Category Archives: feed me!

Magical Reindeer Food

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Baby Reindeer

 

Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam
This will guide them to your home.

Poor little hungry critters, working so hard all night long! Santa gets trays and trays of cookies and countless glasses of milk (hope he’s not gluten sensitive or lactose intolerant), and the reindeer get nothing. Well, maybe some child of a nutritionist sets out a couple of carrots. So I came across this years ago, thought it was adorable, and spent every Christmas since in the school classrooms with each of my three children, making reindeer food. We started out using glitter for sparkle, as some recipes suggested, but realized it wasn’t good for creatures big and small that might come across this on the lawn.

So I would like to share our personal family recipe for Magical Reindeer Food. I hope that it becomes a part of your tradition with your little ones. Let me know if you come up with any ingredient variations that we can try next year! Each ingredient is followed by what we said it helped the reindeer to do. Being in the nutrition field, I felt compelled, of course, to discuss the benefits of fiber, which thrilled the boys in the class, but made the girls grossed out. Adjust as you see fit…

Magical Reindeer Food

  • oats (fiber for the reindeer’s digestion)
  • bird seed (minerals and essential fatty acids for strength and brain power in case Santa gets lost)
  • mini-marshmallows (for soft landings on hard rooftops and frozen lawns)
  • colored decorating sugars (for magical flying abilities)
  • other random decorating sprinkles (assign various magical attributes according to your family’s traditions)

Run through the ingredients and what they accomplish with the children, whether in a classroom or your home. Then allow each child to spoon a set amount, such as one, two, or three spoonfuls, or 6 marshmallows, into a plastic baggie. You can figure they will be tasting some of the various ingredients (we seemed to have to replenish the marshmallows pretty often). I assigned amounts based on cost of ingredients, so the oats and birdseed got assigned three scoops or spoons. I found it easier to give each child a spoon, so there were no “unspooned” serving dishes and therefore no yelling.

Have the kids pop the poem and their spoon into the baggie with the magical mixture, and instruct them to scatter it on the lawn on Christmas eve. Sing Rudolph and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. I found it so nice to be able to contribute to the wide-eyed wonder and magic of one of  the most beloved things for children at Christmas, the reindeer.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful magical Christmas,

May all your Christmas dreams come true…Cynthia

“Healthy” from the Plate of the USDA

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Guess what?! U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid has gotten a makeover!

MyPlate is the colorful, new, in your face, pay attention to me ad campaign! MyPyramid, the prior ad campaign, was based on the Food Pyramid, and like Madonna or Britney, it was just time for a redo.

Statistically, we as a nation are not getting healthier, we’re getting sicker. So, it’s time to wake up the public — we are in crisis!

Yep, we are a fat, overweight, diabetic bound, heart diseased, downward spiraling nation of fast food ad campaigns that scream louder than the USDA food pyramid, MyPyramid or MyPlate ever could: CRISIS!!

Wait, maybe the USDA and lobbyists in Washington are in cahoots? No!? They have our best interests at hand, right?! Think again! Take a look at the plate. Here sits this bright, beautiful plate, telling us what we need to know as a nation to keep ourselves and our family healthy. What’s a mom to do?! READ the labels. Take responsibility for your own opinion, your own health and the health of your family.

Yes, there is some really great information to be gleaned from MyPlate.gov. Vegetables, Grain, Fruit, Protein and Dairy. We all need to eat our vegetables! Greens, specifically, actually lots of them! (For this I give them 5 stars, as it’s the largest section on MyPlate).

But, as Dr. Andrew Weil has so aptly pointed out in his blog post, they make no distinction is made between fruit juices and fruits.

Protein comes from MANY sources and guess what?! Grains and greens have protein. So do nuts, beans and legumes. It’s not all about animal proteins. MyPlate misses bringing awareness to these other sources of protein, BUT it does not push the over abundance of animal protein it used to! Dairy, low fat precisely, is not necessarily healthier for you than full fat. In fact in the Dec. 21, 2010 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, it shows that there is a natural substance in dairy fat, (trans-palmitoleic acid), that may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

What is missing from the plate is, water (ah…not in the glass!). Water is the basis of true health and wellness. You can live without food for weeks, but you can’t live without water for more than 3 days. We NEED water to grow, just like plants.

