Pinkies Up

Saturday The Daughter and I went to to a Fancy Nancy Tea Party at the library. We learned to curtsey and to drink with our pinkies up. It was a lot of fun.

Now at dinner The Daughter reminds us, "pinkies up."

I think Grandma Fancy Nancy would like to have such a tea party. If you have any questions, The Daughter has ALL the answers.

A Thousand Words. . .

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is this video clip worth? Mom, what do you think of my nose?

Fiber IV

Tamara raised an important question: How do you get children to eat more fiber?

I have no answer to that question.

Kids, by nature, do not like fiber--they love processed foods. They like to eat things like Raman Noodles, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and Spaghetti O's. In short, if it is disgusting and has almost zero nutritional value, children love it.

On the bright side, and I can only speak from my own experience, my kids really like almost all fruits, most vegetables, PB&J, and most breakfast foods--like eggs and whole wheat pancakes and waffles.

Dinner is a big problem. My children would be happy with Hamburger Helper every night.

Fiber III

I will now address a taboo topic.
The unspeakable, but not unsmellable side effects of a healthy diet and happy digestive system.

Four simple ways to reduce gas:

1. Take it slow. Don't go from a white bread and steak diet to a whole grain and spinach salad diet overnight. Gradually increase your fiber intake. My goal is to eat at least 10 grams/meal.

2. Drink lots of water.

3. Beano works great--especially for those who may be missing an enzyme.

4. Gas-X is another wonder drug--at least that's what I've been told.

Fiber II

I can tell by the number of comments on Fiber I that everyone is anxiously awaiting Fiber II.

Here are the top 10 ways to eat more fiber.

1. Eat a whole grain cereal that contains at least 10 grams/serving. Some are my favorites are: Kashi brand, Raisin Bran, Uncle Sam's (I like this cereal topped with craisins) and Emily says Fiber One came out with a new one that tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
2. Eat fresh fruit. An apple has about 5 grams of fiber, a banana 4, and a pear 4.
3. Eat fresh vegetables. Although vegetables tend to have less fiber/serving they are generally low in calories. Also it is important to remember that fiber in and of itself is only part of the equation, the fiber together with the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables and whole grains combine for optimum benefit.
4. Eat a salad. This goes along with #3. This was a really good salad that Emily made: Baby spinach topped with grapefruit and avocado, or thin apple slices, candied pecans and Brianna's poppy seed dressing. To make the candied pecans: chop pecans, heat pan to about medium heat, add chopped pecans and sprinkle with sugar--it takes a carefully measured handfuls, more than you'd think. As the sugar melts swirl the pan around. Stop before it burns. Presto, it's done.
5. Eat more beans. Garbanzo beans are good for snacking on.
6. Eat whole grains.
7. Read labels. This is particularly true with whole wheat bread. A common trick is to advertise wheat bread and then add caramel coloring. The ingredients must say "whole wheat flour." Then check the fiber content try to get at least 3 grams/slice.
8. Eat hummus.
9. Eat falafel--although I will say that The Man thinks it is awful--but not as bad as tabouli.
10. Nuts--in moderation--are also a good source of fiber.

Buen provecho.

Fiber I

Top 10 (11) Reasons to Eat More Fiber
1. Happy digestive system
2. Feel fuller longer
3. Although fiber contains no vitamins etc. the body absorbs nutrients better with fiber
4. Lose weight
5. Reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels (soluble fiber)
6. Reduce the risk of diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar
7. Reduce the risk of some cancers
8. Your husband will thank you--right husband?
9. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables taste better and are prettier than say white bread and goldfish crackers
10. Helps prevent some types of gastrointestinal disease
(11. And, because Grandma Hazel said so)

These are are just a few reasons, and I didn't even look it up on wikipedia. . . where there's about a million reasons to eat more fiber.

As a bonus, I am including Auntie Wendy's Confetti Cous Cous recipe:

Chicken broth--substitute the broth for the water when following the directions on the box, but add about 1/4 c. more water
cous cous
butter
salt
1/4-1-2 tsp. cinnamon

about 1/3 c. dried fruit per cup of broth (craisins, raisins, chopped apricots etc.)

corn
nuts

simmer broth, butter, salt, cinnamon, dried fruit for 2 minutes. Stir in cous cous, corn and nuts. Let sit until absorbed--about 5 minutes.

I use whole wheat cous cous. In one serving there are 6 grams of fiber--and that doesn't include the corn, nuts, or dried fruit.

How Did That Happen?

The 2nd Boy loves his new jammies from The Grandma. As I was helping him into them he took his feet out and tucked his feet under his bottom. At first I tried to put them back on him, but he kept stomping his feet--which is the universal toddler sign for: Uh uh no way!

I stuck my hand down the leg of the jammies and into the foot and found a 1/4 cup of Raisin Bran. I reached my hand down the other leg and found another 1/4 cup. After he ate the raisins the 2nd boy put on his jammies. Problem solved.

The Cat Came Back

We sort of have a cat. It lives on our back porch--even when it is -3 outside. The Kids say it sleeps in the boat. You can imagine how pleased The Man (that was inspired by The You-Know-Which-Sister-in-law) was to find that out. I couldn't figure out why the cat stayed on our back porch. It just sat there day after day in the freezing cold staring at us through the window. We didn't feed it. It didn't like the Kids. Whenever The 2nd Boy went outside, the cat would scat. Finally I figured that the cat was a philosopher, I just liked us theoretically. Just when I'd come to a conclusion, The 1st Boy proudly announced, "I know why the cat comes back. It's because I feed it breakfast everyday." He punctuated his announcement with a smile.