Category Archives: Kids

All your healthy kid info

Saturday Juicing Goodness!

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I haven’t been here in awhile…you all look so much different! Nah, I’m just messing with you – you still look great.

Hello again friends! I thought I’d do a quick posting on this lovely Saturday to show you how I spent my morning.

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I have been reading a lot about digestion lately and how it can affect your overall health. Seriously folks, your gut is tied to way more health problems than you would believe. Because of how hard your digestive system works, a lot of what I have been studying talks about periodically giving the ol’ tummy a little break and just drinking juice. This way, you still get all the vitamin/mineral/enzyme goodness that your fruits and veggies have to offer without putting any extra strain on your digestive system. And trust me, with all of the crap we put in our bodies – our pipes can use all the help they can get!

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Today I decided to do some juicing with my son. The beauty part here is that he loves to help. I mean come on, what 4-year-old doesn’t want to watch his food get pulverized?! I do all the washing and prepping and he gets to throw the fruit and veggies in and watch them turn to juice. It’s magic!

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We decided on an apple/grape/cucumber blend for him. He doesn’t like the strong taste of veggies just yet. He’ll drink carrots and cucumber though…probably because he doesn’t know that Mommy throws them in when he’s not looking! I also like to cut his juice with water because of the high sugar content of the fruit. He loves the taste and I love that I know exactly what is going in his body.

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My juice was a little more complex but just as delicious. I like to cram as many vegetables as possible into my juice so I can tickle my organs with enzymey goodness. Today my blend consisted of carrot, celery, romaine, spinach, beet, cucumber and apple for a bit of sweetness. It is actually quite sweet anyway because of the carrot and beet but I like the flavour of apple.

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There are no rules when it comes to juicing. Just go through your crisper and fruit bowl and throw together your own concoction! A little disclaimer about beets though. Beets are a very potent liver and kidney cleanser and should be used in small amounts. I used half of a small beet today and that is more than enough to get all the benefits it contained.

And that’s it. Just a quick posting to let you know that I’m still here and still trying to live the “green” life. I’m still plugging away at school. Slowly but surely I am making my way to the end and I couldn’t be happier to get there! Thank you all for your continued support. You truly are the best.

As always you can sign up here to get on my mailing list, follow me on Facebook or Pinterest and Twitter! I love getting your feedback.

As always, high-five like you mean it!

Stacey

(I apologize for the blurry pics, it’s hard to make him stay still!)

Healthy summer treats for your little ones!

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During the summer eating fresh, delicious, local produce is a breeze. It seems everywhere you look there are farmer’s markets brimming with nature’s goodness. You might even be growing your own amazing vegetable garden in your backyard! As soon as the air starts to warm a bit it seems we come out of hibernation. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier. I love biting into a juicy watermelon or a perfectly ripe cob of corn! We also change the way we eat when the weather warms, opting for lighter meals and more fresh produce. Well folks, summer is here!  It’s time to say good-bye to  stews, soups, casseroles and all of the hearty comfort meals of winter and hello to crisp salads, colourful fruit platters and mouth-watering B.B.Q.!

 

 

I also find it a lot easier to get my son eating healthier foods in the summer months because really, who doesn’t like fruit? Veggies are a little trickier though so I sneak them into every dish that I can. And today, I am sharing my recipe for “dragon pops” – named for their green colour. The green comes from blended spinach but he doesn’t need to know that, and neither do your kids!! The combinations of fruits and veggies are endless and are only limited by your imagination.

 

 

This is a great trick for slipping in all of the amazing vitamins and minerals that vegetables offer. You can choose whatever you like or happen to be growing in your garden. And don’t stop at popsicles, add veggies to juices and desserts too! All you need is a great blender or food processor and you’re all set!

 

 

 

Dragon Popsicle

 

Ingredients:

1/2 banana

1 cup strawberries

1 cup baby spinach

1 cup fresh orange juice

 

Blend or puree until smooth and pour mixture into ice molds and freeze! That’s it!

 

 

 

Tip of the blog!!

 

If you want to get really fancy you can freeze your popsicles in layers. Start with the blended strawberries, then the banana and finally the orange juice and spinach combination. The result is a rainbow icy treat that is both healthy and delicious!!

 

 

Did you like this posting? Have any healthy treats of your own to share? Leave them in the comments below, on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @staceygliving

Banana Bread!

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Here is the Deceptively Delicious banana bread that I made from my previous post. It’s as delicious as it looks!

Show me your masterpieces here, on Facebook or Twitter – staceygliving

Happy baking!!

A sneaky way to get your kids eating vegetables!

