Five Healthy Kids

Crock pot chicken and rice soup

2012-02-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Tried this recipe on pintrest and loved it! Everyone in my family liked it, and it is made with chicken, brown rice, and 8 cups of hidden vegetables! The only thing I changed in the recipe is that I put the chicken in frozen, and then I pulled it out before serving and put it in my mixer with the paddle attachment on low for 30 seconds to make it shredded chicken. I guesstimate that this soup has about 120 calories per 1 Cup (for the moms and dads that want to look good in a swimsuit in a couple of weeks for vacation;). Click on the link for the website I got this recipe from.

The Ingredients.

--2 boxes of chicken broth

--1 cup of uncooked brown rice

--1 cup of water

--1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

--1 1/2-2 cups almost purreed vegetables (I used celery, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, a red bell pepper, and green onion). Just fill up your vitamix to the top with veggies. Then puree into a mush and put the muss in the crockpot.

--1 t herbs de provence (sounds fancy)

--salt and pepper to taste after cooking

The Directions:

using a food processer, blender or hand chopper, chop up all the vegetables into whatever sized pieces your family likes.

I don't have a food processer, so I used the Vita Mix.

Then cook on low for 10 hours, or high for 5 hours (I am just guessing).

Serve with a whole grain loaf of bread and a little butter and jam.

Foil Dinners

2012-01-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

I always have a hard time coming up with a weekly menu that is easy, healthy, and yummy!

I had a request a few months back for some dinner ideas that are healthy, and easy and that her kids would eat.

I think foil dinners are a perfect meal that is easy, yummy and healthy!

Here is the general recipe and some tips on how to make it healthier.

Makes 8

2 lbs super lean ground beef (ours came from a grass fed cow in ID that my friend Corrine named Blackie 2)

8 Carrots, sliced

8 small potatoes, sliced

1/2 puple onion, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

Some parsley, chopped

Some olive oil for the potatoes

no season salt, salt, garlic powder, and hamburger seasoning.

Mix the hamburger with the onion and spices. Divide up the hamburger making a patty in their own separate foil in the shape of a patty.

Place the potatoes in a bowl and mix well with about 1 T olive oil.

Divide the potatoes up evenly and place on top of the ground beef. Then place the sliced carrots and bell pepper on top of those.

Fold the foil sealing the side. Double wrap in foil if desired.

Cook for about 1 hour on 350 degrees.

Tips:

These can be made ahead of time and then just placed in the oven. Just put some lemon juice with the olive oil on the potatoes.
If you are trying to get your family to eat more veggies, do 2 carrots per person instead of just one.
you don't need to peel the potatoes. The skin will give you extra fiber. Just wash them really well.
Use organic ketchup, it is less sweet and doesn't have HFCS in it. (We like ours with ketchup!)

My new 10 min Popsicle Maker!

2012-01-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

I got an X-press Pop popsicle maker for Christmas. I gave one to my sister-in-law, and then asked my husband to get me one. I was hoping that it worked well, and . . . . . I LOVE it! My kids are always wanting me to make popsicles, and I usually make a big batch of smoothies in the morning and then freeze the leftovers, but then they have to wait a few hours before they can have some. Not anymore! I can make 8 popsicles in 20 minutes!

It works like most modern ice cream makers that you use at home. You keep the unit in the freezer and then you pour the liquid in it and put the popsicle sticks in. 10 minutes later you have made 4 popsicles.

I bought the one for my sis-in-law at Bed Bath and Beyond. It is priced at $30.00, and then, of course, you can use your 20% off coupon bringing the price down to $24.00. They sell one on Amazon for $50.00 that has great reviews, but this one works great, so why pay twice the price? It comes with 8 popsicle sticks and this cool remover tool that gets the popsicle sticks out in a snap by just tilting it to the side.

Here is a smoothie recipe idea for some popsicles

4 kewi, skins removed

4 cups frozen strawberries

1 peeled banana

2 cups of OJ

1 Tablespoon (or more if you want it really sweet) of agave syrup

Super yummy, and super healthy for the kids!

Are you feeding your children the "worst" sugar cereal?

2011-12-08T08:28:00.001-08:00

WARNING: The Following Breakfast Cereals Contain More Sugar Than A Twinkie

Dina Spector | Dec. 8, 2011, 10:01 AM | 579 | 3

Image: Flickr

Most parents probably wouldn't knowingly serve their child a Twinkie for breakfast.

Unfortunately, an alarming amount of sweetened breakfast cereals, popular with the younger set, are just as unhealthy as the iconic creme-filled snack cake and many other packaged desserts.

The Environmental Working Group analyzed the nutrition labels of 84 popular children' cereals and found that more half of the brands they reviewed deliver more sugar than three Chips Ahoy! cookies.

Three cereals — Kellogg's Honey Smacks, Post Golden Crisp, and General Mills Wheaties Fuel—contain more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie.

A shocking 75% of cereals did not meet the voluntary nutritional guidelines proposed by the International Working Group, a federal advisory board responsible for foods marketed to children.

The IWG recommends that children's cereal have no more than 26% sugar by weight. Most of the breakfast cereals that made EWG's worst list exceed the government's proposed limit by nearly double.

Take a look at the list below:

1. Kellogg's Honey Smacks—55% sugar
2. Post Golden Crisp—51.9% sugar
3. Kellogg's Froot Loops Marshmallow—48.3% sugar
4. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's OOPS! All Berries—46.9% sugar
5. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch Original—44.4% sugar
6. Quaker Oats Oh!s—44.4% sugar
7. Kellogg's Smorz—43.3% sugar
8. Kellogg's Apple Jacks —42.9% sugar
9. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries—42.3% sugar
10. Kellogg's Froot Loops Original—41.4% sugar

So what's the issue? Child obesity rates are climbing as a result of eating foods high in sugar. Meanwhile, manufacturers of sugary cereals spend upwards of $20 million a year in advertising targeting the youth market.

"Somehow, reading a nutrition label and seeing that Honey Smacks has 20 grams (that's nearly five teaspoons) of sugar per serving does not have the same impact as slapping a label on the box that reads, "Warning: Equivalent to Eating a Twinkie," says Tom Laskawy of Grist.

General Mills recently argued that that kids won't like their cereal if they reduce the sugar content anymore than they already have over the last few years. Maybe that's a good thing.

Saturated fats not bad for you?

2011-07-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law forwarded this on to me. To sum up, several studies have been done that show that saturated fat doesn't raise your cholesterol, but in fact simple sugar, particularly High-fructose-corn syrup, does raise your risk of heart disease, cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

I listened to a lecture given to med students that said pretty much the same things. The lecturer said that the study that showed that saturated fat raised cholesterol didn't cross reference the study, and they based their findings on other countries whose diets where low in saturated fat (think Italy, Japan), but these countries also have diets low in SUGAR!

So here is the link, and here is the article that I copy and pasted from that link.

You're correct that my thinking on saturated fat has evolved. One catalyst was a scientific analysis of 21 earlier studies, which showed "no significant evidence" that saturated fat in the diet is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. The 21 studies analyzed included nearly 348,000 participants, most of whom were healthy when they were enrolled. They were followed for five to 23 years, during which 11,000 developed heart disease or had a stroke. Looking back at the dietary information collected from these thousands of participants, the investigators found no difference in the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, or coronary vascular disease between those individuals with the lowest and highest intakes of saturated fat. This goes completely against the conventional medical wisdom of the past 40 years. It now appears that many studies used to support the low-fat recommendation had serious flaws.

In the meantime, as nutritionists have been recommending low-fat foods, consumption of added sweeteners, especially high-fructose corn syrup, has been steadily rising. This may be at least partially due to the fact that low-fat prepared foods are often highly sweetened. A study from Emory University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in April, 2010, showed that sweeteners appear to lower levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol and raise triglycerides. Both of these effects increase the risk of heart disease. What's more, through their direct effects on insulin and blood sugar, refined starches and sugars are more likely than saturated fat to be the main dietary cause of coronary heart disease and type-2 diabetes.

Another study, published in the Dec. 21, 2010 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine,showed that a natural substance in dairy fat, trans-palmitoleic acid, may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (and, as result, of heart disease). The research team from the Harvard School of Public Health looked at more than 3,700 men and women age 65 or older in a National Institutes of Health funded Cardiovascular Health Study who had been followed for 20 years to evaluate risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in older adults. The investigators found that participants who reported eating more whole-fat dairy products had higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid in their blood. Over the following years those men and women who had the higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid were about 60 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those whose blood levels of trans-palmitoleic were lowest.

In addition, the findings from two other studies conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health on the health effects of dairy products are intriguing. One found that consumption of low-fat dairy foods contributed to infertility caused by failure to ovulate, while consumption of full-fat dairy foods may help the problem. The second showed that drinking skim milk was associated with a higher incidence of acne in teenage boys.

Given the results of these studies, I no longer recommend choosing low-fat dairy products. I believe the healthier choice is high-quality, organic dairy foods in moderation. My personal choice would be high-quality, natural cheese a few times a week. I don't advise eating saturated fat with abandon, because the foods that are full of it (salty bacon, conventionally raised beef, processed cheese) are often not the best for our health. Try to limit it to about ten percent of daily calories. You may choose to use your "budget" of saturated fat calories on ice cream, butter or high-quality natural cheese, or even an occasional steak (from organic, grass-fed, grass-finished cattle, please). I still recommended skinless chicken and turkey because poultry fat (concentrated just beneath the skin) contains arachidonic acid, which promotes inflammation. I also still recommend strictly avoiding foods that contain chemically altered fats (such as hydrogenated vegetable oils found in many prepared foods), as these do appear to raise cardiovascular disease risk.

Continue to emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and limit sweeteners and other high-glycemic-load carbs.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

2011-06-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Friday night, and on there they had a single dad of 2 boys who took his family out to eat fast food at least once a day.

Jamie had the Dad go get fast food at a fast food place they usually went to while Jamie and the boys made dinner. It was a race to see who could get it done faster, and cheaper.

The Dad took 45 minutes and spent $30

Jamie and the boys took 30 minutes and spent $22. They made chicken with fresh tomato sauce on top, a really yummy looking shredded salad with homemade vinaigrette, and a yummy looking lime drink.

I guess that doesn't include the time it takes at the store, but most of us try to only go to the grocery store once a week.

I was about to take my kids to Arby's Sat, cuz my husband has been out of town for over a week, and the kids were restless, but then I remembered Jamie's great example of cooking a homemade meal, and I put myself to the challenge.

I put all 5 of my kids in aprons and put them to work. 28 minutes later we had rice (white cuz we were doing it fast), with orange ginger chicken stir fry. My kids LOVED it. Not all of them ate every single veggie, but they tried eat one and they all at least liked one of them. I think the whole meal cost me about $5, and we had left overs.

To make the meal extra special, we used chop sticks. Have you ever seen those chopstick holders for kids? We used those too.

We did have a pot and pan to clean up, and some plates, but as soon as we get some more paper plates, things will be great around here!

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Brown or White rice cooked

About 3 chicken breasts diced up

1 bunch asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces

handful of broccoli

2 small zucchini cut into 1 inch slices

Minced ginger

soy sauce

orange juice

While the rice is cooking, add chicken and 1 Tablespoon oil (we used olive and sesame) to a pan. After chicken is browned up (3 minutes?) add asparagus. After a couple more minutes, add the broccoli, and after 2 more minutes add the zucchini. Add about 1/4 C water, 1 T soy sauce, and about 1-2 T. ginger. I like the minced ginger that they sell in a tube that you keep in the fridge. Then add about 1/4 Cup of orange juice and cook till everything is done and juice is sticky.

Food Imposters, plus a smoothie recipe!

2011-06-11T02:25:00.000-07:00

My husband emailed me this link, which I found very helpful. It is a bit drastic of a list, depending on where you are at in your "food journey", but every bit of information helps for your decision of what will go into your body. Notice that these are these are not the worst foods, but the worst food that seem like they are good for you, but are NOT.

Here are seven of the worst healthy food imposters:

#1: Farm-Raised Salmon

There’s no comparison between farm-raised salmon and the wild variety. Farm-raised salmon have up to eight times the level of carcinogenic PCBs as wild salmon, and they’re lower in omega-3 fats. Plus, these penned salmon are fed grain and fishmeal, not to mention a ton of antibiotics, and they don’t have nearly as high nutritional value as their wild relatives.

In addition, wild salmon get their red color from astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that comes from their natural food source, krill. Farmed salmon get their color artificially from a color wheel.

#2: Supermarket Cereals

With few exceptions, most supermarket cereals are fiber lightweights. The overwhelming majority are loaded with sugar. Most have a very high glycemic impact, meaning they raise blood sugar quickly, contributing to mood swings and energy dips. Whole grains are better, but only marginally, and people who are sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations will still need to be careful.

The best cereals are old-fashioned oatmeal, and a few grocery store standouts, such as Fiber One and All-Bran. Most of the others? Not so good. Look for those that pass the “5 and 5” rule: less than 5 grams of sugar, more than 5 grams of fiber.

#3: Bars

Whether you call them energy bars, protein bars, granola bars, or breakfast, most are simply chewy versions of candy bars. They usually have very little fiber, lots of processed carbs, and a ton of sugar.

You’re better off “rolling your own” out of raw oats, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, raisins, and a dollop of raw organic honey.

#4: Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt is a prime example of marketing triumphing over good sense. The only thing frozen yogurt has in common with real yogurt is that they’re both white.

Real yogurt—one of the healthiest foods on earth—is loaded with live cultures that support your digestive health. The live culture content of frozen yogurt is precisely zero.

What’s more, frozen yogurt is usually filled with chemicals and artificial sweeteners, which can cause cravings just like sugar. You’re better off with real, creamy, organic ice cream. Just don’t eat too much.

#5: Canola Oil

Sounds sacrilegious, but canola oil isn’t such a health bargain. Conventional canola oil is processed with high-temperature, mechanical pressing. It goes through caustic refining, bleaching, and de-gumming.

