Nutritious choices made simple®
When my children were younger they took a “home lunch” several times a week, and each day when they brought home their lunch box/bag I was happy to see that they had, in fact, eaten their entire lunch (usually). I was less pleased with the messes they left in those lunch boxes….which leads me to my topic for this blog—lunchbox food safety. Here are a few of the main things you can do to keep brown bag lunches safe for your kids (or you).
If you’ve ever been looking for someone to help you or a family member with nutrition or an eating issue, you’ve probably noticed that there are quite a few choices available—and most of these folks have a set of initials behind their names. Some of these credentials are suspect (my tactful way to say that they are easily obtainable online with a credit card). Others are on the level, but how will you figure out which is which
We’ve covered the topic of sugar (especially added sugar) quite frequently here on the Guiding Stars blog in the last couple of years because people want to know more about sugar, and because there have been several studies and recommendations about sugar that we have wanted to discuss and share with you. We even did a webinar on sugar (you can check that out here).
It might be fun to make some fair food at home—especially if you aren’t around for the fair or can’t get there this year. Also, if you make a more healthful version of your favorite fair food, you could have it more often, right? I have to admit, however, that most (if not all) recipes for fair food won’t meet the nutritional guidelines for Guiding Stars recipes—that’s a shocker, I know—so I’m not linking to any of our own recipes. I’m also not going to tell you that the recipes I have provided are super healthy. Instead, I’ll give you a few strategies, some general guidance and a few example recipes. Enjoy.
If you’re struggling to keep your salt intake in check, you’ve got an ally in the Food and Drug Administration. Last week the agency issued draft, voluntary guidance that puts maximum sodium limits on 150 categories of processed and restaurant foods—all in an effort to help trim down Americans’ sodium intake from its current level of about 3,400mg/day to the 2,300mg/day recommended in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. It’s a big step, and it’s certainly shaking up the food industry, but it’s not a done deal yet.
I like a party as much as the next gal (just ask my friends!), but when graduation season hits—as it already has—I was not the one hosting a bunch of kids and neighbors for a big bash in the backyard. I didn’t have a graduation party when I finished high school—I got an electric typewriter from my parents and a “fancy” dinner out with my family. Yes, that was an age ago, I know. Graduation parties are so popular these days that if you don’t host one you almost feel like you’re in the wrong somehow. But you’re not. Call me a curmudgeon, but with so many others throwing parties, when it came time for my first-born to graduate, I figured the world didn’t need yet another buffet of burgers, dogs and heavily-frosted bakery cake.
The word itself sounds like the name of a fabulous new water park, doesn’t it? Of course it’s not (or I wouldn’t be writing about it here), but judging by the growing number of aquafaba fans, “fabulous” might indeed be an apt description of this culinary wonder ingredient. I’m a bit late to the aquafaba party, but I’m ready now to get more familiar with this intriguing ingredient; here’s what I’ve found out…
Did you know that every year since 1994 there has been a week dedicated to turning off the TV? Originally called TV-Turnoff, Screen-Free Week is a chance for both kids and adults to power down from our dependence on screen-based entertainment and find joy in other things—cooking together, books, nature, music, hobbies, playing games, cultural attractions, exercise, each other!