Miso Soup in 20 Minutes

Did you ever wonder why we serve specific foods for breakfast, lunch
and dinner? On a recent trip to Hawaii, I was served miso soup for
breakfast and I loved it! It is healthy, warm, comforting for breakfast
and it is easy and fast to make.

• 2 teaspoons of dashi granules (most grocery stores carry this, either in the International aisle or by the sushi station)


• 4 cups of water


• 3 tablespoons of miso paste


• 1 (8 ounce) package of silken tofu, diced


• 2 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine dashi
granules and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and
whisk in the miso paste. Stir in tofu. Separate the layers of the green
onions, and add them to the soup. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes
before serving.

Enjoy! Let me know how yours turned out!

10 Ways to Take Back Control of What Your Family Eats

 

1. You are the parent, so act like one. It all starts with you and how committed you are to stick to what you know is best for the health and safety of your children. Kids realize at a very young age how to manipulate their parents and “get away” things they probably shouldn’t be having. If you give in to junk food, fast food restaurants and sugary snacks, your children will know you are a push-over and you have lost your control.


2. Establish house rules. Establish rules at home, include your children in making the rules and stick to them.


3. Know your food. Be smart when it comes to feeding your family. We now know processed and refined foods have little to no nutritional value so why feed your family junk? 


4. Eating out makes you fat and lazy. You have no control over the ingredients and portion control at a restaurant.


5. Cook at home. There are so many meals you can prepare at home that provide the essential nutrients your family needs on a daily basis and you have more control on portion control.


6. Teach your children to cook. Part of your job description as a parent is to teach your children,(yes boys especially!) to cook. They will someday move out on their own the food you teach them to cook now will be with them for life! Italian moms do a really good job with teaching their children to cook.  


7. Remember why we eat. Food is fuel, your body needs fuel for energy, so fill your body with premium foods.


8. Eating at home feeds the soul. Pure joy comes from making family meals, it will feed body and your soul, try it!


9. Clean off your kitchen table and eat dinner as a family. Nothing can replace the power of a family meal. Cooking is a gift you give your family everyday, no matter how busy your lives can be, give yourself and your family the gift of a family meal around the family table.


10. Our children are only young once. Remember our children grow up too quickly, you will never get the memories of yesterday and today back, so make each moment memorable for you and your family.

Vanilla or Chocolate?

Teaching your child to make good choices is one of the most important elements of raising a well-behaved, empowered, and healthy child. Helping your children learn the difficult skill of making positive, appropriate choices is a big part of parenting and this skill will stay with your child through adulthood, it’s a part of being self-disciplined and taking responsibility for making life's choices.

We are faced with choices everyday in our life, some are big important choices and others are less important, but a child who is skilled at consciously making choices will understand her own needs, and gain a sense of control over her own life.
Here are some tips about teaching choice to your child:
• When a child is making choices about her behavior, you can point out the choice and the consequences of it. We have all seen in the movies the little angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other shoulder, this is a great way to teach younger children to think about the choices they have and the consequences of their choice.

• You are a role model. Children learn how to make big choices by watching you do it, and by gaining experience through making little choices.

• Never give a choice you aren't willing to follow through on. That means if you say, “Either you clean your room or we are not going out to dinner tonight,” you should be prepared to start cooking.

• Food Choices: It's your responsibility to keep your child safe and healthy. Keep food choices healthy, and allow your child to choose what to eat. If your kid chooses to eat only cookies and ice cream, stop having them as a choice.

• Choices teach how to prioritize. Older children can use choices to learn how to prioritize. State what chores, homework, or activities need to be accomplished by a specific tie and allow your child to choose how to prioritize to get them done.

• Once a choice has been made, be clear as to when it becomes final. This can be a challenge to some parents, remember you have a choice too!

• Which brings us to the question, What if your child doesn't like her choice? That can be hard for a wimpy parent to watch. It can even be hard for a strong, reasonable parent to watch. Nobody enjoys watching a child be disappointed. But making a choice entails learning to live with the choice that's been made. Don't “rescue” your child from her experiences; it may make her feel better in the long run, but it ultimately won't teach her anything at all. Disappointment is a good teaching tool, and discipline is teaching.

• Choice Expands with Age: As an adult, you have free choice about many aspects of life. You've earned that. Children start out unable to handle anything but the simplest choices. As kids get older, the choices become more complex, and they should.

• Choice Builds Strength in Character. I understand it tough to cut that umbilical cord of life with our children, as parents we feel like we must always be there to protect our child from of life’s pains. A child's best defense is the ability to make safe, wise choices, and this is a skill that takes practice. Help your child by guiding her through the choice making process. That's really all you can do, and that's often more than enough.

