I will not make two meals!

This blog post is written by request from a friend.

I love to cook, but I refuse to make two meals at dinner time. Between three toddlers and a meat and potatoes kind of husband I try to make one meal that can satisfy everyone. Some of the meals require a little adaptation like only putting broccoli in half of the casserole, but I make it work!

I don't have picky eaters, but I started with them really young. I made their baby food out of steamed and pureed veggies and once they got chompers they ate what we ate (with a little adaptation for some things). Don't get me wrong, they would eat chicken nuggets for every meal if I allowed it, but everyone needs variety and vegetables!

My kiddos do go through stages where they don't like certain foods, which is fine, but I just keep introducing those foods into new meals until they will actually try them!

Some tricks I use to get my kids to eat (especially when they don't want to- weird I know, I love to eat!) are:

1- Put the food on kid sized plates. Bonus points if the plates have dividers so they can clearly see separation with their food. I bought divided plates at Target for like $0.75

2- Let them use a fork. I don't know what it is about a fork, but if my girls can stab it they'll eat it! Haha they aren't crazy I promise. They just feel so big if they have a fork like mommy and daddy and their fingers get less gross.

3- Put small portions (only 2-3 pieces of each food). When my kids see there is only a few pieces it's not as intimidating as a large pile and it is easier for me to see what they are actually eating. Then you can always give them more if they love it!

4-Let them help you cook! Age appropriate jobs like mixing and carrying cans or whatever, but if they help they are a little more invested in the meal.

5- Give them options. David and I don't really agree on vegetable side dishes, so I usually make a main dish with different side options. This way there are usually at least two fruit or vegetable options. I let my kids pick which one they want to eat (or let them try them all if they're interested!).

6- Hold out on the "yummy" stuff. My girls LOVE potatoes in basically any form. So, if they are going through a picky phase or they just aren't eating a whole lot sometimes I will fill their plates with all of the other options for dinner first. After they have either eaten or rejected some of the food on their plates I will then let them have the potatoes or whatever else is most appealing to them. It's kind of an "eat your dinner then you can have dessert" system, only the "dessert" is usually potatoes!

If you are still finding yourself pulling your hair out, here are a few meals my kids will eat. Every time.
Some might be obvious choices, but some of them have a little twist. I also just make up names for the things I make, so don't get too technical when you critique them.

Taco Quesadillas- You know, a quesadilla. Tortillas, cheese, on a griddle/ in a pan. I just add some seasoned ground beef (black pepper, season salt, cumin, paprika, onion powder-or just use a package of taco seasoning) and taco toppings- olives, tomatoes, beans (black, refried, chili, whatever) and basically whatever else you put in a taco (I'm not a fan of warm lettuce though). These are easier for kids to eat than a regular taco because the melted cheese holds everything together and my kids think it's like a pizza because it's cut into triangles! If your kids are dippers you can let them have some salsa, ranch, or even ketchup (yuck! but David and all my kids love it). This whole meal took me like 15 minutes to make. My kids won't eat regular quesadillas with chicken or just cheese, but they devoured these!

Chicken Noodle Casserole- I cook all the ingredients separately, then assemble and heat. I make whatever short pasta I have on hand, cook chicken in a little olive oil with salt and pepper, and steam/boil whichever vegetable I'm feeling that day (carrots, cauliflower, or usually broccoli because I always have a giant frozen bag on hand- use what you like). Layer in a casserole dish: pasta, chicken, veggies, spread 1 can of cream of chicken soup mixed with a spoonful of sour cream over and top with shredded cheese. Bake @ 350 for about 15 min. until heated through and cheese is melted. Noodles are a go to fave with the kiddos, so this is an easy meal I know they'll eat.

Chicken Bacon Alfredo- This is another pasta dish that is super easy, but definitely not on the homemade side which helps it come together quickly. Start by cooking 2-3 strips of bacon. Remove from pan, cool and crumble. In another pot cook pasta (Fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti, angel hair, or even short pasta-very flexible). Cook diced chicken sprinkled with onion powder, salt, and pepper in bacon grease. Add 1 jar of store bought alfredo sauce (my favorite is Prego Homestyle Alfredo) and add about 1 tsp italian seasonings. Add bacon back into sauce. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Mix and top with Parmesan cheese (you can use the green can of shaky cheese or the real stuff- both are delicious). Always great with a vegetable mixed in too.


