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!

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

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.

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.

Can I have some Honey, Honey??

That is a common phrase in our home. We do own a bag of organic sugar however, it has been in the pantry for months and I am stocking up on honey from Costco every other week. Honey is not a perfect food, it is high on the glyemic index and it has more calories than sugar, however it does have some health benefits, as sugar has close to none.

Honey:

Natures Energy booster

Great immunity builder

Honey is Anti-cancer

A natural remedy for many ailments

http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/

You can substitue honey for sugar in any recipe. You will need to use less of it, as it is sweeter and lessen the amount of the other liquids and reduce the cooking temperature. It makes cakes, cookies and treats more moist and delicious.

My kids also love honey:

On toast in stead of sugar filled jelly or jam

On waffles or pancakes in stead of artificially flavored syryps

On cereal and oatmeal

Let's Evaluate...shall we?

Let's evaluate: What are your main ingredients for your meals? Are they in a box or are they fresh? Let's take everything out of our pantries that you can shake in a box. Now, ideally you remove EVERYTHING that you can shake. However, I am here to tell you that I am not an elitist, I am not perfect and I have learned to give myself a break. I am a busy, tired mommy and sometimes a quick fix is what I need but even if I cut down on those quick fixes to only once or twice a month I am still doing a WORLD of good for the future health of my family.

So open your pantry- how many boxes do you have lined up? How many cans? Jars? Ok- now open your refrigerator. How many fresh veggies do you have in the drawers? How many packages of FRESH meat?

Let's try something new: Let's try to make one meal from scratch a week. Just one. Here is an example of a quick recipe that is a family favorite. It is quick yet FULL of fresh veggies. Get out your cutting board moms! CHOP CHOP CHOP

Classic Butternut Squash Soup

2 Tablespoos Olive Oil

2/3 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced red pepper ( for a kick)

2/3 cup diced onion

4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium squash)

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary

4-6 cups organic chicken broth

sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive il in a large soup pot. Add carrot, pepper, and onion. Cook until veggies have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add butternut squash and thyme. Stir to combine with veggies. Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup. Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly. Serve with Almond Bread

Nothing here comes from a box.

Change your way of thinking!

As American's we tend to stock our pantries with quick and easy meals. We are all in a hurry, want things done quick and simply with time to spare. If you desire to feed your family well, you have to slow down. This is not a quick fix on healthy eating. Unfortunately, you may spend more time in the kitchen, some of you may not mind. It is well worth it. Think about how much health care cost's are these days. If you can prevent say cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many others, wouldn't you say that spending a few extra hours in the kitchen per week is well worth it?

Treating those diseases is MUCH more costly on your time and your money. I am not here to say that you will NOT get a disease by eating healthy but there is a lot of research done saying it makes a huge difference in the prevention of disease.

Book recommendations:

Food Your Medicine Henry Bieler

Foods that Heal Bernard Jensen

Also some good watches:

Food Inc.

Food Matters

They will change the way you think about food!!

Step one: READ LABELS

This is a very important skill to obtain. What are you actually putting into your body? You first glance and the box or packaging of the food. What do you look for first? The picture? The advertisements? Such as how many calories, fat, sugar, trasfat. This is what they want you to notice, believe and eventually purchase. The first thing you need to do is turn the box over, skip past the nutrition facts and look at the ingredients. WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE FOOD??

Here is an example of the label of Hamburger Helper:

Enriched Parboiled Rice (Rice, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Folic Acid), Corn Starch, Maltodextrin, Whey, Salt, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Sugar, *Chili Pepper, *Ricotta Cheese (Whey, Milkfat, Lactic Acid, Salt), Paprika, *Corn Syrup, Spice, *Red Bell Peppers, Modified Corn Starch, Monosodium Glutamate, *Tomato, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavor, Calcium Lactate, Sodium Caseinate, *Garlic, Colors (Yellow Lakes 5 & 6, Yellows 5 & 6), Monoglycerides, Malic Acid, Yeast Extract. *DRIED

Look this over and try to figure out what they are? You don't know do you. Well, let's make a rule...if you don't know what it is don't put it in your body or your families.

The easiest thing to do is google these ingredients and decide for yourself if you want to digest them. I will post all synthetic and long worded ingredients and their definitions in a later post as this time consuming.

Now here is a list of ingredients from a LaraBar ( fruit and nut bar): A great snack for kids.

Raisins, apples, walnuts, almonds, dates and cinnamon

A little easier to swallow huh? No pun intended.

Let's just end my saying READ LABELS, READ LABLES, READ LABELS

Step one: DONE!

The Adventure I didn't even know I was on.

Welcome. I have had an incline to do this for a while so here it goes. 12 years ago almost to the date I started a journey, a journey of finding healthy food that actually tasted good and was desirable to eat. 12 years ago my then fiance was diagnosed with Crohns Disease. I won't go into it to much because it is a long, drawn out explanation but I will say that it has been quite a journey. At the time of the diagnosis we decided that he would not undergo traditional treatments such as steroids and surgery but go down a different path, a path of healing foods. It is only now that I look back and realize how much I have learned about food, how it makes us feel and what to avoid. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist but I do have a thing or two to share with fellow moms who are trying to find a simple way to feed their children healthy food that they enjoy without breaking the bank. During this journey I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and my son has a sensitivity to dairy. Needless to say our house is very sterile in regards to sugar, processed foods and anything artificial. If you are one that is looking to rid their kitchen of pretend food and get down and dirty with the basics this is the place. My goal is to present ideas, recipes and easy to follow steps to getting your family on the right track in healthy eating. Enjoy!