Make-A-Meal Mondays: CHILD-FRIENDLY NUT BUTTERS

Posted on April 4, 2011 by viviankirkfield

I’m a little sad…my son was visiting from Chicago and I just dropped him off at the airport. What an awesome weekend we had…filled with fly-fishing on a picture-perfect stream, gourmet dinners and lunches…some enjoyed at local eateries and others made with the help of my son who loves to cook (and is pretty darn good at it), long walks and important talks.

Building a healthy relationship with an adult child is an on-going process. It helps if you begin in early childhood by spending positive time with your young child and providing unconditional love. The process continues throughout adolescence and early adulthood when you provide emotional support and friendship…but no advice unless it is specifically requested. 🙂

One of the foods my children loved when they were young was peanut butter. On crackers, with jam or jelly on bread, spread on apple slices or celery sticks…it provides high quality nutrition and a taste most children love.

Why purchase processed peanut butter (or other nut butters like almond or cashew) when you can easily make your own, without adding sugar, salt or preservatives?

You will need: A food processor or blender that can chop nuts, ½ lb peanuts (or other nuts such as almonds, cashews or pecans).

1. Put the nuts in the food processor or blender. Cover and process until the nuts are finely ground.

2. Add a few drops of canola oil if you want it to spread a little more easily.

3. Spoon out your nut butter and store in an airtight container.

4. Spread on bread, crackers, apple slices…be creative!

Looking for other simple child-friendly recipes? Young children love to help in the kitchen. When you participate positively with your children…whether you are reading, crafting or cooking…you build their self-esteem, develop pre-literacy skills and create a life-long parent-child bond. If you visit my website, you can check out my parenting book that contains 100 simple healthful child-friendly cooking activities.

I hope you’ll keep in mind the Book Fair Event at the Covered Treasures Bookstore in Monument, CO on Sunday, April 10^th from 12-4pm. I’ll be there, signing copies of SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING, along with two other local authors. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Tri-Lakes Community Preschool Tuition Assistance Program. If you are in the Denver or Colorado Springs area, please stop by.

Also, please remember the book blog tour for Read with Max the Dog…you can visit the other blogs that are hosting: http://readwithmax.com/blogbooktour.html. My site will be hosting on April 12^th and I hope you will all stop by here for that!

Saturday Ramblings: Building a Life-Long Bond With Your Children

Posted on April 2, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Today I am going fly-fishing with my husband and one of our grown sons. Peter flew in yesterday from Chicago to spend the weekend with us. I know we will have an awesome time…Eleven Mile Canyon is a magical spot and we are blessed to live only an hour away.

I picked Peter up at the airport…the hug he gave me was straight from the heart. We drove to a little Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs because Peter knows I love to try new foods and had never had Vietnamese food before. Dinner was DELICIOUS…and my dinner companion was all a mother could ask for.

In order to be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you need to be in their life today.

Believe me…I know what it is like to be a mom of several children with a home, husband and job. It truly gets overwhelming at times. But spending time with your young children is so very important.

Just 15 minutes a day is enough time to read a picture book.

Just 15 minutes a day is enough time to do a simple craft project together.

Just 15 minutes a day is enough time to participate together in the kitchen.

Parents are busy today…that’s why I wrote SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING. This unique resource is a shortcut for parents and teachers and provides story summaries of 100 picture books every young child should hear along with an easy craft project and a simple recipe for each recommended title. And right now, until April 9^th, the book is on sale for 50% off the cover price! Please visit my website to purchase and for details on the prize you can win for your preschooler.

Attention anyone local to Monument, CO…The Covered Treasures Bookstore is hosting a Book Fair to benefit the Tri-Lakes Community Preschool Tuition Assistance Program on Sunday, April 10th at 12-4pm…come on out for a wonderful day in Monument and get to meet and greet three local authors who will be signing their books. I’ll be there from 2-3:30pm. A portion of all proceeds will go to Tri-Lakes Community Preschool and I’m offering several raffle prizes. For more information: www.coveredtreasures.com

Healthy Habit Thursday: The Importance of Vitamins!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

I can still remember the ENORMOUS vitamin pill my sister and I had to take every morning. It was all but impossible to swallow…and often left us feeling that it was still stuck in our throats, long after breakfast was over.

