shape your future ok

Plant a Garden with your Kids #GardeningMonth

April 30, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

It’s National Gardening Month and I’m excited! My little guys and I are ready to start planting! I think it is important to teach our children to eat well and to teach them where their food comes from. Planting a garden helps kids understand the food process as well as encourage them to eat healthy and play outdoors. We started our little seedlings a few days ago and can’t wait to take them outside.

For my kids, it’s also all about discovery. Just the other day we went for a walk and counted more than 70 caterpillars, it was a fun activity and we got our 60 minutes of physical activity in for the day as well!

Of course, our walk brought us back to our garden where we finished watering the flowers and getting ready for some major planting. Need a little help getting started? Check out these tips below.

Here are some tips to start your family garden in April:

Start small and let kids choose what to plant. Offer guidance and make sure there are some sure-success plants among their picks.
Let your kids get dirty and explore nature!
Find healthy recipes and plan to plant some of the ingredients in your new garden. Click here to find delicious healthy recipes!
Whether it is a plot in your back yard or just a few pots, find the best location for your seeds and plants.
If you and your family are in the heat, make sure everyone stays hydrated while working in the sun!

Have fun this Spring and start planting!

Frugal & Healthy Fruit in a Jar

March 21, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

Recently, Jessica and I shared with your 80+ pound weight loss. We have both been excited about our lifestyle changes and our new look! We’ve also been sharing tips with you to make eating healthy even easier. If you’re wanting a creative way to store cut fruit and have snack cups ready to go then this is for you!

I purposely cut fruit and veggies and have them ready to eat throughout the week. This simple practice will prevent you from grabbing cookies or chips just because they’re “easier.” By cutting the fruit and storing it in a mason jar, you can easily grab one and take it to work or for a quick snack in the car. I simply washed and cut the fruit into chunks then layered it in the jar-it’s that easy!

Small changes make a BIG difference! Drink more water, get active and make the right food choices. These changes will change your life for the better!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by ShapeYourFutureOk.com however, all ideas and opinions are my own.

Fruits & Veggies: More Matters Month + Slow Cooker Applesauce Recipe

March 21, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

September is More Matters Month meaning, more fruits and veggies. We’re all about that in my house, I’ve made major lifestyle changes in the last year and even my kids are on board with it! I believe it is important that we live by example and show our kids how important it is to eat right.

It is simple to get them on board by involving them in the process. My kids will pick out their own fruits and veggies and sometimes, they’ll even recommend a new recipe or something different to try. The change in weather had my oldest son begging for homemade applesauce so, we picked up some apples and went to work. That’s key, I made sure to listen when he asked for it and involved him in the process.

First, we hit the store in search of apples and we found them!

Over the summer, I made sure to take my kiddos to the farmers market with me and we talked about where the fruits and veggies come from and what each taste like so they were always interested in trying something different. Speaking of something different…we spotted these Cotton Candy Grapes and had to pick those up too! Amazing!

There are so many ways you can involve your children in the process of healthy eating. I would recommend trying something new every week, you never know if you’ll find a new favorite. This week, the Cotton Candy Grapes became a family favorite and the homemade applesauce was a hit!

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Ingredients:

Bag of Apples (You can use different types for various flavorings)

Water

Sugar (optional)

Cinnamon (optional)

Directions: Simply peel and slice the apples and place them in the slow cooker. Cover them with water and cook on high for a few hours or on low a little longer. Check them periodically until they become soft. You can add in the cinnamon if you’d like and it will make your house smell amazing!

Once the apples are soft, drain the excess water and mix them with a hand mixer, blender or food processor. Add the desired amount of sugar if you’d like, I usually skip the sugar but the cinnamon does really take it up a notch!

More really does matter, make adding fruits and veggies a priority for your family and your kids will embrace that as well. Get creative! For more ideas, recipes and tips please visit ShapeYourFutureOk.com.

Save Money, Energy & Your Health by Eating More Fruits & Veggies

March 19, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

We talk a lot about saving money at the grocery store, but meal planning and couponing doesn’t just have to be about dollar signs. You’re already planning out meals, why not plan to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your meals to save your family’s health as well? It’s much easier than you might think!

Shape Your Future, the Oklahoma Health Improvement Plan Obesity Work Group and the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust have partnered with Fruits & Veggies—More Matters as a resource to make it easier for individuals and families to get more fruits and vegetables into their daily routine.

