What To Do With All That Zucchini!

If you've ever planted zucchini in your garden, you are familiar with my dilemma!  Seedlings usually come in 4 or 6 packs, and of course you put them all in the ground.  Well come about August, you have zucchini coming out your ears!  With the abundance of monster zucchini that came from my garden this year, I've been giving it away left and right, as well as trying lots of new things.  Here are the three best things I did with mine this year:

Shred It:
I wondered how I could preserve my zucchini for later use, instead of having to go on zucchini overload for the entire month of August and September.  After a little research online, I discovered that you can shred it and freeze it for later use!  I tried it and it works like a charm!  Shred it with either a food processor or the old fashioned way - with a box grater.  I store it in 2 c. increments in zip lock bags in the freezer.  Most baking recipes (like cookies and breads) call for it shredded.  I am able to just pull out a bag, thaw and drain (freezing brings a lot of the water out), and throw it in any recipe year round.

Make Zucchini Bread or Muffins:
I've never met anyone that didn't love this recipe.  It's moist, flavorful and delicious!  My kids, who first said "Ew! Zucchini bread?!"  Now say, "Yum!  Zucchini bread!"  I even make it gluten free and you can't tell the difference (instructions for gluten free version at the end).

Spicy Pineapple Zucchini Bread/Muffins

3 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c apple sauce (you can just use 1 c. vegetable oil if you don't have apple sauce)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 small can (8oz) crushed pineapple (I use no sugar added)
2 c shredded zucchini
3 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 c finely chopped nuts

Beat the first 5 ingredients together until foamy.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Bake 2 loaves of bread on 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or 24 muffins for 20 - 25 minutes.

*To make this recipe gluten free, replace the 3 c. of flour with 2 cups of your favorite gluten free flour blend and 1 cup of millet flour.  Add 1 tsp of xanthan gum.

Make Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini:
This recipe came from a family member who made it on a grill when camping with us.  I thought it was a fabulous and different way to use our zucchini.  I am going to give you instructions for doing it in the oven, but remember it can all be done on the grill as well.

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini

1 large zucchini or 2 small
1 small container of ricotta cheese (16oz I think)
1 egg
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 c of your favorite spaghetti sauce or pesto

Cut zucchini in half the long way (end to end).  Use a spoon and scrape out seeds and some of the flesh to create zucchini 'boat' of sorts.  Wrap in tin foil and put in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until it starts to soften but is still firm.  (This time is for a very large zucchini, will be less if you use smaller ones.)
Meanwhile, mix together all the ingredients accept for the spaghetti sauce (or pesto) and 1/2 c of mozzarella.  When the zucchini comes out of the oven, unwrap it but leave it in the foil.  Fill it with the cheese mixture (it will be really full and rounded - yum!).  Spread sauce or pesto evenly across the top, then top with remaining 1/2 c of mozzarella cheese.  Re-wrap with foil and put it back in the oven for another 30-40 minutes (agian, adjust if using smaller zucchini) until tender and cheese is hot through.  Slice and enjoy!

3 Easy Ways to Decorate Your Home for the Seasons

Being a busy mother of three, I have found myself wanting to make every aspect of my life as simple as possible!  I have taken all the clutter from my home and simplified each and every room to hold ONLY ITEMS THAT ARE USEFUL AND HAVE A PURPOSE.  With that said, I still want a beautiful home that makes me feel good!  So I make a few exceptions.  Every room may have a few items in it that are just plain pretty and make me feel good.  I allow 2 or 3 items, in 2 or 3 places, in each room that are purely decorative and make each space beautiful and special.  About half of these items are things that I am personally connected to (like family photos, my great grandmother's vase, etc) and the other half are usually items that are very 'season specific' and are easily unchangeable throughout the year.  They allow me to appreciate the beauty and special memories that come with the changing seasons and holidays of the year and I never get
bored since I change them every 6 weeks or so.  I know that sounds like a lot, but wait and see how simple it is!  Here are my top 4 picks:

