The Nutritious Kitchen: Healthy Recipes For Kids By Emily Watson

In the hussle and bussle of today’s world, finding and preparing easy and healthy recipes for kids can be a struggle! And then when you find them, there is so much that can goes into them: planning the menu, making the grocery list, driving to the store, doing the shopping, checking out in the long line, paying the bill, and driving home not to mention preparing the meal and sitting down to feast on your hard work.

Without missing a beat, the inevitable always seems to happen…the complaints.

“I don’t like this”.
“This looks weird”.
“I don’t like this color.”
“I want pizza!”
“Can I have a cookie instead?”

Nutrition plays a vital role in our children’s development, and we know this. But how easy is it to just grab a frozen pizza and call it a day! While tempting as it sounds, it’s our responsibility as parents to find healthy recipes for kids that can be prepared and enjoyed at the family table.

Below are a few healthy recipes for kids that have been a hit at my own family table. But before I get to them, let’s first discuss some tips on helping us plan some healthy recipes for kids and ways to get our kids excited for them!

1) Make a quick list of the foods your children love, hate, and are allergic to. With this in mind, it will be easy to pinpoint the recipes you’re targeting and onto the healthy recipes for kids your family will love.

2) When kids are invested in a project, they are more readily accepting. Find healthy recipes for kids that your family can contribute to. For example, get your kids involved in the selection of the recipes, let them help with the shopping, or get the kids help in preparing the meal and setting the table.

3) Select one new vegetable, fruit, or food to try each week. Make it a game with your kids. They may love it or hate it, but it will teach them to be open to new foods and experiences at the table.

With these tips in mind, here are a few healthy recipes for kids that have been a hit with my own. Give them a try and see if this could be a meal your family will love!

Healthy Recipes for Kids #1: Oven-Baked Carrot Fries

My kids love these healthy fries!

Oven-Baked Carrot Fries

1 ½ lbs. Carrots
1 tsp. Sugar
2 T Olive Oil
½ tsp. Salt
2 T Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
Pinch of Pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a shallow pan with foil. Peel each carrot and cut off the tip and the end off of each one. Cut carrots in half cross-wise, then cut length-wise, then cut length-wise again.
Combine the carrot sticks, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary and stir until they are evenly coated. Spread the carrots over the pan as much as possible.
Bake your carrots for about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Serve them hot or cool them a bit to room temperature.

Healthy Recipes for Kids #2: Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a family favorite and is easy on Mom and Dad in both the prep and the clean-up!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

½ Onion, chopped
½ tsp. Garlic, minced
4 tsp. Cilantro, chopped
1 T Butter
30 oz. Chicken Stock
8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
½ package of Taco Seasoning
14 oz. can Mexican Style or Plain Stewed Tomatoes
4 ½ oz. can Diced Green Chilis
1 small can of Corn, drained
1T Worchestire Sauce
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (these can be frozen)

Put all the ingredients into a Crock Pot and cook on low for 8 hours. A half an hour prior to serving, pull out the chicken and shred. Put the chicken back into the soup and cook the remainder of the time (half an hour).

Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, avocado, and sour cream.

Healthy Recipes for Kids #3: Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb. lean Ground Beef
10 oz. Whole Wheat Spaghetti
2 C Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
2 26 oz. jars of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce (make sure your sauce contains healthy ingredients and no sugars)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, drain and mix in your spaghetti sauce to the ground beef.

Prepare your pasta according to the packaged directions and drain.

Spoon one-third of your spaghetti sauce mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and then mix the remaining spaghetti sauce mixture with the cooked spaghetti. Pour into the prepared pan and then top with the shredded cheese.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until brown and bubbly. Let baked spaghetti rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with a healthy salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=374031&ca=Parenting

Health Benefits of Breasfeeding Your Baby By Beverly OMalley

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well established in the literature and also in history. Let's face it babies have been breastfed since the beginning of time.

Improved resistance to infectious illness:

Breastfeeding provides the infant with many immunological benefits and protects against infectious diseases. The mother's immune system is more mature than a baby's over time the mother has had the opportunity to build resistance to many disease causing pathogens. This protection is passed to the infant in the form of antibodies in breastmilk. Colostrum is particularly high in antibodies.

Mother's pick up microorganisms from their infants through their close physical contact and produce antibodies to any possible pathogens the baby might have picked up. In this way breastfeeding provides the baby with an ongoing external source of antibodies, that his own immune system is too immature to produce.

