This post is written on behalf of Nestle’s Gerber Lil’ Beanies, led by Kendal King Group through The Women Bloggers. All opinions are our own.
Mom life is much quicker than I ever thought it would be. As a mom of two young boys, both under 4, my life is always at warp speed. While one is at school in the morning, the younger and I tackle the errand list and climb everything imaginable at the park.
So, naturally, I always have snacks in the car. Yes, I still hit the drive thru several times a week (mostly for dinner because I need something quick), but I have started keeping snacks in the car. And for my energetic boys, I want something healthy!
When I was growing up those snacks were all sorts of chips and snack cakes. I don’t want my boys to have a steady diet of those. I love to bake so that already doesn’t help their waistlines and sugar intake, so if I’m going to have a ready-made, portable, clean, crunchy snack: its going to be a healthy one.
Gerber rules the toddler and baby aisle. They’ve been around for generations. And now they have come out with a totally healthy toddler and preschooler snack. My two boys devoured 4 cans in 2 days (and maybe I helped a little – but can you blame me?) I put them in my preschooler’s lunch box, we had them while watching Netflix, we even had them as a side for lunch and dinner.
Here’s why I like them and why they will be on the grocery list all the time when I’m shopping at Walmart (they should be in your local Walmart now):
My kids eat them. They kept saying “more in my mouth”! I loved it.
They are healthy. Made out of navy beans, they have protein their little tummies need to stay full! There are no preservatives – and you find preservatives in everything these days.
They aren’t messy. I’ve already taught my sons how to lick their fingers from the cheese puffs – but these are mess free. Since they have no artificial colors or flavors, you don’t have orange fingers (and clothes, couches, and car seats) for days!
They are in our tight food budget. Healthy foods are generally more expensive then convenience food. Gerber Lil Beanies is both inexpensive and convenient!
I love them (personally) because I love sea salt and crunchy snacks. But, there is also a white cheddar and broccoli – and what mom doesn’t want their kids eating more broccoli!
What are some go-to healthy snacks for your toddlers and preschoolers. I hope you stock up on Lil Beanies the next time you are at Wal-Mart. My boys give two empty snack bowl thumbs up!
Tuna salad can be a go-to lunch any day of the week!
One of the pieces of marital advice I give every newly engaged girl I know is simply this: Love God, Love your mister, and study both.
When you love God first, loving others becomes easier (not easy, just easier).
Love your mister – I’m assuming if you are going to marry him you already do.
Study both. The more you get to know God’s character and dwelling on the Gospel, the more you will actively live our the gospel. Which every marriage needs. And then when you study your mister – not memorizing every book and trying to make your mister into that person in the marriage book – you are well on your way to success in marriage.
Now, how does that marriage advice apply to tuna salad?
Well, my mister loves tuna melts and getting his tuna salad perfect has taken me almost 5 years. So, when he tasted this the other day – I got a two thumbs up and don’t change a thing look – and he ate it all!
This tuna salad is also vertatile. You can have a low carb lunch by putting it into a avocado half. This is a delicious combination. You can toast some bread, melt some cheese on top, and have a traditional tuna melt. You can put it atop some greens for a salad. You can eat it with whole grain crackers for a lighter lunch. Or just eat it with a spoon.
The Perfect Tuna Salad
Recipe Type: Seafood
Cuisine: Southern
Author: kd316
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
A perfect tuna salad is great for parties, light lunches, or salads.
Ingredients
2 cans whole chunk white albacore tuna in water (the quality of tuna is so important)
1/4 cup Duke’s mayo and 1 T
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 hardboiled eggs (the cooking time for the recipe is all in the boiling of the eggs)
We have so many kids’ books in our home. We have them in our cars, in our living room, in the toy box, upstairs in both of their rooms, in our master bedroom on our nightstands, and in the hallway outside their rooms just in case they need to find one on their way to the stairs. And we get more every month. Yes, I give some away, some to other moms, some to our church nursery rooms, and some to goodwill. If the books are very well worn, then they just go in the recycle bin.
However, out of all the books we have, the only one that has authority, power to change their little hearts, and shape their souls and hearts and actions is the Bible. It is the belief of “sola scriptura”. One of the five solas of the Reformation. Basically, (taken from wikipedia) it is : the Christian doctrine that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice. Sola scriptura does not deny that other authorities govern Christian life and devotion, but sees them all as subordinate to and corrected by the written word of God.
And that is one of the reasons I love Crossway and the ESV Bible. They publish books that are so full of Scripture and are such a good help to their readers. They also design great Bibles, for adults, and children. I personally have used their Journaling Bibles for almost 10 years now and LOVE them. And one of their new ones is a hardcover ESV Children’s Bible. Think back to the 70s and those picture Bibles: Now, erase that memory from your mind’s eye and picture realistic pictures, larger print, maps to help your children get a heart for the world that God so loves, and a concordance to help studying the word easier for little minds.
Here’s a simple way you can ease in to family worship if you don’t already do anything. Using this Bible:
Start in the Gospel of Mark, one of Paul’s letters to the churches, the Psalms, or even Proverbs (especially if you have older children).
Read a short passage. Have them read it if they can read.
Talk to them about who God is, who Jesus is, what the passage says about man, and what it says about the gospel.
Pick one verse the passage to help your children memorize. You may stick to that one verse all week, or depending on how old your children are, you may do a few a week. Kids can memorize the Word of God!
Pray with them. Pray the Scriptures you just read. It will help them understand them. Pray the Spirit would give them a new heart that loves the Word of God and loves the Jesus who died for them.
Family Worship doesn’t have to be long and hard and have a lesson plan written out. It can, or you can just read the Bible with your kids, talk about it, and pray. And believe me, the Spirit will be molding your heart as well. His Word is good like that.
Thank you Crossway for this Bible. All opinions are my own.
A new book for mommas is coming out. So funny that there is never a shortage for new books for tired mom’s who never find the time to read all the books.
I had high hopes for this one, Hope Unfolding, by Becky Thompson, and I love the cover and get real talk.
But, I want a book more centered on the gospel, less centered on story and example. When I listen to a sermon I want gospel truth mixed w a little personal story or joke. In this book, while saying good stuff and offering tired mommas hope only found in Jesus, it is more personal story mixed with a little gospel.
Just out of properbalance,in my opinion, and that’s what Blogging for Books gave me the book to do…write an honest review.
The longer I live the more I am introduced to and reminded of pain and hurt. A believer’s life is not immune from it – we just have help and a Healer when we experience it.
And hopefully, we can share that help and Healer with others who are going through pain.
The book Come Emptyby Saundra Dalton Smith is good on many levels:
Her transparency. I love that there are people in the world who are hurting, who have been hurt, and know that they have the freedom to share that hurt. Not everyone is given that freedom for fear of guilt, shame, or rejection. I think that is something we in the church can be more aware of and open to. Not shunning people who are in pain, but helping them with the purity of the Gospel in their pain.
Her use of Scripture. I do love that this book is full of the Word of God – because through the Word we receive healing.
Short reads. I know in periods of hurt, I might not be able to emotionally handle a long chapter, or a lengthy book. Short daily readings are great.
One negative: This book is in the same family as Jesus Calling in one regard: there is a His Reply section and the author puts it in first person, so it is as if Jesus is actually speaking these words to her. And if He is, then these words are infallible and perfect, on the same par with Scripture. Scripture is the only Scripture. It is one thing to give readers Scriptures that they can internalize, but another to say that the Lord is actually speaking these words.
Thanks Litfuse and Dr. Smith for the book and all opinions are my own.
