Link Happy Monday

I feel like I have been getting lots of snippets of information lately.  So, here they are for you, in no particular order: 

I've been playing around with my new waffle-maker and have been thoroughly excited about this recipe for Brownie Waffles.  My kids especially love them.  And I love knowing what great ingredients are in the food they're eating.  Seriously, have you seen the long (many un-pronounceable) list of ingredients on frozen waffles?  Even the better-for-you options like Nature's Path, Kashi, are guilty of long ingredient lists. To clean this recipe up even more, you can substitute the 2 eggs with 2 "flax eggs" (whisk 2 T. ground flax and 6 T. cold water in small bowl, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes or until thickened a bit).  And substitute 2 T. unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil.  I use unsweetened almond milk instead of soy milk, but that's just a personal preference.

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 8

Click below for Engine 2 Diet, Plant-Strong Kids, Week 8 printables:

Week 8

If your child has completed all eight weeks, you may print this fun certificate for them!

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 7

Click below for Engine 2 Diet, Plant-Strong Kids, Week 7 printables:

Week 7

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 6

Click below for Engine 2 Diet, Plant-Strong Kids, Week 6 printables:

Week 6

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 5

For some reason, I thought the Engine 2 Diet Plant-Strong Kids was a 4 week series, but apparently I was wrong!  So, here you go, Week 5...


Click here to connect to the Daily Beet (E2 blog), where you will find the link for Week 5 printables.


Or, go directly to the Week 5 printables here.

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 4

Find your way over to the Daily Beet, the Engine 2 Diet blog, where you'll find information about their Plant-Strong Kids summer series, week 4. 

Or, you can go directly to this week's printable resources, by clicking here.

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 3

Enjoy Week 3 of The Engine 2 Diet's Plant-Strong Kids Summer Series.  These are such great printables to use with your kids!

Week 3

After clicking on the above link, which takes you to the Engine 2 Daily Beet blog, click on
PlantStrongKidsWeek3 to download the printables for this week.

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 2

Plant-Strong Kids Summer Series, Week 2

Be sure to click on PlantStrongKidsWeek2 link in the middle of the blog post, to pull up the printable resources!

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 1

We posted this on our Facebook page today, but it is really great information and is worthy of appearing on the blog... 

Engine 2 Diet is running a weekly Plant-Strong Kids series in July and August.  From the E2 website:

"Every week in July and August we will have an easy-to-print PDF for kids and parents! Each week we will have articles, games, tips for parents, challenges, recipes and more. At the end of the summer we will have a printable PDF certificate for kids who participated!"

If you're looking for a way to educate your kids about good food choices and get them more involved in the process, this is a great place to start!  Fabulous printables, challenges, etc.!

Plant-Strong Kids, Week 1 will take you to The Engine 2 Diet's blog, The Daily Beet, where you can learn about this great four week series.  From there, you can click on the link to download the printables, or simply click here for week 1 printables.

Let's be intentional about educating (& feeding) our kids well!

dawn

Fitness Friday

I get a "nudging" (as my friend Jenni calls it) to write sometimes.  I've had a nudging, but I haven't had the time.  And now that my kids finished school two weeks ago for the summer (cue angels singing!), I HAVE THE TIME!  If I could send them to school half the time, and homeschool the other half, I'd totally do that in a minute.  Because, man, the school rat-race is tough!  If you have kids in school (real school, not preschool), you know what I'm talking about.  The month of May is IN-SANE.  Definitely worse than December, which ranks right up there.  And every year seems to get a little more insane.  How is that?!  I always thought that when they started school things would slow down.  Ask any mom with big kids and they'll tell you I was dead wrong!  But, I digress...The point is, I have TIME.  Time to actually enjoy my kids (instead of my kids' to-do lists!), time to try new recipes, time to actually read a book, or blog.  It's been at least 9 months since I had TIME.  Such a precious commodity.

Health is NOT a Competition!

Sometimes a dose of "healthy" competition is good for our family!  It's not always been this way though.  When we first got married, my husband and I would often play board games and card games together at night.  I was NOT a good loser and would literally play one more hand or one more round just so I could win!  Bentley would eventually give in to the need to sleep or just be rid of my madness, and I'd walk away happy to have claimed victory again.  (Clearly he is a very patient man!)


Then came children.  Eliza is definitely my offspring and really did NOT like losing from a very young age.  I remember reading parenting books that said "let them win" and other opinions that said "they need to accept losing sometimes."  We've done some of both and now that she's 6.5 we really try and let her compete knowing she will not always be in first place.  Lydia, our almost 4 year old, has served as a great teaching tool for Eliza.  We often have family game night at our house and I find myself telling Eliza to, "be patient as Lydia learns, help her when she doesn't know or understand something, you are her biggest cheerleader, and praise her when she wins!"  Slowly game night has become less about winning and more about quality family time full of full of laughter and silly talk.  Oh how I could have used these lessons I am teaching for most of my life.  I agree sometimes competition is healthy and good, but other times it's being on the journey together that really matters.


