The Secret to Get Your Family to Eat Healthy

This is it! The big secret is revealed! How to get your family to accept the fact that they can’t survive anymore on Mickey D’s, fish crackers, Coke, and frozen pizzas.

Are you ready for it?

The secret is. . .

Patience.

 

What, were you expecting a miracle?

Remember your mom teaching you that if you want something great you have to work for it? That rule most definitely applies here too. You may want to go all crazy and dump every last bit of junk food in the house (believe me, I’ve actually done this a few times) but that doesn’t mean that your family is going to be there helping you haul the loot out to the garbage bin. Prepare them by telling them how much you care about them and how you want them to be healthy and happy and to live forever. My kids know that when I give them healthy food I am trying to keep them from getting sick too.

Take baby steps in the right direction and be consistent. If you decide that you are going to clear your house of sugar you can still allow the kids to have a sweet treat occasionally.  I am constantly reminding my kids that we have to limit our sugar because sugar is bad for our immune system so when we eat lots of sugar we are more likely to get sick. I still allow them ice cream on special occasions, and a bit of candy when we celebrate holidays, and I love to bake so I occasionally whip up batches of brownies or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, using the best ingredients within my budget.

This is New Years resolution time and millions of people make a resolution to “get healthy”. Only 8% actually follow through with this. Why? because “get healthy” is so utterly vague that no one can even wrap their brain around it. So let’s start with a real goal.

My goal for 2013: Eat fresh fruits and veggies, healthy fats and proteins, increase probiotics, limit sugars and processed foods,  and work out 3 times a week for 30 minutes.

Now that is a goal I can take to the grocery store and gym and make it work!

I am 15 weeks pregnant right now and I am still riding the morning sickness train. Food hasn’t been my friend and I have been eating whatever sounded good, even Kraft Mac n’ Cheese, delivery pizza,  and sour gummy bears (not together). So just like you I am resolving to eat healthy this year for me and my baby.

 

Let’s start out with some tips on how to help our kids to eat a little healthier.

Tip #1: If your kids come home from school and go straight to the kitchen for juice and crackers I recommend keeping a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter so they see that colorful rainbow first. My boys LOVE fresh apples and oranges so I leave them out where they can see their bright colors flash as soon as they walk in the room. Works like a charm.

Tip #2: Keep unhealthy snacks up high or hidden away in a cupboard (or get rid of them altogether). Out of sight, out of mind.

Tip#3: Try something new. A new fruit or veggie, or even a new way to cook a veggie that they already like. And don’t be discouraged if they don’t take to a new food right away. It can take more than 10 times of trying a new food before they will learn to like it. I’m still trying to get my oldest to eat cucumbers.

Tip#4: If you do make a treat make it with the best ingredients you can get. I have revamped a yummy brownie recipe and our favorite cookie recipe by substituting whole wheat flour, dehydrated cane juice, and dark chocolate chips. They are still high in sugar and need to be eaten in moderation but they are much more nourishing than the original recipes and they taste just as good. (The recipes will be in a later post.) My kids would never know the difference. Check Pinterest for pages and pages of healthy desserts.

Tip #5: Don’t bring it in the house unless you want them to eat it. Kids are scavengers. When they are hungry they will find it. And if you don’t want them to eat it you probably shouldn’t be eating it either.

Tip #6: MOST IMPORTANTLY: Please lay off the soda and sugar laden drinks. This includes diet soda/drinks too. Studies have proved that artificial sweeteners don’t help at all with weight loss and actually make you crave more sugar and more calories. Juice is on this list too. I allow my boys a small amount of 100% juice on occasion but the fructose amounts are really high. Soda is completely void of nutrition and the high fructose corn syrup or sugar can do more than make us chubby, it can damage our liver just as badly as alcohol (see this video at Mercola.com), and make it difficult to concentrate and think at higher levels. Am I saying that sugar can make you stupid? YES!  I know how addictive these sugar drinks can be. I’ve been there and I still have days that I give in and drink a cold Dr. Pepper. The difference is that now I know that damage that can be done and one can is enough (or way more than enough) for me.

Did you know that Sugary drinks are the #1 source of calories in America? Think about it. There is no nutritional content and that is our #1 energy source. No wonder Americans are getting fat, popping anti-depressants, and dying of cancer and heart disease. Scary.

