Snack Break Made Easy

I seem to have the hungriest kids in the world. They wake up hungry, fix their own big lunch and extra snack for school, walk in the door from school acting as if they haven't eaten in weeks, they appear famished at dinner time, and they beg for a bedtime snack.  Growing does that to a person, I guess. 

My sister in law shared this snack idea with me months ago and I have implemented it in the last few months somewhat regularly.  It is my little way to bless the the kids in my life with food.  It has become more of the norm for them when they arrive home from a busy day of brain work that I have something like this all ready to go.

I simply fill six muffin cups with finger food. I go for healthy food, colorful food, and ones that are already in bite sized pieces. The key here is to provide a snack sized portion of a variety of foods that don't take much time to prepare.  I can do something like this in a few minutes.

The kids run in the door from school, grab a small plate, pick what they want, and munch.

Here's why I like this method of snacking for kids.

1. Portion Control.  There is not an endless bag of chips here.  There is not a whole box of crackers here. It is set out for them and they can pick what they want in portions that are actually snack sized. I think it starts to train them to see what a snack portion should look like.  I admit that I sometimes hear, "That's it?!", when they sit to eat their snack.  I understand totally. When you are accustomed to a large bowl of one kind of food, it is a leap to look at a couple or three smaller pieces as an acceptable amount.  I tell them, "Trust me. This will satisfy you as a snack.  It's not a meal. It's meant to tide you over to dinner."
2. Balance of Nutrition.  I don't fill every cup with a grain. I don't fill every cup with a sugar. I don't fill every cup with a protein. They start to learn how to put together a small plate of foods with different sources of nutrition. Think basic food groups.
3. Variety of Choices.  This is close to #2, but somewhat different. I like that there really are choices here. If they pick four of the six, that's okay. That's four different foods they normally would not have eaten.  When a veggie is in one cup, guess what? It is chosen. It can't be chosen and eaten if its not there. I offer a variety so they eat a variety. I try to work in new foods so they have a chance to try them too.  I think choice for kids matters.  When they can pick and choose from good choices, they are more likely to be satisfied and willing to eat this way.
4. Surprise Factor.  I would never have offered M&M's as a snack choice. We just don't have them around (because I would eat them from the grocery bag before they made it into the house).  However, as an extra special treat, I bought some just to fill one cup.  So, on a rare occasion, I think its okay to pop a surprise into their choices. Something they don't expect. Something fun.
5. Cooperation.  I have three kids. One kid could take everything in one cup and walk away. But the other two would not let her get away with it. There is a natural cooperation among the three that happens when they know they are each taking from the same spread. They still get what they want, but they have an awareness of other hungry kids around who want a to eat as well.  It has worked beautifully with no intervention on my part to encourage sharing. It has just happened naturally. I simply set out the muffin tins and walk away.
6. Fun Factor for Mom. I like preparing a snack this way. I am thinking more creatively about snacks. I am willing to try new foods myself. I also am held accountable to all of the above. I too need to be reminded about what is a snack size portion. I need to eat a variety of colorful healthy foods. It;s good for me to prepare their snacks this way.

My ideas so far for filling each cup:

• cherry tomatoes
• any vegetable (sugar snap peas, celery sticks, carrots, cucumber sticks, peppers - we eat them green, red, yellow and orange, almost daily.)
• apple slices, clementine wedges
• any kind of nut (we always have a big bag of almonds around)
• cheese curds
• rolled up ham or turkey
• a Ranch dip or humus
• dried fruit (we like cranberries)
• Goldfish or other small cracker, pita chips, pretzels
• any kind of berry
• raisins

I'm still thinking of more and open to suggestions.

Snack time. It can be healthy and fun.

Dirt

 On any given day, but especially on Mondays (my chop, slice and dice day), I end up with a bowl of peelings, grounds, rinds, cores....slops basically.

 I take the bowl outside to the back yard we share with our neighbors.

 I add the contents of my bowl to this.

 In a few short months, give or take some time, it turns into this - rich, healthy, black dirt.

See the side-by-side difference? It's one of those amazing phenomenons of nature. The breakdown of our garbage into dirt so we can enrich our garden to give us more food to create more garbage - the cycle of life.

If you want a quick and easy guide to composting, check this out  Composting 101

We do it with our hub as a way to be resourceful and to nourish the garden we so lovingly plant and cultivate each year together.  I say "lovingly" to remind myself that even when the result is less than desired (this year, very few beans or peas), it is still important to love the process and try again.

Try it! It's easy to do, low maintenance, and a concrete way to play farmer-gardener right here in the heart of the city.

