Guest Post on Natural Parents Network - Healthy Eating August 27, 2013 11:21

You may be trying to squeeze in one final getaway before school starts this fall - or planning your holiday and winter break vacations. It can be hard to stay the course with avoiding heavy fast foods when traveling - especially with kids. I recently contributed a post to Natural Parents Network on tips my family uses to eat healthy while on the road. It's all about planning ahead and saving money without sacrificing your food standards. Check out my post on Natural Parents Network here.

 

-Ashley

Product Review: Squooshi February 18, 2013 15:49

I haven’t gotten this excited about a new product since we dreamed up the SlumberSling. Squooshi is my new favorite thing for so many reasons – which is why we’re now carrying them on the site, and including them in one of the few product reviews we do here on our blog.

I’ve always been frustrated with finding healthy, affordable on-the-go snacks for my kids. String cheese, apples, fruit leather and homemade fruit/nut bars tend to be my standard choices, but none of those are typically filling enough to make a full snack for my big eaters. Reusable sandwich and snack bags started to make packing snacks a little easier, but I still feel like I’m always lugging around 10 pounds of food everywhere we go.  

My kids love the food pouches and applesauce pouches from the grocery store. The problem is they are not cost effective, and every snack just creates more trash for the landfills. This is where Squooshi comes in and saves the day.

According to the Squooshi founder, over 2 billion single use food pouches end up in landfills every year. So, facing the same snack challenges most moms are familiar with, she was inspired to create an affordable, reusable version.

Some of Squooshi’s awesome features: BPA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC-free, and Lead-free, money saving (pre-filled pouches cost $1.50-$2.25 each), save energy (pre-packaged food travels over 1,200 miles before it reaches you), less mess and less for mom to tote around in her bag.

Here are a few snack ideas I’ve used in our Squooshi pouches.

·      Strawberry-banana puree

·      Green smoothies (which can be frozen in batches)

·      Applesauce

·      Plain yogurt (SO much better than the sugary, artificial Go-Gurts)

·      Mashed avocado

·      Peanut butter, cooked oatmeal and banana mush 

·      Hummus to squeeze on crackers packed in a reusable snack bag

 

I think you’ll love Squooshi as much as I do! And please share your favorite Squooshi recipes with us on Facebook!

 

-Ashley

Clean and Delish January 21, 2013 14:30

I LOVE food.  I have yet to meet a person who feels differently.  I have a true appreciation for those delicious concoctions that talented chefs create, especially as someone who can never successfully “wing” my own recipes… even though I try. 

Unfortunately, more often than not, all of these tasty inventions are on the not-so-good-for-you side. As I am sure readers might have picked up my now, Ashley and I are advocates of eating clean.  We believe you can eat delicious and eat clean.  SO we’re sharing our favorite simplest, cleanest, easiest recipes. 

In addition to these, I’ve discovered how to make my own chocolate with no added sweeteners. Simply mix soft coconut oil with equal parts organic cocoa powder. Once mixed, spread the paste on wax paper and freeze. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Salmon

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Mexican Haystacks

Vegan Kale and Quinoa Minestrone

Bon appétit!

-Alyssa

We Don't Want SUGAR Plums - Healthy Holiday Treats December 19, 2012 16:07

Ashley and I have been known to be quite the sugar fiends.  We blame it on our genetics and claim that it runs in the family, which is totally legitimate right!?  Ok maybe not, but in our family it is typical for grandma to have her first bowl of ice cream by 8 am, meanwhile our mother is eating the tops off all of the cupcakes in the house. 

Ashley and I are determined to break the mold.  We refuse to be slaves to all of the delicious, tempting, delectable, insert more adjectives here, sugary desserts.  And we've gotten pretty good at maintaining restraint!! 

Once you cut refined sugars out of your diet, you simply can’t keep them in your home. Having it around but trying to tell yourself it's not something you can eat ‘today’ just doesn’t work long-term. This step is not easy, especially when you share a home with others who may not be on the same, no-sugar page, but it’s definitely doable.  Nobody’s perfect, but this step has definitely helped us make serious progress in eliminating sugars. 

The holidays get challenging though.  There is temptation everywhere and it gets much harder to be strong. So, we've gotten creative and come up with ways to have our cake and eat it to...literally.  Below are a few of our favorite 'not so guilty' treats that really are treats (except for in our mom’s and grandma’s eyes, but they believe in only sugar and butter, so we choose our battles)!  

