It’s not to early to begin 10 New Year’s resolutions for weight “release” November 19, 2009

The actor Freeman Michaels MA, who played Drake Belson on The Young and the Restless in the mid-1990s, is now a nationally known weight-release coach and seminar leader, and author of a new book about his successful approach, called Weight Release: A Liberating Journey (Morgan James Publishing, $16.95).

Before we take those first bites of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, it might be useful to take a moment ot listen to Michaels’ approach to eating and weight loss, and how it can affect (for better or worse) our self image. 
 
“If you’re like I was when my weight ballooned to 275 pounds a few years ago,” he shares, “you’re probably wondering if you’ll ever again have that healthy feeling of being light, quick, and carefree. For some, childhood may have been the last time you were at a size and weight that felt good. Take heart! You can begin to release weight by following my 10 New Year’s resolutions. I’m more than 70 pounds lighter now, thanks to a self-care practice I developed and that is helping hundreds of others do it too.”

Curious? Here are tips from his new book: 

1. Stop thinking of weight in terms of “loss.” Food and eating behaviors have provided comfort to you. When we focus only on “losing” the weight without dealing with the underlying purpose those behaviors have served, we’re apt to “find” it again.
2. Replace self-judgment with self-compassion. Self-judgments–I’m fat, I’m unattractive, I’m undisciplined–are roadblocks to releasing weight. Learn to be compassionate toward the part of you that holds shame, blame, or guilt, and you’ll begin to release the weight of unresolved issues. Actual weight release will result.
3. Stay in the safe zone. Identify some “safe zones”–areas or people with whom you feel safe. Establish who might be allies in your weight release journey and find places where you feel comfortable being yourself.
4. Minimize bad days. For many of us, bad days can quickly translate into bad days of eating. Practice unplugging from negative people energetically in order to create your own positive reality.
5.  See slips as teachers. When you catch yourself in a negative pattern around food, don’t slide into self-criticism. Instead, ask yourself what’s going on with you that wants to be addressed.
6. Change something–anything. Make a change, preferably something you have resistance to, that has nothing to do with food, diet, or exercise–e.g., rearrange your bedroom. Note how the mere act of changing something affects you emotionally.
7.  Plan to “snack consciously.” Buy and prepare foods you can snack on throughout the day. Schedule in snacks twice or more per day; don’t wait until you’re starving.
8. Eat before you eat out.  Before you go out to dinner, eat a healthy snack so you’re not impulsive and motivated by hunger when ordering.
9.  Prepare “meal” affirmations. Before you eat, say a silent affirmation. Examples: “I choose to eat what my body needs,” or “I love my body, and I offer it sustenance.”
10.  Embrace discomfort. “Comfort food” suggests the presence of discomfort. The goal is to embrace the discomfort and allow it to be your teacher and your guide. It will lead you to the unmet needs that are causing anxiety or distress–and influencing the way you eat and think about food.

A little love from Orange County Register… November 10, 2009

I am positively blushing–but excited–about my coverage today in the Orange County Register.

“Orange County Fare: A Culinary Journey Through the California Riviera,” the first cookbook produced by the Junior League of Orange County in more than 20 years, is a finalist in the cookbook category of the 2009 National Best Books Awards sponsored by USA Book News. The book focuses on fresh California-style cuisine – colorful dishes easily mastered by the home cook.
One of the recipes featured is by Rebecca Lacko of Capistrano Beach. Here’s a closer look:

Rebecca Lacko of Capistrano Beach donated her recipe Chicken Sausage Crostini to the Junior League of Orange County’s cookbook, “Orange County Fare: A Culinary Journey Through the California Riviera.”

Q. What was it like to be included in the new Junior League cookbook?

A. I was absolutely flattered to have my recipe appear in the same book with chef Jeff Lavia, chef Jamie Gwen, Richard Nixon, John Stamos and Vanna White. The proceeds from the book directly impact our Orange County neighbors and friends.

