My kids have never had coconut macaroons, and I loved them as a child.  So, I found this awesome recipe (one of the few without sweetened condensed milk).  The only thing this one (from Alton Brown) had was:

• egg whites, (totally healthy and good for you.  4 egg whites has 16 grams of protein)
• a little sugar, (this just makes it taste good)
• some coconut,  (also a power food!)

They turned out great!  I ate three. My husband had several.  But my kids, the little stinkers, weren’t exactly fans.  My husband and I were both shocked they didn’t like them.  However, I should have known. They have never liked coconut.  I had hoped these cookies would change their mind.

They were easy to make:  Coconut Macaroon Recipe (Food Network)

I whipped the egg whites until stiff

Slowly added sugar.  Then folded in the coconut and salt.  I actually added a touch of flour (because we are at high altitude and I always add flour to stuff.

Then we scooped onto parchment paper.

After they were cooked, I put some almonds on top, so they would be like little bird eggs.

Like I said,  not a hit with the kids! But soooo delicious!

Perfect nesting place for the wounded bird we found in our garage last summer.

I have a great opportunity for you. Pleasant Grove High School (in Utah County) entered a video contest to win $3000 for their Drama Department. And you know how our schools need money, right? All you have to do is vote for them! It will just take a second, and you can vote every day!! Go vote! Please vote! Save Drama!

Other coconut posts:

• Scientific Investigation

I can honestly (and shamefully) say, this is the first red cabbage I have ever bought!  It was just so beautiful sitting on the shelf next to the dull green cabbage I was there to get.   I couldn’t help myself.

So for dinner last night, we were searching the cupboards in order to include as many different colors in this salad as we could.  I had the kids help with this, so they had a bit of ownership in the dish.

Here is what we came up with.

• red cabbage
• green cabbage
• mandarin oranges
• blueberries
• shredded carrots
• Craisins

Then I added a coleslaw dressing and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours to penetrate.

Excuse me? What’s that you say?  Beautiful salad, but my kids won’t touch it?  I know, I know!  Let me tell you what we do in our house?

Every night for dinner we either have a salad, a side of cooked vegetables, or for the children’s sake; the veggies are pulled out of the casserole/ stir fry/ whatever one pot meal, we are having and separated on their plates.

With the whole meal on their plates (the vegetables being the star) we do not make a fuss. We do not force them to clean their plates. They are welcome to seconds of the other portions of the dinner, even if their vegetables are not all gone.  My hope is they will learn what a balanced plate looks like, by seeing it every night!

My secret weapon!  PATIENCE!  It took NINE YEARS for Nathan to finally say he liked salad!  NINE YEARS!!  So, the awful truth of it all is: there is no magic formula except boring old patience and persistence while consistently offer vegetables to your kids.

And here is Nate, enjoying his Rainbow Salad, FINALLY!

Will your kids eat this salad?  What other foods of different colors would go well with it?  I was thinking there wasn’t enough DARK green, so maybe some baby spinach leaves?

Let’s be honest.  When you have a house full of kids, none of them are going to sit down for a plate of asparagus, drizzled with a delicious lemon sauce!  Maybe at a party for the Queen, but the only queen around here is my drama queen, Erica!

Since our house tends to be the gathering place, I find it helpful to have some fun foods on hand.  On typical play dates, the kids friends are only allowed to eat pretzels.  This has been our standing rule for a very long time! Otherwise, my food bill would consume me.   However, I of course make exceptions when we are babysitting, or kids are staying all day, having a late night, or spending the night.  These are my secret weapons! The things that get eaten 99% of the time we have other kids over.

GRAPES:  We had 4 kids over late on Friday night, with two of them staying all night.  These kids are great. Whatever food I put out, they eat. If I put out chips, they would eat the chips. But of course I didn’t put out chips, I put out grapes.

Within a few hours, they had eaten them all!   All $6 of them!

POPCORN: Need I say more! You can’t go wrong with popcorn!! We buy 8lbs at a time of popcorn kernels. (less than $0.20 for the entire bowl)

CHEX MIX While this may not be as popular around here as plain old popcorn, it gets eaten sometimes.  Although I have to admit, chocolate chips or M&M’s are usually the first thing to go.  I mix such things as

• popcorn
• pretzels
• dried fruit
• nuts
• chocolates
• cereal

Spread it out on a pan. Spray some butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon. Then bake for a few minutes, just until the cinnamon sort of melts onto the mix.