1.  Find a handful of beautiful glass containers that you love.  Choose whatever style fits your home or personality.  Mason and canning jars give an old country feel, antique hand cut glass dishes and milk glass fit perfectly into a shabby sheik or cottage space, and apothecary jars and stemmed glassware are flexible enough to fit in a more formal space or can give a classic 'fits anywhere' feel.  Place these dishes around your house and fill them with simple seasonal items. Some examples:  Colored eggs at Easter, lemons or limes in the summer, acorns or apples in the fall, candy corns at Halloween, gourds for thanksgiving, small glass Christmas balls during the holidays.  You get the picture.  The possibilities are endless and it's a simple, inexpensive and fun way to decorate for the seasons.  If you find items that don't spoil and can be saved from year to year, it's even more economical.

2.  Pick up a few 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch frames or any size frame with a white mat and a 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch opening.  Every season/holiday go to your local card/gift store and find the most beautiful greeting cards that represent your style for the season.  Make sure there aren't any words on the front of the card.  Just artwork or a photograph. I happen to love vintage decorations, so I look for vintage cards at flea markets and antique stores as well.  Simply put them in the frames and display them here and there around your home, some hanging, some on shelves or tables.  They look like framed prints and they bring out the season of the year (spring flowers, Easter eggs, 4th of July flags, fall foliage scene, Christmas stockings, etc) throughout your home in a style that suits you.  This is a fantastic and inexpensive way to dress up your home and change things up all the time.  If you have children, you can use more juvenile cards when they are young and more sophisticated cards as they get older.   My children love to come home from school and see new pictures in the frames and ALWAYS notice and comment on them.  Find a shoe box or drawer somewhere dedicated to storing your cards as you change them throughout the year.

3.  Gather a few of your favorite vases or containers, both small and large, that can hold a nice arrangement.  They can be new or old (my preference) and can be whatever color matches your decor.     I use old crocks, bean pots, pitchers, creamers, etc.  Each season fill them with a mix of dried and quality silk flowers for that season.  The MIXING is the key.  No one ever knows I use silk flowers because I always mix them in with real materials!  A  tip for buying silk/artificial stems is to stand back 5 to 10 feet in the store and look at them to see if at a glance they look real or fake.  If you can't tell right off that they are fake from a bit of a distance, then you surely won't be able to tell when you mix them with some real materials at home!  I have a big bag of dried items I have purchased and gathered in nature that I call 'filler' items.  I use them to fill in around whatever silk items I use.  These would be interesting dried pods, grasses, cat-o-nine tails, etc.  Usually they are in neutral tan and brown colors so they go with everything.  In the early Spring, I use pussy willows and silk forsythia. Late spring I like to use silk tulips, summer I usually have fresh flowers from my garden or the farmers market, fall I have a mixture of dried brown pods and grasses mixed with the cat-o-nine tails and either artificial bittersweet or Chinese lanterns, and in the winter I mix stems of artificial red berries with plain twigs.  Again, you are bringing the natural items of the season into your home to celebrate the time of year in an easy and economical way.  Couldn't be simpler! 

How to Make Your Own Scented Vinegar Laundry Rinse

Making my own scented vinegar laundry rinse has been one of best discoveries I've made in a long time!  I was having problems with my towels not smelling fresh.  They would come out of the dryer smelling clean, but as soon as they got wet when you used them, they would smell yucky again.  I also had laundry from bed wetting that never seemed to be completely fresh either.  I tried everything I could think of in the washer and dryer, but nothing worked.

My last ditch effort was a winner!  Plain white vinegar scented with my favorite essential oils then added to my rinse cycle did the trick!  It not only deodorizes like nothing I've ever used, but disinfects, softens and helps with static.  It also keeps my washing machine fresh even in the middle of a humid summer.  Here is how you make it:

Lemongrass Lavender Vinegar Laundry Rinse
1 gallon white vinegar
20 drops of lemongrass essential oil
30 drops of lavender essential oil

Add essential oils to jug of vinegar and shake well.  That's it!  Couldn't be easier!