Q. What is your recipe?

A. I was pleased to donate my recipe Chicken Sausage Crostini (Page 21) to JLOCC, which devotes its trained volunteers and resources to five community projects focusing on the improvement of the lives of families in our community. The current projects are Orangewood Mentoring Program Activities, Florence Crittenton Services, CHOC Reading Program, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Emancipated Youth Program, and Orangewood Kinship. Through these projects, JLOCC returns more than $50,000 and gives more than 1,500 volunteer hours to the Orange County community each year.

Q. What is your full-time job?

A. Mother to two young boys, produce a national column on green living, and write for a variety of national publications and Web sites.

Q. What were your career dreams as a kid?

A. I always wanted to be in some creative field – writing, painting or singing, although I can barely carry a tune. I can remember relishing the idea of being able to live anywhere in the world while weaving stories for readers or painting scenes from my adventures on canvas. And I always wanted lots and lots of kids.

Q. When did you become interested in writing about food?

A. I began writing about food and nutrition more than six years ago. It seemed natural and effortless because I am always thinking about eating good food and I want others to join me. I’m also curious about how different kinds of food and spices can heal or provide specific nutrients, and how they grow or earned a peculiar name. Creating and sharing a nutritious meal with friends and family is, in my opinion, a great act of love.

Q. How so?

A. Humankind has been gathering to eat since the dawn of time, and it is a ritual that honors and nourishes everyone at the table. When we can make something that tastes good, fuels the body and is pleasing to the senses, we have in essence, created art. This may seem a lofty perspective on something as routine as eating, but when you stand back and study the process of preparing food and feeding others, there is a lucid beauty to the task.

Q. Why do you think volunteering is important?

A. We all know in our hearts how important social programs are to those in need. Living in close proximity to the ocean, we also are reminded to be good stewards of our environment. However, studies prove volunteering benefits the volunteer the most. When we give, we truly receive. A community can only be as healthy, vibrant and active as its members are willing to make it. As Dr. Albert Schweitzer remarked, “The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

“Orange County Fare” is available at www.orangecountyfare.com ($29.95), as well as Friday through Sunday at The Christmas Co. at the OC Fair & Event Center (fairgrounds), 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information, visit www.jlocc.org.

ABOUT REBECCA LACKO

Born and raised: Ontario, Canada

Food heroes: chefs Bobby Flay, Alice Waters and Tanya Petrovna

Family: husband, Joseph; two sons, Joseph, 4, and Noah, 2

Favorite quote: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Marianne Williamson

Hobbies/spare time: reading, going for walks or hikes, traveling, cooking, painting, yoga and dance, playing with her kids

Motto: “When you look at your troubles from God’s point of view, you realize that everything is working together for good. Meet every circumstance with forgiveness and joy.”

Working on: a fiction book about an Orange County-based family, and beginning the outline for a nonfiction book that will be a series of essays about living by design

Tips and thoughts on a gluten-free Thanksgiving November 2, 2009

Managing a gluten-free diet is tough at the best of times. In even the most innocuous foods may lurk soy sauce (made with wheat) or mystery fillers in those fabulous eggs you ate at that cute brunch spot. Traveling to visit friends and family over Thanksgiving holiday presents an obstacle course for staying gluten-free.

Your best defense is to host Thanksgiving at your place, with you doing all the cooking yourself. Of course, delegate others to set the table and wash the dishes! Just because you want to eat right through the holidays, doesn’t mean you must become a martyr.

I love what Gluten-Free Girl says about living with gluten intolerance  around the holidays. ”I’ve had requests for gluten-free cinnamon rolls, mincemeat pie, stuffing, and gravy. Everyone, it seems, wants to eat exactly what he or she ate as a child — before the celiac diagnosis — and have it taste exactly the same.

The thing is, everyone, it will never taste the same. No matter how good your pumpkin pie recipe with a gluten-free crust, it will never taste like the pie you ate as a child. It could taste even better. But it won’t taste the same.

