I must apoligize for my absense but the worldwind leading up to Christmas had me very busy with all my Little Chefs events ( school class visits, holiday cookshops, and parties) that my postings have been lacking.
During my blob posting absense I decided that I really needed to take some time to regroup and spend time with my family. It has been an amazing and challenging year as a small business owner. Trying to balance my day-to-day live with young kids and building my small business of Little Chefs! I am not complaining but it does come at a price, the balancing dance we much do in order to get done alot of things that you take on when running your own business.
Part of this past month or so I have used for evaluating, testing and planning for the future.
I needed to discover what was working, what was not and what needed to change for the future of Little Chefs.
I hope that you all had wonderful, happy, healthy holidays and are enjoying the new year of 2010! The tenth year of the millennium!
It is a year of new possibilities and hope for health, peace and love.
Thanks to all of you whom I have shared experiences with and hope can share more.
Stay tuned for what is in store for Little Chefs in 2010.........
From my heart and kitchen,
Lori Tinella
Little Chefs, founder
www.thelittlechefs.ca
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Monday, January 18, 2010
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Healthier Halloween Tips
Trick or Treat what are you having at your house?
You couldn't ignore Halloween if you tried, not with the shelves of nearly every store piled high with candy. There's chocolate, candy bars, lollypops, licorice, chewy coloured candy in cute shapes, brownie and cookie packs, hard candy, gum, and more ... much more.
This overwhelming reminder of the approach of Halloween represents more than just a tradition of dressing up in costumes to celebrate the day of the dead and then showing them off to your neighbours. Today Halloween is really nothing more than an excuse to eat lots of sugary, insulin-triggering treats.
So in an age when one in four Canadian children are overweight or obese should we be rethinking our manner of celebrating this increasingly popular holiday, or simply carry on with what we've been doing?
Alternatives to Sugar Crashes
Parents and caregivers should try to change the focus of the day away from the habit of collecting and eating candy.
Try to emphasize other fun aspects of Halloween, such as creating great costumes. Some helpful ideas for parents to think about:
•Allowing children to make the rounds of houses in the neighbourhood, but then limiting the candy they are allowed to keep to a reasonable number of their favourite pieces when they return home.
•Predetermine this amount before kids go out and to keep the rule consistent for all children in the family regardless of their age.
•Implement a system of buying back most of the candy their children have collected and then removing it from the home. "Do not keep enough candy in the house for the next six months."
•Try healthier customs. Use the family pumpkin carving experience as a means to encourage healthy eating by making tasty snacks from the interior, such as muffins and baked pumpkin seeds.
•Hold a Halloween block party. Parents meet and plan the event ahead of time and organize entertaining activities such as costume contests, games and even a potluck dinner., Have fun by celebrating the occasion together rather than just gathering candy.
Plan Healthy Halloween Strategies
Rather than go out with your kids, have a Halloween party at the house and have fun watching the other kids come by in their costumes. Limit the amount of "treats" you hand out to other kids and opt for healthier choices. Offer your children Halloween toys or stickers instead of candy. Instead of going around collecting candy, have your child go around collecting loose pennies and nickels for a favourite charity UNICEF is traditionally supported, but it need not be the only one.
If your child does collect candy, have him or her trade in the candy for a new toy or activity such as going to a movie, baseball game or amusement park.
Lori Tinella
Little Chefs
Have a party that COOKS!
Contact me for our 1 year Anniversary Specials!
519-940-1131 or info@thelittlechefs.ca
You couldn't ignore Halloween if you tried, not with the shelves of nearly every store piled high with candy. There's chocolate, candy bars, lollypops, licorice, chewy coloured candy in cute shapes, brownie and cookie packs, hard candy, gum, and more ... much more.
This overwhelming reminder of the approach of Halloween represents more than just a tradition of dressing up in costumes to celebrate the day of the dead and then showing them off to your neighbours. Today Halloween is really nothing more than an excuse to eat lots of sugary, insulin-triggering treats.
So in an age when one in four Canadian children are overweight or obese should we be rethinking our manner of celebrating this increasingly popular holiday, or simply carry on with what we've been doing?
