With busy mornings and kids headed back to school, it can be difficult to serve a nutrient-packed breakfast every day and easier to grab a sugary cereal or skip breakfast altogether! Breakfast is an important meal that gives your body and mind the boost they need to get going in the morning. Studies show that eating breakfast has great cognitive benefits, including improved memory recall time, improved grades, and higher test scores – meaning a healthful breakfast is not only important for your kids’ bodies to grow, but also important for their brains to grow. Help your kids start the school year off right by beginning their days with a high-quality protein breakfast to provide them with the energy and nourishment they need to make the grade!

Sugary Cereal Facts

Many kids’ breakfast cereals contain over 60% of the recommended daily amount of sugar in one serving, and some contain as many as six different types of sweeteners!

Breakfast cereals are one of the biggest sources of added sugars in young kids’ diets – ranking 5th – just after sugar-sweetened beverages, cookies, candy, and ice cream. Cereals with cartoon characters on the box usually contain the most added sugars, with a typical serving containing as much sugar as three chocolate chip cookies!

Eggs to the Rescue!

Stop that morning sugar high and prevent the afternoon crash by selecting a high-protein breakfast, like eggs, over cereals and yogurts that contain added sugar.

Eggs are naturally sugar-free and provide one of the highest quality proteins of any food available! A single egg has more than 6 grams of protein, with almost half of the protein found in the yolk. Not only is protein an important nutrient that is necessary for muscle growth and body repair, high-protein meals have been shown to keep you feeling fuller for longer than low-protein meals.

Quick and Easy Recipes

Get your daily dose of high-protein eggs with these delicious, simple recipes by Cricket Azima:

Breakfast Cake

Breakfast Pizza

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Summer is finally in full swing and that means lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in the fridge! Fruits and veggies are great sources of nutrients, but did you know that these snacks could actually harm your kids if not cleaned properly? Pesticides are nasty little bugs that can attack your kids’ immune system, if not dealt with appropriately.

What are pesticides?

A pesticide is a chemical used to prevent, destroy, or repel pests. Typically used on growing produce such as fruits and vegetables, pesticides contain chemicals that can hurt your youth.

Why is it important to wash your fruits and vegetables?

Children are extremely susceptible to pesticides for a couple of reasons. First, kids bodies are still developing. Their digestive, immune, and nervous systems are still growing. As a result, kids have a tough time fighting off the bacteria that pesticides carry, which usually clings to fruits and veggies. Although pesticide intake is not ideal for adults either, adults have fully matured, making it easier to ward off these nasty creatures. Second, kids consume three to four times more fruits and vegetables than adults. Therefore, they are absorbing a larger amount of pesticides than adults, and as we just learned, this is very bad for their health! Lastly, there is a list out called the “dirty dozen.” Shown below, these fruits and vegetables contain an extremely high number of pesticides. These fruits and vegetables, all of which are viable summer snacks, actually can be the most detrimental for your kids if not cleaned properly.

Dirty Dozen List:

1. Celery
2. Strawberries
3. Apples
4. Cherry Tomatoes
5. Grapes
6. Cucumbers
7. Peaches
8. Spinach
9. Sweet Bell peppers
10. Imported nectarines
11. Imported snap peas
12. Imported potatoes

How can I deal with this problem?

For busy mommies, Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash is a great way to rid your summer snacks of toxins! This product, 100% natural, ensures the cleanliness of fruits and vegetables against nasty germs and pesticides. This wash will allow parents to relax when serving their kids these refreshing snacks!

Simply wash your fruits and vegetables. Just running them under hot water or squirting some light soap on top will help rid the food of icky toxins.

Buying organic fruits and vegetables eliminates risk of pests altogether. While it can be a bit pricy, organic fruits and vegetables are grown without pesticides and are a simple solution to this buggy problem.

Grab your kids and grow your own popcorn! A snack that’s healthful, flavorful, and educational? Now that’s something that The Creative Kitchen can get behind! This month, one of our favorite better-for-you snack options, Angie’s Boomchickapop popcorn, is gearing up their Grow Some Boom campaign, encouraging families to test out their green thumbs, grow, and ultimately pop and enjoy their very own popcorn at home.

Husband-and-wife duo Dan and Angie Bastian of Angie’s Boomchickapop already sell deliciously snackable natural popcorn without any GMOs, high-fructose corn syrup, trans fat, and artificial sweeteners, flavors, or preservatives. And now through the end of April, Angie’s is giving away their secret: their seeds!

Simply visit www.growsomeboom.com to order their untreated, non-GMO, organic popcorn seeds online, or pick them up in-store wherever you purchase Boomchickapop ((try Costco, Target, Whole Foods, regional grocery stores, co-ops, and health food stores.) Then head to their Facebook page for tips, tricks, and support on growing popcorn.

