Brainy Snacks for Your Little Einstein

BRAINY SNACK FUN 

I recently spent two wonderful hours with Ten children ages 5-12 and 6 adults making  6 healthy snacks  while learning about the nourishing brain ingredients of each snack. 

We learned that celery is a vasco-dialater and can help a headache and that iceberg lettuce actually has tryptophan in it and can help relax the hyperactivity some of us feel.  We made cheese balls rolled in nuts, shaved turkey with carrots slices and shredded cheese wrapped with iceberg lettuce, kabobs of fruit and cheese.

Important fiber and protein rich kid-friendly snacks to help feed their focus!  Several recipes were taken from Cabot's popular Healthy Kids Snacks recipe booklet.

We started out playing the Tray Game.  My father used to play that with us every friday night.  He would put 5 or more objects on a tray, give us seconds to view it and then cover it up and see how many items we could remember. We then celebrated with a milkshake .. with brain building raw egg hidden inside.  Egg yolk contains lecithin which enhances memory and concentration because it contains iron.  During our Brainy Snack fun time, we made a blue and green berry fruit smoothie and with blueberries and spinach - everyone wanted seconds.

We all jumped up to finish after tons of tasting to tap  10 parts of our body while naming super foods good for the brain (this helps remember what they are). Can you guess what some of them were?  Blueberries were one for the rich anti-oxidants and salmon and walnuts were some others for increasing the resiliency of brain matter.

Tips for Healthy Snacking

Give your kids a say. Offer comparable choices, such as regular or frozen yogurt, celery or carrots, whole-grain toast or whole grain crackers, apples or oranges. Better yet, recruit your children's help at the grocery store when you're selecting snacks or in the kitchen when you're assembling snacks.

Think outside the box. Offer something new, such as fresh pineapple, cranberries, red or yellow peppers, or roasted soy nuts. Slice a whole-wheat pita and serve with hummus.

Mix and Match. Serve baby carrots or other raw veggies with fat-free ranch dressing. Dip graham cracker sticks or fresh fruit in fat-free yogurt. Top celery, apples or bananas with peanut butter.

Have fun. Use a cookie cutter to make shapes out of low-fat cheese slices, whole-grain bread or tortillas. Eat diced fruit with chopsticks. give snacks funny names. try the classic "ants on a log" celery topped with peanut butter and raisins or make up your own.

 

Drinks count too. Offer your children plenty of water between meals. Liven it up with shaped ice cubes, a crazy straw or a squirt of lemon, cranberry or other fruit juice.

Find more tips at Mayo Clinic

 

The Healing power of Cilantro

What do Camel's and This Cilantro Smoothie have in Common?

 

Cilantro Smoothie

Not much really but my addlepated brain conjuring up this concoction while jet-lagged and dumbfounded by the sheer odessy of climate change within a 24 hour period.. dry hot sandy desert to cool wet still snowy here on the hill.  Great and grateful to be home in Vermont - soon to be green again..which spring is all about inside and out.

Cilantro... "incredibly refreshing" and "hard to believe adding this in a smoothie could make it taste so good" - comments from my spring fling workshop with the central Vermont chapter of WBON-Women's Owner's Business Network.  Cilantro is medicine, a healing food- it will pull out the heavy metals from your system and has anti-inflammatory powers among many others - two teaspoons a day is all you need. Check out the benefits below, play with the recipe.. add different fruit or use yogurt instead of almond milk..get your green on..explore and discover yum and tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk or yogurt
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 cup banana
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 cup Frozen Blueberries
• 4 dates

HOW TO MAKE ALMOND MILK?
You can make almond milk by soaking 1 cup of almonds for a few hours. When finished
soaking, strain them and blend them with 3 cups of filtered water. Strain the resulting mixture through a nut milk bag. You can add sweetener or vanilla for additional flavor. To store, place in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. You can also buy almond milk in a health food store, but it will not be raw.

