Green-Apple-Glory Green Smoothie

[yields] Avocados in smoothies add a creamy richness that’s filled with healthy-fats. Hint: leave the avocado pit in the half you don’t use for this recipe to keep the avocado green longer.

Green Slime Smoothie

[yields] The name might gross you and I out but trust me, kids love drinking “slime”.

The Sneaky Smoothie

Do you need to find a way to get your kids to “eat” their vegetables? Maybe when you serve your child spinach he or she looks up at you with adorning eyes and says, “Oh thank you Mom. May I have seconds?” Not your kid? Not mine either. So, I’d like to introduce you to […]

Green Smoothies: A Pregnancy Must-Have to give Baby a Healthy Start

Growing a baby is hard work, I can attest to that. Pregnancy is such a special time in a woman’s life, but it comes with a great deal of responsibility. As a first time expectant mom, I sometimes find myself struggling to ensure that I am eating a healthy, balanced diet full of the key […]

Basic Green Smoothie

Like the “little black dress” this basic green smoothie can be dressed up by adding a few “accessories”. Not in the mood for pineapple? No problem, use blueberries, or apple, or peach, or mango or … you get the idea. No chard in the fridge? No worries. Use spinach, or kale, or romaine or … […]

Chemicals and Pregnant Women: Taking Care of Your Unborn Baby

We are now able to detect toxic chemicals, at what were recently impossibly low levels to detect, that may already have been causing human disease. I’m hopeful that this will pave the way for great improvements in health — especially when you consider chemicals and pregnant women.

Easy Ways to Increase Healthy Omega-3s in Your Child’s Diet

When MsGreene was pregnant with my youngest in 1995, she craved tuna sandwiches. She could tell you where there was a good one within a mile of just about anywhere we normally visited. Her body was trying to increase healthy Omega-3s. Later studies were release showing tuna, and many other ocean fish, may contain mercury and […]

From Bakeware to Blenders — Getting the Plastic Out of the Kitchen

As I wrote yesterday, it’s impossible for us to know which plastics are absolutely safe to eat or drink from because plastics manufacturers do not disclose the chemicals added to their plastic products. So instead of taking a chance, I avoid plastic in the kitchen. I’ve replaced nearly all of my kitchen plastic with plastic-free […]

Rise and Shine: 3 easy ways to harness the power of protein for kids at breakfast

  We’ve all heard the refrain that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but the real key – especially for busy families– is what’s on the menu. Protein in particular is essential for muscle contraction and movement and the production of hormones like insulin, which regulates blood sugar. It is also involved […]

How Toddlers Can Benefit from Supplements

  The toddler years are a time of huge transition – and one of the biggest changes is in how they receive the majority of their nourishment. Not so long ago, their diet consisted of milk or formula, but now they are (hopefully!) enjoying a balanced diet, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, adequate […]

9 Ways to Buy and Eat Organic On a Ramen Noodle Budget

There have been plenty of debates over the years as to whether eating organic is “really” better for you. In my own personal research and experience, the least amount of human interference the better it is – but lets face it, we are not all going out back and picking money off of trees. We […]

Fun Foods to Grow in the Garden

As a pediatrician who is committed to preventing disease, I’ve become more invested in making sure my patients benefit from a protective diet of whole foods. Gardening is one of tne more useful tools I have used to promote healthy eating. As I discussed in earlier posts, kids who garden are more likely to prefer […]

Getting Kids to Eat More Heart Healthy Foods

The last time I went through the lunch line at school on a parent visit, the vegetable-du-jour was French fries. The broccoli salad — which wasn’t bad — was left untouched by all but me at the end of the “harvest bar.” Unless we are packing our kids’ lunches, it’s a pretty safe bet that […]

All About Yogurt: An unexpectedly wonderful first food for baby

In my client practice, where I work with parents to help them fit healthy cooking and family eating into their busy lives, I get tons of questions about which foods are the best to start solids. Hands down, moms are most surprised by my suggestion to consider yogurt. Unlike drinking cow’s milk, which should wait […]

Embrace the Puree!

In the scheme of things, making homemade baby food is simple business (and totally worth it!). Roast or steam, puree and freeze. No big deal, right? Well, as any busy parent knows, even the simplest tasks become arduous when you’re under slept and have few precious personal moments. Sometimes even just three easy steps feels […]

My Green Mama Confessions

I live in organic kale smoothie, non-BPA, gluten-free, cloth diaperin’, homebirthin’, breastfeed them till they go to college, crunchity green land. That is, we live in the mountains outside of Boulder, which is like Boulder, but one step closer to your friends living in an Ashram and serving up their placenta for Thanksgiving dinner. And […]

Rise and Shine for Breakfast Time

We all know they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Then why are approximately 8-12 percent of school age children skipping breakfast? By the time kids hit their teens, as many as 20-30 percent are skipping breakfast. Why exactly is it so important that kids (and adults as well) […]

How to Get Your Kids Eating 5 A Day!

Why should your kids be eating a rainbow every day? Each color group provides a unique set of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. When kids eat from the 5 color groups it becomes an easy and fun way to ensure that they are benefitting from this wide spectrum of nutrients. By breaking produce down into groups […]

Can’t Get Kids to Eat Their Greens? Drink Them Instead!

Frustrated that your kids won’t eat their greens? Ever try drinking them? Green Smoothies are all the rage for a reason and this drink treat may just be the answer to your prayers. This Green Monster Smoothie recipe, also featured in my book, is my fool proof solution. Get your kids making these healthy and delicious drinks with you […]