Teriyaki Chicken with Rice- This is a great slow cooker meal. Just throw in some chicken (can be frozen) 1 jar of Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze. (Regular or with honey & pineapple) Brown sugar about 3/4 cup. 1 can pineapple chunks with juice. Cook for 5-6 hours on low. Cook whatever rice you like. Shred the chicken and serve over rice. This meal takes so little effort I love it!

Make Your Own Pizza- For the crust you can use french bread, biscuits (the kind in the tube), thawed Rhodes dinner rolls, or you can use your favorite pizza crust recipe. Top with pizza sauce (buy it pre-made or make your own with tomato sauce, onion, garlic, italian seasonings, black pepper) toppings and cheese. We like to do a bbq sauce chicken pineapple or a ranch dressing with chicken and black olives pizza at our house. I make my own crust and melt butter with garlic powder and italian seasonings to brush on it and top with parmesan cheese- tastes like bread sticks! There are tons of variations for pizza, but you can make it an experience and the kids can eat their creations!

Kabobs - My kids like to watch David and me grill food in the summer and anything that comes to the table on a stick is so fun! You can use any steak, chicken, veggies or pineapple. Let them build their own or pick what to put on theirs if they are too little for sharp sticks. This is a recipe we tried and really like. I only let it marinade for about 10 minutes and it still tasted great! I usually serve grilled meat or kabobs with corn on the cob which is also, apparently, super fun.

And when all else fails...

Breakfast for Dinner- Kids like anything in a fun shape which is really easy to do with pancakes or cut french toast, but for my husband who needs a little something extra to count it as a meal I always make bacon or sausage and eggs. Sometimes I make hash browns, or (super easy) make extra baked potatoes the night before and just chop them up and cook them in a pan with a little butter. Sometimes I go all out and make biscuits and gravy or English muffin breakfast sandwiches. Pair with some fresh fruit and a rare chocolate milk or juice for my sugar deprived children and life is good.

This is my list of go-to meals that I know my whole family will eat and love. You can cook. You can make your family a meal that everyone will eat. And it doesn't have to include chicken nuggets :) Good luck!

Please leave a comment with your go-to dinners and let me know if you try some of mine!

What's on the docket?

"What's on the docket tomorrow?"

That is the question my husband asked me one night about 3 years into our marriage that made me think he was "out of his tree." (Both are phrases I had never heard before.)

"You've never heard that? For someone who supposedly loves lists, you should know what a docket is!" David teased me for a while with that one.

If you don't know what a docket is, then I'm going to make you look it up just like I had to when I felt dumb.

I do love lists though. When our family goes camping- or anywhere overnight really- I make a packing list for each person. I have a list of chores for my toddlers that they can check off with stickers. I make to-do lists once in a while just so I can check stuff off when I finish. When I go grocery shopping every two weeks there are 4 different lists I make to get through my meal planning process. Sounds a little excessive, I know. I could basically create a list for everything.

Most of my lists are made on plain old notebook paper. Don't worry, I'll link you to a printable version (see list #4) so you can join me in my organized chaos. Mwahaha! (evil laugh, duh) It really does all make sense somewhere inside my noggin.

While not necessarily always in this order, here are my grocery lists:

1st- I make a list of the days of the week for two weeks that I need meals for, and then later (sometimes after I shop) I'll add in the meals planned for each day. Which I then transfer to my dry erase calendar so everyone can see what's coming up for dinner.

2nd- I make a list of meals that I can make in the next two weeks based on food I have in my pantry and items on sale in the grocery store ads. (I also already have a list made on my computer of all of the meals that I make and add to with each new recipe.)

3rd- I make a list of items that I will be ad matching. I do a lot of my shopping at Wal-Mart because they match ad prices, it's really close to my house, they sell a lot fresh produce, they have most of the same brands-except store brands, and their regular prices are USUALLY better. Plus, once I get home I always plug my receipt into their Savings Catcher and sometimes get extra money back. Sorry for the tangent, but this list makes it easier for me to make sure I don't miss something while I'm at the store.

