LilSugar

Babysugar's Best Bets: Backpacks

babysugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:00:50 -0700

It's time to get your tots ready for the new school year! No back-to-school ensemble is complete without a backpack. And, of course the satchel isn't just a fashion statement, but useful in carrying those books! Check out the slideshow to see some of the latest hot trends. Click Start Slideshow.

View Slideshow ›

Mural Meal: Prehistoric Dino Dinner

babysugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0700

The only food I sometimes have trouble getting my daughter to eat is meat. But, she'll always go for chicken nuggets. Barring fast food from her diet, I discovered a seemingly good option in the frozen section aisle of my grocery store. The Yummy Dino Buddies are all white meat nuggets with Omega 3 value. Better yet, I knew I could create another masterpiece with the prehistoric figures.

To see what I used for this mural meal, read more.

Ingredients:

Four dinosaur nuggets
Black beans
Zucchini
Honey
Marshmallows
Optional: Whoppers and ketchup

Cooking the food:

Drain the can of black beans and rinse.
Slice zucchinis in long strips and cut in half. Saute with a pat of butter and garlic salt.
Bake dinosaur nuggets for 12 minutes at 425.

Placing the goodies on the plate:

First lay out the beans on the plate.
Next, create some sort of vegetation with the zucchini; a tree, bushes or what have you.
Place the dinosaurs a top the beans.
Use the honey to make a sun in the corner. Kids love dipping nuggets in honey. If you prefer, substitute ketchup.
For the treat, use marshmallows to make clouds in the sky.

I have a few candied eggs left over from Easter so I placed on the plate as an added bonus. It gave me the opportunity to teach her a lesson about dinosaur eggs over dinner.

View 8 Photos ›

Mural Meal: It's a Vegetable Jungle Out There

babysugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:00:23 -0700

Get tots fired up for dinnertime by creating a trip through the jungle on their plates. While staring down the lion, they'll chow down on veggies, starches, and delectable fruits. Let's set out on safari for the perfect mural meal!

First, take some rice and scatter it along the bottom of the plate to set the scene. Then steam a handful of green beans and place them on top of the rice as bushes. Using either steamed or fresh cut carrots, create a lion peeking out from behind the brush. Add a tail on the other side of the greenery as if he is hiding. Use two raisins for eyes and use an edible ink pen to draw the nose, mouth, and whiskers. Finish the piece de resistance with a watermelon sunset. Keep the tot from taking the fruit down first by telling her the sun shouldn't go down yet.

View 4 Photos ›

Multiples Baby Shower: Food and Beverages

babysugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:30:09 -0700

Last, but certainly not least, we wind up our April baby shower coverage with the doubly expectant mother. Due with numerous children, she's also due to be spoiled rotten before their debut. We've sent out the invitations and fancied the surroundings with aviary accessories. Now it's time to set a menu for the soirée. While making the grocery list, take the number of guests into account and consider the time of the event. For this afternoon fete, I'll be serving light fare and simple drinks to please the masses.

To see the full menu and pictures of the spread, just read more.

Food: In keeping with the bird theme, deviled eggs will complement the décor while pleasing the taste buds. Lunching ladies who like to keep things light will delight in the grassy looking tossed Chinese chicken salad. Fill some glasses with cheese sprinkled bread sticks for guests to nibble on while chatting. Satisfy attending sweet toothed gals with pastel cupcakes topped with wee nests of toasted coconut and jelly beans.

Drinks: Since the guest list is extensive, we'll keep the beverage list to a minimum. Most everyone enjoys a glass of lemonade or iced tea. Set out pitchers of both allowing guests to create an Arnold Palmer should it suit their fancy. Bottles of sparkling water are always appreciated at a baby shower as there are typically other pregnant or nursing ladies present.

Don't forget to enter our fabulous April Showers Giveaway for a chance to win a $2,500 gift card to put toward your babe's nursery and/or necessities for your child at Pottery Barn Kids! And, check out the baby shower invitations we've created exclusively for pingg! pingg allows you to email invites to a guest list or print and mail, and send reminders via SMS, online, Facebook, Twitter and more!

View 15 Photos ›

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Kids in the Kitchen

babysugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:00:00 -0800

Sometimes it's hard to rally the troops from phone conversations, video games, homework or after school activities for a sit down dinner. But as the saying goes, "The family that eats together, stays together."

To see how you can make family dinners easier, read more.

To make eating together more plausible, consider prepping and cooking with your lil ones. Not only will it cut down on your work load, the kids will learn a sense of pride while learning a thing or two. And, those picky eaters might be willing to give green beans a second chance after they've put a lil elbow grease into the efforts.

Chef Antonio Frontera, along with other celeb chefs and writers, co–authored Chicken Soup for the Soul: Kids in the Kitchen ($15). The recipe book is dedicated to involving children in the cooking process while games and anecdotes are peppered into the mix. In the foreword, the southern mama chef Paula Deen wrote,

There is no better way to strengthen family ties than to cook and eat together. It's the one time of the day when you can relax with your kids, hear about their day, and show them how they can contribute to the family meal.
Studies show that children who eat meals with their families do better in school and eat more nutritiously.

So give your kids (and yourself) an advantage by giving them a head–start in the kitchen. In no time, your babes will be begging to whip up a mean Waldorf salad or a tasty batch of fudge.

Now you'll just have to figure out how to find the joys of cleaning up together!