I need your help.  It appears there are still some bugs to my new site, but I need to know about them. Everything looked perfect to me, then I found out my blog was displaying an entire post, one word at a time!  It also has some alignment issues in certain browsers, and I still can’t get rid of an entire paragraph becoming a link.  Plus, my husband complained of  longer than normal page loading.  So, if you would pop over and see how it looks in your browser, or if any of my links are broken, I would love to know about it!   Leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll check it out.  Thanks for being patient.

Here is a family favorite.  Apple pancakes!   I started with the Homemade pancake mix.

This time however, I added

• 2 TBL of applesauce and
• 1/2 cup of shredded apple.

Then on my cast-iron skillet, I used my pancake shaper that Quaker sent me.  And cooked until it was cooked all the way through.

These were sweet enough to not need syrup.  But some chopped apple on top or some walnuts would have been delicious too.

THURSDAY: Health Issues

A few things make me cringe:

1. My 8 yr old talking like a baby, because she thinks its cute
2. My kids eating only chips and soda at a family potluck.
3. My 7 yr old neighbor declaring to the neighborhood “these pants make my butt look fat.”

Mothers:  Although their peers will teach them this horrible self talk of hating their bodies, until they are ten years old, you will have the most influence on them.  Children spend 52,500 waking hours at home by the time she is 12 years old.  They only spend 3200 hours in school.  Do not waste these hours trash talking your own body faults, or feeling self conscious about your image.

When a very young girl says things about how fat she is, most of the time it is something they heard their own mothers say about themselves.  Here is my advice to instill body confidence in these little girls.

1. Change your own self talk (and verbal talk).  Do not chat on the phone with friends about your latest diet, only to be overheard by your kids.
2. Do not push your dinner away and tell your kids its because you are “on a diet”?
3. Love your little girls unconditionally.  Do not draw attention to their weight, or treat them differently from their siblings.
4. Understand their body changes.  Girls gain weight (as much as 11 lbs per year) as they go through puberty. This is completely normal, and they need acceptance at this already emotional time.
5. Keep them active.  The girls with the greatest body image, are active in sports and activities.
6. Focus on positive, non- physical traits.  Is your daughter compassionate, kind, helpful, friendly?  Tell them how you notice these positive things.
7. Edited to add one more: I think its vital to let your kids see you exercise for fun and for health… not necessarily for weight loss. And to eat well for the main reason of feeling good!

On Monday, I did this series of exercises.  Ten reps of each item. Flip-flopper always wants to exercise with me if she sees me doing it.  I’m still sore! And its Thursday! She is not.  She can do a better push up than I’ve ever been able to do. She can do more sit ups, and of course is way more flexible.  And she’s only 7!  These were the exercises.

• Squat (wide leg)
• Push up
• 45 degree lunge
• Superman
• Prisoner squat
• hip-up
• lunge walk
• alternating leg v-sit
• lateral squat
• push-up centerfold
• reverse lunge
• side stabilzation 

Dave Grotto, R.D., was kind enough to answer one my readers questions from our Quaker Weekend.  He has posted an answer here. http://asktheguytitian.blogspot.com/2008/11/potassium-calcium-and-magnesium.html.  If you have dietician related questions, you can ask him.  Great blog idea Dave!

We are leaving on vacation Sunday, so naturally I wanted to use up the eggs, bread, milk, etc.  French Toast seemed like a natural choice.  My prior french toast post was about adding flax seeds to the mix, but let’s look at the cinnamon:

Holy Cow! Cinnamon is a powerhouse!  As I always say, ask yourself, “how many nutrients does that food have per calorie.”  Well, per calorie, spices and herbs have a lot of nutrients.  Only 6 calories per teaspoon, the antioxidants and phytochemicals of cinnamon have been shown to lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.  Its anti-inflammatory properties prevent clumping of blood platelets.  It also contains calcium, manganese, fiber, and iron.One thing to max out your cinnamon on your french toast, sprinkle the cinnamon after putting the bread on your pan, not in the mix. 

Happy 4th of July!!! Add some blueberries and strawberries to your french toast today as well.