Early on in this gluten-free journey, I decided that longing for the same old foods with gluten-free ingredients was like longing for a boyfriend I had broken up with. It never works.”

Celiac.com offers some helpful advice for surviving the holiday:

• A gluten-free holiday dinner starts with a gluten-free turkey. Believe it or not some brands of turkey do contain additives that are not gluten-free—so, like everything else, read the ingredients and use Celiac.com’s Gluten-Free Ingredient Lists or Gluten-Free Shopping Guides to help you shop.
• Don’t risk gluten-based stuffing in your turkey. Instead, try this gluten-free stuffing recipe.
• Gravy is easy: Use a gluten-free gravy recipe.  Remember, bouillon cubes can often be a source of hidden gluten in holiday meals so be sure to use gluten-free bouillon cubes.  To thicken your homemade gravy you can use corn starch or arrowroot flour.
• Gluten-free holiday side dishes are easy: Browse Celiac.com’s extensive listing of gluten-free recipes to find side dishes that will impress anyone—celiac disease or not. (My own website, UnassumingFoodie.com also has several amazing Gluten-Free and Low-Glycemic dishes!)
• Order gluten-free baking ingredients and other hard-to-find items like prepared gluten-free pies ahead of time for convenience—this will allow you to spend more time with friends and family rather than spending all of your time in the kitchen! Many excellent prepared gluten-free products can now be ordered and delivered directly to your door from places like the Gluten-Free Mall..

For more info: 

 

Gluten free, kid tested, and foolproof recipes for special diets (Part 1) For many children, gluten intolerance is typically demonstrated as “off-the-wall irrational” behavior. A father of a gluten intolerant child… »

Gluten free, tested, delicious recipes for special diets: Soup and salad (Part 2) A recent Mayo Clinic study found a dramatic increase in the number of cases of gluten intolerance; Interestingly, the group most affected is women in…»

Gluten free, tested, delicious: Recipes for special diets (Part 3) It is better to pay the grocer than the doctor. According to Dr. Eydi Bauer, author of the must-read new book, Life After Bread, in the US, we spend… »

Gluten free, foolproof and kid friendly: Delicious desserts for special diets (Part 4) Gluten sensitivity is a neurological disease. With symptoms including diarrhea, bloating, cramps and general weakness, we don’t readily consider out… »

Kid-Friendly Gluten-free DESSERTS! October 19, 2009

Gluten sensitivity is a neurological disease. With symptoms including diarrhea, bloating, cramps and general weakness, we don’t readily consider out tummy pains to be affecting our brain. However, as Dr. Eydi Bauer relates in her new book, Life After Bread, any organ or system in the body supplied by the brain and the nerves can be damaged by gluten sensitivity. This means that all systems can be affected–digestive, nervous, reproductive, musculoskeletal, as well as your psychological functioning.”

Dr. Bauer goes on to report how studies estimate as many as 40% (almost half!) of the US has antibodies against gluten, suffering a wide range of symptoms most have just come to consider “normal.” She adds that, “Celiac disease (a manifestation of gluten intolerance) is now being called the most common and most under-diagnosed autoimmune disease of our time.” 

Below are some tested and delicious gluten-free dessert recipes. (Looking for more great recipes? Check these out! Gluten free, kid tested, and foolproof recipes for special diets (Part 1); Gluten free, tested, delicious recipes for special diets: Soup and salad (Part 2); Gluten free, tested, delicious: Recipes for special diets (Part 3).

Autumn Harvest Raw Apple Pie with Almond-Date Crust Get the kids to help with this one, using the time together for a short history lesson about how food was gathered and prepared when Grandmother (or Great-Grandmother) was young.

Carrot Pudding (Gajur Halvah) This rich carrot dessert, which is popular throughout Northern India and Pakistan, became an obsession of ours when I was pregnant with my oldest son, Joseph.