Better digestion:

Breastfeeding promotes the elimination of meconium which is the substance that is in the baby's intestines from life in the uterus.

Unlike commercially prepared formula the composition of breastmilk changes over the lifetime of the breastfeeding relationship and in this way breastmilk meets the baby's nutritional needs at every stage of life.

In addition breastmilk provides several protective factors for the infant's digestive system that protects against diarrhea type illnesses.

The baby's close physical contact with the mother through breastfeeding provides inoculation with the beneficial bacteria the infant needs to colonize the gut. These microorganisms provide the raw materials necessary for the manufacture of certain vitamins and the digestion of solid foods when the baby's digestion tract is more mature.

Early protection from allergies:

A baby cannot be allergic to breastmilk. The protein of breastmilk is 'species specific' and therefore the baby cannot be allergic to it. During the first few weeks of life the baby's gut lining is immature and permeable meaning it will allow certain large molecules (like protein) to leak from the gut. If these proteins enter the infant's immature immune system allergies are a possible result.

Breastfeeding protects against this by providing the infant with a substance called secretory IgA. This immunoglobulin in colostrum and breastmilk prevents the absorption of very large foreign molecules when the infant's immune system is immature.

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well known and pediatricians now recommend that breastfeeding be the main source of nutrition for the infant for the first year. The advantages of breastfeeding are so well established scientifically that it is recommended that breastfeeding continue well into the second year of life.

Beverly Hansen OMalley is a health promotion specialist and likes to write about health related topics that help people in their daily lives. She is the the owner of http://www.registered-nurse-canada.com where she explores the uniqueness of the nursing profession in Canada including comparison of the nursing entrance tests for the US and Canada, comparison of registered nurse salaries across the country and what it means to have a nursing license.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=372362&ca=Parenting

Colic, Breastfeeding and Infant Nutrition - Fat is Where Its At By Beverly OMalley

Colic- what a word! This little five letter words strikes fear in the hearts of most new parents and brings to mind visions of sleepless nights, and endless frustration in trying to parent the new bundle of joy. Any parent who has ever had a colicky baby would not wish the same fate on anyone. Some people think that colic only happens to formula fed babies but this is not so. Breastfeeding is not a guarantee that your baby will be free of infant colic.

What is infant colic?

Colic is simply a word that means stomach pain. In the absence of any real scientific evidence the widely held belief is that infant colic results from intestinal cramping. Estimates are that colic occurs in about 20-30% of all babies at some time or another, most commonly in the first three months of life.

How will I know if my baby has colic?

Infant colic is easily identified by the baby's behaviour especially after feeding. The baby acts like she is in pain. Crying is often accompanied by vigorous leg movements and the child may spasmodically extend her legs during a bout of crying. Sometimes she will expel gas and have green stools. The baby's crying escalates as the discomfort increases and parents and babies alike become fretful. Nothing is more distressing that a baby who cannot be consoled.

Can a breastfed baby develop infant colic?

There can be no argument that the best source of infant nutrition is your own breastmilk, but even if you are breasfeeding, colic can still occur. There is absolutely no reason why breastfeeding should be discontinued if your baby is showing signs of infant colic. There are, however, things that you can do to change your breastfeeding technique and reduce the possibility and severity of the colic.

Breastfed colicky babies are very often good eaters, and have a good healthy pattern of weight gain. Parents often say that the baby seems hungry all the time but the more she is fed the crankier she gets. Some parents misinterpret this to mean the baby is not getting enough breastmilk and in desperation may switch to formula thinking that mom does not have enough milk. This is absolutely not the case.

In fact the breastfed baby who is experiencing infant colic is probably getting too much breastmilk, and too much of the wrong kind of breastmilk.

Here's why:

When you put your baby to the breast the baby starts to suck and a hormone is released that makes the milk ducts contract and breastmilk is literally 'squirted' into the baby's mouth. This is called the let down reflex and you might notice it as a slight aching that occurs within the first few minutes of the baby on the breast.

During breastfeeding the fat in the breastmilk clings to the sides of the milk ducts and is not released until the end of the feeding. Babies who have short feedings are often getting lots of the skim breastmilk (called 'foremilk') and not the fat rich milk at the end of the feeding (called 'hindmilk'). Because of the lack of fat hunger returns quickly.

