I know I can add rice to lot’s of things such as burritos and stir fry’s, but I know my children well.  They don’t like mixing rice with their food. They prefer it SEPERATE!! Whenever I tell them chicken and rice is for dinner, they always come back with, “OK, but not together, right???” We do add salt and butter.  As Zonya ( a dietician from PBS) would say, “it’s the vehicle that helps healthy food go down better.”  Of course she was talking about a sweet and sour sauce, but I’ve given myself liberty to apply it to lot’s of situation.  Today, butter is now a “vehicle” to help brown rice go down better… As long as we use it in moderation.

As a grain, brown rice is SO superior to white rice.  349% more fiber, 203% more Vitamin E, 185% more Vitamin B6, 219% more magnesium, and 19% more protein.  Mostly all good nutrients (except the B6 that just gives your kids more energy, and who really needs their kids to have more energy anyway).

Zonya says instant brown rice is just as good as long cooking rice. She also says you can cook brown rice ahead of time and put bags of it in your freezer. Defrost on a busy day and warm it up. It doesn’t have to take lot’s of time. 

Do your kids like rice mixed with other food?

Matt 4:4 “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.” I actually think I can!  I choose a restaurant based on their bread basket.  But because I try to obey God, I do eat other things.  However, I do not like rye bread.  I almost scrapped talking about this grain altogether. I just couldn’t bring myself to try some Rye. I have a horrible memory of being a missionary and doing service at a homeless shelter where they served tuna on rye. I thought it was the most horrible lunch in the world.  I just didn’t want to relive it again.

As luck would have it however, I was delighted to find in the hot cereals all the Bob’s Red Mill cereals.  They have different grains including a 5 grain, 7 grain cereal, 8 grain, 10 grain and so on.  Well the 7 grain hot cereal had rye as the second ingredient.  As a bonus it had a recipe for fruit muffins on back. This was way more up my alley.  It turns out these hot, multi grained cereals can be used in muffins, breads, granola’s and of course cookies! Perfect.  So I mixed up some muffins with rye.

The space between dinner and bed is apparently my way of torturing the children.  At least that’s what they think.  We never have dessert, so if they don’t eat very much dinner (being their least favorite meal), they are still hungry when they go to bed, putting them under extreme distress. So today I decided to show a little compassion and told them tonight we were having muffins for dessert.  Ketchup boy said, “I know how to make cupcakes!” Like a light bulb went on in his little head. “Just make muffins, then add frosting!” 

“Of course” I said, “these muffins are just like cupcakes without the frosting.  They have lot’s of grains though”. 

The boys loved them, the flip-flopper loved them until she bit into a small chunk of peach and changed her mind. But since I was feeling extra compassionate tonight, and I wanted her to give them a chance, I picked out every little peach in her little muffin.  (I pull the crust off for ketchup boy, so it was only fair I cater to flip-flopper)

My husband said he only liked them because of the peaches.  I can’t please everyone!  Maybe next time I’ll puree the peaches and they’ll both be happy. This will definitely be a remake. It would be a great after-school snack, a quick breakfast, or like tonight, a before bed treat.

And for me, once again, proof that healthy eating can be so delicious! And yes, the flip-flopper is wearing a bathing suit in that picture and it is 8 degrees outside!

Now you know if I don’t like something, I probably won’t make my kids eat it no matter how healthy it is. There are too many delicious foods out there that are healthy, why include the not so good ones. Life is too short. Quinoa (KEEN- WA) has a nutty, gritty flavor, that I’m not too familiar with. The best thing about quinoa is that it is a complete protein, meaning it has all nine essential amino acids. So if you are vegetarian, this would be a good food to include in your diets. But if your kids eat enough hot dogs and processed lunch meat like mine, they are probably fine in the protein department. I just think there are other grains that are more versatile, more flavorful, and more palatable all around.

Of all the recipes I looked up, there was only a handful of ways people prepare quinoa.  I cooked it in a similar way to rice, except I sauteed 1 cup of the grain in some butter, then added two cups chicken broth and simmered till the liquid was absorbed. Other ideas for Quinoa that I saw on the site Lisa found was to use it on salads, stuffings, enchiladas, fajitas or salsa’s.  I may have had a better reaction had I tried one of those ideas.  The reaction I got was gagging, followed by a gallon of water. On the bright side, no one actually threw up.  The gagging could have been for show, but this time, I think it was justified.

