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Fun Facts About Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake facts

In the US it is very common for you to celebrate your birthday with a wonderfully designed and tasty birthday cake. Keep in mind, it was the Greeks that were the first to make a cake for celebration. It was commonly used in the celebrations of the birthdays for gods and goddesses.

For those who were wondering who came up with placing candles on the cake, well, it was the Greeks as well. It was because if the Greek god Artemis, where the cake was first topped with lit candles.

In the middle ages, the English would conceal symbolic items inside the cake. Each item was a prediction for the finder’s future.

You will find that things like the coins, rings, and even thimbles baked into the cake.
The birthday cake made its way to Western culture in the mid 19th century and has been an important part of birthday celebrations since.

There are some superstitions that believe pertaining to the way it is cut. If the knife touches the bottom, or when pulling the knife from the cake itself there are pieces of cake stuck to the knife, than the birthday person must kiss the nearest person of the opposite sex.

Many people will blow out the candles on their cake while making a wish, however, the trick is to blow them all out. If the candles are blown out in one blow and the wisher keeps the wish a secret, then it is believed the wish will come true.

Typically, a birthday cake is decorated with lots of flowers and balloons, but it is covered in bright colors. For kids, it is popular to have cartoon characters or their favorite them on the cake.

You will find that there are a lot of people who will make their own cake or bake a semi-home cake from a package, or the birthday cake can cost up to a few hundred dollars.

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Creative School Lunch Packed Ideas

Avoiding Packed Lunch Boredom

It’s not easy to keep coming up with healthy and fun school lunch ideas. No wonder most parents tend to pack the same foods over and over again. So just how do you avoid packed lunch boredom? Here are some simple ideas to spice up your child’s lunch box.

Change the Bread – Or don’t use bread at all. Kids can get bored with sandwiches so why not try the same fillings but make it a little more exciting by changing the bread. You can try pitta bread, bagels, tortilla wraps or even crackers or breadsticks. You can place the fillings on the side and your child can assemble the crackers or sandwiches themselves.

Try a Salad – Not your typical lettuce and tomato salad, what kid would get excited by that? But instead try a pasta salad or potato salad. Cook and drain the pasta or potatoes and mix with a little mayonnaise or olive oil, add some cut up veggies such as corn kernels, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots; add some sliced turkey, chicken or ham and place in a plastic travel container.

Fun, Fun, Fun – On the days where you go for the traditional sandwich try cutting the bread with fun shapes using cookie cutter. You can also cut slices of cheese or ham into fun shapes. Cookie cutters are something every mom should make good use of. You’ll be amazed at how a boring cheese sandwich will get gobbled up when shaped into a flower or dinosaur.

Fingers Foods – Sometimes kids, especially younger ones, don’t like to eat a whole sandwich or bowl of food. Instead you can try preparing cut up cubes of cheese, grapes, carrot sticks, pretzels, mini crackers, and ham cubes. Place in a container with individual compartments or just a standard one for a fun lunch. You can also try cutting sandwiches into small rectangles or triangles for easier eating.

Pinwheels Anyone? – Instead of sandwiches try pinwheels. Cut the crust from two slices of bread, flatten bread using the back of your hand or rolling pin. Spread thinly with cream cheese. Place one slice of ham and roll each slice into a log shape. Wrap in cling film and place in freezer for about 30 minutes. Unwrap and cut into pinwheel rounds.

Dip It – Kids love dipping stuff. For an easy and nutritious lunch snack you can cut apple wedges and serve with a strawberry or peanut butter dip or cut up veggies served with a hummus dip or try a cream cheese dip. For a more substantial lunch add pieces of pita bread, breadsticks or crackers.

Lunch Notes – Write cute little notes once in a while to put a smile on your little one’s face. A simple note with a smiley face saying I love you or miss you can instantly make a child feel better. For older children (who will no doubt be embarrassed by smiley faces and cutsie notes) try a riddle or brain teaser instead.

Be a Creative Mama – Think outside the box, the lunch box that is. Pack mini pizza slices, mini hamburgers, meatballs or chicken drumsticks. Add some potato wedges on the side. Or try tortilla chips with strips of cheese, turkey and sliced tomatoes on the side. Add a sour cream and/or guacamole dip for instant lunch time nachos, perfect for older children or teens.

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7 Easy Dinner Ideas

It’s 6:00 p.m. the kids are hungry, homework needs to be done, you’re stressed and then they ask… “Mom, what’s for dinner?”

It’s not easy juggling our busy lives while trying to feed our families a hot nutritious dinner everyday. These 7 quick and easy dinner ideas will help take the stress out of family meal times.

1 – Plan a Menu – This does take a little organizing ahead of time but it’s definitely worth the effort. Find a few minutes during the weekend and plan your meals for the upcoming week. Write a quick menu, do your shopping and stick the menu on your fridge. Every morning quickly glance at it and take out the foods that need thawing and plan ahead how much time you need to prepare the meal.