Tracking What We Eat

I have never paid much attention to the exact nutritional value of what

I eat or how many calories I consume each day. I just sort of eat mostly
good food and have tried over the years to curb bad eating habits at certain times.

Ben has had great success in the past couple years with tracking his food intake
and has found freedom in knowing what works for him to attain his goals.

I don't have to explain that our culture has a gazillion dollar industry in weight
loss and healthy living.

We've done some research and had some experience with a few websites that are
helpful for the person who wants to eat well, set healthy goals and monitor
his/her eating and exercise behavior.

A food scale is helpful and of course you need access to the internet, but other
than these tools,all you need is determination and grace to succeed.

Accountability to another person is helpful too.

We all need support in our efforts.

Ben is more the expert here so I asked him to compare websites that anyone can
use to track their nutrition and exercise.

We are committed as a family to healthy living and this is one way we are
making progress towards healthier eating.

Here is what Ben has to say:

A little bit of very personal history. I have been tracking what I eat on a
regular basis since November of 2008. I was first introduced to the concept
of tracking my calorie intake via website by John Hunter, a colleague at US Bank
in 2006. I opened a free account at www.fitday.com in the spring of 2006 and
used it off and on again for about 2 years. In November of 2008 I was very
motivated to change my shape (I'm in shape… round is a shape) and I had great
success with weight loss in late November 2008 into spring of 2009 dropping
from 220 lbs to 160 lbs (60 lbs). I am currently working to get back down to
my target weight of 160 or BMI 22.3 : ) I have struggled with keeping the weight
off and am currently 185 lbs or BMI 25.8. When I get back to 22.3 BMI I'll stay
there this time.

FYI: I have read that a BMI of 22 is the healthiest.

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing. ~ Abraham Lincoln

I currently weigh almost all my meals. Basically if I put it in my mouth I either
weigh it so I can track it or know what a serving size is so I can track it.
I like using grams as the unit of measure because I can track both food and liquid
in the same unit of measure.
I place my wine glass on the scale and pour 135 grams of wine. I can look up
red wine and select grams for an accurate calorie count. If I am at a restaurant
I know most pours are about 5 fl oz. Tracking in grams is easy and fun and you feel
sophisticated like a European when using the metric system.

I have used the following free websites in the last 3 years:

http://www.fitday.com

http://www.nutritiondata.com

http://livestrong.com

http://www.loseit.com

http://www.sparkpeople.com

If you are interested in tracking your food/drink intake along with your
exercise I would suggest www.sparkpeople.com it is by far the most complete
website I have come across. Thanks to my brother Jake who told me about the
website a few weeks ago.

Here is a comparison of the sites that I have used.

http://www.fitday.com
- free
- mobile app is clumsy and hard to use
- mobile app only lets you track 99 grams of something at a time
- entering custom food isn't hard
- I entered 537 custom foods to track my food intake
- limited food database native to the website
- ads can be a little racy
- can track how your friends are doing if they give you their users name

http://www.nutritiondata.com
- free
- I only used this site for building recipes
- It gives very detailed nutritional data
- not sure if they have a mobile app
- may continue to use this site if sparkpeople.com doesn't provide the
level of detail I am looking for

http://livestrong.com
- mobile app cost $2.99
- good database of food
- good articles on health
- didn't like flow of entering food
- mobile app had nice graphics

http://www.loseit.com
- free
- mobile app does not let you track in grams
- good database of foods
- posts website and mobile app activity to twitter or facebook to keep
other in the loop on your entries

http://www.sparkpeople.com
- free
- great database of foods
- can search other member's custom foods
- free mobile app
- mobile app is easy to use and flexible
- can build recipes and food groups
- loads of great information on health
- the most complete site I have used

If you are interested in tracking your caloric inputs and outputs I would
suggest www.sparkpeople.com it is by far the most complete website I have come
across.

I would also highly recommend the Oxo food scale,
specifically the Oxo 1130800 Good Grips Food Scale with Pull-Out Display.
This was the highest ranked scale at http://www.cooksillustrated.com in
September 2008.


I have recently started making burritos on Sunday mornings with my 5 year old
daughter. I eat them for lunch everyday. I love them! We get a little assembly
line going. It looks something like the following:

Turn on the scale
Place a plate on the scale
Zero out the weight
Heat up the tortillas
Place a tortilla on the scale
Zero out the weight
Add refried beans until the scale reads 40g
Zero out the weight
Add rice until the scale reads 110g (2/3 cup of cooked rice)
Zero out the weight
Add cheese until the scale reads 28g
Zero out the weight
Hand the tortilla to dad who rolls it up into a burrito and wraps in tinfoil
Place in freezer

Back to me:
I have been using SparkPeople.com now for about a week.

