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100+ Protein Packed Postpartum Snacks

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All new moms need healthy and delicious snacks after having a baby! Grab our list of more than 100 protein packed postpartum snacks!

Congratulations!!!! If you are reading this, you likely just had a baby. You are now going to be hungry non-stop. Think you were hungry when you were pregnant!? Wrong.

via GIPHY

There is nothing like newly postpartum mom hunger. I understand why some mother mammals eat their young. THEY’RE FREAKING HUNGRY. Give them a bit more to eat!

As a new mom, you also don’t feel like cooking anything. This means you need quick, simple, healthy, delicious. We’ve complied a list of great postpartum snacks for anyone.

If you happen to be here and you are not a new mom, you are likely looking for something that you can put together for them.  Kuddos! You’ll definitely want to save this list and over the next 6 months to a year, any time you see this mama, take her a snack.

Why Does a New Mom Need Healthy snacks?

Umm, she just gave birth to a whole human being. That took a lot of energy! In all seriousness, birthing a baby vaginally or by Cesarean is a lot of work.  For the last nine months, mama has had all her organs pushed and shoved, grown new organs, and then expelled all of them for the sake of a tiny little being that is now going to keep her up for hours and hours every night.

It’s exhausting giving birth AND having a newborn. Her body is going to expend a lot of energy getting her body’s organs back into place and realigning other bodily functions. This takes a minimum of six to eight weeks to happen, but often even longer.

Now, if the mama is breastfeeding, she’s going to need even more. She’s physically producing milk which is burning a ton of calories.  In order to continue to make milk, she needs breastfeeding snacks that are healthy for her.

How Many Healthy Snacks Does a New Mom Need?

Overall, a new mom needs between 1800 and 2200 calories a day.  Because moms are always on the go, some of these could be in snack form, like the protein energy bites or avocado toast listed below. If a new mom is breastfeeding, she’ll need to increase her calories by another 500-800 a day. Also, if cleared for working out or tandem nursing (either twins or an older children), she’ll need even more. It’s best to talk to a lactation specialist if breastfeeding or other care physician, like a dietician to get a correct number of caloric intake for each specific person.

What are the best healthy snacks for a new mom? 

We’ve rounded up 100+ Protein Packed Postpartum Snacks that are amazing and just what you need as you transition into this new time in your life. Whether this is baby #1 or #6, you still have to eat. Most of these recipes are easy to make or no bake, but there are a few that requires baking. Make sure you have someone else make those ones for you!

Side note: whether you are breastfeeding or not, these are all great snacks for postpartum mothers. Your body needs fuel to recover and heal and you need to make sure you are getting proper nutrition so you have the energy to keep going.


Best of luck on this amazing journey of motherhood!

Some things that may help you through the transition:


Other Posts You Might Be Interested In

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This post was originally publish on 3/21/2017.

Top 10 Creepy Halloween Kid’s Food Ideas

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Whether you make eyeball soup for dinner or put finger cookies in their lunchbox, you will completely freak out your kids with these creepy halloween food ideas! 

If you’re a prankster, long gone are the days where your kids may get a cute little spider sandwich in their lunchbox. Nope, for Halloween, you want some truly spooky Halloween food ideas. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
With Halloween right around the corner, we couldn’t help but to put together this list of Top 10 Creepy Halloween Kid’s Food Ideas. Most kids completely love the gross Halloween food, but be prepared that you may completely freak out some kids.  Kids love fun ideas and we scoured the internet to find some absolutely spooky creations that are a must if you are festive at all.

1 – Shrunken Head Party Punch

If you are looking for halloween party food ideas for kids, I don’t think you could make a drink any creepier than these faux heads made from apples.  Definitely scary!

2 – Brain Ice Cream

This is actually a spinach smoothie poured into a brain mold and frozen up and served as ice cream.  Imagine your kids faces when you say you have ice cream and then sit this down in front of them! Yikes!

3 – Bloody Witches Fingers Cookies

Who know Peanut Butter Cookies could look so….gross. Definitely one recipe to add to the kids’ lunchboxes for a creepy Halloween lunchbox day!

4 – Witches Brew! 

This is actually a trifle layered with goodness like cake and pudding, but it appears to be a witches brew complete with eyeballs, worms, and brains. This is one of the best completely creepy halloween food ideas we found.

