Mustardy Orange Dressing

A light tasty dressing!

Ingredients

1 cup orange juice

2 tbsps Mustard

Ground black pepper to taste

Salt to taste



Baked Rigatoni With Meatballs

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves
1 bunch of basil
1 kg pureed tomato
400 g Rigatoni
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

For the Meatballs

2 tbsps fresh parsley leaves
500 g lean minced beef
125 g grated Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 egg
3 tbsp olive oil for soufflé dish

Directions

Finely chop garlic
Chop Basil leaves
Pour the pureed tomato in a frying pan and add 2/3 of the garlic, the basil and a pinch of salt
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 10-12 minutes; there should be some liquid left in the pan
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Wipe the frying pan clean

How to make the meatballs

Chop the parsley leaves
Put the minced beef, 1/4 of the Parmesan, the chopped parsley leaves, remaining garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Add the egg.
Mix all the ingredients in the bowl with your hands until they are thorougly combined.
Shape the mixture into meatballs
Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan.
Fry the meatballs in batches until they are brown 2-4 minutes

Bake the Rigatoni

Heat the oven to 190 C
Brush the inside of the soufflé dish with olive oil
Boil the rigatoni for 8 to 10 minutes
In a saucepan, stir the pasta and sauce together until the pasta is well coated with sauce
Spoon 1/3 of the previous mixture in the dish, spoon half the meatballs, sprinkle with 1/3 of Parmesan
Repeat those steps, add the remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake for 35 minutes.

Bon Appétit!

Join us on Facebook

Garden Salad

Ingredients

5 leaves romain lettuce
5 leaves lollo rosso
2 medium carrots, grated
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 lebanese cucumbers
Black ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Dressing: Sauce Maison

Directions

Shred the lettuce with your hands, this way it won't loose any of its vitamins.
Cut cucumbers into round slices
Toss all the ingredients together
Bon Appétit!!

Join us on Facebook

The luck arches the closing ozone.

Cabbage and Tomatoes Salad

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 small cabbage
2 medium tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 tbsp dried mint

Dressing: Sauce Maison

Directions

• Finely chop the cabbage
• Slice the tomatoes into a julienne cut( long thin cut)
• Add the fresh parsley
• Add the dried mint
• Pour the dressing and toss all together

Bon Appétit

Like us on Facebook

Sauce Maison

This is one of the most simple salad dressings ever and it goes with almost any kind.

Ingredients

1 cup oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
Pepper and salt to taste

Introducing Solids

When should you introduce solids to your baby?

After many readings I decided to simplify this answer in few words to give you all the information you need without you having to read pages and pages to get to your desired answer.

Most of the pediatricians advise the start of solids when the baby is 5 ½ or 6 months:

1. His digestive system isn’t ready until he reaches 6 months
2. By six months of age the intestines are more mature and able to filter out more of the offending allergens. This is why it's particularly important to delay solids if there is a family history of food allergy, and especially to delay the introduction of foods to which other family members are allergic.
3. The tongue and the swallowing mechanisms may not yet be ready to work together. Prior to four months of age, a baby's swallowing mechanism is designed to work with sucking, but not with chewing.

How to start:

1. Only introduce solids at lunchtime to avoid bedtime disturbance, and start between feedings that way your child won’t be starving and will accept new food easily.
2. You should give your baby one new food at a time and wait 4 days before you introduce a new one. Meanwhile watch for any allergic reactions like diarrhea, rash or vomiting. If any of these occurs contact your pediatrician.
3. Remember that your baby may only want a teaspoon at first
4. Don’t force it, if your baby doesn’t want it, try again another day.

*Don’t make mealtimes a performance, with you turning every spoonful into a fast running train or driving airplane. Your baby probably won’t eat anymore and in fact may refuse food just to enjoy the show. When he doesn’t want anymore, just call an end to the meal. ~Sarah, health visitor~ 

(Scattergood, Emma. The first-time parent’s survival guide, ward lock book, UK, 1998)

Please download the UNICEF booklet a start4life. It will help you have a good start of solid introduction (http://www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Resources/Resources-for-parents/Weaning---starting-solid-food/)

Good Foods to start with 

(all the following information were taken from the UNICEF booklet a start 4 life)

From 6 months

First foods: mashed or soft cooked sticks of fruit and vegetables like parsnip,

potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear, all cooled before eating.

Or try soft peach or melon, or grabbable bits of soft ripe banana or avocado.

Or baby rice mixed with your baby’s usual milk.

*My pediatrician never advise the use of rice cereal or any other processed food.

Next foods: soft cooked meat such as chicken, mashed fish (check very

carefully for any bones), pasta, noodles, toast, pieces of chapati, lentils, rice

and mashed hard boiled eggs. Also, full fat dairy products such as yoghurt,

fromage frais or custard (choose products with no added sugar or less sugar).

Cow’s milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from 6 months.

Cups: introduce a cup from around 6 months and offer sips of water with meals.

Using an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help your baby learn

to sip and is better for your baby’s teeth.

