profile

Mama Knows Nutrition

Subscribe to get weekly inspiration with kid-friendly recipes, my personal meal plans, quick nutrition tips, and relatable mom tales that will make you smile, laugh, or cry, depending on what kind of week I'm having!

Kacie Barnes On Computer
Featured Post

Top 13 Amazon Spring Sale Picks! ✨

Hey Reader, I wanted to share some of my favorite things that are on sale on Amazon for a few days only! These are all items we use and love and I highly recommend! Let’s start the countdown…. 13: This item saves my sanity on days when I can't get outside or have to spend a lot of time working at my desk. It's my favorite way to get my steps in! 12: This waterproof necklace is so chic (and affordable)! I love ALL of my jewelry from Hey Harper because I can wear it to the pool, in the shower,...

No-Bake Oatmeal Balls on Baking Sheet

Hi Reader, Raise your hand if you have a picky eater? 🙋♀️🙋♂️ Welcome to Our Latest Free Resource: The Picky Eater Toolkit! I am SO EXCITED to share this new picky eater resource with you! If you're feeling the frustration of trying to expand your picky eater's palate, we’ve got something that can help! I wanted to create something for the mom that doesn’t have time or energy to overhaul mealtimes, but still wants to do something to get her kid eating better. So there’s two parts to it… In...

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Hi Reader, I recently stumbled upon some information that left me absolutely floored, and I had to share it with you. You know those big food companies that fill grocery shelves with ultra-processed foods that are extra tasty but very low on nutrition? Well, it turns out some of them have also owned major weight loss programs… So, the same companies encouraging us to indulge are also profiting from our desire to lose weight. It’s a cycle that keeps people bouncing between overindulgence and...

Toddler Boy Eating Yogurt With a Spoon

Hi Reader, I expected writing a book to be challenging—finding the right words, fighting off self-doubt, resisting the urge to delete EVERYTHING and just give up. What I wasn’t prepared for? Being immediately upstaged by my 7-year-old. Yesterday after school, I sat Emilia down, excited to share my big news. "Emilia, guess what? I'm writing a book!" I told her, bracing for excitement. She barely looked up. "Mm. I’m writing a book too." She immediately launched into a detailed explanation of...

Broccoli Tots on Plate With Bowl of Ketchup

Hi Reader, I have been suffering from an affliction for the past ten years. Something so unpleasant, so intrusive, so downright cringey that I’ve never told another soul. Not even Ben—my husband of nearly 13 years, my most trusted confidant, the man who has seen me at my worst (including the time my water broke, I went into labor, and then decided to bake a few lasagnas to stock our freezer before heading to the hospital). What could be so horrifying that I can’t even confess it to him? It...

Little Boy Lifting Spoon to Open Mouth

Hi Reader, Are you feeling like this is the season of never-ending…everything? Everyone I know is busy, is juggling sick kids and just trying to stay afloat on their to-do lists. In the spirit of making a few things easier, I wanted to share a few of the Mama Knows Nutrition team’s favorite crock pot meals! While I know picky eaters aren’t often fans of things mixed together, most of these have elements that can *fairly* easily be separated and served individually. Check these out and see if...

Blended White Bean Soup in a White Bowl with Spoon

Hi Reader, My kids have been asking for allowance for awhile now…do you do allowance at your house? Of course I had to read up on best practices because that’s just my personality. I’m sure it would do me good to trust my own parenting instincts more, but when I have so much info at my fingertips…I just can’t help myself. But like, my kids have absolutely no concept of money. It’s not their fault. They think credit cards are just endless sources of funds, and I get why they think that! That’s...

Loaf of Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips in Baking Pan

Hey Reader, I’ve been a parent for ten years now, which means I’ve entered my “cynical about everything” era. And with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, all I can think about is the tidal wave of tiny junk that’s about to flood my house. I already know where I’ll find it—between couch cushions, on my pillow, scattered across the kitchen table, under beds, in the bathroom… just absolutely everywhere except the trash can, where it belongs. Now, don’t get me wrong—I loved Valentine’s Day as a kid....

Plate with Orange Slices and Breakfast Cookie

Hey Reader, I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole “parenting gets easier as kids grow” thing lately. I know it doesn’t always feel that way in the moment—trust me, I’ve been there with the sleepless nights, food battles, and the never-ending to-do list. But as our kids get bigger, they start to surprise us in all sorts of ways. The tantrums fade, the bedtime battles get shorter, and suddenly, you can have a real conversation about their day (without the meltdown). Don’t get me wrong, there...

Three Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies

Hi Reader, I’m officially quitting Mama Knows Nutrition for the next month because my new full-time job is registering my kids for summer camps. It’s a high-stress gig (those camp spots disappear fast!) with negative pay, and a lot of screaming (mostly mine). Okay, I’m joking, but only kind of! Every year, I block out how painful this process is, only to be ambushed by it again. And seriously, how am I supposed to predict what June Me needs? June Me is a total wild card! She could want...