Summer Reading

We posted this last summer, but as kids get out of school and structure falls away, we thought it would be a great time to remember to keep kids reading! The hardest part is how. Here we have a few suggestions, and an updated link from teachers across the US listing summer reading programs for your kids to help them stay motivated, keep track of their progress, and best of all, earn prizes for reading! From We Are Teachers.


Here at Peas of Mind we believe that health is much more then what you eat. Yes, part of a healthy life style is eating veggies and a well balanced meal, but to us, being healthy is also about laughter, playing, exercise and joy.  We not only believe an apple a day keeps the doctor away, we also believe a book a day does too!

Our favorite book here at Peas of Mind

So this week we're changing gears a little bit and focusing on the importance of reading, especially this time of year when school is out of session and silent reading is no longer enforced.

First things first, if you don't have one already, get a library card. Summer is a great time to introduce your children to the library and the freedom that comes with browsing the aisles for a new (used) book.  Make a weekly date out of it: a late breakfast at your favorite cafe, then a few hours at the library followed by a play date at the park so your little ones can share and read their new books. Also, libraries usually have free, kid friendly activities scheduled during the summer; contact your local library and find out what fun activities you can add to your library date day!

For those long car trips, always have a box of "car only books." This way they'll get to immerse themselves in new books they've never seen or read. The box of "car only books" will become one of their favorite things about being in the car.

Find time to read. That means you Mom! Set a good example and enjoy some quality family time together reading instead of watching a movie or TV.  This is a great way to spend time together as well as secretly set a good example. During this time ask questions about what's going on in the book, what characters do they like and how do they think it will end.  This will not only encourage them to process what they're reading but it also shows them that you're interested and that reading is important to you.

Let this summer be the summer your little ones learn to LOVE to read. Besides feeding them their Veggie Wedgies, it's the greatest gift a parent can give.

DIY Fruit Snacks (with hidden veggies, naturally)

Veggie Gummies!

Getting our little ones to eat fewer sugary snacks and more veggies is always a challenge, and convenience is the easiest way to get off track on nutrition. This month we reinvented a summertime favorite: the gummy fruit snacks!

Our fruit snacks are made from vegetable juice with no added sugar and no weird preservatives. Best of all, they are SO EASY! We promise! With pre-made juice, you simply pour, heat, stir, and let it set. That’s it!

Just choose a combination of fruits and veggies that sounds good to you (i.e. blueberry + beet, carrot + mango, kiwi + kale). You’ll only need the juice for these, so either juice your fruits and veggies at home or to save a step you can purchase 100% fresh juice at the store.

Ingredients:

¾ cup fresh carrot juice

¾ cup fresh mango juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp honey

1 packet stevia (2 grams)

4.5 tbsp powdered gelatin

  

The strange wet sand look of blooming gelatin! 

Process

Measure juices into a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin powder on top. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom. The juice will start to look strange and almost sandy and wrinkly. That’s fine! Now turn the heat onto medium and whisk while warming it (you want it to get hot but not to boil) until the mixture returns to liquid form. Once it’s the consistency of juice again, add the stevia and honey, keep whisking until it’s hot again. Now pour it into a container (decorative molds are fun! Or just use a 5”x8” brownie pan.) We lined ours with plastic wrap to make it even easier to remove from the container. Once you’ve poured it, toss in the fridge for a few hours to set, or the freezer if you’re in a rush! Takes about 30min in the freezer to set. Then unmold and cut into diamond shapes. Store in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Guided by your Gut!

Sometimes parenting can feel a lot like permanent jet lag. Kids are up at all hours, for hours and hours, and if you’ve got more than one, or they’re sick, it can wreak havoc on your routine.

Photo by Alan Cleaver

We all know disruptions to your sleep can also have serious health consequences, like weight gain, aging more rapidly, diabetes, and heart disease. This is because of your circadian rhythms, which influence nearly every process in your body, but especially sleep and digestion. These two are closely linked, and they are unfortunately the first to be thrown out of whack when our schedule is altered.

Luckily, there are a few ways we can fight it! The main way to fight jet-lag-like changes in our schedule is by eating our meals at consistent times. This means not eating within 3 hours of going to bed, and not skipping breakfast or eating breakfast at 3am because your kids woke you up. Keeping your mealtimes regular will help keep your sleep schedule regular and will help keep you healthy as your gut clock (digestion) influences your body clock. Your body clock in turn tells your hormones, blood pressure, temperature, and hunger to sync up. All of these systems work together to signal your body to be awake and alert when you're up, and help you sleep when it's time to rest. 

And if you are suddenly on an opposite schedule (working the night shift, up late repeatedly with the kids, or traveling), here is a link to the meal plan that the Navy Seals, CIA, and Army use, as well as a more modified modern version from Harvard and Beth Isreal Deaconess Hospital in Boston. Both involve mild fasting to help reset your gut-clock to coincide with your sleep-clock.

So remember, even if your schedule is out of whack, sticking to regular mealtimes will help use your gut clock to your advantage, recalibrate, and remain your healthiest! 

Further reading on digestion and circadian rhythms here, here, and here.