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healthy snacking

Garden For Kids
Toddler

How to Build a Toddler Snacking Garden

Want to encourage your child to grow a green thumb and eat healthy, fresh foods this Summer?
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Want to encourage your child to grow a green thumb and eat healthy, fresh foods this Summer? Follow the lead of Burlington, VT-based mom Ariela of Sweet Happy Life, who recently built a toddler snacking garden for her 2-year-old son. Though Ariela lives in an apartment with a small balcony, she still found the space to create a green, growing play area and garden. "The idea for a snacking garden came from one of my favorite books on gardening," she says. "It's called Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, and in it author Sharon Lovejoy shared the concept of an edible garden filled with tasty treats that kids could pluck off the plant and pop right into their mouths." Keep reading to find out how to build your own snacking garden.

Source: Sweet Happy Life

Choose Your Plants Plant Your Garden Together Add Some "Magic" Let Your Child Play, and Don't Expect Perfection Learn More
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5 Ways to Resist Office Snacks
office fitness

5 Ways to Resist the Office Candy Jar

Whether it's because of mindless eating or the need to take a break, sometimes you can't resist the office candy jar.
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Whether it's because of mindless eating or the need to take a break, sometimes you can't resist the office candy jar. Its sweet offerings are varied and never ending, and finding your way over to it can be a much-needed distraction or break from the daily grind.

But the call of the candy jar can mean disaster for your diet, especially if it leads to a regular habit of unconscious indulging. Are you a sucker for sweets at the office? Here are some ways to quell your cravings.

  1. Stock up on healthy alternatives. If you go for candy because you crave something sweet, bring fresh fruit, trail mix with dried fruit, a small piece of dark chocolate, or other healthy alternatives so you can sate your sweet tooth without all the empty calories.
  2. Drink water. Sometimes, if I'm brainstorming or stuck on an idea at work, I'll reach for something to eat. I've been trying to reach for my water bottle instead whenever I need to stop and think. It works, and it helps me drink more water! Try sweetening your water with some fruit juice or crushed berries if that helps.
  3. Map out your weekly quota. Tell yourself how many pieces of candy you're allowed for the week and don't stray. If you happen to indulge too much on Monday, know that you're out of luck for the rest of the week. Knowing how many calories are in each fun size piece can help you figure out how much you should be eating.
  4. Socialize other ways. At an old job, the receptionist would keep a candy jar on her desk to entice people to come up and chat. If you feel like you are going back to the bowl because you need a break, try other ways to get in a gab fest: nix the email and walk to a co-worker's desk to talk or get lunch with someone to take a break.
  5. Go on a walk. Need that sugar fix for energy? A brisk walk around lunchtime is a great way to have more energy in the afternoon, not too mention the perfect way to clear your head for tackling tasks.
Snack Attack: Oscar Night Popcorn
Oscars

Snack Attack: Oscar Night Popcorn

Whenever I curl up on the couch in front of a good movie, I have to have a bowl of freshly popped popcorn.
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Whenever I curl up on the couch in front of a good movie, I have to have a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. So the same goes for the Oscars - a night celebrating all the movies we love. Now I'm not talking about microwave popcorn here, there's way too much garbage in it.

There's two ways I make it:
1. The old-fashioned way:

  • Take a 1 quart size saucepan and pour enough canola oil on bottom just to cover it with a thin layer. You can also use olive oil, but I don't think it tastes as good.
  • Now pour 1/4 cup loose popcorn kernels in, shaking the pan a little to coat them with the oil.
  • Turn the burner on between medium and high. Place a top on the pan and shake it constantly from side to side over the heat. You get to work your arms a little bit too.
  • You'll start to hear the kernels begin to pop. Once the popping slows down a great deal, take the pan off the heat and pour the popcorn into another bowl.
  • Allow it to cool off a bit before sprinkling it with salt.

Want to know an incredibly easy way to make popcorn without the oil? Then read more