Recipes: Chicken Potato Croquette

Ingredients

Basic Potato Mixture

1 kg old potatoes, peeled, chopped and boiled
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp cream
150 g plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150 g breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for deep-frying

Filling

2 cans corn, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken ( about 200g)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

Directions

Mash potatoes well, stir in egg yolks, cream and the filling ingredients. Cool.
Shape into small fingers, roll in flour, shake away excess flour, dip in eggs, then breadcrumbs.
Place on oven tray, cover and refrigerate for instint use or if you want to store in your freezer place in single layers, between sheets of freezer paper in an  airtight container. This makes them easy to separate.

Our freezer is my best friend!

How To Be Super Mom: Tips on how to store made-ahead homemade food

 

 

I have a thing for freezing home-made food. I like to prepare escalopes, cordon bleu, filled pastries, stews, lasagna casseroles and freeze them for emergencies!

I also buy boxes of seasonal vegetables, prepare them and freeze them: tomatoes (peeled and cooked), green beans, spinach, green peas, ...etc.  What's better than freshly, home-prepared, frozen vegetables?

The advantage of freezing food is that you're never out of ideas. If you haven't prepared today's menu just take a tupperwear out of the fridge, thaw it and lunch or dinner will be ready in no time!

Today I am having one of those "emergency" so called days and my savior was a green beans stew tupperwear. All that is left for me to do is prepare vermicelli fried rice and lunch will be served!
When having a 3 months old  baby, it is very hard to be able to cook everyday, but I don't encourage ready-made food nore microwavable meals that is why, everytime I get the chance to cook I always consider preparing an extra portion  and my freezer will be always filled with delicious homemade meals without any extra effort! You see now what a great friend my freezer is?

Numerous are the recipes that can be stored in your freezer so why not sacrifice this week for freezer suitable recipes? But before, let us run along few tips on how to safely freeze our food:

How to store

Here's how to store different kinds of foods safely and efficiently, so you also make the most of your freezer space.

Liquid-based dishes:  Store dishes, such as soups and stocks, in airtight containers. Leave a 3cm gap at the top so the liquid can expand as it freezes.

Fritters and patties:  Place, in single layers, between sheets of freezer paper in an  airtight container. This makes them easy to separate.

Muffins, cakes & slices:  Wrap muffins and individual slices of cake in a double layer of plastic wrap, then in foil. Store together in a sealable plastic bag.

Purees:  Freeze purees, and even concentrated stocks, in ice cube trays, so you don't have to thaw the whole lot when only smaller quantities are needed.

Mince: Place in a sealable plastic bag and press to flatten. This allows the mince to thaw more evenly than when it's frozen in a ball shape.

Pasta bakes:  Cook pasta bakes in freezerproof, ovenproof dishes. Cool. Cover with a double layer of plastic wrap, then in foil and freeze.

Crepes & pancakes: Layer each one between sheets of freezer paper, so they don't stick together when thawed. Store in sealable plastic bags.

Packaged meat:  Remove meat, such as steaks, sausages, chops and fillets, from the supermarket packaging. The supermarket wrapping is designed to allow oxygen in to keep the colour of the meat bright and, while this is fine for refrigerated storage, it leads to freezer burn in the freezer. Instead, wrap portions separately in a double layer of plastic wrap, or layer them between sheets of freezer paper, and store in an airtight container. This makes single portions easy to separate.

What not to freeze

Some foods just don't freeze well. Follow this list to find out what foods you should avoid freezing
.
Vegetables with a high water content (such as cucumber, celery and lettuce) should not be frozen because the water expands during freezing and damages the structure of the cells. This makes them mushy when thawed.

Jam turns runny and watery when frozen and thawed. This is because freezing causes the sugar to break down.

Dairy products (such as milk, yoghurt and cream) should not be frozen because they curdle when thawed.

Egg-based sauces separate and whole egg shells crack when frozen. Raw egg whites, however, can be frozen in sealable airtight containers and thawed for use in recipes.

Foods with stuffings, such as whole chickens, should not be frozen as raw meat juices can be absorbed by the stuffing and cause bacteria to grow.

