Easter Basket

Does your Easter Bunny need a basket makeover?

What does the typical children's Easter basket look like?  Plastic eggs, little yellow chicks with the wired feet, maybe a stuffed animal bunny and LOTs of candy....lets take the most popular Easter candy that a child might consume on Easter day, a small box of peep chicks, a Reese's peanut butter egg, one Cadbury Creme Egg, one small bag of jelly beans and a bite off a chocolate bunny's ear.....in total, that is 109 grams of sugar...the same amount of sugar in almost 10 glazed doughnuts......who wants to be with their kids after 10 glazed sugar doughnuts?  

Your Easter bunny can choose a healthier basket for your children with no synthetic food dyes, artificial sweeteners or flavorings, processed sugar or trans fats.

Here are some ideas for goodies to put in plastic eggs in your basket:

Annie's Organic bunny crackers...on sale at Whole Foods this week!

Available at most grocery stores and come in different flavors

Quarters or $2 bills

Dried fruit and nuts

Stickers 

Tattoos 

Legos

Pretzels

Baby carrots....a special treat from the big bunny

Other ideas for the basket:

Bubbles

Scented markers and coloring pages
iTunes gift cards

Children's magazines

Jumprope
Flavored Lip Balms 

Gift cards to their favorite store

Water balloons

DVD's 

Books on summer vacation destinations

Amazon.com has lots of kid friendly maps of different cities around the world

Sidewalk chalk

Matchbox cars

Cutie clementines

Character bandaids 

 Tom's children's toothpaste....comes in fun flavors like mango and strawberry

Bubble bath packets

Small packets of nut butters....they come in different flavors and are on sale now at the Natural Grocers and Whole Foods

Green Ideas:

Seed packets.....pick up some butterfly attracting plant seeds like Common Milkweed.

A Monarch butterfly on Common Milkweed

Small starter plants like strawberry,tomato or herbs. 

Your kids can nurture their plants and see the fruits of their labor

For Easter grass use shreds from your paper shredder...traditional Easter grass is not recyclable and can be toxic to our pets.

If your bunny wants to take baby bunny steps and can't go cold turkey on the candy....try a couple of chocolate covered strawberries, dark chocolate nuts, or Annie's gummy bunnies.

Happy Easter!

Thanks for all the support!  I am so happy to announce that I am working on my first e-book that will be a lot like my blog, kid friendly recipes for the entire family and fun tidbits to make our lives a little healthier.




I heard so many great comments from the last post, Green Smoothies, and so glad your kiddos are loving their delicious drinks....and their veggies...shhhhh.  
Here are some of the comments I got:

My child has never consumed so much kale (unknowingly) 


Our daughter kept asking for more green juice (really purple juice) and I was happy I could say YES!

So, I recently made the Produce Pops from your blog. I prepared the recipe as a smoothie instead of making Popsicles since the weather has not gotten too hot yet. I also added extra Kale just because I am mean to my children like that. Anyway, they LOVED the smoothie - sucked the entire blender down between the 2 of them. My son has never willingly eaten any vegetable so this is just a fantastic way to give them all those great nutrients without the fight. Here are some pics of the consumption!! Keep those great ideas coming!!

Tasha

 Thanks Callahan Family!

I am no expert, just a Mom who is passionate about learning more about the relationship between food and good health.

Trying to get your child to eat more greens?

Do you want your child to eat more greens?

Try a Green Smoothie.....

Most children are not getting their recommended daily allowance of fruits, vegetables and especially greens.  The easiest way to add more fruit and greens into their diet is with a green smoothie....no weird textures or tastes to complain about and blending makes it easier to digest. 

Greens, especially dark leafy greens are loaded with immune boosting antioxidants, fiber, potassium, vitamins, minerals, iron, folate and even some essential fatty acids.  The healthiest of the dark leafy greens are dandelion, spinach, kale, collard greens, beet greens, arugula, romaine and red leaf lettuce.  I would start with spinach or Dinosaur kale, also known as Lacinato or Tuscan kale, these greens don't seem to be as bitter as some of the others.  Choose local  and organic greens when available.

