Top 3 Reasons I HEART Chocolate!

Why is Chocolate SO Crazy Cool?!

1. Chocolate LIFTS OUR MOOD, makes us feel better, makes us HAPPY!!!  

We all knew this right!? -- there are actually several chemicals in chocolate responsible for its remarkable effects on our mood!

1. THEOBROMINE -- releases pleasurable endorphins and potentiates dopamine's action (DOPAMINE is associated with sexual arousal and pleasure) -- response to chocolate is similar to what happens physiologically when people are infatuated or fall in LOVE!
2. It also contains chemicals affect the same pathway (CANNABINOID) that marijuana does -- providing feelings of ELATION and EXHILARATION!
3. It ALSO boosts SEROTONIN levels! PAXIL, ZOLOFT, and PROZAC are all antidepressant drugs that act to raise serotonin levels!

2. Chocolate is Beneficial to Our OVERALL HEALTH, including Cancer Prevention

• Abundance of Antioxidants (from the phytochemicals in chocolate called Flavonoids) -- reduce ongoing cellular and arterial damage from oxidation
• Lower levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP is a marker of inflammation)
• Reduce cellular damage that can spur tumor growth
• Lower blood pressure -- REDUCING RISK for many health problems from diabetes to dementia
• Improved blood flow to the BRAIN -- improves MENTAL FUNCTION!

3. HEART Health -- this is a big one! There are so many ways that cocoa and dark chocolate help you keep a healthy heart, including mega antioxidant activity and lowering your blood pressure! READ on here to find out all about how CHOCOLATE HELPS YOUR HEART!

Anything that can help you be healthier is worth a try right?! And we're talking about CHOCOLATE!!

Now, if you want to get the full benefit, be sure to check out these CHOCOLATE EATING TIPS!

Here are some chocolatey recipes to try!

Chocolatey Oatmeal, 5-minute Brownies, Chocolate Berry Smoothie (add 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa to 3-Ingredient Super Shake), Skinny Mints, or Chocolate Cherry Torte Laraballs!

Also, visit www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com for some great treats! You can see some of my favorites HERE!

Each time you "like" a picture, post, or recipe or my FB page, you help someone else to discover my site and learn from me, so you can help me help another person to become healthier AND happier!  Thanks for sharing!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  What is your favorite form of chocolate?  bars, desserts, dips, any way!, ice cream...

Mindfulness Made Easy

Have you heard about this? Mindfulness, being "PRESENT", focused on NOW, conscious.

It is a concept, habit, WAY OF LIFE, that I have been trying to make more and more a part of my life for several years. It's about enjoying EACH MOMENT. ACCEPTING whatever comes your way, not wanting 'right now' to be more or less of whatever it is.

It can apply to many areas of your life.

• Patiently waiting for a green light when you are stopped.
• Doing one thing at a time.
• Noticing the many sounds and sights around you.
• Really taking time to notice pain, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, wind, sun.
• Acting with intention as much as possible (rather than being lost on 'autopilot').

Here are 3 specific EXAMPLES in my life:

EATING

• Taste each bite in your mouth.
• Take time to chew.
• Take breaks between bites.
• Not reading, watching, driving while eating.
• Taste, feel, smell, see your food, even hear the crunch!
• Eat a meal or snack without one sense (close your eyes) to heighten your other senses. You may find you eat less than usual, feeling satisfied sooner having really taken in all the sensory input of your food.

My sweet kindergartner said tonight, as she was slowly eating her single Starburst on the way to her swimming lesson, "I want to put 'SAVORING CANDY' or 'SAVORING CHOCOLATE CHIPS' on the Internet, so people can learn about it!" If nothing else, I am thrilled to have passed this on to her! I haven't even mastered the skill as well as her, AND I don’t think she will ever have to face an addiction to sweets, sugar, or carbs!

RUNNING/EXERCISING

You can run forever, taking ONE step at a time! Just think about what you are doing in this single moment, and you can do ANYTHING!

PARENTING

Take time to just BE with your kids, besides taking care of them, dressing, feeding, cleaning, teaching, and disciplining them.
Play with them, whatever they want to do, ACCEPT their ideas and plans, without doing anything else... no talking on the phone, checking email, folding laundry.
They really respond to this in an awesome way! They feel your LOVE and ATTENTION.

