This is the first episode of Fit Meals By Kids!!! It features Mya and Victoria Davis, children of Olympian and Pro Beach Volleyball Player Annett Davis (founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids Club). The kids were inspired by two wonderful girls, Haile and Nia, that they had an opportunity to cook with on their webshow called Kids Can Cook. Today Mya and Victoria learned all about George Washington Carver and read about 105 ways to use a peanut. They were excited to try and make their own peanut butter in honor of the great Dr. Carver. They will show you how easy it is to make healthy peanut butter!  Grab your kiddos and have a seat.  Mya and Victoria will show them how to have fun in the kitchen! Your kids will love their “happy dance” at the end of the show! (I suggest you click the far right button of the video screen so you can watch it on the full screen view)

Do you like your peanut butter smooth??? or chunky???? 

Halloween. Fall Festival. All Saints’ Day.

Doesn’t matter what we call it. Our kids know it by one name only.

Gobs of Free Candy Day.

I remember my 7th grade Halloween: trick-or-treating with friends, followed by a sleep over. Totally unsupervised, we ate a ton of candy.

That Halloween was epic.

I also remember the holiday when my mom “went healthy” and gave us carob treats instead of milk chocolate. FYI, carob = bletch.

Now, as a parent, I find myself wanting to strike a balance between good health and good times. I don’t want to cross into carob territory, if you know that I mean. I also don’t want to acquiesce to a candy orgy.

Have you looked at the ingredients for Halloween candy? High fructose corn syrup . Sugar . Food coloring. And hydrogenated oils. Nobody should ever be eating hydrogenated oils, which are, essentially, poisons that will kill you over time .

We are not Spartans. I want my kids to be part of American cultural traditions. I am a proponent of good old-fashioned fun.

So, we’ve worked out a compromise.

After a night of trick-or-treating, my kids have free reign to eat their candies for 30 minutes, or so. The trading is furious. The consumption is near nauseating.

The next day, I give each of my kids a plastic sandwich bag, into which the child may load favorite candies, to keep and eat at leisure.

Then I pay $20 in exchange for the remainder of each child’s candy.

Because what do kids like even more than candy? Cold, hard, cash. It is an easy swap.

Yeah, it is a little pricey, especially with four kids. I want to make the trade attractive to my kids, so that they won’t miss the candy. I look at it as an investment in my kids’ health.

Lastly, I donate or throw away the exchanged candy because, you know, if that candy stays in the house, who is going to eat it? Me. I have no will power around chocolate and sugar.

With this barter system, my kids fully enjoy Halloween. I have peace of mind that my kids are not gorging on pounds of toxic candy. And my own waistline remains unchanged.

Its a win-win-win situation, I think.

The no recipe closing:

Only give out candy that you would serve your own kids. Here are a few suggestions:

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops

Trader Joe’s lollipops

Endangered Species fair trade chocolate bars

Divine Chocolate fair trade chocolate coins

Glee gum

Annie’s Fruit Snacks

If you haven’t taken the pledge to be a Fit Mom with Fit Kids, do so now and spread the word!  We haven’t reached our 10,000 mark yet but we are on our way!  Sign up on the right side of the page.  Also, SUBSCRIBE! We need your help to reverse the trend of obesity in America.  It starts with YOU Fit Mom!  We can do it!

Lori Rivas, organic homeschooling mama to 4 great kids

Photo credits:

Photo by Weslie and Chelsey Totten

kid eating bag of candy image from: http://www.kalebnation.com/blog/tag/nom-nom/
candy pile image from:http://www.healthkicker.com/715732535/fighting-the-urge-to-eat-more-halloween-candy/
Peanuts Great Pumpkin image from: http://www.robertxgillis.com/?cat=40

It is flu season, your kids are sick, and you need to keep them hydrated, plus address sensitive digestion issues.

What to do?

Conventional wisdom states that kids should sip sodas, like ginger ale or Sprite, to ease a sensitive tummy; slurp Popsicles and Gatorade to stay hydrated; spoon canned chicken soup for nourishment.

But, wait a minute. If you are trying to boost your child’s immune system, why would you feed him/her all this junk? These conventional foods are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, MSG and other chemical “enhancers.”

