I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t love french fries.  It’s unfortunate that most preparations leave much to be desired in the nutrition department.

Make your own oven fries at home instead.  They’re fantastic!

Use either white or sweet potatoes – or both.  I like to leave the peels on as they’re full of nutrients. 

Preheat your oven to 400.  Slice the potatoes into desired shape and size.  Toss with a drizzle of olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper.  It’s also fun to try other seasonings your family loves – play around with mesquite spices or peppery blends.

In order to keep fat content down, either spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line it with one of those fabulous Silpat baking mats, http://amazon.com/Silpat-2-Inch-Nonstick-Silicone-Baking/dp/b00008T960.  Spread the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake until tender-crisp – about 1/2 hour.  Enjoy!

Summer is upon us and if you have little ones at foot you’re probably looking for new and fun things to do with them.  Why not have some fun with food?

1. Make art out of food – Try apple-wedge flower petals around a kiwi slice for some flower art.  Or maybe fun food faces with berry eyes and a banana mouth.  See what you can create and how colorful it can be.

2. Read “The Hungry Caterpillar” and ask your kids these questions:

a) The caterpillar must have been hungry at the beginning of the story.  What does your stomach feel like when you’re hungry?

b) How do you think the caterpillar felt at the end of the story?  What does it feel like when your stomach is full?

c) How do you know when it’s time to stop eating?

d) When do you know that you should eat something?

e) What are you now?  Hungry?  Full?  In-between?

3. Colorize the house (or a room).  How many colors have you eaten today?  Encourage your kids to “eat a rainbow” every day – and blue Gatorade doesn’t count!  Go around collecting old magazines and grocery store circulars.  Have the kids identify the colorful fruits and vegetables they see and help them cut out their favorite images and paste them on colorful construction paper.  Ask them to talk about why they selected what they did and then decorate the room with all the colorful art work!

Can you tell how much we love giving away free samples of Indigo Rabbit cookies???

Come join us at the Whole Foods Market in Framingham, MA on Thursday, June 18 from 4-6.  Dads, Grampas, Great Grampas – all will love these wonderful treats for Father’s Day (don’t tell them how nutritious they are!).

We’re giving away yummy free samples again – this time at the Whole Foods Market in Brighton, MA on Saturday, June 13 from 11-1.  Come munch and shop.  Load up on Indigo Rabbit cookies for Flag Day!

Take a look at a kitchen favorite for me and my girls on Cafemom.com!!!

Easter has come and gone and I am relieved to confess that I am finally turning into a regular mom.

As you may have read in the “About Sandy” section (or will now if you’re so inclined), I am the proud daughter of the leader (at least  in my mind) of the nutty-crunchy parade of Southern California circa 1970’s-ish.  However it happened, I am a duplicate of her in some of those “crunchy” ways.

Until now, I have whispered to our local Easter Bunny to surprise our kiddos with healthy holiday treats – my husband is really such a good sport.

This Easter, however, I joined the club of normal people who enjoy watching my kids chow on jelly beans and chocolate eggs.  And more importantly, I’ll admit it’s way more fun to secretly munch from an Easter basket filled with sugary treats than it is from a basket full of lollipops colored by elderberries and all-natural yogurt-covered raisins.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love all those things (again, husband a hero), but for Easter 2009 my family became “normal” for the holidays.

My first official post addressed the prevalence of High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Now, I’m going to tackle the equally prevalent existence of hydrogenated oils in the foods available in our local grocery stores.  

Hydrogenated oils (trans fats) are created in an industrial process engineered to extend a food product’s shelf-life.  Consumption has been linked to heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and MS.  Be aware that regulations for food claims on the front of a package are very loose, and a package might claim 0% trans fat but actually contain up to 2 grams of trans fats per serving. 

If you see hydrogenated oils in an ingredient list, put the product back on the shelf.

I’m going to kick off this blog addressing one of my huge frustrations in the food world. I cannot stand that so many food manufacturers are using High Fructose Corn Syrup, and even more infuriating is the recent string of television commercials trying to promote the artificial sweetening agent as okay in moderation.

You will find High Fructose Corn Syrup in products throughout your local grocery store. It entered the marketplace in the 1970’s as a cheaper alternative to sugar in volume food production. In the form of a fermenting murky liquid manufactured in chemical plants, consumption of HFCS has been linked to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and accelerated aging.

It will be a challenge, but read those ingredient labels and put back any product with HFCS in the list (and there will be many). It’s everywhere – pizzas, baked beans, candies, breads, yogurt, baby food, ketchup, cookies, even beer. Have faith though; there are options in the store without it. My kids love 3 snacks in particular that are free of the nasty stuff – Indigo Rabbit cookies, Smart Puffs (distributed by Robert’s American Gourmet), and Rold Gold Honey Wheat Braided pretzels.

I’d love to get new ideas.  What are some terrific grocery store items you’ve found that don’t contain HFCS?