Natural Family Recipes Blog

Maple syrup is delicious and natural. It was a wonderful woody taste and smell that appeals to both grownups and children. With such wonderful qualities, you won’t want to use it only for your pancakes. Here are a few more ideas:

#1 – Maple Syrup Rice Pudding – Rice pudding is an old-fashioned comforting dessert. You can reduce the amount of sugar you use and instead add a little maple sugar. Once the rice pudding is cooked you can add a swirl of syrup on top and pop it under a hot grill for a minute and it will caramelize.

#2 – Maple Syrup for tea – Why not try a teaspoon of maple syrup in your tea. It has a nicer taste than plan sugar and a depth that’s more intense than honey.

#3 – Maple Cough Syrup – If you feel like a cold is approaching try a soothing maple cough syrup. It’s completely natural and will help sooth your throat. Place a teaspoon of maple syrup along with the juice of half a lemon in a cup, add hot water, swirl and sip.

#4 – Maple Syrup Muffins – Try a whole wheat basic muffin recipe and replace half of the sugar with a few tablespoons of maple syrup. It’s better for you and will give your muffins a more intense flavor.

#5 – Maple Syrup Cookies – Maple syrup goes great in cookies. Try a basic cookie recipe and replace half of the sugar with a few tablespoons of maple syrup. Add a handful of chopped pecans and you’ve created a warming fabulous cookie recipe.

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When was the last time your family had a meal together? I don’t mean sitting in the car munching on burgers from the drive-through. I mean sitting down at the table and sharing a home-cooked meal.

If you can’t remember when you last enjoyed a family dinner, make plans to have them more often. Experts have found – and continue to discover – plenty of benefits for both children and adults when families have dinner together at least three times a week.

I know…I know, it’s not always easy, so click here if you need help with meal planning and grocery shopping.

Here are 10 reasons why you should have family meals more often:

Good For The Body

1. When families eat together, everyone tends to eat healthier. People who have frequent family meals consume more calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E. It could be because home-cooked meals are healthier than fast food and restaurant meals. (Source: Archives of Family Medicine)

2. Children tend to eat more fruits and vegetables when they frequently have dinner with their families. They also tend to eat fewer snack foods. (Source: American Dietetic Association)

3. Children in families who eat dinner together are less likely to be overweight (Source: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine). This makes sense, given the findings in #1 and #2 above.

Good For The Brain

4. Children from families who eat meals together get better grades than their peers who don’t have lots of family meal times (Source: Lou Harris-Reader’s Digest National Poll).

So family dinners are not only good for the body; they’re also good for the brain.

5. When families eat together frequently, children have better language skills compared to kids from families who don’t have family mealtimes often. (Source: Harvard University)

Good For Emotional Health

6. Children of families who eat together report feeling happier and are more optimistic about the future, than their peers who have infrequent family meals. (Source: Lou Harris- Reader’s Digest National Poll)

7. Teenagers are less likely to use drugs, smoke, and drink alcoholic drinks, when their families eat together regularly. (Source: Columbia University)

8. It may come as a surprise, but among Moms who work outside the home, those who have family mealtimes reported feeling less stress than those who had family dinners less often. (Source: Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal)

9. The more often teen girls had meals with their families, the less likely they were to have symptoms of depression and suicidal behaviors. (Source: University of Minnesota)

Good For Family Bonding

10. Eating together gives family members the chance to communicate and build relationships, something that both adults and children appreciate very much. (Source: Nutrition Education Network of Washington & Oprah Winfrey’s “Family Dinner Experiment”)

I hope these reasons motivate you and your family to try and eat together more often. We’re all busy – even children have plenty of after-school activities. But as the list above shows, family meals are worth every effort we put into them.

It helps to plan ahead so that we’re not scrambling to get dinner ready or panicking because we don’t have all the ingredients we need.

To make it easier to get the family around the table with a home-cooked meal, check out Dine Without Whine’s menu planning service. It cost just a penny to try it out!

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How to Overcome Emotional Eating

Eating is a part of life.  Your body gets its nutrients from food.  Sometimes we can go overboard with our eating habits and it can result in gaining weight.  One issue with food is emotional eating. 

The problem of emotional eating may end with the scale but it begins in the mind.  Stress takes its toll on your life.  When your defenses are compromised your health takes a hit and so do your emotions. 

Everyone has good days and bad days.  How we deal with the bad ones brings emotional eating into play.  You look for comfort for your hurts.  People who turn to food for comfort find a coping mechanism that won’t judge them, hurt them or tell them “no.” To complicate the issue, eating pleasurable foods can stimulate the release of endorphins just like exercise.  So, after you eat, you feel better.