These days, children have chewable vitamins with fruity flavors, shaped like favorite cartoon characters.

But the underlying premise is still the same…supplementing your daily diet with vitamins and minerals is probably a smart move…especially these days when the nutritional value of processed foods is questionable.

So why are vitamins important and how does each one help?

Today’s post will concentrate on Vitamin B…a complex vitamin made up of eight essential nutrients. And then, every Thursday in the month of April, we’ll take a look at various other vitamins.

The B-complex vitamins are essential for life and good health. They help make and regulate our genes, produce energy, regulate blood sugar, enhance mood and cognitive abilities and maintain cardiovascular health. Since the 1940’s, they’ve been known as anti-stress vitamins because they help strengthen our resistance to the physical and mental consequences of chronic stress.

Eight B vitamins make up this family of essential nutrients.

Vitamin B1: Also known as thiamin, this vitamin helps cells produce the right amounts of energy and gives you the power to get through day-to-day life. If you consume large amounts of sugars and simple carbohydrates like pizza, breads, pastas, bagels and cereals, your supply of B1 will be depleted.
Vitamin B2: Also known as riboflavin, this vitamin is at the heart of energy production and thought to be helpful to decrease the frequency of migraine headaches.
Vitamin B3: Also known as niacin, this vitamin helps cells produce an enzyme that repairs DNA damage from toxins and it also can significantly lower blood cholesterol levels.
Vitamin B6: Also known as pyridoxine and pyridoxyl-5-phosphate, this vitamin works together with other elements to promote a variety of chemical reactions involved in the production of serotonin and other mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. It’s been used in studies to decrease PMS symptoms and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Vitamin B12: Low levels of this vitamin can accelerate aging and the risk of cancer and may mimic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Folic Acid: This vitamin is the main contributor to making new DNA which is needed to make new cells for growth and healing. Studies show that this vitamin can enhance the benefits of anti-depressant drugs and cut hearing loss in middle-age and older people.
Biotin: This vitamin activates some of the genes involved in metabolizing blood sugar, protein and fat…it’s especially important for people with pre-diabetes and type-2 diabetes. It also can help lower triglycerides and it improves nail health.
Choline: This vitamin is found in all cell membranes where it helps communicate external information to the cell nucleus. It is needed for normal brain development and function.

This is a photo from my recent trip to visit my daughter and her family. 2 1/2 year-old Jeremy had a wonderful time whisking the eggs and mashing the bananas (both GREAT sources of Vitamin B) for the banana muffins we made. As parents, we are responsible for providing healthful foods for our children…and ourselves. Do you find yourself dragging before the day is half over? Maybe you need to eat some foods rich in B vitamins.

1. Dark leafy green vegetables

2. Fresh fruits

3. Fresh dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese

4. Meat

Two important tips to remember:

Most processed foods these days are “enriched” with vitamin B…but we should all strive to eat foods that are naturally rich in B.
The nutritional value of a food can decline when frozen, overcooked or combined with various additives.

If you are looking for some simple child-friendly healthful recipes…please visit my website where you can purchase a copy of SHOW ME HOW, a unique resource for parents and teachers of preschoolers that provides 100 cooking activities your child will LOVE to help with…most take just 15 minutes to prepare and will contribute to your child’s positive self-image. The half-price sale continues until April 9^th…so please don’t miss out if you were thinking of getting a copy. You can also enter to win a selection of craft supplies for your preschooler.

Please stop by tomorrow for Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian and find out how much fun I had this morning at Edison School! And don’t forget about the Book Blog Tour for Max the Dog. You can click on my sidebar to find out more.