Atlanta's Frugal Mom

This post originally appeared as a guest post on another site about two years ago, but that site is no longer around. :/ SO, I’m re-claiming it and adding it to my Picky-Tot Pleasers series.  Lemme know what’cha think!   Call me Popeye.  What can I say?  I love to cook with spinach.  Up until recently, it’s been in just about any dish I made with chicken or ground turkey.  However, I crossed the line the other morning when I (deliberately) baked spinach in to my pancakes.  That’s right, my daughter and I made spinach pancakes.  On purpose.

So I’m really loving my Vitamix these days.  Juicing for breakfast, and sharing with my son.  (Say goodbye to his multivitamin!)  Warm Vitamix Chicken Tortilla soup on a cool evening.  And now, Vitamix Applesauce , with a twist. As you may recall, my goofy kids enjoy applesauce and frozen peas.  I don’t know why, they just do.  I’m not complaining, since they don’t normally volunteer to eat anything green.  So, when I set out to make Vitamix appleasauce, I was determined to fuse other healthy foods in to the mix as well. Here’s what I did: I found a bunch of pre-sliced apples on clearance at Kroger, so that’s what I used.  You can use whatever kind of apples you have on hand, but I recommend you stick with the sweeter, rather than tart apples.  Also, I use all organic ingredients whenever possible. First I made  a batch that was JUST apples, lemon juice, and cinnamon.  I used too much cinnamon, and my daughter was not a fan.  So I made another batch,...

The holy grail of outdoor kids’ toys these days comes in the form of a water table.  There are many great ways for kids to enjoy the water table with …water.  And sand.  I think we all know that, right? But if you’d like to REALLY get more bang for your buck with these tables, consider alternate uses for the water table. 5+ Ways to Play with a Water Table CARS!   Most water tables have slanted surfaces, with ramps and other road-like twists and turns.  Also, try trains, or any other wheeled hand-held toy. Make it a sensory table .  Fill it with a few cups of rice and beans one day, along with scoopers and small cups. Cotton balls and colored pom-poms the next day with kid-friendly tweezers, as well as big cups to transfer them in to.  For preschoolers ready for scissors, toss in some straws, scrap paper, and kid scissors and let them practice. Play dough .  Seriously, what a great surface to create and mold with little hands.  Toss in the play dough rollers, molders, a...

This is a sponsored post with Mums the Word Network and UFC Gym Perimeter . All opinions, however, are completely my own. Today, my daughter Carol and I worked together to kick some butt.  Well, sorta.  We were invited to attend a special session at UFC Gym Perimeter, to try out their new kids program.  She was elated by the experience.  Not only did we get to peruse through the equipment before class began, but she also got to test out a pair of boxing gloves and a super-cool tech-y punching bag. At UFC Gym, boys and girls learn self-defense, self-confidence and discipline while having fun in a safe and entertaining group class format. It’s also a great way for them to burn energy and have fun!  Taught by a staff of rockstar, attentive professionals, UFC Gym Perimeter kids classes help your little one learn self-confidence, coordination, discipline and self-defense.  Plus, it’s fun! The class began with the kids warming up  for 15 minutes, using fun stretching and cardio races to hold...