The high temperatures needed to extract the oil from the rapeseed plant make it’s highly touted omega-3’s rancid and foul smelling, requiring them to be deodorized, a process that can create trans fats. Unless it’s cold-pressed and organic, stay away.

#6: Egg-White Omelets

While these aren’t exactly unhealthy, they are utterly unnecessary. The whole concept of egg white omelets is left over from the 80’s obsession with low fatanything. And when it comes to eggs, it’s a huge mistake.

The yolk contains the superstars of eye nutrition, lutein and xeazanthin, which need fat to be absorbed properly. Egg yolks are also an important sourcephosphatidylcholine, an important nutrient for brain health.

And you can forget the fat issue. Half the fat in the yolk isn’t even saturated to begin with and the saturated part is good for you!

#7: Apple Juice

Apples, good. Apple juice? Not so much.

One cup of apple juice has zero fiber, 117 calories, and 29 grams of carbs, 27 of which are sugar (and your typical serving is a lot more than a cup). Sorry, but that’s not a health drink. It’s sugar water with apple flavoring.

The implications of giving our kids 8 cups a day of this stuff is just now beginning to be understood. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but apple juice just may necessitate a few house calls in the future.

I think my favorite one is #7 about the juice. I think that we forget that when we make juice, we take out the fiber which means that the sugar is going to go straight to our blood stream. Smoothies are a great way to make kids feel like they are drinking juice when really they are having the whole fruit.

Smoothie Recipe

My favorite recipe has been this one. I have been making popsicles out of them too.

1 peeled and diced mango

Juice of one fresh lime

4 C. frozen strawberries

1 cup milk

1 cup plain yogurt

3 cups water

1 banana

1 t agave nectar

The kids have loved this recipe!

Agave plus lime juice also makes a great dressing on a fruit salad.

What is for dinner? Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

2011-06-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my new cookbook that I got from my friend Casey for my birthday. All 5 of my kids ate it and liked it. One of them didn't eat much, but she says she liked it. It says that it takes 35 min to make and 30 min to bake, but I left out the baking part and it was a really fast meal with 1 pot, 1 pan, and a cutting board to clean up.

5 Cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes (this ended up being only 2 big ones)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons canola oil

3 1/2 cups diced onions (I did one large which was 2 cups)

4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 Tablespoon minced fresh green chile (I left this out since I didn't have any)

4 teaspoons cumin

4 teaspoons coriander

4 1/5 Cups cooked black beans (three 15 ounce cans, drained)

2/3 Cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

8 eight inch flour tortillas

Fresh Salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or not)

Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and add the onions, garlic and chile. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Ina food processor (I used my vitamix on a low setting), combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt and cooked sweet potatoes and puree until smooth. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices (I did this my pan that I cooked the onions in).

Option #1 Lightly oil a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot. Serve topped with salsa.

Option #2 Spoon about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, on a microwavable plate. Put a bunch of shredded cheese on top and microwave for 1 minute, or until cheese is melted.

Top with fresh salsa

Each serving has 8 grams of fiber, 20 grams of protein, and about 550 calories.

Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit on sale on Amazon

2011-05-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is a really good deal on something my kids really love. Clif Kids Organic Twisted Fruit variety pack. Kinda like fruit leathers, but even better! Ends up being .56 cents a piece when you do the subscribe and save. If you have never tried the subscribe and save on Amazon, it is really easy. You can cancel anytime. I even recently signed up for diapers and then canceled it the next day (potty training), and it was as easy as a click of a button. I blogged about these fruit twists almost 2 years ago. Click here to see that blog post.

Jamie Oliver is at it again!

2011-04-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

Last night Jamie Oliver's food revulution was on again with an all new season. I haven't finished the show, but here are some highlights of the night.

Jamie has 4 kids and has moved to LA with his family. I don't know how permanent this is, but I loved seeing him with his kids. Too cute!
Ground beef can have up to 15% of what they call "pig slime" in it. It isn't pig, but it is worse. They take all the parts of the cow that are not edible, put it through a centrifuge to separate out the little pieces of meat, and then rinse the meat with a mixture of ammonia and water to kill all the bacteria since it comes from the stomach of the cow and such. Then they "rinse" it and grind it up. The real shocker is that they don't have to put ammonia on the ingredient list because it is part of the "processing of the the meat"!!!!!!!! Yes, this is in the school lunch hamburgers, and no, it isn't on the list of ingredients.
LA has ban Jamie from their entire school district!
LA has a central kitchen where the food is made and then it is shipped around to the different schools. Nothing is fresh and most of it is heated up in plastic bags (think BPA)

It is so fascinating to watch! Hope you will tune in to ABC Tuesday nights 7/8 central. Click here for more info on the show

BPA FREE

2011-03-29T13:11:00.001-07:00

My sister in law Katy sent me this article about Toxins in our diet from one of my favorite shows, the biggest loser. Julian Michael's says we should avoid certain plastics that have BPA in them.

"Bisphenol A (BPA): BPAs are chemical compounds that are added to plastics to make them more durable; they're most commonly found in the linings of food containers, beverage cans, some baby bottles, and drinking bottles, and they can leach out into foods and liquids. Harmful side effects from consuming them can include increased risk of breast and prostate cancers, infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and insulin resistance (which, in turn, can lead to type 2 diabetes). To be safe, store foods in glass containers, drink from stainless steel water bottles, and do your best to avoid canned foods."

The biggest no no is to warm up food in plastic with BPA in it. If you still have plastic tuperware that you are using to store your leftovers in, then consider getting a set of glass storage containers. You can find a nice set from Costco for only $15.

Update! My sister Julie went and bought a set yesterday and it was $30, but sometimes they have a coupon for $5 off. See her comments below. Still worth it!

Annie's Mac and Cheese on sale this week at Smith's!

2011-03-24T08:38:00.001-07:00

If you live around a Smith's food and Drug, then you need to know about the great sale they have this week. About 4 different varieties of the Annie's Mac and cheese are only .49 cents each when you buy 10! They are usually $1.99 each, but they are on sale for .99 cents each and then when you buy 10 of them you get $5 off when you check out.

I have been feeding my kids annies for sometime now because they don't have any food coloring or hydrogenated fats in them. They also are made with organic pasta. This is really the best deal I have found on them.

Sale goes through Tuesday March 29th, 2011!

UPDATE on McDonald's Hamburgers . . . Good Science vs. Bad Science

2011-03-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

So do you remember that post I did about the McDonalds hamburger that was almost a year old and still looked the same? Well my daughter Amanda needed a science fair project, so I gave her that idea, and she was really excited about it.

The main difference between her experiment and the McDonald's hamburger that stayed the same is that she used a control . . . a homemade hamburger! If you don't have a control, then it is all hype and NOT GOOD SCIENCE!

This is what she did . . . Took a plain McDonald's 1/4 pounder hamburger, and put it in a zip lock bag with a couple of slits in it (the thought of a hamburger rotting in the open grossed me out). Then she took and then a homemade 1/4 pound patty on a homemade hamburger bun and put that in a gallon zip lock bag with a couple slits in it. She then let them sit on top of our cupboards for 6 weeks and took pictures each week to see the change. I wrote the date on the bags with a permanent marker so we knew when each picture was taken.

Results:

After about 2 weeks, mold appeared on both hamburgers. Black mold on the homemade hamburger, and green and white mold on the McDonald's hamburger. More mold was on the homemade hamburger.

Conclusion:

Mold needs moister to grow, so by putting the hamburgers in ziplock bags, there was enough moister to allow the mold to grow.

When we were trying to figure out why our McD's burger got mold, but this other one did not, we came across this great website that took about 9 different hamburgers and put them under different environments. Some where kept in a container, and some in the open air. They came to the conclusion that the McDonald's hamburger's moister evaporated so quickly, that the mold didn't have a chance to grow. Click here to see the blog post.

We also found out that a McD's bun has a ton of preservatives in it. That is probably why the black mold (one of the most common molds) didn't grow on the McDonald's burger.

Here is the ingredients list of the bun:

Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast,soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.

I explained to Amanda that mold spores are literally everywhere! But, if they don't have the right environment (moister, heat, and sometime the right light, or darkness), then the mold will not grow. I remember learning about this in a biology class I had in college, and it grossed me out for weeks. They showed us a video of mold spores in slow motion.

Such a fun experiment. She won first prize too! Great science Amanda!

Simply Fruit

2011-03-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

We love jam in my family. We go through about 1 jar a week. We eat lots of PB&J sandwiches, have toast in the morning, and jam on a piece of bread is a great snack. It is really hard to find jam with no High-Fructose Corn Syrup in it (HFCS).

It is really fast to look on the back of the jar on the ingredients list to see if your jar has HFCS in it. Jam really only has 3 ingredients, 1. fruit, 2. sugar, 3. pectin.

My favorite jam is the simply fruit brand by smuckers. This kind is sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar. Walmart has the best price on this jam. I always stock up when I go there.

If it says "organic" on it, then it shouldn't have HFCS in it.

Costco has organic strawberry jam, and they have another kind of berry jam that is free from HFCS.

So if you are looking for a jam that is free of HFCS, look for simply fruit at Walmart, shop at Costco, or buy organic!

Thanks James for being my model for the Simply Fruit Jam!

Beach Day in the middle of Winter

2011-02-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

My girls love to get their swimsuits on and wear them around the house. To make it an official beach day in the middle of winter, you have to make a smoothie and put mini umbrellas in them of course. I bought the mini umbrellas at Target for a couple of dollars.

Today's smoothie consisted of

1 Cup OJ
4 Strawberries with the green parts still on
1 Cup ice
1 peeled orange
1 peeled banana
1 scoop strawberry ice cream

Super yummy!

Meatless Monday

2011-02-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

I have now joined the pledge to have meatless Mondays at my house. I have always tried to have 2 meatless meals a week, and I often cut the meat in half from a recipe. When I saw on another blog a "meatless Monday" logo, and just had to look into it.

You can go to www.meatlessmonday.com to find out more.

Here is some information I pulled off their blog about the benefits of eating meatless once a week.

Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

Read about these benefits below. But keep in mind that just going meatless is not enough. That’s why we give you the information you need to add healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives to your diet each week. Further, if you do eat meat on other days, we strongly recommend grass-fed, hormone-free, locally-raised options whenever possible.

Health Benefits

LIMIT CANCER RISK: Hundreds of studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. Both red and processed meat consumption are associated with colon cancer.
REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (for example, meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (for example, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%
FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study from Imperial College London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.
LIVE LONGER: Red and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.
IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.

Environmental Benefits

REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide . . . far more than transportation. And annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.
MINIMIZE WATER USAGE. The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound.
HELP REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE. On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S. Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein. Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.

If you would like to join me in the pledge of going meatless once a week, then visit their website and sign up. I even looked at their recipes to help me plan my menu for this week. We are going to try the butternut squash chili. Yummy!

Eat This . . . Not That!

2011-01-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

Just saw a depressing article about the worst sit-down restaurant foods you can order. Olive Garden's Salad and Bread sticks were on the list, along with a host of Cheesecake Factory foods. Take a look here to see if you favorite restaurant or food made the list.

I am going to make these up right here and now, but here are some guidelines for eating out with your family.

Don't order anything with Alfredo sauce!
Don't order anything deep fried.
Don't drink soda or juice with your meal
Don't let your child choose anything off the kids menu
Do share your meal with someone else (split it)- You can always eat something when you get home if you are still hungry.
Do order something with a side of vegetables instead of fries
Do give your child 2 or 3 of the healthiest options from the kids menu
Do share a dessert with at least one other person (or skip it)
Do drink water with your meal.

We try not to go out to eat more than once a week.

Here is some more info on the worst FREE foods:

THE #1 WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD: Olive Garden Bottomless Salad and Breadsticks
Garden-Fresh Salad (1 serving with dressing)
350 calories
26 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
1,930 mg sodium
22 g carbohydrates

Breadstick (1 with garlic butter spread)
150 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
400 mg sodium
28 g carbohydrates

Olive Garden wins the battle of the fattening freebies by a mile. The minute you sit down, you’re staring at bowls of bottomless breadsticks and “garden” salad. Bottomless, however, doesn’t describe what you’ll look like if you spend too much time grazing in the Garden. Just one serving of each will give you 25 percent of your day’s caloric intake, before you’ve taken your first bite of your actual meal. But wait: Aren’t salads “healthy”? Not in this Garden: The free salad alone has almost a full day’s worth of sodium. Unfortunately, Olive Garden is far from the only restaurant that’s really a dietary minefield. Check out this comprehensive slideshow of the 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/worst-free-restaurant-food

Hope this helps!

That is Henry making a mess at Aspen Grove Family Camp last summer. It was the only pic I could find of the kids eating out (we like going out to dinner without all 5 kids in tow!)

Bountiful Basket Co-Op

2011-01-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

I finally did it. . . . I tried out a food Co-Op. The one I tried is for fruits and vegetables. My sister Candee started doing it a few months ago, and she calls me to ask me how to use up a kind of vegetable that she got in her bountiful basket. They don't have it in every state, but these are the states that they have it.

Arizona
Idaho
Colorado
Nevada
Montana
Oregon
Texas
Utah
Wyoming
Washington

If you live in one of these states, you should check it out and see if they have a location near you. www.boutnifulbaskets.org

For $15 you can get the regular basket, or for $25 you can get the organic basket. They both have about half fruits, half vegetables. It is whatever fruits and vegetables are in season, and it is as local as they can get it. It is all volunteer run, so there is no overhead cost. I got all of what is pictured for $25. I think that is about half what I would pay for it at a grocery store. I tried the organic one. You do have to pick it up at 7am on a Sat morning, but you don't have to do it every Sat. You can do it as much or as little as you would like. You pay before you go, and you show them your printed out receipt.

Have you tried out something similar? Let me know if you live near me and want to take turns picking it up!!!!

