Inspire Your Kids Creativity With Food

It's funny how life takes over sometimes. We are so busy running here and running there that we are often going through the motions, getting things done. That's how it is around here with getting food on the table.


I must confess, I am not in love with cooking. I grew up in a restaurant family. We ate out every day. There wasn't a lot of cooking going on in our house. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that we ate dinner at home on Christmas and Thanksgiving, maybe Easter. That's it.


Now that I have 5 kids, that is simply not an option so I cook dinner most nights and I make lunches most days so my kids can have healthier foods. I tend to go for what is quick and easy and I do most of it myself because it is just easier that way.


I do let the kids get their own snacks. We always have fruit and veggies available and some healthy chips etc. Most of the time they grab an apple but sometimes they will get creative and make a smoothie.

The other day they really impressed me with their creativity when they came up with this snack idea. They cut up their apples and bananas. Spread some peanut butter on the apple slices, topped them with the banana and sprinkled some ground flax seed and cinnamon on top.

They loved eating the snack and it was amazing to see the pride in having come up with it all on their own. I think they enjoyed it even more.


This incident has got me thinking about taking time out of the day and giving them the materials to create their own meals. They can take ownership of what they are eating and it will help them to think outside the box.


I am thinking about giving them a challenge with different ingredients and giving them a time limit to create their own special dish. What fun that would be. I will keep you posted.

Food Revolution

Have you seen Jamie Oliver's new show? I loved it and I am so excited to have him on television bringing awareness to healthy eating. I commend him for his courage and his perseverance. I have to say there were times that I felt exhausted just watching him go against the system.

It is a sad but true fact that change is difficult. We don't like change even if it is for our own good. Sometimes we can't see beyond our own safe little box to see what's on the other side. That seems to be what is happening in this town. The suspicious radio DJ and the obstinate school lunch cook are perfect examples of why it is so hard to push change.

The truly exasperating part is the bureaucracy that is in effect in the name of protecting our children. The school lunch guidelines are a joke as is the amount of money these schools are given to purchase food for our children. Seriously, we as a country need to come to grips with the fact that the less money we spend on food, the more we will be spending on health care, not to mention having to deal with illness and early death.

Industrialized farming, genetically modified crops, fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, government subsidizing are all reasons why we spend less of our income on food. These are the same things that are giving us food that is nutrient deficient and contribute obesity, pollution and antibiotic resistant microbes.

In my school district, lunch costs $1.80. $1.80?!? You can't get a happy meal for that. What makes us think the lunch they provide will be any better than a fast food meal?

In fact, I got my district's monthly lunch menu and it is appalling! Here are some of my favorite lunch choices:

• soft pretzel bites with cheese
• home run hot dog on a bun
• fly ball cheeseburger on a bun
• french toast sticks with sausage
• ballpark beef nachos
• string cheese, yogurt and Pretzel meal

This is not lunch food! It is snack food at best and more honestly it is a bunch of chemicals, preservatives, sugar and fat that is giving children no nutritional value.

And people wonder why I make my kids' lunches!

What's going on in your school district? Are your kids getting food for lunch or are they getting garbage? I have to say, the lunches that I saw on Jamie's show look actually better than the ones they serve in my district. Scary stuff! Tell me what's going on in your neck of the woods.

If you haven't watched the show yet I encourage you to head over to ABC and watch the first two episodes in their entirety. If you've already seen the show and are as thrilled as I am with the content you can go over to Jamie's website and sign his food revolution petition.

Toxins All Around

Last time I talked about what a cleanse is, and today I am going to talk to you about why you might want to take part in a cleanse.

Basically, we are surrounded by all kinds of toxins in our modern day world. There are toxins in the air, in the water, in our food and drink. Toxins are everywhere and unfortunately it seems that no matter where we live we are faced with the same reality. We are toxic.

The body's normal functions remove toxins on a daily basis through urination, bowel movements, sweating, sneezing, and coughing. As wonderful as our bodies are at this daily elimination process, they were not meant to deal with the onslaught of synthetic chemicals that are currently in our environment.