And so if some of you are feeling like you need someone to say they believe in you and are cheering you on, WE DO!  I feel as though often times we look at most everything in life with competitive eyes and start comparing ourselves to the person next to us on their journey.  We don't want to lose or feel left out, so we either give up trying all together, or become discouraged and feel like we will never measure up.  You must remember HEALTH IS NOT A COMPETITION!   It's a JOURNEY and each person's journey is unique to that individual!


The most important step is to BE ON THE JOURNEY.  Instead of competing with the girl next to you this week, encourage her and be her cheerleader!  Everyone can use more positive energy flowing their way!  As you begin or continue to read books, websites, blogs, and recipes, as well as, clean out your fridge, go grocery shopping, or plant a garden, take time to really pause and SMILE at the choices you are making towards a healthier you.  Each step matters and should be praised and celebrated!


Today, I met a friend for lunch and I continue to be amazed at her journey with food and health!  She is a rock star and I want her to know I am constantly learning from her as well.  I also saw a friend in Whole Foods today buying "Forks Over Knives" and you can only imagine my excitement!  I love that she is beginning to really explore the world of food and health!   I want the world (literally) to know truth and freedom in eating from the earth and be an encouragement to others on their journey towards health.


So, if you want healthy competition enter a race, or challenge your husband to some rounds of UNO one night, but keep the competition out of food.   I promise you will appreciate your journey so much more and find yourself gleaning from all the positive energy around you!


cheering you on...
leanne (& dawn)

Eat a rainbow

We posted this fabulous link on our Grab Your Greens Facebook page, but we are aware we have at least a handful of readers who aren't on Facebook, so we wanted to make it available to you, too.


Print this cute rainbow coloring sheet for your kids and have a fun, healthy competition on eating the colors of the rainbow, in a day, a few days, or over the course of a week! 


Color Your World


And, just a note of trivia for our non-Facebook fans, you can bookmark and still view our GYG Facebook Page, without having to be a member!  You just cannot participate in discussions.  We do typically post more frequently on our Facebook page, than we do our blog, so it is worth it to check it out for little words of encouragement, inspiration, or short tips & tricks for living healthier!


Eat a rainbow today-
Dawn

Food as Medicine

This post has been swirling in my head for several weeks.  It is a topic I have grown to have such deep passion about.  I think Hippocrates said it best, "Let food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be food."  There lies deep power in our diets.  Deep, deep power.  Power beyond what even the best scientists are able to fully understand.  But we are missing out on so much greatness and are making ourselves fat and sick with our highly processed, sugary diets, which are void of nutrition.  Today, the American diet takes over 60% of its calories from processed foods and less than 5% from unrefined plant foods (fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds).  from Super Immunity, by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. 

"American children and most children in developed countries eat less than 2 percent of their diet from natural plant foods such as fruits and vegetables.  American children move into adulthood eating 90 percent of their caloric intake from dairy products, white flour, sugar, and oil.  Amazingly, about 25 percent of toddlers between ages one and two eat no fruits and vegetables at all."  -from Disease-Proof Your Child, by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

I think almost everyone has heard and would possibly even agree that vegetables are "good for you."  But we do not really understand what that means!  Plant foods, especially green vegetables, are bursting with nutrients that our bodies desperately need to run efficiently, to prevent disease, and to give us superior immunity. 

"Natural plants are complex packages of biologically active compounds.  The term 'phytonutrients,' which means 'plant-nutrients,' was coined to represent these thousands of plant-sourced compounds that have functional effects in animal tissues with subtle but profound effects on human health and immunity.  Superior nutrition is the secret to immunity.  Natural plants are complicated and wondrous life forms; they contain thousands of intricate cells and biochemicals working in harmony.  When we eat healthy food, we become healthy; when we don't, we develop disease.  Essentially, we are made from the food we eat." -from Super Immunity, by Joel Fuhrman M.D. 

That icky stomach bug going around.  The one that's run rampant through the entire family.  And those colds that just seem to go in circles for months.  Did you ever think it just might not have to be that way!  That maybe you can actually do something about it?  It's okay to roll your eyes.  Two years ago, I would've rolled my eyes, too.  But the more I read (and read and read...I'm a little obsessed) about food, nutrition, and health, the more I believe that we have way more control of our health than any of us know. 