My favorite bread?? Granny's Delight

2011-01-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

I hope that some of you can buy this bread. It is soft, moist, and my kids LOVE it. We go through at least 4 loaves a week. Costco has the best price on this bread for us, but while taking pictures, I noticed that it is made in UT, so I hope that they sell it where you live!

Just to give you an idea of how much my kids love this bread . . . they eat the heel, they eat the crust, they love just a slice for a snack.

Why does MOM love the bread?

Per Slice:

80 Calories

6 grams of fiber

Whole Grain

Great price!

If you can't find this bread, be sure that you try different kinds of bread. Be sure it is 100% whole wheat flour, has NO HFCS, and NO trans-fats! The less ingredients, the better!

What is your favorite healthy bread?

Thank you James for being my model!

Face Plates . . . Makes Eating Healthy Fun!

2011-01-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

My Sister Julie got these for my kids for Christmas this year. She told me that when she saw them, she just had to get them for us because it made her think of us. We used them the other night for the twins when I served up red beans and rice. The grapefruit and avocado are from the green salad we had that night. I usually give all of my kids at least parts of the green salad that we eat for dinner. I don't know too many kids that will eat lettuce (my older 2 eat it now), but they love the nuts, cheese and fruit that I usually put in my salads.

You can buy these at a few locations, but the cheapest I found was on Amazon . . . $10 for the boy face, and $12 for the girl face.

Another option is to JUST use food to make a face. I did a blog post on this a couple years ago when I made pizza faces.

If you are feeling very artsy, then I suggest you take a permanent marker and make a face on a paper plate and then fill in your food hair, and accessories on that.

Aren't these plates just something that you would have LOVED as a kid?

Thank you Julie! You were right on the money; we all love them! ;)

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad:

One Grapefruit (cut peel off with a knife, and section the grapefruit so that you don't have any of the membranes)

Squeeze the juice from the grapefruit into a bowl to use in your dressing.

Peel and cut up avocado.

1 head Romaine lettuce

Dressing:

Juice from the grapefruit (see above)

equal amount of olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Beans, Beans, the magical Fruit . . . . Red Beans and Rice for Dinner!

2011-01-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

All of my kids love to eat red beans and rice for dinner. It is a New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice. I make it from scratch, which sound intimidating, but really the hardest part is remembering to soak the beans the night before. I got this recipe from my Brother Scott and his wife Brenda. They put together a cook book of all their favorite recipes, and this is one of our favorites from their cookbook.

I usually make brown rice for dinner, but since this meal is served with beans, I serve it with white rice. A green salad tastes great with it, but I often don't have time or energy mid week to pull it off.

1/2 pound small red beans
1/2 pound ham hocks or smoked ham (or ham bone) (or just chop up 1 C. of ham and add it towards the end)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 T parsley, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 or 2 bay leaves
2 large cloves garlic, crushed

To add at the end

1/4 Cup butter (I usually cut this in half)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
a few shakes of Tabasco (and put the Tabasco on the table for those that like it spicy)

Serve with 3 Cups of cooked white rice

Soak the beans overnight. Rinse and drain the beans in the morning. Put beans, ham, celery, parsley, bell pepper, bay leaf, onion and garlic in a crock pot with about 4 C. of fresh water (NOT the same water you soaked the beans in). Cook on Low for about 8 hours. About 1 hour before eating, add the butter, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Remove the hame bone.

The best time to make red beans and rice is when you have had a ham and have a ham bone. Just throw the bone in the freezer in a zip lock bag until you are ready to make it.

Fiber Facts from an old post on fiber. Please Click here to get a refresher on fiber and beans.

Dietary fiber consists of non digestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants. This includes plant non starch polysaccharides (for example, cellulose, pectin, gums, hemicellulose, and fibers contained in oat and wheat bran), oligosaccharides, lignin, and some resistant starch.
Since fiber isn't digested, but rather "passed through", people who eat more fiber tend to be slimmer than those who eat less fiber.
Fiber helps control/prevent diabetes. A German clinical trial reported that eating fiber-enriched bread for only three days improved insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese women by 8%.
Fiber helps prevent heart disease. In a Harvard study of over 40,000 male health professionals, researchers found that a high total dietary fiber intake was linked to a 40% lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to a low-fiber intake.
Fiber helps your cholesterol. It appears that soluble fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines by binding with bile (which contains cholesterol) and dietary cholesterol so that the body excretes it.
Fiber helps relieve/prevent constipation. Some kids have this problem. It seem all too common.

The Best Whole Wheat Pasta

2010-12-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

I have started doing "couponing" so I signed up on all sorts of websites for free samples. My first free sample was of this Barilla Plus Pasta (I got one free and 5 buy one get one free coupons). I have tried whole wheat pasta for years, but I have never liked it very much . . . this one is GOOD! I don't even notice that I am eating whole wheat pasta. It has not just grains, but it is made with lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, barley, spelt, and oats! It has 4 grams of fiber per serving and omega-3 fatty acids (I am guessing that is from the flax seed). If you need a refresher of why Omega- 3 fatty-acids are good for you, go here, or here for more information.

Keep in mind that eating white pasta is just like eating white bread . . . low fiber, quickly digests and peaks your insulin, AND they have to add back some nutrients because it is only part of the whole grain.

Here is to a healthy and happy 2011!

Tomatoes

2010-12-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

My kids don't usually eat fresh tomatoes, but I don't know of too many kids that don't love spaghetti sauce! One very easy way to increase vegetable intake among the whole family is by using twice the amount of spaghetti sauce that you usually do. I do this by using one jar store bought sauce and adding to it. I will saute whatever veggies I have in the house in a little olive oil (zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic, onions, matchstick carrots . . .) and then add the jar of sauce, and then add a big can of tomatoes, but I usually put it in the blender first. I will add leftover chicken stock, fresh basil, fresh parsley . . . I do not each meat with our spaghetti, but if I have salami, or ham of some kind, I will add that too.

Not eating meat with your spaghetti is a great way to stay clear of red meat (I eat red meat, but only about once a week). If you want to start small, then just use half the amount of meat that your family used to eat with it. It also helps if you throw some kidney beans in with your green salad, or add some cheese onto your garlic toast (leave the butter off if you do this).
I really like Ragu cuz my family likes the taste, and it doesn't have any "bad" ingredients. You can often find it on sale for as low as $1.00 too.

My kids also LOVE tomato soup. Our favorite is Pacific Natural Foods Organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup.
My six year old ate 2 full bowls for lunch yesterday! We can find it at Costco in the winter and Smith's all year long. I think that Campbell's tomato soup has HFCS in it, but I have not checked on this in about a year, so if you have some in your cupboard, leave a comment with the answer.

The other thing that my 2 oldest kids like is salsa. Salsa is so good for you, and very low calorie (10 calories per serving). Encourage your kids to have a little bit on their eggs, breakfast burrito, and Mexican food.

Here are some fun facts about tomatoes

They help prevent prostate cancer
They are good for your eyes
Eating tomato sauce is really good for you too. All the nutrients are condensed since the water is usually boiled out. (you do lose the vit. C)
They are low calorie and high in fiber, Vit A and Vit C

A special Thanks to Henry for being my picture helper!

Cauliflower

2010-12-29T12:14:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a mom at a wedding reception, and she was telling me about how she doesn't know how to cook vegetables (except corn, carrots and celery). This was enough motivation to get me off my butt and blog again!

Cauliflower is often on sale during the winter. My kids love cauliflower because, 1. it isn't green 2. it takes on any flavor you give it 3. it has a soft texture when cooked.

Moms love it because it is really good for you! 1. It only has 14 calories per 1/2 cup 2. it has 1.5 grams of fiber 3. It has lots of anti-cancer properties (like broccoli).

Here are 2 of my kids favorite way to eat broccoli (the 3rd way I don't really have a recipe for, but it is Indian Style with lots of curry!)

Cauliflower Soup

For those of you that don't know, I don't really like to follow recipes. I don't do the bouquet garni. Just add ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon tarragon and a bay leaf and then puree it all up. :)

Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce

Cook cauliflower (boil or steam bite size pieces)

To make cheese sauce

Put about 1 Tablespoon butter in a sauce pan on med high heat. Melt. Add about 2 Tablespoons flour and cook for a minute with the butter. Add about 1 cup milk and whisk. Bring to a boil. Add about 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (and salt and pepper).

Once when Dallin was about 4, I convinced him that it was mac and cheese and he loved it! He Hee!

Food for Thought . . . Calories

2010-09-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

My husband found me another cool blog on calories. The thing that stuck out to me the most is how many more calories we eat now compared with just 30 years ago! (and think of all the TV and computer time we have compared to 30 years ago too!)Posts coming soon on: Sleep, Flour, French. A few of the things that make you go hmmmmmm . . . .

McDonald's Anyone? Never Again!

2010-08-30T14:08:00.001-07:00

My husband is always coming up with interesting stories on the internet. He emailed me this one, and I just knew I had to blog about it.

Someone took a picture of a McDonald's hamburger and fries each day for over 100 days to see what would happen. Guess what happened? Pretty much nothing! You can click here to see the article, and you can click here to see all 137 photos!

This is my favorite quote from the article, "Far be it from me to tell you what to eat, but I am pretty sure your stomach can't break that down any better than the mold and microbes in the air."

Computer Fun for Kids

2010-08-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of great ideas from my Family Fun magazine. This month, they named their top 10 kids websites. One of them was Fizzy's Lunch Lab on www.pbskids.org/lunchlab. I went and checked it out and it is really the perfect healthy kids website!

Here is what Family Fun had to say about it, "Way more fun than the food pyramid, this PBS site promotes good nutrition and physical activity through education games, yummy recipes, dance-along videos, printable place mats, and funny talk show parodies. A spoonful of humor helps the information go down as do the hip graphics."

I know from experience that kids can be a great example to the whole family. Right now, my one year old twins are folding their arms and bowing their heads at each mealtime. I am sure we will never forget mealtime prayer again! When you teach your children what food are healthy and why, they will remind us over and over again.

Some things that I liked about the website when I went and played around:

They have lots of recipes and when you click on a recipe it has pictures of the food and the measurements, so it is great for little ones that can't read yet. They also have a lot of recipes and they specify if it is a snack, easy, or hard etc. This way you can have your child pick out a recipe with your guidelines.
They really seem to emphasize fruits and vegetables.
They have a "food" tip at the bottom of the screen that has fun food facts (my older son is all about fun facts!)
It is done by PBS, so you won't have to worry about ads, or commercials!

Hope you get a chance to check out the website with your kids!

Pictured is an example of how they have the recipes to print out. They have the nutrition facts and all!

Comments?

2010-07-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

I was changing the Christmas background on my blog yesterday when I noticed that I had about 50 comments waiting for me to "moderate". I had forgotten that a few months back I got some Chinese character comments/links, so I changed it so that I would have to approve the comments. I guess I didn't have it email me when someone left a comment, so I didn't know. So sorry for not responding to the many comments! I really do love them. I think it is great that we can learn from each other.

Favorite Summer Snacks

2010-06-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

The kids are home for the summer which means that I will be feeding at least 6 people 3 plus times a day. To make it easier on myself, I like snacks that involve very little of "me".

Z-Bars- These are a kids version of Clif Bars. My favorite flavor is the chocolate one. It tastes like a brownie. My kids love the Honey Flavored one. I buy these at Costco. They are about 40 cents a piece, but well worth it. If I remember right, they have 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber . . . . . all for only 120 calories. This is the granola bar of my house.
Creamies- These may just be a Utah thing, but Creamies are a low-fat frozen popsicle made out of milk. They sell these at my Costco. They also only have 120 calories and 10% of your daily calcium. Creamies would fit under the catagory of "semi-healthy" in my house. That means that it doesn't have a ton of sugar, no food coloring, no HFCS, and no TRANS FATS, but it also doesn't grow in the ground.
String Cheese- Only 80 calories, 20% of your calcium, and 8 grams of protein, this is a snack that will help fill your kids up.
Fresh Fruit- It is so easy to find fruit that tastes great this time of year. Some of my kids favorites are strawberries, peaches, and grapes. Just to give you an idea of how absolutely superior fruit is over any other snack in your house, take a look at the nutrition in 1 Cup of halved strawberries . . . . . . 49 calories, 150% of vitamin C, 3 grams of fiber, and NO fat.
Danonino Yogurts. My kids like to put a spoon through the top and freeze it for a healthy popsicle. (They got the idea from TV!) I did a post earlier on these yogurts. Click here.

Don't Blame School Lunch Lady

2010-04-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting article in the newspaper today about childhood obesity. Did you know that 27% of all Americans ages 17-24 are too heavy to join the armed services, according to a new report by the retired officers.

Now that I have your attention, our kids spend about 180 days in school. Most kids have school lunch, and some eat breakfast there as well. If our kids eat 3 meals a day, for 365 days in the year, that is a total of 1,095 meals. If all our kids are eating is hot lunch all 180 days of school, then that leaves us with 915 that they eat at home. That means that the majority of our children's food is being fed to them at home. That leaves us as parents with a huge responsibility to feed our children healthy foods.

"The EarlyBird Diabetes Study looked at 226 British families and found that :

Obese mothers are 10 times more likely to have obese daughters
Obese fathers are 6 times more likely to have obese sons
There is no association between obese mothers and obese sons, obese fathers and obese daughters"

"A Greek study conducted by Harokopio University in Athens has confirmed the belief amongst health professionals that child obesity risk is much higher when parents themselves are overweight.

Over 2300 pre-school children, attending 105 nurseries around Greece, were recruited into the study during 2004. Researchers collected data on weight and height and used this to calculate body mass index (BMI). Children were then classified as ‘normal’, ‘at risk of overweight’ or ‘overweight’ depending upon their BMI. At the same time, parents were asked to complete questionnaires about their age, educational level and weight and height. Parental BMI was then estimated.