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References:

How to freeze food, by Michelle Southan

Let's craft: Funny Smurfette Paper Puppet

Supplies Needed:

• 8 paper tissues
• 1 blue paper
• wooden stick
• transparent scotch tape
• yellow yarns
• white construction paper
• white crepe paper
• glue
• coloring pencils

Directions

• Make a ball out of the paper tissues
• Cover the tissues with the blue paper and wrap with scotch tape until you get a firm ball
•  Stick the ball on a wooden stick
• Make a cone (for the body) from the white construction paper and glue it under the head
• Cover the construction paper with crepe
• Using the yellow yarns, make the smurfette's hair
• A small cone from the crepe paper will form the smurfette's hat
• Draw on the construction paper 2 eyes and a mouth, colour them, and glue them in place.
• Let your kid decorate the smurfette's dress
• And now you have a funny little smurfette puppet!!!

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Related Topics

Let's Craft: A Blooming Popcorn Spring Tree

Let's craft: Funny Animal Head Straws

Recipe: Salad Dressings

SuperMom Italian Dressing:

• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

SuperMom Greek Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

SuperMom Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegat
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1 pinch salt
• ground black pepper to taste

SuperMom Guilt-Free Dressing

• 1/2 cup fat-free yogurt
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of salt
• black pepper to taste 

SuperMom Mustard Dressing

• 1/4 cup regular mustard
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• pinch of salt
• black pepper to taste

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Recipe: Farfalle Pizza Salad

Farfalle Pizza Salad

 

 Kids will love it!!

Ingredients

100g uncooked coloured farfalle, boiled and cooled
150g sliced turkey, chopped
150g shredded cooked mozzarella
50 g pitted black olives, chopped
50 g pitted green olives, chopped
4 small tomatoes, seeded and cubed
10 leaves of romain lettuce
10 g parmesan
Supermom Italian dressing
For the decoration: 1 quartered tomato, 5 pitted black olives, 4 turkey rolls, 5 pieces of farfalle. 

Mix all the ingredients, cool and serve.

Tip: Always choose romain lettuce for your salads.
Romain lettuce is a highly nutritious leafy green it contains, per head, 17% protein, 206 mg calcium, 44% RDA of Omega-3, more Vitamin C than an orange, 6 mg of iron, rich in Vitamin B, Water, Vitamin A, mineral rich.

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Parenting: How to get my child to sleep alone at night?

How to be super mom and help my child sleep alone?

 

How can I get my kids to stop crawling in my bed at night? This is every parent's question.
What's greater than being able to sleep all night without any disturbed moments?
The techniques are so simple we just have to be creative and patient.
I have 2 kids myself, my 4 years old never slept in my bed even though she has tried all the tricks she could come out with.  But by increasing her self-confidence and by helping her learn how to fight her fears she managed to sleep alone in her bed and she is very proud of her achievment!

1- Find out the underlying reason behind his behavior

There is a reason your child wants to sleep with you, and correcting her behavior should tackle the underlying issues. Investigate to find out your child’s motivation, perhaps using a creative approach such as acting out bedtime with dolls, or having your child paint pictures. Once you find out the reason, work to dispel the fears and insecurities.

"The things you are most likely to find are: your child has night time fears, i.e. she is afraid of the dark, being alone, closet monsters, etc.; she is jealous of one parent or a sibling; she is afraid of losing your affection if she ‘grows up,’" suggests Dr. Alan Greene, pediatrician and author of From First Kicks to First Steps.