References: Family Education

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The Importance of Teaching Your Children to Cook

Dear Andrew, Addison, Family and Friends;
I believe one of the most important things I taught my children was to
love and respect food, the people and the environment that brought
the food to our home. We hear so much about spending quality time
with our children, well here is one way to spend quality time with your
kids. Kids love to spend time with their parents and by combining
constructive lessons, exercise and conversation makes this time
quality time.

10 Reasons Why You Should Teach Your Children to Cook

1. Builds self-esteem in your child. When you spend one on one time
with your kids, it shows your kids that you love, value and respect
them, remember actions do speak louder than words!

2. Teach your children about nutrition and menu planning as well.
With 1 out of every 3 children in the U.S. being overweight, it is up to
families to teach our children about nutrition and exercise.

3. Calorie control and portion control. When you prepare meals from
home YOU are in control of the ingredients and how much your child
eats.

4. Take your kids to the grocery store and teach them how to shop.
Raising my children we always shopped the perimeter of the store
first, this is where all the healthier foods are located. Start in the
produce section, choose produce that are bright in colors, add variety
to your diet, try a new fruit or vegetable, show them the food labels on
packaged foods.

5. If you teach kids at an early age how to cook, they are more
inclined to cook as an adult.

6. Kids are more apt to eat foods that they have prepared.

7. Kids love to show off, let them share with the rest of the family how
they prepared the meal. They will feel like they are a major contributor
to the family.

8. Make a lesson out of how to cook. Go to a farmer’s market and
introduce your kids to the farmers who bring the food to the table. Pick

your own produce; check your local area for farms. Turn your cooking
lesson into a math or science experiment, bring out the measuring
cups!

9. Family meals together. Make your meal time, family time. Try to sit
down at the table at least one meal a day. Enjoy good conversation.

10.Make it a habit. Its quality time well spent and there is no
television, video games or computers to interfere with your time
together.

Enjoy your quality family time!
Kimberly Wechsler

Homemade Apple Sauce

This is a very EASY recipe! I consider this recipe one of my Anytime Meals.

For breakfast serve this warm applesauce on top of oatmeal,
pancakes, waffles or toast. Serve it all by itself with a piece of whole
grain toast and a glass of milk. Pack it for your kid’s lunch. Use it as a
snack with an oatmeal cookie. Serve it for dinner with a lean protein,
whole grain and a green veggie. Or, use it as dessert; my dad likes
this warm applesauce on Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream.

Homemade Applesauce

4 medium apples
½ cup of water
1/8 cup of brown sugar or 3 tablespoons organic natural cane sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground or freshly ground nutmeg
Peel apples and cut into 1 inch chunks. Place apples and water into a
saucepan on low to medium. Let the apples cook until soft about 5 -10
minutes. Remove from heat and add the spices.

What Are Power Foods?

Power foods are foods that supply additional strength and have the ability to do more good for your body and overall health than any
other foods. These power foods;

• Are the richest in amount of nutrients, highest in fiber,
antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
• The least amount of calories.
• Lower in fat.
• Helps in creating stronger bones and fewer fractures.
• Have the most health benefits.
• Decrease risk of heart disease, cancer and strokes.

Nothing is more important than good health. We need to eat in order
to live, so food is very important. The food we eat makes up the
building materials for growth and repair of our bodies. It also supplies
the energy that our bodies need to function properly. The best way
to get the nutrients that your body needs is from whole-based foods.
Foods the way nature prepared them are nutritionally balanced.

If your body does not get the proper whole food nutrition it needs, it
simply cannot be healthy, if you take steps toward a diet based upon
power foods, your physical health will improve.

The typical diet in North America is often referred to as the Standard
American Diet (SAD). The SAD diet is a diet consisting of chemically
engineered foods that are processed, refined, and concentrated. It
is high in salt, sugar, fat, protein, and calories, and low in fiber and
essential nutrients.

The SAD diet is linked to multiple diseases. Research studies show
that populations who are on the SAD diet die from more heart disease,
diabetes, strokes, and cancer of the colon, breast, lungs, and prostate
than other groups of people. These lifestyle-related illnesses cause the
greatest amount of deaths in North America!

Before 1900, the typical American diet consisted of foods grown in
local gardens and farms. Families ate freshly cooked food and baked
their own bread. Meat came from barnyard animals and range-
fed cattle. After World War I, cardiovascular disease became more
common. More and more families could afford to eat meat more
often. At the same time, the food industry was beginning to produce
more highly processed foods on a larger scale. Another large problem
we have today is that our American lifestyle has become hectic and
over scheduled that families no longer have the time to make their
own meals from scratch. Fast foods have become a necessity and an

accepted norm in most families.

Everything comes with a price. The price we are paying for these
unhealthy convenience foods is damage to our health and the health
of our family. I want to teach you ways of implementing whole-based
foods into your healthy lifestyle that are tasty and easy to prepare.