I love the following suggestion from my Kindergartner's religion book (God is Love by the Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, OH), which actually got the idea from another book (Raising Faith-Filled Kids by Tom McGrath):

“Here is a trick to help you increase your awareness. The next time you and your child are doing something as simple as picking up toys..., imagine yourself many years in the future looking back at this moment. From this vantage point, what seems important about this current moment? It probably isn’t the orderliness of the family room as much as it is the time spent with this precious child at this time in his or her life.

Life in a family can be busy and demanding. It’s also a time of miracles. Make it your spiritual goal to find ways to be mindful so that the busy-ness and demands don’t make you miss the miracles.”

Doing this more and more = more and more HAPPINESS, SATISFACTION, PEACE, AND CONTENTMENT in your life :)

The following are books that I love which I thought of right away when I considered my daughter’s lesson. Each discusses this concept from a slightly different angle and each is easy to understand and easy to apply. GREAT READS!

A New Earth by Eckart Tolle
Everyday Blessings: the Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
Flow in Sports: the Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances by Susan Jackson and Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean (this one is a great one for teaching children all about mindfulness in a fun way!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK? TELL ME IN A COMMENT: Do you ever go on autopilot? Do you have any tricks to keep you alert and aware of the world around you?

Dessert for Breakfast? Chocolate Oatmeal!

The kids have this for breakfast several days each week! They have yet to tire of it! So simple, nutritious, and sweet!

Chocolate Oatmeal

1 c Old-Fashioned Oats
water or almond milk
2 ripe bananas
1/4 c natural peanut butter
1-3 Tbsp ground flax seed
1-3 Tbsp chia seeds
1-3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa (omit for "PB oatmeal")

In a large glass bowl, add oats and cover with water or almond milk.
Cook for ~3 min in microwave.
Add remaining ingredients: bananas, peanut butter, flax, chia, and cocoa.
Mash banana and stir everything together.
Add milk if it seems dry or too hot for kids.
ENJOY!

This is a breakfast high in fiber and healthy fat, as well as some protein, so it will keep you satisfied and energized all morning!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? TELL ME IN A COMMENT! What do you like to see most on the blog? Recipes? What category of food? Health tips? Athletic-related posts? Posts about feeding your kids? Future post topic you're hoping for?

My FAVORITE Blog!

I've missed you and the blog while I was away, but I can't wait another SECOND to tell you about...

CHOCOLATE COVERED KATIE -- SHE is the sweetest baker I know!  She loves chocolate - wahoo!  And she is a runner, like me :)  Why are she and her blog so great?  AWESOME HEALTHY DESSERT recipes!  And the best part (on my healthy account) -- she doesn't like sugar!  SO she makes lovely creations -- she's a talented baker, photographer, and writer!

My favorite recipes?  Some on the top of my list -- I haven't even made yet!  But I know they'll be awesome!

Katie has always been making yummy recipes, many of which I have tried, many more of which I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all about!  The cool thing is that her ideas seem to be endless!  Her last few posts have just blown me away!  Check them out!

Chocolate mousse (just read about this one and the chocolate bars below tonight, after getting home from the Houston Marathon, and knew I couldn't delay this most for another moment!)

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup plus 1 T cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• sweetener to taste (I used a little stevia, but any dry sweetener will do.)

Open the coconut milk, and leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight. (Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen, or especially Thai Kitchen Organic.) Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. (For the photos on this page, I didn’t use beaters. But I did pipe the mousse out using an icing tip.) Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.

Homemade chocolate bars

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
• 1/4 cup agave or use NuNatural vanilla stevia drops (I use 10 drops. Triple or quadruple that amount if you don’t like extra-bitter chocolate.)
• optional: extracts, cocoa nibs, or other add-ins

Melt coconut oil, then add agave or stevia drops. Stir, then add cocoa powder (and add 3-4 T water or nondairy milk if using stevia.). Stir stir stir! Stir until it gets thick. Pour into any flat container (or candy molds or smush between layers of wax paper or in ziploc bags). Fridge or freeze until solid.

