Does your kid prefer to flop in front of his PS2 with a bag of crisps or take a football and a bag of fruit to the park? Chances are your family falls somewhere between these two extremes, but with concern growing about childhood obesity and the associated increase in the incidence of type II diabetes, high cholesterol readings and later heart disease in our children, the time to introduce healthier lifestyle choices is now.

‘Parents need to recognise the importance of forming good habits in childhood, which will lead to a balanced and enjoyable diet later in life,’ advises Sarah Schenker, a dietitian with the British Nutrition Foundation. ‘Eating a wide variety of foods is the most important thing,’ she adds, ‘and a gentle, consistent approach usually results in a broader eating range.’ Here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. How does your child eat?
2. What would you pack for a picnic or school lunch?
3. How often does your child have sweets?
4. What does your child drink?
5. What do your child’s after-school activities most often include?
6. How much walking do you do as a family?

The new school year is upon us, and it’s every parent’s mealtime (and lunchbox) crusade – getting your kids to eat healthier. Well, its mine at least. Easy(ish) when they’re young and they pretty much eat anything you put in front of them. Not so easy when school starts and they discover a whole new world – like their classmate’s lunch boxes filled with no-no’s like soda and Doritos.

When my 3 kids were babies I started them all of with what I think is the Bible of healthy-baby-eating, The Super Baby Food Book. Well, I admit that it got to a lesser degree with #2, but with #3 came the the advent of commercial organic baby food, which made things a lot easier. Whether you are a DIY Mom like Ruth of the Super Baby Book (who also makes her own Play Dough, mind you), or prefer to buy from the organic aisle at the supermarket, know that giving your kids a healthy diet now means setting up their foundations for a healthy life. Now isn’t that a worthwhile mission?

Here are my tips on how to help you get started (and hopefully keep going!):

1. Teach Them About Health
My Mom did this for my sister and I (she was and still is what you would call a “health nut”), and I have to say that it stuck. Explain to your kids WHY certain foods are good or bad for you and you’ll be surprised how well they’ll respond. I try and use language they understand like: “…healthy food like fruit and vegetables helps you get bigger and stronger, but also makes your “soldiers” strong to fight bad germs so you don’t get sick“. There are a few kids shows now which touch on this, as well as books. Read/watch and talk about it with them and be prepared to answer their questions.

2. Vegetarian Meals= Budget meals
Yes, its true! Add a vegetarian meal or two to your weekly menu and see how much you can save. It’s a known fact that fresh produce is significantly cheaper than meats (which are some of the costliest food items in stores), so by serving say, a vegetarian lasagna rather than the “al forno” with beef, you not only give your kids a veggie-filled nutritious meal, you also save on the weekly budget (yipee!), plus it’s good for the planet. Why? read about vegatarianism and the environment here.

3. Make it Fun!
My kids and I like to play quick games like guessing which food is “healthy or not”. For example, what’s better? french fries or apple slices with cinnamon? (Okay, so my husband doesn’t join in and prefers to roll his eyes- but WE enjoy it!). The winner gets a small prize like stickers. You can also make healthy food attractive and fun by using a cookie cutter to make shapes and adding “faces” (raisins and sliced red pepper make easy instant characters). Brit Mom turned kid-food guru, Anabel Karmel is a total wiz at this and I love her cookbooks.

4. Go Organic
Finding organic food is really easy these days, and the health benefits are huge. Would you prefer to feed your kids things without harmful chemicals and pesticides? With more nutrients and vitamins? I would. It’s a really simple choice, and really worth the extra effort.

5. Plan Ahead and Cook More, Mom!
I really believe that planning ahead, being organized and cooking yourself is the key to healthier eating. Look online for new healthy recipes to try (you can get the kids to help choose here), add more fruit and veg to your meals, and take a few minutes every Sunday to plan healthy weekly menus- this really helps keep me in budget too!

