Mama Knows Nutrition - Feeding your family: from babies to big kids, and you, too!

How to Stock Up on Healthy Freezer Meals and Snacks

How to stock up on healthy freezer meals | mamaknowsnutrition.com

My husband loves to tell people the story about the morning I went into labor with our son. My water broke around 8am, but my contractions were several minutes apart. So I didn’t feel any rush to get to the hospital. For some reason, I decided that I HAD to make a lasagna before we went to the hospital. I think I was anxious (I KNOW I was anxious)…and just trying not to think about what was ahead of me that day. So there I was, in my kitchen, making not one, but two, pans of lasagna in between contractions. Oh and I sent my husband to the gym! I said you might as well get in one last workout before our life turns upside down. When he got back home I was still making lasagnas. At that point he decided to pry the kitchen utensils out of my hand saying, “OK Kacie…I think it’s time to go to the hospital now…”

But I’ll tell you, I sure was glad to come home to a lasagna in the fridge a few days later and another one in the freezer. I made a bunch of freezer meals in the final weeks of my pregnancy. I plan to do the same this time! Continue reading →

5 Ingredient No Bake Nut Butter Bars

YOU GUYSSSSSS. These no bake nut butter bars SAVE me on mornings I don’t have my act together.

Which is basically every morning right now, since pregnancy insomnia has been keeping me up from about 2:30 to 5:30 am. It’s the weirdest thing. It doesn’t matter what time I go to bed. I routinely just wake up around 2:30 or 3 and then am WIDE AWAKE for 2 to 3 hours. It’s not my favorite.

So having breakfast for my son already made is a HUGE help on zombie mornings. One of my favorite tricks for keeping healthy breakfast and snack options on hand is to make things in big batches and then freeze them. It’s just as easy to reach into the freezer as it is to pull a package of something out of the pantry. Continue reading →

It’s Official – Kacie Barnes, RDN

In case you missed it on social media yesterday, I passed my Dietitian exam!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am finally, officially, Kacie Barnes, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist!!!!

I can’t begin to tell you how excited, relieved, overjoyed, and grateful I feel. I filled these past few years with countless hours of studying, going to classes, 1200 hours of internship rotations, and a few breakdowns along the way. I am so proud of earning a Master’s in Clinical Nutrition and becoming an RD! (RD and RDN are the same thing, but more people are switching to saying RDN these days.)

Preparing for the RD exam has been a huge weight on my shoulders the past few weeks, especially since I knew I was on a major deadline. My 2nd baby is due to arrive October 4th, and I did NOT want to be taking the exam within a few weeks of my due date! No need to stress about going into labor while taking one of the most important tests of my life…seriously. Continue reading →

Hundreds of School Lunch Ideas and Tips to Help Mom Stay Sane

School Lunch Ideas | mamaknowsnutrition.com

I was going to write about my own school lunch ideas, but since my son is only 2, I figured I should leave it to the moms who have been doing this for years! Everyone is getting into back-to-school mode. I rounded up some of the most helpful school lunch ideas I’ve seen over the past few weeks, and then added in a few of my own big picture tips to help keep you sane. Packing lunches does not need to be stressful or overly time consuming! Continue reading →

10 Simple Kitchen Tasks for Toddlers

Toddler Kitchen Tasks | mamaknowsnutrition.com

Next time you’re making dinner, get your little one to help out! Try some of these kitchen tasks for toddlers.

Toddlers can be great little kitchen helpers. Things may take longer and get a bit messier, but it’s a perfect way to spend some one-on-one time with them. Getting toddlers involved in the kitchen can help your little one:

Learn what goes into making a healthy meal
Get a sense of responsibility and pride by helping
Practice coordination and fine motor skills
Taste something new
Practice counting and measuring
Bond and have fun!

Continue reading →

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Always Make the Healthier Choice

Why you shouldn't always pick the healthier choice | mamaknowsnutrition.com

When people find out I’m in graduate school for Nutrition and *almost* a dietitian, they often make a comment that I must eat perfectly healthy all the time, or not to judge them for the french fries they are about to eat.

But the reality is that I am NOT a perfect eater. I simply don’t think it’s healthy to eat perfectly all the time. That might surprise some people, but just because I have a lot of knowledge about nutrition, it doesn’t mean that I follow a strict diet. Continue reading →

Boursin Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Boursin Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats are delicious (thanks to cheeeeeese) and easy to throw together with just a minute of prep work!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overcooked chicken breasts, pork chops, fish, you name it. I get distracted easily when I’m in the kitchen. I’m pretty sure it’s one of my husband’s pet peeves because I never focus on one thing at a time and am always running around like crazy. It makes me accident prone! Because of this, I’ve had to institute one very strict rule for myself in the kitchen. If I’m holding a knife, I’m doing nothing else. Whether I’m putting clean ones away or am chopping, I’m not holding anything else, doing anything else, or even talking. I want to keep all my fingers. 🙂 Continue reading →

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