2- Make your child's bed inviting and comfortable

You don't have to spend much, a warm and inviting wall paint colour, few stickers to decorate and beautiful bed sheets and covers will do! If your child is old enough let him pick his own room colour, buy him bed sheets and covers with his favorite cartoon characters,...etc. (For more tips on room designing please post your question here or on facebook www.facebook.com/maria.supermom)

3- Bedtime Routine

Take a warm bath, brush your teeth, read a bedtime story. Everything that is realated to sleeping time could be called sleep associations. If your child is used to taking a bath everyday before sleeping this will become the cue that will help your baby understand that it is time to go to sleep and to help him feel comfortable doing so. Becareful, let the bedtime routine be relaxing for your child and easy for you to maintain (For more details on sleep associations : http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/02/01/sleep-associations-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/#.T7nfdsVsInk )


Those are the most important techniques to be followed to help your child sleep alone. But still, some parents are facing more complicated sleep-alone problems like excessive crying and screaming, and issues related to separation anxiety. Therefore I ask you to post your case in a comment,  on our facebook page www.facebook.com/maria.supermom or by email : mariaelaaraj@gmail.com and give us the chance to help you.



References:
www.supernanny.com : Get your child to sleep alone
www.phdinparenting.com: sleep associations
www.parents.com
Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five, by Penelope Leach

Parenting: Infant Reflux: Recommended Lifestyle Changes

Acid reflux is a painful condition that causes stomach contents to back up into the esophagus after food is consumed. The National Digestive Disorders Information Clearinghouse explains that both adults and babies can suffer from acid reflux, although it is very common in babies when babies cry, cough or do any other action which causes their lower esophageal sphincter to open up, allowing stomach contents to back up. Some of the ways that babies are fed and what they are given can affect acid reflux in babies. 

Babies are being medicated for infant reflux at an alarming rate these days, often before common sense lifestyle changes are recommended. As a society we have been programmed to look for medication as a quick symptom mask but when it comes to a baby we are more concerned that the product is "natural".

Recommended lifestyle changes to sooth acid reflux in babies

Infant Reflux - Breastfeeding Natural Remedies

Breastfeed your baby

Minimize forceful letdowns.

Be sure to finish the first breast before switching sides.

Nurse on one breast for at least 2 hours before switching if your baby wants to constantly nurse.

Alter your diet for a trial period of several weeks.

Avoid offering your baby formula as a means to end fussy behavior. 

 

Infant Reflux - General Feeding Natural Remedies

Breast or bottle feed your baby on an angle of at least 30 degrees and with a totally straight spine.

Give your baby smaller, more frequent feedings that are easier for him to digest.

Burp your baby thoroughly.

Exercise extreme caution if you choose to thicken feedings.

Experiment with different bottles if bottle feeding.

Keep your baby upright for 20-30 minutes after each feeding.

Keep from stimulating your baby for 20-30 minutes after each feeding.

If your baby is having a feeding aversion or seems to be more uncomfortable than usual check with your pediatrician to be sure that the medication dose he is on is still appropriate for his weight. 

 

Infant Reflux - Positioning as a Natural Remedy

Avoid placing your baby flat on his back.

Avoid putting your baby in any seat or baby carrier (bouncy or car or sling) that causes him to slump right after feedings.

Elevate the head of the crib and changing station by 30 degrees. 

 

Infant Reflux - Other Natural Remedies

Change your baby's diaper before feeding.

Avoid putting your baby in tight diapers and clothing that put pressure on his tummy.

Avoid exposing your baby to cigarette smoke, dust, mold or other respiratory triggers.

Carry or hold your baby often with a straight spine and no pressure on his tummy.

Recipe: Mediterranean Spinach Stew With Rice

Meditterranean Spinach Stew With Rice

Ingredients

• 800 g frozen spinach, chopped
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 big yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 300g lean ground beef
• 2 cups white jasmin rice
• 1/2 cup vermicelli
• 7 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions for the Spinach Stew

In a pre-heated pot, on Medium heat add 1 tbsp olive oil, diced onions and chopped garlic. Stir until golden, then add the fresh cilantro.

Keep stirring, add the ground beef, pepper and salt.

When the beef is half cooked add the lemon juice and 1 cup of water

Add the chopped frozen spinach don't thaw it.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to Low, and keep it cooking for 1 hour.

Directions of rice

Mean while, in  a small pot add 1tbsp olive oil and vermicelli and keep stirring on High heat until golden, add rice, salt and 6 cups of water. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to Low heat and cover.

Keep cooking until water dries.

Bon Appetit!