I hate to admit it, but I have never been one of those Moms who were adept at budgeting. I have 3 kids, a husband who works from home (and eats all meals at home too), 4 dogs, 3 cats and 2 turtles to feed, plus I host twice weekly playgroups (picture 5 or more hungry kids!), so you can understand that a huge chunk of our monthly expenditures goes on groceries. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a pretty conscientious shopper. I read labels, check prices and compare for the best value, but yes, I do buy some weekly treats for us all – like special organic snacks for the kids, fancy European soda for hubby and that new body lotion for me, but I do keep it to a minimum.

Well, when I saw this article on “The Challenge: Feed a Family on $100 a Week”, I was intrigued, and slightly nauseated that she actually pulled it off while I spend at least three times that (hey, she only had two kids- one of which was a 5-month old, who we know wont be saying “I’m hungry, Mom!!” all the time).

With the state of the world these days, I thought it was time I did try a little (okay, a lot) harder to cut down my hefty grocery bill and hopefully save some money. That, coupled with the fact that I have recently become a huge fan of Suze Orman and am now reading her book, Women and Money, which I find amazingly liberating (but that’s for a another post).

While I’m no budgeting guru, I’ve found a few, like frugal Mom Michelle Jones, who has been doing it successfully for 20 years, “with or without coupons”. I’m more inclined, though, to start off with some of these solid, basic tips from The Consumerist:

1. Make a list and stick to it. Lists focus your shopping and are the single best way to save money.

2. Compare unit pricing, not box size. As with good things, good prices sometimes come in small packages.

3. If you only need a handful of items, use a basket, not a cart. Empty space cries to be filled.

4. If it’s not on your list, don’t pick it up. According to Paco Underhill in Why We Buy: “Virtually all unplanned purchases…come as a result of the shopper seeing, touching, smelling, or tasting something that promises pleasure, if not total fulfillment.”

5. Shop at the edge of the store. That’s where the healthier, cheaper items hide.

6. Disavow brand loyalty and swear allegiance to the lowest price.

7. Consider generics. You usually get the same quality, without the unnecessary branding.

8. Learn to love coupons. With practice, you can buy almost $150 worth of stuff for $5.

9. Make one big shop, rather than several small ones. You’ll save on gas while inoculating against wasteful spending.

10. Buy from bulk bins. Why pay for packaging and marketing when you can reach right in and scoop out exactly what you need?

11. Check your receipt. Don’t let an errant scan ruin your hard work.

12. Shop alone. Science shows that we spend more when we’re with company.

13. Track your spending so you can see what’s eating your money. Committed receipt hawks can spot price cycles to help guide their shopping.

14. Eat a meal before shopping. Shopping on a full stomach tamps down impulse spending and keeps you focused on your list.

15. Shop without a car. Nothing limits spending like knowing you’ll have to carry your goods home.

I have never been one of those people you’d call “super” organized. But after having my third child early this year, I’ve found that one of the best ways to keep my sanity, and for things to run (relatively) smoothly in my growing household is to try and be as organized as I possibly can. That’s always been a rather daunting word in my vocabulary as no matter how hard I try, there is always some amount of chaos in my home.

But with the “busiest” time of the year upon us, and indeed, a New Year a mere month or so away, its a good time to start, and for somewhat disorganized Moms like myself, the first thing I would do is to create a Weekly Schedule and Menu. I promise, its worked wonders for me! Here’s how:

Tip 1 For the Disorganized: The Weekly Schedule

1. Every Sunday, I set aside about half an hour to make our weekly schedule and menu. I take a cookbook or two and sit with my laptop for about half an hour at a time when the kids are busy (a dvd is a good idea) or better, napping.

2. For simplicity sake, I make a chart like above (sorry I haven’t been able to scan mine!) section off each day onto 3 sections. Morning, afternoon, evening. Each day having its own column.

3. First, I put in the family activities for the week. For example:

Monday- Morning -Oliver has no class/ Cat grooming at vet 11 a.m.
Afternoon – Boys playgroup @ home 3 pm./ Nat, gymnastics 4.30
Evening- Mark (hubby), meeting, home late

4. Then, with my cookbooks (or online), I look for meal ideas for the week and type them in the appropriate time. With the activities of the family already there, I know who’ll be around for what meal (and snacks), and best of all, I can make the weekly grocery list, knowing exactly what I need, which helps keep me in budget. I also look at previous weeks menus (kept neatly in my desktop file), to see what worked well and what didn’t.

