Watch it wiggle, see them jiggle…and squirm, and meltdown, and bounce off the walls. Yup. I’ve seen it. My kids love jello, at least they did the two times I made it for them. But both times I cringed as I poured hot water over that neon colored powder, the overly sweet smell wafting up through the steam. But who am I to deprive my kids of that fun, jiggling food product that makes them giggle? I don’t have to. (more…)
A few fresh treats just for fun! Hope you all have a Happy Halloween! (more…)
What creeps you out the most on Halloween? Goblins and witches? Spiders and ghouls? Or is it the load of processed, corn syrup-laden, artificially flavored “treats” that will fill your children’s smiling plastic jack-o-lanterns? Bet I can scare you even more. Did you know that some of those well known candies they’ll be ingesting contain ingredients like TBHQ (a form of Butane)? TBHQ, believe it or not, is an ingredient in many processed food items ranging from candy to chicken nuggets. The following excerpt from author Michael Pollan discusses TBHQ in regards to it’s placement in a McDonald’s Chicken McNugget: (more…)
Last week we deconstructed peanut butter. This week we had to top it with a quick, healthy jam! Making jam is a summer routine for my family but it requires a few pieces of special equipment, quite a bit of time, and in my case, a couple of scorching burns (none of which make for a fast Out of the Box Food alternative). But since fresh, homemade jam can be such a treat, I knew we had to explore a quick and easy alternative for Out of the Box Food. (more…)
You ready for this one? I’m not even sure if I’m ready to write about it, but it is DEFINITELY a food story that needs to be told. Over the summer I took my boys to a popular indoor playground in Los Angeles. You know the ones where your kids climb, swing, slide and basically wreak havoc for several hours in a padded room while you try desperately to tune out the constant drone of screaming? Yup, that’s the one. (more…)
It’s the third week of first grade at our house, and already my children are coming home with processed food requests from their friends lunch boxes. Yesterday it was for “those cups of white and brown pudding that everyone has”. Okay, guess we’re going to push pudding cups up on the list of Out of the Box Food explorations. (more…)
You know ’em, those long, sticky, peel-and-eat rolls of sweet chemicals your kids love? I just can’t bring myself to call them what they do on the package; “fruit” is just too far off what they actually are. Corn Syrup Roll-up could work. Or how about Artificial Color roll-up? To make matters worse, my kids don’t even want regular roll-ups in their lunch boxes anymore, they want the ones that stretch to nearly a foot long! So is it possible to make foot long real fruit roll-ups? You bet. (more…)
It’s August and it’s hot. For me, August weekends are traditionally days for sprinklers and popsicles, sparkling pools and chilled watermelon. In fact, life feels pretty close to perfect from the perspective of a shady chaise lounge in August; watching my children play and listening as their laughter echo’s the joy of summer. Ahhh, the sweet month of August. (more…)
Chocolate has been making a statement in my life a lot lately. No, it’s not by way of Rocky Road in front of The Bachelorette on Monday nights or through Fudge Pops out by the pool in the July heat. Chocolate is continuing to come up both in conversation and in articles I have come across about it’s many health benefits. I have added some articles of interest to the Relevant Reads page which I encourage you to check out. Chocolate in it’s purest form has loads of nutritional benefits. It’s bad rap has been handed to it by impersonators offering hints of chocolate flavor wrapped in corn syrup and sugar.