Wellness Mama®
Simple Answers for Healthier Families
I like to feed my family as few processed foods as possible, so concession-stand nachos topped with canned cheese product is not something I care to serve. But I’m a firm believer that almost any crowd favorite can be a really fun and healthy meal when made with real food ingredients. So… let the nacho …
We’ve talked about what to pack in kids’ school lunches for healthy food, but healthy snacks are important too! It’s taken many years to get this area of life down, and we’ve made a lot of strides. Here is our ever-growing list of our favorite healthy snacks that aren’t heavy on sugar and contain lots …
We are big fans of gelatin at our house and we use it in a lot of different ways. These homemade fruit snacks and homemade marshmallows are the kid-favorites in our house, and I can feel good about giving it to them since it is a source of protein and vitamins. Erase the idea of …
We’ve been brewing kombucha on our kitchen counter for years, long before it was available in grocery stores. It turns out you can do more with kombucha than just drink it… you can turn it into a favorite kids’ snack that they won’t even know is good for them! This SCOBY fruit leather recipe doesn’t require …
We first tried this “recipe” the week we finally got our first snow day that actually involved snow. For two days, my kids (and all the kids in the neighborhood) were outside 8-10 hours a day sledding, building snowmen, and making snow angels. One of the children suggested making snow cream and once the idea had …
I discovered this grain-free apple cinnamon muffin recipe out of desperation, really. (Isn’t it so true that necessity is the mother of invention?) On this particular morning I realized I only had five eggs in the fridge — not even close to enough to feed us all, especially when each kid could easily eat three each! I …
Ahh, fall… the glorious season of apples, pumpkins, changing leaves, and cooler weather (finally!). I definitely get in on the fall pumpkin craze and start making pumpkin spice everything this time of year — from pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin spice room freshening spray. This coconut flour pumpkin bread (and muffin) recipe is the perfect way to ring in …
If you tend your own garden, chances are you’ve had your share of zucchini. This flourishing little veggie has an almost magic ability to thrive in nearly any condition, leading to an abundance that can be rather overwhelming. So what should you do with the excess? Enter this gluten-free zucchini bread! Why Zucchini? But first, …
I love the smell of baking. Especially when it’s lemon blueberry muffins in the oven! They fill the whole house with the warm aroma of berries. In fact, another favorite treat in our house, this healthy berry cobbler, also combines berries and baking. Blueberries: A Nutrition Powerhouse (and Kid-Favorite Snack!) Blueberry season is one of my …
Pregnancy, labor, birth, and then breastfeeding… all of these things put high physical strain and demand for nutrients on a mom’s body. It’s so important to take time to nourish and replenish our bodies each step of the way, especially during the crucial postpartum time. Sitting down to breastfeed many times a day (and night) …
I’m always looking for more easy and tasty ways to serve nourishing foods to my family. Getting kids on board with eating healthy can take some strategic planning, but recipes like this radish cream cheese dip help make it easier. (And it’s not a bad way for adults to enjoy more veggies too!) Having some …
If there’s one guilty pleasure all moms enjoy, it’s wine chocolate! Thankfully there’s a way to justify indulging a little because chocolate (like wine) has some fantastic health benefits. The key is to choose quality chocolate from the right sources … or make your own homemade chocolate. It’s easy and you have total control over …
Everyone lately is talking about the benefits of a ketogenic diet and how research shows it can reduce inflammation, increase energy levels, speed up weight loss, and improve focus and concentration. If you’re contemplating trying it, mastering a good fat bomb recipe is a must! What is a Fat Bomb? The name “fat bomb” may …
I have a confession… I love seafood and could easily live on oysters and salmon for the rest of my life. My kids eat these foods, but definitely don’t love them as much as I do. I’m always looking for ways to make seafood delicious and easy to eat for kids. Plus, it turns out …
Candy and sugary desserts are not a food eaten very often by my family. My husband doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and we attempt to avoid sugar as much as possible. But occasionally when the kids are craving sweets, or if we’re out somewhere where candy and other junk food are around, I …
It drives me nuts that most “breakfast” foods are actually dessert in disguise. Many cereals have more sugar than donuts, which have more sugar than many desserts. Snack foods often aren’t much better! Ignoring the fact that we don’t need to eat every 2-3 hours and that our modern fascination with “snack foods” is more a …
Winter squash is a wonderfully versatile food that is easy to grow, easy to store and easy to cook. The whole squash can be used, including the seeds, and often winter squashes are available at great prices, making them an amazing budget friendly food. In the Fall, I’ll often plan our family’s meals for the …
Our family is really enjoying all of the seasonal produce available right now, especially the berries. I always stock up on berries when I can find them from a fresh, local, and organic source, and freeze and preserve them for the whole year. Last week, a quart of delicious strawberries was hidden in the back …
I’ve been a big fan of chia seeds for a really long time… I use them in healthy energy bars, chia-kombucha energy drink, and even as an egg replacement. Why Chia Seeds? Chia seeds are an amazing superfood and a great source of calcium, omega-3s, and antioxidants. They also hold many times their weight in …
My original probiotic marshmallow recipe with gut healthy gelatin and natural honey are a kid favorite at our house. Over Easter, I decided to find a way to naturally color these to make them more festive for the kids. In the past, I’ve used natural food coloring with great results (here’s why I don’t use regular food colors), …
Forget potatoes: the natural buttery sweetness of these delicious parsnip fries pairs beautifully with the exotic spiciness of a harissa mayo. Frying them in tallow, which is high in conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, gives them a golden, crunchy exterior. As you know, I’m a big fan of saturated fats — I think we NEED them …
As a mom, I’m all for recipes that simplify and save time. That’s why our dinner rotation includes simple one-pan dishes like beef and cabbage stir fry and Pakistani kima, and why I pre-make coconut oil pulling chews to do oil pulling every morning so that I don’t have to open multiple containers each day …
Tis the season for pumpkin spice everything. I’ve been making spiced pumpkin lattes and pumpkin spice muffins for breakfast occasionally, but I wanted a really filling no-bake treat that I could whip up for the kids. I’ve made coconut meltaways before with flavors like citrus, chocolate, and strawberry (I need to post those recipes too!) …
Ok, so I was just trying to make these sound fancy by calling them “appetizers”, but these are one of my favorite (and super easy) snacks. I’ve even eaten these as an entire lunch, and they really do make great appetizers for parties too! A good source of protein over delicious, crisp and refreshing cucumber with …