5 – Exploding Brain Stuffed Peppers

Okay, so really it’s just spaghetti with a meat sauce inside a pepper, but it looks like a person with their brain exploding.  If you’re looking for dinner halloween food ideas for kids, this is it!

Needs ideas for Halloween Party food for kids? This mummy apple pie recipe would be perfect for a class party. It’s not overly creepy, but it’s still creepy enough to make children laugh hysterically.

7- Eyeball Sherbet Punch

I loved sherbet punch growing up. This is one of the easier creepy halloween food ideas since you are just making the punch and adding candy eyeballs on top.  Kids will still scream, but it’s a great halloween party food idea!

8- Giant Eyeballs 

These giant eyeballs are completely edible in only four ingredients.  Imagine putting this creepy Halloween food idea into your kids lunchbox.  You may be getting a call from the office about the scream that happens after, so maybe you just sit it on the counter for breakfast. Spooky!

9- Zombie Gore Guzzlers

Another great drink option! This one would be perfectly paired with the exploding brain stuffed peppers for dinner.  Kids would be so grossed out!

10- Spider Deviled Eggs

At the surface these spider deviled eggs don’t see that gross.  However, think about all those spider scare videos.  Anytime someone comes upon something that looks like a real spider they freak! Perfect lunchbox option!

Bonus Ideas for Halloween Food for Kids!

It’s hard to pick just 10 creepy halloween food ideas, so I’m adding just a few more links here.  Definitely check out these completely gross halloween food ideas for kids!

– Turkey Meatball Eyeballs – This is one of the most genius, yet creepiest dinner ideas we found.  But a really simple dinner idea that is sure to be a hit.

– Hotdog Fingers –  I had to admit are pretty gross looking.  So simple though and a sure hit with the kids with some of their favorite foods.

– Pumpkin Guacamole . A puking pumpkin? Okay, this is pretty gross looking, but who doesn’t love guacamole!? This is a great option for a Halloween party!

–  Eyeball Pizza.  What kid doesn’t love pizza?  I know, personally, it’s my favorite food ever.  This actually isn’t *too* creepy, in our opinion, but still is one of the best kid options we saw.

–Eyeball Cupcakes are pretty realistic, especially the ones on the left. They look really simple to make and if your child’s school allows treats for holiday parties, this would be a great idea!

–Pastry Intestines is probably one of the grossest looking recipes we found. It looks so real. I’m actually not sure that I could stomach to eat this one if someone put it in front of me!

–  Meat Head is a definite must if you are having any type of Halloween party.  Meat trays are a big hit, but this takes it to beyond creepy!  Could you eat it?

We hope you enjoyed these creepy recipes for kids on Halloween!  They are pretty spooky!

Which one did you like the best? Have other creepy halloween food ideas for us?  Leave a comment below and let us know! 

Post originally published on 10/7/2013

Lemon Raspberry Curd

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Lemon Raspberry Curd is sweet and tart making it an amazing filling for pies, doughnuts, cakes, and more. This lemon raspberry curd recipe also makes a great edible gift. 

About two years ago now, I made lemon curd for the first time to go into some hand pies I was trying out. When I told Andrew what I was making, he cringed. Why would anyone call it curd? What an awful name for something you are eating. I reminded him that he loves cottage cheese and those are also called curds. He wasn’t amused.

Nonetheless, it was one of the best desserts I had ever had. I was literally licking the lemon curd off the spoon. He also agreed is was an amazing dessert and we spent the next few days putting it on everything we could think of in our house.

how to make lemon raspberry curd

I wanted to try out other varieties and see if they were just as amazing. It had gotten pushed to the back burner until recently.  And boy once I made this lemon raspberry curd, I was so disappointed I had never made it sooner. It was amaziingggg. We’ve made it multiple times since the first and it’s even better than just regular lemon curd.

Why is it called curd?

A curd is smooth, thick, creamy spread that is in the same family as jams and preserves. The earliest accounts show lemon curd being made and referred to as lemon cheese. It explains that lemon juice was added to cream to make curds.  As time has evolved, a curd now refers to a citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange, etc) being combined with eggs and sugar, and sometimes butter.  Berries, like in this lemon raspberry curd, are sometimes used as well.

What are the ingredients to make lemon raspberry curd?

