Easy Turkey Stock!

Enjoy this simple, healthy recipe for turkey stock. Don't let those bones go to waste!

Classroom Food Lesson-Apples

Believe it or not, even though every aspect of my work has to do with teaching people about feeding children well or actually teaching children how to eat well, I still enjoy volunteering my spare time doing the same thing. What can I say, I'm passionate! I believe that schools are a great place to teach children about food, cooking, and eating well, and when it can be woven into curriculum it really works well for everyone. 

Recently I taught an apple lesson in my daughter's kindergarten class. They have been doing a unit of study on "Old Days, New Days." As part of this I offered to do a lesson on apples in which we  would talk about heirloom apples, taste them, vote on our favorites, and finish the process of making applesauce with a food mill. Because there was no cooking equipment at the school I started the applesauce at home but took pictures to show the students. I am hoping to get money from the incredibly supportive PTA at our younger daughters' school to purchase an induction burner that anyone can use for classroom cooking in the future.

If you are interested in teaching a food lesson in your child's classroom, get on it! Below I have included the components of my kindergarten apple lesson. But first here some tips:

1. Always make sure that your child's teacher wants you to come in and do a lesson. It could be that they need your help in other areas first.

2. Team up with another parent or two and meet or email to discuss a plan.

3. Be organized! Agree on a start and end time with your child's teacher and stick to it. Students have busy days and they need to stay on schedule.

4. Write yourself a timeline. You will get distracted once you are in there teaching a lesson. Refer to your timeline to help you keep moving. Review this timeline with the teacher before the lesson takes place.

5. Keep it simple. For this particular class I had three stations: applesauce milling, tasting and voting, writing describing words. Afterwards we recap and that's it.

6. Make sure you have help. This could come from the teacher, an aide, another parent, or even a resource teacher in the school. Ask your child's teacher who will be around to help.

7. If you cooked, provide a recipe that can be sent home. This may need to be approved or modified so don't take it personally if it gets changed a bit or is not sent home at all.

All but the milling picture was done and photographed at home on the morning of the lesson day.

I was able to buy beautiful local "seconds" apples at Maple Avenue Market in Vienna, VA. I love supporting this local business whenever I can and the owners are awesome!

This picture was taken after the tasting but here are the components. If you make signs be sure to use the same handwriting that would be expected of your child. I printed the lined paper at home and wrote the words that I needed. My daughter's teacher drew up a quick graph where students could vote by writing their names under their favorite apple.

 I found a free clip art picture of apples online and made these sheets. I printed one copy at home and made more copies at school.

Here's the letter I typed up that got sent home:

"On Wednesday our class made applesauce using a food mill like it was done in the Old Days. Everyone got a chance to turn the food mill and help make the applesauce. We also tasted three different heirloom apples and voted on our favorite. We described how apples look, taste, sound, feel, and smell. Here is the recipe we used for our applesauce if you want to make it at home.

Homemade Applesauce

Select your apples.

Visit a farmer’s market and ask for “seconds,” “culls,” or “drops.” These are imperfect-looking apples that are perfect for applesauce! Choose sweet apples and a mix of types is preferable. Here is where I got my apples.

Wash and chop the apples.

Plain water in the sink is fine, nothing fancy. Chop the apples, or use a corer/slicer and add them to a large pot, peel, seeds, core, and all.

Cook the apples.

Put about 1 inch of water on the bottom of the pot. Put the lid on, and the heat on medium-high.  If the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until the apples are soft.

Strain the cooked apples.

The easiest way to do this is by using a food mill. Spoon the cooked apples into the mill and turn the handle. The seeds, skin, and core will separate. Compost the debris.

Season the applesauce.

Add ground cinnamon to season your applesauce. Vanilla is nice, too. You do not need to add ANY sugar to the applesauce. Serve warm or cool."

And there you have it! Yes, there is some work involved but this same lesson could be used for every classroom at the Kindergarten level and easily adjusted for younger or older children. To simplify you could remove any one (or two) of the activities.

I'd love to hear how you are bringing fresh and healthy food to your child's school-please share!

Peace and Health, 

christy

Fall Afternoons

 Instead of rushing home and unpacking backpacks and starting homework and thinking about dinner, today, we slowed down. We made some tea (coffee for me) and we sat outside and took in the beautiful Fall afternoon. We watched the wind blow the leaves off of the trees, we let the sun shine on our faces, we talked about what we loved about the Fall. How does this relate to feeding children well? Everything we eat revolves around seasons. Anticipating times of the year, holidays, specific foods, talking about food memories and when they happened. When you teach your children to love and appreciate the seasons then they love and appreciate what those seasons have to offer, including the food. So try this. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but make it sometime soon.