I input my food after almost every meal to watch the calorie count and levels of
nutrition over the course of the day. It has helped me to see holes in my diet and
just how many extra calories are added when I indulge in my favorite goat cheese
and crackers or extra glass of wine later in the evening.  I also think the site
is very user friendly. I spent only a couple minutes tops setting up my own account
and entering my first meal. I also easily set a few goals, ones for me that I know
I will have some success with.  It has never helped me to set goals so lofty that
the chance for actual success is too remote. I am less likely to stick to the
behavior to attain that goal if it remains unattainable. Smaller scale goals work
better for me. Hence, I chose to add a goal of eliminating "mindless eating" at
night.  I also chose to journal a few sentences about my health three times each
week. Finally, I noted that I wanted to stretch for five minutes each day.
This may not sound like much, but for someone who lacks a firm commitment to daily
exercise, this one is doable and one that I am likely to keep in the long run.

So far, so good.

I have been able to be honest about what I consume and not too hard on myself
when I indulge in something so incredibly mouth watering scrumptious that I could
care less the amount of calories it has.

Just seeing a serving of something. Cheese, for example. Or what a serving of corn
chips looks like is helpful for better habits in serving myself and my kids portions.

Most of what I already eat is in the database or someone else has added it so I
spend little time hunting around for the food itself.  Recipes of your own can be
entered and saved so you can refer to them at any time and share them with others
if you wish.

Again, so far so good. I set a few goals and have seen progress in just this short
time.

The real test, as you probably already know is maintaining good habits and embracing
new ones.

All in the name of health.

Amen and Happy Tracking!

Braided Bread

One of my gifts to Kate for Christmas was a promise to bake bread with her. For two Saturdays now we have baked this recipe, a sweet bread. I got the recipe from Jen, a friend of mine who really ought to host baking sessions in her home and charge money for her expertise. She is really good.

Like most breads, the ingredients you need are simple. Also, like a lot of breads, time is a factor. That is, you need to carve out time to check on the bread at its various stages and attend to it as necessary. I kind of like this element because we can come back together and really be part of the whole process.

And, like most homemade breads, it tastes fabulous right out of the oven and smeared with butter, the real kind, made from cows' milk.

We have found it a good bread to use for opening our Lord's Day too.

If it happens to not be consumed beforehand.

We have bread thieves in our house that sneak pieces when no one is looking.

Saturday mornings have worked best for us to make this bread. We have managed to carry out the steps in between chores, play, and waiting in a virtual line for over two hours to buy Twins tickets for the 2011 season. Then, when our internet mysteriously "went down" and I was forced to start all over from square one in the virtual line and missed the chance for Yankees vs. Twins tickets on my birthday, I about died. Another two hour wait until I reached the front of the line. Then the clock started ticking and I had to re-group, check and re-check out calendar for alternative dates. It was slim pickings by that time. Next year I am camping out in front of the computer to get a better place in the virtual line. Maybe an iPad would help ease the pain of this loss?

Wait a minute. Was I talking about bread?

Oh yes, baking bread is a great way to spend time with your daughter...that's the point here.

And, here is the recipe.

Ingredients
1 c. warm water
2 pk. yeast
2/3 c. sugar
4-5 c. flour
1 stick of butter, the real kind, from cows' milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
egg wash (Kate's favorite part, well, a close second to the kneading)

Directions
Mix water, yeast, 1/3 c. sugar and 2 c. flour in a bowl. Let rise 20 minutes.
(I warm up my oven for a few minutes, then turn it off for the rising process. I cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel.)

Meanwhile, combine 2 c. flour, 1/3 c. sugar, and salt. Cut in butter.

Add eggs to yeast mixture and then work in flour mixture. Knead and add up to one cup flour. It should be a sticky dough.

Let this rise for about 1.5 hours.

Divide dough in half. Roll dough slightly and cut into three strips.
Then braid.

Like this.
This recipe makes two loaves.

We place the loaves on one large baking sheet.
Then cover and let rise another hour.

Glaze with egg wash.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

It will look like this and you will need to use all powers of resistance to save any amount for dinner.
Good Luck!

Summer Recipe Challenge - One Down

So yesterday afternoon I left Maddie in charge (!) and ran to Lund's to pick up the ingredients for Real Simple magazine's recipe Skirt Steak with Pepita Sauce and Warm Tortillas. Or, we could just call it Delicious, anything with meat and a tortilla and I am really happy. Here's the ingredients I used, the recipe, and what it looked like before I devoured mine.

