Ingredients:
4 medium onions, quartered
3 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sugar
Method:
Grease muffin tin.Preheat oven to 425.
Add the onions to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Take 2 cups of onion puree and place into a bowl. Add butter, sugar, eggs, salt and sir well. Add the baking powder and flour and again, stir well until smooth. Gently stir in walnuts.
Spoon the muffin mixture into the muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Leave the muffins to cool down for about 10 minutes, then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Family Meals Planning offers alot of advantages and you do not need to slave away writing meal plans and endless grocery shopping. By the way, when was the last time your family had a meal together? I don’t mean sitting in the car munching on burgers from the drive-through. I mean sitting down at the table and sharing a home-cooked meal.The answer is probably, “Not very often.”
It’s understandable. Modern families are busy. Both parents work and sometimes get home at different times. Children have activities to go to, and Mom’s got to drive them all over the place. Really, who’s got the time and energy to even cook dinner every single night?
You, that’s who! Eating together is good for you and your family. So you better make time and find the energy to make home-cooked meals and sit down and eat together more often.
Researchers have found many benefits to home-cooked meals. Watch this video to learn about some of them. In my own experience, though, there are many more. Here are 24 reasons I have found to share family meals more often:
1. Families who eat together eat healthier, because home-cooked food is healthier than fast food.
2. Family meals allow busy families to catch up with each other.
3. Young children learn a lot of verbal skills just by eating with their family members.
4. It gives everyone a chance to unwind after a busy day.
5. Having family meals more often forces you to end your working day and other obligations in time for dinner.
6. Home cooked meals are not only healthier, they’re also cheaper than takeout food or eating out.
7. Eating together forces everybody to tell stories.
8. Cooking at home motivates you to be creative with your meal planning and cooking.
9. Children can get involved in cooking meals.
10. Cooking and eating together creates happy childhood memories.
11. Eating together is an opportunity to explore different cuisines.
12. Eating with your family is more fun than eating in front of the television (or the computer).
13. Eating together gives parents a chance to talk about current events from their point of view, injecting their personal values without giving a lecture.
14. Eating together helps family members bond and get to know each other better.
15. You’ll be surprised what your kids reveal when you’re in a relaxed environment, such as a family meal.
16. Kids are less likely to roll their eyes when you reminisce and tell stories from your childhood while eating a meal together.
17. Family meals can be good teaching moments, even for small children. My toddler learned how to count by counting after-meal treats on his high chair.
18. Eating together is a good opportunity to teach and model good manners.
19. Family meals give a good transition from work or school to home life.
20. Family meals are also good times to share music together.
21. Family meals teach everyone valuable life skills, such as sharing and taking turns.
22. Stopping and sitting down to a meal gives everyone a chance to quiet down and regroup.
23. Family meals provide an additional occasion for family members to pray together.
24. Eating home is more eco-friendly than eating out or ordering food - less waste!
As you can see from the list above, the extra time and effort you spend to have family meals more often are worthwhile.
If you think having family meals is too much work, don’t despair. You can get help for everything from meal planning to putting your weekly grocery shopping list together. Check out Dine Without Whine for kid-tested, quick recipes that will help you put together family meals with less effort. Dine Without Whine’s weekly shopping lists will also help you get food shopping done much faster, and even save money on groceries.
Throwing temper tantrums is another normal phase of your child’s development. This happens when the child have difficulty expressing themselves with words. The best way to deal with temper tantrums is to avoid them from happening in the first place.
He’s gone from being a bystander in life and just letting the world pass him by to fully diving in and wanting to explore and grab every little thing life has to offer. Along with this newfound thirst for life also come many emotions and the feeling of not being able to express these emotions.
Temper tantrums, however fun they may be to throw, rarely solve whatever problem is causing them. ~Lemony Snicket
That’s why when your toddler feels tired, hungry, or just bored and cranky he will result to having a tantrum as a way to change a situation he doesn’t like or has any control over. By the same token, your toddler may also have a tantrum when she doesn’t get her way.
When your toddler does have a tantrum, you certainly shouldn’t give in as tempting as it may be, if you’ve said no to something you should stick to no. If you give in now, you’re child will think next time he throws a tantrum he’ll get his own way too. This will create a cycle of repeat tantrums.
You should, however, be close at hand and ready to give your toddler a big hug once he has calmed down. Reassure him that you still love him and let him know how pleased you are that he has regained control. This will emphasize the fact that he has been able to control his emotions and will give him the confidence to know he is able to control himself at certain times.
And above all try not to get too frustrated or upset by your toddlers tantrum. The worst thing you can do is loose control yourself; this will only make the situation worst.
You can teach your child how to control their emotions and the temper tantrums will soon go away. It is a normal part of growing up and can be prevented by encouraging good behaviour.
Child care providers are available everywhere but how do you know whether this us the place you would be comfortable to leave your child. It is not an easy task.
Firstly, plan to make an unscheduled visit to the day care center after you speak with potential child care provider on the telephone. You want to see the condition of the facility and of the children without any preparation for them to “get ready” for your visit. Below are a number of things to look for.
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today ~ Stacia Tauscher
You should visit the facility more than one time. Go once early in the morning and again on a different day later in the afternoon. Children get tired and run down in the afternoon and it gives you a good chance to see how the center runs in less than ideal circumstances. Bring your child with you. This gives you an opportunity to see the interaction between the two.
Does the facility look clean? There’s a difference between messy (from children playing) and unclean. Do the children appear clean? Or do they have lunch all over their face and dirty diapers on? Are they plunked in front of a movie? What are the sleeping arrangements?
Questions to ask: How do they help potty-train the children? What is the ratio of adults to children? Is their license current? What is the education/background of the providers? What is their policy on contacting parents for injuries? How and for what reasons do they discipline the children? What are the payment policies?
Ask for references. Talk with parents who leave their children with that childcare center. Ask them why they chose that child care facility to care for their child? Ask what they like best about it? Ask what is one thing they would change if they could (there is always room for improvement in any business).
You should be comfortable with child care providers. If not, you can go somewhere else. You should find a a place that will be fortunate enough to care for your child.
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Home
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes and juice
1 (7 ounce) container sun dried tomato pesto
2 eggs
2 (15 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
1 (14 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (8 ounce) package Italian cheese blend, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oven ready lasagna noodles
Instructions:
1. Pour the oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat.
2. Once the oil hot but not smoking, add the onion.
3. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking 1 minute, garlic should be fragrant.
5. Pour in the tomatoes and use the back of a spoon to crush, being sure to leave chunks in the sauce.
6. Place the heat on low and cook 3 minutes.
7. Add the pesto and stir well. Remove the skillet from the heat.
8. Beat the eggs slightly in a large mixing bowl.
9. Add the ricotta cheese, spinach and 1/2 of the cheese blend. Stir well.
10. Add the Parmesan cheese and salt and continue stirring until completely combined.
11. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with sauce.
12. Lay 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles.
13. Cover with sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with sauce on the top.
14. Bring the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
15. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the remaining Italian cheese blend. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
16. Bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking 30 minutes or until bubbly. Allow lasagna to stand 15 minutes before serving.
July 25th, 2009
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Family Meals Planning offers alot of advantages and you do not need to slave away writing meal plans and endless grocery shopping. By the way, when was the last time your family had a meal together? I don’t mean sitting in the car munching on burgers from the drive-through. I mean sitting down at the table and sharing a home-cooked meal.The answer is probably, “Not very often.”
difficulty expressing themselves with words. The best way to deal with temper tantrums is to avoid them from happening in the first place.
comfortable to leave your child. It is not an easy task.
