Up-cycling for Halloween

Get out the crayons. Find all of those little nubs, broken crayons, etc. Peel off the paper. Gets some cans. Put them in cans based on similar colors. Feel free to mix colors. Don't be afraid to try the glitter crayons too! Put the cans in an old sauce pan with some hot water. Melt on Medium (not high). Pour the melted wax into candy molds of your choice. Let cool or place in the freezer for faster dry time. 

New crayons in any shape you want. 

So I first tried this idea for Easter baskets. It was such a hit that then I tried it for Valentine's day instead of pieces of candy attached to my son's classroom Valentine cards we made crayon hearts. They were adorable and looked almost as good as candy.....

Which led me to thinking. This is a great idea to hand out at Halloween!  So not only are you being "green", Eco-friendly, up-cycling! All those cool words.... And at the same time cleaning out all those crayons that don't get used because they are too small, but you are being healthy! Way more fun and last longer too than that piece of chocolate ;) 

Easter....

My newest book is out.....more ways to get kids to eat healthy.

So what are some of the first things that we teach kids. Numbers, letters, shapes.....The ABC's. 

Why not start teaching your kids about all of the healthy options that they have when it comes to eating foods at the same time that you are teaching them the alphabet? Double bonus! Many times the reasons that children don't want to try new foods is because they are not familiar with them. If they have seen foods before, have positive associations with them (snuggling on the couch reading a book),  and are excited to see them one more time... They are more likely to eat them! Look at these brightly colored pictures, eclectic rendition, and collage that makes the food jump off the page. This is not your normal old alphabet book. Simplistic. So soon enough your child will be reading the book on their own identifying fruits and veggies that you might not even know!

Check it out! 

http://www.amazon.com/My-Vegan-Alphabet-Charity-ONeill-OKane/dp/1500753084

Options to all that Halloween Candy!

The Switch Witch is a wonderful option to deal with all that candy. But then what do you do with all the candy that "you" (The Switch Witch) have now switched? You shouldn't eat it either.

Try Trick or Treating for UNICEF 

A program that has been around since the 1950's, it is a great way to cut down on the amount of candy that your kids are exposed to/given in the course of not just Halloween night, but all the parties and events. They can leave the box with donations out for The Seitch. Witch and she can still switch it as a reward for their hard work!  

http://www.trickortreatforunicef.org/families

Reverse Trick or Treating with Global Exchange

"help end the exploitation of adults and children working in the cocoa industry and raise awareness of Fair Trade! Trick-or-treaters will be handing Fair Trade chocolate back to adults, with informational cards attached, to explain the problems of the cocoa industry and how Fair Trade presents a solution..."

To continue reading and order your supplies here.

http://www.globalexchange.org/get-your-reverse-trick-or-treating-kit-today

Operation Gratitude

Candy buy back program will send candy to military overseas to say thank you for all they do. It will also send toothpaste and toothbrushes, to make sure that we aren't hurting their teeth in the process. 

http://www.operationgratitude.com/halloween-candy-buy-back-2012/

Tons of science experiments out there to do with candy:

Here are some...

http://www.candyexperiments.com/p/experiments.html

http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/7770/science-experiments-using-candy

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/search/experiment?q=candy-chemistry-experiments

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/easy-science-fair-projects

Take the labels/packaging off and store it away to decorate a gingerbread house. 

Then... Recycle/ up-cycle, get creative with candy wrappers....

Recycle your waste with M&M's®

http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/candy-wrapper-brigade-r.html

Earth 911 on recycling wrappers

http://earth911.com/news/2009/05/18/recycling-mysteries-candy-wrappers/

Candy wrapper bowl

http://pinterest.com/pin/97671885641002159/

Candy wrapper bracelet

http://pinterest.com/pin/64809682107202350/

Check out Pinterest for more ideas.....

Plus much, much more..... As The Switch Witch says, "be creative"!

Creating a Culture of Health

The other night after having a very health vegetarian dinner, my eldest begged me to make kale chips before he went to bed. I said sure as long as he made them. He took all the time and patience to wash, pat dry, oil, etc. and then all three of my kids devoured them as a snack!

So often I get people saying to me, "My kids refuse to eat healthy food" or "Or I could never get them to eat that, they are picky eaters." 

To that I say, "Fiddlesticks." 

My kids were not born craving kale! And each of them has gone through a picky eater stage. We just didn't cave in. We actually overcame huge hurdles because some of my kids are adopted and came to us only liking chicken nuggets, hot dogs and goldfish. It takes patience and persistence. And if you just keep putting the same healthy food in front of your child, they will eat it! They will not starve. And if you eat the same healthy food, explain its benefits, explain why we don't eat unhealthy food, and let them get involved in the preparation of the food. They will begin to love it. 

