Simple First Step

Taking in the world of nutritional information can seem like drinking from a fire hose  sometimes. "What is really important?"  "Most importantly, how do I fit this all in? My life is already full to the brim..."

Some things are, obviously, more important than others. One simple step to take is flax.  Ground flax seed can be added in countless ways to food and is so fast to prepare. A simple blender (enter my absolute favorite, the Magic Bullet) will do the trick. Ground seeds should be kept in fridge for about a week and not used in baked goods if their full nutritional effects are sought.

I ground some every few days, just to make sure they're really fresh. Flax, in my house, is stored in the fridge. We eat it on yogurt or anywhere I can hide it. Truth be told, my son is not a fan of the 'brown sprinkles' when he can see them. The younger one couldn't care less. It doesn't really taste like anything. So, flax gets stirred into the baby's yogurt and into the 3 year olds nut butters sometimes and yogurt when he isn't fast enough to protest. But, lets face it, 3 year olds seem to be exceptionally speedy when it comes to protesting food. If only his speed was the same when cleaning up toys, or going up stairs, or climbing into the car seat...

The funny thing is that I was just at the store where I was looking at Omega-3 Dietary supplements for kids. They all seem to provide about the same amount as 1 tsp of ground flax. So, instead of spending $15-$35 on chewables, I just buy the flax in bulk and sprinkle it wherever it can be hidden.

Why Omega-3s?

Omega-3 Fatty Acids promote brain development, blood sugar stability, are essential for human growth and development and must be gained through diet. The body can't produce them on its own. Read more in the University of Maryland Medical Center article.

It's suggested that a person eat fish twice a week to get all the fatty acids necessary for growth and development. But, that's another topic for another time. Right now, it's important to just get started.

*image courtesy of wikipedia.

Snacks We Love That Love Us Back

Here are a few favorites:

• Crackers and Hummus
• Cheese and Crackers
• Almond Butter & Fruit (Around here, almond butter is always thinned with plain yogurt for kids under 2 yrs. of age)

My absolute new favorite:

• Raw Caramel Dip (Photo & recipe courtesy of Nourishing Meals)

Don't be put off by the healthy title. This is something that passes well for food. It satisfies even my dino-sized sweet tooth. The dip is intended for apples, but I find myself grabbing a bit with a spoon here and there. Don't expect a smooth caramel texture here. But, do expect something delightful.

Extra: Use walnuts instead of cashews to get some extra omega-3s. It makes a chunkier texture, but one I actually like. Also, buy the dates in the bulk section instead of a container in the produce section. This practice is the difference between spending $.70 and $7.00 for me. I get whatever type of pitted date is available and it turns out well.

This recipe passes muster for all diets: Gluten-free, vegan, anti-inflammatory, and dairy-free. Can you feel the love? 

Today I'm Going To Cook Something Healthy (and now I'm going to frost it!)

Pardon the punctuation there! Up there, that is. Just avert your eyes, it got ugly.

Speaking of ugly, it's tough to find a pretty snack. Healthy ones are scarce to be found and especially scarce at any organized kid-tivity. But, they're often just as important as meals because they keep a toddler/preschool body going until the next meal, maintain an even blood sugar, ward off sugar cravings and keep a person (me) sane. They also provide a lovely few moments to get some dinner prep. done. So, hooray for snacks! I love them. But, can they be healthy and fast too?

Enter today's creation: a re-do of a Whole Foods Market recipe "Yummy Banana Oat Bars".

Verdict: If this food was fuel, it would be rated as just plain regular. This will get you where you want to go without any extra frills. Until you frost it...

Yummier Banana Oat Bars

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 LARGE (take this seriously, no shrimpy bananas allowed in this one) ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (they say it's optional, I tried it and liked it)

1/4 tsp cardamom or cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:

1/2 brick (4 oz) cream or yogurt cheese
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon (sprinkled on top to make it pretty)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients for the bars together in a large bowl. Press into a 9x9 baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Spread topping on the bars while they are still warm. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, slice and serve.

Popcorn Re-Do

Popcorn has popped into our house to stay (ba-dum-bum). We made some the other day and it was a fabulous time to watch for Kiddo1.  Just heat up about 1/3 cup oil (preferably coconut or grapeseed to get in those healthy fats) in a big pot (about 6 qt) and toss in a cup of corn kernels. Shake until the popping stops and you're in business! It's fun for kids of all ages, especially if your pot has a glass lid.

Next step, add nutritional yeast (mine, sadly, was stale). I hear it makes it taste yummy and cheesy. You may guessed already that it adds a fabulous amount of vitamins. I was turned off by the name at first, but never fear. It's real food. Also, it's important to note that this is different than kind used in yeast bread and is a specialty item found in the health foods section.

Anti-Inflammatory Diets: Skip this one and try some frozen grapes or apples with almond butter for a quick snack if corn is a food intolerance or creates blood sugar issues for you.

Dairy-Free: Try the nutritional yeast with me and let me know what you think! I do hear it tastes cheesy. A bonus, for sure!

