A Coconut a day…

andy and coconutI have recently been struck with coconuts. I am talking the real deal, whole, full and ripe young coconuts. It can’t get much better than this (well yes it can, if only I lived under a coconut tree!). But this is still pretty good. So I have been enjoying cracking them open, putting in my glass straw and sipping my way to health. A coconut is only good if you can share it! So of course I had to extend the invitation to my favourite 2 year old – Andy. He is the most delicious little guy who not only drinks “coco-mutt” right from the source but enjoys such things as kale chips, blueberries, smoothies and any other concoction that is mom has in store (which is pretty much the cleanest diet that a kid can eat!). Did I mention that he loves just about every bite of it! If only we could get kids these days to eat coconuts, kale, quinoa, dried apples – instead of wonder bread, peanut butter, candy and coke, then we would be heading in to a much brighter future for generations to come! There are ways to get these vital ingredients into children. You have to start young and you have to make it fun for them. They need to know that “healthy” food can be colourful, interesting and delicious. If it is anything short of that – they will be at the vending machines in no time!

In my last post The Full Package, I discussed the importance of having a litter- less lunch packed full of yummy snacks. This is great for not only a child to take to school, but also for moms on the go – that way there are always healthy snacks available for any time of the day.

If you make it fun at home by making snacks with your kids, and showing them that you too love to eat healthy food, then hopefully they are sure to follow. I can’t speak from experience yet – but if Andy’s mom can do it with three kids – then anyone can!

Have you ever seen a kid so happy to drink a smoothie that was made with the purest of ingredients? This ones got chia, avocado, banana, cocoa, rice milk and Sun Warrior Protein!andy and shake

What about here where he is eating just pure blueberry puree and loving every second of it?andy and bluebOr here, this is the best one, because he can’t wait to get his hands on these delicious and nutritious kale chips!

andy and kaleThis just goes to show you a that kids can get excited about healthy organic and nutritious foods that will most definitely…keep the doctor away!

Please send me your best kids pictures or favourite healthy snacks that your kids just LOVE to eat!

For those of you still in question about Coconuts and their extreme health benefits and relevance to the human body – please CLICK HERE!

Get Creative and Make Food Fun!

September 11, 2008 by Marni Wasserman  
Filed under Delicious Recipes

In my recent Yummy cooking class that focused on Kid-Friendly recipes, the menu was designed with simplicity and creativity in mind.
Kids like to see what they eat, they like bright colours and sometimes different textures (depending on how fussy they are!!).
So when you are creating recipes for yourself or your children or any child for that matter it is always best to make the recipes full of colour and of course full of flavour.
It is important to get your kids involved in the making of simple recipes, because then they see what is going into it and if they have a part of it, they are more likely to eat it too!
So get creative in the kitchen and have fun!
Chunky Corn and Tomato Salsa
2 ears of summer fresh corn
1 tbsp grapseed oil
2 cloves of garlic
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 pint of tomatillos (green tomatoes)
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 green onions
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
1 tsp honey
salt to taste
1. Shave the corn kernals off the ear of corn over a bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan, warm up the oil with the garlic for a few minutes, add the corn kernals and red onion.
3. Sautee for 5-10 minutes until kernal turn bright yellow and onions are soft.
4. In a small food processor, lightly puree the chopped tomatoes and tomatillos (so that they are still chunky).
5. Combine the tomato/tomatillo puree to the saucepan with the rest of the ingredients.
6. Simmer on low heat for another 5-10 minutes until all the flavours are combined.
7. Put Salsa into the fridge in a glass bowl for a few hours to chill.
8. Remove from Fridge and serve with Corn Chips or on top Sprouted Quesadillas!
ENJOY!

They Deserve the Very Best!

Quinoa Surprise Salad
Parents always want to make sure that their kids have the best of everything. The coolest running shoes, the most high-tech video games, the trendiest clothing etc…So why skimp when it comes to their nutrition? I can’t stress how important it is to make sure that kids are fueled with the right nutrients as early on in their life as possible. It becomes more difficult the older they get, as they begin to form unchanging and differing options in their life – and when it comes to food, there is no shortage of personal preferences and aversions to foods that they just don’t want to try because “I don’t feel like it”!

If you train their palates to adapt to delicious foods then there should be any hesitation but to want to gobble up everything and anything you make for them. They won’t even know the amazing nutritional benefits they are getting until they grow up and thank you for their good health and well being!

So the trick is to make sure that the foods you are preparing, taste just as good if not better than anything else they are eating. Even if that means sneaking in healthy ingredients into tasty recipes, they will never know the difference. Especially if you are making recipes from fresh whole foods, there should absolutely be no problem. Most recipes depending on what they are can be sweetened wih natural alternatives, bulked up with healthy fiber from natural sources and provide interesting textures and flavours that they have never experienced.

If you want to have delectable recipes like “Everything Cookies” and “Quinoa Surprise Salad” in your home then come and learn how to make a difference in your child’s nutrition. You can guarentee that they will be saying “Mummy That’s Sooo Yummy!”