2 – Befriend the Crockpot – Okay, this little invention may not be the coolest kitchen gadget around but it can definitely be a lifesaver. With a little planning you can have a nutritious dinner ready before the kids can even say “mom…”

3 – The Casserole is Back – Similar to the crockpot but great for days when you forget to plan ahead. Casseroles work great with leftovers or just about any items you can find in your pantry. Throw together some pasta, tuna, corn kernels, peas and cream for a quick meal. Casseroles made with rice or potatoes are just as easy. Keep a few easy recipes on hand and add or omit ingredients according to what you have in your pantry.

4 – Easy, Versatile, Pasta – By far the easiest way to quickly throw together a healthy family dinner. To avoid boredom try to avoid the usual jar of sauce and pasta dinner. Try this, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over very low heat and add one crushed garlic bulb, stir for about a minute and add a can of drained crab meat, the juice of one lemon and a little salt and pepper to taste, and finally add a little chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve over your pasta with some garlic bread on the side for a delicious meal in minutes.

5 – Eggs Incredible Eggs – Eggs aren’t only for breakfast, they’re also great for quick dinners. Make an omelet and fill with a little ham and cheese, you can also add some chopped tomato, onions or mushrooms. Serve along with a salad and some bread. Or make a Spanish tortilla. Scrub, peel and thinly slice a couple of new or small potatoes. Add to a sauce pan with a little water and boil until soft, about 8 minutes. Add a little oil to a nonstick frying pan, add the potatoes, scramble eggs and a little chopped onion (optional) cook on low until the bottom starts to set. Then stick the frying pan under a hot grill until the top of the tortilla sets. Serve with a side salad.

6 – Sandwich Bar – Some days you just don’t have the time or energy to cook a hot meal, but you can still feed your family a nutritious meal in the way of sandwiches. Put out some bread rolls (whole wheat is best), add a platter of cheese, ham, turkey, tuna or any other favorite fillings. Add another platter of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and any other favorite veggies. Now let your kids put together their own sandwiches. Serve with some pretzels, a salad or cut up veggies and dip, a little hopeful but worth a try.

7 – Wrap It – Wraps are great for quick dinners. You fill them with just about anything. For a Mexican wrap cook a little ground beef, drain and fill wrap. Add some chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, sour cream or guacamole. You can also fill it with a little heated tuna with some corn kernels and a little mayonnaise or try scrambled eggs, chopped ham and tomatoes. Leftover chicken with cheese and lettuce works great too.

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Simple 5-Day Easy School Lunch Menu

Out of healthy packed lunch ideas? Packing a nutritious packed lunch your kids will actually eat five days of the week is no easy feat. It’s no wonder many of us get stuck in a rut and end up packing the same lunch time and time again.

When packing your kids lunch, the main thing to keep in mind is that the lunch is nutritious and balanced. Try to include a mixture of whole grains, protein, calcium, fruit and veggies in each packed lunch and don’t worry it’s really not too difficult.

To help get you started, here’s a 5-day sample lunch menu which is balanced to include a little of everything mentioned above.

Day One:
Wholemeal bread sandwich filled with ham and cheese and cut into triangles
Fruit yogurt
Cut melon cubes and cucumber rounds
Small packet of raisins
Milk or fruit juice

Day Two:
Pita filled with turkey and cream cheese
Carrot sticks
Pineapple chunks
Mini muffin
Milk or fruit juice

Day Three:
Homemade Pizza Quesadilla
Apple sauce
Cherry tomatoes and cubes of ham
Yogurt covered raisins
Milk or fruit juice

Day Four:
Bagel spread with peanut butter and full fruit jam
Fresh peach
Carrot sticks and cubes of cheese
Yogurt drink
Milk or fruit juice

Day Five:
Roll filled with tuna and sweet corn
Cucumber slices and cubes of cheese
Bunch of seedless grapes
Mini Fruit Muffin
Milk or fruit

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Learning healthy eating habits for mom

One of the problems many mothers have after they have started a family is keeping their weight down where they’d like it to be. Part of your changing physical build is due to having children, something that can’t be taken back once they’re born. But you can exercise and tone your muscles, to make the most of the figure that you have. And part of that, is learning to eat healthy in the face of your various time commitments.

Lots of women feel guilty if they throw out leftovers, which can be an attitude inherited from their own budget-conscious mother. But you’re not saving anything except space in the compost pail, if you’re eating that last scoop of potatoes, or the vegetables off a toddler’s plate, simply so they don’t go to waste.

Don’t sabotage your own diet, by cooking in too large a quantity for what your family will consume in a meal. If by chance you’re actually a bit short and someone is still hungry, make sure you keep extras on hand that will fill the gap, like garlic bread to go with spaghetti, veggies and dip, or a bowl of fruit.

Try to balance your preferences, with what is cooked for the family meals. That means if you eat as individuals for breakfast and lunch, make sure you get a good variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. Try yogurt and fruit with granola for breakfast, or a tossed salad in a fajita wrap for lunch. Remember to balance your intake of one food group with the others, and select good sources of protein.

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