Motivating the Minis

Having a hard time keeping the kids motivated to do more than play video games?  

Here's a wonderful strategy my husband came up with to keep the kids wanting to stay busy and try new things over the summer. 

We developed a chart in which the kids could rack up points trying new activities, new foods and working on some of the basics like reading and regular exercise. 

The goal was to do things to accumulate 500 points over the summer, for which they would be rewarded with a special treat at the end of the summer.  I think the boys are both hoping for rollerblades. We'll see what the chart fairy has to offer. ;-)

Below is a sample of the chart which is posted on the refrigerator for each child. We set all activities at 5 points with the exception of blogging. That we rewarded 10 points for. Reading is 5 points for every 20 minutes. 

If you're really excited about getting them to try something, you can always bribe them with additional points. It seemed to work for us. I got the boys to face their fear of indoor rock climbing by upping the ante of points.  But bribe sparingly... They catch on quickly and try to play it against you. Clever little buggers. 

 

Give the point system a try and see if it works for your family.  And please share feedback!  I, for one would love to know that this helped to get some other kids off the couch.  

I think I'll add chores to the fall chart.  Let's see if we can inspire them to do their own laundry. ;-)

Taking Care of You...

If you are anything like me, you've been beating yourself up throwing weight around all week... Feeling a little sore?  How about treating yourself to a nice, hot, soothing bath?  Do it by candle light...with a little soft music. Sounds good, right?

But don't stop there. With it's known healing capabilities, adding some Epsom salt to your bath water may be all you need to transcend that body of yours to another plane. 

Why it works. 

Epsom salt really isn't a salt.  It's actually a natural occurring mineral compound composed of magnesium and sulfate. Besides reducing inflammation, magnesium is easily absorbed through the skin and helps muscle and nerve function while sulfate assists in improving the absorption of nutrients and flushes out toxins.  All the more reason to toss some in. 

So now that you know why it works, here's a little recipe to make that bath just a little more special.  

                 "I Long For Lavender"

                                  

3 Cups of Epsom salt

1 Cup of Kosher Salt

2-3 Capfuls of lavender oil

Food coloring (Believe it or not I mixed a few drops of blue and red expecting to get a "lavender-ish" color, but actually got a sea foam green. Go figure.)

In a storage size ziplock bag, mix the salts together.  Add a few drops of food coloring to the bag.  Shake and sift the bag until the color is mixed evenly over the salts. Then add several drops of the lavender oil and repeat the previous step.  Want to make it even more special?  Try mixing in some lavender petals in your salts. Works for me! 

Once completely mixed, leave the bag open and set aside for a few hours to dry. Then using a funnel, pour the salt into your favorite bottle and place it near the tub.  Longing for lavender?  It's ready whenever you are. 

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

Feeling like something a little special this morning. It's always a berry good day when oatmeal and blueberries are involved. But opted for a petit plate verses a bowl yet again this morning. I think this will be my typical breakfast until my fruit gets taken away. What a sad day that will be. :-(  But until then, morning pancakes equal Happy Times!

          Blueberry Protein Pancakes

             

1/3 Cup Ground Oats

1 Tablespoon Wheat Germ

1/2 Scoop Vanilla Creme Proto Whey

Pinch of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Stevia

1 Egg White

3-4 Tablespoons of Water

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Flavor (I use Simply Organic brand)

1/4 Cup Blueberries

In a small bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Then add egg white and water until batter is pancake consistency. Add extract and flavor. Lastly, add blueberries. Be careful not to bruise them. 

Spray a non stick skillet with Pam and heat on medium flame. When skillet is warm, using a tablespoon, place batter in pan. Two tablespoons should make about three cakes evenly. When batter starts to bubble, flip to cook other side approximately 1 minute. Then flip onto plate. 

Have plain or top with a sugar free syrup.  Bon appetit!

Overcoming Fears

Such a proud mama, yesterday my little bear was invited to a pool party at a local swim club. He absolutely loves the water but hadn't yet tried swimming without his life vest. Unfortunately for him, the club didn't allow them.

He so badly wanted to dive in.  He walked to the edge of the plank and just couldn't do it, the fear of not coming up was just too great. He ran down crying into my arms. I hugged him but told him if he wanted to dive HE was going to have to just do it. The life guard was on duty if he needed any support. 

He went back up with tears in his eyes and he just couldn't do it. He ran back down. By this time I had grown a little stern, "If you want to do it, do it. If you are not, let's go back to the party with your friends!  I don't know what else to tell you!"

He stood by my side and watched as other kids were diving without a problem. He looked up at me, tearless and said, "Alright, I'm going to do it this time."  He walked up the stairs and to the edge of the plank. Without giving a look back, he dived in. Within seconds he was back up and swimming to the stairs without his vest.  Needless to say he spent the rest of the afternoon diving fearlessly and my heart beat with every splash. 