Plus, plain and simple, sugar WEAKENS an immune system. Hello? Are you getting this?

What your sick child needs is real food, nourishing food, gentle food that will build his immune system, not tear it down. Here are some easy, healthy alternatives to conventional wisdom:

- Instead of processed Popsicles, serve snow cones — use shaved ice and juice concentrate instead of syrup.

- Instead of Gatorade, purchase plain electrolyte water, which has no added flavors or colors, and tastes just like water. You can also make your own electrolyte water at home.

- Instead of chicken soup from a can, make your own broth by simmering a chicken leg or two in water, along with chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped onion, salt and garlic. Then, strain the soup, and serve either as a clear broth, or, perhaps, with some brown rice.

- Warm teas can help ease a variety of symptoms. Traditional Medicinals has a great line for kids.

- A netipot or saline nasal spray can help clear nasal passages.

- Consider supplementing your kids with additional vitamin C and D, both of which have proven immune-boosting properties. In fact, there is even a case of a New Zealand man, hospitalized and near death with swine flu, who fully recovered when given intravenous doses of vitamin C. Also, adequate vitamin D is being heralded more and more as an effective preventative of flu.

Of course, keeping your child healthy is a year-round affair. Consistent and adequate rest, sufficient exercise, proper nutrition, managing stress levels, all play a role in supporting a healthy immune system.

I am not against traditional medicines: I have 2 kids with asthma, and keep a well-stocked medicine cabinet. I am thankful for pharmaceuticals. But let’s give modern medicine a stable base on which to stand — well-nourished children.

Cough and Sore Throat Soother
- raw honey
- one lemon

Make a simple syrup by mixing a spoon or two of raw honey with the juice of one lemon. Give to your child, as needed, to soothe throat and ease coughs.

Let food by your medicine, and your medicine be your food.
-Hippocrates, father of modern medicine

Lori Rivas, organic homeschooling mama to 4 great kids

Photo by Weslie and Chelsey Totten

sick girl image from http://www.btschool.org/news-and-events/
lemon and honey image from http://yourbodylovesfood.com/?p=6

I love that quote.

I love that quote because it elevates my food choices above saving money. It inspires me to choose only real foods, not bargain foods.

Because which foods are typically cheaper? Junk foods. Processed foods. Corn- and soy-based foods which are a detriment to good health.

Does it help to know that crappy foods are artificially cheap because of farm subsidies for corn and soy, which are in EVERYTHING? No? Doesn’t help? How about this: your tax dollars make processed food cheap. Mmmm…that’s a warm, fuzzy feeling.

King Corn

I must tell you, I don’t like shopping. And I especially hate bargain shopping, because, I find — and we all know this is intentional marketing — sales prompt me to buy things I don’t need. Do you ever look at food coupons that way? Just a ploy to hook you onto a new product, so you’ll return and buy it again and again?

I suggest that you forgo coupon shopping in your groceries — just try it for a week or two. And, then, instead of buying “what is on sale,” or “what is in bulk,” buy food that is nutritionally dense. I think you’ll be surprised at how much healthier your kitchen will become.

Oh, but it is tough to pass on those weekly specials that promise to save you “time and money.” And with a double coupon, why, we are lead to believe we are practically throwing away money not to take advantage of such deals.

But it is not money you are throwing away…it is your health, and that of your kids. Seriously, man up, and resist the temptation. Save your money elsewhere.

Join me, and skip the corn- and soy-enhanced foods, and choose real foods. Buy the simplest of ingredients. Cook from scratch. And may we all strive for the noble goal of feeding ourselves and our families really good food.

Homemade, corn-free soda

- sparkling mineral water
- juice concentrate

Reconstitute the juice concentrate with sparkling mineral water, instead of drinking water. Usually, you will require less juice concentrate than normal. I make this by the glass, so that I can preserve the bubbles of the mineral water in the original container.

Lori Rivas, organic homeschooling mama to 4 great kids

photo credits:
Photo by Weslie and Chelsey Totten

sparkling juice from: http://www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/fizzy-lizzy.asp