Here are some easy "starter" smoothies......... 

Super Sam Smoothie 

1 cup of frozen blueberries or strawberries 

1 fresh or frozen banana

3/4 cup of water

 (a little more or less depending on the consistency you would like)

1 cup of spinach or dino kale

Blend together and enjoy!  If you're not using a high power blender like a Vita Mix (my absolute favorite...I even travel with it) or Blentec  you may want to cut up your ingredients in small pieces before blending.

Super Sam Smoothie - because you feel so super after you drink one!

 The Lucy Smoothie

1 cup of water or coconut water or nut milk or organic cow's milk

1 to 2 cups of frozen or fresh fruit

1/2 cup of kale

1 frozen banana (optional) 

Blend and enjoy!  

Lucy, my sweet 2 year old niece, with Sam "shopping" at our local  food co-op

You may have to experiment with measurements and taste depending on your child's palate.  If your child runs from anything green try adding more dark fruits like blueberries to mask the green color.  Also, serving in a colored cup or water bottle helps to hide the green tint.  Or better yet, say it's a St. Patrick's Day green treat on Saturday, March 17th!

Once your child is used to the green smoothie, use them as vehicles to get some more superfoods into their diet.  

Bee pollen – boosts the immune system and stablizes the metabolism and digestive system.  Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids; it is also rich in protein.  Start with a very small amount.

Raw cacao nibs – enhances mood and brain functions and is the highest natural source of magnesium and antioxidants. Does contain a minute amount of caffeine....less than chocolate..so consume earlier in day.

Goji berries – these dried berries are packed with vitamin C, aminio acids, beta carotene and are great for mood.

Chia seeds – high in fiber, protein, calcium, magnesium, iron and antioxidants.  These seeds are the highest plant source of omega 3 fatty acids. 

Cinnamon – helps regulates blood sugar. When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

Hemp seeds - supply a perfect amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids...more than olive or flaxseed oils.  These little seeds are also a complete protein and are 35% fiber.

Happy Spring and Happy Spring Break....if your plans include traveling to new places or having some new culinary experiences please take a photo of your child trying something new and send it to me.

Maggie Magierski in Shanghai eating an authentic Chinese dumpling

Who is joining us on a 10 raw food cleanse?  You can do anything for 10 days....come on and join us!

March 21st - March 31st

Cleanse ATX

I am no expert, just a Mom who is passionate about learning more about the relationship between food and good health.

Move over pasta....here comes spaghetti squash!

Was your New Year's Resolution to eat more vegetables?  Cut down on carbs?  If yes, here's your answer, spaghetti squash.  One cup of spaghetti squash contains 10 grams of carbs compared to 43 grams of carbs in spaghetti pasta.  Spaghetti squash is packed with lots of nutrients and is low in calories - one cup is only 42 calories compared to 220 calories in regular spaghetti pasta.  I haven't even mentioned the sauce.....add the sauce and you have a meal that is bursting with vitamins, nutrients, healthy fats, and fiber!  

My sister in law, Kelly, is a master in the kitchen when it comes to squash!  Below is her recipe for spaghetti squash, it's so delicious you will be making it at least once a week....we do.  

1 large yellow or white onion, roughly chopped

1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil  (trust me- it won't taste greasy if you are generous with the olive oil)

2 cups carrots, roughly chopped

2 cups celery, roughly chopped

28 oz can of tomatoes, whole peeled (no basil, no seasoning, no salt) - if you can find a glass jar of whole peeled tomatoes, so much better- you can also use fresh tomatoes here 

salt and pepper to taste

1 - 3 pound spaghetti squash

Saute the onion over medium heat in the olive oil for 10 minutes, until golden and soft.  Add the carrots and celery, continue sauteing for another 10 minutes, until the carrots and celery start to soften. Add the tomatoes, cook for another 5 - 10 minutes.  At this point, either use an upright blender or hand immersion blender to puree the sauce.  I put the hand blender directly in the sauce, which makes quick work of pureeing.  Add salt- I use at least 1 tsp - and pepper to taste.  This sauce freezes well.  Serve over pasta or spaghetti squash.

