Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in cleveland, OH

Fresh Produce Coming to a Neighborhood Near You

by Naomi

March 09, 2009

Last summer, my kids and I spent a lot of time at the local farmers markets.  We made an effort to go EVERY Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

Farmers Markets are so much more than simply an alternative to the grocery store.  They provide amazing learning experiences for your kiddos!  Not only that, you are supporting the "Buy Local" initiative AND providing your family with produce that is so much fresher than what is on the shelves of your grocery store.

Most vendors have samples out for tasting, smelling, feeling.  Make a point to ask questions of the vendors, what is the easiest vegetable to grow?  What is your favorite flower?  Why do you make cheese?  

Turn the outing into a lesson on colors  - can they spot a yellow vegetable?  Can they find a red flower?  

To find a farmers market near you, visit The Farmland Center for a partial listing.

I am very excited THIS season to participate in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), a way for folks like US to participate in receiving shares from a local farmer ... all fresh, all local and all delicious!

To find a CSA near you, visit Local Harvest. 

For those of you living in Geauga County, there is a new CSA coming to town!  Geauga Family Farms Cooperative is offering individuals or households a share (or half-share) of produce and, for 24 weeks beginning in late May, will provide a weekly delivery/pickup of whatever is ready for harvest.

Full shares will typically consist of a box or bag of various items that will feed a family of four for a week.  Half-shares will
typically feed two people for a week. Weekly shares will vary in size, weight, and quantity depending on the time of season and on growing conditions.

   * A certified-organic share delivered to the Co-op is $660 for the season.
   * A certified-organic half-share delivered to the Co-op is $410.
   * A "conventional" share (not certified-organic but naturally and
sustainably grown, without pesticides, except in the case of apples)
is $535 delivered to the Co-op (or $475 if picked up at the farm).
   * A "conventional" half-share delivered is $335 (or $275 if picked
up at the farm).

For more information, you may call Daniel Fisher (certified organic farmer) at (440) 693-4632 or Kathleen Webb (salesperson/contact) at (440) 286-5326 or (216) 408-7719 (cell).

If you live in Cuyahoga County, check out City Fresh for all of the information on that area CSA!

I can smell the fresh produce already!

5 Basic Boost for Busy Parents

by Naomi

March 05, 2009

Today's post comes to you courtesy of Being Savvy in the Silicon Valley and the folks at Tree Top!  This post ALSO comes with a giveaway at the end of the post!

5 Basic Boosts for Busy Parents from Two Spicy Moms
Bonnie Johnson, MS, RD and Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, LDN (on behalf of trim®)

1) Kick Up Your Heels - Don't make exercise a daunting chore. Have a20-minute dance party with the kids. Everyone gets to pick one song.Try out different rhythms or steps like hula, cha-cha, the twist or the oldie-but-goodie chicken dance.

2) Faster Fruits- Often, we are so focused on getting our children to eat healthy, we forget about ourselves (sound familiar?) And most of us need to at least double our daily dose of fruit. So, instead of trying to count that strawberry cheesecake as a serving, try:

           1/2 cup applesauce - Add a dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg

           1 can of trim® Juice drink - New from Tree Top, one can counts as a 1/2 cup of fruit serving and comes in yum flavors like Mango Peach and Strawberry Kiwi)

           1/4 cup dried fruit - Try tossed into cereal, over a salad or eaten on the go

3) Satiety is the new buzzword in healthy eating-it's that feeling of satisfaction after a meal or snack. It makes sense - if you are satisfied longer, you won't scarf down those extra calories you really don't need (like the remnants of junior's PB&J.) Fiber has great satiating power.  Shoot for getting more fiber by choosing cereals with five grams or more fiber per serving, tossing a can of beans into a pasta dish, having a small bowl of popcorn  or enjoying a single serve can of trim® which has three grams of fiber per serving.

4) Get Some Extra Zs - That's sounds dreamy but how do you get your head on the pillow when  you are multitasking long after the kids are in bed? Research shows that a good night sleep can reduce stress,  improve your memory and even increase your success at weight loss.

While experts recommend at least 8 hours a night, start by going to bed just 15 minutes early. Do that every night for a month - and see how you feel (and if you can up it another 15 minutes.) And yes, this is one of Deanna's New Year's resolutions.

5) Cover Your Bases - As dietitians, we recommend getting your vitamins and minerals from food first. But as moms, we know you can't  have it all. Add a basic multivitamin to your morning routine just to be sure. But remember, it's called a supplement because it SUPPLEMENTS your diet (rather than replaces food) - and really, we're all about keeping as much tasty and healthy food in your diet as possible!)

Tree Top's Trim is offering you a chance to win a gift pack with single serving bottles of Trim!!  Simply do the following two things to be entered:

Leave a comment on Trim's Facebook page and then send an email to giveaways@savvysource.com with CLEVELAND TRIM as the subject line.  

Easy enough!  Winners will be chosen on March 9th and notified directly.

Littles in the kitchen : Holiday Style!

by Naomi

December 24, 2008

I don't do much baking at this time of the year, but if you want to get your littles in the kitchen one more time before the holiday season is over, have I got some suggestions for you! The Hungry Housewife has some AMAZING "make-its" on her site and we recently tried the Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees . Now come on, how EASY is this? Pointy Sugar Cones Premade White Frosting White Tube  Read more...

Getting the littles in the kitchen!

by Naomi

November 26, 2008

I'm excited to have Michelle Stern from What's Cooking with us to talk a bit about getting your littles in the kitchen! What's Cooking is located in the San Francisco Bay area, and features cooking classes and gifts for children, BUT Michelle and the What's Cooking team also offer What's Cooking Weekly - a brilliant solution to "what's for dinner" ! What's Cooking offers some tried and  Read more...