5. Edit, print and stick it on the fridge. And voila! The family is set for a week of organized bliss.

We all know that fruit is the best thing to give our kids. Luckily my three kids love the stuff, although they have varying tastes (my girl loves pineapple, the boys don’t!). Bananas, apples and oranges are the most popular, and so are mangoes. Just yesterday, even baby Wills joined in by wolfing down half a mango in record time.

I’m not really a fan of frozen or canned fruit, but I do buy those mandarin oranges in plastic containers as my son likes to take it to school. Fresh is the best way to go I say, and organic if you can. If you can’t, make sure to wash the fruit with a natural “fruit and veggie” wash and peel it well.

I have to admit though that if I have to buy fruit at the supermarket, I sometimes have difficulty discerning which fruit is good, which isn’t. Isn’t it annoying when you buy a melon that looks perfectly decent, you open it up and it turns out to be tasteless or worse, sour?

Here’s some good advice I found:

Apples: Look for firmness. Brown or tan “scald” marks don’t affect taste, but soft bruises that are discolored indicate damage.

• Avocados: Available year-round, as they are grown in Florida and California. Choose slightly soft fruit, or if bought unripe, allow three to five days at room temperature to ripen. Refrigeration slows ripening.

• Bananas: Best eaten when yellow with brown speckles. Bananas get damaged below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, so never refrigerate.

• Blueberries: In season from May to September. Look for uniform color and plumpness; avoid oozing berries.

• Grapefruit: This fruit is sold ready-to-eat; avoid fruit that is too soft (a sign of decay). Scratches and spots on the peel don’t usually indicate that anything’s wrong.

• Grapes: Select those with green, pliable stems that the grapes don’t fall off of easily — a sign that the grapes themselves are fresh.

• Kiwi: It’s ripe when it yields to the touch but doesn’t leave indentations.

• Melons: A stem that’s still attached may indicate the fruit isn’t ripe. With cantaloupe, avoid those with an overly yellow color and a soft skin, which indicates overripeness. Sniff for a sweet, pleasing smell. Most cantaloupes require two to four days to ripen at room temperature at home.

• Oranges: Should be heavy, indicating juiciness. Brown mottles on Florida or Texas oranges are common and don’t affect flavor.

• Peaches: In season from May to September. Very hard peaches are unlikely to ripen. Choose freestone varieties for eating.

• Pears: Should be firm but slightly soft. Their color depends on the type: Bartletts should be pale to rich yellow, while Boscs are brownish yellow. Shriveled pears will not ripen.

• Raspberries: Stains on the container may indicate mushy or moldy berries inside. Berries should not have their caps attached.

• Strawberries: In peak supply in May and June. Look for the cap stem still attached, and avoid fruit with white shoulders or large discolored patches.

Probably like you, I have an idea what organic food is all about. I am not so sure as of yet as to whether there really is a need for organic food, especially for babies and children. Countless other children have grown up to become healthy adults and they probably didn’t have organic food. Why should I make that shift?

Colleen Hurley, a certified kid’s nutrition specialist, wrote an article about this at Baby Mum-mum. She is a firm believer in going organic. I found some of the reasons she gave to be quite convincing.

Protects children: babies and children are far more susceptible to toxicity than adults. Little one’s have more skin surface are per body size, have still developing detoxifying systems, and have more sensitive skin. Many side effects of toxins can take several years to develop, so starting your baby on organic foods from the start can ensure a healthy future.

It tastes better: if you don’t believe us, try your taste test with an organic piece of fruit and conventional one to see for yourself.

I think that next time, I shall give organic food a try and see for myself. I still am not sure about going organic all the way, though. What about you, what do you think of feeding your babies only organic food?

Photo courtesy of svanes

So anyway, I heard them talking about putting their babies on a diet. I heard a pretty explosive WHAT? in my head. Why on earth would you put your 2-year old kid on a diet unless she had some condition that necessitated it? I couldn’t keep my curiosity in reign so I asked.

The answer was that babies at that age should only have so and so amount of milk in a day. Apparently, her baby is used to consuming more than that so she decided to limit the amount of milk that her baby is consuming. This is so to avoid any negative effects of overeating – or drinking in this case.

