Summer Snack: Peanut Butter and Berry Rice Cakes

Finally started reaching for this quick snack instead of a Pop Tart :P  Very easy and filling!  Kids also LOVE them...

All you need:
Rice cakes (I used a low sodium store brand)
Natural peanut butter (2T or so)
Berries-lots of fresh summer berries.  Blackberries were a hit today, but a friend of mine used blueberries too..

Easy School Lunch

Field Day Lunch!
Granola bar, blackberries, carrots/yellow pear tomatoes, applesauce, lemonade

John McDougall MD on the Perils of Dairy Products

Over the last few weeks, it has been so tempting to slide back into eating small portions of dairy and lean meat.  I came across this video today on the Engine 2 Diet Facebook Page.  Dr. McDougall is amazing!  I was glued to the presentation (it is about an hour long!)  He is such an excellent speaker.  He makes this research easy to understand and his visual aids are very helpful.

It was a great reminder of what I knew and what i've read over the last few months.  Dairy is NOT ok...it is just another reminder that we are responsible for our own health.  Our government health organizations and the medical community for the most part are not presenting us with accurate information.  It is infuriating to see the "3 a Day" dairy posters plastered all over my school (I am a teacher), and see that strawberry/chocolate/vanilla milk are the only *free* options available to our students.  (Water is $1 a bottle, and when we have about 50% receiving free or reduced lunch, well you get the picture)

Anyway-great video, great speaker, great information!!!

School Lunch: Peanut Butter Wrap

Easy peasy lunch for Taylor!  Whole wheat tortilla with natural peanut butter, coconut milk, yellow pear tomatoes, berries/raisins for "dessert".

Whole Foods Market Haul

First of all, let me say how JEALOUS I am of those people who live near a Whole Foods.  I got to visit one for the first time today with my mother-in-law, and was amazed :)  (It was well worth the 2 HOUR DRIVE to Baton Rouge.) We have a tiny 3 aisle "natural section" at our Kroger that has been getting us by, but there are SOOO many things that we can't get there.  

Today I was able to go and pick up a few odds and ends.  We will be making another "big trip" soon, but these were some of the favorite snacks/items.  The judge?  My kids, and in order to please them, it has to be good.  These were the things that they loved best.

Almond milk pudding-tasted amazing!  Just like regular pudding cups!

Vegan Marshmallows (No icky gelatin)  Each kid got 2.  Chase and Taylor could have polished off the whole box, but Addison didn't seem to like the texture.  

These were suggested by the girl bagging our groceries.  The top one is a regular "mock chicken" salad, and the bottom one is a bit spicier, being a buffalo mock chicken salad.  Both were awesome on crackers...I ended up standing at the counter eating them, no plate! LOL

These were high suggested as the best vegan cheeses.  They supposedly stretch and melt like their dairy counterparts...we shall see!

This is an item we can get at Kroger for $4, but found it at WF for just over $2...and in a flavor that we don't carry in Alexandria!  Yay for French Vanilla coffee!

Products I Love: Pampered Chef Pineapple Slicer

This thing is the greatest!  Pineapple is my all-time favorite fruit, but it can be so darn hard to cut and slice.  This tool makes it a snap!  We probably eat 1-2 pineapples a week, and this really helps us.  Not only is it safer to cut the pineapple with, but I feel it also saves $$$ because you only cut off the inedible pieces, leaving more fruit to eat!  

Slice the top and bottom off with a knife, and use this...similar to an apple slicer, but WAY bigger LOL

 Thick, chunky slices and the inedible core

 Addison approved :)

Linkadoo to Stacie Thomas's Pampered Chef Website!

Recipe: Mock Tuna Salad

Warning!  New Favorite Lunch Alert!  This is AH-MAZ-ING! 

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1/4 c vegan mayonnaise (I used Veganaise)

3 baby kosher dill pickles (chopped)

1/32 c baby carrots, finely diced

S&P to taste, Sprinkle of Tony's cajun seasoning

Coarsely mash one can of chickpeas in a bowl.  Dice carrots and pickles, and add to bowl.  Spoon in mayo and stir together!  Enjoy with crackers, on a bed of baby spinach, or on a sandwich!  Wonderful stuff :)  

*I may try to add some finely diced celery next time...maybe some apple (I like both in tuna salad...)  It is a very close substitute for tuna.  Similar in taste and texture, but not fishy (obviously! LOL)  We will be making this often!

Recipe: Veggie and Stars

Don't you just love when you accidently make something wonderful?! LOL

  

This was supposed to be similar to Campbell's Chicken and Stars soup (sick kiddos), but I added too much pasta, and it came out similar to a "Rice Sides" mix.  The little noodles ended up soaking up all the broth, making it suitable to spoon on a plate as a side dish!  It will now be a permanent side dish LOL  All three kids slurped it up and asked for more :)

Ingredients:
8 oz of star shaped pasta (I found a 16oz package at Kroger for under $1.50)
6 cups water
2-3 "Not Chick'n" bouillon cubes
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tsp each:  dried marjoram, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil
Sprinkle of garlic and onion powder

Bring water to a boil.  Add bouillon cubes and stir to dissolve them.  Add veggies and herbs and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add 8 oz of tiny noodles.  (I used stars!)  Simmer and stir for about 10 minutes.  Turn off heat, cover, and allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes.  This will give the noodles time to soak up liquids.

*If you want a thinner, soupier version-I would reduce the noodles to about 4-5 oz.

Smoothie Pops

As the days get warmer, i'm sure we will be using these constantly!  I've gotten in the habit of making smoothies in the morning for breakfast, and it is super simple to add a little bit of extra fruit for leftover smoothie pops!  These silicone popsicle makers are the BEST!  I found them at Amazon for around $10.  You can find them by clicking here.  

Ideas for Smoothie Pops:

Red Smoothie Pop:  Blend fresh (organic) strawberries with 1 cup of frozen berry mix (blue, black, raspberries), 6 oz of orange juice, and 2-3 oz of almond milk.

Tropical Smoothie Pop:  Blend frozen tropical fruit mix (pineapple, mango, strawberry) with 4 oz orange juice, and 4 oz of coconut water.

Banana Mango Smoothie Pop:  Blend one banana, 3/4 cup of frozen mango, 2 oz orange juice, 2-4 oz coconut water.

Project Time: Healthy Foods!

As luck would have it, the first day of Easter break had us cooped up inside because of rain.  As I was cleaning and organizing the sunroom, I came across a pile of old Southern Living and Redbook magazines.  Knowing the the kids love anything artsy-craftsy, we decided to make a poster to showcase some "healthy foods".  

Yes-this is a total health class assignment, but guess how many health classes my daughter gets to go to.  NONE!  And she only gets 30 minutes of physical education per week.  They go to PE every Wednesday, and that's it!!! Too much class time is focused on not leaving the children behind academically.  In a time when more and more kids are obese and facing diseases that once only plagued adults (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc), I try to do what I can at home to teach them about healthy choices and why it is important to eat the right things.

So-project of the day-posters!  Each kiddo flipped through magazines, and cut out pictures of "healthy foods".  It was fun to see what they thought qualified to go on the posters, and also a good opportunity to talk about why we don't eat much of certain things!  Anyway-enjoy the pictures...they were very proud of them :)