Productivity @ Home

School Lunch - Buy or Pack?

I'm not sure why this article from SparkPeople.com is coming out during what is, for many students, summer vacation - but it contains very helpful information, so I thought I'd pass it along. The article includes helpful tips to encourage your child to eat a healthy lunch. The tips are also very relevant for grown ups too! If you're in summer mode, like me, print yourself a copy of this and place it with your extra stock of school supplies so that you'll be certain to revisit it in the fall.

The School Lunch Dilemma

Safe Use of Plastics in Our Kitchens

Kelly the Kitchen Kop at CatholicMom.com

CatholicMom.com columnist Kelly "The Kitchen Kop" takes an indepth look at the safe use of plastics in our kitchens in this week's column.

I have to admit to being very lazy when it comes to this type of issue, so I truly appreciated Kelly's in depth look at the topic and her suggestions. There are also some very helpful comments from her blog readers on the topic. In response to Kelly's column, I'm going to be re-examining how things are stored in my kitchen.

I hope you'll check in regularly with Kelly's columns and also read and subscribe to her blog. She's doing great work!

The "Emergency Apple" and Nine Other Healthy Foods Under 1 Dollar

This one falls into both the Family Finances and Health and Fitness categories! Check out 10 Healthy Foods Under 1 Dollar at WebMD for a list of ten "go to" foods to enhance your productivity and protect your wallet.  My personal fav on the list is the good old Apple!  My friends tease me, because I frequently carry an "emergency apple" with me in my purse for those moments when you're driving ten kids to tennis practice and you realize you forgot to eat lunch.  It helps avoid the temptation to stop off at Chipotle!

Check out 10 Healthy Foods Under 1 Dollar

Tags: FamilyFinances, Health and Fitness

Getting Family Dinner on the Table

Every Tuesday, I share my thoughts on Family Life.

Last night, struggling with a bout of insomnia around 1:30 am, I was flipping channels and landed on Oprah interviewing a guest named Jessica Seinfeld (you may have heard of her husband), author of a book entitled Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food.  The interview got me thinking again about the challenge so many of our families have related to family dinners.  We struggle both with prioritizing family meals in our busy schedules and with providing healthful, nutritional food choices for our children. 

Ultimately, part of our jobs as parents is to help train our children in life habits that will enable them to grow into healthy, productive adults.  That's why, as mundane as it feels, what we serve and where and when we eat dinner are so important.  I write on this topic today not because I'm an expert, but rather because I join you in that struggle.  Every week, I must recommit myself to not taking the easy way out - the drive through window.  That's alright every once in a while for special occasions, but if we let it become a way of life we do our families a huge disservice. 

If you are the person in your household who is primarily responsible for the feeding of the clan, I'd love to hear from you on this topic.  What works for you?  What drives you nuts?  The following are just a few thoughts I had today on the goal of cooking yet another dinner for kids who'd rather it McAnything than take a bite of broccoli:

• Trick/Tempt Them - Check out Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food which gives tons of great ideas for hiding vegetable purees in food that kids actually love:  pizza, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese are all on the menu in this book and your kid will never know they're eating healthfully.  I secretly love the idea of Jerry Seinfeld sitting around his kitchen with his wife pureeing food as discussed in the Oprah article.
• Train Them - My best weapon for helping my children enjoy healthful family dinners has been to let them take over the kitchen and experiment with cooking.  I'm not a great cook, but I do love watching them try new dishes and ingredients.  Make family visits to local farmers' markets for the best fresh produce.  Many vendors will also offer recipes to accompany the items that are in season.  My own experience has been that if my kids actually cooked the item, they will keep a more open mind in trying something new.
• Time Manage Them - We live in a home where many nights a week, dinner happens on a rotating schedule due to sports practices and school activities.   Even if all four of us can't sit at the table together, I try to sit  at the table with the child who is eating, pray with them prior to the meal, and discuss their day with them.  This often means sitting at the table at different times of the night, but as I watch my boys grow up into men before my eyes, I can't think of a better way to spend my time in the evenings.

It's tough, night after night, to face the challenge of feeding an entire tribe.  New recipes may be met with ungrateful grumbles and your clan will probably not always remember to thank you for the work you do to feed them.  But you can be assured that one day, your children will be like my siblings and I.  We have Mom on speed dial for the recipe to "Impossible Pie" or even just to ask how long to cook a turkey.  Thanks Mom, for feeding me for so many years and for helping me to see the importance of family meals together. 

Getting Fitness Done at a Conference

Every Saturday, I share my thoughts on Health and Fitness.

This weekend, I am down in Ontario for the Podcast and New Media Expo.  As with any conference or business travel experience, my days have been filled to the brim with new information, new people, and lots of activity.  I spent yesterday driving for four hours, meeting tons of interesting folks, and standing on my feet all day.  We dined in restaurants twice and I skipped my workout.  So this morning, before I head back to the expo, I am planning a quick trip to the hotel gym.  I know that making time for a morning workout will help improve my mental attitude and get me ready for another day of fun and learning.  It is tempting, in the luxury of an oversized hotel bed, to hit the snooze button and grab another hour of sleep.  I'm convinced, however, that my time today will be more productive if I attend to maintaining my fitness routine.