Thirdly, I just love the chocolate chip cookie dough!  Yum!  Baking with beans is such a cool way to add in extra nutrients,especially for people who don't eat beans otherwise!  Plus, my nephew, who prefers pasta and cheese to veggies and beans, LOVES this recipe!!!  SO cool!

Chocolate chip cookie dough

This is how I make it: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and it's so healthy that my kids have had it before for breakfast!

Nutella

I tried, unsuccessfully so far, to make a "Laraball" in Nutella flavor, and the creation was yummy, but resembled coffee flavor more than Nutella.  Hard to match with the first ingredient being sugar!  Katie's recipe for Nutella has a little sugar, but I am confident that she has created a nice, healthy match, and if that's the case, AWESOME!

Here is her recipe, and click on "Nutella" or the image above to see the whole post!

• 2 cups raw hazelnuts (240g)
• 1 1/2 T pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup plus 2 T agave or sugar (A sugar-free option is noted in the directions)
• 1 packet stevia, or 1 T more agave or sugar
• 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
• 2-3 tsp oil (Can be omitted, but it’ll be a little less smooth.)
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used Almond Breeze)

Roast hazelnuts for 10-14 minutes at 420 F. Rub them together in a paper towel to get the skins off. (It’s ok if a few stubborn skins won’t come off.) In a food processor, blend the nuts until they’ve turned to butter, then add all other ingredients and blend a long time until it’s smooth like Nutella! (I think I blended off-and-on for a full two minutes in my Cuisinart.)

Hope you enjoy my very FAVORITE blog!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Tell me in a COMMENT:  What is your favorite blog? What do you like about it?  Share with me and other readers!

Get Inspired! Awesome Athletes of 2012 Olympic Trials

MOMS -- you've got to check these ladies out!

RUNNERS who have DREAMS -- read on!

If you've ever thought you were too old or inexperienced, or as a mom, your body could never run a marathon, READ ON!

2012 Olympic Marathon Trials -- Race for London! -- AWESOME TO WATCH!

Now, let's talk about MOTIVATION! The Olympic Trials were so amazing to watch! Such an experience to see these dedicated athletes facing their most important challenge!

The first time RYAN Hall came around the road, just about 20 feet from us, after a sub-5-min first mile -- was SUPER EXHILARATING! By the way, in 2011 Boston Marathon, Ryan ran the fastest American marathon time ever -- 26.2 miles in 2:04:58 !!!

In the end, MEB Kefelzighi winning it all was pretty sweet -- considering he’s a bit “older” for a marathon runner (36) -- and is currently running faster than he EVER has before, improving his PR (personnal record) just a few months back, and then again at this race!

(Ryan, Meb, and Abdi will be running in London -- they ALL broke 2:10!)

We went on to see many talented runners come through, including AWESOME FEMALE RUNNERS!

Here are some MOTIVATING HIGHLIGHTS I've been inspired by, from these ladies!

Photo of Deena Castor from Wendy Thomas' blog.

I was most excited to see DEENA Castor run! She is an Olympic medalist, as well as an American record holder in no fewer than 7 different distances, including the MARATHON! DEENA says “...you have to DREAM a little in this sport, if you stay in your comfort zone, you’re not going to do anything special.”

LISTEN UP MOMMIES! KARA Goucher placed SECOND in this amazing race, just a few days after her dear son's FIRST birthday!

KARA has some great ideas and habits about how to fuel herself in healthy ways:

a) She doesn’t eat as a reward, instead she thinks of eating as a way to help her RUN faster AND recover FASTER!
b) Regarding her eating, she is “in a healthier place”, not too restrictive or too indulgent!
c) She experiments with eating -- this is the only way you’ll ever know what works best for you! For the whole interview, read HERE.

SHALANE Flanagan is totally amazing! She WON this race and it was only the SECOND time she has raced a marathon!

Check out these lovely, happy, and relieved ladies!

Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, and Desiree Davila will be running in London!

(Shalane broke the trials record with Kara and Desiree less than 30 seconds behind her!)