"The answer to the American health crisis is the food that each of us chooses to put in our mouths each day.  It's as simple as that."
-from The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD

See, I have had these conversations with friends lately.  Friends that also have completely revamped how they and their families eat.  Plant-strong.  Plants, plants, and more plants.  Whole foods.  The conversation where we've quietly confessed to each other how unusually healthy our families have been this winter.  Yes, I just said that out loud.  I've whispered it a few times, with my fingers crossed, but I'm okay with saying it out loud now.  Because people need to know.  YOU need to know!  That there is power in the food we eat.  We can choose disease, sickness, slugishness (more later on the connection between increase in diseases of affluence and our high animal protein/sugary/processed diets)...  Or we can choose health, immunity, healing, and life.  And that is my heart.  To share the 'gospel' of food, with people just like you.  To encourage and to inspire you to want more for your body, your health, your children, your spouses. 

Since having kids almost eight years ago, I have felt like I spent my winters running a hospital.  Somebody was sick all. the. time.  Because this seems to be the norm among families with young children, I never ever thought to question it.  For the last 5-6 years, I myself have practically spent the entire winter on and off antibiotics, ibuprofen, and other stronger prescription drugs for ongoing (& increasing in intensity) problems with my sinuses.  As of last spring, we were finally talking surgery. 

"Kids become ill not because they just naturally pass around germs or have bad genes, but because their diets are inadequate.  Medications cannot prevent these problems--only a diet of nutritional excellence can."  -from Disease-Proof Your Child, by Joel Fuhrman, MD

This winter, the kids have each had 1 cold.  That's it.  I have had 1 cold and it went away on its own.  Anyone that knows me and my sinus history, knows this is unheard of!  I don't even remember when I got a cold that went away on its own and didn't turn into some bigger long-lasting mess.  It's probably been at least a decade.  I have friends who also eat very healthfully, that have experienced unusually healthy winters, too.    And there are a handful of other more personal health improvements we've each experienced, that could only be explained by a very healthy diet.  Tomorrow, I'll probably get a cold.  Just because I said this.  But that's okay, I'll still be a believer that our Maker created our beautifully intricate bodies to function at optimal health, with a diet high in foods of pure perfection, gifted to us in the Garden of Eden. 

Genesis 1:29  Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.

And, I'll still be passionate about sharing it with you.  Because it's too great a gift to keep to myself...

Make today matter-
Dawn   

Happy Heart Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, we'd like to celebrate our amazing hearts, which God created, that give us life each day. 

Here are some fun heart facts:

• Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and 35 million in a year.
• The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of blood during an average lifetime—that's enough to fill more than 3 super tankers.
• Though weighing only 11 ounces on average, a healthy heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels each day. 
The heart begins beating at four weeks after conception and does not stop until death.  Scientists believe that by eight weeks, when the embryo is only an inch long, the heart is fully developed.
In under a minute, your heart can pump blood to every cell in your body.
 

And, some staggering statistics:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
• In 2010, coronary heart disease alone was projected to cost the United States $316.4 billion.  This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity. 
• In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds which is roughly the equivalent of a September 11th-like tragedy repeating itself every 24 hours, 365 days a year. 
• By 2020, heart disease will be the leading cause of death throughout the world.
• One-half of the victims of Sudden Cardiac Death are under the age of 65.

(Statistics from the CDC, the AHA (American Heart Assoc)., and The Heart Foundation)

We'd like to offer you a book recommendation on Happy Heart Day.  If you're looking for some good non-fiction reading, check out Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.  We LOVE the Esselstyns (this includes Rip Esselstyn, Dr. Esselstyn's son, author of The Engine 2 Diet) and what they have done and are doing for the cause of health! 

From the back cover:
       "In Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., a former surgeon, researcher, and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, challenges conventional cardiology by posing a compelling, revolutionary idea--that we can, in fact, abolish the heart-disease epidemic by changing our diets.
       Drawing from his twenty-year nutritional study--the most comprehensive study of its kind--Dr. Esselstyn convincingly argues that plant-based, oil-free nutrition can not only prevent and stop the progression of heart disease, but also reverse its effects. The proof is in the incredible results of the patients who have followed his groundbreaking program. The men and women in his original study came to him with advanced coronary disease. Within months of following a plant-based, oil-free diet, their angina symptoms eased, their cholesterol levels dropped significantly, and they experienced a marked improvement in blood flow to the heart. Twenty years later, they remain free of symptoms.
       Offering the same simple plan that has changed the lives of his patients forever, the book includes 150 delicious recipes developed by Ann Crile Esselstyn that the Esselstyns and their patients have enjoyed for years.  Backed by irrefutable scientific evidence, startling photos of angiograms that show reversal of the disease, and inspiring personal stories, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease will empower readers to take charge of their heart health."

Tell someone you love them today-
Dawn