Put everything until smooth. Dr. Yoshiaki Omura discovered that mercury levels in the urine increased after an individual ate Vietnamese soup, which contains cilantro. Dr. Omura’s further research discovered that the herb cilantro could accelerate the excretion of mercury, lead, and aluminum from the body.
Contributed by:
Rhio (www.RawfoodInfo.com)

Benefits of Cilantro

The known benefits of organic cilantro are extensive, and researchers are discovering more every day. Currently, there are several well-known, well-documented benefits of organic cilantro, including:

• Powerful anti-inflammatory capacities that may help symptoms of arthritis
• Protective agents against bacterial infection from Salmonella in food products
• Acts to increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind), and reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
• Relief for stomach gas, prevention of flatulence and an overall digestive aid
• Wards off urinary tract infections
• Helps reduce feelings of nausea
• Eases hormonal mood swings associated with menstruation
• Has been shown to reduce menstrual cramping.
• Adds fiber to the digestive tract
• A source of iron, magnesium, and is helpful in fighting anemia
• Gives relief for diarrhea, especially if caused by microbial or fungal infections
• Helps promote healthy liver function.
• Reduces minor swelling
• Strong general anti-oxidant properties
• Disinfects and helps detoxify the body
• Stimulates the endocrine glands
• Helps with insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar
• Acts as a natural anti-septic and anti-fungal agent for skin disorders like fungal infections and eczema
• Contains immune-boosting properties
• Acts as an expectorant
• Helps ease conjunctivitis, as well as eye-aging, macular degeneration, and other stressors on the eyes.

James A. Duke, Ph.D., a former botanist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and author of The CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, states that cilantro has been shown to settle the stomach. He recommends drinking a cup of the tea made from a handful of the leaves, when experiencing any form of stomach discomfort.<sup>4

Could one conversation change your life?  Find out how at my website: MarieFrohlich.com</sup>

 

Easy Detox Recipe for Tip-toeing through the Tulips

The Coming of the Green and your Radiant Self - Vernal Equinox is March 20!

As we start to think Spring and experience Daylight Savings time- ah, the growing light not only shining on those cobwebs and the dusties everywhere but also on our pale and pudgy winter bodies.  Our list for spring cleaning should also include a list that includes a gentle personal cleanse creating more energy to tackle any task.  De-toxing or cleansing your system can take many forms, from easy to radical.  Do your homework on the best one for you and make sure you give yourself the time to do it.

Here are two easy 24-hour cleanses for Health, the first is particulary good after a week of over-indulgence and the second is great for energy. (Both taken from Michael Van Straten's Little Book of Detox Tips).

24 hour Cleanse for Energy

The day before your 24 hour cleanse for energy detox, avoid all animal protein and have a fairly light diet of just fruit, vegetables and salads.

On Waking: One large glass of hot water with a thick slice of lemon (unwaxed)

Breakfast: Another large glass of hot water with lemon and a glass of unsweetened pineapple juice

Mid Morning : Another large glass of hot water with a thick slice of organic lemon


Lunch: A large glass of hot water with a thick slice of organic lemon and a large glass of any salt-free vegetable juice; a mug of ginseng tea


Midafternoon:  A large glass of hot water with Lemon

Supper: 1 large Mango, 4 Kiwi peeled, and 1 medium Pineapple - blended


Evening: A large glass of hot water with Lemon and Carrot, Apple and Celery Juice (3 carrots, 2 apples quartered and 2 celery stalks)

Bedtime: a Mug of any reputable brand of chamomile tea with a teaspoon of organic honey.

24 hour Cleanse for Health

On Waking: One large glass of hot water with a thick slice of lemon (unwaxed).

Breakfast: Another large glass of hot water with lemon and a mug of Ginger Tea.  (add one inch of gingerroot to a mug of boiling water, cover and let stand for 5 minutes, strain, add a little honey, sip slowly.

Mid Morning : Another large glass of hot water with a thick slice of organic lemon.


Lunch: A large glass of Tomato Juice and Celery Blend and a mug of Ginger Tea.
For the blend use 6 large, ripe plum tomatoes, 2 stalks celery with leaves, juice of 1 lemon, a dash of hot pepper.. blend until smooth, hot pepper to taste.


Midafternoon:  A large glas of hot water with Lemon and

Supper: Kiwi and pineapple juice and a cup of Ginger Tea.


Evening: Orange Juice and Almond Blend (4 oranges, juiced and whisk 4 finely ground blanched almonds with a fork into the orange juice)

Bedtime: a Mug of any reputable brand of chamomile tea with a teaspoon of organic honey.

FREE HEALTH CONSULTATION: Consider scheduling a free 1/2 hour health consultation with me in April and learn about the benefits of having a personal health coach.  Email me at MarieFrohlich@gmail.com or learn more at MarieFrohlich.com.

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