 CINNAMON CRISPS or CINNAMON CHIPS

These easy “chips” were just made with whole wheat tortillas.  Sprayed with butter flavored cooking spray, and sprinkled with cinnamon. Baked until crispy. The neighbor kids love these. 8 crisps (one whole tortilla), approximately $0.30

Olives and cheese (one stick, $0.20 if I get the string cheese on sale.)  Or just a bowl full of olives.  Some kids like these, some don’t .  Completely unpredictable.

DRINKS: Water.  I always have plenty of cups.  We have the water dispenser on our fridge, and as long as there is cup access, they feel the comfortable enough to get their own water, anytime!  The benefit: I don’t freak out when it spills… and it ALWAYS SPILLS!

So, what snack food do you put out when there are extra kids in your home for sleepovers, hanging out, parties, etc?

Recently, as I’ve taught the 1st grade and preschool classes about eating more fruits and vegetables I explain that fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and Juice all count!   Although my kids don’t eat much dried fruit other than mangoes and raisins, they really love fruit leather!

Stretch Island Fruit (my favorite dried fruit company who is not compensating me in any way for saying that)  is collecting data to determine how much fruit our kids are really eating.  I love being part of survey’s.  When I’m not and the news says, “ 56% of American’s don’t wash their hands after they go to the bathroom,” I want to yell…”NO ONE EVER ASKED ME!!!”  That’s why I like to be asked.   Stretch Island said,

Our ultimate goal for this survey is to gather feedback from a significant number of people in order to identify solid statistics about fruit intake and, ultimately, educate people about the importance of fruit consumption. 

I thought it was a great idea for a survey, so I wanted to share it with you all.

We buy fruit leather at Costco all the time.  When we are out of fresh fruit, the kids grab a fruit leather to stick in their lunch.  Stretch Island Fruit strips are all fruit, and no sugar!

Here are my kids eating the Fruitabu Strawberry rolls. 

So, if you would: Here is the Survey.  19 questions, but it will only take you a minute of your time.  Be part of the results!!  It will be available to take until March 12th.

That’s the scientific name for Sweet Potatoes.  My kids think its fun to call them BATATAS!   But aren’t they gorgeous?  Just like our carrots, you can’t make this beautiful color in a food lab!  Well, you probably could, but the Ipomoea Batatas taste better I’m sure.

This is such an easy, fast, and might I add FILLING snack!  I pop one of these beauties in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes, and wa-la!  Meal is ready.  I add a little salt and butter, mash it up really good.  I don’t even bother washing it, because I generally take the skin off.   My kids gave me a token taste with their little tiny cocktail forks.  TJ said he liked it “pretty much”.

Why should you serve sweet potatoes to your kids? 

• VITAMIN A!!  262% of the Daily Value in ONE small sweet potato!!
• VITAMIN C!!  29% of the Daily Value in ONE small sweet potato!!
• Beta – carotene 23,018 mcg!!  (I don’t think there is a Daily value for beta carotene, but 23 thousand mcg seems like plenty!
• 
  

  Twice as high in fiber as regular potatoes

What are you waiting for, pick up a bag of BATATAS and you can whip up a snack or lunch in under 5 minutes.

Other posts with sweet potatoes: I posted more about sweet potatoes than I thought!  And I just realized, although I’ve served up sweet potatoes at least 4 times according to my blog… each time the kids think it’s the first time.  I guess I need to start offering certain things more often.

• Mashed potatoes with white sweet potatoes
• Sweet Potato vs Yams
• Sweet potato fries
• Sweet potato salad

What do you like best? Baked, mashed, or served up as fries?

I will never forget a study I read about the most “well adjusted” teenagers.  The teenagers who aren’t so self absorbed, follow the rules, and contribute to society.  The one common thread in these great teens were they all were involved in SERVICE!!  I love it!   Have you heard yet about the Free Disneyland tickets for contributing a few hours of service.  There are TON’S of opportunities from age 6 on up.  Click here to enter your zip code and find opportunities in your area.

Anyway, let’s get down to delicious Vegetables!!  Luckily I made some broccoli with the creamy sauce, and kept some broccoli without. Because as always with picky children…. some will try it, and some just preferred it plain.