Add 1/2 to 1 cup to the rinse cycle of your wash, as you would a fabric softener.  I have a special place in my washer that says 'softener' and that is where I put it.  Make sure to SHAKE WELL BEFORE EACH USE.  The oil floats on the top and you will pour it all off in the first few uses if you don't shake it first.  I recommend marking the bottle with a black marker 'fabric softener' so no one inadvertently uses it in their food thinking it's plain vinegar.

You will smell a bit of vinegar when you open the washer and take the wet laundry out, but I PROMISE you won't smell it on your clothes when they are dry.  They just smell really fresh and clean!  You can also use PLAIN white vinegar in your rinse without putting the essential oils in and it works just as well.  The oils just add another layer of scent if you like that.

If you are not familiar with essential oils, you should be able to buy them at any natural food store or there are many sources online.  I recommend investing in high quality oils and not cutting corners.  They may seem expensive at first, but the true scent you will get is worth a few extra dollars and the seemingly small bottles last a really long time.  

How to Make Your Own Laundry Soap

I love to make my own laundry soap! Not only is it economical, but I feel good using a product that won't harm my family or the environment and it smells heavenly!

I buy all of the ingredients, accept the essential oils right at my local grocery store. I live in a very small town, so I assume if I can get them, most people can. If you can't find castile soap in your grocery store, you should definitely be able to get it at a natural food store, where you should also be able to find essential oils. I personally buy my essential oils online, because there is more of a selection to choose from. I don't mind investing in high quality oils and paying the shipping because they last a really long time! The fun part is experimenting with different scents. My favorite is a combination of lemongrass and lavender, but by experimenting you're sure to discover your own favorite signature scents!

Lemongrass Lavender Laundry Soap
2 bars castile soap, grated. (lavender or citrus)
8 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
4 cups 20 Muleteam Borax
4 cups baking soda
30 drops of pure lemongrass essential oil
50 drops of pure lavender essential oil

1.  Start by grating your bars of soap on a box grater you would shred cheese on. I like to use the large holes for 'curls' of soap, but you can use the finer side if you prefer that consistency. It's really personal preference. Add grated soap to a very large bowl.

2.  Sift washing soda, borax and baking soda into the large bowl with the soap flakes.

3.  Toss all the dry ingredients together until well mixed. I recommend just using your hands to toss, it's easier than a spoon and seems to puff up into the air less.

4.  Add drops of essential oil over the top of the powders and toss again well. Feel free to adjust the number of drops to your liking and to experiment with different scents. That is the fun part!

5.  Pour into a zip lock bag, glass storage jar or air tight plastic canister.

6.  Put 1 - 2 Tbl in your washing machine before filling, depending on the size of your load and how dirty it is.  Works in cold and warm water and is safe for HE front load washers since it creates low to no suds.

Makes 4 ½ 1-quart mason jars that make wonderful handmade gifts!

I recommend using with a scented vinegar rinse (see separate post). It deodorizes, disinfects, softens and helps with static.  Another inexpensive and safe alternative to store bought products.

What Causes Pain in Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis is often associated with numbness, weakness, tingling and paralysis, but very little is mentioned about pain with Multiple Sclerosis.  I have suffered with MS for over 15 years and until Montel Williams started talking about the excruciating pain he suffers with his MS, I never knew the pain I had in my back and legs was from my MS.  Here are the facts I have discovered through research about pain associated with MS and what you can try to help improve it.

WHAT CAUSES PAIN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?

Many people with MS experience spasticity, or muscle stiffness and spasms. It usually affects the muscles of the legs, arms and back and may interfere with the ability to move those muscles freely.  Spasticity can occur either as a sustained stiffness or as spasms that come and go, especially at night. It can feel like a muscle tightening and can cause severe pain. Spasticity can also produce feelings of pain or tightness in and around joints and can cause low back pain. The intensity may vary depending on your position, posture, and state of relaxation.

