Maryann Jacobsen's Blog, page 19

How I’m Getting My Family Out of Our Restaurant Rut

It’s Saturday afternoon, the day I typically don’t cook dinner, and time to pick a restaurant. We either meet up family or friends or go somewhere on our own. We have a handful of go-to places: a burger joint, Mexican place and Greek restaurant, but our list always feels inadequate.

I like the idea of trying a new restaurant but there never seems a good time to do it. I can already hear the kids resisting and because everyone’s tired and hungry, we end up at a familiar place. When my kids we...

5 Truths About Food Addiction Most People Don’t Know

“These cookies are so addicting! I could never keep them in my house.”

That’s what the woman at the party said to me as she reached for another helping of double chocolate chip cookies. When it comes to children, parents are acutely aware of the food addiction phenomenon too. I often get emails from parents worried that their child is addicted to sugar.

As we focus on moderation, we have to hit on the subject of food addiction. That’s because this message has become increasingly prevalent in...

If You Want to Raise a Healthy Child, You Need to Do THIS

Several months ago Big A started going in her brother’s room to jump on his bed. She eventually started referring to it as her morning jumping, afternoon jumping and nighttime jumping. Apparently, his bed was bouncier than hers.

But when we discovered what happened as a result of this jumping, a hole in the mattress, we ordered her to stop. The very next day she was in tears because she missed her jumping so much. We found a solution so she could keep jumping, but we also realized how this a...

The Real Reason Family Dinners are So Important [Guest Post]

This is a guest post from Katja Leccisi, MS, RDN, author of How to Feed Your Kids: Four Steps to Raising Healthy Eaters. This short and concise book is perfect for busy parents who want simplified and credible information on feeding kids. Katja believes feeding kids is about nourishing the body and spirit, not just feeding nutrients. In this post, Katja describes the vital role family dinners have played in her own family with benefits that go far beyond food and nutrition.

Over 20 years ago...

5 Surprising Ways Moderate Eaters Think

The beginning of this year, I’m focusing on all things moderation. From how to incorporate it into your eating, the health benefits, and how to teach moderation to kids. It’s also the topic for my next book.

I get the impression that people either don’t believe moderation is possible or that it is the process of only allowing a small amount of a palatable foods. Like limiting it to two cookies.

But after combing through the research, practicing moderation myself and talking with others, I kn...

Homemade Blueberry Waffles [Recipe]

While I make homemade waffles every now and then, I don’t really have a go-to favorite. So sometimes I buy the Kashi blueberry waffles and my kids love them. But now that I’m concentrating on breakfast, I want a Tried and True base waffle recipe. The idea is to stock up on these during prep day and freeze them for quick breakfasts during the week. As I re-do my breakfast rotation, I plan to have Wednesdays be Syrup Day and serve either pancakes, waffles or French toast.

At the same time I wa...

7 BIG Lessons I Learned in 2015

It’s the time of year when I review the closing year while making plans for the new one. I feel like this was a big growth year for me, both professionally and personally. I learned some important lessons I plan to apply in 2016.

1.Write it down: The process I detail in What to Cook for Dinner with Kids is really a mind-clearing exercise. I could just keep thinking about these meals, but the process of writing down my Tried and True meals while making a plan for what I want to see on my tabl...

Holiday Hot Chocolate

It was three days after Thanksgiving and the kids were pressuring us to put up outside lights. Thing is, my not-so-handy husband was a bit grumpy about it. So I asked our ultra-handy neighbor if he would help and he was more than happy to.

What followed was like a Christmas miracle. Our neighbor brought a ladder, a plug-in thingy so the lights could be connected to our porch light, nails and extra lights for our bushes. There were adult beverages flowing and loud Christmas music blaring. The...

What to Cook for Dinner with Kids [Launch Party]: Cookbook People Giveaway

I’m ready to celebrate the release of my new book: What to Cook for Dinner with Kids: How to Simplify, Strategize and Stop Agonizing Over Family Dinners. Thebook details my process of simplifying and strategizing my dinner meals, giving readers plenty of ideas on how to do it themselves. What to Cook for Dinner also includes over 50 recipes that I have perfected since running my 30 Meals in 30 Days Challenge.

While it’s not okay to giveaway the end of fiction books, nonfiction is different,...

Book Launch Party: Cookbook People Giveaway

I’m ready to celebrate the release of my new book: What to Cook for Dinner with Kids: How to Simplify, Strategize and Stop Agonizing Over Family Dinners. Thebook details my process of simplifying and strategizing my dinner meals, giving readers plenty of ideas on how to do it themselves. What to Cook for Dinner also includes over 50 recipes that I have perfected since running my 30 Meals in 30 Days Challenge.

While it’s not okay to giveaway the end of fiction books, nonfiction is different,...