Raw Brownies with Icing Treat yourself to some Scharffen Berger cocoa powder. Green and Black’s makes a nice organic one. Navitas makes Raw Cacao Power, perfect for the purist. (The extra cost for your luxury cocoa splurge is justified by your savings in flour, eggs, butter and milk!)

For more info: Dr. Eydi Bauer suffered from undiagnosed chronic health problems for over 20 years. Today, she is a holistic doctor and chiropractor practicing in Mendocino, Calif. The author of the new book Life After Bread, Bauer says, “Gluten intolerance is a serious and widespread nutritional problem that is causing an incredible array of health problems in America. It is also largely unrecognized by the Western medical Establishment. Learn more here.

Gluten free, kid tested, and foolproof recipes for special diets (Part 1) For many children, gluten intolerance is typically demonstrated as “off-the-wall irrational” behavior. A father of a gluten intolerant child… Keep Reading »

Gluten free, tested, delicious recipes for special diets: Soup and salad (Part 2) A recent Mayo Clinic study found a dramatic increase in the number of cases of gluten intolerance; Interestingly, the group most affected is women in… Keep Reading »

Gluten free, tested, delicious: Recipes for special diets (Part 3) It is better to pay the grocer than the doctor. According to Dr. Eydi Bauer, author of the must-read new book, Life After Bread, in the US, we spend… Keep Reading »

Gluten free chicken recipes with style and substance October 13, 2009

It is better to pay the grocer than the doctor.

According to Dr. Eydi Bauer, author of the must-read new book, Life After Bread, in the US, we spend “twice as much on healthcare as any other country spends, yet we’re generally in poorer health.”

Dr. Bauer states that, “we are becoming sicker because of what we eat, and common foods are often the source of our health imbalances. Every street corner offers both the posion (gluten) and a pharmaceutical remedy for the resulting pain and discomfort … We need a paradigm shift.”

Here are some easy and elegant chicken recipes from The Unassuming Foodie:

• Divine Basil-Walnut Chicken Usually, the purchase of fresh basil results in homemade pesto. I have to admit, however, that pine nuts do very little to inspire me. Walnuts, on the other hand, can reduce the damaging effects of fats on blood vessels according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, can lower LDL cholesterol by 10%, and taste downright gorgeous, especially when roasted.
• Arugula, Feta, and Olive Stuffed Chicken Thighs Given the choice between Greek or Caesar salad, do you always spring for the Greek? When you breeze past a display of gourmet olives at your neighborhood deli or upscale grocer, are you instantly intrigued? This is for you!
• Stuffed Chicken with Fresh Sage in Prosciutto Envelopes This recipe is so impressive-looking and utterly satisfying, I’ve served it at a formal Christmas Eve dinner, and conversely I’ve chopped into tiny pieces to my 13-month-old, who shows increasingly good taste.
• Crusty Herbed Chicken  This is similar to a breaded and spiced, fried chicken dish—without the fat and flour!
• Roast Chicken with Smoked Paprika and Fresh Thyme Spanish Smoked Sweet Paprika is also known as Pimenton de la Vera, Dulce. It is a popular ingredient in many Mediterranean recipes, and its flavor is essential for authentic Spanish cooking.

For more info: See more delicous and creative gluten-free recipes at Unassuming Foodie. Learn more from Manhattan Gluten-Free Food Examiner Bernice Mast, Low-Carb Lifestyle Examiner Jimmy Moore, and Atlanta Gluten-Free Food Examiner Alicia King.