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I have mentioned this many times before but my son is not a great eater. This is a sad reality for me because I love food and would love him to love it too! That’s a lot of loves…

 

He would be quite happy to eat nothing but sandwiches for the rest of his life I think. Unfortunately, this is not an option because while I would love to save myself the daily battle of trying to get him to eat well, I can’t in good conscience allow it to happen. So what are the options? Well, I could make him sit at the table until he eats what I made him – much like my parents did me when I was little but I really don’t have the patience for that! I also don’t want him to associate negativity with food. I want him to be excited by it! This is quite the pickle… (which he won’t eat either by the way)

 

What can we as parents/guardians do to ensure that our kids are getting the nutrients they need while keeping them happy in the process? We can trick them!  Stay with me here folks.

This is not the ideal situation. If your children are adventurous and will eat new and wonderful foods – awesome! Keep up the amazing work. This is more of a “tide you over” method to ensure your kids are staying healthy even if they don’t know it.

 

My goal is to get my son eating all sorts of different foods without me having to hide them in things he likes.  I would like him to get excited when he sees an eggplant! Well, maybe not excited but you know what I mean. Realistically, I’m nowhere near reaching that goal so for now, on with the trickery! Muahahahaha!

 

If Jessica Seinfeld has taught me anything it’s that I can hide vegetables in almost every dish I make. It’s true; it’s all in her her book “Deceptively Delicious.” I’m sure other people/moms/dads/grandparents have come up with this before but I was given her book when I had my son (thanks Jesse) and have used her suggestions many times. Basically all you have to do is steam your veggie of choice, puree it up and slip it into your dish! Yep, that’s all!  Go do it right now!

 

 

 

 

How to do it:

 

  • Gather your veggies. Some will puree easier than others – you will discover which ones work for your through trial and error, and wash them well.

 

  • Prep them: cut off stems, peel if necessary…all that good stuff.

 

  • Cut them into small chunks. This step is pretty self-explanatory…

 

  • Steam them until tender – you don’t want to boil them because you’re going to lose the majority of your vitamins and minerals in the water. Steaming will retain all their goodness!

 

  • Puree. Pop them in a food processor and puree your little heart out! You can use a hand blender if you don’t have a food processor, it will work just as well.

 

My favourite veggies to use:

Squash, sweet potato, cauliflower, peas, carrots, spinach.

 

 

Tip of the Blog!!

 

Jessica suggests making a bunch of purees ahead of time and freezing. This is a great way to stay prepared and ensure you’re set up for success. If you have them ready you can pop them into almost anything – chili, stew, soup, spaghetti sauce…get creative!

 

 

Once again, this does not take the place of having real vegetables on your kid’s plates. They need to see them too so they can develop a taste for fresh, delicious, wholesome and healthy produce! Good luck to you!

 

 

 

I am making banana bread this evening and this is the recipe I’m going to use. I have never tried this one before so it could go either way! I will let you know how it works out!

 

 

Deceptively Delicious Banana Bread - Jessica Seinfeld

Ingredients:

3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all purp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c canola oil
1 1/2 c well mashed banana
1/2 c cauliflower puree
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Steam cauliflower and puree 1/2 c, set aside.
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
Mix flours with baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon till well combined. Mix in egg whites if using, then banana, cauliflower puree, and vanilla. And flour mixture and mix till just combined.
Pour batter into pan; bake till a toothpick comes out clean…55-60 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes then turn out onto rack to cool before serving.
Enjoy!

 

 

Do you have a helpful suggestion for getting your kids to eat vegetables? Share it here, on Facebook at staceygreenliving or on twitter – staceygliving!

 

 

www.doitdelicious.com, Image from www.apetito.ca

 

Healthy Snacks for Kids!!

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I have gotten a lot of requests lately for a post about healthy snacks for kids-  so here it is!

 

 

When it comes to kids and snacks most parents want two things: quick and healthy. As parents and guardians we know that often quick and healthy snacks are 1) hard to come by and 2) not always something your kids will eat. I’m going to share a few tricks that I use to make the battle of the snack a little less difficult.