The results showed that 32% of the children were overweight, which is much higher than the 21% expected using international predictions.Children with 1 obese parent were almost twice as likely to be overweight than children whose parents were of normal weight. Children with two obese parents were 2.4 times more likely to be overweight.

The authors concluded that parental BMI strongly influenced whether or not a child was overweight."

Our children typically eat what is given to them, and over time they will like the food that is most often fed to them. If you are making and eating healthy foods yourself, and you do not provide the junk food in your home, your children will learn to like the foods that are given to them. This is just my opinion as to why parents who are overweight tend to have children who are overweight. I do understand that genetics also has a role in being overweight, but considering that childhood obesity is on the rise, that tells us that we are doing something with our environment, not genetics.

So lets all start right now.

Let's get started today. I made a list of my TOP 5 worst foods. Look down the list and pick one thing that is currently in your house, and change it! One simple step.

White Bread. We all need more fiber! - Do 100% whole wheat flour bread.
Fruit Snacks. They are not fruit! - Try dried fruit or fresh fruit.
Hot Dogs. They might as well be made of dogs! - try nitrate/nitrite free deli meats
Trans Fats. Any thing that has the word "partially-hydrogenated . . . .". - most organic crackers/snacks are trans fat free
High Fructose Corn Syrup. - If you cut out the amount of processed foods your family eats, this will go away on its own.

Good luck! Feel free to leave a comment on what your goal is, or what you have already done. We will help keep you motivated.

Motherhood is Rewarding

2010-04-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start off this post with a little oxymoron. Motherhood is Rewarding. I think it is rewarding in the long run, but for now it is not so much. So you can imagine how excited I was when I got an "award". A blog I follow called Being LDS- We talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ nominated me with an award of one of her favorite blogs. I was very surprised because I didn't even know she knew about my blog. It was nice to be recognized for something different. Don't get me wrong, I am the one who chose to have kids and stay at home with them, and I do love them dearly, but as with any job, their are parts that I like better than others.

As part of this award, I am supposed to list 10 things that make me happy, and then pass the award onto someone else.

Dark Chocolate

Religion

Doing Fun things with my Kids

My Husband

Exercising

Sisters/Sister-in-Laws/Friends that you wish you were related to

Family Vacations

Eating Good Food

Flowers (cut, fresh, garden . . .)

Now I am supposed to pass the award on to others.

Kareninphotography.blogspot.com by Karenin

Jouneyings by Diane

Yummy Fun by Jen

Enjoy!

Home of Bulk Shopping

2010-04-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

I shop at Costco at least twice a month. I think most people with kids shop at Costco, or a place like it. When you think of Costco, you think bulk, and you also think about snacks, candy, soda and so on. My favorite part of Costco is the fresh fruits and vegetables. When I saw my friend Claudia at Costco a couple of months ago, she suggested that I post about all the healthy things you can buy at Costco.

Here is what I buy the most often at Costco

Lettuce (6 heads of romaine for $4)
Carrots (individual snack baby carrots-even organic)
Hummus- see my previous post
Eggs
Blueberries
Bananas- Don't talk to my oldest sister about bananas at Costco
Strawberries
Pears
Grapes
Asparagus
Dark chocolate (the kids don't like it, but Mom does!)
Milk
Soy Milk
Olive oil
Bread- most of the bread at Costco now does NOT have HFCS in it
Chicken
Salmon
Cheese
Organic Pop Tarts (kids love them, Mom thinks they are gross)
Quakers instant Oatmeal
Canned Beans
Frozen Strawberries, Blueberries, and other frozen fruit for smoothies
Frozen Green Beans, Peas, and corn
Fresh already cut up Broccoli
Baby spinach
100% Real Maple Syrup

Words of advice when shopping in any grocery store

Go with a list- this makes you plan out healthy meals for your family and keeps you from buying as much junk
Shop in the fruit and Veggie section first- This does make it harder to fit things when you get to the canned food, but it fills your cart up with fresh and healthy things and makes it less tempting to buy junk.
Shop the perimeter of the store. That is where they keep all the fresh non-processed foods. Shop the perimeter after the fruits and veggies
Next shop the frozen food section- Frozen fruits and veggies are great for you and don't go bad as quickly. There are also a lot of things like frozen burritos that have ok ingredients for a quick snack for your kids.
Shop the inside of the store last. This has all the processed food in it. You will end up in the middle for bread, cereal and canned beans, and canned tomatoes, but most of your cart should be full by the time you get to the middle.
Think before you put it in your cart. DO NOT buy bulk of any kind of treat or junk food. Feel free to get yourself or your child a single item junk food item like A candy bar, but if you don't buy the junk, you will not have a chance to eat it at home.

Healthy Muffins

2010-04-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

It is spring break for us, so I have more time in the mornings to make breakfast. I used to love making breakfast, and then I got pregnant with twins. It has been down hill from there. Just to show you how much I dislike making breakfast now, I just had our microwave lowered so that my kids could microwave their own oatmeal (and anything else that needs to be heated up :).

My favorite breakfast muffin is one that my mother-in-law found . . . . Sunshine muffins! Doesn't the name just put a smile on your face? They only take 15 minutes to bake and about 10 minutes to make (don't quote me on the prep time . . . I have twins at my feet and I ground my own wheat this morning, so I am not totally sure). I make them with white whole wheat (see this blog post for more on that). They only have 1/4 cup of fat, and they have an entire orange in them.

Sunshine Muffins

orange (including the peal)
1/2 c orange juice
1 egg
1/4 c oil
1.5 c flour (whole wheat is best of course, but
white will do)
3/4 c sugar (you can use less if you’d like)
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 c raisins (optional
1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c chocolate chips (optional)

Quarter Orange. Put orange and orange juice in blender and blend up until smooth. Add egg and oil and blend until just mixed. Put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix. Add wet to dry ingriendients. Add chocolate chips and mix. (I never do the raisins or the nuts, but my husband has done the chocolate chips and the nuts and that was good). Put in muffin tins filling muffin liners almost to the top. bake at375 for 12-17 minutes Makes about 12 muffins.

I like to double the recipe.

Pass the SALT Please

2010-03-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

In my house growing up, if you asked someone to "pass" you something at the dinner table, you often ended up "catching" what you asked for. I wasn't going to do a post on salt until I was shocked one day in my own kitchen. Here is the story. I was cooking some spanish rice which calls for seasoned salt. I had just picked up some more season salt at the grocery store the week before. Before I put it in, I looked at the back of the bottle at the ingredients list. I was just curious what was in seasoned salt.

99 cent Kroger Brand Seasoned Salt Ingredients:

Salt
Sugar
Corn starch
Yellow 5 and 6
Red 40
Blue 2
Natural Flavors
Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking agent)

Gross right?

Maybe that is what I get for buying the store brand.

I do want to tell you about a healthy alternative. Costco sells a No-Salt Seasoning that I like. I often use it when I think a recipe calls for too much salt. I only use it in savory dishes (not muffins, or cookies). It is organic and has worked out great. Here is the description on the front. "A blend of 21 organic spices and ingredients from around the world go into this sensational No-Salt Seasoning." Here are the first 10 ingredients (they are all organic, so I won't write that 10 times).

Onion
garlic
carrot
black pepper
red bell pepper
tomato granules
orange peel
parsley
bay leaves
thyme

It is one of those things where you don't feel like you could add too much.

The big question that I have gotten from more than one person is, "Is salt really that bad for you?" I used to say, not unless you have high blood pressure. I said this because in one of my health classes they said that only about 10% of the population were salt sensitive. Meaning that if they ate too much salt, it made their blood pressure go up. A recent study that came out in March showed that up to 69% of Americans are in the group for people that should watch their salt intake (older than 40 years, or black, or people with high blood pressure). The reason you have to cut down on salt after age 40 is because your kidney's become less efficient at getting rid of extra salt at this age.

When you step back and look at the whole picture, as a nation we are eating more processed foods and eating out more often as well. Those are the 2 places that we get the most of our salt in our diet. Let me make it clear what "processed food" is. Processed food is food that has been prepared by someone else. Some things that are in that category are: frozen pizza, frozen burritos, anything that you get from a restaurant.

Things that are NOT processed foods are: homemade soups, lettuce, fresh fruits and vegetables, from scratch cupcakes, and so on.

The bottom line is that when someone else makes the food, you don't have control of the amount of salt in the food.

So be careful of eating too much processed foods, and try a no-salt seasoning.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

2010-03-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this show yet? It is funny to me that I am blogging about a TV show for a blog that is about healthy eating for kids. It is on ABC on Friday's at 9/8 Central. Click here to see a trailer. It is an amazing show to me because it says what is on my mind. It has been a life long dream of mine to change school lunch.

Two things that got me thinking

1. Did you know that 8 oz of chocolate milk (the pre-made stuff that they serve at your child school) has more sugar in it than 8 oz of Coke?

2. They are so worried about the kids eating the school lunch. I say that if the kids don't like the healthy food, their parents can always send them to school with a cold lunch full of junk.

If you have watched it, leave me a comment with something that stuck out in your mind.

The perfect sized yOgUrTs

2010-02-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

I found these at my Smith's store here in Utah. They reminded me of the ones we bought on a family vacation to Toronto, Canada.

My favorite things about them?

They are really small and the perfect size for kids!
They taste really good. Kinda like the custard style yoplait yogurts
They are only $1.88 for 6 of them. That is .32 cents for one.

I even have a hard time eating a whole regular sized yogurt. These are the perfect size for me. All of my kids love them.

Some other things I like about these yogurts

No artificial colors
No HFCS
20% of your daily calcium
Since it is custard style, it doesn't fall off the spoon easily when little ones are eating it.
It only has 60 calories. As a society, we eat too many calories and have too big of portions. This is just the right size for everyone in the family.

Tell me what you think and if you find it at a store near you.

Hummus

2010-01-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

Hummus is a pureed bean dip.

My new favorite thing is this box of 16 individually packed containers of delicious smooth hummus. I found it at Costco after being tipped off by Corrine and Erika, 2 ladies at my husbands work, and my friends :). I packed them in my kids lunch with a few crackers, and I love to eat them with a handful of carrots. Bonus for the adults who are watching their calories .. . . each pack has 100 calories! Bonus for everyone . . . there are 2 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein in there too.

If you can't find these handy packs at your Costco, or if they just don't fit into the family budget, try this recipe. It will cost you less than $2!

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1/4 C. tahini (I leave this out)

1/4 C. olive oil

1/4 C. water

3 T lemon juice

1 medium garlic clove, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

Cayenne pepper.

Mix it all up in your blender, or food processor. Yummy!

(Tastes best after you refrigerate it for a bit)

Also click here to see my fiber post. There is a link to a black bean hummus recipe and some info on other ways to get your kids to eat beans.

Artwork on a Plate

2010-01-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

My twins got new plates for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa. They are these cute ones with adjustable little bowls that hang on the sides of the plates. I didn't think much about it, but after using the plates a few times (and after they stopped dumping the food on their plates onto the floor), I noticed how much more they ate when I fed them from those plates. I think it was just so much more interesting to them to have 3-4 foods/textures/colors separated out into these interesting shapes. When they get bored with one food, their eyes are drawn to another food that is on their "art pallet". These plates are by a company called Boon. Click here to see a description of the plate. Remember the studies they did with how they had people start eating food under light that made the food look good, and then they changed the lighting and the food looked blue and green and kinda old, even though it was just fine? And then people starting to get sick to their stomaches. This is how powerful our eyes can be with what we eat. So next time you are feeding your children, take a little bit of time to make the food look like artwork . . . it may tempt them to eat the healthy foods you give them.

The better Spaghetti Sauce

2010-01-15T01:58:00.000-08:00

This idea comes from my sister-in-law Joelle. She has spaghetti once a week. Each time she makes the sauce, she starts with some canned tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs, and then she adds some extra veggies, like steamed cauliflower and broccoli, or fresh spinach and carrots. After her 5 kids are done eating their spaghetti, they get to guess what the surprised veggies were. They love guessing, and love the taste of the pureed up veggies. I am definitely trying this next week! (we had spaghetti stoup last night, another recipe I got from Joelle).

Canned Crushed tomatoes

Onion

Garlic

Herbs (I am guessing basil, oregano, crushed red pepper . . .)

Blend it all up in your blender. Then add a couple of bonus veggies and blend it up too. Heat the sauce on the stove top for a few minutes, and you are done.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

2010-01-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

For about 5 years I have been avoided buying food that is made with high-fructose corn syrup. In the beginning, this was very difficult. It was in everything! I slowly got rid of the fruit snacks (except for at church and car trips :) and I even gave up my favorite cold cereal, Frosted Mini Wheats. :( Now it is so much easier to find food without HFCS in them. If you give up a favorite food, check on it every 6 months or so. Eggo waffles used to have it in them, and now they have the whole grain ones without the HFCS. I haven't bought Yoplait yogurt for years because they have HFCS, but Dannon yogurt does not have it. I found that I really like the taste of Dannon's yogurt better. It reminds me of the yogurt in Europe.

So now the big question is, why is HFCS so bad for you? Well, I am going to quote Dr. Oz, because I really liked his explanation the best. "High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a type of sugar that has been processed and combined with corn syrup to produce a cheap, easily dissolvable sweetener. But this sugar is quickly absorbed by the liver where it is converted into fat. Since your brain doesn't recognize HFCS as regular food, it never shuts off the appetite center -- so you keep eating. Blood sugar levels rise, massive amounts of insulin is recruited to metabolize it and then you crash and feel hungry again. It is found in soft drinks, fruit juices, salad dressings and baked goods. Read the food labels of products in your pantry and refrigerator and throw out all products that contain HFCS."

Another reason that it is so common in our food supply is because we have so much corn in this country. We have genetically mastered corn to give us a lot for only a little bit, plus, the government pays corn farmers to farm corn (I am not really sure why). We can sell the corn in the US for cheaper than they can sell it in Mexico. Mexico buys it from us. This is all according to the movie Food Inc. Click here to see the trailer.

