How To Make Your Days Fun and Yummy This Fall

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Christine from Menu Central Planning has just announce a deal that will impress you: SPECIAL FALL EBOOK BUNDLE.

She's got TWELVE products all bundled up for only $10. That's a 90% discount. But you gotta hurry, coz' the offer ends after 3rd October.

What's in the bundle? Let's see if this gets you excited and charged up for the fall season.

1. All About Apples (Valued at $5.97)
   Who doesn't love a fresh crisp apple this time of year!  This e-book walks you through the various apples and their uses, the best way to buy apples, what to do if you end up with a ton of apples, delicious yummy apple recipes and much more.
   
2. All About Pumpkins (Valued at $5.97)
   Pumpkins are great for both decorating and eating!  Learn how to choose and store pumpkins, fun uses for pumpkins and of course delicious pumpkin recipes!
   
3. Delicious Fall Recipes (Valued at $8.97)
   This resource includes 29 super fun and creative fall & Halloween recipes the whole family is sure to love - everything from Halloween Party Fondue, to Vampire Bat Stew, to Ghosts on a stick.
   
4. Eat Whole Foods - For the Health of It  (Valued at 12.97)
   Thinking of cutting out processed foods from your family's diet?  In this ebook you learn what whole foods are, why they are important, info on organics, how to eat whole foods on a budget and much more.  If you are interested in learning more about whole foods - this is a great guide!
   
5. Halloween Week Menu  (Valued at $6.97)
   Halloween is often one of kids favorite holidays!  How about making the entire week super fun!  You'll get a Halloween week dinner menu (with a grocery shopping list of course) to make it a fun food week your kids will never forget!  (Don't worry - these are super easy recipes that the entire family will enjoy!)
   
6. Halloween Fun Recipes & Party Games (Valued at $5.97)
   Even more Halloween recipes and some great games to play at your Halloween Party.  With this bundle you certainly won't be at a loss for creative Halloween ideas!
   
7. School Lunches Made Easy (Valued at $8.97)
   If you have school lunches to pack each day, this guide will be your new best friend!  Discover easy lunch ideas, organization tips, and even printable charts to help you out!
   
8. It's Sleepover Party Time (Valued at $6.97)
   Sleepovers - so much fun for the kids, but sometimes a lot of work for the parents!  This illustrated recipe resource takes you through a few of our very favorite sleepover recipes - step by step!  Now feeding all those kids is taken care of!
   
9.  Slow Cooker Recipe Book (Valued at $14.97)
   How about using your slow cooker in the fall and getting the aroma of dinner drifting through the house all day? Plus, feeding the family is a cinch come supper time!  You'll receive 54 pages of Christine's favorite slow cooker recipes.
   
10. Spooky & Fun Halloween Recipes (Valued at $5.97)
    More Halloween Recipes - what can I say!  There are so many yummy ideas!
    
11. Seven Simple Steps to a Super Halloween Party (Valued at $7.97)
    Would you like to host a simple Halloween Party but you're just not sure where to start?  Then this is what you need!  Just follow their 7 easy steps - Invitations, Decorations, Music, Food, Games & Activities, Crafts & Goodie Bags.  With this resource the Halloween Party Stress will be gone!
    
12. Thanksgiving Planned for You (Valued at $12.97)
    Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?  If so, here's the plan to reduce your stress!  Christine has prepared the menu, the shopping list, and the to-do list.  Take a deep breath, follow the guide and know that this year you can actually enjoy the holiday!

You'll find this fun bundle here:
Special Fall Ebook Bundle

*This post contains my affiliate links.

How To Make Your Own Convenience Foods

Image via WikipediaHave you ever encountered a day when you didn't have time to cook a nice meal for the family? What did you do? Let's see what options are available:

• Go out to eat
• Drive by a fast food restaurant
• Call for some pizza
  
• Decide it's time to visit your mom, aunt, best friend etc... (whoever you think will invite you to stay for lunch/dinner)
• Microwave one of those frozen dinners
• See what can food you have in the pantry

All of these options just spell one thing: Convenience Foods.