Emotional eaters use food to relieve stress.  They hide behind the food instead of seeking solutions to the problems.  This is not uncommon when the stressor is something horrible such as physical abuse or a death.

But, how do you know you are using food in this way?  The first sign is obvious.  You will gain weight if you eat too much.  In light of the weight gain, examine other areas of your life:

* Have you been under stress lately at work or at home?
* Has anything traumatic happened in the last year?
* Are you dealing with a problem but haven’t found a solution?

Answering “yes” to any of these questions could mean that you are an emotional eater.  You eat but you are not necessarily hungry at the time.  The foods that you choose are what we term “comfort foods”:

* High fat foods like French fries, fried foods
* High carb foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes
* Sugary foods like ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake

There is help for emotional eaters.  The first step is recognizing that you have a problem.  You’ll experience feelings of helplessness and guilt.  The guilt is over potentially ruining your health and the helplessness lies in the fact that you don’t see a way out.

Secondly, seek counseling.  There are many types of counselors out there that can meet your need.  Emotional eating has nothing to do with dieting or changing your eating habits but gaining control over your emotions. 

A counselor might suggest things like visualization, practicing problem solving skills, relaxation techniques and family support.  Visualization helps you to see your problems in a realistic way and not blown out of proportion.  You will also learn to see food as nutrition for the body and not an emotional crutch.

Thirdly, your family can learn your triggers for stress and be on the lookout for changes in your eating habits.  They can help you be aware of the foods you are eating, assist you in making healthy food choices and exercise along with you.  Proper diet and exercise increases immunity, blood flow and positive thinking.  Yoga enhances the mind/body connection so you don’t eat when you aren’t hungry.

Finding new ways to solve your problems and deal with stress will push food out of the equation.  You’ll feel good about finding solutions which will replace the dependence on food.  

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The Power of Antioxidants for Staying Young

Everyone wants to grow old gracefully.  Some go under the knife to get that youthful look while others opt for a more natural way to maintain that healthful glow.  The way to make peace with age can be found in the types of foods that we eat and the miracle ingredient they contain.

This hidden “miracle” is called antioxidants.  They have graced the pages of magazines, medical journals and every product from hand cream to supplement pills.  But what are antioxidants and what can they do to keep you looking your best?

Antioxidants are substances that fight the aging process that goes on in your body.  They are not produced by the body so to get the benefit of these power-packed substances you must ingest them.  A variety of foods contain antioxidants.

Let’s go back to the beginning.  The body continually replenishes its cells.  Through a process called cellular metabolism, the body produces energy, more cells and repairs any damage.  One by-product of cellular metabolism is unstable molecules called free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules that damage your body.  They are unstable because they are missing an electron.  To get another one and become stable, free radicals will steal electrons from cells.  That theft damages the cells in a variety of ways. 

The results are visible and invisible changes to our bodies.  The development of diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and neurological deficiencies may begin to affect you as you age.  Also, thinner skin wrinkles and brittle bones are a problem.  Free radicals enter our body from outside sources as well: cigarette smoke, radiation and the sun’s UV rays.  The more free radicals we encounter, the greater the damage that can be done.

Antioxidants have been shown to be of great help in the free radical problem.  Antioxidant substances combine with free radicals and neutralize them.  Once they are neutralized, they can no longer do any damage.  Scientists don’t have any idea of a recommended daily dose of antioxidants to correct free radical damage and the diseases that come with age, but they do know that eating foods rich in antioxidants makes a huge difference in how we live.

Where do you find antioxidants?  They are all around us.  Look no further than your local farmer’s market or produce aisle in the grocery store.  Fruits and vegetables contain the principle sources of antioxidants.

Examples of antioxidants include:
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin A
* Vitamin E
* Lutein
* Lycopene
* Beta-carotene

Certain minerals like zinc and selenium also function in the body.  They are not antioxidants but they boost the immune system to fight against free radical damage.

Antioxidants are also found in nuts, legumes, cold water fish, seafood and red meat.  So, eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and the foods just named will increase the amount of antioxidants in your system and help reduce the incidence of disease.  Eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form instead of juices brings the benefit of other nutrients found in the foods.  Juices also contain a lot of sugar that is not needed by your body.

Food does more than stave off hunger.  Natural substances found there can cause us to live longer and stay free of disease as we age.

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What is the secret to a long and healthy life?  It is in the food that we eat.  As you well know, all foods are not created equal.  Choosing and eating the right foods may help increase your life expectancy as well as the quality of your life.

Here are ten of the top power packed foods designed to give you energy, vitality and all around good health!

