Potato Mash

Not only is this a fun recipe to make but it is also the easiest.  Red Potatoes are arguably the most nutritious of the spunky spud family because of their gorgeous color.  The skin of the potato is filled with vitamins and minerals and FIBER, our super-hero this week.  You can eat any of following fiber friends we met in class (Apples, Raspberries, Carrots, Beans) but try this recipe to wow your friends and family!!

What you Need:

8 red potatoes

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

Sour cream 

StoryTime:

Once upon a time I put 8 potatoes in a pot of boiling water (very carefully). 

I let them cook for 20 minutes or until a fork could be inserted in the middle.  

I had an adult help me drain the water out of the pot and left the potatoes in.

I mashed them with whatever I wanted (fork, spoon, etc)

I added the milk, butter, and a little sour cream.  

I mixed all this together and found I had created a delightful healthy dinner entree (a fun 

                                                             word used to mean the main or biggest part of a meal).  

I skipped and danced around the room in delight as I added a dash of Salt and Pepper.

YOU GO LITTLE CHEF!!! 

You just created something that will give your body Potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, and manganese, just to name a few!

Squashity Squash

Hi Kids, it was so fun this week to talk about the amazing and colorful squash family.  This plant has been providing life-saving nutrients (like our SuperHero friends, Vitamin A and Potassium) for centuries!  It even helps strengthen our cells against those crazy germs some of you acted out in class.

Weekly challenge: 1 serving (1 cup, about the size of a handful) of any kind of squash.

Get ready, because once eaten, over 13 vitamins and minerals are ready to work their magic towards getting you closer to our YogaMeDo goal of a Happy Body and Happy Mind.

My favorite way to eat squash is to Squashity Squash it into soup or roast it up right!!

Roast Squash

1.  Have an adult help you cut up a butternut squash into 1-inch cubes ( you can get your ruler out and measure if you want to add a little fun ).  
                                             Hint:  You can buy it pre-cut in the grocery store if you need to save time.

2.  Put some tin foil on a large baking pan and throw on the squash.  This makes clean-up super easy!

3.  Pour Olive Oil over the squash (a few tablespoons) until each piece is lightly covered.  Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper or other spices that you might like.  Get your hands messy and mix all the chunks of squash so the flavor sticks to each piece.  

4.  Set the temperature on your oven to 400 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.  
                                             Hint: Squash are done when you can easily poke them with a fork.  
                                                       Be careful not to burn yourself! 

STOP, DROP, and EAT!!!  (once they have cooled down of course)

Mouth-watteringly delicious as they are, you can also puree (big word for blend) them into soup by doing the following:

Butternut Roasted Squash Soup

1.  Fill blender 3/4 full with the cooked squash. 

2.  Add a can of chicken stock (funny word for the flavorful liquid left when vegetables and chicken are cooked).  
                                              Hint: If you are vegetarian, just add water.

3.  Add a little (maybe 1/2 cup to 1 cup) half-n-half (it's like thicker milk that helps to make the soup creamy and delicious).  

                                              Hint: Lactose intolerant?  Try almond milk.

4.  Put the lid on your blender and turn it on.  Watch the beautiful colors (carotenoids) all mix together to create this amazing soup.  

Simple recipes but bursting with flavor.  Hope you Enjoy!

NOW IT's YOUR TURN.

What are your favorite ways to eat squash?  

Salad Boat

I am convinced that romaine lettuce was created just for this recipe, and maybe the Caesar Salad came after!
Regardless, this lettuce is the perfect shape for what we love to make and eat at YogaMeDo, the Salad Boat.

This crunchy delight has 50% of your daily needs for Vitamins A, K, and C, not to mention the 16 other essential nutrients.  Amazing to think all this goodness can fit inside one serving of Romaine lettuce!

How to Prepare:
1.  Just pick your favorite vegetables and dice them up.  Carrots, bell peppers, scallions, edamame, beans, peas, corn, and whatever other bite size wonders you have on-hand will do.  Once they are diced into small pieces put them in little bowls with a spoon for serving.
2.  Peel the leaves of the Romaine lettuce head one at a time from the core.  Wash and pat dry, careful not to break the stem (no one wants a leaky boat).
3.  Begin filling the inside cavity of the Romaine leaf with your diced veggies and more.
4.  Once the boat is full, drizzle some of your favorite dressing on top.