Although they are great when you are in a rush, it's not very healthy and neither is it cheap.
A better option would be to make your own convenience foods.

The Happy Housewife has shared some recipes so you can make some homemade convenience foods. If you want more recipes (about 200 of them), Hillbilly Housewife has compiled that for you in her new book. Click this affiliate link of mine to get it (plus bonuses too):

HOMEMADE CONVENIENCE FOODS EBOOK

Homemade Convenience Foods: A Healthier Alternative

Image via WikipediaHOW OFTEN DO YOU PURCHASE CONVENIENCE FOODS?
We all know how hard it can be to break a habit, especially when it seems like it is saving us a load of time and stress. How often do people find themselves in the drive thru lane of their favourite fast food joint ready to order some premade quickie breakfast or lunch just because they slept that extra five minutes that morning, or decided to take the extra time under the hot jets of water in their morning shower?

DO YOU REALLY NEED TO BUY CONVENIENCE FOODS?
Imagine though that you had taken out a bag of pancakes you had made up a few days before and just had to throw them in the toaster for two minutes. If you had prepared them with cinnamon or other flavourful spices, you wouldn’t even need to worry about syrup, you could just take them in hand and be out their door in no time.

There are many items that can be made in bulk while you are already cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Take dishes like lasagne for instance. How much more work would it take to make 2 trays at one time? You could serve one for dinner and pop the other tray in the freezer for a quick dinner the next week.

Since you have already made the decision to make your own recipe, you can choose the ingredients that go in your dish. You can be sure to add healthy ingredients, fresh from your own garden perhaps, and know that none of the chemicals or additives that are so often put in pre-packaged foods to help keep their shelf life longer, are present in your food.

Choosing to grow your own fruits and vegetables is a fun and affordable way to ensure that you are not getting foods that have been sprayed with ingredients that could cause harm to you or your family in the future. If you grow a lot of food, you could purchase items such as a food dehydrator and dry and package the food for use as needed. Most dehydrated foods retain most of their natural vitamins and minerals and are good for up to several years when packaged and stored in the correct manner.

Learning how to make your own jam, yogurt and salad dressing can ensure that you are not getting any unnecessary amounts of sugar, salt or other ingredients that could cause health problems in the long run. Diabetes is on the rise, with too many people buying and eating foods that are pre-packaged with unhealthy amounts of sugar.

By taking a few minutes or a couple hours out of your week, you can feel confident that you are helping your family eat the best choices they can have with all of the taste still to be enjoyed.

The Hillbilly Housewife has created a book that will get you started learning what needs to be done to create your own homemade convenience foods that are chock full of goodness and will save you both time and money. Get on the road to keeping your family healthy today!

To gain access to a copy, click the title or image of the book which is my affiliate link.

HOMEMADE CONVENIENCE FOODS

Not only will you get the Convenience Food ebook with over 200 recipes, you also get
these bonuses:

Bonus #1 - Homemade Bath And Body Products
Bonus #2 - Homemade Cleaning Products
Bonus #3 - Memory Lane Meals - Sweets
Bonus #4 - A Year Of SnacksYou'll get

How To Make Meal Planning Easier This Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving my fellow American friends! I'm sure you are all looking forward to the lovely dinner and family gathering. Lots of effort is required to make the event an enjoyable one.

Have you left Thanksgiving preparations undone up to the last minute?Don't despair! It isn't too late for you to get some help. Just click on this affiliate link of mine from Dine Without Whine. You can make your meal planning easier.

Try it now for a penny and you'll get a complimentary copy of "Thanksgiving Planned For You" and "Christmas Planner for You". These are definite lifesavers!

