Valentine's Day with VitaTops

I recently had the chance to try VitaTops Deep Chocolate muffin tops and was blown away. For 100 calories I need to have something substantial, not just one little bite of chocolate or a single truffle. VitaTops fit the bill-they are light and fluffy, loaded with vitamins and minerals while still being decadent. They are located in the freezer section and wrapped individually so you can always have them on-hand for whenever a craving hits. I prepared mine right in my toaster and the smell of the warmed up chocolate chips was an added bonus.

I decided to make a healthy snack for my kids for a Valentine's Day treat. First, I warmed up my VitaTop in the toaster, then topped it with almond butter and sprinkled coconut shavings and chocolate covered sunflower seeds on top. Festive without being toxic! The kids flipped out and I felt good about serving them something that wasn't loaded with artificial flavors and high fructose corn syrup. (Chocolate covered sunflower seeds are from Trader Joe's and coloring is from tumeric, beet and red cabbage powder, FYI)

Post Halloween come down with Crispy Green

If you're anything like me, you are happy that the week following Halloween is over. The candy negotiations have lessened, I have secretly thrown out all the Twizzlers and Whoppers and only a few Dum Dums remain at the bottom of my son's pumpkin. It is time for an overhaul! Especially before the holidays and unhealthy eating try to sneak back into our lives. Enter: Crispy Green! Crispy Green is packaged fresh fruit that has been freeze dried. Nothing else.

We love the apple for my kids, my daughter is still too young for regular apples because they are choking hazards but these apples basically melt in her mouth and I love that they are simply Fuji apples, nothing else. There is ever only one thing on their ingredient list-the actual fruit itself. Imagine that! ;)

To encourage healthy snacking, we have them placed in a basket on a lower shelf in our kitchen. Kids should be able to have things they like at plain view. This way my son feels empowered to help himself and snack healthy. A couple bags of these are always floating around my purse and car-excellent to keep on hand for the adults and kids alike.

Find out where to buy Crispy Green here and happy snacking.

#ivysgemjam

My daughter turned one this past week and here are some pictures from her gem party! 

 Let me know in the comments if you would like the sources of any of the items or DIYs!

Making the best grilled cheese sandwich

I have a couple tips for making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich for you. One, high quality butter and cheese, duh. I used Finlandia unsalted butter and swiss cheese, soooo delish. But beyond that, the trick is patience! This is not the sandwich to make for a hungry, whiny toddler. You really don't want to rush the process or end up smashing it down so it cooks faster (it isn't a panini!). You really want to give each side 5-8 minutes to get golden brown and let the cheese melt. Once you have that down to a science, you add the yummy extras! If I am making one for my toddler, I usually just add turkey but if it's for an adult, I might jazz it up with pears or arugula.

You know it was an excellent grilled cheese if your fingers are a little buttery afterwards! Never again will I use cooking spray or store brand butter for my grilled cheese, its Finlandia high-quality butter, all the way. I can find mine at my local Costco and I am not mad one bit I will have to buy it in bulk.
Enjoy and happy first day of summer!

New Mama: Recent Favorites

I am already 7 months deep into my second time around being a mama to a little one! Here are some things I'm loving that I didn't get to enjoy with my first baby.

Make the Milk! tea by Healthy Mama. Have you seen this brand at Target? I am always sucked in by the packaging but it's much more than that. As a nursing mom, this brand takes the guess work out of what is safe and not safe for lactating moms. I get so frustrating wanting to try some new medicine or vitamin and seeing "if pregnant or nursing, consult a doctor first" on the back of every container. This whole line is safe! My favorite is the organic tea that helps my milk supply. I think we have all tried that other brand of lactation tea and can agree it does not taste good. Make the Milk is delicious and not overbearing with the licorice taste, it's perfect. I also have used the Shake the Ache for when I get headaches and it works great.

Safe Catch tuna. The only fish I will eat is canned tuna and during my pregnancy I ate about one can a month, since that's all that my doctor would allow. I wanted to pass as much healthy omegas to my baby as I could without risking mercury poison. Now that I'm nursing it's still just as important but I'm too nervous to eat it. Enter: Safe Catch!! This is the only brand that tests every single can for mercury and only the lowest limits make the cut, because they have the strictest limits on mercury. The taste is great but the piece of mind is most important to me.

