Archive for the ‘Moms Best Blog’ Category

Back-to-School, Back to Fall! – From Guest Blogger Jyl Nipper

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Summer is winding down, kids are going back to school and the cool air is coming. I love fall weather. It is my favorite time of the year for many reasons, and this year I am especially looking forward to it. We have had several months with extremely hot temperatures this year, over 100 degrees most days, and that crisp cool air that smells of fall will be greeted with open arms. I love the changing of the leaves — all of the bright oranges, yellows and reds – and pumpkins dotting fields, ripe for picking, while children get excited to pick out their costume for a night of trick or treating.

I am not sure about most families but we officially end our summer on Labor Day weekend. We all gather together at my uncle’s place in the mountains and celebrate with great food, family and friends. People from all over migrate to this small town carrying a covered dish and most also bring a musical instrument. While there will be some sitting around making music, some will be making food however all will be making memories.

With the beginning of fall we start planning our trip to the pumpkin farm. The kids talking excitedly about what kind of pumpkin they want that year, what costume they will wear and what parties they hope to attend and most of all what kind of treat we will prepare the day after Halloween. We started this tradition several years ago when the kids were little and they would bring in way more candy than they needed. “What do you do with all of the candy?” was something that we were always asking. So, we started making bar cookies the day after. Each child gets to pick out a cereal and some candy to make their bars with — things like Mom’s Best Naturals Oats & Honey Blend and Snickers, or Mom’s Best Naturals Honey Nut Toasty O’s and M&Ms. The possibilities are endless in the types of combinations you can come up with and the bars never turn out the same.

The time spent in the kitchen together is priceless. My kitchen is the hub of our home. It is well used and looks it. I remember once my son was asked what his favorite food was, and his answer? Anything my Mom makes. That makes me proud. It also swells my heart to know that my kids would rather come home for a meal than to eat out with their friends and that most of their friends would also rather be in the kitchen with us. So as our summer comes to a close and we draw together as a family and embrace our friends along with us I hope that you will join together as we prepare for many more days of “making memories” that lie ahead.

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Check out the sights and sounds of BlogHer ‘10!

Friday, August 27th, 2010

One of our favorite bloggers and a member of our Mom Panel, Elizabeth from A Nut in a Nutshell, headed out to New York City last weekend for BlogHer 2010, an annual conference that gives bloggers the opportunity to learn more about their craft, network, and interact with their favorite brands. (Like Mom’s Best Naturals!)

Elizabeth landed in NYC armed with her Mom’s Best Flip Cam, and spent the weekend chatting with bloggers about their favorite parts of the famed conference. Here are some of their responses:

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Back-to-School VIDEO Tips – Start the Day off Right!

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

The new school year is quickly approaching – and has already begun, for some of you – which means getting back into the routine of getting up early, making it to the bus stop on time, and most importantly, making sure your best-laid plans for eating healthy translate to the school cafeteria.

Dietitian Elizabeth Ward recommends making sure your kids keep their energy and brain power up by going back to basics. She suggests starting the day with a mix of complex carbs and protein – think whole grain cereal with milk – and including additional proteins and fruit in their lunch bag.

Check out the video below for more of Elizabeth’s tips on packing nutrient-rich lunches and snacks to ensure that healthy eating will last all year long!

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Boost Your Child’s Brain Power

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Want your child to get the most out of school this year?  Help him to fuel his body and brain with good nutrition all day long.

Breakfast

Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day.  Your child’s brain requires a constant flow of energy, also known as glucose. Breakfast helps replenish the nutrients the body called upon during the night to keep it running, and jump starts your child’s day.

Eating breakfast also prevents hunger that distracts kids from learning in the classroom.  Research shows that children who eat breakfast tend to have better short-term memory than their counterparts who do not eat the morning meal. But it’s not just any old breakfast that bolsters brain function in kids – studies suggest that consuming very high-calorie meals in the morning impairs concentration.

Use the morning meal as an opportunity to work in at least one of the three suggested daily servings of whole grains, which are relatively lower in calories and richer in fiber than their highly refined counterparts, such as doughnuts and packaged breakfast pastries.

