My Son Is Nuts

OK not really. But at the age of 4 1/2, he can use a nutcracker as well as an adult.

(Yowza!!!)

"Boy" strength showing up early, I guess. I think part of it might be that he applies all of his wee brute strength with no regard to where the pieces fly, whereas when I crack a nut I try to be tidy and hold back a bit.

The end result is that lately he's been eating lots and lots and lots of nuts, which leaves him open to the inevitable comments of "hey, you are what you eat, you know!".

On the plus side, nuts are pretty darn good for you, and while I've been munching on my secret stash of leftover chocolate covered almonds, he's been eating them sans-crap, right out of the shell.

Mommy approved!!
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Sneaking Nutrients Into Food

I'm always looking for ways to sneak nutrients into my kids' food, and here something I tried the other day that worked (good thing they don't read my blogs ;-)

I sprinkled some wheat germ into their peanut butter sandwiches.

Victory!!

The idea is to not go overboard or they'll notice. Better to have them eat sandwiches with a little bit added each time, rather than have them reject them entirely.

This is a handy trick if your kids are very "bread colour oriented". My kids prefer white bread because it's softer and it's what Daddy eats, but if I simply say "not today!" for white, they will eat whole grain, and I never pack anything but whole grain in A's school lunches.

However, I know there are kids out there who won't eat bread unless it's white, so sneaking some wheat germ (or flax, or bran) inside might be a solution that works.

Sugar!!!

Ooh I want this book:

http://www.littlesugaraddicts.com/

WOW does this describe my two kids, from the silliness to the moodiness, and the emotional volatility.

I try and keep their sugar intake low, but I'm reluctant to cut them off completely, because I worry that they'll want it even more. I guess I figure that if I give them a little bit (i.e. about 1/4 cup of Daddy's Pepsi in their own cup, for instance) then their craving will be satisfied.

It's scary how the sugar adds up. Everything seems to contain it. There's the refined processed stuff that's in things like peanut butter, and the natural stuff that's in fruit and vegetables. To completely eliminate sugar from a diet would involve giving up a lot of foods that have other benefits.

Still, I think my focus going forward will be to reduce my kids' consumption of sugar even further. For instance I can put less peanut butter on their banana slices.

First on the agenda will be to get rid of the leftover chocolate birthday cake I made for my husband so the kids won't have anymore. As a dedicated Mother I guess it's my duty to take care of that ;-)

15 Heathly Loose Tooth Foods

OK here are some things I've been trying... This is one of those lists that's endless, so I know as soon as I publish this I'll think of ten more things!! LOL

1) Sliced banana (or any sliced fruit, for that matter)
2) Sliced avocado
3) Soup
4) Yogurt
5) Porridge
6) Whole grain pancakes
7) Cheese
8) Eggs
9) Peanut butter
10) Fruit smoothies
11) Cooked mashed veggies
12) Pasta
13) Rice pudding
14) Homemade pudding (made with real milk and reduced sugar)
15) Apple sauce