Smart Sheep Wool Dryer Balls. I have long ditched dryer sheets and fabric softener as they are loaded with chemicals and it end up gunking up my washer and dryer. While washing and drying Ivy's cloth diapers, I have to treat them with care to make sure they stay absorbant and hold up well. I love using dryer balls because I don't have to run the dryer as long (they are super efficient) and the more heat could slowly cause my cloth diapers to break down. (And I need these to last until we potty train her!) Wool dryer balls are the best (no plastic here!) for so many reasons: besides the fact that they are 100% natural, they are quieter while bouncing around in the dryer, they soften and fluff whatever is being dried, and I love adding a few drops of essential oils to my dryer balls for a nice light scent to my laundry. The kids also love playing with them and I love having one less plastic product in my house. Win win!

Movie night in

Having a young kid means that I am just now getting around to watching Oscar nominated movies. We did manage to see American Hustle, but that was the only one. I wanted to see The Wolf of Wall Street in the theaters but with its 3 hour length, traveling to and from the theater, maybe getting a meal, that's like 6 hours of babysitting we would need to find! Not happening. The best thing about watching these movies at home is that you get to control your snacks. ;)

Since you have to have popcorn my new favorite is anything by Popcorn, Indiana. The ingredient list for the Movie Theater flavor is: popcorn, non-GMO canola oil, organic clarified butter, salt. That's it! And if you've read recent studies on the fat content (and not to mention chemicals in that "butter") of movie theater popcorn, you know how we are in need of better options. And because in my house we like ice cream (me) and sorbet (Jon) we turn to Ciao Bella. Cutest packaging, best flavors (blood orange, we love!) and good quality ingredients! Who cares we are seeing movie months late when we have the best munchies?

Around Here

A little peek into what things looked like this past Valentine's Day weekend. Hints of spring over here have me feeling pretty happy and motivated!

My little Valentine walked around holding a Pete the Cat book for most of the afternoon asking me to read it to him over and over again. It's slightly confusing that we have a cat named Pete.

As hard as the tantrums are and lack of real communication, seeing this look on his face (when he saw a fountain) makes it all worth it.

My flowers and our Valentine's day cards amongst our messy kitchen table. Sorry, all those Instagram photos you saw in your feed were fake. This is real life.

Delicious fresh juice made from kale, pineapple, ginger, lemon, apple and cucumber. Too bad the thing set me back $11. Yes, you read that right. Well, if I return the bottle I will get $2 back. That's the Bay Area for you.

 

 Brunching with my besties. My happy place is with a bloody mary and these three.

Jonas turns ONE

I had to pop in to share Jonas' first birthday party. I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I did putting everything together! All photos by Mark William Photography.

Nice try, Skipolini's

I am sorry to inform you that the Prego Pizza did not work for me. But it was tasty dinner that I didn't have to cook, which was awesome. Even though my due date* is tomorrow, I am beginning to feel permanently pregnant!

*My original due date is October 4th and I am starting to think that's the real deal.

wedding weekend!

This past weekend we celebrated the wedding of our friends, Miguel and Brigitte. What a beautiful wedding it was, probably one of the most stunning weddings I have ever witnessed. We were a little nervous with my due date being so close as Jon was the best man, but everything went well! Take a peek at the gorgeous affair.

Held in Muir Beach along the California Coast. Can't beat it. And for anyone who knows coastal northern California weather knows that it can really be hit or miss. The day could have easily been shrouded in thick fog, misty or bitterly cold. Instead it was sunny and beautiful.

Their first kiss as husband and wife! 

Decorated wedding shuttle. 

The place cards were also the favors and so creative. Since after the wedding a lot of guests were staying to camp with the bride and groom, they attached flashlights to cute hair bands so everyone could light their way! They were a big hit.

The reception took place on the edge of a cliff essentially. The view couldn't have been better. 

An awesome yurt for dancing!

Helping his bride rub in her sunscreen. So cute. 

 I'm totally bias, but Jon killed his best man speech. So good.

I carried a watermelon. 

Carrot cake! 

The garter removal! Check out everyone's glow sticks. So much fun.

 I love weddings so much, especially when the couple is as deserving of happiness as these two. 

Congrats to Mig and Brig!!!