1. Beans – If they give you gas, take precautions before you eat them.  Soaking them first can help.  Beans of all kinds (kidney, navy, lentils, chickpeas, Northern) are high in protein.  This is plant protein so it contains very little fat, carbs and calories.  If fiber is a problem in your diet, eating a healthy portion of beans each day can keep your digestive system healthy.

2. Oatmeal – Oatmeal is coming into popularity as a food that lowers blood cholesterol.  You can make it yourself with rolled oats or eat the instant kind if you are in a hurry.  Oatmeal is a filling grain that also provides much needed fiber to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar constant.

3. Fruits – Fruits are filled with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and A.  Antioxidants fight free radical damage in the body and reduce the risk of cancer.  Berries such as blueberries and grapes have the highest amount of antioxidants.  But choose an array of fruits in a wide variety of colors for maximum health.  The antioxidants in fruit boost the immune system to fight the effects of aging in the body.

4. Allium foods – This class of foods includes garlic, onions, leeks and shallots.  Garlic is known for lowering cholesterol.  Allium vegetables healp guard the body against the risk of cancer and many other ailments.  They also help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots.  Eating these power packed vegetables in their natural state especially garlic increases their health benefits. 

5. Salmon – Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of heart disease and other conditions like atherosclerosis.  Wild salmon is a fatty fish but it contains good fats that has been proven to improve health in children and adults.  Salmon is rich in protein which is of great use after an exercise session to build muscle tissue.

6. Flax seed – Like salmon it contains omega-3 fatty acids.  These seeds also contain omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids.  You get a lot of power to fight high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes with this seed.  Ground flax seed can be added to fruit smoothies, sprinkled in yogurt, eaten with cereal or added to pancake mix to name a few.

7. Peppers – Peppers are colorful.  They contain antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C.  Peppers range from mild and sweet to so hot you’ll be calling the fire department.  All peppers contain a substance called capsaicin.  Capsaicin has the properties of an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, lowers cancer risk and heart disease.  They are good in salads, salsa and all sorts of dishes.

8. Nuts and seeds – Nuts are high in fat but those fats are the good kind.  Peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and pistachios are all providers of good fats and protein.  Crush them into a fine powder and use as a coating instead of higher carb bread crumbs.  Nuts help to lower cholesterol.  Eat them right out of the shell with no additives.

9. Açai – This berry has been in the news lately.  It is rich in antioxidants and increases energy.  You can get more done and look better while doing it.  You can get Acai juice and supplements in your health food store.

10. Yogurt – The fat free variety is good for you.  Yogurt contains calcium, Vitamin B, and protein.  If you don’t drink milk, yogurt is an alternative to get your calcium in to build strong bones and teeth.  Live yogurt also contains friendly bacteria to help promote a healthy digestive system.

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Children are on the go constantly. They need healthy between meal snacks to supply nutrition and replenish energy. Junk food diets have contributed to obesity and health problems in children. It is more important than ever to train kids to eat healthy. Below are some ideas for healthy summer snacks that are easy to fix.

Fruit and Veggies – Keep the refrigerator stocked with a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Applesauce and prepared fruit purchased in cups are great for packed lunches on family outings.  

Children like to eat what is fun. Sliced apples and bananas are great spread with nut butters. For variety try almond or hazelnut butter in place of peanut butter.

The kids will enjoy almost any variety of fresh raw vegetables. A plate filled with cucumber rounds, cherry tomatoes, celery, and baby carrots served with a dip will quickly be gobbled up. Low fat Ranch dressing mixed with equal portions of low fat cottage cheese is a dip for the fresh veggies that will appeal to kids.

Nuts and Grains – Homemade Mini-muffins will be healthy, easy for the kids to handle and great with fruit and veggies.  Zucchini, banana and carrot bread recipes work great. For extra healthy muffins substitute applesauce for the oil and halve the sugar.

Nuts are packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. Mix together rice chex or low-fat granola, nuts, raisins, and dried fruit pieces for a healthy homemade trail mix.

Cool Snacks – Kids love finger food and frozen grapes eat like candy. Grapes are rich in antioxidants and make a nutritious snack. Wash seedless grapes and keep in freezer until ready to eat.

Bananas can be frozen for a delicious sweet snack the kids can eat like a Popsicle. Arrange banana halves on wax paper and freeze bananas for 20 minutes. Remove bananas from freezer, slip a Popsicle stick into each half, and dip into melted chocolate. Return the bananas to freezer until solid (about an hour) before serving.

Jell-O blox are great fun for kids and made with fruit juice are a healthy way to provide energy. Sprinkle 4 envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin over 1 cup cold fruit juice; let stand 1 minute. Add 3 cups fruit juice heated to boiling and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Sweeten to taste, Pour into 13 x 9 inch baking pan and chill until firm. To serve, cut into 1-inch squares. This makes 9 dozen fruit juice blocks.

