Last week while I was at the gym working out, I caught a clip on the Today Show featuring the chef from the White House. She was challenged to make a healthy picnic lunch for children. I really liked some of her ideas. I have tried some and also made my own versions of some things.

Here is the segment form the today show-http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43845364/ns/today-food/t/white-house-chef-shares-healthy-salad-pie-recipes/from/toolbar

I really liked the idea of putting the grapes into the green salad. I think kids generally like foods better if they can find a subtle sweetness in them. I really love the fruit pocket pies. What a simple healthy version of a junk food. We have always made sweet potato fries and have never really fried them-we just bake them and do not bread them at all. We just slice up sweet potatoes, season them and then bake them.
After being inspired about eating right from the garden, I realized we had a surplus of zucchini and decided to make zucchini fries. It was a total experiment. I soaked the zucchini slices in egg, then in spelt flour, sauteed them and then baked them. They were good when dipped in marinara sauce. I have not tried the carrot drink yet but really want to.

I love the direction the first lady is going in with the emphasis on healthy eating and childhood obesity. I hope it makes an impact on our nation and more and more people have a desire to eat healthier.

He has a big shirt to fill!

This week marked Tate's 6 month mile stone. With that comes his well check up at the doctor. The first thing the doctor did was review Tate's growth chart. She was alarmed because his weight dropped from the 25th percentile at 4 months to the 10th percentile now at 6 months. Before the doctor even examined Tate, she started talking to me about the concerns she has because of this. I listened to her but it really didn't concern me because I felt Tate was 100 percent healthy. I figured after he was examined the concerns would be put to rest. The examine went well. Tate seemed to be where he needed to be developmentally hitting his 6 month mile stones. Sure he may be a little wobbly while sitting independently and no he is not crawling yet but he is just 6 months.
So after a successful examine and the observance of his thunder thighs, I thought we were both on the same page about his weight. Sure he is not gaining at the same rate but he is healthy. This is when the doctor decides to sit down and express her concerns again. She wanted to know what and when I was feeding him. At 4 months she suggested I go full on with solids so I did and Tate was now eating 2 meals a day of cereal and fruits and veggies. And I nurse him about 7 times a day. Seems like a lot to me! The doctor recommended that I feed him 3 meals with snacks even if that means I nurse less. This didn't sit well with me because that went against everything I have ever heard, read, or been told in the past. Good thing Tate is my third child because I would have been really confused with this information if he was my first.
So now we are referred to a nutritionist. After talking with many friends and questioning my parenting and Tate's eating, I felt that he was completely fine. As one friend said maybe he will have a runners body instead of a line mans body. So be it as long as he is healthy!
Off I went to the nutrients with an open mind. Before she could begin, I told her I really wasn't concerned at all and felt Tate was completely healthy. I explained that I compared Tate's growth chart to his two older sisters which is mirrored. THey were in the 50th percentile at 4 months and dropped to the 20th at 6 months and then I warned that the girls dropped even more at 9 months so for her to expect the same. I also mentioned that no body was concerned when Tate jumped from 30th percentile at birth to 75th at 2 months. He is a roller coaster on the chart of standards. Yes, they are just standards and he is another statistic on the chart. After this lovely discussion, the very nice nutritionist agreed with me! She felt 2 meals were sufficient and to nurse as often as I could. After examining Tate's weight gain more closely, she realized he was in the average range of daily weight gain. Perfect! I can add a little oil in his food if I would like to give him some fat. So oatmeal mixed with olive oil and breast milk is his meal of choice. He is Italian after all!
I found this as being very interesting to me as we battle childhood obesity today and base so much on charts and standards and not on individual cases. I am very aware of the presence of childhood obesity in our society. I think it is funny that nothing was said to me by the same doctor when Tate jumped up into the 75th percentile drastically. I also thought it was interesting that the doctor told me to continuously offer him food and try to "encourage" him to eat. He loves to eat but I can't force him to eat when he is not hungry or an hour after he just ate. I am a strong believer that eating habits are established at a very young age. I will continue to introduce new foods to Tate and slowly increase his food intake when his appetite grows.

Until them I am at piece with him not being a rolly polly baby and possibly having a body like me instead of his dad. 

Active under 5

I wanted to share this article that I recently read on fighting obesity and the importance of physical activity in children under 5. The article talks about the importance of exercise in children under 5 even if the kids are not yet walking. I remember hearing people wondering what it would be like to mimic a child's movement all day long. Following most children, that just sounds exhausting. It seems like I have to beg my children to sit still for more than 5 minutes. However, in a child's typical day, 3 hours can be a long time to be active if you include sitting at a desk in school for 6 hours, meals, homework, and driving. Those are all activities that happen on a daily basis but can't be avoided. Our busy hectic lives as parents has trickled down to our children. With this being said, as a teacher I know the importance of incorporating movement into my classroom. I find that children behave and learn better when they are free to move around and get wiggles out. As a parent. I understand the importance of taking walks or bike rides after dinner. Even park play can be very physical. If anything, I think we need to be aware of this and try our hardest to incorporate as much physical activity into our days as we can. Not only for our children but for us to. Obesity can be a huge struggle that is very hard to overcome.
http://www.9news.com/news/article/207458/188/To-fight-obesity-even-babies-should-exercise-

The first of many...