A serving of whole grain cereals, such as those found in Mom’s Best Naturals cereals, keeps calories under control and helps the body to better regulate blood glucose levels, providing your child’s brain with a steady energy supply. Whole grains are also rich in B vitamins, necessary for constructing brain cells, and for the production of neurotransmitters, compounds in the brain that help nerve cells to communicate with each other.

Since children typically douse their cereal with milk, breakfast is a way to include dairy products. Dairy foods are packed with protein, which helps to keep kids fuller for longer, and they provide B vitamins.  Eggs are also an excellent protein source and a top supplier of choline, a compound associated with better memory.

Lunch

Your child loves PB&J sandwiches and wants one in his lunch box every day. How does the All-American sandwich fare as brain food? Pretty well, actually.

Nut butters, and seed butters, such as sunflower seed butter, are great sources of healthy fats, and they supply vitamin E, which protects cells, including those in the nervous system and brain, from damage. To boost nutrition, make nut and seed butter sandwiches with grated carrots, California raisins, or sliced bananas, and whole grain bread.

Your mother told you fish was brain food (well, my mother did, anyway) and she was right. Fish is an excellent source of the omega-3 fat DHA, which is essential to brain development. Research suggests that people who consume higher amounts of omega-3 fats perform better on tests of their mental skills. Canned light tuna is a safe, nutritious choice for kids, but how about trying salmon instead? Salmon is a stellar source of DHA.  Prepare salmon salad sandwiches on whole grain rolls for a change of pace.

Lean roast beef is an excellent sandwich filling choice. It’s filled with protein, and with a form of iron that is highly absorbable by the body. Iron helps kids stay energized and is crucial to nervous system and brain health.

Snacks

It’s tempting to rely on snack chips and sugary beverages when you’re packing snacks during the hectic morning rush or when your child insists on these low-nutrient goodies.  Mom, resist the urge!

Children get about 25 percent of their calories from snacks. That’s why snacks should be regarded as mini meals, and not as treats.

Send snacks to school that combine complex carbohydrate and protein so that your child’s brain gets the energy it needs, and he stays fuller for longer. Here are some suggestions:

Happy Eating!

Liz Ward

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Summer Activities – Keep it Creative! – From Guest Blogger Elizabeth Mays

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

I have always loved having the kids home for the summer, and I’m a person who never gets bored, so I’ve found ways to keep my kids busy and having fun. There are a myriad of scheduled activities for kids to participate in outside the home, such as summer reading clubs at the library and bookstores, day camps, and swimming lessons, but today I want to focus on simple, everyday activities at home.

I have always encouraged imagination and creativity through play, as it’s not only fun, but educational too. If you give the kids a few supplies and a starter activity, and then just let them take it where they want it, they’ll have a blast!

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Hit the Road with Healthy Snacks!

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Whether it’s a day trip or an extended vacation, when the key goes in the ignition, healthy eating often goes out the window. I speak from experience, of course. My family relaxes their otherwise good habits during the lazy days of summer, and that’s OK – to a point.

The trick is to limit the damage. Kids will clamor for summertime treats like corn dogs, fried dough, and ice cream, as sure as the sun will shine. Packing nutritious snacks to take to camp, to the beach, or to eat in the car makes it easier to resist large portions of restaurant food, get the nutrition you need, and save money.

Summertime Snacking Basics

These are my cardinal rules of noshing between meals: (more…)

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Check out our latest VIDEO TIPS from Elizabeth Ward – Pantry Essentials

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

With our busy lives, it may seem like a challenge to eat healthy, nutritious meals regularly. Who has time, between soccer practice and dance class and summer camps or school? Everyone, says dietitian Elizabeth Ward, if you keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with essential ingredients for healthy dishes.

Elizabeth recommends keeping key foods on-hand so that you can whip up a nutrient-rich, delicious meal in just a few minutes, even when you’re on the go. She suggests keeping standard items, like canned beans, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal, peanut butter, eggs, vegetables, and whole grain cereals, in stock.

Check out the video below for more of Elizabeth’s tips on what to keep in your pantry so that a healthy meal is always just minutes away!