The graph below shows that HFCS may have something to do with obesity in America.

You would avoid HFCS simply by eating whole foods (fresh fruits and veggetables, milk, cheese, meat, potatoes, quinoa, rice, beans and so on). Most processed foods have HFCS in them. Just read the label to see if your foods have it in there. Be sure to check your bread, cold cereal, ketchup, and salad dressings. If it is an organic food, then it won't have it in there (at least I have never seen this).

Here are a few of my favorite foods that are free of HFCS.

Bush's Baked beans. These are high in sugar, but they are free of HFCS and are full of fiber and protein.

Pacific organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Check the tomato soup in your pantry right now. Does it have HFCS in it?

Kashi's TLC (Tasty Little Chewies) Cherry Dark Chocolate Granola Bars. Everyone in my family loves these granola bars. If you have Quaker granola bars in your pantry right now, check it out; there is HFCS in those too! Be warned now, I have tried many of the other Kashi granola bar flavors, and the Cherry Chocolate one is still the only one we like. Also, they can be pricey, so buy them when they are on sale. This happens quit a bit.

Hope this helps you in your quest for you and your kids to be healthier, and happier.

What are some of your favorite alternative brands to those that have HFCS?

Kid and Mother approved Breakfast

2010-01-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

Kashi Strawberry Waffles with 100% Real Maple Syrup, Thinly Sliced Bananas, Whipped Cream and Cinnamon.

I really do love the Kashi Frozen Waffles. Remember the post I did on them with the homemade strawberry syrup? This morning we had them a little different.

1 Kashi Frozen Strawberry Waffle (4 g protien, 3 g fiber , 80 calories, 2.5 g sugar, 500 mg Omega-3)

1/4 of a banana thinly sliced on top of the waffle after it is toasted. (20 Calories)

1 Tablespoon 100% Real Maple Syrup (Best price at Costco --- 50 Calories)

1 Squirt Canned Whipped Cream (20 Calories)

Sprinkle of cinnamon- to see my post on cinnamon, click here.

My kids each had 2 of these this morning (so did I).

The Other Side Of The Rainbow

2010-01-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

Since last week I did a blog post on food coloring, I thought this week I would focus on the other side of the rainbow of colors. . . Fruits and Vegetables! The biggest part of this post is HOW to get your kids to eat fruit, and most of all VEGETABLES!

1. Your kids will not eat what is not given to them. Sounds simple, but we all need to remember that if our children are not given the opportunity to try a certain vegetable, then you are depriving them of the opportunity to know if they like it or not. Be sure that when you go to the store, you are buying fruits and vegetables. Here are some shopping tips.

Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Frozen fruit is great in smoothies and muffins, and frozen vegetables are 100% better than canned!!!!!!!! Frozen fruits and vegetables are often even healthier than fresh because they are picked and frozen right away. This gives frozen f & v less time to lose nutrients, like vitamin C.
Buy the fresh fruits and vegetables when they are on sale. You should eat foods in season. They are less expensive and tend to have traveled less (fresher and better for the environment)
If you have little ones, let them help you grocery shop. If you are really motivated, you could take the time to do a "field trip" to the grocery store and take the time to look at every fruit and vegetable that they have.
Trouble keeping f & v fresh? You should always buy lots of bananas. If they get to brown, peel them and put them in the freezer for a smoothie, or make banana muffins. Pretty much with any fruit, you can freeze it and then stick it in a smoothie later.

2. So now that you have the variety available, you need to be an EXAMPLE and eat the different kinds of fruits and vegetables that you buy. Be sure that your kids understand that they might not like a certain f or v one way, but they still might like to eat it another way. For example, none of my kids like raw tomatoes, but all of them love spaghetti sauce. Also, remind your kids that they might not like a certain f or v right now, but that they might like it another time. Tell them about a kind of food you didn't like, but now love.

If your kids see that you don't "die" or go puke after trying a new food, they will be willing to do the same.

3. Play a Game. One game that has been recommended to me by my friend Jennifer, and my sister- in-law Karenin, is Bingo! We tried this for a week. I printed off a bingo sheet for everyone in the family and filled it in with all the vegetables we were planning on eating that week. Then I filled in any extra spots with fruits that we had on hand. Be sure to put garlic, and onions in there. My kids got really excited about eating new foods. They loved when they found out that a sauce I made had 3 different veggies in it, and all week long they waited for me to make parsnips! Be sure that you keep track too, so that they see how easy it is. I gave my kids one point each time they got a bingo, or they had a whole serving of a fruit or veggie on their bingo card (1/2 Cup). They could either turn their points in for a quarter, or for 5 minutes of extra screen time.

4. Educate them on why f and v are good for them. Kids are a lot like adults. We can have someone tell us one hundred times that something is good or bad for us, but until we understand WHY, we don't listen. Last night Emily wouldn't eat her dinner, so I briefly explain what was good for her about them (spinach has iron in it, and iron helps the oxygen get to all of your body parts, cheese has calcium that makes your bones strong, oranges have vitamin C that helps you get over colds faster, and helps cuts heal faster, avocados have fats in them that help her brain grow). My older kids found the iron fact fascinating and we talked briefly about iron at the dinner table. It shouldn't always be about WHY they are good for you. Food is a social and enjoyable thing, but fun quick facts can be helpful.

Dole has a great website that has lots of fun facts about different fruits and vegetables. Click here for the link. (Really, this is one of the best sites I have found, check it out).

I also enjoy watching Dr. Oz Show while I fold laundry during the day. He always has fun facts and healthy ideas.

5. Three other ways to get them to eat fruits and vegetable:

Let them help prepare the food
Hide it in the food; puree it up (broccoli does not work well for this, yuck!)
Make it look cute. For one idea on this, see my little pizza men post.

RAINBOW

2009-12-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

When they came out with the food pyramid, they recommended that we eat a rainbow of foods. I don't think they meant that you should eat anything colorful, but rather things that are NATURALLY colored. I have only become concerned about food coloring in my food over the last couple of years. Luckily, since before this I was concerned with high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats in my foods, I also avoided most food that had food coloring in them.

In a double blind British study done in 2007, food coloring additives were linked to increased hyperactivity in kids that were not diagnosed with ADD. Previous studies have been done which linked food coloring additives to increased hyperactivity with kids who were diagnosed with ADD. Follow this link to a summary of the British study done in 2007. I was a bit surprised when I was talking to my husband who is a psychiatrist, when he said that links to food coloring and hyperactivity in children were found in multiple studies.

Over the last year or two, we have worked hard to get food coloring out of our house. To give you an example of how much of our food is tainted with these food coloring additives, I looked up one of the food dyes that was in the study noted above. According to Wikipedia, Sunset Yellow, aka, orange yellow S, aka yellow 6, is found in the following kinds of foods: It may be found in orange squash, orange jelly, marzipan, Swiss roll, apricot jam, citrus marmalade, lemon curd,sweets, hot chocolate mix and packet soups, trifle mix, breadcrumbs and cheese sauce mix and soft drinks. Specifically it can be found in the capsules of DayQuil (in high concentrations), some extra strength Tylenol, Astro peach yogurt (potentially others), fortune cookies, some red sauces, certain pound cakes, snack chips and other yellow, orange, and red food products.

At first, my research lead me to believe that yellow 6 and others were going to be taken out of the food supply by 2009. I almost stopped writting this post, but then I decided to grab a snack. I chose baked cheetos. I had bought them at Target out of sypathy for my 3 children I left at home while I shopped. (Why is it that we think it is a good "treat" to give our kids "junk" for behaving!) I just looked at the ingredient list and saw at the bottom, yellow 5 and yellow 6. My Cheetos didn't expired until 2010, so I started investigating again. It looks like the EU asked for a volantary removal of the colors by 2009, and the US well . . .I couldn't find anything about it being removed. Before you move on, you may want to view this commercial that just shows how unnatural these food colorings are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ab4L9prV3g

I found on the FDA's website the aproved food coloring additives:

D&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2

FD&C Green No. 3

FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40

FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6

Orange B

Citrus Red No. 2

annatto extract

beta-carotene

grape skin extract

cochineal extract or carmine

paprika oleoresin

caramel color

fruit and vegetable juices

saffron

(Note: Exempt color additives are not required to be declared by name on labels but may be declared simply as colorings or color added).

Half of the food coloring additives tested in the British study are currently approved for consumption in the United States. In the study, the full names of the food additives are used. These are the names that are usually listed on the ingredients list. Red 3, yellow 6, and Red 40. While these were the ones studied that are in our food supply, I am sure that we should assume that other food coloring additive are not safe as well. It would be the best decision to look at ingredient lists and try to avoid buying foods with any food coloring additives (something with a # behind it especially). Because you do not need a lot of food coloring in a food, most of the time, the food coloring will be at the bottom of the ingredient list (since they have to put the ingredients in order by weight).

You should be in the habit of reading ingredients of food. This may seem tedius, but as you do this, you will learn which foods are healthy, and then it will take less time. I also look out for foods that have trans fats (hydrogenated blah blah blah) and foods that have high-fructose corn syrup in them.

As a general rule, easy ways to avoid foods with food coloring additives in them is to buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, organic foods, and whole foods. Whole foods are foods that come from their original state. This would include fruits, veggies, raw nuts, whole wheat flour, milk, cheese, and fresh meat (not cold cuts). These are foods that we need to be eating more of. Also, if a food is blue, or purple, and is not a fruit or vegetable, it probably has food coloring in it. Organic foods typically use beet juice or other vegetable juices for their food coloring effects. These seem to be safe.

Dr. Sears recommends that you teach your children when you grocery shop with them. Teach them that the healthiest foods are kept on the perimeters of the grocery store. In general, the middle section of the grocery store has the most processed foods. Also teach your children that bright colored boxes are there to trick you into buying them. They know that their food is unhealthy, so they try to get you to buy it by making their boxes look pretty.

Recently my husband and I noticed that pickles all have food coloring in them. Claussen's pickles do NOT. They can be found in the refridgerated section.

One other study in 1994 found this conclusion about tartrazine (yellow #5): Behavioral changes in irritability, restlessness, and sleep disturbance are associated with the ingestion of tartrazine in some children. See this link to see the full abstract.

Before I end, consider for a moment how you would be willing to pay for your child to have a tutor when they are behind in school, yet how often are we unwilling to pay the 40 cents more for a product that is a healthier option?

Kashi Frozen Waffles with homemade strawberry syrup

2009-12-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

Kashi has come up with a very healthy frozen waffle that even taste good. I found them at Costco. They are about .25 cents each. They are the Strawberry Flax kind. In each waffle you will find, :

4 g protien

3 g fiber

80 calories

2.5 g sugar

500 mg Omega-3

My families favorite way to eat them is with homemade strawberry syrup. That sounds hard to make, but it is soooo easy!

Strawberry Syrup

3 Cups frozen strawberries (you can use fresh too)

1-2 T sugar

Put frozen strawberries in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Put thawed strawberries in your blender with sugar and blend until smooth. That is it!

This gives your kids the extra fiber from the strawberries and it has a lot less sugar in it.

Sunday Dinner- Turkey Meatloaf

2009-12-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make dinner, since I had a migraine earlier today. Thank goodness for medicine. Can you imagine what people did before it? I have been excited all week to make this turkey meatloaf. The only thing I would do different is make the onions smaller. Next time I will chopped them in my vitamix blender. You add some water, turn it on, and then drain the water off.

Low-fat Turkey Meatloaf-

1 medium onion- chopped fine

2 minced garlic cloves

1 t veg. oil

salt

1/2 milk or plain yogurt

2 large eggs

2 t minced fresh thyme leaves (I left this out)

2 t dijon mustard

2 t worcestershre sauce

1/4 t hot pepper sauce

1/2 t ground black pepper

2 pounds 93% lean ground turkey (I bought 1 pound ground turkey breast and 1 pound regular)

1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs (just throw some whole wheat bread in the toaster, and chop it up)

1/4 C minced fresh parsley leaves (I didn't have it, so I left it out)

For sauce

1/2 Cup ketchup

1/4 Cup packed light brown sugar

4 teaspoons cider or white vinegar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine onion, garlic, oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onion has softened, 8 to 10 minutes; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl whisk the milk, eggs, thyme, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, pepper, and 1/4 T salt together.

In a large bowl, mix the turkey, bread crumbs, parsley, cooked onion mixture, and egg mixture together with your hands until combined. Press mixture together forming a 9 x 6 inch rectangle that is 2 inches high. Place on rimmed baking sheet that is lined with foil. Mix ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar together. Put 1/2 of sauce on top of meatloaf and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, put the remaining sauce on top and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Green salad with oranges, pinenuts and browned goat cheese

1 head of washed and chopped romaine lettuce

1 handful of pinenutes

3 ounces of goat cheese- brown in a fry pan until melted

1 small orange (I would use pear or craisins next time)

Balsamic dressing

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 t balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 t red wine vinegar

1/2 t salt

Petite Peas- From the freezer. There is one piece of advice that my Mom gave me before leaving for college (I am sure she said more than this, but this is all I can remember): "Remember that it is petite peas that you like, not regular." I had to ask her what she she was talking about. Petite peas are picked sooner. They are kinda like baby peas. They taste much sweeter. I bought the regular ones once, and my Mom was right; I only like the petite ones.

French Bread- store bought loaf

Picture for Cheesy Veggie Soup

2009-12-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

I never posted a picture for you to get excited about the Vegetable Cheese Soup. Here is a picture, and the recipe again.

Vegetable Cheese Soup
1 small bunch broccoli, cut in small pieces
1 onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced potato
1 cup cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
2 10 ¾ ounce cans chicken broth
2 tsp or cubes bouillon
2 cups milk
¼ cup flour
3 cups grated Cheddar cheese (or less)
1 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne
In a large pan, combine diced vegetables, bouillon and broth (I reserve broccoli tops and add towards the end). Simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a medium bowl, mix milk with flour; blend until smooth. Gradually add milk mixture to vegetables, stirring constantly. Add grated cheese, dry mustard and cayenne pepper. Simmer until cheese melts.
I usually double this recipe.