The full recipe to make this lemon raspberry curd recipe is below, but the ingredients you need to make lemon raspberry curd are:

  • Eggs
  • Sugar
  • Raspberries
  • Lemon Juice
  • Lemon Zest
  • Unsalted Butter

What do you use lemon raspberry curd for?

Fruit curd is used for a variety of treats like scones, pies, and in between cake layers. However, it can also be used on bread or toast, muffins, waffles, pancakes, cheesecake and more.  Some people also mix curd into yogurt or cottage cheese. The possibilities are really endless.

Some ideas you can use are:

How do you make Lemon Raspberry Curd?

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Lemon Raspberry Curd
Prep Time
18 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 18 mins
 

Lemon Raspberry Curd is sweet and tart making it an amazing filling for pies, doughnuts, cakes, and more. This lemon raspberry curd recipe also makes a great edible gift. 

Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Servings: 32
Calories: 61 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups raspberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • Zest from one large lemon
  • 1 stick unsalted butter cut into pats
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs.
  2. In a medium saucepan, over medium low heat, add raspberries, lemon juice and lemon zest.
  3. Heat until raspberries start to break down (around 5 minutes), carefully stirring watching to ensure it doesn't burn.
  4. Add in the sugar mixture and constantly whisk for 2 minutes.
  5. Stir often until it begins to thicken (about 5 minute).
  6. Add butter and continue stirring often until all butter is melted.
  7. Over a bowl, use a strainer to press the solids out of the mixture.
  8. Refrigerate until cold (at least 4 hours).
  9. Keep refrigerated in air tight container for up to 10 days.
Recipe Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 

Nutrition Facts
Lemon Raspberry Curd
Amount Per Serving (2 tbsp)
Calories 61
% Daily Value*
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 8mg 0%
Potassium 22mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Sugars 12g
Vitamin A 0.6%
Vitamin C 4.2%
Calcium 0.5%
Iron 0.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Whether you put this in pies, spread on tarts, or lick it off the spoon (I won’t judge) you’ll want to make this ASAP. Promise me you will make this soon!

Pin this Lemon Raspberry Curd recipe for later!

Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin

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This Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin is one of the easiest, but most flavorful easy dinner recipes that you can throw together!

Being a parent means that every night, there are little ones that need fed. It’s a never-ending cycle and while we all love our kids dearly, having to physically make someone three meals a days, does get exhausting.  Especially, I’m sure if you don’t like to cook to being with.
When I first had our daughter, my idea of cooking meals consisted of some cans or jars, a few boxes, and a lot of hope. We quickly realized we didn’t want to eat a lot of processed foods for our children and because of that, it meant that I needed to get better with cooking.
One of the biggest things that helped me was being able to find super flavorful meals, like this Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin, that could not only feed us multiple meals, but also were easy to throw together.  One of the reasons I love our slow cooker so much is that I am able to throw everything inside of it early in the morning and then by the end of the day dinner is completely ready.  The meals, whether making meat or a soup, are always so tender and it feels like the flavors have more of a chance to really merry together.

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin

In order to make this slow cooker pork loin recipe, you are going to need the following ingredients. Of course, the entire recipe and cooking instructions are below if you scroll down a bit more.

  • Pork Loin
  • BBQ Sauce
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Honey
  • Olive Oil
  • Dried Basil
  • Garlic Powder
  • Salt

What Sides Go With Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin

Of course, you could eat this entirely on it’s own. It’s so delicious. However, you probably want some sides to go along with your easy pork loin recipe.

What to Make With Leftover Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin

One of the biggest things when making such a large piece of meat for us is that we often have a lot leftover. No one really likes the same meal over and over again, so often you make wonder what to make with leftover pork loin.  This is also a great way to knock two or more dinners out of the way. Simply purchase a larger pork loin than the recipes calls for and double the sauce.  Then, you can use the leftover pork loin for multiple meals throughout the week.  Some of our favorite leftover pork loin recipes are:

Of course, one really simple idea is just to shred the pork tenderloin pieces, add in some more homemade bbq sauce and make pulled bbq sandwiches. Easy peasy!

Recipe for How To Make Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin 

5 from 3 votes
Print
BBQ Parmesan Slow Cooker Pork Loin
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 5 mins
 

This Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin is one of the easiest, but most flavorful easy dinner recipes that you can through together!  

