Friday, February 10, 2012

Super fun and healthy dessert

Banana Ice Cream:

4-5 Frozen bananas
Rice or Soy Milk
Cinnamon

Place bananas, milk and cinnamon in blender until desired consistency.

If you do it right (it took me a few tries) you will end up with a very ice cream like consistency and your kids won't be able to tell the difference.

Lactose and sugar free!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Organic or not??? That is the question.

Should I spend more to buy organic animal products? Some would say YES some would say it doesn't matter. Let's get down to the facts. If you are purchasing meat say from a local grocery store, it is nicely packaged and a good price... do you EVER think about where it came from and what the animal had to endure to become our next meal?? Well, even thinking about it for me made me do a bit of research, which is WIDELY available online. There are many, many meat manufactures that DO NOT treat the animals with any sort of care. They are fed steroids and hormones to make them grow fatter and produce more meat. This in turn is extremely uncomfortable for the animals and can even cause them to not be able to walk. They are herded into small, confined places and killed. The quality of life for these poor animals is unbelievably miserable and it is all so that we can grill a hamburger on the 4th of July. A lot of the ground beef that you find in the store is a mixture of 1000's of different all ground together...tasty!

If you don't have a weak stomach I suggest watching Food Inc. You will see first hand how cows, chickens, hens and pigs are treated in some manufacturing plants. Now these movies do have a lot of shock value but there is defiantly some truth to it. Even if one manufacture out there was treating animals this way, I would avoid conventional meat at all cost just to be sure that I didn't eat one of these defenseless animals. So what can WE do about it? Short of going to congress and trying to convince them to have stronger laws in regards to this we can do one thing. Buy from a farmer that has the best interest of the animals in mind. This is widely available in this day and age. Again, Whole Foods is a great place to purchase meat that you can be certain is safe and that the animals you eat are being treated fairly. In this concern for my family it is about our health but also about the animals.

You can also buy Organic chicken and ground beef at Costco. I have researched these brands, they are not as strict as Whole Foods but it is better than nothing.

Now keep in mind that it is more expensive to eat organic meat, it in fact INFURIATES me that we have to pay more to make sure what we are eating is NOT TORTURED! ARG! However, you have to decide for yourself if this is a sacrifice that you are willing to make for your family.

I suggest doing a lot of research on your own.

Here is what you will find at the Whole Foods meat counter. They always have certain things on sale so you can always plan your meals around those items. The same goes for seafood!!!

Animal Welfare

At Whole Foods Market, we're dedicated to helping you make informed choices about the food you eat. It's often easy to forget that the burger, steak or drumstick on your plate was once an animal. How was that animal raised? How was it treated? Where did it come from? What about added hormones and antibiotics? Was its growth artificially accelerated to get to market sooner and reduce feed cost? We are committed to answering these questions.

The 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating Standards

Global Animal Partnership

We've chosen to partner with Global Animal Partnership to certify our producers' animal welfare practices. We're rolling out their 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating Standards in every Whole Foods Market store in the United States and Canada.

Global Animal Partnership is a non-profit organization dedicated to continually improving the lives of farm animals. They have developed the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards that rate how pigs, chickens and cattle are raised for meat. Standards for other species (turkeys, lambs and others) are in development, so stay tuned and be sure to look for Global Animal Partnership 5-Step ratings the next time you stop by our meat department.

It's important to note that getting to Step 1 is a great accomplishment! Step 1 requires more from our farmers and ranchers than we have ever asked before. The Step ratings are assigned by independent third-party certifiers using auditors trained by Global Animal Partnership.

Look for this rating system when you choose our beef, pork or chicken. It's your way of knowing how the animals were raised for the meat you are buying.

See our Frequently Asked Questions about the 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating Standards.

Step 1

No crates, no cages

Step 2

Enriched environment

Step 3

Enhanced outdoor access

Step 4

Pasture centered

Step 5

Animal centered; all physical alterations prohibited

Step 5+

Animal centered; entire life on same farm

Animals live their lives with space to move around and stretch their legs.Animals are provided with enrichments that encourage behavior that's natural to them — like a bale of straw for chickens to peck at, a bowling ball for pigs to shove around, or a sturdy object for cattle to rub against.Pigs and chickens might live in buildings but they all — yes, each and every one of them — have access to outdoor areas.When living outdoors, chickens get to forage, pigs get to wallow and cattle get to roam.Animals get to live their whole lives with all the body parts they were born with.Animals raised to Step 5+ standards must be born and live their entire lives on one farm.