Last night we reached a couple of milestones at our house. Ella had her first real sleepover at her friend's house. All summer long, she has been asking to go on a sleepover and we have discussed that she is too young and needs to be invited on one. Yesterday, she got the invitation and I felt that it was the right time and with the right people. So off she went. Before leaving us, Ella was realizing she had never been a night a part from us. But she was brave and had the time of her life. I realized that she is growing up way too fast and this was the beginning of sleep overs. Seeing the smile on her face when we picked her up and hearing the excitement in her voice while telling stories of her sleepover make me so proud and happy for her! It made me think back to my childhood friendships and sleepless sleepovers. To be a kid again...
With Ella being gone, we thought it was important for Maya to have a special night as well. She had a dinner and a movie date with her best boy friend as she calls him. We had breakfast for dinner at our house and then they ran across the street to his house for a movie. Maya thought that was the coolest thing and she enjoyed not being in her sister's shadow- even if it was just for a night. Tate enjoyed the undivided attention of two parents for one of the few times in his life.
While going to bed last night, Morgan asked me if I ever wonder what our children will think of us when  they are grown ups. Ya know how we all have ideas of how our parents raised us. Why did they make us do that? Why didn't they let us do this? Why in the world did they let us leave the house wearing that? There are the endless questions and I think children are probably the harshest critics of their own parents.  I told Morgan it was nights like last night that I hope my children remember- us giving them the freedom to be kids and have fun as well as us giving them endless opportunities and exposure to new things. I think we do  a pretty good job recognizing the whole child and each of the three as individuals. I know we aren't perfect parents but we try and love them each and thats all that matters. Hopefully that will be what they reflect on 20 years from now!

You CAN have your cake and eat it too!

We have been doing this gluten free-sugar free diet for awhile now. It is much easier than I thought it would be! I feel much better, I know I am eating much better, and it is fun exploring different recipes and food. I have experimented with different types of flours and have found favorites for different recipes. Morgan loves promoting this life style to other people and thinks this way of eating is the greatest. Maya pretty much eats a 100% gluten free diet and Ella probably eats a 75% gluten free diet. Both of them eat a very minimal amount of sugar. When they are at a friend’s house or event, I try to encourage them to make good choices but I do give them the freedom to have what they want. Ella sometimes gets a stomach ache after she splurges which makes her more conscience the next time.
Morgan's favorite recipe that I make is a sugar free-gluten free chocolate cake recipe. For this recipe I use spelt flour. I know spelt flour is controversial whether it is gluten free or not but I use it because I know many people that have gluten allergies and are able to tolerate Spelt. I also make strawberry preserves. I top each slice with a bit of the preserves and it is delicious!
Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups Stevia
1 3/4 cups spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter or oil
1 cup boiling water

Mix it all together and bake for 30 mins at 350
degrees

Strawberry Preserves
16 oz strawberries
1 lemon
1/4 cup agave

Cut the strawberries into small pieces add the juice of the lemon and agave into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat for an hour.

The Great Outdoors

We had the wonderful experience of camping as a family last week. Going into the camping trip, I had many emotions. Most of all, I thought I was a bit crazy to be attempting tent camping with a 5 month old, 3 year old, and 5 year old. In addition to that, we really didn't have sufficient supplies. I came to peace with knowing I would not get much sleep and I went into it with no expectations. To my surprise, it was a great experience for everyone and I was the only one that lacked sleep. 
I think camping is a wonderful experience for children. Today, we are used to having technology at our fingertips and many means of entertainment. It was nice to be outside for 24 hours. Neither of the girls complained or were bored at any point of the day. The day was spent fishing, exploring, swimming, and eating. We all stayed up late and woke up way too early. As a parent, I got such satisfaction out of how the girls were able to entertain themselves and not once complain. It brings me back to the philosophy that less is better. At home, we can't go through a day without many arguments and statements of boredom. This didn't happen once while camping.
It was a lot of fun just having each other without any interruptions. This experience will be a great memory for all of us and will definitely do it again.
My favorite memories I will take from this camping trip are:
Morgan's perseverance to catch a fish. We were surrounded by fish. We could see them jumping and we had 3 poles in the water all day. However, we also had children throwing rocks in the water, wading in the water, and 2 labs sloshing through the lake.
Sitting by the fire staring at the stars with Ella.
Maya not throwing one fit.
The bird parents that had a nest right above our picnic area. I never knew baby birds ate so much and am very happy that my own children don't eat constantly like that even though it feels like they do!
And most of all uninterrupted family time.
We were very fortunate to go on this adventure with friends. Our experience was so much richer and happier because of that!