healthy eating Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

Fresh Baby – Toddler Products Review

I was contacted by Fresh Baby to review their baby products. Their focus is on healthy meals for toddlers. Since I have 1 picky eater and 1 than will pretty much eat everything, I jumped at the chance to check out their site and products.

Here’s my dilemma: My grandson is picky, no veggies and few fruits. My granddaughter who was born a 2 lb. 10 oz. preemie will eat you out of house and home with the exception of veggies. If it’s green, it’s mean in their eyes and they’re not allowing it to get close to their lips. My grandchildren also love snacks, especially my granddaughter. By 8:00 am she’s ready to start her journey through the snacks and meals of the day. Yummy in her stomach is how she describes the experience.

I was anxiously awaiting my package from Fresh Baby, and finally the box arrived. You know I’m like a kid at Christmas when I’m waiting for my review products. I was excited about the selection of products when I opened the box. Lets start with this plate. It’s perfect for my granddaughter. Here’s why:

The plate allows you how to control portions without guessing.
The plate shows you what you should be serving.
The plate is fun, of quality, and colorful.
The plate can used to teach your toddler about food and what is good for them. Children learn by what they see as well as what they hear.

I love that it is sectioned, my grandchildren do not like their food to touch, lol. My grandson does fine with his portions, it’s the vegetable side of the plate that is normally bare unless it’s corn.

How adorable is this apron/mock! It was included in the box, and I love it for several reasons:

Toddlers can relate to those adorable little chefs at the top.
It also helps teach children about fruits, veggies, dairy and meats.
I love to put white on my 3 year old granddaughter. I know crazy, right. My daughter has a fit when it’s time for her to eat because of spills and drops. This covers her completely when she’s sitting down. Fresh Baby knows toddlers.
It’s easy to wipe clean.
It’s great for those little ones who like to help in the kitchen.
Fits most kids 3 – 5.
It can be folded and placed in a gallon plastic bag and carried in your purse for outings.

Here’s another problem. How many cookbooks have you come across that was created with toddlers in mind? Right, not many. As parents, we all know how difficult it is to come up with easy recipes that kids will eat. So Easy toddler food is a winner. The book is written by Cheryl Tallman, one of the founders of Fresh Baby. The book has quite a few recipes that my toddler would eat or I could modify for her. For example, a fresh banana and strawberry smoothie. My daughter does Beach Body, so my grandchildren are no strangers to smoothies. I need to get on board, bahaha! There’s recipes for apple and chicken kabobs, deviled eggs, my grandchildren love these, home made pizza, great way to use my homemade tomato sauce and cinnamon apple slices. There’s a recipe for Pink Potatoes that’s at the top of my list now. It’s mashed potatoes that uses a combination of sweet and white potatoes that turn pink. What toddler wouldn’t love these.

I have a story for you about my granddaughter and her appetite. One of her favorite places to eat is Golden Corral. She loves to eat mashed potatoes and mac and cheese there. At one outing she ate so much that the gentlemen sitting behind me stopped by our table on the way out and said, “She can really put it away”. My response was she will eat until the bottom falls out. She was 2 at the time. Another time she wanted peanut butter crackers. She loves them. She wakes up in the middle of the night asking for them. I remember her eating so much one day that I was afraid to give her anything else. I thought she was going to get sick. Of course, she protested. My daughter came in to see what was happening and laughed so hard. She said mom she’s not going to get sick. Give them to her. Her doctor has approved her eating as much as she wants, so we let her. She’s not overweight and apparently just burns it up. I stressed that healthy eating was a must for her.

These tips from Fresh Baby on how much she should be eating was right on time. When I looked at the portions, I realized that she’s not overeating. I just have to make sure that she’s eating healthy meals and snacks and spread them throughout the day from the recommended food groups.

I would highly recommend that you head over to Fresh Baby and check out their products. They also have a blog that you may want to check out and subscribe to. I did. The blog offers a food database and clever ways to use their Fresh Baby products. Both sites are truly worth the trip.