Here are a few thoughts on fitness to consider when attending a conference:

• Wear comfortable shoes while attending the event.  You will likely be on your feet most of the day, and nothing kills a planned workout faster than having feet that already hurt.
• Plan ahead.  Does your hotel have a gym or fitness center?  Is there a local branch of your gym franchise in the area?  No to both?  Ask the front desk for a local, scenic walking route and hit the street for a thirty minute walk.  It's a great way to add a little local flavor to your trip.
• Eat and drink smart.  Events like this frequently provide occasion for meals in restaurants where it can be tempting to ignore healthy eating.  Make informed decisions and watch your alcohol intake.  This effects both your fitness and your ability to be at your best during the conference.  If your goal is to attend classes, meet people and make the event productive, then limit your late night carousing.  If your goal is to have a great time and you don't mind missing out on some of the morning events, then party on...
• Team up.  I'm fortunate that the people I'm meeting with at this conference are very fitness minded.  A group of them have made a date this morning to run.  While I won't be joining them, their commitment to workout with one another has motivated me to make time this morning for my own workout.  It's great to surround yourself with people who are good role models for the types of behavior you are trying to incorporate in your own life.

Here's a helpful article on hotel fitness.

Feel Good Food

Every Saturday, I share my thoughts on Health and Fitness.

As much as I hate grocery shopping, I love frequenting our many local Farmers' Markets.  I'm fortunate that in my hometown of Fresno, I can find an open air market and purchase directly from growers almost any day of the week.  The markets don't just carry produce, but also coffees, bakery items, flowers and other tempting treats.  The following are just a few of the benefits of shopping at a Farmers' Market:

• Taste - The fruit and vegetables are always fresher and tastier from the market.  Also, we love having the experts (growers) help us pick out the choicest items
• Cost - The prices are typically much lower than my local grocery store and the money goes back into our local economy directly
• Creativity - Farmers Markets feature items that are in season and challenge you to come up with creative recipe ideas.  Today's market was featuring figs, a local favorite.  Although I've never cooked with figs before, today's a great day to start!
• Social - There is just something wonderful about strolling around a market.  The sites and smells warm the senses.  Conversations with locals and growers abound.  Shopping feels like a treat, rather than a chore.
• Health - We all know that we should be eating more fresh produce.  Making a habit of market shopping will ensure that you have items on hand that are actually healthy and nutritious.  Involving your kids might even get them to expand their dietary preferences beyond chicken nuggets and fries!

Home-work for Today:

• Don't know of a Farmers' Market in your area?  Check out the Local Harvest web site where you can search online by zip code for resources near you.

On the Bookshelf:
The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook: Seasonal Foods, Simple Recipes and Stories from the Market and Farm

Reading Room Resources:
Blog posts from this week related to Health and Fitness

• Slow and Simple Fitness Plan
• Diet Tips for a Healthy and Trim Body
• Turn a Video Game System into a Gym Membership
• Top 9 Fitness Myths Busted

Healthy Choices for School Lunches

Every Saturday, I share my thoughts on Health and Fitness.

For some reason, in my house, 7th grade is the year when lunch boxes become uncool and the simple brown bag is all the rage.  When Eric eschewed his rugged insulated lunch box three years ago, I thought it was a product of his minimalist nature.  But last week I was shopping with Adam (my five foot eight inch almost thirteen year old baby) and it happened again.  There I was ready to purchase a really cool lunch box, complete with side water bottle holder, insulated "keep things hot or cool" side compartment, and two complimentary re-usable food containers.

"Mom, I don't need a lunch box.  I'll just use a bag..."

What?!  Not again!!!

What's the big deal about box vs. bag?  It stifles my creative ability to send certain items to school in the lunch bag.  Tupperware containers filled with last night's dinner leftovers, reheated at lunch time in the classroom microwave, get returned in the lunch box but never with the brown bag.  I fear turkey sandwiches will grow scary in an uninsulated brown bag without an accompanying "cold pack".   The brown bag signifies yet another step away from little kidhood into manliness.  I get sentimental...

All the box vs. bag talk has me thinking about what the heck to put in school lunches this year.  We're not lucky enough to have a cafeteria, so I need a full arsenal of healthy choices.  A recent note home from our school gave the following scary statistics:

donut (200 calories) vs. donut hole (40 calories)
costco muffin (680 calories, 39 g. fat) vs. mini-bagel (130 cal., 0 g. fat)
small bag of skittles (240 calories) vs. 2 cup bag of light microwave popcorn (40 calories)

Whose mom is sending skittles to school for lunch?  Adam tells me I'd be surprised.  The note prompted a great "meeting" discussion, where Adam and I talked over his ideas about good choices for school lunches this year.  Involving your child in the planning and preparation of school lunches may reduce the chances of his red apple getting swapped for a deadly costco muffin. 