Avocado Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients:

·      1 ripe avocado

·      1/4 cup cocoa powder

·      1/3 cup honey

·      1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk

Directions:
Blend all ingredients together until creamy.

Creamy Cashew Pudding
Ingredients:

·      1 cup raw cashews, soaked*


·      1 teaspoon vanilla extract


·      1 teaspoon coconut oil


·      2 teaspoons raw honey


·      1/4 cup filtered water, or almond milk


·      pinch of sea salt

*To soak cashews: Soak 1 cup raw cashews in 2 cups of filtered water, so that they are completely covered in liquid. Lightly cover the bowl with a towel, and allow to sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Drain completely and rinse the cashews well before using. (Keep refrigerated if not using them right away.)

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth and creamy.

Fudge!!
Ingredients:

·      1 cup raw cashew butter (or nut butter of choice)

·      ⅓ cup coconut oil

·      ¼ cup cocoa powder

·      ¼ cup pure maple syrup

·      ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

·      1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

·      In a medium bowl, mix together the nut butter and coconut oil until smooth. (This works best if the ingredients are slightly warm. Alternatively, you could blend them together using a food processor.)

·      Add in the cocoa powder, maple syrup, sea salt and vanilla, and stir until smooth and creamy.

·      Transfer the mixture to a dish, lined with plastic wrap for easy removal, and smooth the top with a spatula.

·      Place the dish in the freezer, and allow the fudge to set for at least an hour before slicing and serving. Thanks to the coconut oil, this raw fudge will melt quickly if left to sit in a warm room, so it’s best served directly from the freezer.

Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cups
Ingredients:

Brownie:

·      1 cup blanched almond meal

·      2 tbsp coconut flour

·      1/4 tsp sea salt

·      1/2 tsp cinnamon

·      1/4 cup cocoa powder

·      2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

·      2 tbsp honey

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      1 egg

Caramel Layer:

·      10 large (preferably soft) medjool dates, pitted

·      3 tbsp boiling water

·      slightly less than 1/4 tsp sea salt

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      1/3 cup creamed coconut

Chocolate Layer:

·      1/2 cup dark chocolate or chips

·      1 tbsp coconut oil

·      1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions:

For the Brownies:

·      Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a deep silicone muffin tin and set aside (If you don’t have a silicone muffin pan, I suggest using paper liners so as to not have to wrestle with it to get your goodies out).

·      Blend almond meal and coconut flour.

·      Add in salt, cinnamon and cocoa and blend with a fork.
Stir in the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and egg. Blend until completely mixed.

·      Spoon into six or seven of the muffin tin compartments.

·      Bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove and cool completely. (I use the freezer for speedier cooling, just don’t forget them in there.)

For the Caramel Layer: 

·      Place dates and boiling water in a blender or food processor and blend until liquefied.

·      Add in remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

·      Pour over cooled brownie layer and cool again.

For the Chocolate Layer:

·      In a double boiler or a small metal bowl placed over a small pot of gently simmering water, add the chocolate chips, ghee and salt.

·      Stir continuously until just melted.

·      Pour over cooled cups and spread around with your finger or a small spatula.

·      Cool completely before trying to remove.

Disclaimer: we do not take credit for inventing these satisfying substitutes—we're not that good—but we do love them.  We do encourage you to check out Detoxinista’s blog at http://detoxinista.com.  We are loving her recipes!! 

We'd love for any of you to share healthy treat recipes that you have. 

-Alyssa

Kids & Veggies : Creating a Lasting Love November 28, 2012 11:08

Getting kids to eat their vegetables seems to be a universal challenge among parents (though I’d venture that it is largely an issue faced by Americans). Everybody takes a different approach to this from bribing or force-feeding to disguising veggies in other food or giving up all together.

There’s no question that kids need to eat their vegetables as part of a healthy diet and moreover to build the foundation for a life of healthy eating. But while the concept itself is simple, the execution becomes seemingly insurmountable for many families.

Long before I became a mom, I proclaimed that I would be excessively strict about food when it came to my children. Healthy nutrition is a passion for me, and I have for many years believed sugar should have a very limited presence in anybody’s daily diet. At the same time, I love chocolate, baked sweets and frozen yogurt, and I come from a long line of sweet lovers, so I’m not always able to practice what I preach.

In the last few years, I’ve learned a few approaches that have helped in creating a love for veggies among my kiddos. Below is a list of my strategies, but as children’s palettes change with the wind, I’m always looking for new ideas. Take a look at this list, and let us know some things that have worked for your family.