  • Hungry kids are crabby kids. It’s important to have snacks ready to go so that you don’t resort to feeding your children junk. Just like your meal planning, snacks require a few minutes of preparation. Having healthy options ready when you’re monsters come home from school will save you tons of unnecessary stress.
  • Kids are tiny individuals. They like to make their own decisions whether it be what they’re wearing to school or what they want to eat. This is where choice becomes so important. Your child is way more likely to eat something that they’ve “chosen” over something you tell them to eat. We need to give our kids healthy options. The sneaky part here is that all the options you give are healthy ones; they just need to pick their favourite.  You’re so smart!
  • Letting them make their own snacks (providing they are old enough to do so) is also a great way to promote independence and takes some of the stress of preparing snacks off of you. The only thing you need to do is make healthy food accessible. Keep cut up veggies on the bottom shelf of your fridge or use some of your lower cupboards to keep homemade granola bars or baked whole wheat crackers. If you provide “snack zones” for them, they will recognize that this area is full of food just for them and they can help themselves to it!
  • My son will eat anything if he can dip it. Seriously. He dips everything. I don’t know why kids love it so much but they do! All I need to do is provide healthy dips. Hummus is an awesome dip for veggies or crackers. It’s filled with protein and takes two seconds to make yourself. Kids can help too which makes them even more likely to eat it! I’ll add a recipe for great homemade hummus at the bottom of the post for you. Salsa is also a great healthy dip option that you can prepare yourself, as is plain yogurt with a touch of honey.

Tip of the Blog!!

Get creative – tell them they’re eating superhero-dinosaur dip! Cut up some fruit and make your very own kabobs. Cookie cutters are a great tool for adding fun shapes to your snacks. Older kids might enjoy making their own veggie pizzas on small pita bread or making fruit smoothies. Do whatever works for you!

Easy Homemade Hummus

-2 garlic cloves

-1 large can of chickpeas

-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

-1 tablespoon tahini paste/ sesame paste (optional)

-juice from 1/2 lemon

-1/3 cup liquids from chickpea can

-salt andpepper to taste

1. In a food processor, first of all chop garlic.

2. After garlic is chopped add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and then add the rest of ingredients and liquids.

3. Chop well until everything becomes a paste. Scoop out your hummus into a dish and drizzle remaining oil on top.

Do you have any tips that you can share with me? What kinds of healthy snacks are a favourite in your home?

I love hearing from you on Facebook and Twitter as well. If you found this blog helpful please share it with your friends!

Image from holyhummus.com

“Try it, you’ll like it!” – the ongoing battle of how to get our kids eating well.

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My greatest challenge everyday is trying to get my son to eat wholesome and nutritious foods. I’ve blended, smashed, buried, and chopped…everything short of making his food dance to try to get the nutrients in! But if your children are anything like mine – then you know that mealtime can be the most frustrating battle of the day. I’ve tried the barter system, the begging system (is that really a system?) and everything in between. I will now share with you what many painful hours and numerous dinnertime stalemates have taught me!

A great friend of mine works at an awesome company called “Real Foods for Real Kids”. I approached her when I was going to pull my hair out one day after a particularly trying food battle with my son. I asked her “What do you tell parents that come to your organization with the same problem? How do I make mealtime a positive and healthy experience for us both?” What she told me was this: Ready? Because this is epic. 

 Kids will eat healthy, wholesome food if given no other option.

Simple, right? It really is. If you do not have the processed junk that they’re used to eating in your home – they won’t eat it.

 Ta-da!! The heavens part and the angels sing! I took this bit of info to heart and removed all the crap from my home. I filled my fridge and cupboards with fruits, grains and veggies. I cut up my son’s dinner into great shapes and colourful animals. And what happened you ask? Well, nothing. Did it work? No. Not right away. BUT, it did work… eventually. And that’s the catch. For me and possibly for you, it will be a work in progress. I’ll be honest – it’s going to suck for a couple days. Your kids will be unhappy campers at the thought of no more happy meals.  There may also be a minor detox happening for them as their bodies rid themselves of all the built up sugars and additives that they’ve been eating. This is all totally normal and to be expected. The 2-3 days of a miserable child was worth it for me because what is the alternative? Living life as an overweight, lethargic, disease ridden teen? No thank you! We are setting up patterns in our children’s lives that will see them through to adulthood. Let’s give them the best start possible.

Here is a trick that I use that let’s my son feel both involved in his health revolution AND gets him eating the kinds of foods that I want him to:

Tip of the Blog!
When we go to the grocery store/farmers wherever you happen to purchase your healthy goodness, allow your kids to pick out one fruit or veggie of their own. Whatever they want, they can pick. Then that choice becomes their special treat. Take it home and cook it up together! Maybe you’ve never tried it either – it’s an adventure for all! Whether or not they end up loving the creation, they’ve still participated in making healthy choices and tried something new. And that really is a success all on its own!

Have your own healthy tip? Leave your comments below – I’m always on the look out for methods that get our kids eating well!

Good luck!

www.rfrk.com  – Check out the organizaton I was talking about here!