Trans fats have no reason to be in our diet.  A quick summary: Food manufactures add hydrogen to liquid oils in order to make the fat solid, as in shortening and margarines.  If your fat is solid at room temperature, it most likely has trans fats.  Have you noticed if you leave a spread (such as canola harvest or benecol) out on the counter, it quickly melts and becomes more liquid.  But take shortening and it will be solid all day long.  This is because of trans fat.  If you are a label reader, all you have to look for to know if it has trans fats is the words, “hydrogenated vegetable oil”, or “partially hydrogenated whatever oil.”  RED FLAG!  Trans fat!  Guess what products this includes: 

• processed cookies (this is why I bake my own)
• crackers (this is a toughy, cause I like crackers. Look for the boxes that say, “No trans-fats. Like Goldfish)
• some margarines
• snack foods
• Fast food french fries. The worst offender.
• Doughnuts

I just went through all the food in my cupboards and didn’t find any products containing trans fats.  We either really are a healthy family, or the food companies are getting better about taking it out of their food. 

I love this picture of my daughter, and I love running races with my kids.  They are so excited to come across the finish line and truly feel that sense of joy and accomplishment.  Without a doubt the best thing I’ve taught my kids is that I love to exercise. They know we don’t go anywhere until I’ve been on the treadmill. They don’t nag me while I’m on it, because I’ve done it since they were born.  They know how much I enjoy it.  I have never complained to them that I HAD to exercise. It’s a privilige!  They aren’t allowed on my treadmill yet, and they can’t wait until they are old enough to get on it! 

Brianna Grant has written a children’s book called We Are Girls Who Love To Run written to “inspire girls to build healthy habits and acheive goals”.  Exercise builds confidence and accomplishment in kids and it makes me so sad when parents spoil it by complaining about exercise.  Do your kids a favor and don’t complain about exercise in front of them. They truly will grow up to be just like you!

Find a 1  mile race in your hometown this summer.  Your family will have a great time with it.

Here is another idea to help your family get fit.  I will just paste the message I got, since they say it better than I can.

With childhood obesity rates on the rise and a newfound desire to foster and maintain a healthy lifestyle for both children and adults, it’s important to find a way to make exercise fun and engaging. Physical education expert Len Saunders has just the solution to this difficult challenge.

May 7th, 2008 will mark the 20th anniversary of Len Saunders’ Project ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously). The event unites millions of children from the United States and beyond who are going to exercise simultaneously to promote healthier lifestyles for children. ACES provides a great opportunity to get kids motivated about their health. Please visit the Project ACES web site at: www.projectaces.com for more information.

I always loved the Huxtables.  Great kids, successful parents, intelligent and enlightening dinner conversation.  I want the perfect family meal, talking about what the kids learned that day, who they helped and inspired, what goals they have for their lives. I would love 7 days of the kids eating the food they’ve been given, sitting at the table until everyone is finished, and not one play by play of Sonic Riders- Zero Gravity.  Is it too much to ask? Here are the actual goals:

1. Do not let the kids eat two hours before dinner.
2. Eat with the entire family at the table.
3. Do not let other things compete for my attention.
4. Do all three things for 7 Full days

I have been lying to myself saying we DO eat dinner as a family.  However, dinner for us is usually the kids at the counter on bar stools, and me serving up food, and putting dishes in the dishwasher, and checking email, and talking on the phone.  I think since we are all in the kitchen it counts, but we are going to take it a step further.  All 5 of us, sitting at the table, no one leaving till everyone’s done, and no distractions!  Everytime we do actually sit for the entire meal, one of the kids always stands up, messes around, walks around. Then Ketchup boy won’t eat and all of us are sitting around waiting for him to eat something until I am totally frustrated that he can’t eat in a timely manner.

There are so many reasons families should have a meal together:

1. Develop strong parent child bonds
2. Teens who regularly have meals together are less likely to get into fights, take drugs, be promiscuous, and drink.
3. Children with families that eat together do better academically.
4. Families that eat together generally eat more nutritiously.
5. Children can be involved by setting the table, and clearing the dishes learning important skills.
6. They grow up so fast, it’s time to make memories!

How do you make it work in your family?