Here comes the best part, turn the boat towards either end and take a big bite, and then another, and another! 
Don't worry there are plenty of leaves for everyone!

Yogurt Fruit Parfait

PARFAIT is a french word that means PERFECT.  A fitting title for this quick and easy snack great for any time of the day.  The Plain Yogurt offers protein, healthy bacteria (probiotics) that strengthen the intestines and lining of the stomach, and a natural creaminess without the added fat.  Without the added sugars commonly used in yogurts (check out the labels of your favorite brands) such as High Fructose Corn Syrup and traditional cane sugar that spike the levels of insulin in the blood stream, this can be a delicious way to sustain your energy throughout the day.  Fruits, as you know, are packed with powerhouse vitamins and minerals vital to our optimal health.  Granola (again, watch the added sugar content), seeds, and Nuts have minerals and fiber that offer numerous benefits for body and mind. 

Simple ingredients:

1 cup Yogurt (use 1/2 cup at a time)
Blueberries, Strawberries, Bananas, etc.
Granola, Nuts, Seeds
Honey

Layer yogurt, fruit, and then granola, repeat until glass is filled.  It's also fun to drizzle the honey over the yogurt if it isn't quite sweet enough.  Add a little cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, anise, or others that you like. 

Kids get excited with choices.  Let them cut up any fruits on hand, dried fruit in the cupboard, or nuts and granola to sprinkle on top.  It's fun to use a clear glass so that they can see the layers as they eat (reminding them to eat with all 5 senses!!)

I know it's hard to find the time, but maybe plan in one afternoon a week that you help your kids prepare a more involved snack, sit down and eat the food, and take the time to relish the moment together.  Remember that you are teaching children life skills that make a big difference in their overall mental and physical health.  It's a reminder to the adults as well to take the time to take care of themselves.

Enjoy!

Sunshine Smoothie

Sunshine Smoothie....kids you are going to love it!  It is a fantastic start to any day.  Get to know a little about the superhero Vitamin C while you prepare this drink. 
-Remember that this water-soluble vitamin (which simply means that we have to eat it often because our body does not produce it) has amazing health benefits. 
-It helps to protect our cells from harmful things in the air (like pollution). 
-It also helps us fight against bacteria, germs, or other things that make us sick, boosting our immune system.  -It helps to strengthen cartilage, bones, and teeth. 
-It also helps to mnake collagen, the stuff needed to form scar tissue when you get cuts and scrapes.

All the fruits in this smoothie are full of Vitamin C.  Drink up and share with your family and friends!

1 banana
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 to 1 cup water (depending on how think you like it)
1/2 cup mango
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup peaches
1/2 to 1 cup yogurt
Drizzle of honey

Blend until smooth.  I like to add frozen spinach too! 

Enjoy!

Dr. Gabor Maté on the Stress-Disease Connection, Addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder and the Destruction of American Childhood

Dr. Gabor Maté on the Stress-Disease Connection, Addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder and the Destruction of American Childhood

Fantastic article I heard on NPR relating stress to disease. Dr. Gabor Mate's research even includes children and adolescents. YogaMeDo classes focus on the preventative mental and physical healthcare of children (ages 3-17). We hope that as our participants at YogaMeDo learn to become passionate about healthy living they will bring that excitement into their homes and social circles. Parents have enough of a challenge getting kids excited about nutrition and health. YogaMeDo aims to assist parents in that process.

Blue Dory Inn

Try this amazing 4-ingredient cookie recipe, perfect for little hands to help make.  It's a bit like shortbread, naturally sweetened, and melts in your mouth.  I cut the recipe in half and added 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter after the maple syrup was mixed in. 

BLUE DORY COOKIES, from the Blue Dory Inn

• 1 pound butter
• 4 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
• 2 cups chocolate chunks

1. Cream butter in mixer until fluffy. Stir in flour at low speed.
2. Add maple syrup in a slow, steady stream.
3. Stir in chocolate chunks
4. Drop onto greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes
5. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then cool on wire cooling racks
6. Give the first one to your sweetheart with a kiss and a hug. Make vacation plans.

Enjoy!
(source: framed-mylifeonepictureatatime.blogspot.com)