One more woman I must mention is WENDY Thomas -- she and her story are SO cool! She had never been a regular runner, just completed a few fun run races per year, but after a sub-19-min 5k, just about 3 years ago, someone from a running club couldn’t help but notice her. She soon began training with the group, and the rest is her-story (history)!

Thank you Wendy Thomas, for this photo from your blog!

For the last year she has been part of a cool program called American Distance Project, and the Trials served as her marathon debut! She placed 12th for the women with a time of 2:34! She is just getting started and is clearly learning fast!


Look out for plenty more awesome results from the up-and-coming Wendy Thomas! Here are some pics of the day from Wendy's blog -- these super-athletes are also regular people, awesome moms, ...and remember, in some ways, we are ALL leading extraordinary lives :) For more inspiration, here is a great recap of the women trials!

Finally, one more interesting thing to share. RYAN Hall, interestingly may be the Tim Tebow of running! In the last year, he has totally changed his life, focusing much more on his faith. In fact, now GOD is his running coach!  


He admires the carefreeness of the Kenyans. He says he is now challenging himself "to expect the best, but be willing to be excited no matter what situation"; as in on "good" and "bad" running days. Check out a nice article about his leap of faith HERE!


If you're curious about the Fun Foods we ate on our trip, click on the link!


For some tips from ME about getting a Marathon PR -- racing YOUR best, click on the link!


WHAT DO YOU THINK? What are your big, impossible dreams? Have any come true?

Top 5 Quick and Easy Baby Foods

Nutritious, Easy, and Fresh!

1. AVOCADO - cut one in half and grab a spoon!

2. BANANA - Open it, mash it a bit with a fork, and viola! Depending on age, they might just take chunks in their hand, or regular bites from a whole banana.

3. SWEET POTATO - stab one with a fork a few times, pop it in the micro for 5-8 min depending on size, 8 min for a huge potato. Let cool, cut open, and grab a spoon!

4. PLAIN regular or Greek YOGURT - it is SO much easier to get a child used to this taste early. What a favor you are doing him or her! It took me years of tasting a bit myself when I was feeding my little ones, to finally enjoy the taste!

5. Old Fashioned Oatmeal (rolled oats) - dump some in a microwave bowl, add water until oats are covered. Make sure bowl is large enough for oats to bubble up quite a bit; overflow can be a little messy! Cook for 2-3 minutes. Let cool, stir in some ground flax seed, even some chia seeds!, and cinnamon, and add a little milk.

Plus, a delicious and nutritious oatmeal recipe coming soon!

Try these, and HERE ARE SOME MORE IDEAS! See what you AND your baby think!?!?

Jars are a great convenience for when you are out and about, but when your at home with your child, why not take a few extra minutes to make something from the heart, that is more nutritious AND will save you money too! Don't worry -- we will get into more variety, but this is an easy place to start!

TELL ME IN A COMMENT -- Have you ever made baby food? Have you ever thought about trying? I sure love the money I save doing it, as well as knowing exactly what my child is eating!

Truffle Treo (not a dessert, a yummy dinner!)

This is what you can have in just a few minutes!

From this:

Toasty Pecan Mushroom Surprise!

Thanks to my friend Courtney who recommended this yummy recipe to me! I made this Saturday night, and twice more since then (basically 3 out of 4 days in a row!).

You know it is a good meal when you look at your plate and think - this part is the best, no this part is the best, an so on, and it's just one big, delicious tie because everything is so yummy! Like you want a little of "the good stuff" with each bite - but it was all the good stuff; every last bite was just so SAVORY!

It gave me my first hint of understanding the whole big deal of TRUFFLES. I mean, I admittedly LOVE mushrooms, and always have. Still, the thought of people hunting for a lifetime to find the perfect mushroom (technically truffles are under the ground, while mushrooms are found always above ground), and savoring like some amazing chocolate...I couldn't understand it, until NOW!

The third time I made it was Monday or Tuesday (the first 2 times were Saturday and Sunday). First of all, I went to the trouble to COOK for a weekday lunch - pretty unusual. Secondly, I sat and ate it by myself. I am proud Carla tried it when she wasn't even hungry, after her lunch. She didn't really like it, but then she was pretty full. Eating by myself, I REALLY got to enjoy it!

