I recently wrote an article for Produce for Kids, and awesome organization that promotes healthy eating in kids and families. Check it out:
Tag: Produce for Kids
Gardening and Mental Health
Did you know that digging in the dirt, planting a few flowers or veggies, and turning on the hose is all it takes to improve your mental health?
It’s true!
And it’s the perfect time of year to take advantage of this stress-busting, patience-improving, physically-active hobby. Check out my most recent article over at Produce for Kids to learn more about how digging in the dirt can improve your psychological health:
Helping Our Kids Be Kind
I recently posted an article over at Produce for Kids that included some simple tips for being kind to ourselves. I also included some ideas about how to teach our kids to be kind to themselves.
It’s tough to hear a kid say negative things about others, but it can be heart-breaking to hear them criticize themselves. Sure, none of us are perfect and we can all strive to be better. But in order to do that we need healthy egos, resiliency and strength.
Here’s one of my tips:
Talk about the good things. Ask each person in your family to say one good thing about their day. This helps us to identify and focus in on positive experiences from the day. “I had fun playing soccer at recess†or “My lunch was extra-yummy†are all examples of good things you might say.
For more about showing kindness to yourself, and teaching kids kindness check out the full article at Produce for Kids.
Healthy Pancakes for the Holidays
We have 3 days to go until Christmas and I am already on junk food/sugar cookie/artichoke dip overload. So when my kids had a sleepover this weekend, I couldn’t bear to consume one more sugary, unhealthy meal. Luckily these girls were game for a breakfast that didn’t come in a box, so we headed over to the Produce for Kids website and chose these Nutty Apple Pancakes.
I’m a big pancake fan, and we already had most of the ingredients so we gave it a go.
Here’s how it went:
Mixing the dry ingredients
Eggs!
Putting it all together
This recipe was great because it included some new, unique flavors – and doesn’t it look pretty?
Good to the last bite!
Nutty Apple Pancakes were a big hit with this crew. Check out the recipe here. To learn more about Produce for Kids, or to find more of their kid-friendly, delicious and healthy recipes check out their website.
10 Thumbs Up!
Do you need some last minute ideas for holiday snacks? Looks at these!
Get The (Veggie) Party Started!
Do you have picky eaters in your family?
Could you use some creative, yummy ways to get more fruits and veggies in your diet?
Then join us tonight on Twitter!
Join Produce for Kids, and the Parents on Produce (including me!) tonight as we get this (veggie) party started – and talk about all things produce and healthy eating! See you tonight!
Produce for Kids offers hundreds of healthy snack and meal ideas like this one!
About Produce for Kids®
Produce for Kids® is a philanthropically based organization that brings the produce industry together to educate consumers about healthy eating with fresh produce and raises funds for local children’s non-profit organizations. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for Kids has raised more than $4.6 million to benefit kids. To learn more about Produce for Kids and healthy eating, visit www.produceforkids.com, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.
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Childhood Obesity: Simple Steps for the New School Year
I read this article about childhood obesity over on Yahoo! today and it made me so sad. Of course we have all seen and heard the statistics about our kids getting bigger and less healthy, but for some reason this article really got me thinking. So many of us struggle to make changes in our lives because the changes we need to make seem so big, overwhelming, and frankly, un-doable. I think this deer-in-the-headlights phenomenon happens to families when we hear about all the things we should be doing for and with our kids each day: 60 minutes of active outdoor time, 3 home-cooked meals, 30 minutes of reading, plenty of time for free play and spontaneous conversation. Ugh. It’s overwhelming and just not possible for most of us (at least not everyday!).
So after looking at Yahoo!’s article and thinking about the reasons they note for childhood obesity, I am offering some tips for the new school year. I hope you can find at least one tip to incorporate into your family’s school year routine.
Quit trying to reinvent the wheel. There are lots of blogs out there that specialize in menus, meal plans and recipes that are simple, cheap, healthy and most importantly: hold their own when it comes to picky eaters. Some of my favorite sites? Produce for Kids (full disclosure: I am on their advisory board) and Six Sisters Stuff. Gourmet chefs these folks are not, but who really wants to eat gourmet every night anyway?
Water, water everywhere. We get it: soda pop and juice are pretty bad for us. Try switching just ONE beverage each day to water and go from there. To make the transition easier, you may want to invest in a cool water bottle, some twisty straws, or my favorites – Red Solo cups!
Forget exercise, let’s just get active. I have tried to stop using the word “exercise” because there are all of about 14 people who actually want to do. “Activity” on the other hand, sounds like a lot more fun and elicits many fewer moans and groans when mentioned. Activity also includes tons of interesting things that most of us want to do anyway: play badminton, plant flowers, go canoeing, ride bikes to the library and walk around the mall. This school year, try encouraging (and demonstrating) activity to your kids by planning outings as a family or trying new activities after school.
If nothing else, eat together. We can blame our lack of family dinners on our busy schedules sometimes, but let’s face it: sometimes it’s just lack of motivation, preparation and organization that keeps us from sharing meals together. We know that eating dinner together more often than not helps in all sorts of ways (helps us all eat healthier foods, keeps kids away from drugs, encourages conversation and discourages family stress – check out this article on how and why family dinners are important). In fact, participating in family dinners seems to be about the most important thing we can do to encourage health in our children.
Want more information and tips?
The Importance of Family Dinners
Healthy Eating Over Summer Break
Holy cow! It must be summer, because time is flying by and I am way behind on my blogging! While I wait for the “lazy” part of summer to arrive (rather than the super-harried, running around, getting used to new schedules summer that I’m in now) – here is an article I wrote for Produce for Kids. I provide some tips for maintaining healthy eating habits while school’s out. The folks at Produce for Kids provide some yummy, easy, and fresh recipes for summertime. Enjoy!
Get Your Grills Ready!
Produce for Kids is hosting a Twitter Party on May 16th! Join PFK and Spatula Dad for some tips on healthy summer grilling! Yum!
Teaching Kids About Eating Right
Many of you know that one of the hats I wear is an advisory board member for Produce for Kids, an awesome organization dedicated to healthy kids and families. One of my fellow board members recently wrote some guidelines about teaching even our youngest kids about healthy eating. As obesity rises among kids (and adults!) this seems like a more important lesson than ever. But it can be tricky: We don’t want to deprive our kids or set up an unhealthy relationship with food. But ignoring the issue, or allowing them to indulge in all of their junk food fantasies doesn’t seem right either. Estella Schnelle of the Weekly Bite provides some great tips for navigating these treacherous waters.
Check out her tips below:
Bullies In The Lunchroom? Helping Your Kids Stand Up For Their Tuna
Teasing can happen anywhere. And so can it’s meaner, more serious cousin bullying. As most any kid can tell you, the lunch hour can be a stressful one. Who to sit with? Buy lunch or bring lunch? How to deal with the mean lunch lady? How to cope when making friends and conversation don’t come easily? What to do when weight and food are struggles? Leave campus or eat in the cafeteria? Ugh. The dilemmas are endless. Unfortunately so are the possibilities for conflict.
I wrote the following article over at Produce for Kids about how to help your kids when they are being bullied about what is in their lunchbox. Seem far-fetched and like it never happens? Ask the kids in your life, and I bet they will tell you otherwise.
Dealing with Lunchroom Bullies: Produce for Kids