Go here to read what other Moms have to say about Dine Without Whine, and to try it out yourself for a mere penny: Dine Without Whine - A Family Friendly Weekly Menu Planner

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!


PS: Your penny trial includes one week's meal plans, a grocery shopping list, and all the bonuses. And if you don't like it, you get to keep everything, just for giving it a chance. Click the following affiliate link to have a peek at a Sample Menu Plan

9 Simple Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat More Veggies

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More Help Can Be Found At Dine Without Whine

It seems like a never-ending battle with the kids. Although you and I know veggies are delicious and they’re also good for you, they act like vegetables are a plague they want to avoid at all costs.

If you need creative ways to get your kids to eat more vegetables, here are 9 ideas to incorporate into your daily meals right away:

1. Make healthy choices readily available and put the sugary and greasy snacks away. This doesn’t mean totally depriving yourselves of these delightful treats, but making healthy eating a normal part of your day goes a long way to helping kids develop better eating habits.

2. Add veggies like carrots or even asparagus to smoothies. Kids love fruit smoothies and they’ll never know you put in a little of those dreaded vegetables in.

3. Sneak vegetables into other foods. For example: Add grated carrots into spaghetti sauce or make a zucchini chocolate cake.

4. Try dip. You know kids love to dip everything. Just make sure they know they have to eat the dip stick and not just lick it!

5. Take your kids shopping with you. Let your child pick out a new vegetable in the grocery store that they’ve never tried. Then prepare the vegetable together.

6. Be patient and consistent. Avoid having a tantrum yourself when your child has a tantrum about vegetables on their plate. Sometimes it will take several times of serving the same food before your child is even willing to try it.

7. Make it artistic and fun. Place veggies into a smiley face on your child’s plate or decorate a pizza with them.

8. Let them choose: raw or cooked. Some children may have a definite preference as to whether their veggies are cooked or raw.

9. Plan your meals. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the veggies when you don’t have a plan…allowing your kids to get into the habit of veggie-free meals. Plan your meals and grocery lists in advance, so you won’t come up short on the greenery.

To make your meal planning a whole lot easier, sign up for you 1 ¢ no-risk trial at Dine Without Whine. They put together your weekly dinner plan and even make a quick and easy printable grocery list for you.
Click here to get started

9 Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries

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It never fails, we budget for our groceries, but the bill always ends up being more. We underestimate, run out of things faster than expected and overall, everything is becoming just too darned expensive! To make things a little bit easier, here are 9 simple ways you can start saving money on your groceries.

1. Go with a List: Yes, I know…it’s a pretty obvious suggestion, but it’s amazing how effective it can be. You can purchase only what you need and avoid all the other yummy distractions of the grocery store.

2. Meal Planning: Planning your meals in advance makes it easier to get your list together and ensure you buy only exactly what you need. You can get help with your meal planning at Dine Without Whine AND they actually put your grocery list together for you too.

3. Eat Before You Go: Another classic tip. If you’re hungry, you’ll want to buy (and instantly eat) everything! Have a meal or good snack before you go to avoid impulse purchases.

4. Stock Up on Staple Items When They’re On Sale: If you see ketchup or your family’s favorite sauce on sale, stock up. Or if it’s a certain type of soup or frozen vegetable your family eats all the time, buy a bunch of it. As long as it doesn’t spoil and you have space to store it, you will save money in the long run. The nice thing about this is if you continue to stock up on a variety of items, you’ll have a nice pantry full of food at any given time.

5. Cook from Scratch More Often: Yeah, yeah…it sounds easier said than done, but it doesn’t have to be too complicated. It’s no secret that pre-packaged items and convenience foods come at a premium price. They save you time in preparation, but they eat up your budget and let’s face it, time IS money. Plus, if you’re using Tip #2 and planning your meals, cooking from scratch more often is a whole lot easier.