Gluten free, kid tested, and foolproof recipes for special diets (Part 1) For many children, gluten intolerance is typically demonstrated as “off-the-wall irrational” behavior. A father of a gluten intolerant child… Keep Reading »

Gluten free, tested, delicious recipes for special diets: Soup and salad (Part 2) A recent Mayo Clinic study found a dramatic increase in the number of cases of gluten intolerance; Interestingly, the group most affected is women in…Keep Reading »

More About: health · Living Simply · Alternative Medicine · Gluten free lifestyle

Gluten intolerance and your child’s behavior: Food is medicine October 1, 2009

For many children, gluten intolerance is typically demonstrated as “off-the-wall irrational” behavior. A father of a gluten intolerant child described his 7-year-old’s behavior to include “many more outbursts, crying and door slamming, and saying life is ‘really, really tough’.” Before you listen to a single utterance about ADHD or accept a pharmaceutical solution for your child’s less desirable behaviors, I strongly encourage you to either have your child tested for gluten intolerance or read up about how to remove gluten from your diet. (Parenting 101: Possible dangers of children taking ADHD meds) 

Gluten intolerance symptoms include: 

• Abdominal cramps, gas and bloating
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue or general weakness
• Foul-smelling or grayish stools that are often fatty or oily
• Osteoporosis
• Stunted growth in children
• Weight loss, or alternatively, obesity

Celiac Disease, an intolerance of gluten (a protein in wheat and other grains), affects 3 million Americans, according to National Institutes of Health . Aside from the accomanying painful and potentially dangerous symptoms, the opportunity of giving our child (or ourselves) the gifts of ease, calm, and confidence is just as important. How frustrating for the child to be provoked to outbursts of frustration, merely from the handful of fish crackers eaten at a playdate?

A thoughtful and consistent change to your child’s diet may be the key to his or her (and your) peace of mind.

Here are some kid-approved recipes from The Unassuming Foodie:

• Bruschetta Style Brown Rice Fusilli This super-easy, gluten-free, lower-carb dish strikes the perfect balance, and is a surefire hit at large  gatherings.
• Pizza for Everyone Rather than using sausage or pepperoni as a topping, the protein is used as the crust. Your choice of veggies are tucked neatly inside and your favorite cheese(s) marry this substantial, easy, rendition of the deep-dish delight.
• Red Beans with Cumin and Sausage It’s a tough economy for foodies. The simple solution: take basic staples and pair with trusted seasonings for a meal that is satisfying, comfortingly familiar and utterly nutritious.

For more info: This article is the first in an upcoming series of recipes. Click SUBSCRIBE above to ensure you receive the entire series, including links for soups, salads, chicken dishes, and desserts.

Read Q&A with Rebecca: My Gluten-free Toddler

Parenting 101: Possible dangers of children taking ADHD meds The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety warning recently about a possible association between the use of stimulant medications for… Keep Reading »

My recipe published in star-studded Junior League of Orange County fund-raising cookbook! September 20, 2009

The Junior League of Orange County, California has published a gorgeous new cookbook, Orange County Fare . . . A Culinary Journey Through the California Riviera, filled with mouth-watering photos and delicious recipes from celebrities, top chefs–and yours truly.

 This beautiful compilation includes the very best recipes tested by Junior League members, and includes a tour of Orange County through photographs and insightful information about the area.

With foodie delights from John Stamos, Vanna White, and the always fabulous Chef Jeff of Dinner Mojo, as the author of the blog Unassuming Foodie, I am both thrilled and honored to have my own recipe, Chicken Sausage Crostini, (on page 21) selected for publication.

Orange County Fare is the charitable organization’s first cookbook in 20 years, and is its very first “green” Junior League cookbook, made with 100% recycled paper. It can be pre-ordered for $29.99 on the Junior League of Orange County’s Website, and will officially launch at The Christmas Company Opening Night Gala on November 12th. 
 

For more info: Check out the Facebook fan page for Orange County Fare, or email OrangeCountyFare@gmail.com.

The Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable, and reaches out to women of all races, religions or national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism. The JLOCC has approximately 750 members composed of active members, provisional members in training, and sustaining members.

Visit my food blog, The Unassuming Foodie.

