It’s time to ring in the Year of the Rabbit, and there’s no better way to start than with these 13 Chinese American treats to make with your kids (via Babble Food). Homemade egg rolls, anyone? We also love this marbled tea egg project from One Hungry Mama (with recipe from Steamy Kitchen), complete with resources for explaining Chinese New Year traditions to your kids.
Healthy Foods?: In other news this week, we’re reminding ourselves once again that food products that claim to be healthy for kids aren’t always so. Example: Fooducate points us to a Prevention Institute study finding that 8 of 10 childrens’ foods that claim to be healthy…aren’t. Almost all were high in sugar, had low fiber, and in many cases had artificial food colorings. Boo.
Mega Burgers: We also learned that even as the USDA rolled out new “eat less” dietary guidelines this week, fast-food companies continue to make some of the biggest, most calorie-laden foods ever. A spokesman for the parent company of the Carl’s Jr. chain told the L.A. Times: “The bottom line is we’re in the business of making money, and we make money off of what we sell. If we wanted to listen to the food police and sell nuts and berries and tofu burgers, we wouldn’t make any money and we’d be out of business.” That pretty much says it all.
Dietary Guidelines: Speaking of those nutrition guidelines, Thrive Childrens Hospital Boston gives us a great rundown of what those new guidelines mean for kids and families. Hint: Eat your vegetables.
Packaged Snacks: As the Jolly Tomato reported, Parents magazine has a list of “25 Best Healthy Snacks for 2011″ that includes individually packaged slices of pineapple and individual pouches of guacamole. How about slicing up a pineapple or mashing an avocado instead? We believe kids learn to eat healthier when they understand where their food comes from and they get to have fun making it in the kitchen (and who needs all of that wasteful packaging anyway?).
Gluten-Free Holiday: Valentine’s Day is approaching, and it can be tough for kids on a gluten-free diet. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness has some nice tips for getting through the holiday in its February newsletter. (And there’s good stuff in there even if you’re not on a gluten-free diet.)
We’re off to get ready for Superbowl Sunday: We’ve got some healthy snacks up our sleeve and we’re looking forward to sharing them this weekend. Until then – happy Friday to all!
