Life would be a lot less complicated if we all just liked the food that is healthy for us...isn't that true? Regardless of how I want my children or my family to eat, I personally still gravitate towards the foods that I loved as a child--chicken nuggets, pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, french fries, pizza...you name it. I am actually proud of myself when I "shop the perimeter" of the grocery store, and see all the fruits and veggies and "whole foods" I put in my cart. It is evidence that even I can change my ways.
My kids are not always as adventurous as I want them to be (I really can't blame them--I never tried anything new growing up!) But, I am trying hard to change that, to help them love healthy food, and encourage them to consider "treats", well...a treat! Also, I am making more of an effort to make those treats myself, so I know the ingredients going into them.
The biggest change I am trying to make is to just include them in the prep work and decision making in the kitchen. I have a hard time "letting go" and just letting the mess happen. I've always been that way--I can't deal with all the cleanup associated with them "helping" me, but lately I have been able to let them make a mess while they are preparing a dish--and I have NOT had a nervous breakdown!
I recently read an article about the many benefits of including your child in your (and their) food prep. http://www.portlandfamily.com/posts/kids-in-the-kitchen-10-benefits-of-cooking-with-children/ After reading this, I know I am making the right decision including them in the dinner-making process.
Also, for a great kids cooking/food magazine, check out ChopChop. They are fantastic!! Check it out here: http://www.chopchopmag.org/
Have a great week!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Continuing on my path
I admit, I am a HORRIBLE procrastinator! Actually, I am really good at it...that is my problem. That is why it has taken me almost 6 months to blog again. I hope I am forgiven, and I hope to blog regularly from now on.
I missed blogging about the summer Farmers' Market season! It was fantastic. I, personally, did not get there nearly as much as I thought I would, but when I did I kept kicking myself for not going more often. The whole culture of the market is different. The farmers and vendors really love their product. Yes, they want to sell it to you, but they have more often than not, put their hard work and blood, sweat and tears into what they are selling and it is reflected in their attitudes. They are interested and engaged in potential buyers, and I have learned they are always willing to teach and there is NEVER a stupid question!
Onto the healthy eating front. I am still trying to move away from fast food as a whole for my family. I don't think my husband has had it in months, and neither have I. The kids have occasionally, as a treat. But even in this crazy, busy fall season I am making a huge effort to even just put out cucumber slices and grapes as a snack, and make dinner at home. Even if it is sandwiches, I know where all the ingredients came from and I feel this is a healthier alternative than the drive-thru. I am hoping all these itsy-bitsy changes will eventually turn into healthier eating as a whole for myself and my family. Do I still buy cookies? Absolutely!! Do I still eat ice cream? Most definitely!! But, overall I am trying to make healthier changes to our diets so treats will remain just that...treats.
In the next few weeks, I will be posting some kid friendly meals, and also posting about different ways to get kids involved with the cooking. If they are involved in the process, they may be more apt to try something new!
Thanks for reading--have a great week!!
I missed blogging about the summer Farmers' Market season! It was fantastic. I, personally, did not get there nearly as much as I thought I would, but when I did I kept kicking myself for not going more often. The whole culture of the market is different. The farmers and vendors really love their product. Yes, they want to sell it to you, but they have more often than not, put their hard work and blood, sweat and tears into what they are selling and it is reflected in their attitudes. They are interested and engaged in potential buyers, and I have learned they are always willing to teach and there is NEVER a stupid question!
Onto the healthy eating front. I am still trying to move away from fast food as a whole for my family. I don't think my husband has had it in months, and neither have I. The kids have occasionally, as a treat. But even in this crazy, busy fall season I am making a huge effort to even just put out cucumber slices and grapes as a snack, and make dinner at home. Even if it is sandwiches, I know where all the ingredients came from and I feel this is a healthier alternative than the drive-thru. I am hoping all these itsy-bitsy changes will eventually turn into healthier eating as a whole for myself and my family. Do I still buy cookies? Absolutely!! Do I still eat ice cream? Most definitely!! But, overall I am trying to make healthier changes to our diets so treats will remain just that...treats.
In the next few weeks, I will be posting some kid friendly meals, and also posting about different ways to get kids involved with the cooking. If they are involved in the process, they may be more apt to try something new!
Thanks for reading--have a great week!!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Great opportunity for new/aspiring Authors!
