The “Corn Dog” Days of Summer
Dinner Table / Kids Food / Lunch Box / On the Go

The “Corn Dog” Days of Summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s summer!  Across the country, state and county fairs are offering loads of delicious processed foods on sticks.  Foods that kids love (and I hate to admit, some of us adults too).  Today as my boys and I strolled through the brightly colored booths at the Ventura County Fair, we inhaled the decadence of fried fair treats, creating memories of summer.  These are the memories we will eventually go back to on cold November afternoons, encouraging us to take out a box of frozen corn dogs in order to recapture the experience.  Hey, why not?   Frozen corn dogs are easy, inexpensive, delicious, and some brands are even made with healthy turkey dogs, right?  But it’s what lies within the box, underneath the list of thirty seven, no thirty eight ingredients that should snap us back from our sweet memories of summer and encourage us to look for food outside of the box.

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81 Comments
06/30/2011
Let’s Talk Turkey: Does Deli Turkey Need Nitrites?
Dinner Table / Kids Food / Lunch Box

Let’s Talk Turkey: Does Deli Turkey Need Nitrites?

The answer is NO.  Repeat after me, No nitrites, no nitrites, NO NITRITES!!!  Okay, I just had a flash back to my old cheerleading days.

Turkey deli meat is one of those things that I never really thought too much about.  It’s always been the lean deli protein that came sliced, smoked, honeyed or roasted and when piled on whole wheat bread with mustard and veggies became my healthy lunch.  Or was it?  During this Out of the Box Food journey I’ve been looking more carefully at everything, and that needed to include turkey.  I tended to choose turkey over ham because it was supposed to be healthier, right?  Well, I’m learning that it’s not just about the product itself, but how the product is cured and what might be added to it that makes the difference. (more…)

5 Comments
03/27/2011
A Healthy Homemade Lunchable Your Kids Will Love…Plus a Bento Lunch Box Give-Away For You!
Kids Food / Lunch Box

A Healthy Homemade Lunchable Your Kids Will Love…Plus a Bento Lunch Box Give-Away For You!

 

My kids have ALWAYS wanted Lunchables.  They have no idea what they taste like, but they think the little compartmentalized container with the little squares of processed food product are enticing…I’m sure that’s what the company was hoping for.  I’ll admit, I have tried to create homemade versions of the Lunchable by cutting deli meats and cheeses into little squares, buying individual containers and organizing the bite size morsels into their lunch boxes.  But I have yet to get approval from the under seven set.  They’re just “not cool, mom”.  So therein lay my dilemma.  I couldn’t possibly make a cool homemade Lunchable, and I sure wasn’t going to buy the prepackaged Lunchables.  So there we were, my kids and I in a Lunchable stare down.  Who’d blink first? (more…)

54 Comments
02/20/2011
Ahoy Mateys! The Healthy Cookie Conundrum.
Kids Food / On the Go / Sweet Treats

Ahoy Mateys! The Healthy Cookie Conundrum.

Cookies are such an easy treat.  They can be packed in a lunch box, stuffed in a mouth or held in even the tiniest of hands.  But why fill those little hands and mouths with hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup when you can bake an easy, fresh, and delicious treat which, by the way, tastes even better warm with a tall glass of milk!

Packaged cookies are a convenience that I’d guess most (if not all) of us have purchased at one time or another.  They must be a viable money maker based on the number of brands and varieties that fill nearly an entire supermarket aisle.  Yet, when I compared the ingredients on packaged cookies to those we can make fresh…well, there is no comparison. (more…)

2 Comments
02/13/2011
Granola: The “Sometimes” Healthy Snack
Breakfast Table / Kids Food / Snacks

Granola: The “Sometimes” Healthy Snack

homemade granola for kids

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granola.  What image does the word “Granola” evoke for you?  I’ve always felt the word “Granola” was synonymous with “health”.  For me growing up, the word Granola evoked images of health food markets where you could barely fit down the aisle but you could find things like Wheat Grass and Hemp seed.  But now Granola is common, good food and chances are you can find a healthy, minimally processed granola at the average supermarket.  But not all Granola is the same and this is a perfect opportunity to discuss the importance (and ease) of reading labels.

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6 Comments
01/09/2011
New Years Resolution Number One: Eat Apple Pie for Dinner
Dinner Table / Kids Food / Sweet Treats

New Years Resolution Number One: Eat Apple Pie for Dinner

Well, 2011 is officially here and we are now faced with endless possibilities for the upcoming year.  In previous years my New Year’s resolutions had been pretty consistent, but this year they have finally changed.  They used to include, “lose five pounds”, “exercise more” and “fit into those old jeans again”. This year, though I’ll keep my “exercise more” resolution, the purpose and direction of the rest of my resolutions directly follow the path I’ve been taking on this Out of the Box Food journey.  These resolutions won’t necessarily get me to my old “lose five pounds” goal, but they will provide my family and I a healthier way of treating our bodies. (more…)

1 Comment
01/02/2011
Kids Food / Snacks / Sweet Treats

The Holidays and Marshmallows – The Final Chapter “Hot Cocoa”

A few nights ago we took our boys to see the holiday light displays on “Candy Cane Lane”.  As we rolled our minivan slowly through the streets behind the rest of Los Angeles, we spotted a neighbor selling hot cocoa to benefit the Eagle Scouts.  What’s more festive than a cup of hot cocoa, brightly colored light displays and holiday music on the radio, right?  We bought each of the boys a cup and as they sat cozy in the back, sipping the warm drink and slurping the marshmallows out one-by-one, I realized that it was probably time to take a deconstructed look at instant hot cocoa.  I was pretty sure those drink packets weren’t as innocent and idyllic as they seemed.  Turns out I was right.
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1 Comment
12/26/2010
Kids Food / Sweet Treats

The Holidays and Marshmallows – Part 2 “Rice Crispy Treats”

Last week I mentioned that we’d delve into a couple of well-known holiday marshmallow traditions.  Rice Crispy Treats are definitely up there on the list of the go-to recipes for cookie exchanges, school holiday parties, and as a treat for Santa after he’s made it down a few chimneys.  But I’d bet that if Santa knew those treats contained a chemical banned in eleven countries and an additive suspected to cause abnormalities in the brain, hyperactivity in children and cancer, he’d probably pass.  Just a hunch. (more…)

2 Comments
12/19/2010
Dinner Table / Kids Food / Lunch Box

MmmmMac & Cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn’t love macaroni and cheese?  It’s warm, gooey deliciousness screams “comfort food” –  especially on a cold winter day.  But a boxed product we’ve come to know as macaroni and cheese doesn’t even contain “cheese” in the pure sense of the word.  In fact, the word “cheese” is only found on the last line of a long list of ingredients.  So what do we do when our kids only want “the orange macaroni and cheese”?  And what if your kids cringe at the site of…ready…gasp…bread crumbs on top of baked macaroni and cheese?  Is this sounding familiar? (more…)

7 Comments
12/05/2010
Is Your Popcorn Coated in Lighter Fluid?
Kids Food / On the Go / Snacks

Is Your Popcorn Coated in Lighter Fluid?

As we head into fall, I find that my family starts to crave the cozy goodness of fresh popcorn.  It’s a perfect after school snack on a gray afternoon and it makes a delicious accompaniment to a Sunday movie.

I know on the surface it may seem easier to grab a bag of microwave popcorn and throw it in for three to five minutes.  But is it three minutes to fresh popped corn or three minutes to a chemical coated health risk?  You be the judge… (more…)

6 Comments
11/06/2010