Summer Feast - M's Gems

Melis @ work

By: Melissa Goldberg

Before becoming a proud Momma, I never thought about food. I did occasionally think about my next meal or perhaps dealt with a bit of guilt after inhaling a “gotta have it” sundae with all the toppings, but really food was a not such a big deal. However, as a mom in today's world, it has become one of the things I find myself constantly racking my brain with.

Iʼm not so much bothered by the folks who have strong food beliefs. Fortunately, I havenʼt surrounded myself with an overwhelming bunch of people with strict food values or worse, strong opinions about what I feed my children. At the same time, when I do my weekly shopping I find myself struggling if I should buy the ring dingʼs and Popems for my kids. I think to myself, “If they have it in moderation itʼs fine, but if I donʼt buy it, theyʼll never miss it”.

Just yesterday I broke down and bought a box of fruit rollups, the same fruit rollups I had in my lunch box throughout my own school years. My son has been requesting this specific snack recently and for some reason I had avoided putting it in my shopping cart. Even 24 hours later Iʼm shaking my head because I am torn whether I should keep this junk in the house at all. I am a firm believer in not being strict and allowing my kids the guilty pleasures in life, but when you hear the statistics about child obesity, and begin reading the ingredients in some of these foods, you start to become fixated on what you should or should not feed your kids these days.

One of my favorite stories (true story) is about a mom who was feeding her little one a slice of American cheese, you know the good stuff that comes from the clear wrapper. A woman who was pregnant (Iʼm assuming with her first) decided to offer her opinion and leaned over and asked how this mom could actually give her child processed cheese. If your not laughing, then perhaps you should stop reading now. If you are laughing, then you understand the pressures of being the full time meal planner for your children. I make a huge effort to provide my little ones with delicious fresh foods, but really if there is one item I am thankful for as a mom of three, it is the always dependable, never fail, box of Mac and Cheese.

So with that said. Letʼs just establish some rules for today. With all due respect to the blue box of processed cheese pasta and to the fact that you can get kids to do anything, if you bribe them with a Dunkin Donut. We are going to explore the world of holistic eating and discuss choices we can make for ourselves and our children. This week on the Mommas Pearls Radio Show, we had the pleasure and opportunity to chat with Laurie Borenstein, a certified health and nutrition coach. She provided some great ideas and tips for us to use for ourselves and with our children when planning meals and snacks.

Made from Love - I have found a new love. I love to cook. When time allows, I love to spend my evenings trying new creations in my kitchen. Part of the reason for my new found hobby falls back to the yearning to give my kids a plateful of wholesome foods. One of Michael Pollan's (author, In Defense of Food) rules for food is “It isnʼt junk food if you made it yourself”. I feel better making a mac and cheese with ingredients I can pronounce. I love watching their faces in the morning when they see homemade banana muffins on the breakfast table. (The picture above is a photo of me making my first ever homemade batch of ricotta and chive gnocchi, let me know if you want the recipe)

Rainbow Foods: Image from www.diabetes.org

Donʼt Only Eat Beige Food - My girlfriend Liz (www.nutritionistliz.com) who is a Certified Nutritionist did a terrific lesson with my childrenʼs class this year. She brought in a rainbow poster with a bag of different vegetables and fruits. The children matched the different colors to the foods. Through her inspiration, Iʼm always looking to find new veggies and fruits at the market to bring home and have the kids try. This year we tried, yellow tomatoes, purple cauliflower, yellow carrots and yellow watermelon to name a few. Adding depth and color to your meals is the easiest way to make it healthier.

Let The Seasons Plan Your Menu - When you let the weather plan your meal you usually choose foods that are complimentary to your body. A good rule of thumb is to opt for cooling foods in the summer and heating foods in the winter. There is nothing like a delicious and juicy wedge of watermelon during the summer, itʼs in season and packed with sweet juice to help hydrate and cool us off. In the winter there is nothing better than a big bowl of hot soup to fill our bellies and warm us up. Whatʼs great about choosing foods that are in season is that they are usually less expensive and often on sale.
What to look for in August
Bell Peppers, Carrots, Corn, Eggplant, Peas, Tomatoes Bananas, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Plums

Junk Food Day & Health Food Day - During my camp years, we used to order a snack for our afternoon rest time. Each morning it was announced as either a health snack day or a junk food day. I try to do that with my kids lunches as well. Iʼll ask them what type of snack we should have that day and we decide together what theyʼll have packed in their lunchbox. Because they were part of the decision process they are excited to eat the fresh apple slices or granola bar they find in their lunchbox.
          Junk Food                                             Health Food

• Fruit Roll                                              Oatmeal Bar
• Potato Chips                                          Fruit Salad
• Cookie                                                   Nuts & Raisins (if allowed)
• Chocolate Treat                                     Dried Fruit & Carob Chips
• Cupcake/muffin                                    Apples & Honey
• Nacho Flavored anything                     Honey Pickles (for those salt lovers)  

Cooking With the Kids - Besides being a fun way to spend time with your children, cooking with your children motivates them to try new things. Theyʼll be amazed to learn all the cool things you can do with food. My daughter makes a mean guacamole. She was amazed at what a difference a couple of ingredients can do. She tried the avocado plain and was not very impressed, but after some onion, tomatoes, lime juice, salt & pepper she could not stop eating her delicious creation.

Water - It fills you up. Itʼs hydrating and quenching. Itʼs great for your skin tone. It helps maintain healthy digestion. It flushes out toxins. It's calorie free (the pure stuff not the other kind) It gives you energy and itʼs way cheaper than other options. Need I say more?

Would Your Grandmother Recognize It? - A couple of years ago, I read the Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense Of Food. It was then I started to second guess everything I served my children and ate myself. Michael Pollan, the author, made some simple rules (as he calls them) to better eating. I thought this rule was very amusing. If my Grandmother or better, my Great Grandmother were to take trip to the supermarket and look at many of the items for sale, Would she be confused? Iʼm wondering if my grandma would be impressed with sugar substitute with added fiber? How about yogurt that makes you poop? How about the looks of a high fiber power bar?

Let me stop here. I think we all get the point and I wonʼt deny the fact that a tube of cookie dough is probably one of my favorite items in the dairy aisle. I am no where near perfect when it comes to holistic health and eating, but I do know, itʼs no piece of cake.

~ Mʼs Gems

We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons. ~ Alfred E Newman