Keep in mind though, I did make you smarter today though by learning to say the word Quinoa! And by the way, if you are interested in trying some (those that like healthy things at the expense of taste) , I found it at Good Earth in their bulk food bins.

We went on a trip to Lake Powell with my sister in law’s family one year. We brought oatmeal to make for breakfast for us and the kids thinking it was an easy meal to pack.  My nephew, who was probably 9 or 10 said, “What are you eating?” I said, “Oatmeal.” He said, “Oatmeal for Breakfast???” I said, “Of course! Don’t you have oatmeal?” and he said, “Yeah, for cookies, but not for breakfast!” 

According to “The World’s Healthiest Foods,” Oats are the most nutrient-rich out of all the grains.  That’s great because they are so versatile too.  So why oats?  Excellent source of manganese, good source of fiber and vitamin B, high in protein, helps lower cholesterol, stabalizes mood by maintaining blood sugar, and they are available year round.  

How can we get our kids to eat more oats?

1. Hot oatmeal
2. oatmeal cookies
3. granola
4. granola bars
5. Added to baked goods like breads, cakes, muffins
6. Used to thicken ground meats or stews
7. Ground in to oat flour as a replacement for other flours.

The Quaker website has 126 pages of kids favorite recipes that uses oats! I can’t guarantee they are healthy, but if you really need to use up some oats in your food storage, it’s a nice place to browse. 

I tried a recipe in a healthy eating book, of course it was for cookies. Once again, I was the only one who  liked the cookies.  I think their expectations are too high. Maybe I shouldn’t have called them cookies and they would have accepted the flavor and texture better.  Maybe I just need to stop making real oatmeal cookies for a while so they don’t compare the healthy version.  The dough was pretty sticky.

• I toasted 2 cups of rolled oats.  Let them cool. 
• Added some cut up dried apples
• a handful of sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt. 

I mixed up the dry ingredients then added

• 3 egg whites, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.  

I rolled out some small balls and baked at 350 for 15 minutes.  Each cookie had 54 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat (not saturated).

Why is it we hear all the buzz about “hiding vegetables”, yet no one talks about the fact we “hide” whole grains every day.  They are hidden in our baked goods, our pastas, our granola bars.  So unless you eat soaked wheat for breakfast, this week I’ll find things to do with whole grains.

Grains are vital to a healthy diet. They provide B vitamins (niacin, riboflavin), fiber, iron, folate, magnesium, selenium.  All these nutrient provide for energy, proper digestion,and  weight management.  All things we want for our children.

These are the grains I will try this week;

• Monday: Oats
• Tuesday:Quinoa
• Wednesday:Rye
• Thursday:Brown Rice
• Friday: Whole Wheat

And here is the flip flopper with lot’s of energy, due to whole grains.

According to the “World’s Healthiest Foods,” this food is the most nutrient dense of all the nuts and seeds.  Can you guess what it is?

• 1/4 Cup has almost 100% of your Daily Value of Vitamin E
• A study showed “people with the highest intake of vitamin E from foods had 32% reduction in their rate of mental decline compared to those with the least Vitamin E in their diets.   (Don’t we all want to stay sane as long as possible!)
• High in maganese which  helps maintain good blood pressure.
• High in anti-oxidants.

This food is easy to add to granola, granola bars, salads, oatmeal, or eaten plain, as a snack.   Just avoid packaged varieties that have added salt.  What am I? sdees rewolfnus

Get ready for tomorow’s: 5 New Grains in 5 Days!

I love to shovel snow off of my driveway.  I think it is exhilirating and accomplishing.  So most mornings I choose to shovel the driveway alone, missing a great opportunity for my kids to work, get some exercise, and spend time together.  This morning was the mother of all snow falls. I have no idea how much came down, but it was DEEP.  It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so they didn’t have school, and I didn’t want to go anywhere due to the roads.  So we all got our snow clothes on and started to shovel.  I shoveled a path down the center, and the kids shoveled from side to side.  Wow, they were much faster and worked harder than I would have given them credit for.  They got the job done in half the time it normally takes me. 

