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May
26

Healthy Start

I really wish I had known how to read labels and be more cognizant of the foods I was giving the girls when they were babies.  When I think of the packaged garbage I would pop in the microwave for them I feel bad, but I didn’t know any better.

Please don’t get me wrong.  I am still not perfect when it comes to always having the healthiest food on hand, nor do I want to be.  I don’t want to vilify any foods to my kids, unnecessarily create fear or even a sense of superiority over the foods we choose to consume.  I try to make good choices often and not make a big deal out of the less-stellar ones.  I think any decision that comes out of fear is usually not an ideal one.  I try to explain to them that I like to put the best fuel in their bodies on a regular basis so that when we do eat junk, it’s no big deal because our bodies are so efficient and healthy that it does not even matter.  Take, for instance, yesterday.  Kathleen had a friend over after school.  I threw on a pot of homemade popcorn before I took her to a doctor check-up so that she and her friend would have a snack when we got home.  Dave called me 3 minutes in to the visit to say that the popcorn had burned beyond recognition.  Sorry, neighborhood, for the smell!  So, he found the last remaining bag of packaged microwave popcorn in our house and thew it in the microwave for them.  It was neon orange in color and contained God knows what.  When her friend was picked up, I apologized to his mom for the orange stain on his fingers that would not seem to come off (ewwwwww), but let her know they had a great time.  My point is that I strive to foster healthy attitudes about food, avoid extremes of any kind, and just have fun!

As you know, the biggest aid in my kitchen for preparing healthy foods is my Vitamix.  The button below will take you to a page from their website about the difference between packaged baby food and homemade, Vitamix prepared foods.  Belle wanted me to share with you one of her favorite snack recipes, too.  The girls LOVE it when I take a can of pumpkin,  coconut milk (to desired consistency), sea salt and stevia to taste and throw it in the vitamix.  I sprinkle some cinnamon on top, and they go NUTS for it.  Speaking of nuts, sometimes I throw walnut in, too.  Do you know how much vitamin A is in Pumpkin?  Neither did I: 300%!  It could not be easier to make, and you cannot even compare it to the typical American snack, nutrition-wise.  I like to add quinoa, pepper and roasted onions to the pumpkin mixture as a side dish for myself, but the girls don’t like that very much.  They love coming up with different combinations of foods to throw in there, and get really competitive about who’s recipes taste best.  The current champ is Kathleen, who read a recipe in an American Girl book, and came up with a way to make it even healthier.  I hate to leave you on such a cliffhanger,  ;) but I’ll have to cover that recipe another time!


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