To cook the spaghetti squash- rinse briefly under running water to remove any dirt, then cut the squash lengthwise in half.  Scrape out the seeds and other guts - you can save the seeds for another use.  Place one of the halves of squash, cut side down, in a glass or ceramic dish that can fit in the microwave, put  enough water in the dish to come up 1/4 inch. Massage olive oil on all sides of squash before cooking.  Microwave for 12 minutes or put in oven on 400 for 45 minutes or until soft.  Check the squash - touch it with a pot holder- if it is not soft to the touch, then cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Continue cooking until soft.  Once it's cooked, flip it over and let it cool a bit.  Using a pot holder to hold the squash, take a fork and scrape out the flesh- it comes apart into nice strings.  Scrape out all the way to the rind.  Use it just as you would spaghetti pasta, top the hot spaghetti squash with this tasty sauce and enjoy!

Cleanse anyone?  Please join me in a city wide cleanse, Cleanse ATX....even if you don't live in Austin, you can still take part in this 10 day cleanse from March 20-31.  Here is the info....www.cleanseatx.com  I will be participating in the juice and raw foods cleanse....I know myself and there's no way I could go 10 days on just juice....and it's only $35, but goes up if you want extra support and or food.  I will be posting my journey on my blog and would love to include other's cleanse journeys as well. 

I love this blog and get excited when I see a new post in my inbox!  
Bird and Bravery    From the Bird and Bravery blog.....
Check out this new e-shop, Via Montebello. Created by a chic American mother of two who just returned to the U.S. after living in Italy for a few years, Via Montebello showcases the impeccable style of Italian easy-living and makes it accessible all in one spot. Can't you just almost transport yourself there by poking around this gorgeous site?

The Power Pancake

You've heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  These Power Pancakes will give your kiddos a great start to the day and keep them full until the lunch bell rings.  This easy recipe starts with a box/bag of pancake mix and some sneaky ingredients. Power Pancakes are full of protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants.  This recipe can be made on the weekend and then freeze the extra pancakes for a quick school day breakfast.


Start with any package/box of pancake mix....I used Pamela's gluten free baking and pancake mix.   I followed the directions on the bag but added several additional ingredients to make it more nutritious.  

Power Pancake ingredients

 Power Pancake Recipe:
1 cup of Pamela's pancake mix (  follow the directions for measurement on bag of mix)
1 large egg  (follow direction on mix for number of eggs)
3/4 cup of hemp milk (instead of water use milk or dairy substitute)
1 TBSP of organic virgin coconut oil (or omit the oil)
1/2 can of pure pumpkin or small sweet potato 
1 TBSP of blackstrap molasses 
chia seeds  (with chia and flax, start off with small amount until you get used to it, so you might want to start off with a big pinch)
ground flax seeds 
ground cinnamon to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a high power blender or food processor or mix by hand, it will just take longer.  If mix is too dry add more milk or if too runny add more mix or pumpkin/sweet potato.  Pour 1/4 cup batter onto a pre-heated, lightly oiled griddle, flip once.  Serve immediately and enjoy!  If you're making these for weekday breakfast, double the recipe.  Let extra pancakes cool and then put in freezer.

A cute reindeer pancake mold from Williams - Sonoma

I prematurely flipped the reindeer pancake over and batter went all over the pan, so I had to go with plan B, but still a Christmas theme. 

Plan B...a snowman with cashew butter, blueberries, and raisins.

While your pancake is still hot add your favorite nut butter, it just melts on the pancake, and some local honey and enjoy!  Don't put anything on the pancakes you're going to freeze.

Original recipe as shown on the bag of pancake mix:

1 cup of Pamela's pancake mix

1 large egg

3/4 cup water

1  TBSP oil

Have a Happy Healthy Holiday!

If you're curious what nutrients are in those hidden ingredients, go to World's Healthiest Foods website http://www.whfoods.com  and type in the ingredient(s) in the revised recipe.

I am no expert, just a Mom who is passionate about learning more about the relationship between food and good health.