Quick Fact: I was watching the Dr. Oz show the other night while folding laundry, and he said that broccoli helps detoxify the liver.

Hot Dogs for dinner?

2009-12-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

Reid was back from Flordia on Friday night, so he gave me the day off on Sat. Amanda and I went to go see planet 51, and Reid took care of the rest of the kids and made dinner. So what was for dinner? Nitrate free hot dogs on a slice of whole wheat bread, and broccoli with cheese sauce.

Nitrate-free hot dogs- Reid found these at our regular grocery store. He even put them on the BBQ. I could only eat one bite, because the night before we watched the movie Food Inc. That movie will make you want to be a vegetarian. Good thing I didn't finish it! :) Click here to see my post on nitrates, and click here for another post on nitrate-free hot dogs.

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce- I think Reid makes his cheese sauce a little differently than I do, but the thing we do the same is make it from scratch. NO cheese whitz or velveeta. These are pasteurized process cheese products. They are not real cheese or real food.

2 Tablespoons butter

2 T flour

1 Cup of milk

2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 t dried mustard

Salt and pepper

I am just making this recipe up. I never measure, so keep that in mind.

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in milk I think it works better if you heat up the milk before you add it. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add cheese, salt, pepper and mustard.

Pork Tenderloin, roasted vegetables, and baked potatoes

2009-12-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

One of the easiest things to make is a good pork tenderloin. It looks fancy, but it is really easy to make. Just be sure you buy enough, because it shrinks down a lot.

Pork Tenderloin

Heat a Tablespoon of canola oil in a frying pan. Salt and Pepper your pork tenderloin. Also, heat your oven to 450 degrees. Brown Pork in frying pan on all sides for about 10 minutes total. Put in a 9 x 13, or something similar and bake on 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Before putting in oven, put one of the following sauces on top. It will be pink in the middle. Be sure your meat thermometer reaches 135 degree before taking it out, and let it sit until it reaches 145 degree, or just cook it for the full 20 minutes in the oven.

Maple Glaze

1 1/4 Cups maple syrup (do not substitute fake syrup for this)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 Cup apricot preserves

1/2 cup orange juice

3 Tablespoons juice from 1 lemon

1/4 Cup dried apricots quartered.

Sister Bowen's favorite Roasted Vegetables

I made a version of this last night. I left out the potatoes since we were having baked potatoes.

6 baby carrots, halved

3 small yokon gold potatoes

3 small parsnips

1 large sweet potato

1 each large red and yellow onion

1 each yellow and red sweet peppers

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1/2 C chicken broth

2 TB olive oil

salt and pepper

2 TB balsamic vinegar

2-3 springs rosemary

Peel and cut into 1 -inch pieces: Yukon and sweet potatoes, and parsnips. Cut onions crosswise into halves, peel and keep the roots intact. Cut peppers lengthwise. In large shallow roasting pan, combine all of the veggies and the garlic. Drizzle mixture with broth and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast uncovered in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring veggies occasionally. Stir in balsamic vinegar and rosemary sprigs and roast 14 more minutes or until veggies are tender. Makes 6 servings.

Baked Potatoes

I didn't do it this way last night, but I like to wrap it in foil with a little drizzle of olive oil and season salt and bake in oven until soft. Just stick it in with the roasted veggies.

I wouldn't make this meal on a weeknight again. This is better for a weekend when you have more time.

My Fav . . . Cafe Rio

2009-12-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am planning on going to Cafe Rio. It is my favorite Mexican Restaurant. Reid is out of town, and it is my tradition to go out for dinner sometime while he is gone (after all, he is going out to dinner while he is gone:)

Cafe Rio has the most locations in UT. Click here to see their website and see if there is a location near you. Thursdays are my favorite day to go because the special of the day is tamales. I love their pork tamales. Some of my other favorites include the soup, pork salad, and chips and queso.

You can click on the soup and pork salad to get imitation recipes that are out of this world.

My kids love the burritos which have lots of beans in them.

Leftovers

2009-12-03T05:30:00.000-08:00

This meal was very unexciting, but it still may give you a great idea.

Left over Rotissary Costco Chicken- I had bought this and used it in the chicken broccoli casserole. Just heated it up and served a little whole grain Grey Poupon.

Cheese Bread- A slice of cheese on a piece of whole wheat bread and put in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Broccoli- Steamed in the microwave.

Roasted Potatoes with some asparagus too. I saw this box of frozen diced up potatoes at Costco the other day and thought it would be fun to try. It was good enough to eat, but not good enough to buy again.

Left over Quinoa from the night before.

Salmon, Roasted Asparagus, and Corn and Jalopeno Quinoa

2009-12-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

My parents always made us eat our fish growing up, claiming that it would make you smart. I really didn't believe them, but come to find out, it is TRUE! Here is a run down/reminder of all of the health benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Kids with ADHD- One study at Purdue University found that boys with ADHD had lower levels of omega-3 fats. The boys with the most abnormal behavior had the lowest levels of DHA, the main omega-3 fat found in fish.
Infant formula now has DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid. DHA is found in breast milk and helps with brain development.
Experimental animals whose diets are low in DHA have been found to have delayed brain development and smaller brains
Research shows that senior citizens who eat more fish are less likely to develop dementia
Research has also found a strong link to being happier with getting enough omega-3 fatty acids . . .ie. less depression.
Omega-3's help lower bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol.
Getting enough of the good kind of fat can help with dry flaky skin

If you want to read more, click here to read my post on fish oil.

Here are the recipes

Cajun Salmon

Put salmon on foil. Sprinkle a little Cajun spice, cumin, chili powder and salt on top of a salmon fillet. Broil on Low in oven for 10-20 minutes (depends on how thick it is).

Roasted Asparagus

This is my favorite way to eat asparagus. Trim a couple of inches off the bottom of the asparagus. Put asparagus on a cookie sheet that has edges. Drizzle 1 T of olive oil on top. With your hands, toss the asparagus until it is coated with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. You know it is ready when the ends start to look black.

Quinoa Pilaf with jalapenos and corn

This recipe is a little lengthy because it is from the cooks illustrated cook book.

Sorry, I thought I did a post on Quinoa, but looking back, I don't think I did. It is the only? vegetable (grain) that is a complete protein! Great thing to have for food storage, and it is great for the kids so they don't have to eat as much meat, which is better for the environment too, but that is a separate post.

2 Teaspoons olive oil

1 Cup corn (I used frozen)

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 Cups quinoa

1 3/4 Cups chicken broth (I just used 1 can)

2 jalapeno chilies, seeds and ribs removed, then minced (I used one to be sure it wasn't spicy)

1/4 Cup fresh cilantro (I was out :(

2 teaspoons juice from 1 lime

salt

Saute onion in the 2 teaspoons of oil with the lid on, stir occasionally for 5-8 minutes. Add quinoa and cook for about 5 minutes with the lids off, on medium heat. Add the chicken broth, corn, and the jalapeno pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes (like rice). Off the heat, add lime juice and cilantro. Each grain should look translucent with a little white part in it.

Costco carried quinoa for $10 a bag. I have had the same bag since the summer, so it gives you lots.

If everyone in your family likes corn, then double the corn you put in.

Grandma Sandy's Chicken Broccoli Casserole

2009-11-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

This was a family favorite when I was growing up. Now my family loves it. Dallin and Amanda cheered last night when they found out what we were having. Emily doesn't like anything with sauce, so she was only excited when I picked the broccoli and chicken out of the sauce. Serve this with brown rice and a nice green salad. I have modified my Mom's original recipe to make it a little more healthy.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with bite size pieces of broccoli (about 2 cups) (I buy the big bag of pre-cut and washed broccoli from Costco. You still need to cut it up a bit.)

Put about 2 Cups, or 2 chicken breast of cooked chopped chicken on top of the broccoli

Mix in a bowl:

1/2 Cup lite Mayo
1 Can cream of chicken
1-2 teaspoons curry
1 T lemon juice

Put mixture on top of broccoli and chicken

Sprinkle with 1/2 Cup grated cheddar cheese

Sprinkle 1/2 bread crumbs on top of the cheese (just cut up some bread)

Drizzle 1 Tablespoon melted butter on top

Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Do longer if you like your broccoli mussy.

Serve over Brown rice

Spinach Salad with pears, pinenuts and white cheddar

2 Cups baby spinach

1 pears diced

1/4 Cup pinenuts toasted lightly (in a frying pan til you see brown on them)

Couple Tablespoons of roughly chopped aged white cheddar

Balsamic dressing

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix well and drizzle over salad just before serving (you may not need all of the dressing)

The week of meal ideas!

2009-11-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of thinking of food ideas for your family? I am here to help! This week I am going to post each meal we eat, and along with it, I will give you tips on how to make your meals healthier for your kids. To start out, I wanted to share with you what we had last night. Orange Chicken and brown rice with stir fried veggies, and Asian salad.

First, the orange chicken. This is from a frozen box. It is from Costco, and it contains 2 packs of chicken. Just heat in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes and put sauce on top. It is called Mandarin Orange Chicken, By Crazy Cuizine. It is less than 30% fat (if you bake and not fry it). The ingredient pass my test (no trans fat or high-fructose corn syrup).

Before you cook the chicken, be sure you start your brown rice. Remember that brown rice takes a whole hour to cook! Do twice as much water as rice. I have tried brown rice in the rice cooker, and I have not gotten it to work. Any ideas?

Stir Fry

carrots
purple cabbage
purple onion
green beans (mine were frozen)
other veggies you have on hand (broccoli, asparagus, zucchini . . .)

Heat 1 T of canola oil in non-stick pan. Add carrots and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add onions and cook 2 more minutes. Add green beans and cabbage and cook for 2 more minutes. Add about 1 Tablespoon of the orange sauce from the chicken packet.

Asian salad

Baby spinach (or any lettuce)
can of mandarin oranges
grated or slice carrots
purple onion (green onion is even better)
purple cabbage sliced thinly
(other things that go well are broccoli in small pieces, snow peas, and red pepper)

Make a dressing with about 3 T canola oil, 1 T rice wine vinegar, 1 T sugar, 1 t soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Tip of the day:

When your kids want seconds of the yummy orange chicken, have them eat 3 bits of veggies first. Explain to your kids that you can eat something you don't like, and that it is good to try foods to be sure that you still don't like that food. Remember, you are in charge. Most of all, the parent also needs to finish their veggies before taking seconds of something. If your kids are out of the habit of asking before they take seconds, keep the non-veggies off of the table and up at the counter so you have more control.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

2009-11-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

This has been a family favorite for years. It is a great way to get your kids to eat veggies that they normally don't like (unless they are like Emily, she only likes veggies plain with no sauce on them). I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It is very fast and easy to make.

Vegetable Cheese Soup
1 small bunch broccoli, cut in small pieces
1 onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced potato
1 cup cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
2 10 ¾ ounce cans chicken broth
2 tsp or cubes bouillon
2 cups milk
¼ cup flour
3 cups grated Cheddar cheese (or less)
1 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne
In a large pan, combine diced vegetables, bouillon and broth (I reserve broccoli tops and add towards the end). Simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a medium bowl, mix milk with flour; blend until smooth. Gradually add milk mixture to vegetables, stirring constantly. Add grated cheese, dry mustard and cayenne pepper. Simmer until cheese melts.
I usually double this recipe

Sorry there is no picture. I will make it again this week and add it.

Healthy Fries

2009-11-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

I love these Potato Fries. They are easy to make, but they do take some time to bake. Tonight we are having Turkey burgers and these homemade fries. The recipe isn't exact, so feel free to use your imagination.

Uses about 1 medium potato per person.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Wash potatoes

Slice potatoes length-wise into 8 wedges (leave skin on)

Put potato wedges in a bowl. Drizzle on about 2 Tablespoons olive oil or canola oil and toss to coat.

Sprinkle with the following seasonings:

Garlic Powder
Paprika
Rosemary
Onion Powder
Season Salt
Salt if you don't do season salt
Pepper

Bake in 450 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes (until baked through). Serve with ketchup. My kids love these. Hope your kids do too!

Lay potatoes in a row on a baking sheet skin side down.

Halloween Candy

2009-11-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

I imagine that your house is like mine right now. . . Candy everywhere! I came up with one fun thing to do with your Candy this year that does not involve hiding it, or eating it. I got this idea from one of my favorite magazines, Family Fun. What is it? You experiment with it! Use any candy that your kids don't like, or they are willing to play with instead of eat. We mostly microwaved them to see what they looked like melted (it reminded me of that baby shower game where you guess the melted candy bar in the diaper). Dallin added milk to his, and Emily added water to hers. They had fun doing it. Now I just need to come up with more games. Maybe I can see if they want to see who can throw the candy off the deck the farthest? What are some of your ideas. Leave a comment.

Cinnamon

2009-10-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

I remember that as a kid I had a hard time saying the word cinnamon. I also didn't learn how to spell it for years, but that is because I am terrible at spelling!

My old roommate Jennie (that really is how you spell her name, it isn't my terrible spelling:) commented on my last blog post about what she could eat with cinnamon in it. I thought I would do a blog post with some of my favorite recipes with cinnamon in them.

Cinnamon and Sugar- I have two of the Pampered Chef shakers. I use one for my cinnamon and sugar mixture and the other one for my powdered sugar. My husband likes his cinnamon and sugar mixture with a lot more cinnamon than I was used to, but now I like more cinnamon as well. So my first recipe is to increase the cinnamon and decrease your sugar in your cinnamon and sugar shaker. I use about 1 part cinnamon to 3 parts sugar (maybe more cinnamon than that). I put cinnamon and sugar on toast, hot cereal, and a dash on top of my hot chocolate with fresh cream. We also get out the shaker for crepes.
Eat more Indian and Morracan food. They use a lot of cinnamon in Africa, and India. Some of my favorite recipes include, Morracan CousCous, and Spiced up Basmatti Rice. My sister Candee (I bring her up a lot, she must be opinionated :) doesn't think cinnamon belongs in a dish unless it is a sweet dish, but if you can convince your taste buds otherwise, you will be grateful later on. Most Indian food also has curry in it. Curry is a blend of spices. Studies have found that the spices in curry, especially turmeric, are very good for you.