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Kids Meal: Mashed Potatoes With Carrots

   Mashed Potaoes with Carrots

 

Ingredients 

• 4 medium potatoes, boiled or steamed
• 1 carrot, boiled or steamed
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of cream
• pinch of salt
• pinch of black pepper
• pinch of nutmeg   
• optional:  1 black olive

Directions

1. Mash the potatoes, put them in a pot, add milk, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil on a Low heat. 
2. Save half of the mixture aside, and mash the carrot with the rest of the mashed potatoes
3. Now you have 2 colors yellow and orange. Get creative!
4. You can use half a pitted olive for the eye. 

Mash vegetables with your potatoes to encourage your kids to have a healthy diet. You can replace the carrots with beetroots or spinach to have pink or green mashed potatoes.

A small touch of creativiy will motivate you child to eat the whole meal!

Bon Appetit! 

 

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Let's Craft: Funny Animal Head Straws

Encourage your child to drink his milk or juice by using those funny straws! And how proud would he be if he made them himself?

Supplies Needed

• Coloured construction papers
• Scissors 
• Punch
• Punch sponge
• Drinking straws
• Pens, gel pens, or markers
• Tape
• Optional - googly eyes and a glue stick
• Optional - yarn for whiskers or hair 

Templates to use

1.  Draw a template on the construction paper of your choice
2. Let your child cut out the shape using the punch
3. Help your child by cutting out the details : dots for the ladybug or earlobes for the bunny
4. Let your child glue the details
5. Draw the eyes and the mouth using the pen or glue googly eyes on your animal
6. after you have finished your animal glue it on the top side of the straw

Check out my daughters work! She was so proud of herself!

Related Posts:

Let's craft: Funny Smurfette Paper Puppet

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Recipe: Arroz Con Pollo Slow Cooker Recipe

 Arroz Con Pollo

Ingredients

1 pinch saffron

2 tablespoons boiling water

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup converted long-grain rice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 whole bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

14 ounces canned plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

8 boneless chicken thighs

salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups lowfat, low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the saffron and boiling water and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, sauté the onion, garlic, pepper and rice in the vegetable oil. Season with the bay leaves, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Add the plum tomatoes and stir well.
4. Transfer the vegetable and rice mixture to the Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
5. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
6. In the same skillet, sauté the chicken thighs until browned.
7. Place the chicken thighs on top of the rice layer in the stoneware.
8. Add the saffron and water, and the chicken broth.
9. Cover; cook on High for 1 hour, then reduce to Low for 7 to 9 hours.
10. Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, add the frozen peas and mix the contents thoroughly.

Bon appetit!

We are waiting for your reviews.

How to be Super Mom: Natural Beauty Tips and Secrets

Every super mom must be wondering how to stay naturally pretty, and to learn these beauty tips and tricks you should stay tuned to How to be Super Mom. My blog provides you, weekly, with free tips on beauty to help you stay the queen in your family’s eyes. It is completely true that, our children will always consider us as the most beautiful supermom in the world, but that doesn’t mean that we have the right to neglect ourselves. Quit saying to yourself that “to stay pretty I have to sacrifice hours and hours, while it’s impossible to me to find an extra minute a day to breathe, with all the chores and responsibilities I have, being a mother”.  I totally agree with you, this thought is completely logical, how can you spare time to put make up on or oil bath your hair when you can hardly find time for the essentials?

Well, being a mother myself, I did my best to figure out these how to beauty tips that I can easily incorporate in my daily, hectic, routine. These very easy how to beauty tips are no more than few steps we have to make while running throughout the day. I know that you don’t have the time to put on make-up, well that will not be necessary if your skin is shiny and glowing. I also know, that as a supermom, thinking endlessly of how to spare few dollars for her children activity, you won’t be acquiring wardrobes of the latest fashion, but still, if you watch your diet, eat healthy and have a good figure you will definitely not need a 300$ outfit to look trendy or sexy!

In this post, How to be Super Mom, will provide you with easy beauty tips and secrets that are at the tips of your fingers but you might not be noticing them. 