Tip #7: Don’t just feed, NOURISH. Read your labels and know what you are giving your children. Quality over quantity. If your children are eating nourishing foods they won’t be rummaging through the fridge every hour. Focus on fresh fruits and veggies, protein, healthy fats like coconut oil and grass-fed butter, nuts, beans and lentils, and probiotic foods.

 

It know that is a lot to start out with but if you can just start with one baby step at a time pretty soon your family will be feeling better, enjoying life more, and will be able to manage their weight much better too. All it takes is patience.

Me + Food = Love. Why I am a “foodie”

Before I start jumping into “you should eat this” and “you shouldn’t eat that” I want to give you a little background on why I care so much about food.

Once upon a time I lived in a small town with my mom and dad and 6 siblings. Every year my mom and dad grew gardens full of fresh veggies to feed all the hungry mouths. I learned early that fresh fruits and veggies are more than just food. They were grown and cooked with love.

Years later, I get to be the mom and I didn’t inherit my dad’s green thumb so I rely heavily on grocery store produce and friends and neighbors' gardens.  (I do have a small garden that I desperately try to keep alive every year.)

I fell in love with food gradually. I have never been on a fad diet, been more than a 10 pounds overweight, or had any medical condition that required a special diet. My love for food started in college when I took my first Nutrition course. My teacher who was about 50 years old was so beautiful and radiant and looked no older than 35. Her skin and hair were practically glowing with health.  I would watch how her eyes sparkled as she taught us the most important role of nutrition: not to help us lose weight, attract the opposite sex, increase energy, or any other tag line you see on a magazine cover.

Nutrition is to help us PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASE!

(light bulb)

This idea changed how I looked at everything I ate. “Will this cheeseburger give me cancer? Will whole milk give me heart disease? Will gummy bears give me diabetes? Which vegetables have the most disease fighting power?” And most importantly I started reading the labels on everything I ate.  I had power over the unknown!

The “normal” diet in America (also called the Western Diet) is made up of

what is quick-and-easy and can be stored for a long time. Everything is packed with preservatives and processed until it is unrecognizable so that it has a 2+ year shelf life. White flour, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, yada yada yada.  By now most of us have heard a million times what the “bad foods” are.

 

So here is my theory about food.

Food = Life

Ok, completely obvious right? Everyone needs food to live.

But it is more than that. Live food = Life 

We need to make sure there is still life in our food so that it can give us life (and I’m not talking sushi and steak tartar here.) I mean, you are what you eat, right?

When we buy a can of green beans from the shelf at the store we think we are getting the same thing we get from the garden. When we process beans we break down some of the important nutrients like fiber, vitamin C,and Vitamin A. And even more importantly we lose the digestive enzymes that are only in raw foods. Some nutrition is still there but it loses a lot of it’s “life” .

After this epiphany about live foods I started eating up books from the library about fad diets and not-so-fad diets. I searched through all of the hype and fluff and found what works best for me and my family.

Nutrition is a fast evolving field that is always changing. I read and study as much as I can and I use what I believe to be true when I feed my family. I have one especially sensitive son who I know needs special dietary attention and I do my best to keep my picky little boy well nourished and it is not easy at all.

I am excited to start talking more about my passion for good food! This doesn’t mean I am a five star cook or that I am going to be passing out award winning recipes (if I could only be so lucky). It just means that I want to help you to help your family be healthy! I believe that we can tackle childhood obesity and chronic disease one home at a time!!!!!

Healthy food is the best food you will ever eat. It will feed your body, mind, and soul.

Get them to eat more of the good stuff

Fruits and Veggies = Nutritious and Delicious


Sometimes it takes some convincing (ok, a lot of convincing) for your kids and spouse to agree with you on them being "delicious".

I have a few tips that have worked for my family, I hope they work for yours too!


1. Make it easily accessible!
My mother used to keep all of the fruits and veggies in bags in the bottom drawer of the fridge. To find what we wanted we would have to search through the bags and hope to find something good. It was enough work that we would usually skim past the veggie drawer and go straight for the cold cereal and milk. 

Now I keep the fruit out on the counter top where we see them everyday and they disappear 5X faster! 
When we are hungry, a banana, orange, peach, or tomato is the first thing to catch our eye when we walk into the kitchen. And they look so pretty sitting in a basket or on a decorative plate.
Keep your veggies in plain view in the refrigerator,so when you open it up they will be the first things you grab.