Your colicky baby is actually getting lots of milk but the breastmilk does not have enough fat so she is not satisfied for very long.

The foremilk your baby is receiving has a high concentration of lactose and can cause intestinal cramping. Lactose is such a powerful stimulator of intestinal contractions that it is used in high concentrations for the treatment of adult constipation! Is it any wonder that the breastfed baby who gets lots of lactose in her feedings has intestinal cramping and diarrhea stools?

As a breastfeeding mom what can I do to help my colicky baby?

Your main objective will be to make sure that your baby gets more of the fat rich hindmilk. This reduces the concentration of the lactose and gives the baby the fat needed to create satiety. In other words the baby will be satisfied for longer if she gets more fat at each meal.

* express milk before the feeding. This starts the flow of milk and reduces the amount of foremilk that the baby receives.

* nurse only from one breast at each feeding. This makes sure that the baby completely empties the one breast and gets all of the fat rich hindmilk that lingers in the milk ducts until the end of the feeding.

* sit your baby up. This may require changing your usual position and using the 'football hold' . In the football hold the baby is held by your side facing the breast that the baby will feed from. If you are nursing on the right side, place the baby beside you, on your right side facing the right breast. Your right arm should go around the baby , along her back and hold her at the back of the head. You will need a soft pillow to create a little 'seat' for the baby so that she is more upright than lying down.

If these measures do not alleviate infant colic then you could try eliminating cow's milk from your own diet. There is lots of good anecdotal evidence to suggest that some infants show signs of improvement when mother eliminates dairy products. However, try the other measures first as they are more likely to bring about the best benefits for you and your baby.

You can and should continue breastfeeding your colicky baby. There is no reason to withhold the best possible source of infant nutrition from your baby if she has infant colic. Now that you know what causes infant colic, a few simple changes in your breastfeeding technique can make all the difference.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=373847&ca=Parenting

3 Ways to Manage Defiant, Aggressive Behavior in Teens By Jordan Adams

A friend of mine has been working with defiant and aggressive teens for quite a few years. Adam Jones is the president of the Harbor House Foundation, 'a ministry dedicated to the health and well being of parents and students.'

Through the years of working with struggling and aggressive youth, Adam learned very important truths for managing defiant and aggressive behavior in teens. I had the privilege of corresponding with him a couple days ago. I asked him, 'If you had to choose, what are the most important ways that a parent or guardian can manage a teen's aggressive and defiant behavior?'

Over the next couple of weeks, we will get more in depth on how these tips or strategies play out in your home. Here are the 3 valuable pieces of advice:

The Parent Should Always Control Themselves

Conversations and arguments WILL get out of control with your teen if you are not controlling yourself. A lot of the time, or most of the time, adolescents push their parent's hot buttons. For some it is intentional, and for some it isn't. Some teens act defiant and rebellious simply to inspire a reaction out of you. As a parent, you cannot react to your teen or their rebellious behaviors.

If you are always arguing with your teen, or if you lose your cool because your teen is openly defiant, you have just taught your teenager that it's OK to behave that way. Whether you see it or not, your teens look to you as an example, even if their harsh words don't say it.

A parent needs to always remember that they cannot control the actions of their teen. That problem alone causes hardships left and right. Parents cannot control their teens decisions. They can however guide, lead, and equip them to deal with their aggression and anger in a healthy way.

The Parent Needs to Recognize the Signs of Potential Aggressiveness in Their Teen

We'll break this down in future articles so that you will be able to fully understand the signs of aggression. While noticing and recognizing the signs is important, there are obvious triggers that anger teens. These triggers need to be identified by the parents so that they will be able to handle themselves when the triggers are present. Briefly, recognizing the signs of potential aggression in teens is often referred to as WAVE: wind up, agitation, verbal abuse, explosion.

If the Parent is the Source of the Problem, They Need to Remove Themselves

If the parent is not controlling themselves, and if the parent is instigating, this will cause a teen's behavior to be aggressive, defiant, and rebellious. An instigating parent is the worst ingredient for managing aggressive behavior in teens. Parents sometimes instigate their children because they don't know any other way of handling their aggressive behaviors. Most troubled teens take offense to such an attack. Adam also provided three points of focus for this one tip. We will study them soon.

Those points are prevention, intervention, and post-vention.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=372477&ca=Parenting