The goal is to get consumers off the couch and into the garden. Make growing your own popcorn a family activity! All it takes are some seeds and a little TLC to teach kids where their family’s food comes from, and how easy it is to grow better-for-you snacks at home that are popped, not processed.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

The Creative Kitchen founder Cricket Azima gets asked a lot of kitchen questions while teaching hands-on cooking classes to kids. Here, she answers some of the trickiest ones just for you!

Q: I need kid-friendly gluten-free meal ideas to get me through the week. Any recommendations?

A. Eating gluten-free doesn’t have to be difficult. Stick with fresh produce and avoid processed, packaged foods and you won’t have to worry. Here are some of my favorite gluten-free recipes your kids will love:

Sweet Potato Raisin Salad

Mix up classic potato salad with a sweet and simple twist: sweet potatoes! This sweet potato raisin salad changes the nutrient profile of the basic dish in a fabulous way! This flavor-forward salad is packed with potassium, vitamin A, and fiber and pleases palates from kids to grandparents.

Baked Oatmeal with Harvest Fruits

This fiber-rich, nutrient-packed breakfast fills kids up and gives them the boost they need to get through the day! I love this dish because of the naturally sweet fruits; it doesn’t need to be sweetened or filled with unnecessary sugars. Tip: make sure to use certified gluten-free oats!

Breakfast Cake

With its round, cake-like shape and cheese melted over the top like frosting, it’s understandable how this classic egg dish got the nickname “breakfast cake.” Though it looks and sounds decadent, breakfast cake is a simple way to serve a healthful, nutrient-packed breakfast!

Sweet Summer Corn Salad

This versatile vegetable goes perfectly with almost any meal, from the savory to the sweet, and is the star of this kid-friendly salad. Even the word “salad” in the name won’t deflect little ones from at this sweet and juicy dish! Its quick and easy preparation makes it a great go-to for weeknight dinners, and it can be enjoyed on its own or served over tacos, grilled chicken, or fish.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Celebrating your child’s birthday can be filled with lots of joy and happiness and also sugar! Kid’s birthdays are often filled with making candy necklaces, hitting candy filled piñatas, soda, juice, cake and ice cream. Otherwise known as oodles and oodles of sugar! So make your child’s next birthday party just as fun and tasty without the oodles of sugar, with some healthful tips from The Creative Kitchen.

Entertainment: 

Instead of serving pizza or chicken nuggets, have kids make their own healthful dish such as whole wheat pasta salad or fruit and vegetable dips. In addition to the kids eating a more healthful meal they are also entertained and kept busy with a fun and engaging activity, and mom is also saving time on party prep!

Craft Ideas:

Another way to get kids excited and involved is crafts! Instead of making bracelets with candy or candy cereal try using a combination of freeze dried fruits such as: strawberries, bananas, pineapple, or apple, dried fruit such as: raisins, papaya, or diced apricots, and toasted oat cereal. Or consider making a fun recycled craft, such as making cereal box crowns that kids can decorate and personalize. Nothing like a custom birthday hat!

Decorations: 

Decorating for a child’s party can be friendly to our planet and still look adorable! Companies like “Susty Party” have a wide selection of colorful and fun decorations for any party that are friendly to mother earth and your wallet!

Drinks:

If you want to serve juice at your child’s party consider using low sugar juice that you water down a little. If you would rather serve something both kids and adults alike will enjoy, consider serving flavored water by placing strawberries or oranges in the water to make ordinary water, colorful and flavorful!

Snack:

For a quick and ready snack consider serving an all natural nutrient packed snack like Happy Squeezes smoothies  from “Happy Family“. Place the snacks in a basket where they are an easy and convenient grab-and-go snack that the kids can eat throughout the party. Or put them in the freezer for a couple of hours before the party for a yummy stay-cool treat.

Dessert: 

If you are planning to serve cake consider decorating it with sweet freeze dried fruits or by using sprinkles and decorations like “Breyers” all natural toppings or “Surf Sweets.” It is a matter of using the fun-colored decorations that kids love, but that are made with all natural dyes, since they are better for the little bodies consuming them. We love products made with “GNT,” which uses dyes made from fruit and vegetable colorings.   

If serving cupcakes consider having kids decorate their very own cupcake with all natural candies. And  to drink think about serving individual milk boxes that do not need to be refrigerated such as “Organic Valley” single serves. Or if you are looking for a cool and fun treat consider making homemade fruit popsicles to hand out to the party guests. These can have a fun factor frozen right in, by using sliced fruit like kiwis to create fun and colorful designs. 

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Did you and your family eat a rainbow today? Encouraging your child to make balanced food choices and fill each day with plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables. But, as many parents know, sometimes children can be picky eaters, making it challenging to get their fill of the much needed, nutrient-rich produce. Today I Ate a Rainbow, is a great organization that has found a way to help make eating fruits and vegetables more fun: simply eat a rainbow!

Eat a rainbow? What does that mean?

It’s as simple as it sounds: have your child eat at least one fruit or vegetable from the five major color groups each day: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue/purple. The more colors your child consumes the more varied the nutrients their bodies are receiving. Make it fun! Kids get a sense of pride and satisfaction when they can visually track their progress. Use crayons or markers to keep track of what colors your child has consumed, or check out the assembled game kit below.