Here are a few web sites to help you with healthy lunch ideas for this year:

• Kids Health School Lunches
• Healthy School Lunch Ideas
• Healthy Choices for School Lunch

On the Bookshelf:
Lunch Bag Notes: Everyday Advice From A Dad To His Daughter

Reading Room Resources:
Blog posts from this week related to Health and Fitness

• Kid's Menu: Not Necessarily the Best Choice
• Make a real ice pack for $0.30
• The Secret to a Healthy Body
• How to Become a Vegetarian, The Easy Way

Friday Fun Party Planning

We've got a busy weekend planned.  Tonight, we're going to a dinner and concert with friends.  Tomorrow, we're traveling towards the coast in our 1974 VW bus for a renaissance festival.  And assuming the bus (aka "Arnold) decides he's up for the round trip, we're hosting a party Sunday night for my husband's new colleagues at the hospital.  So it looks like I'm going to be pretty busy having fun this weekend!

The bottom line is that today is my day for party prep.  We decided to keep this party simple, since the main goal is for the doctors and their spouses to feel welcomed and to meet the rest of the staff.  We've invited our guests to bring a beverage and either an appetizer or desert to share.  This should minimize the expense and prep time for our get together, and should create a fun variety of items being served.  As a back up, I've ordered a half sheet carrot cake from Costco (enough desert for the crowd!) and am planning a few simple filler snacks.  Today is my day to clean and prep the house and back yard for Sunday.

I learned from my parents that entertaining is a joy and it's something we never do enough of!  Don't wait to have the perfect home or the most fabulous recipes to throw a party.  Just provide the venue and invite friends to share in some of the hospitality and focus on being a great host!  I have countless memories of family parties from my childhood, and rarely were they lavish, catered affairs.  They were families gathering around the pool munching on grilled hot dogs or huddled inside eating Christmas cookies and enjoying holiday spirit together. 

Here's one of the simple recipes I'm planning for Sunday:

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP    

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup half and half cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon pimento pepper, chopped
1 (6 1/2 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilis

Drain jar of artichoke hearts. Chop coarsely.  Combine Parmesan cheese, cream, and mayonnaise in a medium mixing bowl. Add peppers, artichoke hearts and green chilis.  Serve with tortilla chips or bread.

Home-work for Today:

• Plan a get together with friends either at your home or a local park.  Keep it simple and make it pot luck!

The Bookshelf:
Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun

Reading Room Resources:
Blog posts from this week related to Fun!
Watching Television Could Cost You $1 Million
How To Beat Popular Carnival Games
Fixing Common Summer Hair Problems
Reduce Your Gaming Clutter

Getting Family Dinner Done

Home is the wallpaper above the bed, the family dinner table, the church bells in the morning, the bruised shins of the playground, the small fears that come with dusk, the streets and squares and monuments and shops that constitute one's first universe."  Henry Anatole Grunwald

With our lives running at such a hectic pace, family dinners frequently fall by the wayside.  We drive through, eat on the run, or eat separately to accommodate the cavalcade of kids' activities that fill our evenings.  I speak from experience - my son's football coach appears to have no regard for whether or not he gets to join his family at the dinner table to rehash his day!  So don't let me fool you into thinking that dinner at the Hendey household is always a Norman Rockwell affair.  Most nights, it's not pretty.  But I do make my best attempt to cook (or acquire) a healthy meal for my family every night.  We do our best to sit together, as a family at the table any time all four of us are in the house at the same time for the evening meal.

Like some of you, I have struggled to maintain a healthy weight since the birth of my children.  In going through Weight Watchers and losing my weight, I came to the discovery that there we a few major things that contributed to my weight issues: I hate grocery shopping, and I was too frequently eating on the fly after having served my children in "short order cook" fashion whatever their hearts desired.  I usually never had healthy ingredients in the house, so I was stumped about what to prepare - "driving through" on the way home from practice or ordering pizza became the easy, but not very healthy, solution.

I'm still far from perfect on this score, but the following techniques have helped me vastly improve the task of getting family dinner on the table:

• I use Dine Without Whine  my favorite menu planning service several times a week.  The inexpensive fee (less than $5 per month) includes a full shopping list and recipes emailed to me each week.
• I keep the basics in stock, purchasing in bulk the items that I know my family always needs
• I shop each week for fresh produce at either a local farmers market or my favorite neighborhood grocery store
• As my children grow older, they are learning to cook and loving it!  I take them on "field trips" to a local store that features wide selections of sauces and spices - they love experimenting and watching the rest of the family taste their dishes
• We reserve eating out for special occasions.  We rarely eat fast food unless traveling.
• If sports or music practice falls during the dinner hour, I prepare our dinner in the early afternoon and either put it in the crock pot or rewarm it when we arrive home from practice.  This way, no one has to wait around for dinner - it's ready almost as soon as we walk in the door.

It does require some planning and organization to eat healthfully as a family, but this is one of the most important things I, as a mother, do in service of my favorite people in the world.  That's worth a little effort!

Today's Home-work:

• Decide, right now, what's for dinner this week (or at least tonight!)
• Make a plan for prioritizing family dinner in your home

The Bookshelf:
The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers:  Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time!
Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table

Reading Room Resources:
Dine Without Whine
SavingDinner.com
10 Ways to Speed Up Dinner Prep
6 Menu Planning Websites