 Just three easy steps:

1. Grab your children.

2. Hurry outside.

3. Then, slow down.

Peace and Health, 

christy

Free Class This Wednesday!

What's for breakfast?

Morning is definitely the craziest time of day for us. If we don't have a plan then everything gets thrown off. From the moment we get out of bed ("messy bed, messy head") the morning sets the stage for the whole day. Here's a few tips, must-haves, and breakfast ideas to keep you inspired.

Tips

-Pack lunches the night before. I do this probably 4 out of every 5 weekdays and I really regret it when I don't. 

-Soak your oatmeal or pancake batter the night before. Every time we cook grains, though not all that often, we soak them overnight. This helps break down the phytic acid, making them more digestible and the nutrients more readily available. In addition this saves time with preparation and reduces the cooking time by half the next day.

-Keep a list of breakfast ideas and ingredients handy so you aren't struggling with what to make each day. Stick it on the fridge.

- Make double what you need and freeze half or serve it again later in the week.

Must-Haves (for us)

-Granola made with soaked oatmeal. Same idea as above, the oatmeal is soaked before it's baked for the granola. Sometimes I make it myself  but we also order it from a farmer. It's more expensive to buy but it's a huge timesaver on mornings when we really need it. This is as close to cereal that our children get at home. We do not buy or eat commercial breakfast cereal.

-Organic, locally roasted coffee beans. We love Mayorga and get it for a great price at Costco. We grind our beans every morning and make coffee through a pour through spout like this one. Nothing compares.

- A well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, pancakes, hash, you name it, we love cooking in cast iron. Not to mention the added iron you get just by cooking with it. We even haul it along for camping trips.

- An immersion blender. This makes smoothies in no time and clean up is so much easier than a blender.

-Always on hand: local pastured eggs, local raw honey, local grade B maple syrup, oats, cheeses, veggies, yogurt, cinnamon, vanilla, frozen fruit

-Individual glasses. Last year I went to Goodwill and bought four different glasses and four different mugs for our children. Then I wrapped them up and gave them as Christmas presents. That way they each have a hot and cold cup from which they can drink, no one fights over them, and we know who to call out when one is left sitting on the table or counter. Could very well be the best $6.32 I ever spent.

Breakfast Ideas

-Yogurt parfaits (plain whole milk yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, honey or maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, granola, nuts)

-Hash (diced sweet potatoes, onion, garlic if you got up early and really feel like a rockstar, leftover meat from last night's dinner: pork chops, pork loin, steak, roasted chicken, etc.) Add a fried egg on top to really impress. We cook all of this in rendered lard. Yes, we render it. Stop, wait! I know you think I'm crazy but once you get to know me you'll realize I'm normal like you. I really am. And before you know it you'll be getting half a pig delivered to your house and we'll meet up or Skype and render lard together on a Sunday afternoon...

- Eggs. Scrambled, sunny side up, hard boiled, soft boiled, fried, in a frittata. Add cheese, broccoli, tomatoes in the Summer, peppers, diced ham, bacon, whatever you have!

-Smoothies. Ingredients may include raw egg yolks, raw cacao powder, over ripe bananas, fresh or frozen fruit, yogurt, kefir, coconut milk kefir, water kefir, coconut milk, nut milk, kombucha (I make all these, too, just stick around,) coconut water, greens from the garden, nut butters, chia, gelatin, the list goes on.

-Charcuterie platter: cured meats, cheeses, cornichons, sauerkraut, homemade and/or gluten free crackers, fresh or dried fruit.

-Soaked oatmeal (see above.) Children top their own so they actually eat it: plain whole milk yogurt, cinnamon, vanilla, fresh or frozen fruit, nuts, chia, hemp seeds, coconut milk, kefir, coconut milk kefir, raw honey, maple syrup.

-Gluten free crepes. We NEVER make these on a weekday morning. They are saved for prep the night before or a weekend. We double the batch and use half for breakfast (eggs and fixins, fruit and  cream, grass fed butter and maple syrup) and the other half for dinner (divine filled with curry of any sort, pulled beef or pork, creamy seafood something, you get the idea.)

So there you have it. Tools for your morning. What others do you have to share?

Peace and Health, 

christy

Welcome!

photo from bodyzonesports.com

Hello! Thanks for visiting my new website! We're still unpacking so once we get things put away there will be a lot more to see around here. Feel free to take a look around and contact me with any questions or suggestions.

coachchristymarie(at)gmail(dot)com

Peace and Health, 

christy