Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give her poor dog a bone:
When she came there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so her poor dog had none.

My little dogs, Phoebe and Mille, never have to worry about getting a dog bone. Although ol’ Mother Hubbard’s dog wasn’t as fortunate. In my last blog, “Food Storage: A Crisis Savings Account”, I offered numerous reasons as to why having a well-stocked pantry is wise. When you purchase items on sale and in bulk, you’ll stretch your grocery dollars. Planning for an unforeseen event isn’t difficult and stocking up doesn’t have to take lots of money. (Unless, you purchase pricey ready made emergency meals.)

How much food do you have in your house right now? Take a look at your pantry and in your freezer. Chances are you might make it a few days or even a week without going to the store. Could your family eat for a month…three months…or even a year? You should NEVER go into debt to build up your pantry. If your family is already in financial crisis, because of loss of employment or other personal catastrophe, this won’t apply. But, if you want to prepare for a possible family emergency or inflation-proof your pantry keep reading.

Where to Store Food
Is your kitchen pantry large enough for what you want to accomplish? If you plan on using a portion of your basement, never store food on the cement floor and keep it six inches from cement walls.

How to Store Items
I used to write the date I purchased the food item on the can. Then, companies began posting “Best By” dates. I now write the “Best Buy” date on the lid with a black marker. My most recent purchase might not be the item which was most recently produced. Although, canned food is usually good past the “Best By” date. The items with the newest date are placed behind older dated foods. Never use a can which has expanded or bubbled.

Grains, beans, and the like should be stored in mouse/bug proof containers which are acceptable for food. I buy garlic by the bag and hang it in my basement. Onions and potatoes also are kept in the cool of my basement. Once potatoes have sprouted, especially if they have a green tinge, it’s not advisable to eat them.

Aaron decides where to store his canned goods.
Aaron’s mom is a professional photographer.
You can see her work at Mary Beth Graff Photography: http://www.mbgpics.com/

Where to Begin
Your food storage should begin with foods your family normally eats. Then purchase more. Items to consider are basics like grains (rice, beans, oatmeal, lentils, flour, etc.). Rice and beans make a complete protein. So that’s a good place to begin. Do you pop your own popcorn in a hot air popper? You should, it’s healthier and cheaper than the microwave variety. Popcorn also stores very well. Raisins and other dried fruit also do well in storage. So do seeds for sprouts.

There are a few items that will last forever. I think pasta and honey have a shelf life of a thousand years. So you’ll want to stock up on these. Tea is another item that will last forever in storage.

Cans of tuna, salmon, and chicken always make yummy sandwiches and quick meals. Having extra is always a good idea. Do you like sardines or anchovies? If you do, then add cans of these to your storage. Applesauce is my favorite canned fruit, so I have jars of applesauce in my basement food storage. I use a lot of canned tomatoes as well. I buy them by the case.Do you regularly eat canned soup? I don’t, but if you do, that’s another item that might be in your food storage. I do use a lot of organic chicken broth, so you’ll see that stored in my house.

Quality is important to me. Although there are those whose pantries are stocked with a huge food supply for a famine (like Joseph in Genesis) or the biblical End Time Tribulation, both seven-year events. Then, the cost is a major factor. For me, purchasing whole foods is essential. Foods without a lot of additives like altered fats, MSG, and the like. You’ll find  “My Unofficial Costco Organic Foods List,” helpful, especially when getting started.

Buy in Bulk
Obviously, purchasing items when they’re on sale is the best time to stock up. If you have a Costco, Sam’s Club or other big box membership, you’re already purchasing bulk items. Just plan for a little longer: buy an extra case. You can purchase bags of rice and beans in those stores as well as in Super WalMart. Some grocery stores will give you a case discount if you ask. Although Super WalMart will not (I asked), probably because their prices are lower. Whole food stores almost always have a bulk section. And you can order larger amounts from them as well. I just ordered 25 pounds of lentils and 50 pounds of wheat grain.