Moroccan Chicken Stew RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	1 tablespoon oil
	1 small onion, chopped
	2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
	1/2 teaspoon turmeric
	1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
	3 whole cloves
	2 bay leaves
	2 cups chicken broth
	4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 3/4 to 1 pound)
	1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice
	1 large carrot, sliced
	1 1/2 cups green beans, snapped into smaller pieces
	1 small summer squash, quartered and and cut into large chunks
	1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
	1/2 teaspoon salt
	1/3 cup golden raisins FOR THE COUSCOUS:
	2 cups chicken broth
	1 cup water
	2 cups couscous 1. In a Dutch oven or large (8-quart) pot, heat the oil over medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and saute them until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves and cook the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. (I have also done it all in a crock pot) 2. Add the chicken broth, chicken thighs, and tomatoes and bring the stew to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer the stew with the pot covered for 25 minutes. 3. Stir in the carrots, green beans, squash, chickpeas, and salt. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and using the edge of the spoon to break the chicken and tomato chunks into smaller pieces. 4. Add the raisins. Turn the heat back up to medium and continue simmering the covered stew until the vegetables are tender (10 or so minutes more). Add more salt, if desired. Ladle the stew into shallow bowls around a mound of couscous. Serves 4 to 6. 5. To make the couscous, combine the broth and water in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Quickly stir in the couscous. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork before serving. Sultana & Cashew Basmati Pilau I just bought a massive bag of basmati rice from costco that I’ve been dying to try out. And this was totally experimental, because I made this dish in the rice maker. Basically, I just followed the rice maker’s guidelines of 2 cups rice and 2.5 cups water: 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for a bit, then drained of course 2.5 cups chicken broth 1 cinnamon stick 1 handful of cashews 1 handful of raisins (golden are best, but I just had regular and it was fine) 1 handful of slivered almonds (I chopped up some whole almonds) a couple spoonfuls of garam masala (from the store or make it yourself.. mine had coriander, tumeric, cumin, fenugreek and chillies) some more tumeric a little oil for good measure (I did a couple teaspoons of canola oil.. butter works too) That’s about it. I just threw it all in the rice maker and hit the white rice button, but you could accomplish this by throwing it all in a pot on the stove and cooking it like any old rice dish (although you may want to get fancy and saute the rice and some spices a little in oil or butter first)

You can always stick with the sweet stuff. I am going to share with you my all time favorite cookie recipe. I can't believe I am doing this, but oh well. They are called cinnamon crackle cookies, and I am sure that with all the sugar and butter found in them, that the health benefits of cinnamon is canceled out.

Cinnamon Crackle Cookies from Taste of Homes

1/2 C butter
½ C shortening (I use butter)
1 C sugar
½ C packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
½ t almond extract
2 ½ C all-purpose flour
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
2 t baking soda
2 t cream of tartar
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 t grated orange peel
1 t grated lemon peel
½ t salt
additional sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars.
Add the egg and extracts; mix well. Combine the next eight
ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape
into 1” balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on un-greased
baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until
lightly browned. Yield: about 6 dozen. These cookies freeze
well. (I only cook about 8 minutes because I like them softer)

Anytime a recipe calls for cinnamon, add a little bit more. As long as it isn't too much, I doubt you will notice.

Hope this helps you out Jennie.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2009-09-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Someone on facebook (thanks Corinne) gave me the idea of pumpkin pancakes. I had made pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and I had left over canned pumpkin. With one jar of pumpkin I made

2 loafs pumpkin chocolate chip bread
baby food with pumpkin, applesauce and a dash of cinnamon
baby food with pumpkin, plain yogurt and a dash of pumpkin pie spice
pumpkin pancakes

I used a recipe from allrecipes.com. It turned out really well. I used 1/2 whole wheat, but I think next time I would just do all whole wheat.

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

The thing I love about making pancakes is that you just throw all the ingredients together and mix it up. You don't need a mixer, and you really don't need to have any order to putting the ingredients in (I am sure some people would disagree:)

I was talking to my sister-in-law Katy yesterday, and I was telling her about the pumpkin applesauce baby food with a dash of cinnamon. I mentioned that I did the cinnamon because it is so good for you. She didn't know this, so I thought this blog post would be the perfect time to talk about the benefits of cinnamon.

Did you know?

Cinnamon has some effects of how your body regulates blood sugar? Several studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control with as little as 1/2 teaspoon a day. Both test tube and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells’ ability to use glucose. It is great for diabetics, and for those of us that don't want to get diabetes.
Cinnamon has also been shown to have positive effects on cholesterol. One study had 60 people with type 2 diabetes take 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon in pill form daily, an amount roughly equivalent to one quarter of a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.After 40 days, all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose by 18 to 29%, triglycerides by 23 to 30%, LDL cholesterol by 7 to 27%, and total cholesterol by 12 to 26%.
Cinnamon has some anti-bacterial effects preventing food spoilage.
In one fun (but unpublished) study, researchers found that sniffing cinnamon resulted in improved brain function -– subjects did better on memory and attention tasks when taking whiffs of cinnamon as opposed to other odors or no odor. So maybe baking while your kids do homework would help.
Cinnamon also has anti-fungal effects and can be beneficial in treating a yeast infection or thrush. (I am not sure how true this one is, but I read it a couple times)
Cinnamon has magnesium, fiber, calcium, and iron in it.
Cinnamon seems to have some anti-inflammatory effects as well. In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
People have traditionally used cinnamon for digestive problems, although I didn't find any studies to support this.

The funniest part about this blog post is that the recipe doesn't even have cinnamon in it! So I guess, throw some in for good measure!

I bought the big thing of cinnamon that is in the picture for $3.00 at Costco! What a great deal. Next time you are at Costco, be sure to pick some up.

Final note. So sorry I haven't blogged for so long. I moved about 3 weeks ago and was just trying to settle into the new house.

A Twist on Fruit

2009-08-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge fan of high-fructose corn syrup, so I usually do not buy fruit snacks. It is not just the high-fructose corn syrup, but also the taste. They taste like wax. The only nutrient they provide is vitamin C, and that is in only certain brands. I have been buying the fruit leathers that are just made from fruit. My kids like the fruit leathers, but they don't LOVE them.

I joined Amazon Prime (one fee and you get free 2 day shipping on anything you buy from Amazon) recently and came across Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit Real Fruit Rope. They got really good reviews from other Moms, so much so that I was convinced to buy them. I love them! They taste really good and they taste real, not waxy. The first ingredient is Organic Apple Puree which gives you 1 gram of fiber per serving. The rest of the ingredients is pretty much Juice Concentrate of one kind or another.

If I had to compare this to something else nutritionally, I would compare it to juice. It is sweet and sugary, but at least it comes from fruit. Each fruit rope has a serving of fruit in it. Juice is also consided a serving of fruit. I have told my kids they can have 2 a day, but I think I have eaten as much as them.

I am definitely buying these again so that they can go into my kids lunch boxes.

If you are wondering about Amazon Prime, you can click here to find out more information. I really do love it. It is a dream come true to not have to bring 5 kids into a store. Just yesterday I had Amanda pick out birthday presents for some birthdays she has this weekend. I did it while the babies were asleep, and I know that they will be here tomorrow. You can also click here to see what I said about it on my sister-in-laws kids blog.

F A T

2009-08-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Fat is a funny thing. Some fats are good for you, others are bad, but they all have the same amount of calories. My sister Candee called the other day to ask if it mattered what kind of olive oil she bought. I realized that I needed to do a blog post on this, because it DOES matter what kind you buy. Here is the low-down on Olive Oil.

Olive oil has the most monounsaturated fat out of all the different types of fat. Monounsaturated fat helps increase good cholesterol and decreased the bad (LDL) cholesterol. The FDA approved a statement about olive oils health benefits stating : "Eating 2 TBSP of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day."

This quote probably comes from the study that found that when people with high cholesterol levels removed the saturated fat from their diets and replaced it with olive oil, their total cholesterol levels dropped an average of 13.4%, and their LDL cholesterol levels dropped by 18%.

Olive oil also has oleic acid which has antioxidants such as vitamin E. It is these properties that are thought to contribute to the health benefits of olive oil. Olive oil also has been found to have anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic (prevents blood clots), antihypertensive (decreases blood pressure) as well as vasodilator (makes your blood vessels open up) effects. helps prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol). Only oxidized LDL stick to the arterial wall causing build up.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is best. As Rachel Ray says, E.V.O.O. The reason it is best is because of the way it is processed. EVOO is oil that is pressed out of the olive. Extra-Virgin has to have a certain acidity, color, and taste in order to be defined as EVOO. If olive oil is just pure olive oil or just olive oil, it has oil in it that has been refined. Refined means that the oil has been chemically treated to neutralize strong tastes (because it is considered defective) and neutralize the acid content. Extra Virgin olive oil and Virgin Olive Oil cannot have any refined oil in them.

You want the Extra Virgin because it is the most pure and least process; therefore, Extra Virgin Olive oil contains more polyphenols, leading to a healthier heart and lower "bad" cholesterol.

In doing my research, I found out that the US doesn't label its olive oil by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), like most European nations, but from what I read, our labeling is accurate enough that you will want to only buy the EVOO since it has the most good stuff in it and it is not processed with chemicals.

One last note before ending. Olive oil isn't the best oil for cooking things at high temperatures. Heating olive oil at a high temperature, some say as low as 300 degrees, starts to break down some of the polyphenols in the olive oil reducing the health benefits. So when enjoying your olive oil, it is best to enjoy it in a salad dressing, as a bread dip, or drizzle some in an already cooked food like over your cooked veggies.

You can buy good olive oil at Costco for a great price.

To sum it up, you want to buy extra-virgin olive oil because it has the most ployphenols and antioxidants, and therefore has the most health benefit for your body. Extra-virgin olive oil is also a pure oil that has NOT been refined (chemically processed). It isn't just the mono--unsaturated fat that makes olive oil so good for you, it is the other stuff in it too!

Click here, or here, for more information on olive oil.

Little Pizza Man!

2009-07-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to think of what to feed your kids for lunch.. . .especially in the summer time when they are all home. Today we had pizza. Sounds hard, but it is sooo easy.

Take a flour or corn tortilla and spread about 1 T. jarred spaghetti sauce on the bottom.
Put some type of shredded cheese on top. We used the Kirkland brand shredded Mexican cheese. My friend Cristy introduced me to this, and I have had a bag in my fridge ever since then. (Note: not the same bag.)
Add olives to make a cute face. I used the ends of the olives for the nose, and a slice of red bell pepper for the mouth. Use what you have on hand.
Bake on 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Serve with the rest of the olives from the can, and some kind of fruit. My girls ate the whole can of olives! Don't worry, olives are good for them. Olives have lots of monounsaturated fats in them. Olive oil reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the good cholesterol (HDL). It also has anti-inflammatory effects. One study found that 1/4 C of olive oil a day helped reduce your risk of cancer.

Here are some other combination to try when making little pizzas.

Whole wheat English muffin, mozzarella cheese, spaghetti sauce. Add fresh broccoli for hair on top of your little guy.
Corn tortilla, salsa, and cheese. If your kids like spicy, add jarred jalapeno peppers for the eyes and nose.
Whole wheat bread, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese. If you have leftover spaghetti noodles, make this his curly hair on top.

Don't forget to use your pizza cutter to cut the mini pizza in quarters. This makes it really easy to pick up.

Snack Drawer

2009-07-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have been married for 11 years and have moved 9 times, so being in this house for 2 years made me want to reorganize. One thing I have always wanted is a snack drawer for the kids to have readily available snacks that are healthy. I have had a snack shelve for the last 2 years, but the pantry is over crowded, and it is hard for my 4 year old to reach. So last night I found a new home for my cook books and I make a snack drawer.

I wanted to share some snack tips and some of my favorite healthy snacks.

Have healthy snacks somewhere that the kids can help themselves.
Don't forget the fruit. Have a fruit basket or bowl that is in sight so that the kids will see that first when they are looking around for something to eat.
Have a special water bottle in the fridge that your kids can access at all times. This cuts back on dishes and helps kids drink lots of water. Sometime all they really need is a drink.
If you have some unhealthy snacks as a treat (ie, I have some candy for movie night), keep it in a grocery bag and up high so that they are not even tempted by it.
Have a rule about snacking close to dinner time. Ours is that if it is past 5pm, but dinner is not ready, you can eat a fruit or a vegetable. That way if they do fill up, it is on healthy things. Also, since fruits and veggies are low calorie, they will likely be ready for dinner when it is ready.

Our favorite snack drawer items

Almonds- raw
Raisins (only 1 kid eats these)
Gold fish
Apple sauce- no sugar added. I do get the ones sweetened with apple juice sometimes. Just no high-fructose corn syrup.

Other snacks that are not in the snack drawer

Cheese sticks
Slices of cheddar cheese
Yogurt
Bananas
Pears
Peaches
Grapes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Carrot sticks
Cold Cereal with or without milk

We have other snacks too, but these are the ones my kids like that are healthy and that they can get by themselves! I am really into that since having twins :)

I have done other blog posts on the snack ideas that you can click on.

