Fall is Here!

It's officially Autumn (and here on out we will call this season Fall)! Whether you're in a city where the leaves change colors or not, it's still fun to celebrate the Fall, teach the children about seasons, and get ready for the holidays that come with it.

Fall, doesn't exactly have the healthiest holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving) so it's important to keep those kiddies active this time of year. Therefore, the first activity I'm going to introduce to you is football. Oh, you've heard of it? Okay, well grab a football, go outside, and have a catch with the children and RUN!! Many U.S. citizens devote plenty of their time to football this time of year. So teach your kids how to play and maybe when you're watching it on TV, they will enjoy it too. You never know, this could be the beginning of a new tradition in your household.

Get into spirit, and work as a team to make a scarecrow! All you need are some old over-alls, but jeans work too. An old plaid shirt, a hat, rope, and either straw, hay, or newspaper. Unfortunately, I am not an expert scarecrow maker, so Check out Kids' Turn Central and find out how they suggest making scarecrows.

If you live in a location where the leaves do fall. Grab an adult sized rake for yourself, and a children's sized rake for the child and start raking! Party stores and convenient stores sell orange trash bags, so when they are stuffed they look like pumpkins.  If you are only stuffing the bag with leaves, you can then get a permanent marker and turn the trash bag into a jack o'lantern! Make this a fun and festive way to clean your front yard then decorate it too!
      
Have a day full of Fall meals with these healthy recipes from Fit Sugar:

         Breakfast: warm apple whole wheat toast

         Lunch: apple, peanut butter and pumpkin seed stacks

         Snack: banana, apple, cranberry muffins

         Dinner: apple squash casserole with a light waldorf salad

         Dessert: baked apple cider doughnuts
YUM! All of this excitement, will certainly get you and the kids ready for Halloween! Make sure you keep an eye out for the Halloween post!

Healthy Lunchbox Tips

Are you worried that your kids aren't getting the nutrition that they need when they are at school? Well stop worrying, and do something about it!

If you feel like you're running around with your head chopped off every morning, you aren't alone.  However, this frantic rushing around may leave you little to no time to pack your child's lunchbox. Therefore, you are just giving him or her money to buy an unknown lunch, or throwing whatever you can find into a brown paper bag. To ensure that your child is getting the lunch they need and deserve pack your kids lunchbox the night before so you can ensure a healthy meal.

Don't forget the protein! I know this can be difficult but it is very important for your child's health and their energy levels while they are at school. This is also a great way to use dinner leftovers. Cut up chicken and add it to your kids favorite meal. Try adding it to soup, pizza, pasta, etc. Check out this

I LOVE this healthy hotdog recipe I found on www.healthline.com.  Take a mozzarella string-cheese stick and wrap 1 or 2 slices of lean turkey around it.  Place the wrap in a hotdog bun.  Include a couple of ketchup and mustard packets for your child to add to the "hotdog."


Do you have a picky eater? Give your child two or three options for lunch. This way they can feel like they decided on their own what they wanted for lunch. If you have the time, let your child help prepare their lunch. Your child will look forward to eating their lunch at school when they know they made it!

Make sure to include fruits and vegetables. These fun activities will remind your child its important to eat fruit and vegetables to grow big and strong:
-Let your child help peel the orange (or prep whatever fruit/vegetable they want). insulated food jar you can use to keep lunch hot for hours.
-On the napkin you put in the lunchbox, draw a picture of a stick figure with big muscles eating carrots.  But don't forget to add carrots to the meal.
-Pack organic peanut butter to let your kids dip apple or banana slices in it.
-Before pouring the grapes (or any other fruit/vegetable) into a plastic bag make a smiley face out of them and show your child. They will be thinking of that face YOU made when they go to eat it.
 
Then, when your child isn't looking, sneak a little dessert into the lunchbox. When you're doing this, think of that cute little smile on his or her face when they see it!

What is your favorite lunchbox meal or tip? We love to hear your suggestions!

Love,
Elyssa and TBC