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dinner, pork, slow cooker
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 426 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 2-3lb pork tenderloin
  • 1 cup BBQ Sauce recipe
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp dried basil
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
  1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
  2. Remove excess fat from tenderloin if desired.
  3. Place loin in slow cooker.
  4. In a bowl, mix bbq sauce, cheese, honey, basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt until well combined.

  5. Pour entire mixture over top of the loin, cover, and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

  6. Internal temperature should be 165 degrees when finished.
Recipe Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 

**If you would like to make a gravy with the juice, mix one cup of juice with one tablespoon flour.  Whisk in pot on medium heat until desired thickness is reached.  If it’s too thick, add more juice.  Too thin, add 1/2 teaspoon more flour at a time until desired thickness is reached.

Nutrition Facts
BBQ Parmesan Slow Cooker Pork Loin
Amount Per Serving (2 slices)
Calories 426 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 151mg 50%
Sodium 732mg 31%
Potassium 1013mg 29%
Total Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Sugars 20g
Protein 49g 98%
Vitamin A 2.6%
Vitamin C 0.3%
Calcium 11.1%
Iron 17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pin this Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin for later

This post was originally published on August 16, 2012. We’ve gotten much better at photography since then.  Check out some of the old photos of our Slow Cooker BBQ Parmesan Pork Loin for giggles!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe

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These pumpkin cheesecake pancakes are the best pumpkin pancakes recipe that you’re going to find. Deliciously, fluffy pancakes packed with pumpkin flavor and oozing with cheesecake bits. 

Fall time for millions of people means pumpkin everything! You likely will have a lot one thing pumpkin during the fall months unless you’re adamantly opposed to the flavor. Admittedly, we are huge fans of pumpkin in our home and usually, there is something made with pumpkin weekly in our house. One of our must have fall recipes are these pumpkin cheesecake pancakes. In my opinion, they are the best pumpkin pancakes recipe that you are going to find.

What do you need to make pumpkin cheesecake pancakes?

In order to make this pumpkin pancake recipe, you are going to need the following ingredients. Of course, the entire recipe and cooking instructions are below if you scroll down a bit more.

  • Flour
  • Buttermilk
  • Egg Whites
  • Coconut Oil
  • Brown Sugar
  • Baking Soda
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Pumpkin Puree
  • Frozen Cheesecake

What toppings do you put on pumpkin cheesecake pancakes?

Our absolute favorite thing with these pumpkin pancakes is a homemade blueberry syrup. The flavor profiles pair so well together.

Other toppings include:

What sides go with pumpkin cheesecake pancakes?

Side dishes for these homemade pumpkin pancakes include:

We got the idea for these from one of our many visits to IHOP before having children. IHOP pumpkin cheesecake pancakes were the perfect fall breakfast meal when out to eat, but since having children, we try to limit our eating out now. We love recreating similar meals at home (and truthfully the taste better usually!) If pumpkin is not your thing, but you’d really like to try our cheesecake pancakes, feel free to try our regular cheesecake pancakes or blueberry cheesecake pancakes.

Recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Pancakes

5 from 4 votes
Print
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

These pumpkin cheesecake pancakes are the best pumpkin pancakes recipe that you're going to find. Deliciously, fluffy pancakes packed with pumpkin flavor and oozing with cheesecake bits. 

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: breakfast, cheesecake pancakes, cheesecake recipes, pumpkin pancakes
Servings: 8 pancakes
Calories: 496 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
  • 2 cups chopped frozen cheesecake
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place oven safe pan inside (to store pancakes until done so all are still warm)

  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cheesecake pieces.

  3. In a large bowl, beat together buttermilk, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and pumpkin puree until combined. 

  4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. 

  5. Carefully fold in egg whites. 

  6. Add the chopped frozen cheesecake pieces and fold in slowly. 

  7. Coat a large non-stick skillet or griddle with cooking spray or butter and heat over medium low heat. 

  8. One at a time, pour batter into the skillet for each pancake (about 3/4 cup). Cook until bubbly on top, then flip and cook other side until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes).

  9. Transfer to oven safe pan until all are finished.
Recipe Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 

Nutrition Facts
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pancakes Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 pancake)
Calories 496 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 74mg 25%
Sodium 741mg 31%
Potassium 268mg 8%
Total Carbohydrates 63g 21%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 32g
Protein 12g 24%
Vitamin A 105.2%
Vitamin C 1.6%
Calcium 19.5%
Iron 12.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pin these pumpkin cheesecake pancakes for latter!