What Causes Spasticity?

Spasticity is the result of an imbalance in the electrical signals coming from the brain and spinal cord, often caused by damage to these areas from by MS. This imbalance may cause involuntary contractions of the muscle, and increased muscle tension.

What Triggers Spasticity?

Like other symptoms of MS, spasticity may be aggravated by extremes of temperature, humidity, or infections. It can even be triggered by tight clothing.

What Are The Least Invasive Ways to Treat Mild Spasticity First?

Mild spasticity can be treated by trying some of the following techniques:

- Try changing your daily routine. Limit the amount of walking or moving around you do.  Try it for several   days in a row to see if that helps the spasms to settle down.
- Try gentle exercise by standing and sitting, walking, or other methods that move your body more and help stretch the muscles.  Try this for a few days in a row to see if it helps to settle the spasms.
- Try yoga and other methods of gentle stretching for a few days in a row to see how it affects your muscle spasms.
- Try meditation, listening to relaxing music, a warm bath or shower, positive thinking and other methods of relaxation for a few days in a row to see how it affects your muscle spasms.
- Find a massage therapist who specializes in multiple sclerosis massage. Ask your doctor for a referral.
- Adjust your daily life in any way you think may help the spasms decrease or go away once you have figured out what methods are helpful in your individual circumstances.

What If You Are Still In Pain?

Talk to your Doctor about taking a more aggressive approach to treatment.  Some of the next steps your doctor may recommend are:

Prescription Drugs
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy (casts, splints, braces, etc)
Surgery

Above all else, be sure to discuss your pain with your doctor and don’t just try to ignore it.  If spasms are left untreated, they can turn into larger problems and eventually the joint may not move at all.

*Disclaimer – I am not a Doctor.  The advice in this article is passed on to you from research I have done as an MS patient who also suffers from spasticity and from my own experiences with this disease and these symptoms.  Each individual is different and you should always check with your doctor before following the advice of this, or any article found online.

How To Insure Your Child is Offered a Gluten Free Lunch at School

Living a gluten free lifestyle is far from easy.  It’s even harder for children who depend  on others to make their meals.  I have two gluten free children and have been managing their gluten free diets for about 6 years now.  When they were first diagnosed with Celiac Disease I thought they would never be able to eat a meal prepared by someone other than me again!  After some time and experience, I learned that with a bit of education and a lot of patience, I could teach ANYONE how to cook for my children – even the cooks in the school cafeteria!

Public schools are required to provide your child with a meal they can eat at school, no matter what their restrictions are.  Beyond this requirement, all of the cooks I have worked with are more than happy to accommodate my child’s needs because they WANT to.   People that cook generally like to please people with their food, so they are typically willing to listen to the needs and desires of those eating it and do whatever they can to meet them.

The first thing you need to do is contact the person in your child’s school who is in charge of the kitchen.  Inform them of your child’s gluten free diet and ask if they are familiar with what gluten is and if they have any experience with gluten free cooking.  For the sake of this article, let’s say this person does not know anything about gluten or gluten free cooking.

Next let them know you understand, that is wasn’t that long ago that you didn’t know anything about gluten either, and that you will be happy to share what you have learned with them.  Give them a very basic explanation of what gluten is and the types of food that it is in.  Then offer to provide them with a more detailed explanation and list of gluten free foods for them  to review and keep on file and get it to them as soon as possible. 

Ask if you are able to get a menu in advance so you can work with them ahead of time to create meals on their menu in a gluten free manner.  Our school gives us a months worth of menus at a time. Start by choosing one new meal a week (so as not to overwhelm them) to convert to gluten free.  Share with the cook an idea or two of how they might easily make it gluten free (i.e.  If it were a hamburger – leave the bun off.  If it were a chicken patty, offer a plain un-breaded chicken patty instead, if it’s a sandwich tell them what gluten free bread you use and where to get it, etc.)  Continue to add one new meal a week until they have cycled through all of the meals they offer and you have found a solution for making each one gluten free.  By now, your child should be order most of the meals your kitchen makes on a regular basis and they will know how to make each of them gluten free.   My children eat hot lunch 99% of the time.  About the only meal that they skip is fish sticks – because they just don’t like fish, breaded or not!