The food we eat is no longer from the vine. It is grown with pesticides and herbicides and processed with additives and preservatives that were created in a laboratory. The air we breathe is filled with pollution and the water we drink is chlorinated and fluoridated. Even in our own homes we are subjected to toxins in our building materials, carpets, fragrances, cookware, clothing and more.

The foods and liquids that we ingest are a big part of our increased toxic load. So many of us are eating packaged foods, fast foods, and convenience foods. These foods, if you can call them foods, are loaded with chemicals and devoid of the nutrients that the body needs. When you add in alcohol, caffeine, and sugar and the body becomes overloaded just trying to keep up.

The human body has done a wonderful job of dealing with these foreign invaders but it seems that there limits and for many of us, we have reached those limits.

Toxicity in the body can cause an array of symptoms like fatigue, headaches, mood swings, and decreased immunity. It can lead to gastrointestinal problems, birth defects, cancer and more.

Taking part in a cleansing program can give the body a break from the toxins and then it can use the energy to begin moving out any stored toxins. These toxins love to hang out in our fat cells so if you have some extra weight to lose you may have some extra toxins too.

Stay tuned for some top cleansing tips.

Spring Cleaning

There is something about the changing of the seasons that evokes a certain kind of excitement. Especially when we are moving out of the cold winter months into the rebirth and regeneration of spring. Of course here in theChicago area the weather is still in the thirties but I am hopeful that the thermometer will hit the 40s by the end of the week. Spring is on its way!

When spring arrives there is a noticable change in energy. Good old spring fever. I know that I can't wait to get moving, get outside and feel the warm sun on my face and to breathe in the fresh spring air. It feels so good.

This is usually the time that I get the urge to do a bit of spring cleaning. I know many of you can relate. It is just so satisfying to open up the windows, feel the crisp air fill the room and give everything a good clean.

Well, guess what. We don't need to stop there. Our bodies can use a nice spring cleanse as well. Over the winter we've probably been eating heavier foods and moving a bit less and maybe even stored a few pounds. The spring is a time to lighten up our foods, clean our our bodies and get ready for bathing suit season. It's the perfect time for a cleanse.

I am going to do a series of posts around spring cleansing and why it is important so stay tuned for more information. For now though, let's find out what a cleanse is.

A cleanse is a time to change the types of foods and beverages you ingest as well as setting up a physical routine that aids the body in detoxifying any built up toxins. These toxins come from external sources like pollutions, pesticides, and chemicals in our food and water.

A cleanse can last anywhere from 1 day to 30 days and can be as simple as removing one type of food like sugar or caffeine or as extreme as drinking nothing but water. I have personally tried my hand at some pretty extreme cleanses, the most extreme being a 92 day juice feast where I drank nothing but fresh vegetable and fruit juice. I made it 83 days. I know, crazy isn't it?

Well, these days I am a proponent of more gentle cleansing. I like to help my clients figure out what type of cleanse will suit their emotional and physical needs without causing a major shock to their system and throwing it out of balance. I encourage them to take part in a cleanse that is based on whole foods and is simple and satisfying.

Forget the old saying, "No pain, no gain." It doesn't apply. It's time to embrace a new and gentler way. A way that supports our body and doesn't make us feel miserable. This new way of cleansing is effective and can show amazing results.

In my next post I will go into detail about why we need to cleanse our bodies. I will talk about where the toxins are coming from and what they are doing to your body. Stay tuned!

It's OK to Do Nothing!

The other day I wasn't feeling very good. Nothing major, just tired and worn out. I knew I had a lot to do that day though so I pushed on and checked off all of my to-do's. You know us moms have to make sure we take care of everyone and get everything done.

Well, the next day I woke up feeling like I had been dragged behind a bus. Holy cow! It was bad. I decided that I just couldn't push through and I had to take it easy. I grabbed a blanket and snuggled up on the couch and took turns watching TV and taking naps. I did absolutely nothing!

Now, let me tell you, every hour or so I was overcome with guilt. I call it mommy guilt. I would start thinking, "I should just get up and throw a load of laundry in." or "I really can't lie here day doing nothing." When my husband called at lunch I could feel my stomach tighten as he asked me what I was doing. I knew he would be supportive but I still had the guilt.