This post was originally published on October 11, 2012. We’ve gotten much better at photography since then.  Check out some of the old photos of our pumpkin cheesecake pancakes for giggles!

Homemade Blueberry Syrup

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Homemade Blueberry Syrup is the perfect addition to your breakfast buffet. Add this easy homemade blueberry syrup to pancakes, waffles, french toast, or even ice cream!   

Any time that we go out to eat, we always take mental notes of how we can make dishes at home. Since we don’t eat out often in our home, we constantly want to be able recreate some of these dishes. It not only helps us save money, but because the ingredients are made in small batches at once, it’s usually ends up tasting better.  One of our favorites places to get recipe inspiration is IHOP (or is it IHOB now?). One of our favorite things we’ve made are these  Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes With Homemade Whipped Topping. But another favorite is this Homemade Blueberry syrup we are sharing with you today!

Homemade Blueberry Syrup 

Growing up, we had plain jane syrup. Usually Mrs. Butterworth. My entire childhood food profile can be summed up with plain jane. We didn’t veer off of that much.  Luckily, I got out of that as an adult. If you’ve ever been to IHOP you know that nestled at the end of the table they have a variety of flavored syrups. One of those is blueberry syrup.  Andrew wanted us to try to make one at home and the result of this homemade blueberry syrup is better than anything we’ve ever had at any restaurant.  It’s even better if you can grab some fresh blueberries.

How To Make Blueberry Syrup

To a saucepan you add blueberries and maple syrup. Fresh or frozen blueberries can be used to make this easy homemade blueberry syrup recipe. Cook this mixture until the blueberries start to break down. After they start to breakdown, you’re going to add more blueberries and syrup, along with vanilla and lemon extracts, cinnamon and allspice. After the recipe is made, you can strain the blueberries out, blend it in a blender or leave it with chunks. Our girls love picking out the blueberries! This makes the the perfect blueberry syrup you’ve ever had. It’s even better than IHOP Blueberry syrup where we got the inspiration to make this recipe from.

Don’t worry about where to buy blueberry syrup any longer!  Make this homemade blueberry syrup recipe in under 15 minutes!

How do you use Blueberry Syrup

Homemade Blueberry Syrup is great on top of most main breakfasts options like french toast, pancakes, and waffles. Mix some into your oatmeal on put on top of your ice cream.

Here’s some great recipes for you to try homemade blueberry sauce on top of too:

0 from 0 votes
Print
Homemade Blueberry Syrup Recipe
Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
11 mins
 

Homemade Blueberry Syrup is the perfect addition to your breakfast buffet. Add this easy homemade blueberry syrup to pancakes, waffles, french toast, or even ice cream!  

Course: Breakfast, Condiments
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade syrup, blueberry recipes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 49 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, divided
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup, divided
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp lemon extract
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
Instructions

  1. In a sauce pan, over medium low heat, add 1 cup blueberries and 2 tbsp maple syrup.

  2. Stir to combine. 

  3. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

  4. Mash down the blueberries that are breaking apart

  5. Add in the remaining ingredients. 

  6. Stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes. 

  7. Once all the blueberries have started to break down, remove from heat. 

  8. You can leave as is with chunks, strain out the blueberries, or put syrup in a blender to make more consistent, non-chunky texture. 

Recipe Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Blueberry Syrup Recipe
Amount Per Serving (2 tbsp)
Calories 49
% Daily Value*
Sodium 1mg 0%
Potassium 50mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%
Sugars 9g
Vitamin A 0.4%
Vitamin C 4.3%
Calcium 1.3%
Iron 0.6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pin this Homemade Blueberry Syrup Recipe for later!

**This post was original published on 7/8/2014. Images to the original post are below. 
homemade blueberry syrup
This post was originally part of a blog hop we did called Time for Mom. Our fellow co-hosts were Rachel from Can’t Google Everything and Brie from {…a breezy life}. Two of the posts we featured were Summer Bucket List from Many Waters and Pool Noodle Bubble Blower from Domain of the Mad Mommy. Check them out!

If Today Was Your Child’s Last Day

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If today was your child’s last day is a post dedicated to all the mom’s out there who have lost a child, but especially to my best friend. 

Trigger Warning: Child Loss. 