If you take this approach, the kitchen staff  will not be overwhelmed, they can learn about different methods and products at a relatively slow pace and  they will be happy to accommodate your child’s needs because you have been respectful of their very busy schedule and have been patient with their learning curve.   I have used this method three times now:  Once when my daughters were first diagnosed, again when we moved to a new town and a third time when my oldest started high school.  All three times this method worked like a charm and they were successfully enjoying gluten free hot lunches at school within a few months time.  The cooks I have worked with have even gone so far as to tell me they have enjoyed learning about gluten free cooking and have thanked me for teaching them!

Smoothie Ingredients that Pack a Healthy Punch AND Taste Great!

My husband and I recently started making ourselves a smoothie every day before work.  We discovered that even though we do not consider ourselves ‘breakfast people’, and don’t typically feel like eating until later in the morning, we don’t mind sipping on one in the car on the way to work.  Knowing that eating breakfast is extremely important to good health and wellness, we thought a smoothie each morning would be a painless way to start out our day with the nutrition we know we should be getting each morning.    

When we first tried smoothies, we started with a very basic recipe.  A cup of milk, some protein powder (we use plain rice protein because it is fairly inexpensive and does not affect the flavor of our smoothie) and a handful of frozen fruit.  This is a nice mild and simple way to get started with smoothies and is a great way to discover what types of flavors you like.  For example do you prefer a chocolate, vanilla or plain base?  What fruits add flavors you like or don’t like?  What protein powders are palatable to you?  What ratios make your smoothies the consistency you like (thick, thin, frozen, or just chilled?).  Once you have discovered the basics of what you like, you can move on to discover a world of REALLY nutritional items that can be added to your smoothie, many of them ingredients you may have never even heard of before but are easy to find at your local natural food store.

An easy way to change up the nutritional value and/or taste of your smoothie is by changing the liquid you use.  Instead of using standard cow’s milk, try soy milk or almond milk.  Replace some or all of the milk with different fruit and vegetable juices you like or have nutritional values you are looking for.  Add other liquids that may have added health benefits like aloe juice  or coconut water (both are said to promote healing of the digestive tract).  There are also many liquid nutritional supplement available that can easily be added to a smoothie that have tremendous health benefits such as wheatgrass juice, goji berry juice and acai berry juice.   Adding a spoonful of acidophilus rich yogurt to your smoothie will support a healthy digestive system.  A splash of flax seed oil or flavorless fish oil will add the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids without any taste.

Another way to mix it up is to try different powders and dry ingredients.  Not only are there a variety of different protein powders to try (whey, rice, soy, different flavors, etc), there are also many nutritionally rich powders  and other dry ingredients that are easily added to a smoothie.  Some to try are raw cocoa powder, spirulina and other algae and seaweed based powders, medicinal mushroom based powders, ground flax seeds and hemp seeds, raw coconut, and ground nuts.  Dried goji berries is an item that is huge in nutritional value and we really like in our smoothies.

As you can see, once you have a basic recipe down for a smoothie, you can add a splash of this and a scoop of that and get tons of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fats in your body every day with little effort or sacrifice.  Start experimenting today and discover easy and delicious ways to start each day with a nutritional treat for your body!

How to Substitute With Gluten Free Flours When Baking

So you are on a gluten free diet and think you can never enjoy baking again?  Not true!  I have been baking since I was a little girl and was devastated when both of my daughters were diagnosed with Celiac Disease and had to go on gluten free diets.  I thought I would have to give up my passion for baking for my family, but I was wrong!  After experimenting and trying different recipes and methods, I now know it’s not that hard after all.  Here are the simple basics:

First of all, look up a list of all the flours that are gluten free and get familiar with the properties of each.  This way you will know what each kind will bring to your recipe, as well as what it lacks.