Why is it that it's not OK to take care of ourselves anymore? I know moms are the worst at it but I know that I have a history of abusing myself and pushing myself beyond what is healthy from way back. Staying up all night partying, not eating healthy, being sick for weeks and running around doing everything.

It seems now that I am a bit older, my body is speaking louder to me and I can't ignore it as much as I used to. But why the guilt and how do I deal with it?

Well, I can tell you what I did. Every time those little thoughts entered my head I took a deep breath, and repeated my current favorite affirmation, "I love and approve of myself." Then I had a brief conversation with myself that went something like this, "Michelle, it's OK to take care of yourself. You don't feel good. Your body is asking for rest and you deserve to have it." This whole process took about 15 seconds.

It didn't stop the thoughts from coming, but it did help me deal with them and I imagine that the more I practice this, the less those thoughts will come.

Learning to Pamper

I just recently headed off to Miami Beach for a conference with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Of course I learned a lot of good information but the best thing about it was the much needed vacation. I stayed on for an extra day just to give myself time to relax and recuperate from my hectic life at home.

That extra day was so fantastic. It was great just being able to do whatever I wanted. I headed off to Lincoln Road where I had a great time window shopping, found a fabulous little restaurant and had the most delicious meal, and when it started to rain I ducked into a movie theater.

I went to this beautiful and luxurious hotel for breakfast and ordered a pot of citrus chamomile tea. When the waitress brought it out I got as excited as a school girl on a trip to American Girl. It was in this cute pot and served on a tray with a little individual pot of honey and a lemon wedge on its own little dish. So cute!

I sat there outside, next to the pool with my cup of tea, soaked in the sun, and thought about how lucky I was to be there. I couldn't help but wish I could have a little more of this pampering. Of course my lifestyle doesn't really give me a lot of free time for extravagant vacations, sitting by the beach, sipping tea.

Then I thought, how can I bring a little slice of this to my life on a smaller scale? Seriously, why can't I buy myself a nice teapot with some cute cups and those adorable little spoons? I could get a little tray and sit out in my screen room overlooking the pond and sip my tea.

So that is my plan. A little pampering ritual that I am bringing back from Miami Beach. I went shopping yesterday but couldn't find one I was in love with so I will keep looking. I will be sure to post a picture when I find it.

I am on a path of learning how to treat myself special. I've spent most of my life focusing on my kids and I don't really even know how to pamper myself. Sad but true. I suspect there are a lot of women out there who can relate.

So, tell me your story. How do you pamper yourself and treat yourself special? If you don't spend a lot of time doing special things for yourself tell me one thing big or small that you would love to do for yourself. Maybe you can give me some great ideas!

Ornaments of Love

I love Christmas! It is my favorite holiday of the year. Every year after Thanksgiving, we pull out our Christmas tree and we go about the task of decorating it and I couldn't be more excited. Once we get past the initial struggle with the lights, the fun begins. I gather all the kids around and we open up the boxes of ornaments and I begin passing them out.

Each year I give my children a new ornament. It usually has to do with something they did in the year or a strong interest they have. There have been ornaments of just about every sport given out as well as musical instruments and favorite characters. I really love handing my 12 year old a Telletubby ornament. He cringes every time but we all laugh and I remember when he couldn't get enough of that show (thank God that is over!!!).

In 2000 my mother in law passed away in July. During that first Christmas season we received an envelope from the funeral home that handled the arrangements for us. Inside was a paper dove ornament with gold trim and her name written on it. It made us pretty sad that year but it reminded us how much she loved Christmas and it gave us an opportunity to talk about her as we put the ornament up onto the tree.

Nine years later, we still put that ornament up onto our tree in a special spot up high where it is safe and honored. It has become a special time where we can remember her and honor all that she gave us while she was a part of her life.

I am so grateful that we were given this simple gift that year when we weren't even sure we were ready to deal with it. It has given us years of joy and I suspect it will continue to for many years to come.

Is there someone you would like to honor this holiday season? Perhaps you can create a special ornament or decoration that will spark a memory, begin a conversation, or bring about a sense of gratitude for having had the privilege of knowing them. Or maybe there is someone you know who could use a simple gift or remembrance this year.