·      Super Baby Food: With the exception of using store-bought organic baby rice cereal, all of the food my babies consumed in their first year was organic, homemade and free of anything processed. This included a strict no-sweets rule – their first birthdays were the first time they tasted anything with a sweetener.

·      Say No To the Sweet Tooth: Even after the first birthdays, we remained very strict about sweets. Some people may think this is depriving kids of the normal childhood enjoyment of treats, but I disagree. My kids still enjoy plenty of traditional treats, but they understand that those treats are to be enjoyed in moderation, and only as part of a balanced, healthy diet that is rich with fruits and vegetables. This has led to my children viewing their favorite fruits as treats.

·      Beverages Are The Enemy: For us, the first few years were largely void of juices. An occasional apple juice or orange juice is allowed in moderation. Fruit drinks and soda are off limits (and the adults in the family don’t drink these either). I can probably count on one hand the amount of times my kids have had chocolate milk – it is a very special treat, not the norm. As a result, they love water and plain old milk, and drink plenty of it.

·      Variety: Every meal, even their first meals, included lots of variety. This is a pillar of nutrition plans suggested for children by dieticians. Each meal includes a whole grain, fruit and/or veggie and protein, accompanied by organic milk. There are many times when my kids refuse to eat the veggies they are offered, but there are just as many times when the green stuff is the first thing they eat. The point is that the more you offer a variety of healthy foods, the more they will grow to enjoy and favor many of them.

·      Stick to the Classics: We’ll go through a phase when carrots are the only acceptable veggie, or cauliflower or broccoli, or whatever. Nobody ever overdosed on carrots as far as I know, so I just go with it. If my four year old refuses any veggie but carrots for a week, he simply eats carrots every day. Eventually he moves on and is willing to add tomatoes, beans and broccoli back into the mix. Another point on this is that I keep it really simple. Plain steamed veggies seem to taste better to my kids than roasted herbed carrots or Parmesan sautéed green beans.

·      What’s a Happy Meal?: We don’t eat fast food. We’ve gone more than four years, and the kiddos don’t even know what a Happy Meal is. I’ll be clear that we will pick up a grass fed cheeseburger, deli sandwich or a burrito from a fresh-mex place, and we order pizza. So I guess that qualifies as fast food. But McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC and the like just aren’t part of our repertoire.

·      I’m Not Above Bribes: At the end of the day, if nothing else is working, I remind the kids that if they want to earn their special treats, they need to eat their veggies. Sometimes a little nudge that if they finish their greens they might earn that ice cream they’ve been wanting, is all it takes for them to dig into the kale that remains on their plate. And usually once they do take a bite, they tell me how yummy it is.

-Ashley  

Guest Post: Kids' Nutrition November 1, 2012 23:02

Guest Blog By Wendy Camaano, Registered Dietitan

 

When you are facing strict schedules that accompany the school year and an upcoming busy holiday season, it is easy to let planned, healthy meals fall by the wayside, in favor of something quick, and perhaps, not as nutritious. Despite the chaos, it is important to remember that children are in a critical developmental stage in their lives both physically and in creating healthy eating habits.

Kids need a focused diet—with lots of whole, nutritious foods that offer balance and variety. This means fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and healthy fats throughout the day.

It’s important to teach kids to listen to their bodies and trust their hunger and over-indulgence cues. As a parent, you may want to decide what and when they are eating, but it should be up to the kids to decide how much they eat.

Children are born with a pretty good sense of when they’re hungry and when they’re full. We as adults need to trust these instincts. Some days, kids will eat more, or less, and as long as they’re eating from different food groups, you don’t have to worry about them eating too many or too few calories in a particular day.

If kids are in the habit of eating balanced amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains during the day, they are more likely to choose these nutrient-dense foods rather than refined carbohydrates and processed foods when snack time rolls around. A balanced, whole-food diet including all the food groups must be the foundation.

The best thing parents can do is keep a variety of whole foods available in the house and remember that not everything is in your control. If you offer balanced, wholesome snacks and meals, and set a good example yourself, then you are laying the groundwork. When possible, try to get your kids involved in the food process (gardening, cooking, prepping, etc.) so they have a better appreciation and understanding of food, and where it comes from.

It is also important to remember that kids won’t eat well 100 percent of the time. Kids will be kids, and it is totally okay!  If your child eats only macaroni and cheese and maybe a carrot once a week, that is okay, too! They go through eating stages. Just keep offering healthy options and know that kids need to try things over and over again before they may learn to like something. Just don’t give up and keep setting a good example.