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‘Eat’ Category

Morgans’ Wonderland

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

I am sure each of you has seen the commercial for Morgan’s Wonderland…opening in 39 days. This place is amazing! If you haven’t seen the commercial I wanted to be sure to make sure you heard about this great new park.

The park was inspired by Gordon Hartman’s daughter, Morgan, who is disabled. The mission of Morgan’s Wonderland is to set a new standard for excellence in providing outdoor recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities. But, the park is open to the entire public. The park sits on 25 acres and has numerous things to offer for everyone to enjoy. You can literally spend an entire day there exploring all there is to offer.

Some of the amentities and activities include: 3 playscapes, train rides, carousel, ampitheater, catch and release fishing, remote controlled boats, gymnasium where you can play basketball, volleyball and tennis, walking path around the lake, water play areas, off road adventure ride, music garden, swings, sand circle, gift shops, and a sensory village with pretend grocery shopping, theater, stable and much more. This place really has everything you could imagine to complete a fun filled day with your kids and family!

Check out their website to learn more and remember to make reservations before each visit. This is a place you won’t want to miss! http://morganswonderland.com.

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Snack Ideas For Your Kids

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

I am sure your house already is filled with great food to munch on tonight for the Super Bowl, but I wanted to make sure and leave you with 2 new easy recipes my friend Dawn sent me. You may not get around to getting these together for tonights football party, but these recipes are worth writing down and saving for your next party you have…especailly if kids will be invited too Happy healthy snack foods that you will enjoy. Thanks Dawn!

Frozen Banana Pops: banana cut in half, popsicle sticks, peanut butter, any chopped nuts, coconut, granola or rice krispie for the topping

Spread peanut butter on half of the banana, roll in favorite topping, put popsicle stick through one end of banana, freeze for 3-5 hrs. When you freeze them you may want to place them on wax paper. Delicious!

Fish In A Pond: 1 container of whipped cream cheese, blue food coloring, goldfish crackers, celery sticks

Add 5 -8 drops of food coloring to cream cheese, pour into shallow soup bowl, arrange goldfish around the cream cheese, use the celery stalks as fishing poles to retrieve the fish. Oh so fun!

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Ants On a Log

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

My kids keep digging through the pantry trying to find something “fun” and yummy to eat. Fun? How do you make food fun? Well, that took me a minute to come up with some things but I thought I would share a snack food that I remember making with my mom when I was a kid. It went over really well with my kids! They helped make these yummy Ants On a Log and it is a healthy option for them to snack on! Happy and health kids make happy and healthy mom’s!

What you need: celery sticks, creamy peanut butter, raisins

Clean the celery sticks and break in half (so they aren’t too long)

Spread peanut butter on top of celery stick

Add raisins along the peanut butter (these are the ants)

Email me if you have any other creative and healthy snacks that we can share with Savvy Mommas!

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Healthy Grocery Shopping On a Budget

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Creating a healthy grocery list on a budget doesn’t have to be complicated. Although it seems like there is an endless amount of unhealthy foods lining the grocery stores shelves, there are ways to bring home healthy foods and still stay on a budget. Here are a few tips on creating a healthy grocery list:

1. When buying bread and pasta check the list of ingredients. Look for the words “Whole Grain” as the first ingredient.
If you see “wheat flour” or “enriched flour” as one of the first couple of ingredients, then this is mostly refined white bread with some whole grains added.

2. Buy lean meat, fish (especially oily fish like salmon) and poultry. Try to limit deli meats, hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats due to high levels of nitrates.

3. Stop buying soda or fruit juice that is mostly sugar water and empty calories! Buy unsweetened tea or tea bags to make tea yourself and keep in your refrigerator. If you must buy juice, be sure it is 100% juice and limit your intake to one glass a day.

4. Stop buying junk food at the store like chips or soda. It will save room in your grocery budget for healthier foods.

5. Learn to read food labels. Avoid partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat), bleached flour, enriched flour, and high fructose corn syrup by checking the ingredients on packages.

6. Avoid pre-packaged meals that contain high levels of sodium, fat and calories. Try broiling fish and steaming fresh broccoli instead!

7. Try to spend half your budget each week on fruits and veggies and spend the other half on whole grains, dairy and lean meat. Start in the produce department first and work your way around the outside edges of the store. Most processed and unhealthy foods are kept in the center aisle. Limit what you buy there!

8. Stock up on lean meat, fish and poultry when it is on sale and freeze it for future use.

9. Purchase berries, peaches, mangos and other fruits when they are on sale and freeze in individual baggies for use later in smoothies or on whole grain waffles.

10. YES you can use coupons and still have a healthy grocery list!

It takes some work to pull your list together each week, but stores offer great coupons on things like frozen vegetables, whole grain pasta and whole grain waffles. But, don’t get tricked into buying processed foods just because you have a coupon. Just because a bag of candy is $0.50, doesn’t mean it needs to be in your cart! With a little effort and some planning you can have a healthy grocery list and still be on a budget.

by: Cindy Hamilton

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San Antonio Zoo

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Did you know the San Antonio Zoo is open 365 days of the year? Have you ever wanted to teach your kids more about the wonderful creatures of this world? The Zoo has reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds. Did you know that the SA Zoo has a “Lucky” elephant from Asia? Or that the Zoo offers special classes for Tiny Tots and Wild Beginnings for ages 2-5? They also have summer camps and birthday party packages.