Don’t Fear
Ultimately, it’s not what we store, but who we put our trust that will get us through tough times. In Deuteronomy it says, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Click Here for the blog, “Food Storage: A Crisis Savings Account.”

Looking for a way to make a little extra cash from home? Interested in GMO-Free long term food storage?
Click Here to find out more about eFoods Global food storage.

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Your kids eating habits will change when YOU change.

We need to look at ourselves first, if we want our kids to change their eating habits. Any goals for healthy children come from a sincere desire to change yourself. When you change your habits, your kids will, too.

Mason & Violet make a New Year’s resolution to eat whole foods.

I don’t know how many parents have told me they have tried to get their kids to stop eating junk foods…but their cupboards are full of chips and soda. (Of course, there’s lots of additional help for your picky eater. Click Here to purchase Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.)

Your goals should be positive. Research has shown that negative feelings are a frequent cause of relapse in behavior-change programs. Focus on the positive. For example, resolve to “eat healthier” rather than “no junk food.” Both resolutions have the same end result, the first focuses on the positive.

Make Time to Cook
The number one reason why our families eat poorly is that we don’t want to cook. Fast foods do NOT provide the nutrients we need to remain healthy. Yes, cooking takes time. There is really no excuse for not cooking, other than we don’t want to.

Even those who don’t know have much time to cook can eat healthy… Click Here. We have appliances designed to cut cooking time (pressure cookers) and others (crock pots) which allow you to be out of the house while dinner is cooking. Making double size batches of casseroles, pot roasts, and basic ingredients like brown rice, the next meal is a matter of reheating.

Shop Wisely
Reading labels is the only way to know what’s in the food you purchase. It takes a little more time in the beginning. You will quickly find additive-free products. If you store highly processed cookies, crackers, chips and sodas in your pantry, that’s what your kids will eat. When you purchase real food that’s what your kids will snack on: fruit (including dried fruit like raisins), nuts, seeds, and veggies. Click Here for 7 Tricks of the Trade.

Incorporate Whole Foods
You’ll eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day when you have fruit and vegetables readily available. A half cup of cooked vegetables, one cup of raw leafy vegetables, or one small whole fruit counts as one serving. You’ll incorporate healthy snacking when you have nuts, seed, and fruit in your kitchen. Get your kids involved. They will eat more whole vegetables when they help out in the kitchen. Set aside at one day a week for each child to be your kitchen helper or chef of the day.

Finally, don’t get discouraged. If you slip into unhealthy patterns, redirect your course. You’ll be glad you did.

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More people will be entertaining this month, than any other time of year. The challenge is how to eat healthy when sugar, white flour, altered fats, high fructose corn syrup and artificial food flavorings and colorings are everywhere. In fact, holiday gatherings are landmines of hidden chemicals.

You can still enjoy the season, yet remain healthy if you follow the following tips:

Presents make all kids happy!

1) It makes sense to feed your family a light healthy snack before going to a holiday gathering. Parents often don’t have much control over what their kids eat at other people’s homes (especially Grandma’s house). The trick is to eat whole foods first. Chips, candy, cookies and other sugary foods won’t be so tempting, if your child’s tummy has previously eaten a whole food.

2) At the party, load up your (and your kid’s) plate with veggies, fruit, cheese, and slices of turkey or roast beef. After you and your kids have feasted on real food, indulge in the holiday’s treats. You won’t eat as much, because you’ll already be satisfied with whole food. Keep a look out for super foods: blueberries and other fruits, veggie slices, salmon, deviled eggs, and nuts.

3) Foods to avoid or at least hold off eating until you’ve had some real food: Crackers are the worst for altered fats. It’s hard to find a cracker that doesn’t have interesterified  fat as an ingredient. Candy and cookies are loaded with sugar and food colorings. Baked goods usually are made with white flour, lots of sugar, many times have altered fats, and are devoid of nutrients.