Alternatives to Sugar Crashes
Parents and caregivers should try to change the focus of the day away from the habit of collecting and eating candy.
Try to emphasize other fun aspects of Halloween, such as creating great costumes. Some helpful ideas for parents to think about:
•Allowing children to make the rounds of houses in the neighbourhood, but then limiting the candy they are allowed to keep to a reasonable number of their favourite pieces when they return home.
•Predetermine this amount before kids go out and to keep the rule consistent for all children in the family regardless of their age.
•Implement a system of buying back most of the candy their children have collected and then removing it from the home. "Do not keep enough candy in the house for the next six months."
•Try healthier customs. Use the family pumpkin carving experience as a means to encourage healthy eating by making tasty snacks from the interior, such as muffins and baked pumpkin seeds.
•Hold a Halloween block party. Parents meet and plan the event ahead of time and organize entertaining activities such as costume contests, games and even a potluck dinner., Have fun by celebrating the occasion together rather than just gathering candy.
Plan Healthy Halloween Strategies
Rather than go out with your kids, have a Halloween party at the house and have fun watching the other kids come by in their costumes. Limit the amount of "treats" you hand out to other kids and opt for healthier choices. Offer your children Halloween toys or stickers instead of candy. Instead of going around collecting candy, have your child go around collecting loose pennies and nickels for a favourite charity UNICEF is traditionally supported, but it need not be the only one.
If your child does collect candy, have him or her trade in the candy for a new toy or activity such as going to a movie, baseball game or amusement park.
Lori Tinella
Little Chefs
Have a party that COOKS!
Contact me for our 1 year Anniversary Specials!
519-940-1131 or info@thelittlechefs.ca
Monday, November 17, 2008
Healthy Snacks & Beverages for Kids
With the Holidays around the corner , we all are very busy!! Eating healthy can get abit more difficult with all the on-the-go!! Here are some great tips on healthly snacks and beverages for kids and kids at heart!
"Mom, I’m hungry!" Sound familiar? It’s important to grab the right delicious and nutritious snack for your child, since snacks make up a significant part of kids’ diet. A recent large study from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health) found that about one-third of a child’s total daily calories come from pizza, desserts and snacks. So, better make those snacks as tasty and healthy as possible! Here are our top picks.
Trail mix. Help kids make their own custom trail mix, advises Mary Friesz, a registered dietitian in Boca Raton, Fla., and author of Food, Fun ‘n Fitness: Designing Healthy Lifestyles for Our Children. Set out raisins, sunflower seeds, nuts (unless you’ll be in a nut-free zone), roasted soy nuts and dried fruit and let the kids scoop ¼ to 1/3 of a cup of their own combo into small bags. Pop in the freezer or fridge to keep fresh, and grab when you’re on the go.
Fruit, veggies and dip. “Most kids love to dip their food, so take advantage of it!” says Mairlyn Smith, a Toronto, Ont., home economist and co-author of The Ultimate Healthy Eating Plan (Whitecap). Mix a bit of cinnamon into French vanilla yogurt and dip fruit into it, or try Velvety vanilla yogurt dip with fruit. Another dip idea: mix low-fat plain yogurt with a bit of regular ranch dressing for lots of flavor without a lot of fat.
Smoothies. Whirl low-fat yogurt, fruit and ice in the blender to create one-of-a-kind – and yummy! – smoothies. Or stir a teaspoon or two of chocolate drink mix into a tall frosty glass of one per cent milk.
Roll-ups.“Turkey or chicken ‘cigars’ were a big hit with my son when he was growing up,” says Smith. Just roll up a thin slice of roasted luncheon meat, such as turkey or chicken, and enjoy. Add a smear of mustard if you want. Or, spread a small whole-wheat tortilla with peanut butter or light cream cheese, roll and slice. Tortilla “sushi” wraps are fun too.