Here are 10 great and easy tips for planning and shopping for your meals, and, don’t forget, whether it is fresh, frozen, canned or locally grown, adding any fruits or vegetables benefits you:

Dried fruits – Take advantage of the vast assortment of dried fruits available and dress up your cereal or salads, or simply enjoy as a snack.
Leftovers – Re-create leftovers to make a whole new meal. Use them in wraps or sandwiches, for quesadillas, in casseroles or with pasta.
Convenience – Pick up some frozen or canned fruits and vegetables for later in the week or for busy nights.
Experiment – Try new fruit or vegetables or prepare a familiar one in a different way.
Seasoning Combinations – Buy plain (unseasoned) frozen vegetables and create seasoning combinations using herbs, lemon juice, or garlic to keep out the fat and salt.
100% Juice – Look for fruit and vegetable juices that say 1005 juice!
Smoothies for Breakfast – Frozen fruit makes great smoothies for a breakfast or on the run.
Easy to Grab & Go – Fill up that fruit bowl so you and your family can grab and go.
Meatless Meals – Plan one or more meatless meals for the week – there are endless possibilities for using dried or canned beans. They’re cheap too! Check out the variety in your store.
Make More – Plan for leftovers so you have a ready meal.

You can also find over 1,000 ways to serve fruits and vegetables into your diet on the site, including meal planning, ways to serve, recipes, growing your own and buying locally.

For more information about incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet, including meal planning, ways to serve, recipes, growing your own and buying local, or National Nutrition Month initiatives, visit www.ShapeYourFutureOK.com and www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.

This post is sponsored by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.

5 Ways to Help Kids Eat Healthy #MoreMatters

March 19, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

I have two boys and one of them is a picky eater. Did I say picky eater? I meant a I’m-not-going-to-eat-anything-decent-even-if-you-pay-me kinda eater. I know, I tried to pay him once. It did not work.

My oldest son has multiple food allergies that are life threatening, he’s had them since birth which has managed to give him a negative vibe when it comes to trying new things. I don’t blame him. After getting sick myself last year, I have been on a very restrictive diet and I’ve given up a lot of things that I probably didn’t have to give up just in the name of not wanting to get sick again.

While I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, getting my son to overcome his fear of food and try to eat more fruits and vegetables has been an uphill battle. I decided to get a bit more creative and thought I’d share a few ideas with you. If you have any tips to share, be sure to post them!

5 Ways to Help Kids Eat Healthy

1. Give Kids a Choice: I finally landed at the point of telling my children that they are going to be eating healthier foods. I then give them the choice of picking out what those foods are or I’ll do it for them. Ultimately, when they know they’re going to have to eat it, they choose what they like to eat. The only unfortunate thing about this is that they stick with their favorites rather than branching out.

2. Keep It Ready: Once you get home from the store or co-op, be sure to wash and prepare your fruits and veggies. If you have a washed bowl of strawberries, grapes, etc waiting then it will be easy to reach for those when you or your children are in need of a snack. Most of the time we reach for things like chips or cookies simply out of convenience.

3. Lead by Example: If you’re eating unhealthy, your kids will too. That’s just the way it is, we have to set the example as parents. The local co-op I use in my area recently went up for sale, I had already thought that the business would be amazing to combine with Money Saving Queen and our efforts to help people eat healthy and save money. However, the thing that threw me over the edge and ultimately led to my final decision to purchase the business was how much my son enjoyed volunteering. I took him to one of the sales and all he could talk about was the produce, he thought it was amazing that other children were eating some of the produce right out of the basket and he loved being able to help load it up for people.

Once we got home, he actually tried almost everything that was in our basket. Win! He now openly talks about trying new produce and what the different tastes are and that’s a big deal.

4. Get Creative: Use recipes that incorporate fruits and veggies that don’t taste like your front yard. Seriously. This recipe for Blueberry & Spinach Waffles is delcious and no one would ever suspect a thing!

5. Plan Your Menu: I talk about this often when I’m teaching people how to save money but it is also important for introducing new things. Plan your menu around what is on sale, coupons and your stockpile then be sure to include a new fruit or veggie and have a rule where your children must try at least one bite of the new item. No snacks, no desserts, they have to try the new item and soon they’ll find some new favorites.

The key is to obviously being incorporating good fruits and vegetables that you and your children will enjoy. Keep it fun and interesting and you might find your kids picking them for you. There’s always that certain toddler age that won’t cooperate well, I think as parents we have to give a little bit of grace during certain times of development but, if those foods are a normal part of your child’s day to day life, you will find much less opposition.

I’ll admit, I did not lead by example in this area. I have made major lifestyle adjustments and we’ve made major dietary adjustments in our house. Now, my kids know that our bodies thrive on good nutrition. We’ve started a new habit in this house of eating healthy and we’re going to keep it up!

Get creative! For more ideas, recipes and tips please visit ShapeYourFutureOk.com.