It truly is real simple to make this in about 20 minutes and it serves 4 people.

1.5 pounds skirt steak (I had never heard of this and the meat guy didn't have any, but sold me flank steak instead. Then, on my way home I remembered we have about 1/8 of a cow in Shellee's freezer.)
8 flour tortillas
1/2 red onion, finely chopped (I used about 1/3 of an onion and I still tasted it late into the evening. But, it was a good taste and Ben wasn't home to kiss last night, so we're all good!)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (which I am convinced is helpful to have on hand all the time. I have tried growing it with little success, but at about $1 a bunch, it is worth having around)
1/4 cup pepitas (also a new ingredient to me and it just means hulled and roasted pumpkin seeds. So that is what I purchased and plan to snack on this week)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (used the extra lime for that all important summer drink Gin and Tonic)

Heat broiler, season the steak with salt and pepper and broil 3-4 minutes per side. I needed to keep it in a little longer and Maddie still asked, "What's that red stuff leaking out of the steak?" Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Warm the tortillas. Combine onion, cilantro, pepitas, oil, lime juice and salt and pepper. Serve with the steak and tortillas.

And may I just add, I used a lot of restraint in not heaping on anything extra as I am prone to do. For instance, I usually jazz up my tortillas with lots of cheese (one of my favorite foods) and a dollop or 8 of sour cream. Tonight was different. I decided to trust Real Simple and eat their version straight up with nothing else. I did choose to serve beans and rice and chopped tomatoes on the side. The girls were especially happy about this. It was satisfying both physically and mentally to prepare and eat this new recipe. I was pleasantly full with one, a glass of wine and a little rice.

SRC (Summer Recipe Challenge) #1 was a success!

First Farmer's Market Outing

Herbs, Pumpkin plant, Zucchini plant, Impatiens, Pepper plants, hanging plant...our first finds this summer.

Farmer's Market

 I love the pink flowers against the light green bush...no idea what type of bush this is. It may be the last thing in the yard that I have yet to identify.

My "herb garden".  I have big plans for the tarragon (top plant).  Will post the recipe soon.  Basil is just a staple and I hope to have an abundance at the end of the season to use for pesto. Last year I barely used the rosemary. I just love to smell it on the deck!

Summer Recipe Challenge

My super cute recipe box given to me at my wedding...and the newly thinned out interior. The picture on the inside of the lid is of me and the neighborhood kids I grew up with. I received a recipe book (also at my wedding) with hand written recipes from the kitchens of the women in the old cluster and each page also contained pictures of my youth. Lots of fun and yummy memories. What a great gift! In the spirit of efficiency though, I kept the pictures and recipes, but pitched the bulky book!

Today, somehow I managed to go through my entire recipe box while watching 5 kids under 5 years old. I threw out the ones I never make and never will make. I found some good ones to repeat or try for the first time and have set them aside to make this summer. Its a mix of main dishes, desserts, salads and veggies. I thought that by keeping them in a separate and visible place, I will remember to try them and I promise to write about my success at summer's end.

Here's the list. If you'd like the actual recipe, I can get one to you via some form of electronic device or the antiquated telephone (yes, we still have a land line and I will take mine to the grave.) More on how I feel about that later.

1. Colorful Fruit Kabobs (because anything on a skewer tastes better)
   
2. Strawberry Frozen Jam (this presupposes I will be picking fresh strawberries!)
   
3. Cucumber Salad
4. Broccoli Salad (a staple for me to bring to potlucks. You have never seem broccoli disappear so fast.)
   
5. Peach, Mozarella and Basil Salad (Yum, anything with cheese and basil)
   
6. Zucchini Tomato Salad (because we have magic dirt in the garden that produces thousands upon thousands of zucchini)
   
7. Creamed Spinach
8. Tortellini Salad with Feta Cheese (again, see the cheese comment on #5)
9. Tomato and Mozzarella Burger
10. Skirt Steak with Pepita Sauce and Warm Tortillas (has anyone else heard of "skirt steak"? I have to admit, this was a new one for me. Just which part of the animal is it from?)
11. Shrimp and Feta Vermicelli
12. Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla (newly posted on my newest blog discovery, thanks to Jen and Shellee - The Pioneer Woman
    
13. Roman Chicken
14. Rustic Peach Tart
15. Chocolate Zucchini Cake
    
16. Caramelized Peaches and Ice Cream (the peaches better be great this year!)

So that's it. There's my summer challenge. At least the cooking portion of it. I will have to come up with a few more challenges. I work well with goals and deadlines!