4) Choose your beverage wisely. Soda pop has approximately 10 to 14 teaspoons of sugar in one can. (I say, save your sugar consumption for chocolate, and the darker the chocolate the better it is for you!)

5) Keep a proper perspective. If you over indulge in junk foods, get back on track New Year’s Day.

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Liked this posting? Read Surviving the Holidays with a Picky Eater: CLICK HERE.

For the last 30 years, our Thanksgivings have been as natural (chemical free) as possible. Most Thanksgiving dinners are loaded with ingredients the Pilgrims never heard of: High Fructose Corn Syrup, MSG, artificial colors and flavors, polysorbate 60, sodium caseinate, and transfat. These ingredients are so commonplace today, that for many Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving with them.

I was motivated all those years ago to eliminate chemicals from our Thanksgiving feast, because our four-year-old daughter, Jenny, reacted to the additives and sugars in processed foods. Today, there are over 3,000 additives in our food supply, we have Genetically Modified Foods (GMO), and sugar is paramount. In fact, we now have a new sugar: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

Savannah and Ashlyn are determined to help their mom make their Thanksgiving healthy and yummy.

According to a USDA’ report, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars; the majority comes from high fructose corn syrup. Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar.

Making your Thanksgiving healthier really isn’t as difficult as you might first think. Purchase a turkey with the nutrition label listing only one ingredient: turkey. Save money and make your own stuffing with leftover whole wheat bread. Instead of soda pop, containing HFCS, for the kids, offer sparkling apple juice. Don’t use box mixes or canned vegetables, like sweet potatoes.

I’d like to know who came up with “candied sweet potatoes.” Aren’t sweet potatoes, well, sweet, without marshmallows? Did you know that marshmallows are really sugar-mallows, because they no longer contain any marshmallow root. Marshmallows are made from sugar, primarily corn syrup, water and gelatin.

I suggest regulating sugar in all its forms to dessert. Delete it from the main course. And, totally eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup from your Thanksgiving meal altogether.

Many of the dishes we serve during the Thanksgiving meal are loaded with sugar. Why aren’t they considered dessert? This is beyond me! Jello “salad” is one that stands out. Jello is made with only five ingredients: water, gelatin, sugar, and artificial colors and flavors. This doesn’t sound much like a “salad” to me.

Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving perennial. They say there is always an exception to the rule. This is my exception for sugar during Thanksgiving dinner. Cranberries by their very nature are tart. I always purchase cranberries in the produce department and cook them with less sugar than is suggested in the directions. Some make their cranberry sauce with apple juice instead of sugar, but I haven’t been able to find the right combination that suits our family.

Pre-made, whipped toppings, like Cool Whip, are primarily air, sugar and transfat. Make your own whipped topping with real whipping cream. Not only will it taste better, it’s better for you. Cool Whip is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut (this is the transfat) and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene.

A natural Thanksgiving begins with having yummy, healthy recipes and then purchasing whole foods. Now’s the time to do a little planning. Read labels and find products free from sugar and artificial ingredients. Take a close look at the ingredients in your favorite recipes and make healthy substitutions. Finally, keep sugar regulated to dessert.

For my alternative to the jello fruit mold, CLICK HERE.

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Headlines
The following 1997 headlines can’t be verified, nonetheless, they’re very funny!

1) Include your children when baking cookies.

2) Teachers strike idles kids.

3) New study of obesity looks for larger group.

4) Chef throws his heart into helping feed the needy.

5. Kids make nutritious snacks.

Freshness Gag Test
Eggs: When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.

Meat: If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled.

Nicole thinks these are very funny!

Canned Goods: Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a basketball should be disposed of… Carefully.

Wine: It should not taste like salad dressing.

Potatoes: Fresh potatoes don’t have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth.

General Rule of Thumb: Most food can’t be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in your refrigerator to gauge this.