You likely woke up today and it was a normal day for you. Rushing around and getting everything done that you need to do. There’s always errands, always cleaning, and someone always seems to need to be feed. You make a list of everything you need to get done and yell at your kids for the 20th time to get their dang shoes on so you can leave the house. The mundane nature of day in and day out is exhausting, but you keep plugging along. Whether you work from home or work outside the home, homeschool or send your kids off, are a CEO or stay-at-home parent, we all have a ton of things that need done.

There’s always something that needs done. As soon as you finish the last load of laundry, someone throws something in the hamper.  When the last dish is washed, someone finishes a snack. The moment that you’ve finally mopped all the floors, someone runs in from playing outside in the mud. Precisely as you scrub all the toilets, someone has to poop. When you finally save up enough for a weekend away, someone needs new soccer cleats or money for a field trip. It’s never ending. And if you focus on it too much, you’ll continue pushing everything off.

But what if today was your child’s last day?

If you woke up today and someone told you that today was your last day with your child, how would you handle things differently? It’s easy to say, “well, there’s always tomorrow.” However, we know that tomorrow is never promised.  It’s hard to even fathom thinking about that when it comes to our children, but the truth is that the next minute is never promised. Most days we take that for granted.

But today may be your child’s last day. Unfortunately, that’s just the reality of life. For my best friend, that day came a year ago today. It’s easy to love someone until it’s no longer an option. Think about that. It was easy for everyone who met her sweet boy to fall in love, but for many of us it’s no longer an option to love on her sweet boy. And while I know she gave her sweet boy everything he needed in life, her reality is different now.

While I can say that I have been far from perfect, there have been multiple things I’ve learned over the past year.

I’ve learned that as much as I can I should: 

  • Read that extra book at bedtime
  • Dance with my children when they ask
  • Stop doing chores when they ask to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie together
  • Say I love you a dozen more times
  • Let them pick out anything they want in the store
  • Put the phone down and play Candyland for the millionth time
  • Shut the computer and play playdoh
  • Try to do the monkey bars again and swing myself at the playground because it brings them joy
  • Use that extra money I’ve been saving up to just take the trip now. TAKE THE TRIP NOW.
  • Not get upset at the spilt cup of milk all over my couch after they know they weren’t supposed to have anything in the living room, but rather teach about grace
  • Let them stay up past their bedtime
  • Stop for ice cream just because
  • Have a yes day (say yes to everything they ask for)
  • Get in the pool and teach them to flip or play Marco Polo
  • Give them a second lollipop
  • More surprises
  • More time
  • and lots of More memories

Not every day will not be perfect. But even if you did one more thing every day, said yes to one more thing, didn’t get upset about one more thing…then, the lives of your family in difficult times may feel like you allowed a fulfilling life for your littles.  If today was your child’s last day how would you do it differently?

Background about the post: 

My best friend lost her sweet boy Beau at 27 months old on August 30, 2017 unexpectedly. Beau was born with a condition called Myotubular Myopathy. There is currently no cure for MTM. To learn more about Myotubular Myopathy you can visit the Joshua Frase Foundation.  To learn more specifically about Beau, please, visit Beau’s Brave Journey. #BraveBeau #MTMStrong

Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe (Vegan Option)

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This Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe will have even the pickiest of veggie eaters enjoying the sweet taste of glazed baby carrots. Pair this simple side dish with almost any main course for a quick and simple dinner. 

It was the start of my third grade school year, when I told the teacher that I couldn’t see the board from where I was sitting.  She moved me to the front of the class, a mere few feet from the board she was writing on and I remember crying because I still couldn’t see.  I didn’t understand what was going on at the time.  I had never experienced this before.  We were just back from a fun summer break and nothing odd had happened. Or so I thought. My eye sight had decreased dramatically over the summer and from that moment forward I would wear glasses or contacts for the rest of my life.

It was also in that moment that I kicked myself for never eating more carrots like my mom had told me too. “Carrots make your eye sight better.” I hear her nagging voice to this day, yet in still, I hated carrots for most of my life.

Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe

These glazed baby carrots changed my whole outlook on carrots.  Originally, I had a variation of them at a friends house. Even though I was reluctant to try them, I still did and I’m so thankful for that. It’s one of the most simple side dish recipes that you can find, taking just about 10-12 minutes to make from start to finish.  These honey glazed baby carrots are the perfect side dish for almost any meal you could plan.

