’s.
• RSVP: Enter your twitter URL/ID in the list below (e.g., http://twitter.com/jylmomIF).

BowlHer ‘09 Giveaway—Campbell’s Gift Basket & FLIP Camera

July 12, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 351 Comments 

Campbell’s is excited to reward one Mom It Forward community member with some fun products that make simple summer meals fun and easy.

The Prize

One lucky winner from this site will be selected to win a Campbell’s gift package, including the following:

• A FLIP camera
• Campbell’s Cooking Companion Cook Book
• Thermos
• Green Bean Casserole Dish
• Campbell’s Products

Entry Requirements

To enter to win, you are required to do the following three things:

1. Leave a comment on this post, including your e-mail address.
2. Join the BowlHer ‘09 Facebook Fan Page!
3. Post one of these messages on your Facebook wall or on Twitter:
   

   Going 2 @BlogHer in Chicago? RSVP 4 @BowlHer ‘09 party—Sat 7/25, 8 pm @ http://bowlher.com. PLS RT

   GIVEAWAY! Win a Campbell’s gift basket, including FLIP camera http://bit.ly/IF6ov PLS RT

Leave an additional comment for each of these extra entries (for a total of five extra entries):

• Join the Mom It Forward Friend Connect (in right sidebar).
• Join the Mom It Forward Flickr Group.
• Join the Mom It Forward Facebook Group!
• Click here to join the Mom It Forward Facebook Page. (This is different than the group!)
• Take the Summer of Service Challenge this week and comment on that post.

The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Collective Bias and Campbell’s employees and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, July 19 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.

How Do You Incorporate Chocolate With Your Family?

February 7, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 1 Comment 

Vanessa , today’s guest post author, is a mother of two girls and the founder of I Never Grew Up, a website to help parents educate, care for and entertain their children. She is a contributor at Blissful Kids at Blissfully Domestic, Little Window Shoppe and Today’s Mama.

As a family, we love to cook together, it is a wonderful time to have fun and bond as a family. Our family’s favorite ingredient to cook with, hands down, is chocolate. When we plan our celebration for Valentine’s Day we think of chocolate first! Our favorite chocolate desserts to cook as a family are: Flour-less Chocolate Cake, Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Truffles. Cooking with your children has numerous benefits: It teaches your children mathematics, gives your child a sense of pride and accomplishment, will help your children try new things and they are also more likely to eat what they help make. (Not that it is to hard to talk your children into eating chocolate. )

In our home we have a silly tradition of “dolling” ourselves up for cooking special treats. We wear fun bright aprons, put on our favorite lip gloss and dance around to our favorite music. Our last chocolate recipe that we made with love was Chocolate Oreo Truffles.

Tips for Cooking with Your Children

1. Prepare by reading the recipe together and gathering the ingredients and tools before beginning to cook.
2. Allow your child to choose a recipe, to give them a sense of control and self worth.
3. Laugh and Have Fun! Try to be patient, have a sense of humor and enjoy yourself!

Check out these fun Valentine’s Day ideas from Vanessa at INeverGrewUp.net to help you have a wonderful holiday with your children:

* Heart Photo Arrangement
* I Love You So Much Game
* Family Heart Game
* Chocolate Oreo Truffles

How Does Chocolate Affect Your Emotions?

February 6, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 3 Comments 

Introducing Guest Author: Erin Chase! She blogs about healthy eating and frugal meal planning at 5DollarDinners.com. Besides saving money and cooking, she enjoys running, scrapbooking and yes, the occasional truffle!

I Love me some chocolate. I do.

• I love the dark stuff (healthy, right?).
• I love the milky stuff.
• I love truffles.
• I love it in coffee.

In fact, it’s the only way I drink coffee; heavily “choco-lated!” I love watching it bubble and cascade in a chocolate fountain. I enjoy dessert fondue with angel food cake and strawberries dipped into perfectly rich chocolate dipping sauce. If it’s got chocolate on the label, chances are I will not be able to say no!

Here is a little glimpse into my love affair with chocolate:

1. Chocolate makes me HAPPY. Biting into a raspberry filled truffle fills my mind and body with thoughts and feelings of jubilation. Just thinking about my favorite truffle makes me salivate. The flavor, the texture, the whole experience of eating my favorite piece of chocolate makes me Happy. In moderation, chocolate makes me Happy.
2. Chocolate makes me MAD. Occasionally the “need” for a peanut butter cup or a chocolate kiss turns into a bag full binge-fest. I will be the first to admit it. I have eaten an entire bag of chocolate chips. In one sitting. With no raging hormones involved! Not eating chocolate in moderation makes me Mad.
3. Chocolate REWARDS me. It really is a beautiful thing to treat oneself to something enjoyable. Chocolate can be very rewarding. A way to congratulate yourself for a job well done. I am thankful that I can be Rewarded by chocolate.
4. Chocolate CONFUSES me. I am befuddled by my “need” for chocolate. When both mind and body are taken over in a powerful hormonal wave, leading you WAY out of your way to get your hands on some. Even just one little piece. Or better yet, an entire bag. Your body screaming at you for more. Then the craving is satisfied. The guilt sets in. Why? Why did I just eat that entire bag? Shame. My body craved just one piece, but would not be satisfied with nothing short of an entire bag. I’m left Confused.