Thursday, February 2, 2012

Shopping healthy, on a budget

Now we all have a food budget or a desired amount that we wish to spend on a weekly basis. I am still learning how to do this without really being a coupon cutter. Now my problem, and most of you will agree is that when I open up the coupons in the newspaper or mail ads, I don't eat anything listed. Ok so this is what I have learned.

First of all, main stream grocery stores such as Dan's and Smiths have really reved up their Organic and Natural food sections. Eating healthy is more widely available then ever before. But BE CAREFUL, just because it says All Natural does not really mean anything. You still need to READ INGREDIENTS!

Simply put, Whole Foods is more pricey, but I am willing to pay a premium to ensure that I am getting the most for my money. However, Whole Foods is not perfect. I still read labels because a lot of products still contain a lot of sugar. We want to avoid that remember? Just because it comes from Whole Foods does not mean it is perfect food.

We will need to stick to the "if you can shake it, don't eat it mentality", however, you are "safer" purchasing it from a health food store.

What I do:
Whole foods has a coupon book in the entrance to the store and a newsletter full of recipes. I take them both, pull my cart to the side, pull out notepad on my phone and do my meal planning right there in the store. I plan meals around which fish and meat are on sale and what fruit and veggies are on sale. It takes about 10 minutes and I know I have saved money. I am not saving $100's like coupon queens but it is what I have found works best for us and the way that we desire to eat.


When in doubt, CHOP CHOP CHOP

Ok so you are running short on time, kids are hungry, daddy is on his way home and you have NOTHING planned for dinner.

Pull out every vegetable that you have, chop all of it, throw it in a skillet with some olive oil and garlic and add some diced organic chicken or fish and TADA a meal. If you wish add some brown rice or cous cous ( not a perfect food but good when your in a crunch). To add a bit of flavor throw in a bit of pasta sauce. I always keep sugar and artificial flavor free pasta sauce, such as 365 Organic from whole foods on hand.

Enjoy!


Fun Snack ideas

Having trouble finding healthy snacks for your kiddos? If they are anything like my boys they are ALWAYS hungry. One thing that I have found is to have a small variety of food on the table all day. That way if they get munching they can stop by the table for a little pick me up. The best thing to do is to give your kids ONLY healthy options. If you offer them veggies but they know that animal crackers, cookies and candy are in the pantry they will probably fight it. If is their only option they will eat it AND learn to like it!

We have to teach our kids to WANT to eat healthy, when they get older they have to make these decisions on their own. We want them to actually like eating healthy or they will never do it on their own.

Here are some ideas:

A bowl of brocolli and cauliflower florets
skinned, sliced apples with cinnamon
carrots stick and sugar free ketchup

The carrot debat: I have read that baby carrots are more processed and not as good. I have not really researched it so I just avoid them all together. The best thing to do is buy a large bag of organic large carrots. Skin, and slice them yourself. Do it ahead of time and have a large bag of them available in your fridge. Easy and more cost effective.

My kids won't touch it!

PUT CINNAMON ON IT!

Health benefits of cinnamon:

http://www.thehealthysnacksblog.com/2007/11/12/the-top-5-health-benefits-of-cinnamon/

Veggies in WHAT???

Green Smoothies! A staple in a healthy family diet. Start your morning with blended fruits and veggies and it is a sure way to know that you are sending your kids to school with many vitamins and minerals racing through their system.

Here are the ingredients that I keep on hand for our mornings:

SPINACH- a key ingredient
Kale
Any other fresh greens that you enjoy
Mango
Banana
frozen mixed berries (sans sugar and added ingredients) You can buy a great bag at Costco.
Cucumbers
carrots or carrot juice
a spalsh of orange juice
whole apples
cinnamon

These are also great afternoon snacks. Put them in a fun glass with a twisty straw and your kids will love it! Mix it up everyday so they don't get bored.