How to Make Glazed Carrots

Honey glazed baby carrots are such an easy side dish recipe to make. If you are short on time, you will definitely love trying to make this recipe. Simply melt coconut oil into a pan on medium high heat. Once you’ve done that, add in your carrots. Cook the carrots for 5 minutes. Then, add in salt and pepper to taste, along with cinnamon, honey, and brown sugar. Continue cooking until the carrots are fork tender. Then done! It’s seriously that simple.

Watch us make these honey glazed carrots with a delicious Honey Citrus Salmon in under 30 minutes!

What main dish pairs well with honey glazed carrots?

These honey glazed baby carrots are the perfect side dish for a wide variety of dinners. While the carrots themselves take just a few minutes to make, they pair well with quick or elaborate dinner ideas that you could make. Whether you are throwing dinner in the instant pot or creating an intricate meal, this easy baby carrots recipe is the perfect dish for you.

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Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe
Prep Time
2 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
12 mins
 

This Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe will have even the pickiest of veggie eaters enjoying the sweet taste of glazed baby carrots. Pair this simple side dish with almost any main course for a quick and simple dinner. 

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: side dish, vegetable dish
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 62 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 lb baby carrots
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey (use agave if vegan)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • salt and peper, to taste
Instructions

  1. Melt coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. 

  2. Once melted, add in baby carrots. Stir to coat with the coconut oil. Let cook for 3 minutes. 

  3. Add in remaining ingredients and stir well. 

  4. Reduce heat to medium low and cook carrots for an additional 7-9 minutes or until carrots are easily pierced with a fork. 

  5. Remove from heat and serve. 

Recipe Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 

Nutrition Facts
Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe
Amount Per Serving (14 cup)
Calories 62 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 45mg 2%
Potassium 134mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 9g
Vitamin A 156.4%
Vitamin C 1.8%
Calcium 2.4%
Iron 3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Rethinking Growing Up

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Rethinking growing up is a story about how we force kids into making decisions too early about their life choices while not allowing the the freedom to explore their passions. 

This post is made possible with support from AARP’s Disrupt Aging. All opinions are my own.

The Struggle of Putting Children into One Box

I remember going into high school, we were told that we had to pick a career path.  It was so easy for me. I knew I wanted to be pre-med. I had said I wanted to be a doctor from around the age of 4 my mom always tells everyone. So I signed up, and was excited to work towards my goal of being a neonatologist. Then, I decided around my sophomore year, that I wanted to take a photography class.  I have always loved pictures and the stories that can be told around them. I wanted to learn how to take better pictures and develop them myself. My idea of learning more about a passion I had was quickly shot down.  It wasn’t within my career path, so I couldn’t take the course.

I was devastated. My life had been defined by one thing and one thing only and I was only 14 years old. 

When I went to college and got my pre-med schedule for my first semester, I quickly knew that this wasn’t going to be the career path for me. Essentially, I had just spent that last four years of my life, for nothing. I switched my major two more times before ending up with a degree in Criminology with an English minor. I used my degree for 3 years.

Fast forward — today I use my minor (which I obtained because I took so many electives because I loved writing) and that photography class sure would have come in handy since I’ve had to teach myself everything I know thus far. That one class in high school could have completely changed my life. Definitely, a lot sooner than waiting until I was 26 to pursue something that I thought could have been a passion when I was 14 years old.

Rethinking Growing Up 

While Andrew doesn’t have exactly the same story, he did also go through two years of college before even deciding what he wanted to do. Our experiences have shaped how we look at our own children and what we want for them in terms of growing up.

  • We want to ensure that we allow them to explore all their options from early on in life.

    • This means that every year they may do something new – whether that’s sports, or arts, or exploring. Just because they’ve done soccer before, doesn’t mean that’s the only sport they can do from now on in life

  • Making sure they have real life skills that will ensure they succeed no matter what

    • As parents, we’ve both said that there were multiple things we wish we knew before leaving home. Life skills that simply weren’t taught to us. Whether it’s cooking, doing taxes, balancing a checkbook, changing oil in a car, or learning to sew, we want to set our girls up with success for life.  One of the most important things being how to talk to people – networking, placing orders, etc.

  • We won’t force them into college. 

    • Andrew and I both think that college is a great thing, but it’s not the only thing. We both joke that the only great thing that came out of college was us meeting each other.  Otherwise, we could have done what we do at a much lower price. Whether they choose trade or tech school, no school at all, college, Ivy league – we want them to know that there are multiple ways to be successful.

