Archive | July, 2012

Enjoy Life Foods: Plentils Lentil Chips

31 Jul

Image from Enjoy Life Foods

The new school year is just around the corner, I have been on the look out for food to go in my daughters lunch bag that would be safe to bring to school.  My family and I recently tried Enjoy Life Foods: Plentils Crunchy Lentil Chips in four DELICIOUS flavors: Dill and Sour Cream, Lightly Salted, Margherita Pizza, and Garlic and Parmesan (my favorite).  The texture of the chips reminded me a little of a pork rind.We loved every flavor.  Each crunchy, salty, and flavorful chip makes you want to go back for more.  It was no wonder why it was easy to finish the four bags.  I found my girls and my husband sneaking handfuls in the kitchen.  I eventually had to hide the bag from my 2-year-old because she would have eaten an entire bag at once.

Plentils Crunchy Lentil Chips are the perfect snack for car rides, playdates in the park and too much on while watching a movie.  They go perfectly alongside your favorite sandwich as well.  They have “40% less fat than the leading chip, are made from high protein lentils, have no artificial ingredients,are gluten-free and are free of the eight most common allergies “(Enjoy Life Foods).  Enjoy Life Foods can be found in natural food stores and grocery stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.  Click to find out where you can get a bag (or four) near you.

Snacking on the way home from the beach!

Time to Eat!

Attempting to empty the bag! Too good for just a few!

Afternoon snack!

Plentils!

Disclaimer:  I received four bags of plentils (one of each flavor) for the purpose of this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

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Bed Time Wars

27 Jul

Bed time is the hardest time for us, especially in the summer.  Last night, we started our bed time routine at 5:30 and yet my youngest was still awake at 10 o’clock.  Our bedtime routine usually consists of a bath, brushing teeth, some IPAD time on the couch, then we slowly transition to the bedroom for a book and a game of 5 things (we come up with 5 things and the girls make a story).  And yes it is the 4 of us in the room on the bed. It usually takes an hour to an hour and a half to get both of the girls to sleep. Recently, both have left the room wanting water, a trip to the bathroom, or one last book.  It is a very tiring process, leaving little time for my husband and I to catch up on shows and talk. The next issue is the middle of the night, at least one if not both of the girls comes crawling into our room and we have to bring them back or give into little feet kicking us in the back.  And then comes morning…sometimes my friends are still at the bar when the girls are waking up for the day.  I try to tell them that 5 is not a reasonable time, especially when they go to bed at 10 some nights but they are full of energy (the kind I get when I have my triple shot latte).  How in the world do I get them in bed at a reasonable time, to sleep through the night, and stay in bed until a reasonable time?

I was shopping yesterday and stumbled across the Zazoo Kids Photo Clock.  The clock has a display of a sun when it is a proper time to be awake and a moon when it is time to rest or be sleeping.  I have heard about a similar clock but what I love about the Zazoo Clock is that it can be personalized and if the alarm clock does not work for the girls it can be used to play music, videos, and audio books.  It can also be used as a cute digital picture frame.  See the Zazoo website for more information.  It retails for around 89.99.  A little more than I would like to spend but if it will get my girls to have a regular sleep schedule it’s worth every cent. Now I just have to decide if I want to try it. 🙂

Disclaimer:  I did not receive compensation for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.  All photos and information about the product is from the Zazoo website.

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Summer Days…Drifting Away

25 Jul

Hanging with their favorite dog

I can’t believe July is almost over. It feels like yesterday I was kicking off the start of summer with MomTrends and Miraclesuit. I have no idea where the time goes. It has been a crazy, busy summer up to this point and we have something every weekend until the start of school. We spent a month at my parents in D.C. and then headed to the beach for a week with my in-laws. We returned last week and have run around doing errands, laundry, and organizing all we returned home with. When I finally finished catching up, I realized my last post was almost 3 weeks ago and I have neglected e-mails and twitter, as I have not had a minute to check them. Any way, for the first post back I wanted to highlight our favorite activities from our time in D.C.:

Pool Days: We spent almost every afternoon at the neighborhood pool. It was so nice being able to go to an outdoor pool. I signed my oldest up for swim lessons and by the end of our time there she was swimming. The best days were spent splashing around with their cousins.

