Taking your children to a farmers market

Taking your children to a farmers market can be a learning experience for the entire family while having fun and supporting local businesses!

Sam's produce pick of the day.

Buying your local produce at a farmers market can help improve the nutrition of your family.  Most farmers harvest their produce the morning of or the day prior to the market, so you're getting the freshest, ripest, most nutritionally dense foods available.

Tips for taking children to farmers markets:

Have your children pick out a vegetable and/or fruit that they are willing to try/eat.  They can help in the preparation of the food....even picky eaters will usually try something that they have picked out.

Give your children money for the market, since most markets only take cash, and have them pay the farmer for the food(s) they picked out.  This gives them a sense of independence and builds math skills.


Children will learn what foods are in season....why aren't there strawberries in Jan.?  where's the broccoli in the summer?  In a grocery store, foods come from all over the world, so kids don't see seasonal products like they do at a farmers market. The average distance in North America that your food has traveled to get to your table is 1,000 to 1,500 miles. Explain the importance of supporting local farms and how it's better for the environment, the local economy, and our carbon footprint.

Do you have inquisitive kids? Ask a farmer!
My son was so curious why the eggs at the farmers markets were not all white or all brown like in the grocery store that he asked the farmer.  He got a five minute tutorial on why some chickens lay light blue eggs and some brown, etc....he still has not forgotten that conversation and always wants to say "Hi" to the 'egg man'. 


It's also a great place to sample new foods.  My son's favorite booth is the Happy Vegan, where he can a get a small gluten free vegan cupcake that's delicious and portion controlled...that makes me happy!  We have sampled local honey, pecans, salad greens with homemade dressing, seasonal fruit jams, kombucha, teas, gluten free breads, lavender salt, mulberries, and even local sake....just me on that one.  Don't forget to bring your own bags or totes to the market.  Pack extra for your children, so they can carry their own purchases.

Find a farmers market near you

http://www.localharvest.org/

Don't have time to shop at a farmers market: 


CSA - Community Supported Agriculture is a direct relationship between the consumer and the farm.  You sign up for a weekly box of seasonal produce and it's delivered to your house or available for pick up. Most CSA's you can add eggs and coffee beans to your delivery.
Find a CSA in your city:


www.localharvest.org/csa/
www.jbgorganic.com/csa/


Organic Delivery Services work directly with local farmers and vendors to bring you fresh local produce and products delivered to your doorstep.  You place an order online and it's delivered to your doorstep on a certain day depending on your zip code.  If you live in Austin here are two that we have used:


www.greenling.com/home
www.farmhousedelivery.com/


Lots of grocery stores  are carrying local produce, if you don't see what you like, talk to the produce manager about carrying more local produce.  Get to know the produce manager at your grocery store, they can tell you when the produce truck will arrive and what will be on that truck.

 Have a happy, safe, healthy "green" summer!

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

Work it out......

For us busy Moms, finding time to exercise can be challenging.  Most of us probably feel like we get a cardio workout everyday from chasing kids and busy schedules, but what about strength/resistance training?  


Strength/resistance training improves bone density, strengthens muscular and skeleton systems, increases metabolism, improves posture and many other benefits.


Here are two exercises (click on link below for video demo) that can be done while preheating the oven or boiling water for pasta. These two exercises can be done anytime, if these are challenging, start off with 2 sets of 15 and work up to 50 a day.

Quick Kitchen Moves

Counter Top Push ups work the shoulders, chest, triceps, back and abs....

remember to hold in your stomach.

Lunges work most of the muscles in your legs including hamstrings, quads, gluteus and calves.

Thanks so much to my fitness model,  Debra Porter, our Fit Diva boot camp instructor, who is not only motivating but is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to health and fitness.

Debra Porter- Stay Fit for Good

Until next time....the Farmer's Market! 

 How to get your kiddos involved in picking out fresh local produce for a meal.

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

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.