Have you heard about the miracle fruit? My kids and I were watching the Science channel last night and they did a segment about this berry that literally changes the taste receptors on your tongue.  For an entire hour after eating a berry, everything tastes sweet… Including Tabasco sauce and broccoli!  This could literally make any child eat vegetables! Crazy huh.

Decided to mail my camera into Olympus for them to fix the lens.  I don’t need to ruin by taking it apart.

Come back on Monday for another giveaway. Do you like my rhyming hints to what the giveaway is?  Dreaming Fireflies!  You won’t want to miss it.

	Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
Monday	Orange Creamsicle smoothie	Sweet potato Risotto	Cottage Cheese and peaches	Black eyed peas with brown rice
Tuesday	Bran Muffins and Bananas	Pita with sprouts, lettuce, tomato.	Mixed nuts with raisins	Sweet potato soup
Wednesday	Breakfast Burritos	Caesar salad and whole grain roll	Pumpkin hummus on sourdough	Pizza
Thursday	Oatmeal with craisins, vanilla and cinnamon	Noodles, broccoli and parmesan.	English muffin with peanut butter and banana slices	Chicken with wild rice and parmesan
Friday	Whole Grain cereal with soy milk and berries	Whole wheat sandwich, honey and almond butter	Veggie Tray	Chicken salad with creamy orange dressing, pecans and cranberries

I’m making changes here!  I know from your emails you loved how I was categorizing my posts.  But I was struggling with so many foods crossing over into two, if not three of the categories.  SO, for the summer (I can’t commit beyone that) I am going to categorize by meals.  So, here goes:

MONDAY: Breakfast!!

When I called these muffins, Cinnamon Toast Muffins, my kids already liked it.  Before even trying them.  Its all in the name.  If I called them Oatmeal muffins with cinnamon, they would not have had the same reaction.  They were delicious!!  I’ve posted the recipe here.

I feel like declaring this the summer of the healthy muffins! I love sweet, whole grains for breakfast!  And making muffins ahead of time, then freezing, saves time and extra messes in the morning.

Other healthy breakfast ideas we had last week:

Watermelon Smoothie!  As soon as our fruit is no longer being eaten, I blend it up into a smoothie.  My kids overdosed on watermelon, then it sat in our fridge for a few days, so I made smoothies. The only ingredients were chopped watermelon and soy milk.

Next, Flip-flopper decided to try her hand at French Toast and didn’t want any help.  We love french toast, and its definitely something kids can learn to do on their own.  We do need a new griddle though. Our griddle lost its legs (OK, they broke off when I dropped the griddle), so we have to prop it up on an upside down cake pan.  But it works.

And, I still cut food for my kids, but I hardly helped in her making the meal.  She was sure to add a healthy dose of cinnamon.

And for me….6 out of 7 days last week I ate oatmeal, with soy milk and blueberries.  Its so comforting to me! A Warm bowl of oatmeal and the morning paper is what I imagine heaven to be like.

Enjoy your kids this summer! You will only have them for a few years, so have fun.

WEDNESDAY: Legumes, nuts, seeds

Isn’t protein a funny thing.  I feel like I perpetuate the myth that you need to get your protein from animal sources by labeling this section “protein”, as if its seperate from grains and veggies. There is plenty of protein in your grains and veggies, and we are cutting the animal proteins back in our diet.  So I officially changed this category to legumes, nuts, and seeds, which we are eating much more of.

Although this is fast and easy, plan ahead for this one. Its best when made ahead and chilled for a few hours.

I used

• Frozen corn, thawed
• black beans, canned, but rinsed
• Chopped avocado
• chopped green onions
• balsamic Vinaigrette

This made a delicious main dish, and we had a green salad and small slices of chicken on the side.

TUESDAY: Whole Grains

Who needs fatty old cupcakes, when you can have delicious, light, whole wheat-carrot muffins!  I love these muffins because it both incorporates whole grains AND vegetables!  The pureed carrots in this muffin gives it the perfect flavor.  Here is proof healthy food can be as much fun as a regular old cupcake!

Gourmet Mom linked to these adorable leprechans you can print.  It looks like these little leprechans are digging for GOLD!!
 

Be careful with the little guys, but my kids know there could be money or gold anywhere or in anything on St. Patricks day. Especially if there is evidence of leprechan feet, close by.
Have fun today.

TUESDAYS:  Whole Grains

At merely 105 calories, 3 cups of popcorn equals one of your necessary servings of whole grains.  Popcorn can be so versatile. It can take on a savory or a sweet taste, depending on your mood.  Its easy to make, and very economical.

One problem I have had with making caramel corn, which we love, is that I never stopped to consider the amount of popcorn in proportion to the caramel recipe.  I would just pop some popcorn, then make a full recipe of caramel, and drowned the popcorn in it.  After the last batch I made, I realized it was way too much caramel for the amount of popcorn I had.  We did not need it so sweet and so saturated.

Then measuring my popcorn, and cutting the recipe in half, I believe I have made the perfect caramel corn.  Lightly coated, with half a recipe, this caramel corn does not make you sick after a few bites like my caramel corn of the past.

I simply used 1 full cup of kernels.  (If you pop it in the microwave in paper bags, I popped 1/3 cup, three times.  Then used this recipe, cut in half of course! I added some pecans to the popcorn, took the unpopped kernels out, and we all loved the result.  Not too sticky, not too sweet, not too much! Just perfect.

Some benefits of popcorn you may not be aware of is 3 TBL of unpopped popcorn has:

• 4 grams of protein
• 120 calories
• 1.5 grams of the good fat
• 6 grams of fiber!!! BONUS
• It is rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B

Related popcorn posts:

Popping in the Microwave

Another microwave idea in casserole dish

Popcorn Balls

My kids will not go anywhere without food.  I guess that’s my fault.  I always take food with me, in case we are gone a long time, but they will take food if we are driving a mile to the church. 

So last Saturday when grandma and grandpa lovingly agreed to take the kids to a carnival, I was too busy getting ready for a obligation, I did not oversee their preparations.  Apparently they each packed a lunch for the day (without prompts from me).  My mom told me they had brought cut up apples, granola bars, water bottles, fruit leather, and carrots.  It’s good to know that I stock my cupboards with things I’d be glad they are taking.  Quickly, my soap box about fruit snacks.  It’s candy!  Don’t even call them fruit snacks. If you must buy them, save them for dessert!

Other good road snacks:

• String cheese
• Baked Pita chips
• Dried apricots
• Dried bananas
• Rice Cakes (the flavored mini ones are tasty, not filling though)
• Pretzels
• Homemade mini muffins

What does your family bring when you go out?  Or am I the only one who can’t be gone for an hour without food?