Tip of the day: Provide opportunities for your kids to work and be active, even when it’s easier to do something yourself.

Tune in next week for a new series: 5 Grains in 5 Days!

When I took my first nutrition class in college, I was taught the “four food groups”.  Do you remember that? It seems like ages ago!  Then there was the “Food guide Pyramid”  And now of course is “MyPyramid.  Do your kids know about it?  My kids know MyPyramid better than they know their multiplication tables.  Mostly because the MyPyramid poster is inside the pantry door, which they open 249 times a day, and the multiplication poster is inside the hall closet where they are deposit their shoes, backpacks, and jackets.  They open that closet approximately 0 times a day!

Teach your kids about the food groups, but spare them the lectures about osteoporosis and heart disease, and make it simple.  This is what happens at our house.  Ketchup boy says, “I’m STARVING”

I say, “Let’s look at the poster, which food group have you not eaten from today?”

And he will simply point to the pictures of the food group he has neglected, and we choose a snack from there.”  It’s that simple.

When I used to have the old pyramid up, the “sweets” section at the top was very appealing.  At that point I would tell them, you can have something from the sweet section as soon as you eat something from every food group.  It actually worked quite well.  Even your two year olds can learn.  I can hold my neice up to the poster and say to her, “show me the bananas!” And she will gladly point out the bananas in the picture.

I purchase my posters at the local school supply stores, but here are some alternatives; 

For a free dowload of MyPyramid for kids, click here.

For a free dowload of the blank MyPyramid to use as a coloring page, click here.

If you are a school teacher, you can get a free poster and nutrition education kit by clicking here.

How can I do a blog about healthy eating without discussing the most popular healthy eating idea around? It’s an American classic! It’s as tasty as ice cream, yet as healthy as a fruit salad.  People have written entire books about them!  It’s SMOOTHIES of course.  Just note, I do not follow recipes very often, so I can not give measurements.  But this is how our family does smoothies;

1. A little juice, any flavor, usually orange juice.
2. Some yogurt (I put in plain, since everything else is sweet enough)
3. Frozen fruit (Usually we add strawberries or raspberries)

Some extra’s I will add (when I have my back to them and they can’t see I’m adding stuff) 

• “Emergen-C” (a flavor packet of Vitamin c)
• soy powder (for a kick of protein)
• Flax meal, flax oil, or flax seeds (for some healthy fat)
• A capsule of probiotics (if they are sick)

There are a million things you could add to smoothies.  I blend it smooth enough they can drink it from a straw.  Everyone loves this “treat”.  But it is so good for them too.  I would do it every morning if my dang blender wasn’t so loud.  I hate to wake up ketchup boy if he’s still sleeping while the other two get ready for school.  I would never forgive myself… a 4 year old awake before his time is an absolute train wreck.

What kind of smoothies do your kids like?

Often my kids will tell people that they love oatmeal for breakfast.  People look at me with that “you are such a good mom” look in their eyes, and I glow with pride.  What I don’t let my kids tell them, is that they will only eat “maple and Brown sugar” flavored oatmeal.  One packet of this contains 13 grams of sugar which is actually similar to many high sugar cereals they love.  The real problem is they usually have two to three packets at a time.  Making their grams of sugar 39 GRAMS, just for breakfast!  And I am not interested in purchasing oatmeal with fake sugar.  I am making a new resolve to change that.  Cheerios only has 1 gram of sugar. 

Tip of the day:  Make regular oatmeal with flavored milk instead of regular milk.  Remember how they LOVE chocolate milk.  I thought it was a great idea.  I  mixed up some chocolate milk, and poured it in the oatmeal to be cooked.  I measured 1 TBLS of Nesquik, which was only 6 grams of sugar, added it and cooked the oatmeal, and offered.  Cereal boy tasted it and exclaimed, “hmm, not so good.  It just tastes like hot water.” The other two wouldn’t even try it.  It smelled good, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t try it either.  I actually don’t care for chocolate flavored things.  Real chocolate, YES, but not fake.

Oatmeal is a fabulous grain so I still think this is worth a try if your kids won’t try regular oatmeal.  Post a comment if you tried it and your kids liked it.