In a bowl, mix 2 bars of Philly cream cheese with 1 cup of salsa (pick your spice level)

Spread on tortillas, roll and slice so they now make a circular “coin”. The kids make these themselves! Awesome and VERY pretty on a platter for guests- nice finger food!

My son’s teacher has done an excellent job making sure that her students know that they need to go to bed early the night before and eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast on test day. So my son has mentioned several times over the past week that he needs to eat something good on Wednesday morning. I asked him what exactly that entails- should I get up extra early to make him some eggs and sausage or will a steaming bowl of oatmeal do the trick? Eggs sounds alright, but then a light bulb popped up outside of his head and he said that he needed to eat blueberries. What a smart child, I thought. He knows that blueberries boost brain power.

I’ve decided to make him a smoothie and bought some frozen organic blueberries. I’m hoping that the prospect of a fresh blueberry smoothie will make him to go to bed early, just like on Christmas Eve, when he’s anxious to see what’s under the tree in the morning. I think he’s looking forward to testing day!

Last Friday, as I was shopping at the Central Market Westgate location, I noticed a bunch of items in the produce section that looked interesting. As my husband was at home with the kids that day, I had lots of time to actually look at things. There were no little bodies contorting in positions that I had no clue the human body was capable of getting into, just to try to climb out of the shopping cart. No nine year old complaining that he’s not going to eat whatever it is I am choosing for dinner. I didn’t have any complainers with me that day, begging me to hurry up and finish this horrible thing called shopping. So I mossied my way over there and it was quite possibly the best food find in years. There were probably ten different pre-prepped items to choose from, everything from soups to pasta and stir-fry dishes. I picked out the vegetarian chili.

The experience was a great one. I felt like I made a meal from scratch because it still required cooking, mixing and measuring, but the long process of dicing and chopping was taken away. The oven was on, roasting the vegetables and then it cooked on the stove top for another 20 minutes. Best of all was that I didn’t have to figure out what I was making. It was there, right in front of me, a plethora of choices already made with not too much thinking involved. See, isn’t that wonderful and just what all of us moms need? Really, who likes to think that much about cooking everyday when there is always so much more to think about? And when feeding your family healthy foods is important to you, this is truly a solution to a very common everyday problem.

Now I know that Central Market isn’t convenient to everyone, especially people living in the burbs. If you can stop by on your way home from work or plan ahead and make a trip on the weekend, this is a great way to serve up a healthy, delicious dinner for your family. If you work in Austin, you can stop in for lunch and grab one to store in the fridge at work until you are ready to go home. I used to do this when I was working and it saved a lot of time in the evening rush. They do require additional ingredients, so make sure to check the back of the package for whatever else it calls for. Total cost is about $10 for all ingredients needed. Plus, if you hide the package, your family will be none the wiser!

I am a new mom of a baby boy and I live in North Austin. I am exhausted but really wanting to celebrate the new year with my new baby and try to establish a tradition now. I have never put much thought into this before and have always just gone with the flow of things, but am feeling a bit anxious now that I am responsible for someone else’s memories. Can you ask your readers for some suggestions to inspire me?

So, tell us how you and yours celebrate. Do you make a special meal every year and if so, what is the recipe? Do you celebrate by watching a movie, curled up with the kids under a blanket? Is there a special bottle of wine or champagne that you enjoy drinking for the new year celebration? Does your family make resolutions together on New Year’s Eve or are they done in private?

I remember the panic that I felt when I first realized that I had a direct hand in making nice holiday memories and traditions for my children. Share your stories and help to relive some stress from other mommies!