Ben’s Riddle:
One evening we received a phone call from our seven-year-old grandson, Ben. A little voice asked to speak to Granddad. Our grandson, Ben, had a new riddle and he wanted to see if he could stump Granddad. “What does cheese say, when it’s getting its picture taken?” People

The Top 10 Signs You’re a Lousy Cook:

10. Your family automatically heads for the table every time they hear a fire siren.
9. Your kids know what “peas porridge in a pot nine days old” tastes like.
8. When your toddler goes outside to make mud pies, the rest of the family grabs forks and follows him.
7. Your husband’s favorite drink is Alka-Seltzer.
6. You have to buy 25 pounds of dog food twice a week for your toy poodle.
5. Your kids got even with the neighborhood bully by inviting him over for dinner.
4. Your kids were suspended from school for smuggling toxic waste in their lunch bags.
3. You refer to the smoke detector as the dinner bell.
2. No matter what you do to it, the gravy’s lumpy and purple.
… and the Number 1 Sign You’re a Lousy Cook:
1. You burned the house down making toast.

Top 10 Signs You’re Eating Genetically Modified Food:

10. Your green beans are attempting a split flanking maneuver on your clearly surprised mashed potatoes.
9. Whenever Gallagher appears on TV, your watermelon leaps up, grabs the remote, and shuts off the TV.
8. It tastes the same, but now the asparagus leaves your bathroom smelling April fresh.
7. You use the leftover chicken as a nightlight for your kid’s room.
6. The label says that your buffalo chicken wings are made from REAL flying bison.
5. An apple a day… cures leukemia.
4. Family of seven, one turkey – yet everyone gets a drumstick.
3. Your Ginsu knives are suddenly afraid of the tomatoes. Okay, this doesn’t seem so far-fetched with the recent recall for tomatoes.
2. Choco-chini: Looks like zucshini, tastes like a Ding-Dong.
… and the #1 Sign You’re Eating Genetically Modified Food: A SWAT team is ordering your burrito to drop – YOU!

(Genetically Modified Foods, known as GMOs are present in our foods supply. You’re probably eating them without even knowing it.)

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Americans are well fed, but malnourished. This may come as a surprise, but people who are malnourished are not necessarily starving. Malnutrition is the persistent lack of access to necessary vitamins and minerals in your diet.

Processed foods have replaced whole foods in America. The modern diet consists of lifeless processed foods devoid of most nutrients. Theses foods produce little enzyme activity. They contain little fibrous material.

Ava likes to feed herself!

In addition, these foods are loaded with chemicals, which have been added to make the food look more attractive. Even fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains and meats often contain chemicals from pesticides, herbicides and hormones.

Between the ages of eight and 20 months, children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition. This is the time babies are learning to feed themselves and are weaned. They can develop chronic malnutrition if their dietary needs are not met.

Signs of poor nutrition are thinning or brittle hair, having flaky or brittle fingernails and being physically weak. In addition, chronic malnutrition exposes children to the risk of cognitive disabilities caused by not getting enough nutrients while their brains are developing.

Nutrition is not simply about how much food people consume, but also the quality. People with chronic malnutrition are sometimes overweight as a result of their diets, because they are eating too many calories, but not receiving the vitamins and nutrient needed for health.

An Ounce of Prevention

1. Breastfeed a baby for at least six months.
   (This is considered the best way to prevent early-childhood malnutrition.)
2. Consume plenty of fruits, grains and vegetables.
3. Limit foods containing bleached flours, sugars and altered fats.
4. If you are having difficulty getting your child to eat whole foods, Click Here for a synopsis of Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

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Toxic Food
How does a mom go from purchasing Lucky Charms to Ezekiel 4:9: Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal? Usually the transformation to whole foods comes in baby steps. Unless one of her kids is in jeopardy, then it can be an instant transformation.

It’s shocking when moms first realize the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) is counter to health. I was like most young moms, thinking I was giving my children a healthful diet. That was until my four-year-old daughter, Jenny, was found to be extremely sensitive to the chemicals in our food. Nitrates, artificial food colorings and artificial flavors added to processed foods were the worst for her.

