Nutrition Battle Plan for Busy Families

I can't speak for your house but in my reality making nutrition a priority really takes a WAR-like mindset. Everyday our families are bombarded by advertisements, billboards, signs, checkout lanes, vending machines, coupons for crap (don't even get me started on that conspiracy), we are literally getting hit from all sides even in our own homes. So with little athletic ability I have I can tell you that I do know this- when it comes to nutrition and family- the best defense is a GREAT OFFENSE!

You've heard a hundred-and-one times; preparedness REALLY IS half the battle when it comes to having nutritious meal options for your healthy family. Unfortunately for my family that skill is lacking in my DNA makeup so I really have to focus on making sure I have things on hand to make quick meals- planning my day I do pretty good- planning our food is more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of action. DO NOT ask me what's for dinner any minute prior to me actually cooking it (you may lose a body part- most likely your head), and sometimes even when it's in process I still couldn't tell you.

We generally stick to the same basic nutrition options (see Eat This ) so it makes sense money wise to buy the staples that you can in bulk. I generally shop three options

1. My AdvoCare products for quick, portable, nutritious Breakfast/Lunch/Snack options:



Meal Replacement Shakes



AdvoBar AM

AdovBar Meal

AdvoBar Fruit & Nut

2. My local Sprouts for the best deal on fresh fruits and produce

3. Costco for the majority of my nutritious protein options, complex carbs, and NUTS- we eat a lot of nuts and you really can't beat the prices- check the baking isle for the best deals:

Now obviously FRESH produce is BEST but I really struggle at having enough fresh produce on hand to last the week as my schedule generally permits only one shopping trip to Sprouts. So I like to keep a gigantic bag of frozen broccoli on hand in case of emergency- better a frozen vegi than no vegi at all :)  Which reminds me, one of the biggest lesson I've learned over the past year is that it's not one meal or binge or blizzard or (insert your guilty pleasure here_____________) that's going to derail all your efforts- sometimes making healthy choices for your family is just about picking the BEST of the WORST, and that's perfectly fine because over time it all adds up- so have grace on yourself!

Where do you find the best produce deals in your area?

Chocolate Protein Pancakes- A Sparkedmom Recipe for a Healthy Family

If I can swing pancakes on Saturday that's major Mom bonus points and sneaking in some extra protein and fiber for my healthy family shoots me right to Super-Nutritious-Mom status! The fact that I didn't get them on a plate until 11ish is completely irrelevant so hand me my cape already- I need it to distract people from the fact that I slept in this shirt ;)

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

What I Used:
1 large Egg
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C Quick Cooking Oats (yes, mine are Walgreens brand- no judging!)
1 C Almond Milk
1 Tbs Agave Nectar
2 Heaping Scoops of Chocolate Protein Powder
2 Tbls coconut oil
3 tsp baking powder

What I Did:
Beat egg in large bowl until fluffy looking, and then added all remaining ingredients and mix until smooth- pour onto hot griddle or pan and flip once when bubbles form or edges look puffy (I assume nothing, so please don't be offended that I just explained how to flip a pancake...heck I still stress out as to when to flip the dang things and 9 times out of 10 the first one goes in the trash as my "practice" one. I just found out today you can flick water on the pan and if it sizzles your ready...way to leave us in the dark Food Network!)

These were a hit and are quite filling, one batch made 5 of the medium pan sized ones you see in the picture. You can also double/triple the batch, freeze and have the kids just pop them in the toaster for a nutritious on the go breakfast or after school snack.

Tried this healthy family recipe? Share your pics! Any fun mix ins?

How about banana? Super-Yummo!





All Season Legs; A Sparkedmom Recipe for a Healthy Family

Forget groundhog day, yesterday was one of those days that felt like an entire week wrapped up in a day- really not sure if that was a good thing or bad, still reeling!

Actually cooked something pretty to share, I think it would be classified as more of a "winter" dish, but since I don't actually know the rules I can't really be expected to follow them- right? Winter dishes to me means I cooked them when it was winter outside, which I'm in AZ so really, WHEN is that- December? It was stormy yesterday- maybe that counts for something..hopefully no one starts keeping track of my culinary missteps, although THAT could get entertaining- I digress..

Let me preface by admitting I pretty much just throw stuff together- this Momma's on the fly 99.9% of the time so I usually use what I have on hand and season to taste...that being said here's the closest I can get to a recipe for this dish so you can make for your healthy family:)

All Season Legs

What I Used:
1 package drumsticks (usually I do remove the skin but time and patience to do so was not permitting yesterday)
Seasoning; salt/pepper/Mrs Dash Onion/Mrs Dash Garlic- to taste
Vegi Mix of the day; zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, red onion

What I Did:
Salt and pepper my legs and browned over medium heat until brown on all sides. Chopped all my vegie's chunky-like while the legs were browning. Once the legs are browned to my liking, I seasoned with my on hand assortment of Mrs. Dash, tossed in the vegie mix, covered pan and cooed for 15 min or until chicken juices run clear. (if you want crispier legs you can also broil the pan in the oven until the outside crisp up a bit as well)

I don't cook drumsticks near as much as I should considering when it comes to kids and nutrition they kick a chicken nugget out of the park ALL DAY. Leftovers make easy lunches the next day, and they are so versatile, portable, portion controlled, easy to eat- note to self...more leg!

What's your favorite thing about legs?

Under Construction

Okay, I've had a little hiatus from Blogging- still been living the AdvoLife and LOVING it, getting involved in my church, my community, writing an article for our community magazine......



..and THEN a good friend suggests.....




"You should do a BLOG!!".....and here we are again- TA-DA!!



So bear with me while a re-vamp the blog in a different direction so it's a bit more RELAVANT and USEFUL. Excited to see where it goes this time around and in the meantime enjoy my 15 seconds of fame!

<3 Melanie
My Journey