I'm so excited to Join Lisa Akoury-Ross (my publisher from SDP) for the 2012 New England Author Expo, July 18 in Danvers, MA for a unique book show. She'll be speaking at this event and selling books for her authors (including ME!) Want t...o get published, or even just talk about the process? Go see Lisa! It event opens to the public at 4pm TODAY! For more info on the event, go to the following link...
Sunday, June 24, 2012
New beginnings
Hi all,
Long time no see! Hope you are all doing well. I have been busy trying to work more healthy eating into my family's routine. I have to tell you, I was pretty impressed when I figured out that our family went from January 19th until June 12th without visiting McDonald's. As a busy mom of two children, I'm quite proud of that accomplishment! Instead we had sandwiches, fruit and veggies, sometimes chicken nuggets and other "fast" food. It was more of an effort and I can't say a lot of it was gourmet but at least I knew where it was coming from and what kind of ingredients I was feeding my kids.
One of the other changes in our family is that my husband recently changed his eating habits. He has stopped eating wheat, sugar, dairy and legumes. I am not up for that yet, but I have concentrated more on "eating clean" (five ingredients or less in a packaged item). One of the benefits I did not foresee was that we suddenly had more fresh frutis and veggies in the house---because that is a pretty big staple in his diet. That trickled down to myself and the two kids and I have FINALLY realized if I have the healthy food (strawberries, red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, melon, etc...) prepared and ready to go, the kids will eat it!! I know it isn't always as simple as this, but it can't hurt to have those foods in your house. Always keep them within easy reach, ready to eat. Again, I know this sounds simple, and I have read this advice oodles of times before, but for some reason this time it stuck!!
I am so excited that farmers' market season is (finally) upon us! Our local market starts next week, and there have been other ones in Westford and Acton that have already started. The food just looks so good! Sometimes I will see a fruit or veggies that I know I don't love, but it just looks so good I feel like I should try it! This past week we made roasted brussel sprouts. They were great! Definitely going to add that to our dinner repertoire. The kids weren't as keen on it, but maybe someday...
If you want to try them the recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html.
Have a great week!!
Long time no see! Hope you are all doing well. I have been busy trying to work more healthy eating into my family's routine. I have to tell you, I was pretty impressed when I figured out that our family went from January 19th until June 12th without visiting McDonald's. As a busy mom of two children, I'm quite proud of that accomplishment! Instead we had sandwiches, fruit and veggies, sometimes chicken nuggets and other "fast" food. It was more of an effort and I can't say a lot of it was gourmet but at least I knew where it was coming from and what kind of ingredients I was feeding my kids.
One of the other changes in our family is that my husband recently changed his eating habits. He has stopped eating wheat, sugar, dairy and legumes. I am not up for that yet, but I have concentrated more on "eating clean" (five ingredients or less in a packaged item). One of the benefits I did not foresee was that we suddenly had more fresh frutis and veggies in the house---because that is a pretty big staple in his diet. That trickled down to myself and the two kids and I have FINALLY realized if I have the healthy food (strawberries, red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, melon, etc...) prepared and ready to go, the kids will eat it!! I know it isn't always as simple as this, but it can't hurt to have those foods in your house. Always keep them within easy reach, ready to eat. Again, I know this sounds simple, and I have read this advice oodles of times before, but for some reason this time it stuck!!
I am so excited that farmers' market season is (finally) upon us! Our local market starts next week, and there have been other ones in Westford and Acton that have already started. The food just looks so good! Sometimes I will see a fruit or veggies that I know I don't love, but it just looks so good I feel like I should try it! This past week we made roasted brussel sprouts. They were great! Definitely going to add that to our dinner repertoire. The kids weren't as keen on it, but maybe someday...
If you want to try them the recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html.
Have a great week!!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Slowly but surely…
So I took a little break… I bet you all thought I keeled over after trying the kale pesto, right?? Actually, it was REALLY good! One of the steps is to par-boil the kale (I never knew what that meant), and for the first time EVER I was able to appreciate the beautiful, healthy, green color it turned after being in the water for a couple of minutes. Since then, I have definitely had some more veggies go bad in the fridge…what DO you do with artichokes anyway?? I bought one, but that was a victim to my procrastination as well. Step by step I will get the hang of this!