Store-bought picks. Even if you’re pushed for time, you can still make healthy choices. Smith suggests small yogurt cups or lower-fat round cheeses like Baby Bel. Friesz likes the occasional package of “cheese strings,” baked chips and salsa or bean dip, or a small cup of lentil soup. And nothing is easier or more portable than a few whole-grain crackers, pre-washed baby carrots or a piece of fruit!Smart Snacking Tips
Kids begging for the prepackaged cheese, crackers and lunch meat? Make your own healthier version. Pick up a few reusable containers with dividers, and add fruit, veggies, cheese, whole grain crackers and other good stuff. Add a frozen container of milk, water or 100 per cent fruit juice to keep things cool until snack time.
“Make healthy snacks visible,” advises Friesz. Cut up fruit and veggies ahead of time and put them front and center in the fridge. And make a habit of saying “look in the fridge” first (rather than the cupboard where the sweet stuff likely lives).
“Jazzy names work well,” notes Smith, who found that lunch meat “cigars” were popular in her household. “Ants on a log” – celery spread low-fat cream cheese and topped with raisins – are good too, says Friesz.
From Kaboose.com
Yours in good health,
Lori
Little Chefs
Have a Party that Cooks!
519-940-1131
"Mom, I’m hungry!" Sound familiar? It’s important to grab the right delicious and nutritious snack for your child, since snacks make up a significant part of kids’ diet. A recent large study from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health) found that about one-third of a child’s total daily calories come from pizza, desserts and snacks. So, better make those snacks as tasty and healthy as possible! Here are our top picks.
Trail mix. Help kids make their own custom trail mix, advises Mary Friesz, a registered dietitian in Boca Raton, Fla., and author of Food, Fun ‘n Fitness: Designing Healthy Lifestyles for Our Children. Set out raisins, sunflower seeds, nuts (unless you’ll be in a nut-free zone), roasted soy nuts and dried fruit and let the kids scoop ¼ to 1/3 of a cup of their own combo into small bags. Pop in the freezer or fridge to keep fresh, and grab when you’re on the go.
Fruit, veggies and dip. “Most kids love to dip their food, so take advantage of it!” says Mairlyn Smith, a Toronto, Ont., home economist and co-author of The Ultimate Healthy Eating Plan (Whitecap). Mix a bit of cinnamon into French vanilla yogurt and dip fruit into it, or try Velvety vanilla yogurt dip with fruit. Another dip idea: mix low-fat plain yogurt with a bit of regular ranch dressing for lots of flavor without a lot of fat.
Smoothies. Whirl low-fat yogurt, fruit and ice in the blender to create one-of-a-kind – and yummy! – smoothies. Or stir a teaspoon or two of chocolate drink mix into a tall frosty glass of one per cent milk.
Roll-ups.“Turkey or chicken ‘cigars’ were a big hit with my son when he was growing up,” says Smith. Just roll up a thin slice of roasted luncheon meat, such as turkey or chicken, and enjoy. Add a smear of mustard if you want. Or, spread a small whole-wheat tortilla with peanut butter or light cream cheese, roll and slice. Tortilla “sushi” wraps are fun too.
Store-bought picks. Even if you’re pushed for time, you can still make healthy choices. Smith suggests small yogurt cups or lower-fat round cheeses like Baby Bel. Friesz likes the occasional package of “cheese strings,” baked chips and salsa or bean dip, or a small cup of lentil soup. And nothing is easier or more portable than a few whole-grain crackers, pre-washed baby carrots or a piece of fruit!Smart Snacking Tips
Kids begging for the prepackaged cheese, crackers and lunch meat? Make your own healthier version. Pick up a few reusable containers with dividers, and add fruit, veggies, cheese, whole grain crackers and other good stuff. Add a frozen container of milk, water or 100 per cent fruit juice to keep things cool until snack time.
“Make healthy snacks visible,” advises Friesz. Cut up fruit and veggies ahead of time and put them front and center in the fridge. And make a habit of saying “look in the fridge” first (rather than the cupboard where the sweet stuff likely lives).
“Jazzy names work well,” notes Smith, who found that lunch meat “cigars” were popular in her household. “Ants on a log” – celery spread low-fat cream cheese and topped with raisins – are good too, says Friesz.
From Kaboose.com
Yours in good health,
Lori
Little Chefs
Have a Party that Cooks!
519-940-1131
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