Make sure your kids don’t grow up to think only of junk food. Help them to see the value of ‘healthy snack alternatives’ and provide the kids with nutritious, delicious snacks that will benefit their health.

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There are so many diets being touted as the best for optimal health it is hard to keep it all straight. One thing is for sure…the Standard American Diet (SAD) and the food pyramid are flawed to say the least. Kids today are not getting adequate nutrition and they are suffering as a result. Children are being diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, asthma, allergies, autism, diabetes, and afflictions that used to be found in adults only. Children as young as two years old have been found to have plaque in their arteries already. Something important is missing…but what is it? 

Think about how humans were designed. What did we eat for years before the advent of modern convenience foods? What is it that we are eating or rather NOT eating that is causing human health to decline with every passing year? Why are our bodies and our children’s bodies wearing out so fast and getting so sick?

As a species we have gotten away from the foods we are supposed to eat, living raw foods. The living foods or raw foods diet generally includes vegetarian/vegan foods but goes a step beyond and also eliminates cooked and processed foods. Raw diet enthusiasts know that living foods have life giving enzymes that are destroyed during processing and cooking, rendering those foods indigestible unless our body raids its own finite enzyme stores. Without those enzymes we can’t digest our food or extract the components that keep us alive and healthy. Cooking and processing also kills 50-75% of the nutrients in food as well so when we cook food we are rendering it half as healthy as it once was.

So what do raw food proponents eat? A typical raw food diet consists mainly of uncooked and unprocessed grains, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, fresh and dried fruits, seeds, beans, and seaweed. Raw diets also usually include a lot fresh juices and water. In simple terms…eating raw food means eating food in its purest form…the way nature made it. If you throw a cheese puff on the ground and water it, nothing will grow. It has no life inside it. If you throw a dehydrated flax seed cracker on the ground and water it, you may very well end up with flax plants.

Those who follow raw foods diets believe that this way of eating reduces risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes and greatly improves their energy levels, skin appearance, digestive processes, and weight loss efforts. Many amazing raw food healing stories abound.

Many people neglect the importance of raw foods and cook everything. In the long run you are risking serious health problems. Cooked foods are not the healthiest option. The body cannot properly digest foods that have been fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried or other over-processed and over cooked foods. Eating a wide variety for raw foods is very important. A daily diet should consist of at least 50% raw foods for a proper functioning body. Are your kids eating 50% of their total diet it is purest, raw form? 

If not you can start doing something about it now. The Recipes for Raw Kids un-cookbook has 80+ pages of raw food info and recipes for kids. This recipe book goes beyond carrot sticks and trail-mix with divine recipes kids will love, like Lemon Cookies and sweet Chickpea Crunchies. If you are ready to give your kids the power of raw, living foods, make sure to check it out.

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The last thing we want to do in the hot summer is heat up the kitchen cooking dinner. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to feed your family and still beat the heat. Breakfast is fairly easy since fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, cereals and smoothies are delicious in the A.M. any time of year. Dinnertime is a little more challenging. Here are some ideas:  

Sandwich Night 
Every family should adopt a weekly sandwich night, if for no other reason than to give Mom a break! But another great reason to have sandwich night is to avoid turning on the oven. Just gather up all of your family’s favorite sandwich fixings and let them go to town. If plain old sandwiches get boring, try using tortillas and creating wraps or make open faced sandwiches or panini.  

Main Dish Salads 
What’s nicer on a hot day than a cool, crisp, crunchy salad? In the summertime your body needs the additional water so give it what it’s craving by making a main dish salad. To make a meal out of a salad, add cooked and cooled chicken, shrimp, tuna, beans, cheese and hardboiled eggs for additional protein.  

Take It Outside 
To the grill, that is. Cook your meat and veggies outside on the grill and keep the heat out of your kitchen. Then serve a nice cold fruit salad for dessert. Refreshing! 

Use Smaller Appliances
If you just have to have a hot meal, use a smaller appliance. Your toaster oven or slow cooker create less heat than your stove and oven do. You can also make meals that cook quickly like omelets, quesadillas and stir fries. 

Eat it Cold
Some dishes are meant to be served cool or at room temperature. Some ideas: sushi, gazpacho,  chips and dips, and hummus with pita and veggies. These are excellent for lunch or dinner.  

Go Raw 
Summertime is a wonderful time to experiment with eating more raw fruits and veggies. Even if you don’t want to commit to a raw foods diet long term, pick up a raw food “cookbook” and experiment with some of the recipes.