6. Comparison Shop Before You Leave Home: No, I’m definitely not suggesting you go from store-to-store looking for the best deal. That takes too much time. Check the flyers that come to your door and see who is offering the best deals on what you actually need. If you don’t have any flyers at your door, visit the store website as they generally post flyers online.

7. Use Coupons Sparingly: Sure, coupons offer a great deal, but most coupons you’ll find are for items you don’t really need or use. Resist the urge to think, “Wow, that’s a good deal” and search for coupons based on items you need to purchase instead.

8. Keep the Little Ones At Home: If you have young children that want everything that they see, it’s easy to get into the trap of buying items you don’t need, treats that aren’t healthy and become victim to other grocery store distractions. Keep the kids at home with Daddy (it’s a good bonding opportunity) or a relative. You can even swap grocery store shopping times with your neighbor. Not only will you save money, but you’ll save your sanity too!

9. Make Quick Stops for Fresh Ingredients: This may not be easy if you’re on a tight schedule, but if you can work it in, it can save you a bundle. One of the biggest culprits in grocery budgets gone bad is spoiled food. If your fruits, veggies and other perishable items are always going bad, consider shopping for them more frequently, but in smaller quantities and restrain yourself from buying items you don’t need. If you have any teenaged kids, this would be a great chore for them too.

There you go – 9 ways to save on groceries. But in order to make these tips work, you really need to have a plan in place. You need to know what your family needs and what you’ll be eating. To make your meal planning a whole lot easier, sign up for you 1 ¢ no-risk trial at Dine Without Whine. You and your grocery budget will be glad you did.

Do Your Little Ones Act Like Vegetables Are Poison?

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Kid's meals should be easy, delicious and healthy. Getting children to eat vegetables is a major negotiation. Finding a way to get vegetables into the mouths of babes is easy when they are part of the fun. Coming up with creative ways to get kids involved in the preparation and the cooking of kids' recipes is part of the fun. Child friendly recipes will allow you the peace of knowing your children are eating healthy and they will enjoy feeling in control of what they are being fed.

Take your kids shopping with you. Let them choose the fruits and vegetables they enjoy. This is generally the simplest way even with children as young as 4 years old. Children learn to eat healthier when they are a part of the cooking and the meal planning for the family.

Children really like color. Even with food, kids will look, then smell, and finally taste. So a variety of color in meals is great. Eating a mixture of foods greatly improves the chances of consuming all the nutrients you and your family need for optimum health.

A exciting way to get your kids to eat vegetables is to use the vegetables as part of a project. Kids get to count, make shapes, and then eat what they create. You get the satisfaction of knowing that you are giving nutritious foods into their diet.

Kids Recipes for Create My Own Soup

Let your children count the carrots and celery pieces. Let them spell their names with the noodles if you include alphabet noodles. You may find other novelty noodles like car shapes, etc. Create a topic of the soup creation.

Cut star shapes out of the carrot slices and zucchini (using an aspic cutter) then set to the side.

Ingredients:
*1-2 carrots
*1 zucchini
*4 cups low sodium chicken broth
*1/4 cup shaped pasta
*Dash of sage
*3/4 cup chopped, cooked chicken
*Salt and pepper to taste

Bringing it All Together:

*Let the kids help you wash the vegetables. Once finished you can wash the carrots and zucchini softly with a vegetable brush.
*Cut the vegetables into 1/4-inch slices.
*Cut star shapes out of the slices, and set them aside.

*In a medium sized pot, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.
*Add the carrot stars and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
*Add the pasta, zucchini and chicken. Continue cooking the soup for another few minutes, stirring occasionally, just until the pasta is done. Makes 4 servings.

*Let your kids find their names or count the number of shapes in their soup bowl. The kids will like the adventure and fun, you will feel good knowing they are eating their vegetables.

Would you like more Kid-Friendly Recipes? Christine Steendahl – “The Menu Mom” invites you to visit Kid Approved Meals at http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com to download your personal 13 week breakfast and lunch menu made just for kids!