This Zoo has so much to offer for all ages and is a great place to spend an afternoon on a beautiful day. The zookeepers and volunteers do a lot to make this a safe, enjoyable and educational experience. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful zoo right in the heart of San Antonio. Take advantage of having it close by and pack a stroller! Your kids will have a blast!

Go here http://sazoo-aq.org to learn more about when classes are offered, events are held or to learn more about planning the perfect party for your animal lovers birthday party!

Posted in Eat, Family, Party, Play | 1 Comment »

Deal of the Day

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

My sister shared with me a website that sounds pretty darn cool. Some of you may be internet shoppers or coupon savers and this is a site you must know more about!

There is a website that you can order daily discount coupons for the best places in San Antonio . You can click on the website below. It is a company that has one deal a day and you can get a least 50% off if you order that day. The best news is that you don’t have to pay to sign up AND you buy only the coupons that interest you. My sister has ordered several and they work great. Sometimes it’s for a massage, restaruant, or clothing store. You never know what the next day will be.

For example, today’s deal is for the Little Aussie Bakery and Cafe. The deal is you pay for a $10 coupon but the coupon is worth $25. This coupon is good for one year from when it was purchased. 220 have already been sold today and there are quite a few hours left in the day. Anyway, check it out, the website explains everything. Just thought I’d save y’all some money.

http://groupon.com/san-antonio

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Two Brothers BBQ Market

Monday, January 18th, 2010

After a weekend out of town I come back to my 2 kids talking all about this super cool restaurant they went to with their Aunts and Uncle. My son kept telling us they had a great play ground and my daughter was going on about the yummy BBQ sauce.

I decided to check the place out first thing today and wanted to make sure you knew about Two Bros. BBQ Market. It will definitely be a place we visit more frequently. The restuarant is open 7 days a week and located at 12656 West Avenue in San Antonio. They serve classic Texas style BBQ in a wonderful family atmosphere. They feature brisket, pork, sausage, chicken, ribs, and shrimp. Once you pick your meat you get to chose from a good amount of sides which include stuffed jalepenos, wedge salad, coleslaw, corn, potato salad, beans and delicious mac n cheese for the little ones. Two Brothers also caters for large partys or you can call in an order and pick it up for dinner at home.

Here is just one more great kid friendly restaurant that serves good food and offers a playground for your kids to run around while you sit on their patio and enjoy the day. Their BBQ is delicious too!

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Stella & Dot

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Stella & Dot is a fabulous jewelry line that you must check out. This jewelry is well made, trendy, super attractive and will help make your outfit become the new best outfit out of your closet when you add a good piece of jewelry to it.

This company runs a business model similar to Mary Kay or Scentsy. There are local reps that you can contact to host a Stella & Dot party. Some of their newer pieces will be displayed and catalogs are available at the party. You enjoy a night out with your friends and shop for that special piece that you just can’t live without.

Stephanie Menn is a local sales stylist for the area and she is ready for you to book a party today! If you are looking for a reason to have your friends over, need some new jewelry or want to see all that Stell & Dot has to offer check out http://stelladot.com/sites/stephmenn to learn more. You will not be disappointed with the quality of this jewelry! There is an incentive for the month of January too. If you host a Stella & Dot party during the month of January you will receive an additional $75 free jewelry for trunk shows that sell more than $500! Check out the web site for a sneak peak of the new spring line that just launched and book your party for this month so you can get free jewelry for the spring! You can also reach Stephanie Menn at 830-446-2000.

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Alamo Draft House

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

To all my favorite movie fanatics or those that are looking for great date night, girls night out, or even group events….check out the new and super clean Alamo Draft House Cinema Park North at 618 NW Loop 410. This theater offers a different experience that is much more enjoyable, comfortable and a one stop shop for a night out on the town.

Alamo Draft House offers a full menu of yummy foods and snacks from pizza to sandwiches. You can even order a glass of wine or cold beer and everything is brought to you by a server while you sit and enjoy a movie! They offer group rates if you need to plan a large party or corporate event too. Check out Alamo Draft House next time you have a movie on your list that you are wanting to check off. Your experience will make you come back again!

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Willie’s Icehouse

Monday, December 7th, 2009

If you are looking for a kid friendly restaurant with great food and easy atmosphere ,Willie’s would be a wonderful choice. This restaurant has a good balance of good food and good fun. The kids can play in their sand box full of toys and the adults can enjoy a cold beer, margarita or glass of wine. They serve everything from hamburgers, salads, chicken, ribs and seafood. The kids meals are large so most of your little ones could even split a kids meal.

Willie’s has 3 locations in SA. Highland Village off of 281, Leon Spring off of I-1o and Military Dr off of 1604. When the weather is nice their patio is a great option for dining or meeting your friends for a drink. Willie’s caters to parties and also has a E-club for kids. They email you coupons for free appetizers or promotions that they will be running. Stop in and grab a bite to eat and ask to fill out the membership card so you get included on their E-club deals. Check here for more information about Willie’s Icehouse.