This The 365 Salad Recipe Collection is made up of just salad recipes, one for every day of the year.

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Cooking With Healthy Nuts

Nuts are found in cookies, candy bars, baked goods, side dishes, appetizers, and entrees, providing a flavorful addition to any recipe, but also uplifting the nutritional content as well. To take advantage of the many positives associated with nuts, consider incorporating the following selections in your next meal.

Walnuts

The walnut possesses a high amount of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which helps elevate heart health, as well as battle the inflammatory symptoms associated with asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis. Walnuts contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid, which is proven to fight against cancer, as well as provide a boost in the immune system. Patients given walnuts as part of their treatment have seen the levels of their total cholesterol and ‘bad” cholesterol significantly decrease. The hardening of the arteries (also known as atherosclerosis) was also reduced. To incorporate walnuts when cooking, seek out recipes, such Walnut Salad, Spiced Walnut Apple Pie, and Beef and Walnut Stew.

Almonds

Almonds contain a high amount of magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, as well as helpful antioxidants, such as vitamin E and selenium. Calcium is also contained in a handful of almonds, which in fact rivals the amount of calcium contained in ¼ cup of milk. To boost the health of the colon, almonds are a winner, as the high fiber content helps sustain regularity. When it comes to lowering cholesterol, almonds are considered one of the best nuts for getting the job done. Almonds are also known to clear the arteries. A few recipes to look forward with almonds include Pine Nut Macaroons, Honey Almond Chicken, and Hot Chicken Casserole.

Cashews

Since cashews are lower in fat than most nuts, they make perfect additions to recipes when one is looking to cut back on the calories. In addition, cashews are filled with copper, magnesium, zinc, iron and biotin. To get your daily fill, try preparing recipes, such as Cashew Chicken, and Cashew Avocado Chicken Salad.

Pecans

The first thing many think of when they hear the word, ‘pecan,’ is the pie it so famously creates. The last thing is probably the fact that there are more than 19 vitamins and minerals provided by this characteristic nut, including vitamins E and A, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Some of the benefits associated with using the pecan while cooking includes lowering blood cholesterol and clearing up the arteries. A few recipes containing pecans include Pecan Breaded Chicken Breasts, and Coconut Pecan Frosting.

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Herbs are a great way to flavor almost any food dish, but buying them at the store can be expensive.  A more cost effective option that adds money to your pocket and flavor to your meals is to grow and dry your own herbs.  It can also be tons of fun, especially if you have children who can help. 

Fresh herbs have a benefit over the dried ones you buy in the store. If you have a sunny spot and some good soil, you can grow your own herbs at home. Choose the ones that you use most to season food and grow them in small planters.

When growing herbs, treat them like any other plant. Pruning and cutting back the leaves brings even more leaves. As you cut and use fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, they will continue to grow. In fact, the herbs may grow faster than you can use them, so share some with friends and neighbors.

Another alternative to letting the extra go to waste is to dry your fresh herbs. Dried fresh herbs lose their moisture, but still retain the entire flavor of a fresh plant. You’ll now have herbs to last for months to come and you can pass them on to others once they are dried as well.

Begin with your equipment. You’ll need a place to dry them. You can use wooden or wire racks. That cooling rack you use in the kitchen for cookies and cakes would be perfect for drying herbs. Gather together a colander, some cheesecloth, paper towels, and some string.

All herbs to be dried should be washed and rinsed in cold water. A colander is perfect because the water can drain out the bottom. Use paper towels to pat each leaf and stalk until dry of any visible moisture.

Herbs can be dried in many ways. If you only want the leaves, remove the stalk and lay the leaves on a drying rack. Depending on the size of the leaves, you may need a wire rack for them as opposed to a cooling rack from the kitchen.

Herbs can also be dried in bunches. Tie them with string at the stalks and hang them upside down on a nail to air dry. This can be accomplished outside or indoors, but should be done in an area that is ventilated with no humidity. Humidity will help your herbs to retain their moisture and prevent drying. Use cheesecloth to cover herbs on a cooling rack if you plan on letting them dry outside.

Use the oven for faster drying. The temperature should remain low (around 120 degrees). Gently touch the leaves every half hour to test for dryness. The microwave oven is an alternative, but you will have to be careful not to shrivel them up.

Dried herbs will keep for a six months. After that, the flavor begins to wane. Herbs should be stored in Mason jars or plastic containers, just be sure to label them so you know which herb is which. In order to keep the herbs dry and avoid molding during storage, seal the containers air tight.

Herbs season food in many unique and yummy ways. Drying herbs allows you to savor the flavor while saving money and having fun all at once.

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