Gluten-Free: Enjoy, but watch out for an imbalance of corn in the diet. Corn often has too big of a role in gluten-free living and should be balanced out with other grains to ensure a well-balanced diet.

Why is this healthy?

The corn, healthy fats and nutritional yeast provide a quick, sugar-free snack full of vitamins. Popping in a pan also avoids the leeching of chemicals from a plastic popper and the unpronounceable chemicals found in the microwave kind. This preparation ensures real food. No food-like-substances here. 

I'll launch a discussion about cookware soon. But, for now, go with stainless steel when possible.

Pantry Staples

Lets talk about a go-to meal around our house. It's easy. The ingredients are always in the house and it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. Boxed Mac N' Cheese takes longer. In fact, Ramen Noodles take longer.

This go to meal saves me from 1. spending too much time driving to fast food. 2. eating fast food or 3. eating boxed, prepared meals in my house that have ingredients I don't recognize and aren't nourishing (aka: "junk"). Food-like substances are not eaten when my go-to meal is around.

I do create a meal plan and any good plan has a plan B. Wahoo! I crammed a lot of planning into that last sentence. The gist is: plan, plan to fail and then your plan won't fail. Got it?

What is your go-to pantry/freezer meal?

Rice and Beans A La Quick

• Cooked brown rice from the freezer (2 cups)
• Black beans (from can or freezer, preferably the freezer) (1 cup)
• Peas and Carrots (frozen - the bag from Whole Foods has carrot slices that are easy to pick up by little hands) (1 cup)
• Salsa (to taste, about 1/4 cup)

• Sour Cream (optional)
• Cheese (optional)
• Chips (optional)

And, yes, my kids LOVE this. Babies get smashed beans and little salsa. Big kids get chips. We all win and clean up is a breeze.

Bonus: it's gluten-free.

*Anti-inflammatory diets: skip the chips and dairy
*Dairy-free: enjoy the salsa and skip the obvious offenders
*Everyone: keep the sodium-filled chips to a minimum or, even better, buy/make low sodium chips.

Why is this healthy?

Rice and beans together create a complete protein. So, they are the perfect pair.

Sugar Plum Fairy

Thank you to Kara Fleck of Simple Kids for giving us this great idea! She posted at the Simple Organic web site about her kids' visits from the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

Our children are young still, so it's a great time to start. Tonight, our son (the trick or treater) took out several pieces of candy he wants to keep and left the rest on his dresser for the Sugar Plum Fairy. We did need to give him a little preview of what toy he might get (apparently, mommy had a chat with Sugar Plum Fairy awhile ago). But, after that it was smooth sailing. 

I don't mind my kids having some treats. But, I would have to regulate the treats from now to February given of the amount of candy received. This haul of sugary sweets is in addition to the coming festivities. We decided it was a good idea to get the stuff out of the house now, while we could. I'm sure there's more to come and we do often have sweets of various, more healthy kinds around. We'd like for our kids to learn to deal with moderation and feel like they are making choices. So, my son had a choice about the toy and "visit". He may choose otherwise another year. That will be fine too. We'll just have to set some limits about where to go from there.

A Few Rules of Thumb

There are a few gems in life that help us remember how to balance what is important. One I find useful is the 80/20 rule. When a well intended friend/family member/babysitter brings something less-than-healthy into our home, I remember this rule. It is that my kids can have 20% of their diet consist of things that are less than I'd prefer. This keeps balance in our lives and, I hope, keeps them from craving forbidden fruit (snacks).

The other heuristic I find helpful is the 60/40 rule. I'll write a lot about this as I find it's a key to introducing vegetables and keeping them going in our family's diet. Veggies and fruit are well mixed at a 60/40 ratio. My favorite example of this is our carrot/apple salad. I made this for my first child and it dropped off my radar screen as he was able to progressively eat more chunky foods. When my second child came along, we welcomed it back. This time it has stayed as a staple side or snack.

Carrot Apple Salad

- 2 peeled, small, sweet apples

- 1 medium peeled carrot

Grate together on the fine side of your grater, mix, add ground flax (optional) and serve.

I try to encourage using forks on this one, but it's most often eaten with clean hands at our house.

The great thing about the 60/40 rule is that it's a starting point. Once family members are used to the taste of the food, they're often more likely to enjoy the vegetable alone or in a more highlighted way. However, sometimes a 90/10 rule may need to be started and progressed to where you want. Start with a little of what you're hoping to incorporate and then gradually add more over time. For example, if you're trying to switch teenagers over to brown rice. Start with a little mixed into their traditional fare of white rice. Keep going until it's half and half and then onward to all brown. Slow and steady... the older the person, the longer it'll take to change their habits and palate.

One of the few instances when the 60/40 is a good idea and a ratio that shouldn't be changed is in the case of green smoothies. More than 40% vegetables makes it unpalatable for my family. Otherwise, go crazy! Keep pushing the envelope to see what works for you and those you love.