I had no idea of the numerous additives present in our food. After taking inventory of what was in my kitchen, I realized the problem began in with my purchases. Not only Jenny, but the entire family needed to change what we were eating. I felt responsible for my daughter’s problems. I was the one grocery shopping.

Katelyn says breakfast is yummy with whole grain cereal and blueberries.

Not wanting to wait until we consumed all the processed food in my kitchen, I gave most of it away. I surmised that it would be more difficult to change only one child’s diet, after all I had four girls. So the entire family went on a whole foods adventure. We had the initial time of adjusting our taste buds. Whole wheat bread tastes different from white. Whole grain breakfast cereals are not as sweet as kids’ cereals, even if you don’t purchase Lucky Charms.

Although we made an instant transformation to whole foods, it’s been an ongoing learning adventure. I discover new things about food every day. Most of it is disturbing. Nourishing your family shouldn’t take a science degree.

My girls are now grown and I have eight grandchildren. My daughters all are dedicated to healthy eating in their homes. They often have passed along helpful information to me on my food journey. The more I learn about our food supply, the more determined I am to eat food (not chemicals) as it was designed by God. I am not alone. Other moms have gone the same route.

Robyn O’Brien, author of Unhealthy Truth: How our food is making us sick and what we can do about it, made the transformation to whole foods when her youngest child was found to be extremely allergic to eggs. Thinking she would eliminate eggs from only one child’s diet, changed over time to examining what her entire family was regularly consuming.

O’Brien, like many of us, came to realize all her children were suffering because of the food they were eating. We can experience “mommy guilt” when we first come to that understanding. After all, it’s usually mommy who purchases the food the kids eat.

Mommy guilt doesn’t help at all.

Believing Lies
We all believed the FDA, who affirms that additives and GMOs are safe. Food advertisers convince us processed foods are really healthful. Fast and junky food is pushed on kids’ programming. Once we begin to know the truth about our toxic food supply, our shopping changes.

You can’t have a do-over for yesterday, but you are in control of what you eat today. God has given everyone a self-healing body. When we give our bodies nourishing food that was created for us, then healing happens! Not everyone will throw out previously purchased food, but you can begin to make wise choices the next time you are grocery shopping.

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“Multi-sensory learning” is involving all the senses in the process. When kids have chores in the kitchen, touch, sight, smell, and sound are part of their learning experience. Kids used to help plant, water, weed, and then harvest a summer garden. Kids would help prepare the food for storage, then in the making of meals, and the eventual clean-up. Before every home had a dishwasher, kids not only set the table, but did all the dishes.

When I was growing up I had two best friends, who lived in my neighborhood, Kathy and Debbie. Kathy’s mom was extremely fastidious and her home was always immaculate. We seldom ventured inside Kathy’s house and then it was only with trepidation.

On the other hand, Debbie was the oldest girl of five children. There was always something going on at her house. I was often invited over for dinner.

Wyatt loves to help his dad bring in the groceries and this melon smells so yummy!

Debbie and her brothers took turns helping their mom with the meals. Looking back, I’m amazed at how much time I spent at her house. Because I was there so much, I’d be helping right along with them.

Multi-Sensory Learning Vital for the Picky Eater
Families are divorced from the land where food is grown. We no longer appreciate the work it takes to grow, harvest, and then prepare the food. Often mom doesn’t really cook. So why should kids be expected to help with preparing meals? Cooking is an excellent activity, which will help your picky eater appreciate once-refused foods. Each food has unique colors, textures, smells, and tastes. Each food is different and different is fun! Cooking is a hands-on experience.

There is a great sense of accomplishment with meal preparation. Most parents will occasionally bake sweets with their children. This is a helpful task to learn how to measure, but most kids don’t need any encouragement to eat cookies or cupcakes. Parents will often allow their kids to make boxed foods, like macaroni and cheese. This, again, only promotes the consumption of highly processed foods.