2. Prep it!
I find that I often leave my veggies in the fridge for days and days because they aren't ready to be eaten right when I want them. They need to be washed, cut, or peeled.  A few minutes of prep time can make those veggies into a ready-to-eat snack. When you bring your fruits and veggies home, wash them and get them ready to eat.

Cut up your carrots into carrot sticks, peel and slice cucumbers, make some celery sticks to munch on.

Some should be washed right before eating to prevent premature rotting, such as berries and some leafy greens.
Wait to cut up fruits like apples, peaches, pears, bananas, pineapples or any other fruit that will brown. It's best to cut these right before you eat them.

4. Freeze it!
If you are worried that your family won't eat all of the fruits and veggies you buy, freeze them. Many can be easily frozen and used later for dinners or smoothies, or just to snack on.

HERE is a list of veggies that freeze well, and how to freeze them.

I love freezing fresh berries, peaches and mangoes! mmmm. 
Which leads me to my next tip: 


3. Smoooooothies!

Since I have been pregnant I have fallen in love with smoothies. They taste great and you get lots of nutrition out of them. Break out your blender (or your handy dandy Ninja mixer), add your favorite frozen and fresh fruits, some milk, a little bit of juice, and ice. Blend away!
Here's a secret ingredient: spinach. Sounds really gross but if you add 5-10 spinach leaves to your smoothie you won't even be able to taste it. Spinach adds extra nutrition and fiber which will help you feel satisfied longer too.
Even my kids will drink spinach smoothies! (But they thought I was CRAZY the first time I made it.)


4. Keep at it!
Many fruits and veggies have an acquired taste and your child won't like them the first time. Keep trying different foods and re-introduce foods often to see if your child will eat them. Be prepared to hear "I don't like this!" over and over. There will always be some foods that they will never like but give your children a chance to get used to new foods before you completely give up.
I got my oldest to eat carrots this way. After 2 years of trying, he finally will eat carrots! And now he loves them as a healthy snack. VICTORY!




There are also cookbooks filled with recipes about sneaking fruits and veggies. I personally don't try to hide anything in my kids' food. I want them to know that what they are eating is good for them. I think this will help them to choose better options for themselves when they are older.
But if it takes being sneaky to get those healthy foods into your children's mouths then do it! Keep them healthy and happy!

{ White vs. Wheat } Why wheat is. . . NEAT!

Do you stand in the bread isle at the grocery store and stare at the hundreds of bags of bread wondering which one you should pick? They all tout their nutritional value on the labels. "Made with Whole Grain", "Enriched with Iron", " High Fiber", "No Corn Syrup". (did you even know that most breads have corn syrup in them? ugh.)

When I would find myslef lost in the bread isle I would usually end up grabbing what ever bread was on sale because I didn't know what the difference was between the 99 cent loaf of white or wheat bread and the $5 loaf of "whole grain" bread.
Once I started learning to read the labels I found all kinds of additives, sweeteners, preservatives and other stuff that I really don't want to be eating or feeding to my family. So I took on the task of learning to bake my own.
And when it came to making my own bread I started by choosing whatever recipe sounded the tastiest and easiest.  I LOVE sweet white rolls, but I know that wheat bread is supposed to be healthier, right? 
Yes, but why?

Wheat is sometimes called the "staff of life". A person can survive off of the nutrients found in the amazing wheat berries.

We hear a lot of health advice these days that tells us to increase our intake of whole grains. Great advice. But when it comes to wheat, what is best?

White flour comes from wheat, right?

Yes.

So why have we been warned about eating white flour?

White flour is significantly different than freshly ground wheat flour.  It has been processed and bleached, which is why it is white and not brown. Most of the nutritional value and fiber was sapped away in the processing. In fact, so much of the nutrition is missing that their are government regulations that require a minimal amount of the nutrients Thiamin, Niacin, B1, B2, Folic Acid, and Iron to be added back into the flour!
If you want to learn more about what happens to our flour when it is processed, here is a very informative website.

Here is freshly ground wheat flour (made from white wheat):

And compare that lovely flour to the all-purpouse baking flour we buy at the store:

And if you could touch it and smell it you would notice an even BIGGER difference in these two flours.