4th- And lastly I make a grocery list organized into department in the store. It is so frustrating for me to have to go back to an aisle that I already visited just because I didn't see an item on my list. Especially when I have three kids with me. Did I mention I usually take them all to the store for 1-2 hour long grocery shopping experience? Here are two different versions of this system that are great. Here and Here

I also love highlighters. I know, I'm kind of a nerd. They make things fun, clear, and organized. I don't know why you need to know all of this. Maybe you don't. Maybe I just want to give you a little bit of insight into the "organized" part of my life.

My best friend growing up probably doesn't believe that side of me actually exists. She was the one who would come into my crowded and messy bedroom and just accept it. She was the one who could also tell me where my dance shoes were hiding when I thought I'd lost them forever.

The truth is, I LOVE having a clean house. I love lists. I love to be organized. I just sometimes lack the motivation. And that is why I NEED lists. They give me something to check off. They give me proof of some kind of accomplishment.

And luckily I have an extremely motivated husband who can't sit still for even two seconds. He always has to be doing something, making something better. Which makes me want to be doing something. He makes me be a better person. Even if he does make fun of my lists and my lack of knowledge about weird sayings.

This is My Life

I was a dancer for 17 years. I got to do cool things like be on TV, carry the Olympic torch in Canada, and take classes from world famous dancers and choreographers. I was in fantastic shape. I could eat whatever I wanted. My life was great, but it doesn't even compare to the happiness I have now.

I've been married to my best friend for 5 years now. We have 3 beautiful kids- ages 3 and under- with no intentions of being "done." I say that so you don't have to be nosy and ask :) My wonderful husband David just built our first home with a fantastic view of the Payson Temple and we just bought an SUV. I am a teacher in my ward Relief Society. I have made friends in our new neighborhood. And we are happy. We're living the American dream, right? I sure think so. I mean, I am an American and it has become my dream, so it totally counts.

I am a stay-at-home mom which is a huge blessing that David's job allows me to do that. I am pretty busy with the kids, but I sometimes spread myself too thin with other things. I'm kind of a Jack of all trades. I like to dabble into anything to do with crafts, cooking/baking, exercise, organization, creative date nights and FHE so basically, I am really good at Pinterest. Is that a talent? Good thing I'm not trying to fill out a resume any time soon. I'm not super tech savvy though, so my outlet is Facebook to share the fun things I do. I have a bunch of groups of which I am an admin. (Most are public, so feel free to join!) I post daily workouts and any recipes or projects that I try. It's so fun for me, but the most important thing is to actually be out doing those things! I try to involve my kids as much as possible, although there is the occasional craft being created during nap time, and I know that my most important "fans" are my kids! They are the reason I stay home! They join me for my workouts (or affectionately squealed, "EXERCISE!"), I usually make the fun/cute food for them, I plan our family home evening lessons/activities around them, and I even let them help me plan my dinner menus. Of course, the creative date nights are NOT for them, rather, usually a much needed break to focus on our marriage and relationship.

This all sounds like I'm doing exactly what I should be doing as a "great" mom, right? Good. That is what you get to see on the internet. My blog is called "Positively Seeing Double" for a reason. I am, sometimes annoyingly. very optimistic! I like to see the good in the world and I like to be part of that good. That being said, I do not try to give false expectations to the moms in my bubble, rather I try to inspire, uplift, inform, and help those around me. Anyone who has been to my house knows that I usually have some kind of cereal stuck to my tile floor in the kitchen, laundry strewn about the house because that basket is just so fun to play in, myself not showered until first nap time (if at all), and despite best intentions, dishes up to my elbows basically all the time. Sometimes kids fight. Sometimes your house is a mess. Sometimes someone you love needs you when you feel like you have nothing left to give. The key is to keep trying. Put those you love first, know your priorities, don't be gross, sometimes do things you don't want to do, and just accept that "this is my life." Because when those moments of chaos are over and you can breathe again, you might see something wonderful. Maybe you'll even get to take the credit for it.

My living room- this is only a small mess compared to normal

My girls reading together after fighting moments before