My thoughts? One, what if your baby does need more than the recommended amount? Even if there is a suggested amount, babies are unique. Two, isn’t it a bit too early to put a two-year old on a diet?

I don’t know. I just may have a different perception of the situation. What do you guys think about putting toddlers on a diet?

Photo courtesy of Reini68

Kids today are highly influenced by the media–so what they see on TV, or hear in songs have a high likelihood of affecting their habits, and this includes eating. How many times do you see advertisements for fastfood restaurants, and even junk food on TV? And how many times have you seen those shows on TV where kids display a dislike of veggies and just about any food that’s healthy?

And then, of course, the more time that our kids spend in front of the TV watching shows or playing games would mean more time eating snacks that are likely to be oily and fatty.

Childhood obesity can lead to various diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. These usually stay on until a child grows up. There’s a saying that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. So therefore this means you should try to prevent obesity while your child is young, so that he or she will not have to experience health problems as he grows up.

Nutritionists suggest using the food pyramid as a guide to what you should be feeding your child–and it’s a good idea to adopt this as a guide to what the entire family should be eating, too!

• 3-5 servings a day of vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables;
• 2-4 servings of fruits a day;
• 2-3 servings of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, or beans a day;
• 2-3 servings of dairy products including cheese and yogurt every other day;
• occasional use of fats, oils, and sweets.
• 6-11 servings of grain a day such as rice, bread, cereals, and pasta;

You will notice that even fats and sweets are part of the food pyramid. Of course. There’s no such thing as “junk food,” since everything we eat will have some nutritional value. However, there’s such a thing as a “junk diet.” This means it’s the combination of what we eat, and how much of each portion, that matters.

Happy eating!

I love to bake, but in all honesty, one of those fancy “themed” or shaped cakes are totally beyond me. I’ll just leave that to the experts, thank you very much. So when I found this girl called Erika, (a pastry chef in her twenties, baking from home) who could pull off not just the cakes, but matching cupcakes and cookie lollipops in pirate theme, I was thrilled. She sent me a few sketches for approval, and asked for any other input I may have to make the day as special as she could for the kids.

A few more sketches and emails later, we were set! The pirate cake is actually going to be a huge treasure chest, with booty richly overflowing out. But thats not all. Places on a cake board decorated like a desert island beach, she is going to make an edible replica of the treasure map I drew for the party! Add to that some mini-moulded pirate candles we bought to place around the map (5, of course), and we’re set. Exciting stuff aaargh!

[tags]pirate, pirate birthday, pirate cake[/tags]

A wonderful family Christmas tradition I started since the children came along is baking Christmas cookies. My daughter is now nearly 5, but we started doing it when she was 2, and actually do it all year round. Of course, during Christmas it becomes even more special as we make enough to give away and its a good excuse to use our special cutters in holiday shapes like a Christmas tree, bell, star and angel. The gingerbread man is my daughter’s favourite, as is the snowman.

Everyone has a favourite cookie recipe of their own, but this particular one is ideal for the busy Mom as they freeze really well and come in handy when the kids just want to do the shaping and icing part (and you have enough on your hands to want to mix and measure). Oh, and best of all, these taste really good too!

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

Heat oven to 375� F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, brown and granulated sugars, corn syrup, and vanilla for 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add ingredients from the variation of your choice.

Unless the directions for the variation state otherwise, form the dough into tablespoon-size mounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.

To Make Now and Bake Later: When you mix a batch of cookies, double the recipe. Bake half the dough according to the recipe and divide the rest into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic, then place in a resealable plastic bag. To save yourself time and hassle, label the bag with the flavor, the oven temperature, and the baking time, adding 3 to 6 minutes to the regular oven time. Freeze the dough for up to 3 months. To bake, slice the frozen dough into rounds about 1/2 inch thick, making as few or as many as you would like. Bake on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet.

Yield: Makes 40 cookies

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 105(43% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 3g); SUGAR 8g; PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; SODIUM 67mg; FIBER 1g; CARBOHYDRATE 15g

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas cookies, cookie recipe[/tags]