If wheat flour is so much more healthy, why does everyone use white flour? 

Shelf Life.  Wheat flour contains oils  that go rancid over a short period of time. These oils are removed from white flour when the wheat bran and wheat germ are removed, which makes the flour last much much longer. This is why it is so popular for commercial baking. White flour can be bought in bulk and stored for long periods of time.
Even many of the "wheat" breads we buy at the store are made from white flour mixed with just enough wheat flour to make the bread look brown. Some bread makers even add caramel coloring! Seriously!


To read more about the great stuff found in fresh wheat flour, check out this website.


I have seen wheat flour sold at the grocery store. Is it as healthy as freshly ground wheat flour?

Not quite. Often times much of the oils are removed from the wheat flour found in stores to prolong the shelf life. And if you do find 100% freshly ground wheat flour available to in your store you still can't be sure how long it has been sitting. The longer it sits, the more nutrition it loses.   I highly recommend buying the wheat flour over white flour but if you have the choice, go fresh!


How can I get freshly ground flour at home?

There are many types of grain mills available. Some are electric and some are hand crank powered.
I don't have my own yet but I am borrowing my MIL's electric mill.  I just have to turn it on, pour in the wheat, and in about a minute I have beautiful, fragrant, wheat flour.  If you are in the market for a grinder, do some research to find out which is best for your needs. Ebay also has a lot of options for great prices.
Or, you can ask your friends and family if they have one you can borrow.

Here's the mill I'm using:
It's called the Whisper Mill.

What can I do whith my fresh wheat flour?

Wherever you use white flour, you can substitute your wheat flour. I use it mostly for pancakes, muffins, pizza crust, and breads. I am AMAZED at the difference in taste! My kids absolutely love the whole wheat bread. And I feel like a good mom because I know they are getting more nutrition and fiber from the "real" bread.

And if you aren't a pro bread maker, don't worry! There are tons of places out there that can give you tips on how to make your bread the right way.  I use a bread machine to mix my dough. I got my brand new machine for $3.00 at Salvation Army. Best purchase ever!

Here are my 2 favorite bread recipes. I use them so much I can barely read my printed recipe cards. Thank goodness they are still available online.

Just replace the bread flour with your fresh wheat flour.

Honey Wheat Bread

Amish White Bread

mmmmm. You will never want to go back to plain ol' white bread again.

ULTIMATE Brownie Challenge !!

I am a self diagnosed (and self medicated) CHOCOHOLIC.

I've known this truth for sometime now. I tell my husband that my chocolate "problem"  is a side effect from having my kids. Pregnancy does things to you.

I don't have a stop button when it comes to chocolate. Especially choco-licious BROWNIES with rich gooey frosting! {drool}

I know there are more people like me out there. People that enjoy a decadent, ooey-gooey, fudgy, oh-so-chocolatey brownie treat.  So I've decided to petition all of you for your most mouth-watering recipies to join the :

ULTIMATE BROWNIE CHALLENGE

Here's how it's going to work.

Basically your only job is to send me your most scrumptious brownie recipe.
Email the recipes to me at CantaloupeCorner(at!)gmail.com

I will personally bake and taste each recipe, (as long as it isn't made with crazy, or hard-to-find ingredients). And if I get too many recipes I might have to recruit other chocolate baker/tasters for help. Volunteers?

The most delicious brownie wins. Easy as pie! uh, I mean brownies!

(I'm not putting a time frame on this challenge yet but I'll post a close date after later when I know how many recipies I'm going to be making. )

The winning recipe will be posted on our blog after the challenge is finished. YAY! So all of you can make the yummiest brownies!

And what will the prize be? 

a $50 Cantaloupe Corner gift certificate!

So hurry! Don't dilly-dally!
Help a struggling Chocoholic.

Thanks and good luck! I hope you win!



P.S. I also finally got my Facebook URL ! Hooray!   www.Facebook.com/CantaloupeCorner

Sweets for your sweet: Red Velvet Cake Balls

In honor of the upcoming day-o'-love, I had to share something sinfully sweet and, yes, chocolatey!

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Don't they look absolutely divine?

They are eye candy. . .candy.

You can find the recipe at Bakerella.

Whip up a batch for your special someone, (or for yourself. You know you want to.)

Happy Valentines Day!