You will never know what you can do if you don't just do it. 

Mixed Grain Zucchini Bread

My father-in-law came over for dinner last week and brought some wonderful produce from his garden. One of which was a beautiful large zucchini.  It took me no time to decide what to do with it!  Prep starts tomorrow so I made zucchini bread today as part of my "last supper".
Another keeper. ;-)

                 Mixed Grain Zucchini Bread

                                      

1 cup ground oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar cane natural (sucanat)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3 tsp ground cinnamon

3 egg whites

2 cups organic unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 cup grated zucchini 

1 cup crushed walnuts

Prep two bread loaf pans by spraying with Pam and flouring. Preheat oven at 325 degrees. 

Whisk together all flours, oats and sucanat. Sift in remaining dry ingredients. Add egg whites, vegetable oil and applesauce and mix until all ingredients are combined. Then add vanilla extract and zucchini and combine. Finally mix in nuts. 

Pour mixture evenly into the two bread pans and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes. Use a toothpick in the center of the loaf to check the readiness of the bread. When toothpick comes out relatively clean, take bread out of the oven. Let rest for about five minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack for about 15-20 minutes, then slice. 

You can choose to substitute the cup of all purpose flour for another cup of ground oats or whole wheat flour but you may want to add a little more applesauce to ensure that the bread stays nice and moist. 

Enjoy!

Quinoa Crab Cakes

Completely inspired by our Southern vacation last month, I've been reinventing seafood recipes all week.  It started with a low country boil, which isn't too bad if you don't over do the smoked sausage, sweet corn on the cob and red potatoes...but I did! (Bad Girl)

I also surprised the family with an amazingly delicious shrimp and grits breakfast topped with a homemade Creole sauce.  It is sure to rival that of Huey's Cafe in Savannah.  But still wanting to indulge in the Southern flavors but not as many of the calories, I decided to give some crab cakes a bit of a makeover. They were absolutely divine!  I probably won't have the opportunity to make them again before prep begins but I will definitely be revisiting them at some point!

Note:  I tried a batch with Pam in a non stick skillet but they didn't hold as well as the ones I made in a stainless steel skillet with olive oil.  I'll have to work on that.  ;-)

Quinoa Crab Cakes

1 lb lump crab meat

1/3 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup of red pepper (finely diced)

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt (I use Fage Total 0)

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 lemon (juiced)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon dried mustard

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients together except for the crab meat.  When all combined, fold in crab meat to not break up lumps.  Heat oil in a stainless steel skillet.  When oil is hot, spoon out some mixture and form into patty.  Add to hot oil.  Be sure to press patties down with spatula to remove access liquids.  Flip when browned.  Repeat and remove to a cooling tray.  

These go well on top of a plate covered in a red pepper sauce.  There is one from a Better Homes & Gardens' Vegetable Lasagna recipe that works perfectly!  I have tagged the link here.  

Enjoy!

Dessert for Breakfast

Woke up and crushed 40 minutes on a spin bike at Bodyquest Gym.  Spinning away, I couldn't stop envisioning warm oatmeal with blueberries. Decided to experiment as soon as I got home.  I'll have to make this again before contest prep begins...Would love to perfect it but what I came up with this morning was "berry" yummy, packed with protein and super filling with NO ADDED SUGAR!   Give it a try and let me know your thoughts.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

2 Cups of Rolled Oats

1/2 Cup Walnuts (chopped)

4 Scoops of Vanilla Creme Proto Whey

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Tablespoons Wheat Germ

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1-2 Packs Stevia

1 Cup Almond Milk

2 Large Egg Whites

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce

1 1/2 Cups Blueberries

Pam

Fat Free Redi Whip

2 Bowls (med, large)

8x8 Square Pan

Set oven to 375.  Generously spray pan (bottom and sides) with Pam, then set aside.  In a large bowl mix oats, walnuts, Proto Whey, Baking Powder, Wheat Germ, Sea Salt, Cinnamon and Stevia.  In the Second bowl, wisk together applesauce, almond milk, vanilla extract and eggs. 

Arrange 1 cup of the blueberries in bottom of pan.  Cover with oatmeal mixture.  Top with applesauce mixture. Spread evenly over top to ensure that all dry ingredients covered.  Scatter remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries over the top and bake for 30-35 minutes or until brown on top.  Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve with a whiz of Redi Whip. Makes 8 servings.

Calories  196      Fat  7.8      Carbs  23.7
Dietary Fiber   4.5      Protein  9.47

Happy Sunday! Tomorrow Begins a New Week. Get Ready to Take Monday by Storm!