Watering yourself creates homeostasis, health. It also:

Detoxifies
Acts as a natural hunger suppressant (want to loose weight?!)
Moisturizes the skin
Aids in digestion and prevents constipation
Gets rid of headaches and helps with reduction of migraines
Acts as the transportation system for everything that enters your body
Is the elixir of youth! And,
Hydrates you!

Take a look at your plate and then take a look at MyPlate.gov. It’s about getting yourself educated, demanding real information about what you and your family need to ingest. MyPlate.gov is an opinion by the USDA, not a decree. Follow your own instincts, get educated. The government is tied to the big pharmaceutical companies, beef, poultry, dairy, grain, soybean and corn lobbies at the expense of our health as a nation. The thinking is if we keep people sick, we can keep big pharma happy! The beef, poultry and dairy industry needs to be kept happy too. Let’s not forget the GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) Monsanto monster corn, soybean and grains. Just so you know, Monsanto develops and markets genetically engineered seed and bovine growth hormone, AND is extremely aggressive with it’s litigation, political lobbying practices, seed commercialization practices and “strong-arming” of the seed industry! So, let’s make sure Monsanto is kept happy.

Jessica’s Apple or Pear Pancake

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The other day I noticed a comment posted on FB by a friend whom I met through The Family Balancing Act. Jessica Nunes was yearning for the sights and smells of autumn (which, now that I’m in Panama, I can particularly relate to). But what really tugged at my heart strings was her comment:

…thank you Fall for coming and renewing my love of cooking…

I was immediately transported back into the kitchen of my old house in New Jersey after an afternoon of apple picking, thinking about just what to do with all of those apples.

Moments later, up popped the fruition of that comment, with an apple pancake photo that made my mouth water, so I asked Jess to write a guest blog with the recipe to share with us all!

By Jessica Nunes:

I live in the Arizona Desert, so I need to bring fall to me. This wasn’t always the case, as I grew up in Pennsylvania. Ahh, the smell of crispness in the air, the leaves changing color, wearing sweaters…these are all things I remember about my most favorite season. Trying to bring the sense of Fall to my kids is challenging, while temperatures are still in the 100′s. In the past we have driven 3 hours one way to a real pumpkin patch. This year I am thinking about driving 3 hours the other way so the kids can see the many beautiful colors of the leaves when they change color. But the best thing I can do at home is bake the smell of Fall into our house. And my most favorite way of doing that is by making a baked apple or pear pancake in my cast iron pan. Now, if only I could drive somewhere to get the maple syrup directly from a tree…

Baked apple/pear pancake

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (we used rice, brown rice and other gluten free flours)

1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 ripe apple or pear, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet in the oven to warm it.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, extract and salt until smooth. In a separate bowl, toss the apple or pear with the cinnamon and sugar.

Carefully remove the preheated skillet from the oven and add the butter, swirling until it is melted. Arrange the fruit in a single layer in the skillet and pour in the batter.

Return the skillet to the oven and bake 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve with some real, from the tree, maple syrup! And soak in the feeling of the change of seasons. Even if it’s not outside your door…it’s in your heart.

Cynthia’s post recipe comments:

So many many thanks for sharing, Jessica! Loved it, absolutely delicious! I served it divided in three to my children for breakfast, but it would work equally well if a friend stopped over for a cup of tea or coffee!

We’re big apple lovers, so I did use 3 apples instead of one (plus, as my children reminded me, I needed to have extra for “tasting” while we were cooking!). Additionally, I dropped the eggs to two and made the recipe with a blend of oat and rice flours, plus some finely ground almonds to make it gluten free, as we’re celiac in my home.

It Ain’t Easy Being Green: College Health & Wellness Kit vs Cold, Hard Reality

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You’ve successfully said your goodbyes, cried your eyes out — maybe not, some parents run gleefully to their cars.

I, of course was far more pathetic and sobbed all the way home, about 4 hours.  I thought I’d lost my eyesight, because my eyes were so puffed up I couldn’t open them and when I did, they were dried up like little raisins.

Pretty, very pretty.

Let’s face it, you’ve basically been kicked to the curb by your baby…metaphorically, of course. (See my last blog post.)