So simple too!

So this is what I did, you can also check out the above link to see the original recipe!

Toasty Pecan Mushroom Surprise!

1/2 c pecans

1 c mushrooms, sliced

8-10 Brussels sprouts, sliced

Earth Balance buttery spread (or Canola oil)

Aromatica Organics Garlic Pepper seasoning (from Costco, or salt and pepper to taste)

OPTIONAL: you can add some tofu, or a grain of your choice (brown rice, barley, farro, quinoa would all work great!)

Crunch up pecans (with fingers or quickly in a food chopper), spread on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven at about 350 for 5-10 min.

Slice the veggies yourself, or toss them quickly (just a few sec) into a food chopper, as I did the third time I made this :)

Saute mushrooms with Tbsp or so of Earth Balance until golden, medium-high heat, ~5 min.

Add Brussels sprouts and a bit more Earth Balance, and cook for just a few min.

Add toasted pecans, stir together, and ENJOY!

Original recipe (Warm Winter Chickpeas) used butter and nutmeg, and also called for chickpeas (also known as garbanzos, or chi-chi beans), but we are out of those yummy beans! This recipe even without the beans was surprisingly filling, and oh so satisfying!

I will never look at Brussels sprouts the same way again. I, and the Warm Winter Chickpeas recipe creator, both couldn't even put it in the name, probably for fear of scaring off everybody! Those poor little cabbages don't even have a chance, until now - maybe this is their big break!

Oh, I hope you like this recipe at least half as well as I do!

TELL ME IN A COMMENT -- What is your least favorite veggie? Do you ever eat it? Are there veggies that you only recently began eating AND enjoying?

Chipolte Anyone?! Spice Up Your Order with Health!

I love Chipolte! And eating there doesn't have to be a "2000 calorie jamboree!" I loved that, Julie!

With some adjustments to your usual order eating out at Chipolte can be a healthy experience!

Start with a burrito in a bowl (SUBTRACT 290-CALORIE white tortilla).

Next, ask for BROWN rice. This great NEW addition to Chipolte's menu is not even on their website yet!

Choose the BEANS AND SALSA that you like best; just be sure to take BOTH! The corn salsa has more calories, but they are healthy calories! If you really want to cut calories, pick one of the other 3 salsa varieties AND make it a "salad" (adds lettuce and omits rice)! Black beans are the ideal choice, if you have no preference. All beans are super nutritious, but the darker in color, the more phytochemicals.

A more FUN change is to ask for the guacamole! It adds calories, but they are ALL healthy calories, healthy fat, and who can pass up FRESH guacamole! Yum, I can taste it now! Maybe that's because I actually did just eat this (click here)! which tastes very similar to Chipolte, actually! And look how pretty!

This is a big one, SKIP the meat AND cheese AND sour cream. To ease into this adjustment, ask for 25% of the cheese (This will get you half. If you just ask for half, you might get nearly the full serving.) This change REDUCES SATURATED FAT of your meal by 12 grams.

Perhaps make just ONE order-change PER VISIT, if you're overwhelmed, and think I'm stealing your burrito! Gradual changes are going to STICK -- become "what you do", rather than "just a phase".

TELL ME IN A COMMENT! Do you try to order out healthy sometimes? Or do you save your healthy eating for at home? What tricks do you use to cut the calories at your favorite restaurant?

Top 7 Reasons to Eat Breakfast BEFORE Morning Exercise!

(Here is a recipe for the above photo.)

1) Break the fast! When you wake, your body is in a fasted state, “starvation mode”, and will hang on tightly to calories (slow your metabolism) until you “break the fast” by eating, thus SPEEDING up your METABOLISM!

2) Your MUSCLES and TUMMY will FEEL better -- once you’ve found what works for you!

3) You will have more ENERGY to exercise harder -- HIGHER INTENSITY!

Now it’s a chain reaction starting with HIGHER INTENSITY EXERCISE...

4) Your post-exercise metabolism will increase more -- you’ll BURN MORE CALORIES for the the next 10-12 hours! ...because the level of increase is dependent on exercise intensity.