1. Have your child help prepare meals. Getting your child to work with vegetables will make her want to eat them! She can do simple tasks like pulling apart pieces of lettuce.

2. Keep lots of fruits and vegetables in sight. Your child will grab what’s near when he is hungry, so if he sees accessible fruits and vegetables he will be more likely to eat them.

3. Serve simple fruits and vegetables without many sauces, as this is more appealing to children.

4. Make sure you eat fruits and vegetables – You are a role model to your child! Lead by example.

5. Start with small servings of new fruits and vegetables. Children often have to eat a new food a number of times before accepting it, and pressuring them to finish a large portion will make them less likely to eat the food.

A recent study by Fawaz Almansour with the Department of Nutrition at the University of Texas at Austin found that of the 700 tested lunchboxes nearly 40% did not contain any sort of ice pack. Of the 60% that did contain ice packs, more than 90% of the perishable foods had reached the dangerous temperature zone. When foods such as milk, meat or sliced fruits reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or above, it is not safe to eat them. The research proved that toddlers’ lunches reached an average temperature of 62 degrees by lunchtime…that’s 22 degrees warmer than it should be!

As parents, it is our job to keep our children safe…and that means what they eat too!

How to Pack a safe lunchbox: 

1. Make sure the lunch box is insulated. Gone are the days of brown paper bags. Opt for a reusable lunchbox that is easy to clean, and fully insulated.

2. Plan ahead. If you take the time to plan and pack your child’s lunch the night before, you will be less likely to rush and forget any important details…like the ice pack.

3. If you can freeze it, do it. Pop your child’s juice box or water bottle in the freezer the night before. It will serve as a second ice pack, and will be nice and cool at lunch time. Freeze the turkey for your child’s sandwich—it will help it stay cold longer. Other freezable items include: yogurt, cheese sticks, or apple sauce.

4. DON’T REUSE LUNCHBOX LEFTOVERS. By the time lunchbox remains make it home, the ice packs are no longer doing their job. Dispose of all perishable lunch remnants and start fresh the next day.

What are your safe lunchbox packing tips?

The content of this post is courtesy of the Kids Food Festival, LLC. The Kids Food Festival is dedicated to educating families about making balanced food choices through fun and flavorful activities. Learn more at www.KidsFoodFestival.com. 

How can you prevent childhood obesity or help your overweight child bring his weight into a healthy range? To answer this question, the USDA and the Weight-control Information Network (WIN) have provided some palatable tips.The three ideas you want to keep in mind to combat obesity are healthy eating, exercise, and social support.

Healthy Eating 
To encourage healthy eating, it is important that you set good examples for your child. Here are some tips:

1. Buy healthy foods. Give your child fruits and veggies instead of high-calorie food. Let your child choose which fruits and veggies you buy – this will make it more likely your child will eat them!
2. Eat breakfast.Making sure your child eats breakfast will give her more energy for her daily activities and prevent hunger cravings that often lead to junk food indulgence.
3. Substitute high-calorie drinks like sodas for drinks like 100% fruit juice or better yet, water!
4. Do not use food as a reward. If you give your child dessert as a reward for eating salad, your child will think that the dessert is more valuable and will like it more than the salad.

Exercise 
Exercising is a great way to keep your child both happy and healthy. Try these tips:

1. Encourage your child to start an exercise activity. If your child joins a sport team, dance class, etc. he can have fun while staying healthy. Don’t force your child to do something he does not like. Instead, let him try a few activities until he finds something he likes.
2. Be a good role model. If your child sees you and the rest of your family having fun exercising, she will want to join in the fun. Family activities are great, such as riding bikes, so you can all have fun together!
3. Have your child exercise one hour each day.  This can come in spurts, such as a 15-minute walk here, and a 15-minute bike ride there.
4. Discourage inactivity. Limit TV and do not let your child snack while watching TV – this can lead to mindless eating.

Social Support 
Healthy eating and exercise are great, but your love and support while encouraging healthy habits are just as important.

1. Tell your child you love him. If your child feels loved, he will be happier and more likely to follow your healthy examples.
2. Accept your child’s weight. If you suspect your child is overweight, contact your healthcare provider who will be able to determine if your child’s weight is in the healthy range.
3. If your child is overweight, potentially consider a weight-control program. If your child is having emotional difficulties with her weight, this might be a good option. Make sure to consult with your health professional before starting any weight-control programs.

As a little reminder, think HEALTH: 

Healthy eating 
Exercise 
Acceptance 
Love and support 
Time for fruits and veggies 
Have breakfast

For more tips on combating childhood obesity, visit the USDA online. 

The content of this post is courtesy of the Kids Food Festival, LLC. The Kids Food Festival is dedicated to educating families about making balanced food choices through fun and flavorful activities. Learn more at www.KidsFoodFestival.com. 

Did you know that children are supposed to drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day?