10 Tips To Get Healthy and Stay Healthy

February 1, 2015 by Rhonda Gales

First, it’s a new year and my main goal is to eat healthier, exercise and stay healthy. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen off track on my healthy eating goals so many times I’ve lost count. This year I decided to pick myself up, brush myself off and get back on track. I made peace with the fact that there’s no quick fix, it requires a lifestyle change. I’ve tried fad diets, prepackaged food diets, eating like a bird, not eating, you name it. I only ended up frustrated and returning to my bad habits.

They say timing is everything. When I was contacted by Molina Health Care to do a post on health issues that affect me and my family I gladly accepted. Why, because the first step to overcoming struggles is to talk about them. I had put together a list of tips to achieve and maintain a healthy eating lifestyle, and most importantly they are tips to stay healthy. I thought I would share them in this post.

Next, the turning point for me to get healthy was when I looked at pictures and realized just how much weight I had gained. I reached a point where I hated to get my picture taken. Unfortunately, I was missing out on three generations of family pictures with my daughter and granddaughter. I couldn’t bear to look at the majority of the photos that were taken of me. If there’s a health issue blowing in the wind it will find my family. So, I knew that I had to get serious and get to work. We have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetics, obesity, heart attacks, cancer and the list goes on.

My daughter was a ballet dancer. As a result, eating healthy was always a must in my home. So, a snack for her was Jello when she was growing up. I truly believe my high stress job took its toll on me over the years, along with a lack of exercise. However, I knew that I could no longer allow my job to control me. My job was a means to make an income, not a means to end my life. Here’s the tips to stay healthy that I am currently using:

Incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet – I started a kitchen garden several years and I grow the majority of my vegetables during the summer along with fresh fruits. There’s nothing better than being able to pick fresh fruits and vegetables outside your door.
Preserve fresh vegetables – I now preserve fresh vegetables during the summer to make soups and other dishes throughout the year. I also grow fresh herbs to flavor my dishes. If you don’t have a kitchen garden, visit a local Farmer’s Market. Seal and freeze the fresh vegetables for later use.
Get a partner – One the big tips to stay healthy is finding a partner to help you stay on track.
Don’t deprive yourself – Give yourself a day or two to enjoy the foods that you truly love. Depriving yourself is a set-up for failure. Saturday or Sunday are my days to eat out and enjoy a burger, slice of pizza or pasta dish. I look forward to it and I don’t feel guilty.
Give up the excuses – Most importantly, make your health a priority.
Exercise – Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. If you can’t get in 30 get in 5, 10, 15 or 20. Some is better than none.
Educate yourself – One of the most important tips to stay healthy is education. Learn what foods provide nutrition and energy for the body. Prepackaged and junk food are empty calories and contain high amounts of sodium and sugar. I’ve replaced chips with popcorn, candy bars with fresh fruit, ice cream with frozen yogurt. Gradually add healthy items into your meal plan.
Drink plenty of water and don’t skip meals – I love water, so drinking it has never been a problem for me. I replaced soda with water and Gatorade and eat 4 – 5 small meals a day.
Learn portion control – So, I took a class at my local hospital on eating healthy. You will be surprised on what is considered a healthy portion. (I got my answer on how I gained the excess weight).
Relieve stress and get rest – Know the stress factors in your life and eliminate as many as you can. Get plenty of rest. Replace bed pillows if they are old and purchase them according to how you sleep. I’m a side sleeper, so I purchased pillows made for my position. I sleep through the night now.

Finally, I have incorporated these 10 tips to stay healthy into my life. However, getting healthy won’t happen overnight and there are no quick fixes. Believe me, I have tried them all. It requires a lifestyle change. Which, requires you to make your health a priority every day. Also, check out the Eating Well article on Molina Health Care. It discusses acceptable servings from each of the food groups and is worth the read. It’s great information for healthy eating.