I also had the really good fortune to attend the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market at Russell’s Garden Center
My daughter is learning about healthy eating in school, so lately she has been asking to drink water, and told me not to give her Gatorade (I don’t on an everyday basis! Just occasionally if there isn’t anything else around) because it isn’t healthy. My son is in the process of getting braces, so he is not able to have any sticky, chewy, gummy things. He didn’t eat stuff like that every day, but if he was getting some kind of a treat, he would most often choose something gummy and sweet. But, now that he can’t, he is choosing other things like strawberries, crackers or grapes. Again slowly but surely. My goal with this blog is to take itty bitty baby steps to being a very healthy, local eating family. I hope you all join us!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Don't Throw it Away!!
So, my goal for this past week was to increase my families' water intake. It is a s...l...o...w process, as we have all gotten into bad habits. But, both my son and my daughter love my new Brita pitcher (they think it is super special because it comes in that neat container!) so we are going to keep pushing it. It is just a matter of changing some of the "not so good" habits that I have let form over time. We will keep up the good fight!
This week, I have a confession to make...remember that "honey nut squash" I got at the Farmers' Market last week that I was going to try? I ended up throwing it out this morning. THIS is my big challenge. I have all the best intentions when I buy new foods for myself and my family, and then I procrastinate until it goes bad in my fridge and I feel incredibly guilty. I have a bad habit of not knowing what to DO with a food, so I just leave it on a shelf and ignore it. So that is my huge challenge to myself this week--don't let ANY fresh fruits or veggies go bad this week. Not sure what I will get yet, but I promise to get another unknown food to add to our table. I actually think I might try this recipe this week--sounds very yummy! http://kidscooking.about.com/od/dinnerrecipes/r/kale_pesto.htm
On another note, I had my first book signing today!! It was so adorable-the children loved the book and I had so much fun reading to them and watching their reactions. Hopefully this is the first of many, many more! If you haven't gotten your copy yet, check it out here: www.tinyurl.com/wilburdragon. Hope you all have a good week!!
This week, I have a confession to make...remember that "honey nut squash" I got at the Farmers' Market last week that I was going to try? I ended up throwing it out this morning. THIS is my big challenge. I have all the best intentions when I buy new foods for myself and my family, and then I procrastinate until it goes bad in my fridge and I feel incredibly guilty. I have a bad habit of not knowing what to DO with a food, so I just leave it on a shelf and ignore it. So that is my huge challenge to myself this week--don't let ANY fresh fruits or veggies go bad this week. Not sure what I will get yet, but I promise to get another unknown food to add to our table. I actually think I might try this recipe this week--sounds very yummy! http://kidscooking.about.com/od/dinnerrecipes/r/kale_pesto.htm
On another note, I had my first book signing today!! It was so adorable-the children loved the book and I had so much fun reading to them and watching their reactions. Hopefully this is the first of many, many more! If you haven't gotten your copy yet, check it out here: www.tinyurl.com/wilburdragon. Hope you all have a good week!!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Adventures at the Farmers' Market!
So, I went to an indoor farmers' market on Saturday. This place was SO much fun!! It was the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market at Russell's Garden Center. http://www.russellsgardencenter.com/wayland_winter_mkt.html I found a ton of cool things to try and can't wait to go back! There were homemade marshmallows in all different flavors (I tried an orange flavored one on my hot chocolate--delicious!!) There is a place that makes and bottles their own root beer, another one that imports olive oil from Italy, and booths selling locally-raised meat, bread and pastries, cheese and also vegetables. It is definitely popular, so it may be a little crowded with kids, but as long as you know that going into it, they will have fun too.
What vegetable did I procure from this market, you ask? Kohlrabi. What??? Yes, Kohlrabi. It is a type of turnip (German Turnip). It grows above ground, but is similar in texture to root vegetables. The farmer told me it can take on the flavors of anything it is cooked with, so it is good cooked with things like pot roast and roasted chicken. It can be eaten raw, steamed or roasted. I was not so adventurous to try it raw, so I decided to roast it with garlic and olive oil. I peeled the outside of it, and cut it into "fries", looked kind of like french fries when I was done. Then, big moment came and I tried it when we sat down to dinner. It...really...wasn't that bad!!! It tasted similar to broccoli stalks, but a little milder. My husband said he thought it seemed like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. Both kids tried it, my son wasn't crazy about it, but my daughter liked it! I will definitely try to work it into our dinners again sometime soon. I looked up the health benefits online, and found Kohlrabi is a good source of fiber, B-vitamins and numerous phytochemicals. Give it a try--you might find something new to add to dinners!