Take:

• 6 oz light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup reduced fat milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Grated orange peel

Stir in a small saucepan until smooth and melted..  Then add

• 1/4 cup orange juice.

Keep the sauce warm to drizzle over steamed broccoli, or bring to room temperature and use as a dip for raw broccoli. 

  Well, I’m not going to lie here…. not ONE of my kids actually tried it.  I did! I liked it!  But there are very few foods I don’t like.

OK Mom’s and Dad’s! If the kids are going to eat their vegetables, we have to make them taste good!  Is the only way you’ve offered cooked carrots is chopped and sautéed?  I have actually never enjoyed my carrots that way.  If you are a “texture” person, like Erica (my 9 year old), cooked carrots are often too mushy, because of their size.  These carrots are cooked, yet have no mushiness about them!

The easy part of this dish, Polka Dot Peas and Ribbons, is the children can peel the carrots.  They are way easier to peel than potatoes!

So first, some frozen peas (thawed), and as many carrots as you want to peel.

Stir the carrots around with 1 TBL of butter till softened (about 5 minutes).  Then add the peas and keep cooking until the peas are heated through.

And serve up with a little salt and pepper.  My kids actually ate this without forks. 

So, go ahead and try it! You know you have all the ingredients on hand!

Busy? Poor? Still want to eat healthy?  The best weapon I have is frozen vegetables!  When they go on sale, I fill my freezer with all kinds!  Stir-fry mixes, broccoli, peas and carrots, corn, etc!

We add frozen vegetables to rice, noodles, soups, casseroles, pot pies, and as a side dish.  Here is what I like:

• They last forever!  (in contrast to fresh veggies)
• They don’t need to be washed
• They don’t need to be chopped/ peeled/ cut.
• They are generally cheaper.
• They are usually picked at the peak of ripeness
• We can eat them out of season and all year long!

So, here is our favorite, fast, healthy, go- to meal.  I always have the ingredients on hand, and my kids will eat a ton of it!  It looks like a long recipe, but I promise it is QUICK!!!

• 3 TBL butter
• 3 TBL flour

Melt butter in small saucepan and stir flour in until bubbly.  Then Add:

• 1 cup of Chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp oregeno
• 1/2 tsp pepper.

Bring to a boil and simmer. Stir occasionally. Then, in large skillet add:

• 1 TBL butter and 1 TBL olive oil.  Then after butter melts, add:
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped.

Cook till browned then add:

• 2 cups frozen cauliflower. (defrosted)
• 2 cups frozen broccoli (defrosted)
• 1 package frozen peas (defrosted)

Cover and cook till heated through.  Then stir in:

• 1/2 Cup chicken broth
• 1 large fresh tomato (or canned tomatoes)

Add 1/2 pound cooked whole wheat noodles (such  as spaghetti or linguini).  Mix everything together (vegetables, sauce, and noodles)  then top with parmesan cheese.

NEED SOME FROZEN VEGETABLES? AND PERHAPS A $25 TARGET GIFT CARD TO GO ALONG WITH IT?  HEAD OVER TO THE GIVEAWAY PAGE TO ENTER!!

Today’s idea: Simple, but very effective!!

According to Dr. Fuhrman, Enjoying the taste of healthy food is a SKILL!  For most people, a preference for healthy food needs to be developed.  In order to do this, he recommends (In the book Eat for Health) eating a bowl full of vegetables every single day, and eating it slowly. Without changing any other habits, you can begin to enjoy the flavors and textures of healthful food.

So can the kids!  I wanted something measureable and specific to help them develop this skill.  Each day we wash and peel 5 carrots.  Each of us need to eat one carrot during the day (including me).  Simple, right?  I love simple.  If dinner comes and they haven’t eaten their carrot, they can eat it just before we sit down for dinner. 

Although I send carrots to school, and I provide carrots for snacks, I can’t exactly say they are eating them! This way, I will know. The more consistent we are with this “exercise”, the tastier those carrots will begin to be.

When I presented the idea to the kids, they willingly agreed to begin the exercise.  Although Erica did ask if she could make a chart and assign points, etc. etc…. but I told her, “I just want you to eat them! No incentives!”

The best way to get addicted to healthy food, is to start eating them… over and over and over.  Read Dr. Fuhrman’s blog post today “Are You a Food Addict?”.

The younger you introduce your kids to fruits and vegetables the better!

Isn’t he sweet!