Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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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Monday, May 21, 2012

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

Saturday, May 19, 2012

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


     


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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Friday, May 18, 2012

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


craft with 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.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

How to be Super Mom: Natural Beauty Tips and Secrets


Beauty tips and tricksEvery 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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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Recipe: Grilled Salmon

Healthy Dinner Menu

Dear working moms and stay-at-home moms, since you both don't have enough time to cook please do try these quick and healthy recipes. Dinner will be ready in no time!


Grilled Fish

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Salmon or Frozen fish fillets
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried basil 
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • pinch of salt
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, pepper and salt. Pour the mixture over salmon fish and marinated for at least one hour.
Cook on a grill.
Bon apetit!!


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Fish Fingers

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How to be Super Mom: New-Moms sleep well!

Having a baby gives a woman a sense of fulfillment and enormous joy. At the same time, it has been seen that first-time mothers get overwhelmed by the changes that take place in their lives as well as their body, after the baby is born.  More importantly sleep deprivation. Your baby will require many feedings a day which means less sleep for you, new-mom!

BE CAREFUL! You should recognize the importance of sleep.

While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did, this belief is false . Sleep is needed, for every supermom, to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep, which all first-time mothers may endure for so long, neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior.

According to a study conducted by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, people who sleep less than five hours per day are four to five times more likely to be involved in a sleep-related crash. Oups, watch out super mom! You don't want to be involved in a vehicle manslaughter or serious body injury just because you were blessed with a new baby!

How to be Super Mom will give you few tips on how to relax during those few first months:
"Sleep when the baby sleeps" sounds blissful in theory. In reality, not everyone could do that. For some people, sleeping requires some sort of relaxations, low light, quiet environment,...etc.

Tips for new-moms to learn how to sleep better:

1- Lie down super mom, even if you can't sleep. It does help a lot, believe me! I have been there and I know for sure that relaxing your body a little is way better than staying on your guards all day long.

2-Have your husband or a relative do the night shift for you ( mother or mother- in-law)

3-Take turns: One option is to put the baby to bed at night after the 8 o'clock feeding and go to bed yourself. Your partner can use a bottle of expressed milk to feed the baby around 10. Afterward your partner can go to bed and you can get up for the 2 to 4 feeding. That way, each of you will have the opportunity to have an uninterrupted six-plus hours of sleep
.
4-Don't rely on coffee: Although gulping down a cup of coffee, first thing in the morning, can give you the jolt you need to be alert, overdoing it can mask your need for sleep, and may actually prevent you from falling asleep when you finally lie down.

5-Get help around the house: Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. Try getting a housekeeper few times a week to help you around the house or at least few hours a week.

6-Organize visiting hours: Everybody wants to see the new baby, of course. And you, you conscientious super mom, will feel the need to make sure the house is clean and there's something to offer them when they come. Unless your family has moved in to take over such chores, ask visitors to hold off for a week or so, then have them come one or two at a time for a couple of days a week. Anyone who had kids will understand, and those who haven't will learn soon enough.

7-Keep the baby near by: Moms actually sleep better when the baby sleeps in a bassinet next to the parents' bed rather than in his or her own room down the hall. The idea is that the baby's within easy reach, the mother doesn't have to be aroused by the baby's screaming, and she doesn't have to get up, turn on the lights, and go down a hallway. That makes it easier to slide back into sleep after the feeding. Starting his 2nd month he will start sleeping better during the night then you could move him to his own room.

If you want to learn how to be a super mom, learn how to get a goodnight sleep first before you completely lose it. No one said that it's going to be easy, but beautiful things don't come without a struggle, and for something that precious and fragile you might want to get ready for a long stressful journey. Good luck and tell us how it goes!


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How To Be Super Mom





You entered this blog hoping to find answers on how to be super mom, the number one mom in the world, and you said to yourself: “well, maybe this blog can help me out. Maybe, for once I will find answers that are close to real life and not pure theoretical”.  And my answer to you is: “Yes”!

Dear supermom, you have indeed found the blog you have been always looking for. How to be Super Mom is closer to an e-Magazine, posting free unlimited articles about parenting, family issues, recipes, crafts, beauty advices, supermom’s free manuals, and much more other articles of interest.  Our posts are down to the ground because they come from a mother’s personal experience and not only psychological theories. Throughout the years, I have read a lot of books on parenting and all of its different aspects, but my children taught me much more. No matter how great a book can be, the familiarity with a certain situation will teach you way more than a simple book wrote by, probably a single psychologist, who knows nothing about staying up all night with an irritated child and its impact on us, and who also ignores the trouble of cleaning a mess resulting from peeing or pooping on a wooden floor. Books are good but they shouldn’t be your only support when looking for parenting tips, always seek out for answers in other experienced mothers.
I offer this blog to every mother wanting desperately to be number one mom and I tell you, look at your mirror, you are already a supermom. Look into your shattered eyes from long sleepless nights, they will tell you the story of your life. They will read you the reasons why you deserve to be a super mom. Every day, as soon as you wake up, face yourself and scream “I am a Supermom”, “I did it yesterday, I will do it today and I will make it again tomorrow. I can take care of these children; I can love them, hold them, raise them and teach them all they might need to become, in their turn, super persons”.
How to be a Super Mom is a blog created by a simple woman, who once woke up and said: “I want to help women enjoy their motherhood as much as I do”. God blessed me with a wonderful husband, and two beautiful daughters whom I love and cherish, and to them I dedicate this blog and all the success I will achieve thanks to you, supermom, and to every single person who is entering, following and leaving sweet supporting comments. May 2012 was a good month, I launched the blog and the associated Facebook page, and it all made great success.

How to be Super Mom dedicates all the free parenting articles, advices, tips, recipes, crafts to each and every parent in the world looking for advices far from being pure professionalized, searching for realistic tips, something not so theoretical in order to be able to apply them inside their own families.
Your comments means the world to me, whether you choose to express your thoughts on my blog or on my Facebook page, know for sure that I will be eagerly waiting to hear your thoughts and to help you out with your questions.
Have fun surfing my blog super moms!



You can use our search box to find what you need or browse our detailed menu.

You may like to read:

How to get my child to sleep alone at night
Staying at home moms: Tips for a better life
Going to a restaurant with your baby
Five tips for a special father's day
Chicken Parmesan: Step-by-step recipe
Mediterranean Spinach Stew
Thai chicken Balls
Potato and Crab Salad
Bulgarian Cheese and Walnuts Salad
Orange and Yellow Mashed Potatoes
Nachos Casserole
Meatballs Fusilli
Steak With Lemon Sauce
Super Mom's Hot Dog Sandwich
Fish Fingers
How To Stay Naturally Pretty
Homemade Facial Masks
Funny Animal Head Straws 
Smurfette Paper Puppet
Colored Rice: How-To




How To Be Super Mom

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