Meryl Streep’s own recipe for roast chicken in Glamour Glamour’s September issue (on newsstands now) has a fun food piece with the women from the new movie Julie & Julia. Meryl Streep wrote a…Keep Reading »

Tasting ice cream like a connoisseur Ice cream, sorbet, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, gelato… these are the culinary treasures of summer. Lucky for us, Los Angeles boasts some of… Keep Reading »

Fresh California peaches and walnuts on whole wheat pancakes Night after night I read a poem, Rise The Moon (by Eileen Spinelli), to my sleepy four-year-old Joseph. The following stanza is accompanied by a… Keep Reading »

Raw strawberry pie recipe (Gluten-free!) This is last call, kids! California strawberry season is in its final month and those juicy little beauties are plump with their full, late-season… Keep Reading »

Say Thanks for Choosing Organic – and WIN! July 21, 2009

The following is an excerpt from my Green Living column on Examiner.com:

One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is gratitude. Earthbound Farm offers organic salads to feed healthy, growing bodies and protect the planet; It’s up to us to foster a sense of thankfulness for the good we receive. 

Earthbound Farm believes when people choose their organic salads, they’re helping make a difference for future generations. The company just launched a web-based contest encouraging kids (ages 17 and under) to submit messages of thanks to those who purchase organic for helping protect the future. Winning quotes will appear the inside of its 100% post-consumer recycled clamshell salad containers. If their quote is chosen, your child will win:

A $500 US Savings Bond for your child’s future education

A $500 donation in your child’s name to their choice of one of these dedicated nonprofit environmental organizations:
American Forests
Beyond Pesticides
Environmental Working Group
Healthy Child Healthy World
Natural Resources Defense Council
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Pesticide Action Network North America
Union of Concerned Scientists

Winning quotes will appear on the back of the new salad labels and on the Earthbound Farm website!
4 winners will be selected in July and then add a new winner every month through the end of 2009!

Read the rest of this article…

 

Follow me on Twitter! @RebeccaLacko

Summer Challenge! Tasting Ice Cream Like A Connoisseur June 28, 2009

Ice cream, sorbet, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, gelato… these are the culinary treasures of summer. Lucky for us, Los Angeles boasts some of the finest purveyors of frosty delights in the country. Now that summer is upon us, I propose a season-long exploration for the entire family, in the good names of gustatory pleasure and the spirit of adventure!

I’ve compiled an alphabetical list of LA’s most highly recommended ice cream parlors; There are enough tempting destinations listed to visit one frozen-delight outlet per week until Labor Day, with room for visit to a stumbled-upon treasure (comment back if you find an ice cream parlor the rest of us need to visit!) or to make a second visit to a favorite place to sample another flavor!

 

Al Gelato 806 S Robertson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035. 310-659-8069

Charlie Temmel Ice Cream 1313 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291.  310-664-9564

Mashti Malone’s Ice Cream 1525 North La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90028.  866-767-3423
Milk 7290 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036. 323-939-6455

Pazzo Gelato 3827 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026. 323-662-1410

Scoops 712 N Heliotrope Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90029. 323-906-2649

Silky Smooth Ultra Creamery Beverly Center Mall-7th Floor 8500 Beverly Blvd. Store 752, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310-659-9992
 

Taking a cue from wine connoisseurs, equip yourself and your kids with a notebook to record impressions. On Labor Day weekend, celebrate your newly refined palate with a trip back for what is—in your esteemed opinion—the “very bestest” frozen treat in Los Angeles.

 

Just like tasting wine, paying special attention to your ice cream can be an adventure that will deepen your appreciation for both the treat and the various methods by which it is made.

 

Here are some fun tips for tasting like a true connoisseur

 

Begin with your basic senses. Keep in mind that you can smell thousands of unique scents, but your taste perception is limited to salty, sweet, sour and bitter. It is the combination of smell and taste that allows you to discern flavor.