One last thing I wanted to mention about the market--the vendors there were all super-nice! I asked a lot of questions, and everyone was happy to take the time to answer each one. One farmer even gave me a free vegetable to try (Honey Nut Squash--ever heard of it? Neither have I!) I walked in very intimidated, but I was impressed how friendly and informative everyone was. So, I challenge all of YOU to try this as well. You may be surprised at what you learn or how much fun you have!
My goal this week for my family is a simple one, but one that often gets lost in the daily shuffle. I (along with the rest of my family) am going to increase our water intake. I'll let you know how it goes. Have a great week!
What vegetable did I procure from this market, you ask? Kohlrabi. What??? Yes, Kohlrabi. It is a type of turnip (German Turnip). It grows above ground, but is similar in texture to root vegetables. The farmer told me it can take on the flavors of anything it is cooked with, so it is good cooked with things like pot roast and roasted chicken. It can be eaten raw, steamed or roasted. I was not so adventurous to try it raw, so I decided to roast it with garlic and olive oil. I peeled the outside of it, and cut it into "fries", looked kind of like french fries when I was done. Then, big moment came and I tried it when we sat down to dinner. It...really...wasn't that bad!!! It tasted similar to broccoli stalks, but a little milder. My husband said he thought it seemed like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. Both kids tried it, my son wasn't crazy about it, but my daughter liked it! I will definitely try to work it into our dinners again sometime soon. I looked up the health benefits online, and found Kohlrabi is a good source of fiber, B-vitamins and numerous phytochemicals. Give it a try--you might find something new to add to dinners!
One last thing I wanted to mention about the market--the vendors there were all super-nice! I asked a lot of questions, and everyone was happy to take the time to answer each one. One farmer even gave me a free vegetable to try (Honey Nut Squash--ever heard of it? Neither have I!) I walked in very intimidated, but I was impressed how friendly and informative everyone was. So, I challenge all of YOU to try this as well. You may be surprised at what you learn or how much fun you have!
My goal this week for my family is a simple one, but one that often gets lost in the daily shuffle. I (along with the rest of my family) am going to increase our water intake. I'll let you know how it goes. Have a great week!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Farmers' Markets
I will definitely explore this further in another post, but here is a link to indoor Farmers' Markets in the Massachusetts area! I found them on "Edible Boston", and here is the link http://www.ediblecommunities.com/boston/winter-2012/a-winters-eden.htm
Welcome Everyone! New Year, New Attitude!
Welcome to "Wilbur's Blog". Wilbur is a character from my book "Wilbur the Zucchini-Eating Dragon" (www.tinyurl.com/wilburdragon). He is a dragon who LOVES to shop locally at his favorite farmers' market, but only eats one thing. What happens when his trusted farmer is out of his familiar food? Will he try new things? Will he even know how to?
I am creating this blog with a purpose in mind. I want parents and kids to start eating healthier. BUT-it does not need to happen all at once. I am a busy mom of two, and as much as I know the benefits of eating healthy for myself and my family, sometimes life gets in the way and I choose easy-to-eat, familiar, "junk food". So, my goal for myself and everyone reading this is to take baby steps to a healthier, more local life. Every week I will post one goal for my family, and at the end of the week I will post how well we did. Feel free to join me in this venture, and we can do it together!
This week my goal is to visit an INDOOR farmers' market (I am in the Northeast, and while it has been unseasonably warm, there are no outdoor markets right now) and buy one NEW food for my family to try. Check back next week to see what I chose, why, and how I incorporated it into our meals!!
I am creating this blog with a purpose in mind. I want parents and kids to start eating healthier. BUT-it does not need to happen all at once. I am a busy mom of two, and as much as I know the benefits of eating healthy for myself and my family, sometimes life gets in the way and I choose easy-to-eat, familiar, "junk food". So, my goal for myself and everyone reading this is to take baby steps to a healthier, more local life. Every week I will post one goal for my family, and at the end of the week I will post how well we did. Feel free to join me in this venture, and we can do it together!
This week my goal is to visit an INDOOR farmers' market (I am in the Northeast, and while it has been unseasonably warm, there are no outdoor markets right now) and buy one NEW food for my family to try. Check back next week to see what I chose, why, and how I incorporated it into our meals!!
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