Mom Hacks Monday - An Apron at Meals

One thing that I see lots of moms struggling with is keeping food off of the kids' clothes at meals and snacks. We have found a simple solution that works very well for us.  We get dressed before breakfast every day and wear the same clothes until bedtime, unless there is a special occasion, without too many mishaps.  Our secret to clean clothes?

Look at how cute they were!  I can't believe this was just a year and a half ago!

They each have full aprons that cover their clothes.  They hang on the back of each child's chair and the kids know to pop them on when we are sitting down to eat!  Actually, now that they are a bit older, they only put them on for messy meals, but it used to be for EVERY meal.  The apron gets dirty, and the outfit stays clean.  When we are done eating breakfast, even if we have to dash out the door, we just wipe hands and faces and head out!

So there you have it!  The apron is not just for baking anymore!

Foodie Friday - Dairy Free Sour Cream Replacement

When we went dairy and soy free four years ago, finding replacements for things to eat was a big priority.  We reveled in dairy at our house, and giving it up was NOT easy business, let me assure you!  Many a tear was shed.  Some things were quickly found - I HATE hemp milk, but can stomach rice milk.  Some things took more time - we finally found a cheese substitute that worked for us a year or so ago.  And some things just seemed like a lost cause - cream cheese and sour cream in particular.

So, I gave up baked potatoes, sour cream on burritos, beef stroganoff, and many other things that I loved to eat.  And I just didn't eat them for about 3 years.  And then, one day, my husband suggested something that just sounded funny. Why not have mayonnaise on my baked potato?  I crinkled up my nose and looked skeptical, but he pointed out that I prefer mayo on my french fries.  So, I tried it.  And let me just say, HEAVEN!  Who would have thought?  But after I DID think about it, the whole thing made sense.  The texture of mayo is about the same as the texture of sour cream.  It mixes up about the same.  Both have that faint tang...  Yes, the mayo on the baked potato became a fixture.

Then, I tried it on sweet potato, and oh my!  Really, try it sometime.  So good!  And that is where I kept it for about a year.  Then, I looked at my tostada one night, wishing I had some sour cream for it and Papa again suggested the mayo.  Again, I crinkled up my nose and looked skeptical.  But I whipped the mayo out much faster this time and gave it a try.  I will never go without again!

I know it may sound crazy, but mayonnaise is an excellent sour cream sub, although I'm yet to try cooking it yet.  I think I'm going to try a beef stroganoff soon...