Meal prep in your kitchen is the perfect setting to talk about various healthful ingredients. What’s the texture? What color is it? Who likes to eat this? What does it taste like? What’s the food smell like? How does it benefit your body (carrots help our eyes, broccoli prevents cancer, etc.)

A Picky Eater Is Never Too Young
Helping in the kitchen is a natural method to include multi-sensory learning, no matter how old your child is. Children experience a great sense of accomplishment when they master simple cooking skills. There’s a greater desire to taste a new food or to eat a once-refused food, if your child has helped in its preparation.

1) A toddler can help carry unbreakable items to the table. They can help to wash fruit and veggies with a soft veggie brush. They can spread cream cheese, nut butters, and jelly on sandwiches with plastic-ware. Mix ingredients. Peel bananas. Shuck corn. Tear lettuce.

2) A preschooler can help set and clear the table. Toss things in the trash. Identify and bring items within reach from the pantry. Help measure ingredients. Break eggs into a bowl with assistance. Make sandwiches. Toss salads (Not just lettuce, either. Try cauliflower and broccoli salad.). Serve herself/himself.

3) Grade school children can set and clear the table by themselves. Wash and dry the dishes. Help make a grocery list and help you shop. They can read the nutrition label and identify ingredients on it. Use the blender. Make simple recipes with assistance. Make salads. Peel potatoes. Make a fruit smoothie in a blender.

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During the hot sultry days of summer, cooking can be the last thing on your mind. In warm weather our appetites decrease, but it’s important to get your five servings of fruit and vegetables.

Salads are not only simple to prepare, but refreshing as well. Salad recipes are an easy way to combine grains, fruits, vegetables, and meats in one easy dish.

7 Tips for Yummy Salads

1) Look for produce on sale. Then find a recipe that calls for those ingredients. Or try a vegetable you normally might not use and feature in a salad, like beets or jicama.

2) To make your salad extra special, add a garnish. Sprinkle paprika; add chopped parsley, chervil, chives or basil. Add hard-boiled egg slices, pepper rings, red onions, or pickles.

3) Add some crunch with sesame or sunflower seeds; chopped walnuts or sliced almonds.

4) When making potato or pasta salad ahead of time, add extra liquid. These tend to soak up the dressing and dry out.

Tino munches on fresh produce.

5) Whole grains, like corn and barley, are great cooled and mixed for a whole grain salad.

6) Serve salad on a slice of melon or halved cucumber.

7) When picnicking, nestle the salad bowl in a larger bowl with ice. This will keep the salad cooler longer and keep it from growing bacteria.

Check out the Salad & Sandwiches section to the right of this page. You’ll find yummy recipes like the Tomato Cucumber Salad recipe: Click Here.

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A new study confirms that children who eat a school lunch instead of a packed lunch from home and spend two hours a day watching TV or playing video games are more likely to be obese. The study was published in the American Heart Journal.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center examined data from 1,300 children who participated in Project Healthy Schools, a school-based program to teach middle-school students about healthy lifestyles.

Zach is caught red-handed with a nutrition-less school lunch.

They found 58 percent of obese children had watched two hours of TV in the previous day, compared to 41 percent of non-obese children. Forty-five percent of obese students always ate school lunch, but only 34 percent of non-obese students ate school lunch.

Need inspiration? You’ll improve your child’s health by packing your child’s lunch. Just a little planning will make lunches interesting.

Planned-Overs
When you’re deciding what to cook for dinner, think about how you might incorporate leftovers into a lunch for the following day. Make a few extra servings and set them aside for the next day’s lunch.

Sandwich Fillings
There’s more to lunch than PB&J. Incorporate different sandwich fillings in whole-wheat pocket bread, on whole-grain bread, bagels, crackers, English muffins, rice cakes or rolls, or try filling and rolling tortillas or flat bread.

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