Category Archives: NuttZo

What My Toddler Eats In A Day 2 + WIAW

I enjoyed the first What My Toddler Eats In A Day edition of What I Ate Wednesday so much, I thought I’d do it again. Since we don’t make special “kid menu” food, it’s basically what I ate too.

Not much else to say today, so I’ll get right to it. Hope you enjoy and have a happy hump day! Big thanks to the host for this week’s WIAW!

Breakfast – We started with the usual morning green smoothie, or most of it, followed by a giant bowl of chocolate pumpkin oatmeal with NuttZo mixed in and a big spoonful on top.

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If you think that looks like a lot, that’s because it is, but Avery can freakin’ eat! Guess I’ll take it as a compliment to my cooking…..or NuttZo is just that awesome, which it is.

Snack – I had a pear from our CSA delivery that I was going to use for our green smoothie later, but figured I’d give her a few bites. It was her first time to try and she gave the sign for more in sign language, so it won’t be her last.

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She also had a whole sardine fillet from Wild Planet with zero fuss!

 

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I expected at least a head shake, but she ate it and followed up with “That’s good!” #ProudParents

Lunch – Black bean and coconut quinoa balls.

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Okay, so I’ll put my foot in my mouth since I just said we don’t do kid menu food, but I’m only half guilty. It’s still the same food, but they formed into balls so easily and made it 100 times easier to feed the crazy toddler we call daughter.

After Nap Snack Attack – There was a little oatmeal leftover from the morning, so I saved it (so close to just eating it myself!) knowing she’d want something later.

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Extra NuttZo on top and she had an awesome snack to fuel a little outside playtime.

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Throwing balls like a boss. Then I “threw” her a few times for fun flipping action.

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Only a few, we didn’t want to lose what she just had for a snack!

DinnerBlack bean spaghetti with homemade salmon salad with mustard, zucchini, and tomatoes on top. The black bean pasta may not look all fabulous….

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….but I think it makes a great cold “pasta” dish (I love cold noodles!), and it complimented the salmon salad perfectly.

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Avery and I both enjoyed the dish, but the black noodles just weren’t doing it for Going Mom. So that one’s off the list for things to make my wife. Good thing it makes our little one happy since the extra I made will be her lunch!

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She’s still surprising us with the good food she’ll eat, and we’re still hoping she keeps it up. Then again, it should come as no surprise since we simply keep the junk out. Half the picky eater problems I hear about can easily be solved it they were given fresh, whole foods from the start. But that’s a whole other blog post novel.

Do you love hot or cold noodles the best? Plain or with something mixed in?

Sardine lover or hater?

 

Roller Coaster Recap: August

Hey guys, welcome to Monday! Or should it be Muuunnnnddaaaaaayyy? Whatever your feelings towards the beginning of the week, it’s the last day of August and boy has it been a wild ride!

Much like a roller coaster (hence the post title), we’ve had plenty of highs and lows in August. Inspired by Tina from Carrots N Cake (she has a handsome 15 month old boy and talks everything from food and fitness), who I’ve been following since the days of my healthy food blog, Just Add Cayenne, I thought I’d do a recap of August by sharing our highs and lows of the month.

I just need to make sure, like her, we end on a high note! Lets get to it, shall we?

High – Meeting with my mom and little brother for a wonderful brunch at Brewed.

Low – Avery getting the weightlifting belt wrapped around her trike and herself and becoming a little frustrated.

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High – Figuring out how to get unstuck on the trike and keep the belt “on”.

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High – Avery’s first time to fly as we went to Colorado our first family vacation!

First Flight Family Selfie

Low – The major change in routine coupled with lack of food and sleep made for a crazy first night. We support co-sleeping, but not under these conditions.

Avery Sleeping with Mommy_2

High – An anniversary surprise for my wife at the Vail Farmers’ Market that almost went Awry, but turned out perfectly!

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Low – Eating at Sweet Basil in Vail and all of us receiving very poor service. We had to resort to feeding Avery a watermelon and red onion salad that we made!

Avery eating watermelon onion salad

High – Nana and Papa obviously have good taste by keeping several jars of NuttZo in stock. Avery may or may not of finished one jar by herself while we were there. Thanks, Steve and Kathy!

High (literally and figuratively since we were in the mountains!) – Hiking with my wife on beautiful Colorado trails.

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Low – Climbing a tree on the trail and sliding on the trunk to get down. Lots of belly and leg scratches followed.

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HighKayaking  with Kelley in Frisco, Co.

 

High – I could make a whole post with the Highs from our trip, but I’ll wrap it up and say it was just great spending time with family and getting out in the fresh mountain air.

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Low – The flight back from our family vacation was right during Avery’s bedtime. That, plus another day of not eating much or napping meant for a long….long trip home.

High – Our official 8th wedding anniversary with my awesome bronze compass, handwritten card, and kettlebell gifts! Good-bye, 7 year itch!

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Low – Going Mom and to go away for work all week leaving Avery and Daddy feeling quite lonely. We had to take selfies to try and keep happy.

Avery & Daddy Sunset Selfie

High – Avery’s first time to ride in the cart when grocery shopping was a big hit. Since Mommy wasn’t there, she picked the BarkThins for her when she got back.

Low – Not telling Daddy she pooped when obviously…..

High – Climbing on the playground equipment and going down the slide all by herself. It’s bittersweet, but so fun to watch.

Low – I brought her to our friend’s/neighbor’s house to jump on the trampoline, but she was scared to move. Hopefully she’ll do better next time.

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High – Playing with our friend’s dog.

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High – Mommy came back home and all order was restored! Avery was obviously happy.

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Hope you enjoyed going through some of the highs and lows of our August. Now it’s your turn, share a High, Low, and High point from your month if you’d like in the comments section below. Have a great week!

Bananas Don’t Grow on Trees + More Fun Facts

Avery has become a banana-loving toddler and she will throw a fit when there’s one in site and she doesn’t get to make it disappear. Add NuttZo to the equation, and, well, telling her “No” is not an option!

With our daughter’s current love for bananas, I figured I’d bring up an old post from my past foodie blog, Just Add Cayenne, and share some fun facts about bananas you probably didn’t know. I found them interesting before, and after reading (because we all forget), found them interesting again.

The following is taken directly from the post titled 15 Fun Facts for Friday: Bananas.

 

We all know and love bananas…right?  Well, most of us do.  In an attempt to make a quick, but interesting post, I wanted to share this list of 15 Facts You Probaly Didn’t Know About Bananas.  Have a look; that’s scary to think a fungus could wipe out the whole banana population.

 

Imagine, a world without bananas…..

No peanut butter and banana sandwiches or wraps. : (
No mashed banana to make Low-fat Peanut Butter Bread. : (
No cool and creamy easy banana ice cream. : (
No chocolate peanut butter banana smoothies. : O

And the list can go on and on…

I enjoy bananas, and from the other bloggers I read out there, you like them too.  Here’s a post I made a while back on banana benefits and how to enjoy them. Sometimes, I just unwrap a banana, mash several dry roasted almonds inside, and then proceed to eat.  I’ll do this when there’s no peanut butter around or when I want a sweet, salty, and crunchy treat.

Q: How do you enjoy using bananas?  If you don’t like them, is it allergies or just plain repulsed by the green/yellow/black-spotted yellow fruit?

Now go get yourself a banana, a jar of NuttZo (or nut butter of choice) and enjoy your Friday!