SODIUM NITRATE

2009-07-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I loved eating cold hot dogs out of the fridge. It was a great snack. Sodium Nitrates are found in most processed meats. Picture yourself at the grocery store buying hot dogs. Now look at all the lunch meats and sausages all around the hot dogs . . . all of it has Sodium Nitrate. Sodium Nitrite is what is formed when you ingest sodium nitrates. Sodium Nitrite is a known carcinogen (causes cancer). You have to eat vitamin C to negate the nitrites. So you would have to have a slice of tomato on your sandwich. Sodium nitrite is what is formed as the sodium nitrate is oxidized (exposed to oxygen). Keep in mind as I talk about "meats" that I am referring to processed meat. NOT chicken, steak, pork chops, and those fresh meats. Examples of meats that have nitrites in them ARE bacon, lunch meat, sausage, hot dogs, and jerky.

Sodium nitrate is a food additive that prevents the growth of the bacteria that causes botulism. Potassium nitrate is used for the same purpose. It is good that our meats don't give us botulism, but nitrates are toxic in high amounts. They die the sodium nitrate bright pink so that it doesn't get mixed up as anything else since it is toxic in high amounts. This is why so much of the meats with nitrates in it are kinda pink (think hot dogs).

Some concerns come up when it comes to these additives. Back in 2006, a study was done that linked lung disease to eating cured meats. It found that people who ate cured meats regularly had a 71% higher chance of developing lung disease than those who never ate cured meats. Though not proven, nitrites are what people want to blame this on.

If you read my recent post on breakfast burritos, you remember me saying that processed meat consumption gave you a 67% higher rate of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. On a stage for stage basis, cancer of the pancreas is met with the shortest median survival time out of all cancer types, most often less than 1 year. Pancreatic cancer is not something you want to get!

What are some other alternatives to never eating another cold cut sandwich and summertime hot dog?

They do have nitrate free meats. Hormel has nitrate free ham. See my Breakfast Burritos Post. They also have buffalo hot dogs that are made from grass-fed bison, so they are loaded with omega3's. You can get them at northstarbision.com. Applegate farms has organic nitrate free meat. You can buy this at Whole Foods. Boar's Head is a brand of lunch meats that you usually get at the deli counter at the grocery store. Their turkey and chicken products are nitrate free, but their ham is not. I love their turkey and chicken . .. sooo good!
Just get out of the habit of eating these foods. Most are high in fat and salt.
Vegetarian is always an option, but I am often left with a tasteless taste in my mouth when I have tried this option. Morningstar does make some tasty morning vegetarian sausage, and when I was pregnant with the twins, I couldn't get enough of their vegetarian corn dogs. You can find morning star products in the freezer section of your grocery store.
For kids, try cheese sandwich without the meat. Have hamburgers instead of hot dogs when you do a BBQ.
Nuts instead of jerky. Both are high in protein and help feel you up.
Make bacon and sausage for breakfast a special treat. We always have sausage for Christmas morning, and when it is your birthday, you can pick what ever as well. (we are having doughnuts in August for my son's birthday breakfast).

To sum up, here are the top reasons not to feed your family lunch meats and hot dogs with nitrates.

Because they contain sodium nitrates which converts into sodium nitrites, known carcinogens.

Most lunch meat and hot dogs are mechanically separated meats. "Mechanically separated meats" means the meat was removed from the bones by machine. These meats can have a gritty quality due to small bone particles.

Most lunch meats and hot dogs contain high levels of salt. This can cause high blood pressure.

Hot dogs are very high in fat. You know this isn't good.

Healthy Ice Cream?!

2009-07-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

I am an ice cream snob. I think it is a waste of calories to eat "no name" ice cream. I only waste my calories on top brands. My all time favorite is the Haagen-Daz chocolate ice cream bar . . . at 300 calories, and I don't even want to know how many grams of saturated fat (oops, I found out ).

Tonight, for family night, I made a Vita-mix strawberry frozen yogurt. It was so creamy and delicious that I consider it to be up there with my favorites. It only had 3 ingredients in it . . .

3 Cups Frozen Strawberries
1 Cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/3 Cup sugar

It not only tasted great, but for 1 Cup of it only has 212 calories, and no fat! You also get a bonus of 3 grams of fiber and 100% of your daily vitamin C. And don't forget about all the health benefits of yogurt.

Here is the directions for the recipe

You will probably need a Vita-mix for this, but it never hurts to try.

Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix container, yogurt first, then frozen strawberries, then sugar. Select VARIABLE, speed #1. Turn on machine and quickly increase speed to #10; then to HIGH. Use tamper to press ingredients into the blades while processing. In about 30-60 seconds, then sound of the motor will change and four mounds should form in the mixture. Stop machine. Do not over mix or melting will occur. Serve immediately.

Breakfast Burritos

2009-06-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Dallin and I made a big batch of breakfast burritos this morning. We are going to freeze them so that him, Amanda, and Dad can have a fast and easy breakfast in the morning. I hate making breakfast during the summer (actually, I haven't liked it much since I got pregnant with the twins . .. Just too tired). Breakfast burritos is one of those things that can either be really healthy or one of the least healthy things to eat. It is all about how you make it.

Tortillas- Most store bought tortillas have hydrogenated fats in them! The 2 that I have found that do not are : Tortilla-land uncooked tortillas. You can buy these at Costco. My Smith's also carries them. They are made with canola oil. You put them in a frying pan and cook them yourselves; no oil needed. You have to keep them in the fridge. Also, Carb Chopper's whole wheat tortillas. They have a non-wheat one as well, but the wheat one has 3 grams of fiber in them for only 70 calories. Remember, a good guide is if it has at least 2 grams for every 100 calories. For more on Hydrogenated fat, see my banana post from May.
Eggs- You need about 1 egg/breakfast burrito. Free range eggs are best. This means that the chicken eat the grass/weeds that grow from the ground. This gives your eggs lots more omega-3 fatty acids. Other chickens are kept in cages and fed grain. They don't have as many nutrients in them. Costco sells Omega-3 eggs. They are vegetarian fed (doesn't say cage free though). The Costco ones also say on the egg carton that they have 10x more vitamin E than regular eggs. Beware of egg cartons that just say Omega-3 eggs and nothing else. They can just put Omega-3 eggs on any label. If it says cage-free then you are probably safe. Eggs really are good for you. Especially kids. One extra large egg only has 80 calories, and 7 grams of complete protein. When you pair eggs with toast, skim glass of milk, or another low fat food, it balances out the fat in the egg. Do you ever notice that the mornings you eat an egg it stays with you so much longer than a bowl of cold cereal?
Cheese- Good source of calcium and protein.
Beans- We used canned pinto beans. We drained them and rinsed them before we put them in. Beans are a complete protein along with the other stuff in the burrito. They also have 6 grams of fiber for 1/2 Cup.
Meat- We used ham. Beware of lunch meat though. Lunch meat is full of sodium nitrites. Sodium nitrite is found in almost all lunch meats, hot dogs and sausages. Consuming processed meats (those with sodium nitrates, or sodium nitrites) increase your risk of pancreatic cancer by 67%! I am planning on doing a separate post on this, so I will save the rest for later. We used Hormel Natural Choice Honey Deli Ham. Cost more, but has no sodium nitrites or nitrates in it.
Salsa, Hot sauce or Taco Sauce- Just spicy veggies. Most choices are great. We love the organic Kirkland salsa from Costco. (I just got back from Costco and realized that I forgot to buy some!!!!!)

Put is all together in the tortilla and then fold up the tortilla and put in individual zip lock bags. Then put them in the freezer and heat them up in the microwave when you want one.

A few breakfast facts:

Children who eat breakfast perform better on standardized achievement tests and have fewer behavior problems in school.
Eating breakfast keeps you thin. People who skip breakfast tend to eat more calories during the day.
Kids who eat breakfast have been found to be more likely to participate in physical activities and tend to eat healthier in general.

I added up the calories of the breakfast burritos I made that had about 1 egg, 1 whole wheat carb choppers burrito, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 2 T pinto beans and some salsa and hot sauce.

Calories: 275
Fiber: 5 grams
Fat 11 grams
Protein: 15 grams
Calcium: 19% of your daily amount needed

They are a little high in fat, but for kids this shouldn't be a problem unless they have some extra fat on them. If you just use less cheese, you will be fine.

Enjoy!

Semi-Healthy Truffles

2009-06-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Truffles are known for being very naughty little treats. I came across a recipe recently in Family Fun, my favorite magazine. They had a recipe for truffles that used vanilla soy milk instead of heavy cream. I have been wanted to make good truffles ever since my friend Bonnie made them for me. She makes the best truffles. My 2 older kids and I made them for their teachers as an end of the year present. They turned out great! Here is the recipe. After the recipe I will put some benefits of dark chocolate.

1 1/3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips or some dark chocolate
1/3 C vanilla soy milk

Make a double boiler by taking a pot and filling 1/2 full of water, then place a glass or plastic bowl on top. Bring water to a simmer and stir chocolate and soy milk until melted together and glossy. Add one of the following flavors or leave plain: 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon orange extract.
Or you can add a sprinkle of the following spices to make it really exotic tasting. Cheyenne, Cinnamon, ground cloves, star anise.

Put into freezer until it is hardened and doesn't look glossy anymore (don't freeze, just chill to a gnash).

Spray some oil on your hands and take a heaping teaspoon into your hands and roll. Then roll into one of the following toppings: chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds, sprinkles, cocoa powder.

Put on wax paper and refrigerate. Can be kept out for about 8 hours, but should be refrigerated beyond that.

Why is Dark Chocolate Good for Me?

One study found that Dark Chocolate helped lower blood pressure. This is because chocolate has plant phenols in it. The darker the chocolate the better since darker chocolate has more of the plant phenols.
Dark Chocolate has lots antioxidants. Antioxidants help get rid of free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause oxidative stress. Free radicals are like rust for the body. Antioxidants help get rid of the rust. Antioxidants are involved in the prevention of cellular damage -- the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases.
Dark chocolate has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.
Dark Chocolate stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure.
Dark Chocolate contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.
Dark Chocolate contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants (this is good if you are a sleep deprived mom of twins).

Keep in mind that milk chocolate doesn't have any of the above health benefits. You must stick with dark (semi-sweet is the same). This means 60% or more. Costco has a really yummy bag of chocolates that they sell. I haven't seen it in a few months, but it is Kirkland brand and it has 3 kinds of individually wrapped dark chocolates. Remember, chocolate still has calories in it, so you can't just eat as much as you want. A little goes a long ways. Also, if you buy dark chocolate with carmel in the middle, it doesn't count. Sugar and milk seem to cancel out many of the above health benefits. Guess that means my truffles are out? Not sure if soy milk has the same effect.

Five Healthy Pancakes

2009-06-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

This morning I was making pancakes and talking about this blog post when my son Dallin came up with the title for the post . . . Five Healthy Pancakes. Kids are so funny. Then he started going on about how every post I did could be titled "Five Healthy" and then what ever food I am talking about.

So what makes pancakes so healthy? I started making home made pancakes because Bisquick was expensive and had hydrogenated fats in it. Then I continued to make pancakes because my oldest (Dallin) has never liked milk, and I was always looking for ways to get some milk in him. Home made pancakes have a lot of milk in them.

Recently I discovered one of my new favorite things (drum roll please . . . ) WHITE WHOLE WHEAT! What is it? It is another variety of wheat that bakes up much better then the usual Red Whole Wheat. It is kinda like how there are lots of kinds of grass. There is the blue grama grass which is great for places where it is cold like North Dakota or there is the Bent Grass, which is great for golf courses because of its softness. They are both grass, but they are different species of grass.

Red Wheat

Stores for 25 plus years in the whole kernal form
Heavier for breads and baking

White Wheat

I have heard it doesn't store as long (even if it is 10 years, that is ok with me)
Has a lighter less harder texture; ie: its texture is like white bread

Just so we are clear, I am not talking about white flour. I am talking about 100% whole wheat flour made from the hard white wheat kind of wheat. Both white wheat and red wheat have the same nutritional value.

So what are the benefits of 100% whole wheat vs. enriched wheat flour?

The white flour that you buy at the store to make cookies and bread with is enriched wheat flour. It is enriched because they lose so many nutrients in the process of making the enriched white flour. Enriched white flour is wheat flour that has had the bran and germ removed; therefore, just using the "middle" section. This "middle section" has so little nutrients that it is a law that certain amounts of nutrients are added back into the flour; therefore, enriching it. The bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernal and the germ is the inner soft middle.

For a better visual of this, think of a piece of popcorn that hadn't been popped. The outer layer that gets stuck in your teeth is the bran. The inner layer that is soft and chewy (if you have ever chewed a popcorn kernel) is the germ. The middle section is the part that explodes into the popped corn.

The bran is particularly rich in fiber and omegas, and it also has vitamins and minerals. Wheat germ is a concentrated source of several essential nutrients including, vit E, folic acid, phosphorus, thiamin, zinc, and magnesium. It is a good source of fiber.

The wheat germ is the part that spouts into a plant. So that means that the germ has enough nutrients to support the life of a plant until the plant makes enough roots to get its own nutrients.

One Cup of 100% whole wheat flour has:

59% of your daily fiber
26% of your daily iron
20% of your daily vitamin B6
13% of your daily folate
23% of your daily zinc

Because they "enrich" (which mean "add back in") processed white flour, many of the main nutrients are the same, but a huge difference is the fiber.

Click on this link to see someones test between white and red wheat with cooking bread.

I don't do a ton of baking, but I do like to make pancakes from scratch. It doesn't take that long, and it is easy to replace white flour with whole wheat flour. I don't know if they sell the whole wheat white flour already ground up at just any store, but I did find it online here. If you are unsure, just check the ingredient list. It would be safe to say that if it doesn't have the word enriched in it, it is probably 100% whole wheat white flour.

My favorite pancake recipes come from my brother Scott and his wife Brenda.

Pancakes
2 C. milk
2-4 T canola oil
2 eggs
4 T light sour cream (yogurt also works)
2 C. whole wheat flour
2 T. baking powder
1 t. salt

Buttermilk Hotcakes

2 1/4 C. flour (I tried whole wheat white flour and it was good!)
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3 T sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 C. fat-free buttermilk
3 T. canola oil

Mix all ingredients together.

Soon you will never eat another white pancake again!

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