Free Beauty Tips with How to be Super Mom:

First Tip: Cleanse and moisture your face daily.

How easy is that super mom? Every day when you wake up, head to the bathroom and clean your face with lotion and tonic, ending with a quick facial massage while applying your moisturizer. Make sure you cleanse and moisture your face twice a day- early in the morning and just before going to bed. This will help keep your skin clean and looking fresh.
You came here looking for tips on beauty, well, can you find anything cheaper and easier than that? If you don’t have enough money to purchase lotion and tonic just make sure to use our free facial masks three times a week, twice the oil and salt and once a week the yogurt peeling mask.

Second Tip: Make sure to take care of those pearly whites.

Nothing helps a face look more beautiful than a bright white smile. So, my first free beauty tip is Quit smoking, if you do! Brush your teeth at least twice a day. Make sure to floss, brush and use a mouth wash afterwards at least once a day. You might also try to purchase a whitening toothpaste to keep them looking at their very best. 

Third Tip : Drink 8 glasses of water a day.

Come on! Don’t tell me you haven’t heard that tip over and over, from your mother while a kid, your doctor, on talk shows, billboards so stop ignoring that tip and start drinking those 8 glasses of water a day not just to look pretty but to be healthy as well. How can you be a super mom, if you can’t have a super health? ;) Just kidding! But really, once you start following that natural beauty tips you will notice, in at least two weeks, a change in the nature of your skin.

Fourth Tip: Eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day.

My dear super moms, if you are considering staying healthy and having that skin of yours glow you have to consider generously integrating both fruits and vegetables in your diet! 

Fifth Tip: Natural face peeling.

Those dead cells make your face look tired this is why it is better to peel it twice a week. You can find peeling masks at the stores or you can make your own peeling mask. How to be Super Mom has already posted few articles giving out the secret ingredients of some amazing facial masks and peelings. Check’em out!

Sixth Tip: Watch your diet.

Eat three healthy meals a day (follow How to be Super Mom Menus), reduce snacking to two servings a day and drink plenty of water.

Follow these steps and your mirror will become your best friend!

 

Parenting: Why choose homemade baby food?

Parents have long depended on jarred baby foods for convenient feeding. In the past few years more and more processed food options have entered the children's food market. The big brands have expanded into pre-packaged  toddler meals  and  school lunches  all in the name of helping busy parents who need things to be fast and convenient. Even for those parents with the best effort and intention, there may be times when you just can't make or safely pack your own food.


Preparing homemade food is not as difficult as it seems especially when SuperMom is around to help. Let me, at first, project the benefits of homemade food:

• More nutritious: Homemade food is more nutritious than commercially prepared baby foods because it retains more of the nutrients, especially vitamin A and B. This is because the food is less processed. The jarring process necessitates the use of very high heat under pressure. Much more than you can generate when cooking at home. Unfortunately, many vitamins are destroyed by heat.Some of the baby food on the market has additives and thickening agents including cornstarch, flour, chemically modified starches or  tapioca  (corn syrup, starch). This means your baby is getting less fruits and vegetables and more  filler . Consumers are also getting less nutrition and value for your money

•  No chemicals or preservatives: Your food will not have anything added, that you didn't put there. You're not trying to preserve shelf life or disguise any of the ingredients in your food. Preservatives include partially hydrogenated oils or trans-fats, which are linked to diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

• Less cost

• Better taste: Allow me to put it this way: would you prefer eating microwavable food or fresh homemade casseroles?

Then lets offer the best for our children!

Here are few tips to help you make homemade baby food in no time:

1. Always store glass jars and pouches: keep all the mayonnaise or pickles jars you buy from the store, wash them well and sterilize them (Always choose glass over plastic to prevent chemical reactions with the stored food)
2. 
   Baking/Roasting and Steaming are the preferred methods to use when cooking homemade baby food to maintain most of the nutrients and taste, boiling is the second best method.
3. 
   To reduce preparation time, choose one day a week to prepare the homemade baby food and store them in the freezer.
4. Always make extra jars for emergencies and long trips

Soon we will post a step-by-step instructions on how to prepare baby food at home!

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