 

One a fresh page in your notebook, enter the name of the ice cream shop, the date, and the flavor you chose. Then, eat! Be sure to make additional notes in your book using the following as a guide:

 

Look: What color is it? Did you choose a treat with bits of fruit, nuts, chocolate chips? Can you see them? Does your treat have a smooth, creamy texture, is it soft or firm, light or heavy? Is it melting quickly, or holding its shape?

 

Taste: Take a bite, and allow it to slowly melt on your tongue. Depending on which flavor you chose, you might detect the taste of berries, chocolate, vanilla, spices, or citrus. Sweet tastes and salty tastes are mostly tasted at the tip of the tongue. Bitter tastes are mostly sensed towards the back and rear sides of the tongue, and sour tastes (like citrus) are mostly tasted at the sides of the tongue, at the middle and towards the front.

 

Is it melting quickly, or slowly? What flavors did you notice first? Did any additional flavors appear as the ice cream melted on your tongue? How sweet is it? How does the texture feel? Does it taste better eaten from a spoon, or licked directly? (I’m told there really is a difference.) Does the flavor persist long after each bite, or does it disappear? Close your eyes and search your imagination: what does the taste make you think of?

 

Explore: What is the funniest flavor the shop offers? What is the weirdest? (Scoops features flavors such as (Fois gras and Sweet cream, Earl Grey Ginger, and Riesling Cherry!) How was it made? (Does the shop use an old family recipe? What kids of equipment are used to prepare the ice cream? How long does it take? How often do they make it?)

 

Sure it tastes good, but is it good for me? Some shops will offer information such as calories, or fat content per serving. Silky Smooth Ultra Creamery uses excess butterfat, yet is 90% fat free. (How do they do this?) Be sure to add notes about nutrition in your ice cream notebook, if it happens to matter to you. With dessert, often one is better off not knowing.

 

Lastly, give your ice cream a final rating overall: perhaps grade it A, B, C or D, or give it a ranking from 1-10. When you find one you like, don’t keep it a secret. Comment below and spread the good word!

Top 10 Foods to Help Little Ones Sleep Better June 22, 2009

We’ve  certainly had our issues with bedtime. Both our boys require strategic, point-by-point operations before they will agree to close their eyes for the night. We’ve tried everything (and I do mean everything) to put them to sleep, including altering their dinner options to encourage a restful sleep.

Regardless of the book or manuals you read, what works and doesn’t work in parenting is often learned through trial and error. As far as the foods we’ve  been choosing before bedtime, apparently we’ve been following the wrong tack.

While many stand by a high-protein pre-bedtime routine, (citing the side benefits of turkey because it contains sleep-inducing tryptophan), researchers have nixed this connection. It turns out turkey, like most foods, just doesn’t contain enough tryptophan to put you to sleep, explains Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of The Food & Mood Cookbook: Recipes for Eating Well and Feeling Your Best

This comes as a surprise to me. As a former macrobiotic, I thought I knew a thing or two about the food-mood connection. Instead, Somer recommends we choose light but high-carbohydrate snacks in order to boost levels of serotonin (the brain’s sleep chemical) without overloading  the digestive system. Of course, it never hurts to wash them down with something warm and soothing, such as a cup of herbal tea (chamomile or lemon balm) or warm milk. Perhaps I’ll try incorporating a little tea-party ritual with the boys before bedtime.

The Top 10 Foods to Promote Sleep
Try one of these yummy foods about an hour before bedtime. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your little one (and you!) get a good night’s rest tonight!

• A 4-ounce baked potato topped with salsa
• Half of a whole-wheat English muffin or raisin bagel drizzled with honey
• 1 slice whole or multi-grain bread smeared with almond or cashew butter
• Half a cup of pasta topped with marinara sauce
• 2 cups air-popped popcorn
• Fresh strawberries dunked in a little fat-free chocolate syrup
• A handful of oyster crackers and one piece of fruit
• A small slice of angel food cake topped with berries
• A frozen whole-wheat waffle, toasted, with maple syrup
• Half a cup of pretzels