The Three Elements of Fitness

If you've ever watched kids on a playground, you've seen the three elements of fitness in action when they:
run away from the kid who's "it" (endurance)
cross the monkey bars (strength)
bend down to tie their shoes (flexibility)
Parents should encourage their kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on all three elements.
Endurance is developed when kids regularly engage in aerobic activity. During aerobic exercise, the heart beats faster and a person breathes harder. When done regularly and for extended periods of time, aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells.
Aerobic exercise can be fun for both adults and kids. Examples of aerobic activities include:
basketball
bicycling
ice-skating
inline skating
soccer

Take Back Control of What Your Family Eats

1.You are the parent. 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.

Remember if you need help in planning the Healthiest Meals for your family, we can help click on Fit American Meals ...

10 Reasons To Teach Your Kids to Cook

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!

Food Safety

Just a reminder when you are cooking on your stove top to always be sure your pan handles are turned inward toward the stove top and not pointing out. I know of someone who walked by the stove and bumped into the saucepan handle and it spilled boiling water onto her dog. Her dog was in so much pain it had to be put down. Also, if your handles do not have an insulation surrounding the handle, keep oven mitts close by so you don’t burn your own hands!

Fish Taco's

I had my first fish taco 5 years ago in Huntington Beach California, I absolutely love these! The great thing about fish taco’s is you can be creative with this dish. Here is an easy and yummy version;

Fish Taco’s
Any type of white fish, I prefer tilapia. I recommend about one fish per person.

Blackened Seasoning *tortilla’s corn or flour* salsa*avocado*lettuce*shredded cheese ( your choice)

Season each piece of fish with your blackened seasoning, place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in a 375* oven for approximately 7 minutes per side.

Prepare and assemble the tortilla, if you want to warm the tortilla, place in oven for 15 second, they get crispy quickly. Add cheese, lettuce, avocado, and any items of your choice, place the warm fish in each tortilla wrap and enjoy!

Yoga for Kids

How can yoga benefit children?

Research on the benefits of yoga for kids is limited. Anecdotal reports suggest that yoga can calm children, reduce obesity, enhance concentration and help children manage certain health conditions, such as headaches and irritable bowel syndrome. Studies suggest that yoga may also benefit children who have various mental and physical disabilities. Yoga may even help children who have eating disorders lessen their preoccupation with food. More studies, however, are needed to confirm the positive health effects of yoga for kids.

At the least, yoga can be a gentle method for your child to get more physical activity and enhance his or her well-being.

Fall Produce

At Cooking Lessons from Home we prepare our menu’s based upon the season. Just a few of the benefits of eating in season are;
Food is fresher, it doesn’t have to be transported 1000 miles away.
Better for the environment.
Fresh food delivers more health benefits to your body.
In a research study conducted in 1997 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in London, England, significant differences were found in the nutrient content of pasteurized milk in summer versus winter. Iodine was higher in the winter; beta-carotene was higher in the summer. The Ministry discovered that these differences in milk composition were primarily due to differences in the diets of the cows. With more salt-preserved foods in winter and more fresh plants in the summer, cows ended up producing nutritionally different milks during the two seasons. Similarly, researchers in Japan found three-fold differences in the vitamin C content of spinach harvested in summer versus winter.

Here are some of the foods that will be on your meal plan from Cooking Lessons from Home…


Apples are the fruits people have forgotten have a season. But they do, and in the Northern Hemisphere they're harvested late summer through fall.

Artichokes produce a second, smaller crop in the fall (the first go-around is in the spring) that tends to produce small to medium artichokes.
Arugula is a cool weather peppery green harvested at different times in different places (winter in warm climates, summer in cool ones) but grows in many places during autumn.

Beets are in season in temperate climates fall through spring, and available from storage most of the year everywhere else. Fresh beets are often sold with their greens still attached.

Belgian Endive are mostly "forced" to grow in artificial conditions. Their traditional season (when grown in fields and covered with sand to keep out the light), like that of all chicories, is late fall and winter.

Broccoli can be grown year-round in temperate climates so we've forgotten it even has a season. It is more sweet, less bitter and sharp when harvested in the cooler temperatures of fall in most climates.
Broccoli raabe, rapini is a more bitter, leafier vegetable than its cousin, broccoli, but likes similar cool growing conditions.

Brussels sprouts grow on a stalk, and if you see them for sale that way snap them up - they'll last quite a bit longer than once they're cut.

Cabbage is bright and crisp when raw and mellows and sweetens the longer it's cooked. The cooler the weather when it's harvested, the sweeter it tends to taste (this effect is called "frost kissed").

Carrots are harvested year-round in temperate areas. Unusual varieties are harvested during the carrot's natural season, which is late summer and fall. True baby carrots - not the milled down versions of regular carrots sold as "baby carrots" in bags at grocery stores - are available in the spring and early summer. Locally grown carrots are often available from storage through early winter even in colder climates.