  • Experiences are more valuable than things

    • It took Andrew and I a long time to realize this. However, being able to go explore a new city or do an activity together, like canoeing for the first time. Zip lining across the forest or traveling to bucket list countries. Those things will build you up more than buying new things that you don’t really need. Focus on those things is what we want our girls to do.

  • No matter your age, you can always make a change

    • One of the most important take aways we want to ensure in our kids’ lives is that whether they are 5, 25, 55, or 75, if they want to do something new, they can. Whether it’s a career path, a new hobby, or an adventure, their current age doesn’t define them anymore than it did before.

At this stage of life, I realize I can change what I want to do in life, what my passions are, even now. I want my kids to know that they aren’t defined into one career at any one age. We are free to explore and change our path no matter our age. What really matters is happiness.  When you find what truly makes you happy, everything else in life will start to fall into place. Rethinking growing up isn’t easy, but it’s going to be invaluable to this generation that we are raising. 

Preventing Heatstroke In the Car

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This post was sponsored by Auto Alliance as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

We all want to believe that we are the best parents in the entire world.  I mean it’s our job to think that we are getting everything right.  Our job is to constantly put smiles on our kids’ faces, even though we may be going through an extremely difficult situation ourselves in the moment.  From the moment that we find out we are pregnant, we are going through all the likely and different scenarios in our head. How do we bath them? How do I install a car seat? What times do I feed them, how much, how often? Can I drown them by giving them a bath?  Literally, during the months leading up to their birth, you play 431,134,943 different scenarios in our head.  Then, their born and you have another 536 million situations you think of every day.

One thing remains the same.  We are constantly just trying to keep our children alive the best way we know how.

One thing that was so important to me was ensuring car seat safety. I wanted to know exactly how the car seat was supposed to be secured.  I needed to know how to properly secure buckles and pads. Most importantly, I wanted to know how to safely buckle my girls in without doing an damage to then, whether we were going to a short ride or a large one. And when we first had our oldest daughter I didn’t get car seat safety right immediately.

One of the other things that has always frightened me this time of year, is that I, or somewhere near to me is going to lock their baby in a car. Especially as my children get older and our routines are changing, I know how things can happen in the blink of an eye. Every year an average of 37 children of lost when left unattended in an automobile. Many of those cases are simply mistakes. Of these cases, 50% of them are children under a year. I know for me, I could barely function for the first year, so I get how difficult this process could potentially be.

Fast fact: At 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the inside of a parked car with the windows open, can reach 120 degrees within 15 minutes.  Let that sink in for a second. Not 80 or 90 (or even 112 degrees like it was here today). SEVENTY. Can reach 50 degrees higher in under 15 minutes. One of the reasons it’s so lethal to children is that the child’s body heats 3-5x faster than adult.  So heatstroke for a child left unattended, happens much faster.

The good news is that heatstroke is completely avoidable.

Auto Alliance has launched campaign in support of the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Look Before You Lock: Never Leave A Child Alone in a Car” campaign with three easy tips.

  • A-Avoid: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Also, your car should always remain locked when you are not in it, so kids don’t get into their own.
  • C-Create Reminders: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.
  • T-Take Action: If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

In addition to the tips from Auto Alliance, the things that we do to ensure less likelihood of stroke is to:

  1. Immediately open car doors behind us in our vehicle – whether our children are with us or not, but open the doors, we are focused to peak inside to double check
  2. Teach our children how to safely and properly buckle and unbuckle themselves and their doors – this is much harder for young children; but our newly 3 year old can get herself in and out of her buckles most of the time and open the car door.  This ensure they can at least get out of the car on their own. We also make sure that anytime they are buckling themselves INTO the car, we double check accuracy before driving away
  3. We verbalize with each other who has what child(ren). For example, if I’m going to Target and I don’t have any of the girls, I verbally tell Andrew that he has both girls. He knows to watch them then. Likewise, if we split up in a store and we both have a child, I ensure that he knows which child he has and which I have. This way, we are always in control and know where are children are and who has the responsibility

These are just some of the ways that we are working to ensure that we are never faced with a heatstroke situation with our children. What do you do?  Leave a comment below, letting me know!

For more information about heatstroke prevention, and to help spread awareness, visit https://autoalliance.org/safety/heatstroke

 

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