Food/Health Notes from Nov Mtg

Thanks Heather, Courtney and Spud!!

Spud generously donated healthy snacks to group: fruits/veggies, chips and dips!

Darcy shared about Spud's organic home delivery service, which she loves. She gets all her produce and dairy products and more delivered every Tuesday by ordering online. Get a $25 discount after four deliveries (no charge on orders over $33). Coupon: CRODAR

Read more on Darcy's blog: Sustainable Family Finances

Notes from Heather's part of the discussion:

• Fruit and veggies at every meal
• Don't worry about getting enough protein, worry about fruits/veggies
• Create a supportive community to share and encourage
• Meal swapping with neighbors and friends is a great way to reduce cooking duties (just prepare twice as much!)
• Heather cooks a big batch of oatmeal every week, quinoa for adults
• Kids love smoothies and often will eat berries that they won't touch otherwise
• Respect preferences but continue to put brusell sprouts on their plates
• Always serve two different veggies at dinner
• Roast everything together - kids love roasted cauliflower
• Mix half or 2/3 cauliflower with potatoes for "mashed potatoes"
• Darcy asked about what to do with leftover acorn squash that the rest of the family won't touch - Mindy suggested making milkshakes with nutmeg, yum!
• Puree squash to include in grilled cheese sandwiches
• Transition kids to plain yogurt - use honey or homemade jam - TJs has fruit preserves with less sugar to add flavor without so much sugar
• Use a cheesecloth to make your own Greek yogurt - way less expensive!
• Talked about how short lunches are - kids need to be able to open their own lunches - have them practice. Don't waste time on carrots (serve as after school snack).
• Keep it simple - hearty sandwich with granola bar.
• Feed Our Families

Link to Courtney's Food Sharing Notes

Courtney's Meal Planning - 3 week example

Courtney's Weight Loss Resources

Weight Watchers (website, meetings, facebook, tweets, magazine, cookbooks)

Clean Eating (magazine, cook books)

Feed Our Families (blog and FB)

Couch to 5K – training program (podcasts, website)

Bally’s Total Fitness (multiple locations – many with kids clubs, FB, tweets)

About.com: Running (emails with information and ideas)

NikePlus (tracks pace, distance, etc)

Map My Run (maps your route, tracks pace, distance, etc)

Map My Walk (tracks pace, distance, etc)

Run Like A Mother: The Book (book, blog, FB)

Runners World (magazine, FB, Tweets, website)

Women’s Running (magazine, FB, Tweets, website)

urbanMama Runners (FB and local running group)

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

This time of year I love baking cookies; it's the only time of year I bake cookies. We have a couple basic ones we love at our house and they are great to make with your kids. For each, you can use store-bought cookie dough or your favorite cookie dough recipe.

Rudolph Peanut Butter Cookies
1 batch peanut butter cookie doughred M&M's - it's fun for kids to separate the red from the other colors (and sneak a few in the process)mini chocolate chipspretzel sticks

Form cookies - Roll a ball of dough in your hand and press flat onto a cookie sheet. Each cookie should be about 2" in diameter. You kids can add eyes (mini chocolate chips), noses (red M&M's) and antlers (pretzels). Bake based on the recipe for the dough.


Spicy Kisses
1 batch spiced cookie dough - you can use regular sugar cookie dough and add 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 t nutmeg, 1/2 t ground ginger and/or 1/4 t cloves
white chocolate Heresy's kisses - kids can unwrap the kisses

Form cookies - Roll a ball of dough in your hand and place on a cook sheets. Flatten a little with your hand, then use an unwrapped kiss to flatten it further. Bake based on the recipe for the dough, but move the oven rack one down from the middle to prevent the kisses from burning on the tops.


Candy Canes - requires chilling
1 batch sugar cookie dough, separated
red food coloring
peppermint extract

Add 3-4 drops of red food coloring and 1 t peppermint extract to 1/2 the cookie dough and mix thoroughly. Wrap each ball of dough, white and red, in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 min or so. To form candy canes, use a-bit-more-than-1-T of dough from the white and a-bit-more-than-1-T of the red. Roll between your hands or on a cutting board, until it's about 8 inches long. Twist the two together, lay on the cookie sheet and shape into a candy cane. Bake according to the recipe for the dough.