Why is it that chocolate can affect us in so many different ways? With yet another “chocolate” holiday just around the corner, I hope to eat just 2 or 3 truffles and feel HAPPY. And I hope you can too!

Photo Credit: FoNgEtZ

Do You Have a Love Affair With Chocolate?

February 5, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 6 Comments 

How Does Chocolate Compare to Social Media?

February 4, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 1 Comment 

Jessica Smith guest posts today for Mom it Forward! She is Chief Mom Advisor and the woman behind the idea for MomForce.com, Chief Mom Officer for Wishpot.com, and works with big brands including Walmart and Ford. Jessica offers a personal glimpse into her life as a mom and virtual executive at JessicaKnows.com. Jessica enjoys the best of both worlds, motherhood and career, at home in the DC Metro area with her husband and young son.

With Valentine’s Day just over a week away, many are thinking of gifts and many of those are going for the class stand-bys: flowers, jewelry, and chocolate.

While I love receiving any of the three, it’s the latter that I get excited about the most. Chocolate has been one of my best friends for quite some time now and I’ll take it any way I can get it: milk, dark, swirled with caramel, in my coffee, chipped, truffled, and mint. (My favorite? Dark, the darker the chocolate the better.)

So it’s no wonder that social media does the same for me that chocolate does.

You know those boxes of chocolates with all different shapes and sizes? It’s the type of box with a “map” of the contents, a guide to the delectable fillings and nuts inside? Sometimes I study the different flavors and deliberately choose which confections I’ll try that day. However, other days I’m feeling adventurous and I pay no attention to the inside top of the box. Sometimes diving in, eyes practically closed, and risking a flavor you’re unfamiliar with is the way to go. In fact, you might discover that if you had looked at the box and saw “Cayenne Pepper Jelly” you would have thrown that chocolate out with disdain. But because you took the risk, took a blind bite, it’s now the one chocolate that you seek out.

The same idea applies to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Sure, if you’re a cake baker you’ll naturally seek out other cake bakers and people that like to eat cake. However, you might find that the snake charmer that just started following you on Twitter the day before is the one that makes you laugh more. This could result in you stressing less, sleeping more, and ultimately being able to make more cakes!

Like chocolate, social media can brighten your day, give you a boost, comfort, and inspire. The jury is still out though if too much can give you heartburn.

photo credit wikipedia

Topic Talk—Thanksgiving Comfort Food!

November 15, 2008 by jyl johnson pattee · 3 Comments 

Today’s GNO Gals bring us more delightfully delicious dishes with a touch of comfort—as in comfort food. Welcome:

• Alice at Plain Cook.
• Beth at Coming Up for Air.
• Chef at I’ll Make a Foodie Out of You.
• Kelli at Gohn Crazy.
• Nicole at Pinch My Salt.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes picture courtesy of Nicole at Pinch My Salt.

Alice inspires us to go crazy with cranberries this season with her many recipes featured on plaincook.com. Here are a few:

Cranberry Jello
Cranberry Pineapple Jello
Cranberry Jello Salad With Port Wine
Fresh Cranberry and Cream Salad
Cranberry Pecan Salad With Feta Cheese

Coming Up for Air reminds us what Thanksgiving is about and that it is bigger than our corner of the world. She inspires us to think globally:

… we have taken a break from our normal history routine to learn about Thanksgiving across the centuries, across the world, across religion and across tradition. Thanksgiving is not just something we Americans celebrate because of the pilgrims. Thanksgiving has been celebrated for centuries by many different countries and cultures as a way to express thankfulness for the harvest, for protection and for the blessings of nature. So far, we’ve learned about the Chinese celebration Chung Ch’ui – which starts with the celebration of the moon’s birthday on the 15th of August. We’ve learned how the Greeks and Romans celebrated the harvest and the stories of their gods and goddesses. And we’ve learned about the Jewish holiday Succot and what a beautiful expression of thanks this festival is. Tomorrow we learn how ancient Egyptians celebrated harvest.

I’ll Make a Foodie Out of You shares family holiday tips from her pastry-chef perspective. My favorite? Her delicious recipe for marinated asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough. I am drooling just thinking about the yumminess! I may not be able to wait until the holidays to try out this tantalizing treat.

She also provides some basic, but expert advice like the following:

Sugar Cookies boring you? Then make a huge batch and seperate them into smaller ones. Add different extracts, or maybe even some citrus peel and your completely changed it into something edgy. I like to take my sugar cookie dough left overs and add lemon zest with a little orange blossom water. Think high end tea party, they are ungodly delicious.

Gohn Crazy shares her first Thanksgiving meal with us. Can you almost taste Thanksgiving after seeing this pic? Mmmmmmm!

Pinch My Salt shows off comfort food at its best with the creamy mashed potatoes featured above and this amazing batch of sweet potato rolls. Once again, we appreciate Nicole for being our guest tweet this week. It has been a treat to visit her blog every day for yummy recipes and beautiful pictures. Check out her holiday series throughout this season for wonderful holiday recipes.

Thanks to today’s featured GNO Gals—and everyone that participated this week in Topic Talk—for their mouth-watering pictures and yummy recipes. Next week’s theme is giving and charity in celebration of our live auction to help provide Thanksgiving meals to families facing hunger this holiday season.

Wanna be featured? Please comment here or e-mail us at mommygossipgno AT gmail DOT com and provide your BLOG URL, linking to the post you’d like featured.

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