Cauliflower may be grown, harvested, and sold year-round, but it is by nature a cool weather crop and at its best in fall and winter and into early spring.

Celeriac/celery root is at its best in the cooler months of fall, winter, and early spring (except in cold climates, where you'll find it during the summer and early fall).

Celery is at its best in the fall, with its harvest continuing through winter in warm and temperate climates.

Chard like all cooking greens, chard turns bitter when it gets too hot. Chard grows year-round in temperate areas, is best harvested in late summer or early fall in colder areas, and fall through spring in warmer regions.

Chicories are cool weather crops that come into season in late fall (and last in temperate climates through early spring).
Chiles are best at the end of summer and into fall. Dried chiles are, of course, available year-round.

Cranberries, native to North America, and are harvested in New England and the Upper Midwest in the fall.

Curly Endive (Frisée) is a chicory, at its best in fall and winter.

Edamame are fresh soy beans - look for them in late summer and fall.

Eggplant (early fall) comes into season towards the end of summer, but bright shiny heavy-feeling specimens stay in season well into fall.

Escarole is another chicory at its best in fall and winter.

Fennel's natural season is from fall through early spring. Like most cool weather crops, the plant bolts and turns bitter in warmer weather.

Figs have a short second season in late fall (the first harvest comes in summer) just in time for Thanksgiving.

Garlic is another produce item that we forget has a season; fresh garlic is at its plump, sweetest best in late summer and fall.

Grapes (early fall) ripen towards the end of summer where they grow best; the harvest continues into fall.

Green beans tend to be sweetest and most tender during their natural season, from mid-summer into fall in most regions.

Green Onions/Scallions are cultivated year-round in temperate climates.

Herbs of hearty sorts are available fresh in fall - look for bundles of rosemary, parsley, thyme, and sage.

Horseradish is at its best in fall and winter. Like so many other root vegetables, however, it stores well and is often available in decent shape well into spring.

Jerusalem artichokes/Sunchokes are brown nubs, that look a bit like small pieces of fresh ginger. Look for firm tubers with smooth, tan skins in fall and winter.

Kale is like all hearty cooking greens - cooler weather keeps it sweet.

Kohlrabi (late fall) comes into season by the end of fall, but stays at its sweet best into winter.
Leeks more than about 1 1/2 inches wide tend to have tough inner cores. The top green leaves should look fresh - avoid leeks with wilted tops.

Lemongrass grows in warm and tropical areas and is usually available fresh in the U.S. towards mid-fall.

Lettuce (in warmer climates), like other greens bolt and turn bitter when the weather gets too warm, making it in-season somewhere in the U.S. year-round. It can also be grown in low-energy greenhouses in colder climates through the winter.

Limes are harvested in semi-tropical and tropical areas in summer and fall.

Mushrooms (wild) have different seasons throughout the U.S. Most wild mushrooms other than morels are in-season in summer through fall.

Okra (early fall) needs heat to grow, so a nice long, hot summer in warmer climates brings out its best. Look for firm, plump pods in late summer and early fall.

Onions come from storage all year round but most onions are harvested in late summer through the fall.

Parsnips look like white carrots and have a great nutty flavor. Look for thinner parsnips, since fatter ones tend to have a thick, woody core you need to cut out.

Pears have a season that runs from mid-summer well into winter, depending on the variety and region.

Peppers (early fall) - both sweet and spicy- are harvested in late summer and early fall.

Persimmons are available for a short window in the fall and early winter - look for bright, heavy-feeling fruits.

Pomegranates only ripen in warmer climates. They are in season starting in October and are usually available fresh through December.

Potatoes are excellent storage vegetables, but most varieties are harvested in the fall.

Pumpkins are the most common winter squash and come into season in September in most areas.

Quinces area most under-appreciated fruit. Bright and tart, quince jellies and desserts are a fall and early winter favorite.

Radicchio, like all chicories, radicchio is more sweet and less bitter when the weather is cool.

Radishes (all types) are so fast-growing that they can be sown several times during the growing season in most climates. Fall marks the end of the season for small red radishes and the beginning of the season for larger daikon-type radishes.

Rutabagas also known as "yellow turnips" and "Swedes" are a sweet, nutty root vegetables perfect in stews, roasted, or mashed with plenty of butter.

Shallots are harvested in late summer and into fall, and are at their sweetest when fresh.

Shelling beans are those beans that can become dried beans but are briefly available fresh, as shelling beans, in mid-summer to early fall depending on your climate.


Spinach, indeed, has a season. It varies with your climate - year-round in temperate areas, summer and fall in cooler areas, fall through spring in warmers regions.

Sweet potatoes are often sold as "yams." They store well and are available from local sources year-round in warmer areas; from late summer through winter other places.

Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes with a light green papery husk.

Turnips have a sharp but bright and sweet flavor. Look for turnips that feel heavy for their size.

Winter squash of all sorts comes into season in early fall and usually last well into winter.

Zucchini have a harvest season from summer into fall in most climates.