Next, look up ideas for gluten free flour blends.  I found MANY over the years, just by reading recipes and cook books.  There are literally 100’s of different combinations and I have found that if you try a few and find one that works – just stick with it.  The main idea is that you need to use several different gluten free flours together because they all bring a different element to your baking and the result is a product that is similar to one made with standard wheat flour.   My mix includes equal parts rice flour, tapioca flour and corn starch with a bit of potato flour.  I mix up a big batch and keep it in a big air tight container labeled “Gluten Free Flour Blend”.

I use my gluten free flour blend cup for cup to thicken gravies, make a rue, to bread chicken or fish, etc., but when it comes to baking you cannot just substitute your gluten free flour blend cup for cup for regular flour.  There are two things I always do: 

First, for about 2/3 of the amount of flour that is called for in the recipe, I use my chosen gluten free flour blend.  The remaining 1/3 of flour called for I use either sorghum flour (in cookies) or millet flour (in breads, cakes and muffins).  Both of these flours improve the texture of the end product and make it more like its gluten containing counterpart.

Second, I always add xanthan gum (about 1 teaspoon for most recipes).  Xanthan gum replaces the gluten and helps hold your baked good together.  Without it, your gluten free product will be crumbly and fall apart.

You will learn more with time and experience, but with these few basic tips, you will be on your way to delicious and successful gluten free baking!

How to Read Labels to Find Gluten Free Products

When you first go on a gluten free diet, reading labels to figure out if a product is  gluten free or not is a challenging task.  Unfortunately, gluten is not an “ingredient” that is listed on a label.   Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.  Making things even more complicated, wheat, rye and barley can be found in strange places and may not be listed as an ingredient, but still be in the product.

Fortunately, food label standards are improving all the time.  The world seems to be more sensitive to the major foods that cause allergies and are listing them with more regularity on labels.   Wheat is one of the more common allergens listed, making a huge part of gluten free eating easier.  Unfortunately, rye and barley are not thought of as common allergens, so they are not routinely mentioned on labels.  Remember, just because a product is “wheat free” does not make it “gluten free”!

When reading a label, I first go right to the bottom of the list of ingredients and look for a warning, usually emboldened, that often starts with “May contain…” or “Warning:  contains…” and look for “wheat”.  This is where the most common allergens are listed such as nuts, dairy, wheat, etc.  If you find wheat here, then you know immediately this item is not gluten free.  If it says it “may contain traces of wheat” or it “is produced in a factory that produces wheat”, you have decide based on your own medical needs if you are willing to take that risk or not.  Our family has personally never had a reaction to a product that says this and we do not forgo a product just because of this type of warning.  You have to make this decision based on how sensitive you are and what your doctor’s advice is.

 Once I’ve checked and a product does not show a warning for wheat at the end of the ingredients, I go to the beginning of the ingredients and start scanning the label for items that send up red flags for possible gluten.  The biggest offender is “MALT”.  Malt comes from barley and is used in many different forms in many different foods.  It is the biggest reason why most rice and corn cereals are not gluten free.  It is also commonly found in root beer, vinegar and granola bars. 

I also look for items that I know are most likely made with gluten, but the ingredients to that item are not listed in parenthesis after it.  Bread crumbs for example would most likely contain gluten and if listed as an ingredient should look something like this:  bread crumbs (wheat flour, salt, eggs, yeast...), but there are times when the ingredients are not listed in parenthesis and you must ‘read between the lines’ for yourself and assume that breadcrumbs probably contain gluten.  A place where this may happen is with ice creams.  It may list ‘cookie crumbs’ as an ingredient, but not list what the cookies are made of.  You must then assume that the cookies are made with standard flour and most likely contain gluten, so you rule out this product.    