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Mom’s Best Naturals Cereal Featured on The Today Show®!

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

NBC recently featured Mom’s Best Naturals on The Today Show in a segment about healthy snacks for kids. As Michelle Obama’s recent push to fight childhood obesity demonstrates, snacking smart is more important than ever. As discussed during the segment, turning your child’s snacks into mini-meals is a great way to ensure they’re getting the proper nutrients their bodies need while avoiding filling up on junk food. A bowl of your favorite Mom’s Best Naturals cereal as an after-school snack does just that.

Registered dietitian and mother of three Elizabeth Ward recommends the following tips for healthy snacking:

Check out The Today Show clip to learn additional smart snacking tips!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Clip provided by, and used in this blog post with express permission of MSNBC.

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This Father’s Day, Show Him You Care…With Cookies!

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Father’s Day in my home is a very big day. Being a father is one of the most rewarding and exciting responsibilities a man can experience. It is the reason Bric works hard everyday. His joy is coming home to the house filled with excitement that he has arrived, to hugs and kisses, to questions about his day from kids who adore him, and the excited chatter from children that have been waiting on him so that they can share all of the wonders they have encountered throughout the day.

Father’s Day provides us with a special opportunity to show just how much we all care about and appreciate the fathers in our lives. It isn’t about expensive gifts that can be purchased at the local mall. It is about spending the day with that special man, showering him with love and devotion.

One of the traditions in our home is to make cookies. Bric’s favorite is Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies so he gets these every Father’s Day. Now, thanks to Mom’s Best Naturals Quick Oats, they turn out even better than before!

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In large bowl mix the butter, shortening, sugars and peanut butter.
  2. Add eggs one at a time.
  3. Blend flour, soda, and salt then add to sugar mixture.
  4. Add Mom’s Best Naturals Quick Oats.
  5. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls (no need to press with fork like usual). Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

I hope that you will each spend this Father’s Day taking the time to cherish one another. Grab a box of Mom’s Best Naturals cereal and serve breakfast in bed. Or, gather the family around the kitchen and make a big batch of cookies to snack on and enjoy together throughout the day. Just make sure to connect and enjoy the day.

Being dedicated fathers and husbands often means doing the things that aren’t fun — at least in my house anyway. He is the garbage man, the repair man, the plumber, the gas attendant, the disciplinarian, and the list goes on. So we make sure that each Father’s Day Bric knows just how much we appreciate all that he does for us and how much we love him. As a Mom’s Best Naturals Mom, it’s about giving my best to make my family the best it can be.

Remember, quality is the most important ingredient.

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School’s Out for the Summer!

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Those are words that I long to hear each and every year. May seems to be the longest month of my life and I always think that it will never end. Memorial Day marks the official start of summer at our house. The kids know that it means trips to the lake, lazy afternoons by a pool, sleeping late and snacks that they love.

We do not have big vacation plans this summer. Our plan is to pack in as many day trips to local attractions as we can, and to spend as much quality time together as we can.  One way that we work in quality family time during the summer is to have an afternoon snack together; sitting around the table, cooling off and resting for a few minutes.

One of our favorite snacks happens to be ice cream with a surprise on the top. To help keep the sugar down I drizzle a little honey and then sprinkle some Mom’s Best Naturals Oats and Honey Blend on top for a tasty treat on a hot summer afternoon. It is quick, easy and a lot healthier for us than ice cream topped with candy or a sugary topping. And the taste – let’s just say fabulous doesn’t even touch it.

Summer is about being carefree and having fun, so make sure you always use a fun colored bowl and spoon. It seriously makes all the difference in the taste.

Taking traditional ingredients that you already love and mixing them up to make fun and healthy snacks is a great way to survive the summer with your kids. If your house is anything like mine you will hear the screen door slam a million times a day with kids running in and out hollering through the house, “MOM, we’re hungry!” So grab a few boxes of Mom’s Best Naturals Cereal and create a few new snack ideas that your family will love. And please, let me know what you create, I am always on the lookout for new ideas myself.

Remember, quality is the most important ingredient!

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