Hi Reader, OK, if you can't tell, I'm all about the fall recipes right now. I love a sweet treat that we can feel good about nutritionally, and this one delivers. This recipe will be on my website soon, but I wanted my newsletter family to be the first to try it! Date Caramel Apple Dip Ingredients 1 packed cup (180 g) pitted Medjool dates 1/4 cup creamy cashew butter (like Whole Foods 365 brand or Target Good & Gather) 1/3 cup whole milk 2 tablespoons hot water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4...
1 day ago â˘Â 3 min read
Hi Reader, Food dyes have been all over the newsâand if youâre a parent, you might be wondering if youâre supposed to start checking every ingredient label for Red 40. The FDA is moving to phase synthetic food dyes out of the U.S. food supply, citing concerns about childrenâs health. But some of the claims being made about dyes go quite a bit further than the research does. So letâs separate what we actually know from what makes a good headline. Are synthetic food dyes harmful? Most children...
9 days ago â˘Â 3 min read
Hi Reader, When you were a kid, did you turn your pajamas inside out when you wanted to have a snow day? Iâm really not sure why we felt those two things would be related. We were somehow sending a message to the universe by showing it the insides of our sleepwear. But Iâve decided to take that same type of logic and hope that if we do lots of baking with pumpkin, then fall weather will finally come to Texas. đ Letâs show the universe our open cans of pumpkin and maybe the weather will dip...
16 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hi Reader, School = germs. đ The moment you put groups of kids together indoors, the germs take hold. And really, itâs no surprise, because kids are gross. They are constantly alternating between touching every surface they walk past, and putting their fingers in their noses and mouths. Itâs like theyâre subconsciously cataloguing every possible strain of bacteria available via handrail before age 12. (I canât be the only one who has been saying for years on repeat, âSTOP TOUCHING...
23 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hi Reader, No matter what grade my kids are starting each year, Iâve found that the beginning of the school year always brings extra emotions in my house. I am no stranger to the dreaded after school meltdown. And even though I know to anticipate it, it still can be hard to get everyone feeling regulated again! Sometimes the answer is incredibly simple: feed them. Itâs rare that you know exactly what they ended up eating at school. And thatâs fairly out of your control. But if they are hangry...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hi Reader, I am officially done. Done making weekday breakfasts for everyone else. đ There are many ways your elementary and older kids can feed themselves that do not have to involve you whatsoever. This does not make you a bad mom. Kids NEED independence and they need to learn they are capable of a whole heck of a lot. There was a part of me that was like, âam I being lazy? Am I avoiding some motherly duty to make them a beautiful breakfast?â No, and noooooooo. Do they maybe need some...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 2 min read
Hi Reader, A mom wrote to me last week sharing a dilemma that Iâm sure a lot of you relate to. She was telling me how helpful it is for her kids to eat lunch from the school cafeteria â it saves both time & money â but she worried because other moms said they âwouldnât feed their kids that crap.â So she wanted to know, is it okay to feed her kids the cafeteria food? Is it really that bad as these other moms are saying? First â I told her that feeding our kids is always about more than just...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 2 min read
Hi Reader, You know when you see some startling headline, like what I just saw yesterday â âsparkling water now linked to colorectal cancerâ and you want to know whether itâs ACTUALLY a real concern, or if you can just go on living your life? I wanted to make it quick and easy for you to get to the bottom of it, no matter what the headline is. So I created a prompt that you can copy and paste directly into ChatGPT that will evaluate the claim the same way I would. (Except ChatGPT will do it...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 3 min read
Hi Reader, If you have a kid starting school for the first time or starting at a new school, and youâre feeling a little nervous about how lunchtime is going to go, there are a few things you can practice at home ahead of time. These are things their teacher will appreciate, too! 1. If you only do one thing, do this: Do a full lunchbox test run. Pack their lunch and snack exactly the way you plan to send it to school: water bottle, lunch box, thermos, pouches â everything. Then have them open...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read