Day Trip to Orr’s Farm Market: A pick your own farm in Martinsburg, West Virginia about 1 1/2 from my parents house. We went to see if there were cherries left but we just missed them but were just in time for Raspberries and Blueberries. The girls took a hayride through the fields, picked pounds of berries and got a few treats in the store. The pies are to die for, especially the strawberry rhubarb,so my mom and I brought a few home. Can’t wait to go apple picking there in the fall.

Trips to Old Town: Old Town Alexandria is one of our favorite spots for lunch, shopping, and ice cream. My favorite childhood store, Why Not Shop, is now a favorite for both of my girls. They have so many unique gifts, toys, books, clips, you name it. After picking out a small toy or book we head down the street to Scoops or Pops for ice cream and then walk along the water to see the ducks.

Loved the Lady Bug display at Why Not Shop

Ready for Scoops

First Nationals Game: My dad, husband and I took the oldest to her first baseball game. It was my first time at a Nationals Park and I was very impressed at the wide variety of food and activities. We all had a blast. The highlights for my daughter were Shake Shack (I felt as if we were back in NY and she loved it just as much in the stadium then at home), the children’s play zone, the run of the Presidents and of course the GIANT shaved ice to cool off. She also LOVED dancing to the bands outside the stadium before and after the game and decided that she wants to be a drummer.

It was nice to get a taste of suburban life and a change of scenery for a few weeks but the girls have missed their friends. I am happy to get back into our routine and back to blogging.

Happy 4th!

4 Jul

Have a great 4th of July!

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Simple Yet Festive Meals For July 4th!

3 Jul

Instead of signing the girls up for camp this summer, we packed up the car and headed to Virginia for a few weeks to visit family. The girls have spent almost every day at the pool and when they aren’t there, they have played with their cousins. They were having such a great time we decided to extend our stay through the Fourth of July.
We have attended so many family BBQ’s lately and we have one next weekend so decided on something different than burgers and dogs.  Here are some simple, yet festive meals we will have to celebrate Independence Day:

Breakfast: See my post Memorial Day/ July 4th Sailboat breakfast.

Lunch: We plan on packing a lunch and heading to the pool for their Fourth of July celebration.  Star Sandwiches: Make your favorite sandwich and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut it out of the bread. On the side: Cherry tomatoes and Blueberries to keep with the Red, White and Blue theme.  We will also be making a trip to the ice cream truck when he makes a visit.  🙂

Dinner: While my mom was at Costco she came across festive Four Cheese Ravioli by Nuovo. Add a little butter or olive oil and fresh garlic, then serve with your favorite veggies on the side.  You can even use a small bowl or cup of tomato sauce on the side and the kids can dip their ravioli.  The girls are SUPER excited to try them tomorrow.

Drinks:  To get the girls to drink more water during this heat wave, I have frozen blackberries, raspberries and blueberries to put in their water.  They love it and when they start thawing they add a slight hint of flavor to their water.  They call it “special water”.  The frozen fruit gives a festive look and Mommies can add it to a glass of wine or prosecco while watching fireworks!

Dessert: Flag Graham Crackers the kids can make.  In a separate cup add cool whip. Cut strawberries into thin lines and place on plate with blueberries and raspberries for decorating.  Give each child a graham cracker.  Use a spoon to spread the cool whip and then decorate.  We did a practice round today.  I had to help my younger daughter, but my older daughter had a great time making it and eating it.  My older daughter did her own interpretation of the flag.

Ready to decorate!

Ready to eat!

Happy Eating and Drinking This 4th of July!

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