And I have to put a note here about healthy food and kids... Giving them processed food that just has the label "organic" on it but is made with sugar or is still candy, is not feeding your kids healthy food. You need to get back to basics. Actually, I think you need to move away from the whole packaging because your kids will not be able to read those labels and therefore will not be able to distinguish on their own what is healthy and what is not. Basic foods, which in reality is easy to do with cut up fruit, peeled carrots (teach your kids to peel them and for some reason they think they taste better), raisins, nuts, etc. Dinner may be a bit more challenging if you are used to pulling out a pre-packaged meal, and, yes, a bit more effort or planning, but not that difficult. My kids love their broccoli at dinner with some rice. Beans are fun with salsa on top. 

Don't go to fast food restaurants.... They will break you down! Just avoid them. 

So, my one child hated and protested green smoothies for a long time, but we kept serving them and eventually he began to like them (try stainless steel straws, a tiny bit of honey and putting on chocolate chip reward at the bottom), but now he asks for them daily, has had huge health benefits where we see no signs of past illnesses, and even wanted them on his birthday as we said he could eat whatever he wanted! I won't say it was easy, because it wasn't. But not everything in life is supposed to be easy. If you want to be a great athlete, you don't get to just sit on the couch.....it is not any different with having a culture of health in your home. You need to work at it!

Red Lentil Soup that is a pretty orange

 

Red Lentil Soup with a Spicy Sizzle

Ingrédients serves 8

6 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 onions, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

3 clove(s) garlic, minced

2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin

8 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth

1 1/2 cup(s) red lentils, rinsed (see Tip)

1/3 cup(s) bulgur

2 tablespoon(s) tomato paste

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoon(s) lemon juice ( I put half a lemon juice)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon(s) paprika

1 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper (I put ½ teaspoon)

-Directions

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook for 1 minute. Add broth, lentils, bulgur, tomato paste and bay leaf; bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook over low heat until the lentils and bulgur are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

2. Ladle about 4 cups of the soup into a food processor and puree. Return the pureed soup to the soup pot and heat through. Stir in lemon juice and season with pepper.

3. Just before serving, ladle the soup into bowls. Heat the remaining 4 teaspoons oil in a small skillet and stir in paprika and cayenne. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of the sizzling spice mixture over each bowlful and serve immediately. (I added the mixture directly to the soup)

4. Tip: You can replace red lentils with brown lentils; add 1/2 cup water and simmer 40 to 45 minutes.

Marketing to kids

So how many of you think of your favorite candy when you think of Halloween. Those Reese's peanut butter cups, or getting a full size Hershey bar, the crunch of a Kit Kat. Well, the holiday has turned into a huge marketing scheme. Why else do they put Halloween candy out next to the Sept. School supplies. People make sure that they have bought those favorite brand names to give to kids so that they are handing out the best candy. But those kids are the ones that are really being influeneced. They are being branded. They are being taught to buy certain labels and brand names at a young age, and the joy and excitement if the holiday are instantly connected with those brand names. Market strategies are designed around this and they know that they are teaching kids to buy their brand for life. Kids will then seek out these top brand names at stores and find those sweet, sugary, addictive treats to experience those same feelings of joy and excitement that they felt on Halloween night. They are being conditioned at such an early age. Your kids are being used to secure a companies success. Hmmmm, how do you feel about that?

Stop the branding of kids. Stop making them addicted to these sweets and slaves to these companies. Be cautious about what they are exposed to. My kids think of Halloween and can't wait for roasted pumpkin seeds, because we have made such wonderful memories of making them together and eating them every year. They look forward to the butternut squash soup I will serve on Halloween night and the pumpkin bread they will eat and leave for The Switch Witch. You have control over your eating and health.... Use it.

Why it is important to educate your child's teacher

Why do I post every year that people should be getting a copy of The Switch Witch for their kid's teachers?

Teachers have a lot of power. They are with our kids for a good portion of the day. We ask our kids to listen to them. They have control over who gets to go out to recess and who doesn't. Basically if a teacher says something is true, your kid will believe it.  So when your child comes in to school to tell his best friend about how The Switch Witch is coming to his house on Halloween night and his friend disputes it, or may even tease him that there is no such thing.....you need the teacher to validate your child and help to keep the myth alive. You need that teacher to back you up! Just like if your child had a different cultural, religious, health, etc. beliefs or mannerisms, you would want to explain them to the teacher so she can be supportive and encouraging. The same goes for The Switch Witch! 

So pass it on....