From 8-9 months

Gradually, in this time, your baby will move towards eating 3 meals a day.

It will be a mixture of finger foods, mashed and chopped foods.

From 12 months

Your baby will now be eating 3 meals a day, chopped if required, plus mum’s

milk or cow’s milk and healthier snacks like fruit, vegetable sticks or toast and

rice cakes. They can now drink whole cow’s milk and have full fat dairy products.

Choose full fat because children under 2 need the extra fat and vitamins in full

fat dairy products. From 2 years old if they are a good eater and growing well

they can have semi-skimmed milk. From 5 years old, 1% or skimmed milk is ok.

References:

Murkoff, Eisenberg and Hathaway. “What to expect the first year”, Workman Publishing, New York.

Scattergood, Sarah. “The first-time parent’s survival guide”, Ward Lock, UK, 1998

UNICEF, “start4life”booklet, (http://www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Resources/Resources-for-parents/Weaning---starting-solid-food/)

Father's Day Card and Picture Holder

This will make a perfect gift for a traveling father,

 it's a card and a photo holder in the same time.

Supplies Needed

• 4 Construction Papers (any color)
• White Marker
• Glue
• Scissors
• Zigzag scissors
• Your kids Picture 

 

Directions

Choose one of the construction papers and cut out a 14*24 cm rectangle

Choose another color, and cut out, using the zigzag scissors, a 12.5*22.5 cm rectangle
Glue it in the middle of the first rectangle

From the same basic construction paper cut 9*18  cm parallelogram, and glue it as seen in the picture.

From a third construction paper, cut a 11*11 cm square, and glue it as posted.

Cut out from the 4th construction paper the shape of a tie, you can use the pattern we posted earlier( click)

Glue it as posted

Cut from the basic construction paper, a 11* 23cm rectangle and glue it to the back. To hold it better you can use a glue gun.

Put glue only on the borders to be able to enter the pictures.

Write a small quote using the white marker

Place the pictures you chose in the back pocket you made

Join us on Facebook

Homemade Facial Masks

A dear friend of my mom's gave us those recipes and they are truly amazing. Your face will actually glow.

1- Oil and Salt Face Peeling:

2 tsps Salt
2 tbsps Olive Oil


Mix Both ingredients and rub them between your fingers. Apply a liitle on your face while gently scrubing the surface of your cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. Wash your face with lukewarm water and dry it gently with a washcloth.

2- Yogurt and Rice Powder Mask and Peeling

1/4 cup yogurt
2 tbsps Rice Powder

Mix them together, then apply the mask to your face and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
Scrub gently to remove all dead cells.
Wash with lukewarm water and dry your face gently with a washcloth

Join us on Facebook

Add these masks to your "How to be Super Mom" Manual

Potato and Crab Salad

Ingredients

6 small russet potatoes

3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

400g processed crab meat, sliced

200g sliced, pitted black olives

1/2 carrot, grated

3/4 cup light mayo

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp oregano

Directions

Place potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook over medium-heat for 30 mns, or until tender. Drain, peel and dice while still hot. This is what will make the salad fluffy. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

in a large serving bowl, toss together the potatoes, eggs, crab meat, black olives and carrot. Chill until ready to serve. 

 Add this recipe to your "how to be super mom" manual

Join us on Facebook  

Grilled chicken marinated in a zesty italian dressing

Ingredients

• 2 kg skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 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 basil dried
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt

 Directions

Combine all the ingredients and poor over chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator over night. A zippy bag works great. Cook on a grill or in the oven.

Join us on FACEBOOK

Related Posts

Grilled Salmon

Parenting: The reason behind thumb sucking

Before worrying about how to stop our children bad habits, we should always understand the reason behind their behavior and we should learn when is the right time to start considering such behavior a problem.

Today we will be talking about thumb sucking the most natural act in all babies. When they are born children suck their thumb due to the sucking reflex that helps breastfeeding, some ultrasound revealed that babies start that sucking process from the womb. This reflex disappears at about 4 months of age; thumb sucking is not purely an instinctive behavior and therefore can last much longer.

A baby could suck a thumb, fingers or even his whole hand, this will help him feel comfortable when he is hungry, sad or sick. He may also use his thumb to fall asleep at bedtime and to lull himself back to slumber when he wakes up in the middle of the night.

Most infants suck their thumbs. Toddlers suck their thumbs too. Little by little, most children stop on their own between ages 3 and 4.
Although your child's habits may bother or even worry you, relax. In most cases, a habit is just a phase in the normal developmental process and is not cause for alarm.
If it lasts after your child turns 5, then you could consider it as a problem cause in most cases it will lead to dental problems; his teeth could become improperly aligned. A child may also develop speech problems, including mispronouncing Ts and Ds, lisping, and thrusting out the tongue when talking.

In some rare cases, thumb-sucking after age 5 is in response to an emotional problem or other disorder, such as anxiety. A child with this type of problem needs to be evaluated by a doctor.

Join us On Facebook

Related Topics

How to get your child to sleep alone