What's Growing On Recognized by Garden.Org

I was excited this morning to learn that Garden.Org recognized me from spreading the word about their non-profit organization. Nicole from Gardening With Kids emailed me and informed me that I was selected to receive this eco-friendly planter. How awesome is that? Gardening with children is a passion of mine and it is nice to know that I am recognized for what I am doing locally. Thanks Nicole and thank you Garden.Org. Keep on growing!

Nicole writes:

Thank you so much for helping the National Gardening Association spread the word about all of the great gardening resources that are available. Every share helps us to continually work towards our nonprofit mission: to empower every generation to lead healthier lives, build stronger communities, and encourage environmental stewardship through educational gardening programs.

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Feeding Snacking Children the Right Way

My four kids are always wanting something to snack, snack, snack. We always have our three square meals a day, but they always seem to be hungry. Also, we have a teenager, and let me tell you- he can eat! After learning a little bit about nutrition, I found out that sweet, sugary snacks fill you up and then burn off fast. This is what makes you hungry over and over again. I found that limiting the sweet snacks or high carb snacks and replacing them with healthy foods that are high in nutritional value keep my kids fuller, longer.

At my house, we took away all the crackers, cookies, brownies and such and replaced them with nuts, fruit, oatmeal, high fiber cereals, yogurt, and other great foods. I found that the kids were still snacking, but not as much. They were also eating something good for them. Don't get me wrong, we all need a little sugar too. I make sure every weekend I make a few homemade items like pie or cookies. The trick is finding healthier ways to make them and go homemade over store bought. The more a food is processed, the less nutritional value it usually has.

What snacks do you have around your house?

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Spring Flower Session Sign Up

Here is our first sign up for the What's Growing On club for the Spring Flower session. During this session the kids will be able to plant flowers in a hanging basket to take home. This session will be ornamental and allow the kids to get their hands a little dirty and start working with plants. During the session they will learn about seed germination, light and watering needs of their plant, and feeding on a regular schedule. This will give them an overall idea of how a plant grows and what care they need to place in plants to provide for good growth. Each child will go home with a hanging basket, planted seeds, informational card about their plant, and a food packet to jump start its growth.

Sign ups are limited so please get your child signed up as soon as possible. I will be taking 20 children for the first spring session that will take place in March 2014. Exact date and time will be released at a later date. The cost is $5 for each child and this will cover all the supplies they will need for planting their flower basket. After 20 sign ups I will also start a waiting list and you will be contacted if there is an open spot. Payment is due by February 1st 2014.

To sign up please fill out the form below. I am so looking forward to working with your child and teaching them about all the things we can grow!

*Please put "Spring Sign Up" as the subject. All of your information is strictly confidential. I will contact all sign ups with more information.
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Fall Pumpkin Harvest

Looking for ideas to use up those pumpkins from your harvest this year? I am thinking chips and dip in a fun, decorative way. The kids will love it! This year I threw a Halloween party for my kids and needed ideas for the food. With the help of Pinterest I found loads of things to do. One thing I chose to do was make a dip holder from a pumpkin. Pretty crafty huh?

You can make any dip or soup you like and fill er up. I chose a small pie style pumpkin for the dip and cut the top off, cleaned the inside, and filled it with dip. I then served it up with a platter of chips and the kids loved it.

 

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Mummies Best Banana Bars

Okay so I know we do not grow bananas in Iowa. Fruit is still a very important and vital part of our nutrition, however. Just because we cannot grow something here does not mean we can not eat it. I prefer to eat home grown or locally grown foods, but if we want bananas around here we just have to give in and buy them. With that said, here is another fun recipe to make with your kids for a little treat that is a much healthier alternative to store bought boxed items that may contain preservatives and other chemicals. Please enjoy! Oh and remember, let your kids help prepare your food... they are much more likely to eat it.

Ingredients:
Banana Bars
1/2 c. butter
2 lg. eggs
3 medium ripened bananas, mashed (mashing is the fun part!)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. sour cream
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda

Icing: (if desired)
1 cup powder sugar
4 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Let's get the kids in the kitchen! Real simple here. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large sheet pan or 9x13 cake pan if you would like them thicker. Mix all ingredients in order provided, pour into greased pan and let bake 20-30 minutes. While baking mix together the icing. Remove bars from oven and coat with icing.

Have you tried this recipe? We want to hear from you! Share your pictures on Facebook or Twitter and post a comment here with a link to your post. 

 

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