Granola Bars: Grab-and-Go Chemicals or Nourishment?
Kids Food / Lunch Box / On the Go / Snacks

Granola Bars: Grab-and-Go Chemicals or Nourishment?

Granola bars stir up quite the controversy at our house.  My kids want to bring them to school for snack, but a nut-free school means no granola bars with nuts of any sort.  That rules out a lot of the granola bars on the market.  Then when we look at what’s left and examine what ingredients are actually in the remaining granola bars things really start to get interesting.  Let’s just say we’re left with…well, not much. (more…)

11 Comments
01/16/2011
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
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
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
Kids Food / Sweet Treats

Thanksgiving

As the sun rises on Thanksgiving day, I will reflect on my life’s blessings.  Above all else I am thankful for my husband and children who bring constant moments of clarity to a sometimes unclear world.  I am thankful for the support of my family, the laughter and comfort of my friends, and those special moments of peace, when I can center myself, breathe, and appreciate all these gifts in my life. (more…)

0 Comments
11/19/2010
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
Trick-or-Treat
Kids Food / Sweet Treats

Trick-or-Treat

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…)

17 Comments
10/24/2010
Kids Food / Lunch Box / On the Go / Sweet Treats

…Jam.

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…)

2 Comments
10/17/2010
Kids Food / Lunch Box / On the Go

Peanut Butter and…

When you think of peanut butter what ingredient first comes to mind?  Peanuts?  Good.  What else needs to be added to make it peanut butter?  Was your answer nothing?  You’re right!  Nothing!  But many of the nationally recognized brands of peanut butter contain other ingredients like hydrogenated oil and sugar.  I grew up on Skippy Peanut Butter so I automatically bought what I knew (or thought I knew) for my kids.  But now that I am looking at labels before buying products, I am steering clear of many of my good ol’ standbys.  (more…)

3 Comments
10/10/2010