There are other places gluten can be hidden in a product, and with a bit of research online and by reading a book or two, you will become an expert on label reading and deciphering whether or not a product is safe to eat.  The best way to be sure if it is not clear by reading the label, is to call the manufacturer and ask.  In the meantime, the information above will cover the bulk of what you need to know to get started on your path to a gluten free lifestyle.

Healthy Eating Tips for Teens

Eating healthy food is extremely important, especially for kids and teenagers who are still growing. As they get older, your child is going to have increasing control over what they eat - particularly when they are away from you at school every day.  With hectic schedules it can seem difficult to find time to choose healthy food options. There is always time for your health if you make it a priority and give it a bit of thought.  These are the lessons we want to instill in our children and teens so they take these habits with them throughout their lives.  Just by packing a few quick and easy healthy items each day, you can stave off temptations of less healthy options.  These small “good choices” each and every day can make a big difference in their health over their lifetime.

Just what will an on-the-go teenager take (and actually eat) for lunch that is healthy, if given the choice?  What better way to find out, than to ask them?  The following is a list of ideas for teen lunches taken from a chat forum where teens were asked just that –

“What do you like to take for a healthy lunch?”

Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, peaches, cherry tomatoes and dried fruit packs are easy and fast to pack. 

A wrap or sandwich made with a wholegrain tortilla or bread, filled with low fat ham, turkey or chicken, rice, cheese, veggies, or beans.  Lowfat dressing/mayo or mustard.

Lots of teens replied that they love to take a salad to school for lunch!  Weekend prep is key to making that possible on a busy school morning.  Here are some other great ideas for teen lunches if you take a little time to prepare the weekend before:

 

Chopping veggies like carrots, celery and peppers into sticks make quick snack options.  Try dipping them in peanut butter or hummus for some extra protein and a bit of fun. 

Chop those same veggies a bit smaller along with mushrooms, cucumbers, avocados (with a bit of lemon so they don’t brown) and romaine.  Store in air tight containers for easy to throw together salad ingredients any day of the week.  Cherry/grape tomatoes are already bite size and ready to go! 

Boil eggs and/or chicken and slice for a more substantial and filling salad ingredients. 

Use tiny bowls with lids or cosmetic bottles for low fat dressings or vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil.

Pre-bag nuts (cashews, peanuts, almonds), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), dried fruits and granola, so they are easy to grab on the run.

Pre-chopping fruits like watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, and strawberries makes it easy to grab a bowl of fresh fruit with a yogurt and a snack bag of granola.

The following were ideas given for quick and easy lunch ideas that are not necessarily ‘healthy’, but are a ‘healthier alternative’ when you want to splurge on a treat….

Pretzels and air-popped popcorn are great crunchy/salty snacks.

A few squares of dark chocolate or a handful of dark chocolate covered raisens or nuts are a better choice for that chocolate craving.    

100 calories snack packs are convenient and great for portion control. 

As you can see, they have about the the same needs and desires as most busy adults.  They want ease, convenience and variety.  Make it easy for them by making sure there are ingredients available, help them prepare them ahead of time if necessary and there is a good chance your teen will be happy to take some healthy food options to school with them!

About Me

Hello!  My name is Gloria and I am a stay at home Mom of 3 children. I am passionate about living a simple wholesome lifestyle based on love, sharing, compassion, giving, positive thoughts and gratitude.  I love to read and write about different things that improve and enrich people's lives.  The subjects that are closest to my heart are health and wellness (of the mind, body and spirit), stress reduction and natural and simple living through farming and country living.  I love to cook, knit, walk, hike, do yoga, hoop dance, read enspiring books, and garden.  Don't get me wrong - I am crazy about many modern conveniences as well.  I love my computer, iPhone and GPS!  I am so thankful that I live in a time where I can stay at home to be available for my children whenever they need me, and also have the opportunity to make a living via the internet!  I live with Multiple Schlerosis and 2 of my children have Celiac disease and must eat gluten free, so I know a fair amount about both of those topics as well.  On my blog you will find a mixed bag of articles on all of these subjects AND MORE!  :)