Cheer up! Now it’s time to get that care package of healthy goodies sent off to baby bunting. I, of course, being in the health and wellness field had the ingenious idea that because I fostered healthy eating choices at home, the kiddos would continue to follow that lifestyle away at school.

HA!

Why on earth would I think, sending them off to college they would suddenly become more enlightened? They did eventually — miracle of miracles — but it took the all of freshman year.

It’s amazing what the “freshman fifteen” or “freshman thirty” will do to a person!

Here are 10 essentials you might consider for the College Health and Wellness Kit:

  1. Notes that say WATER on them. That’s it. So easy it’s hard to grasp, right? Water, water, water, cuz everyone forgets to drink enough water. Including you and I, let alone our children. With the behavior that begins as we drop them off… Let’s just say they’re not getting enough water and be done with it. Everyone needs this reminder.
  2. You want them to eat their greens? OK… stop laughing and listen, the only greens they’ll be interested in are the ones that fill their wallets. So, let’s just let this one go. Ok?  Deep breath, I promise it’ll be ok; they will have a bowel movement.
  3. Because you will send them apples, yes, apples. Red, green, pink, small apples.  Fall is apple season and there will be an over abundance to choose from.  Remember: An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.  The catch is, they need to be organic.  Besides the fact that pesticides make you sick and can ultimately kill you, they make your mouth itch. I’ve heard more clients tell me that their kids won’t eat apples because their allergic to them, almost always, it’s the pesticides.
  4. Breakfast bars for breakfast on the go! I sent off raw/vegan bars with alfalfa grass, chlorella and dates. Mailed them in September in a care package and they kiddos came back with them in May.  So, let’s try something different: Normalish looking ones that are a healthier choice:  Kashi, Nutiva, Cliff and Luna.  Read the labels.  Rule of thumb: Too many ingredients with words you can’t pronounce aren’t good.
  5. Vitamin supplements. OK, here is where we enter the world of the absurd.  Somehow we feel the more jars, bottles, pills we take will solve years of not ingesting nutrients. Not true! Nonetheless, here are a few vitamins that I put into my kids kit, not necessarily expecting them to take them: Omega 3 for the brain; Vitamin C with zinc just a healthy staple; Probiotics to support belly and bowel health; Multivitamin to help supports general health and well-being.  And, my personal favorite: Juice Plus, recommended by “America’s Pediatrician” Dr. William Sears. The capsules have 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains.  This is just support not a substitute for real food.
  6. This I love! If you have a smart phone, you’ve gotta get this app: Songify. It’ll help you create your own song to help you cope. Check out the jam I cooked up Eat_well_study_hard.
  7. Bottle of lavender. I know, what on earth is that for? Well, when Little Boy Wonder or Sally Sue is feeling overwhelmed, overworked, emotional or dare I say, hung-over… lavender is the great equalizer.  It helps one sleep, relax and let go.  Put on the bottom of ones feet and on the palms of the hands, it’s instant relaxation. You should pick up a bottle, too!
  8. Love notes and affirmation “cheer them on” cards.  As queer as they may seem, it works.  It’s nice to be remembered and it’s not a Hallmark card.
  9. Cookies. Healthy ones that you make would be awesome, but lets face it, not everyone is baking away in the kitchen.  If you do, go you!  But, if you don’t, try the slice and bake. If not, don’t send of the ones with high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils. Oreo’s = Not good. Really bad for the teeth, brain and breath.
  10. It’s important to have the occasional treat, but it does not have to be junk food.  Packages of nuts, dried fruit (in moderation often these are high sugar content, label check), small bags of chips and popcorn.
  11. OK, OK, I didn’t say anything about this tip. Consider it a BONUS TIP! Eleven is non-essential, but important. The candy bag, not essential, but hey, you gotta live a little.  So send a little bit.  Chocolate with a high cacao level of 55% or above is great, but sometimes you just need a little sugar.  So do up a fun bag of their favorites.  Don’t think about the dyes and sugary sticky stuff.  Just don’t send off pounds of it.

By sending off this little care package, you’re showing love, restraint and balance.

What do you send off to your kids away at school?  Do share in the comments below.