5) Your FITNESS will improve more than working at a lower intensity -- obvious, but still great!

6) Increased fitness will allow you to exercise EVEN HARDER next time, or make similar exercise seem EASIER!

7) Finally, if your mode of exercise requires ALERTNESS (outside, alone in the dark) or CONCENTRATION (basketball at the gym), you will definitely experience improvements in these areas with some eats!

I like to eat, SO any time it would be BETTER for me to eat, than not to, is pretty awesome!

WHAT to eat? Anything! CARBOHYDRATES are mainly what you want! Perhaps with a little protein. 100-300 calories is about right for most people.

...Normally (any non-exercise-related time really), I recommend a well-rounded combination of carbs including fiber, protein, and healthy fat.

Here are some EXAMPLES:

• Banana or other fruit, 100% fruit juice
• Whole wheat toast, PB&J sandwich, oatmeal, cereal, whole wheat crackers
• Non-fat milk, yogurt, kefir
• Larabar, Laraballs!, granola bar, sports bar
• Non-breakfast-y foods work too: pizza, rice, beans, hummus, pasta, leftovers

WHEN? Well, right away! If you can wait any amount of time to exercise, your tummy might appreciate it!

Now go for it! I’m sure you have something on hand that will work!

TELL ME IN A COMMENT! Do you eat breakfast before morning exercise? What do you eat? Have you ever tried and it didn’t go well?

All Things Chocolate and Berry

(I LOVE BERRIES AND CHOCOLATE)

SO, the newest Larabar ball recipe: Chocolate Cherry Torte, Yum!

1/2 c walnuts

1/2 c dried cherries, unsweetened*
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa

Blend well with a food processor and shape how ever you like! Larabars are a favorite treat in my house and super-healthy (read more here).

In my house, we put the mix in a resealable sandwich bag and shape into balls as eaten. They can be stored at room temp or in the frig. Easy as that!

 

Good for the Naughty (I'll take this coal any day of the year!)

Good for the Nice (easy to gift as a gift!, you can even send in the mail!)

*I used to get unsweetened cherries in the bulk section of Whole Foods - apparently that choice is out!...let me know if you find them! We don't need the sugar - those tart cherries have plenty of flavor on their own! If you only find sweetened and want to decrease added sugar, substitute some cherries for dates.

Another delicious treat! I get it from Costco (Costco doesn't pay me, in case you were wondering -- I just shop there a lot, and I'm pretty sure they have at least one dietitian working for them, picking such awesome products -- most much more nutritious than this!)

Brooksde Dark Chocolate Acia with Blueberry. Dark chocolate and berries combine to give an antioxidant punch! For a candy :) There is a gram of fiber, for a candy, this is cool! I'm not saying you can click away your fruit and veggie requirement here, but for a treat - DELICIOUS!!! And with some nutritional side benefits :) See those smilies :)

UPDATE: these are not dairy-free, so I don't eat them anymore. We did just find some chocolate covered pistachios that are dairy-free, and yummy!

For the chocolate lover, add unsweetened cocoa (~1/4 c) to the 3-Ingredient Super-Shake!

 My 3 yr-old loves it too ... she was dying for a sip when I wanted to take a few pics!

Another great snack - FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES! These were purchased online (www.amazon.com) after Costco STOPPED selling them; the fact that Costco randomly stops selling items I love is one of the only things I don't like about Costco.  The brand Just Tomatoes carries these FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES. They have a huge variety of fruits AND veggies, and the ingredients list is beautiful! - only ONE ingredient!  Can't beat that!

Finally, my 5-yr-old sees me making posts all the time, and you know, "monkey see, monkey do". So, she wanted to write a post too! She made her own "recipe", a doggy snack!

Whole wheat bread trimmed (bitten) to the shape of a dog, topped with Earth Balance (a butter alternative, no hydrogenated oils) with dried cranberries and Cheerios (a great grain!) as a face!

QUICK TIP: regular Cheerios are a healthier choice than Multigrain Cheerios! (less sugar and more fiber!)

TELL ME IN A COMMENT! Do your kids ever invent "recipes"? Do they help you cook? Eat more when they do? It's amazing what a little elbow grease does to the appetite!