Healthy Child Healthy Home: Healthy Home Parties

    Moneysavingmoms.com had some information on hosting Healthy Home Parties...  In the past I have participated in and had parties in my home.
     This is a great way to bring family/friends together and try out new products.  Products that are used in our homes on a daily basis! I am always up for trying new "Green" products!
      Healthy Home Party will send you a free kit, filled with products and money saving coupons.  Then invite friends/family over for a party to share ideas, try out products etc...You do pay a $20.00 tax-deductible cost.  But, from what I've heard, it is definitely worth the cost! 


http://healthychild.org/get-involved/healthy_home_parties/

Easter Salad And Dressing Recipes

     Looking for a salad side dish to take along with you for Easter? These recipes are delicious and easy to prepare.  The spinach can be opted out for romaine, or any other type of lettuce you like.  I've included simple dressing recipes.  Homemade dressings taste so fresh, and don't have all of those "extra" ingredients in them.  You can go a step further and make homemade croutons... Give them a try and you will receive rave reviews from family and friends!

Spinach Salad with Onions, Apples, and Glazed Pecans Recipe












http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/perfect-picnic-menu.html
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 golden delicious or fuji apple, thinly sliced
1/4 C. red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3/4 lb. fresh baby spinach, washed
1/2 C. pecans
1 tbsp. sugar
Dressing
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. First glaze the pecans. Toss sugar and pecans together in a non-stick frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes, until the sugar melts to the pecans. Pour the nuts out on parchment paper (or waxed paper) in a single layer, making sure they're all separated.

2. To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until well-combined and thickened.

3. To assemble the salad, place the dressing in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Place apple and onion on top. Mound spinach on top of apple, onion, and dressing. Sprinkle pecans over spinach.

4. Can be assembled and refrigerated a few hours in advance. Toss the salad together right before serving.

Honey Mustard Dressing II

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-Mustard-Dressing-II/Detail.aspx
Ingredients
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions
1.In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
This classic balsamic vinaigrette is perfect for even the most basic green salad. For a special treat, try it with a simple salad of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/oilvinegardressings/r/Balsamic-Vinaigrette-Recipe.htm
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
•¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
•2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
•2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
•¼ tsp Dijon mustard
•1 tsp minced fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, chives, tarragon)
•Kosher salt and ground white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper), to taste
Preparation:
1.Combine the mustard, vinegars and fresh herbs in a glass bowl and whisk them together briefly.
2.Slowly whisk in the oil until fully combined.
3.Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4.Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Give the dressing a good whisk immediately before serving.
Makes 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette.

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

http://livegreatonless.com/homemade-salad-dressing-recipe/
Yields: 1 1/3 Cups
Ingredients
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon of sweet pickle relish or finely chopped sweet pickle
2 Tablespoons of chili sauce of ketchup
2 Tablespoons of finely chopped green bell pepper
2 Tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon of granulated sugar
1/3 Teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 hard-cooked egg (chopped)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl except the egg. Stir in the chopped egg last. Refrigerate.


Healthy Ranch Dressing

http://www.bethenny.com/2010/06/06/healthy-ranch-dressing/
Dress up salads and veggies with this healthy ranch dressing.
Ingredients
•1 tsp. vinegar
•1 tsp. garlic salt
•½ tsp. salt
•1 tsp. fresh pepper
•1 tsp. lemon juice
•1 cup Greek yogurt
•½ tsp. mayonnaise
•1 tsp. fresh parsley
•2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
•1 tsp. water
•½ tsp. lemon zest
•½ tsp. Dijon mustard
Directions
1.Combine all ingredients and chill before serving.

How to Make Croutons


http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_croutons/

Ingredients
French or Italian loaf bread, or a French baguette
3 to 4 Tbsp butter

Directions
1. Cut the bread into even-sized cubes, about 3/4-inch to an inch wide. A loaf will yield about 8 cups of cubed bread (give or take a couple cups, depending on the size of the loaf).

2. The bread should be a little dry, at least a day old if you are using French or Italian loaf or a baguette. If the bread isn't just a little dry, spread the cubes out on a baking sheet and put them in a warm oven for about 10 minutes. You don't want them to be all dried out, just a little dry on the surface so that they brown better, and they hold up better when tossed in a salad or baked in a stuffing.

3. Melt butter on medium high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the croutons and mix them up in the butter so they get lightly coated. Spread the croutons out in a single layer in the pan. Then don't stir them until they start to brown on one side. Once they start to brown, use a metal spatula to lift them up and turn them over, so more sides brown. When the croutons are at least a little toasted on a couple of sides, remove from heat.

If storing, let cool completely before putting in an airtight container. Otherwise the steam released from the warm croutons will take away their crunch.

Easter Egg Roll at the White House/Games for children

      My family and I experienced our first "Easter Egg Roll" yesterday.  What fun! With the weather being so cold, the children rolled inside.  The event was meant to resemble the special event held at the White House each year.  Below is an article I found about this wonderful tradition.  I have also included instructions for MORE Easter games children will enjoy playing during this holiday...
Annual White House Easter Egg Roll

circa 1998 (White House) (Library of Congress)
http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/grounds/south-lawn.htm
The south lawn is the site of one of the White House's most treasured traditions: the annual Easter egg roll. Rolling eggs on the Monday after Easter was a tradition observed by many Washington families in the 19th century, including those of the president. Public egg-rolling celebrations were originally held on the grounds of the Capitol at least as early as 1872. But in 1876 Congress passed the Turf Protection Law to prohibit the area from being used as a playground. After a rain-out in 1877, President Rutherford B Hayes opened the gates to the south lawn in 1878.
Easter egg rollers, 1889 (Library of Congress)

Over the years, the egg rolls have evolved and changed, with different games and amusements popular in different years. Near the end of the nineteenth century, children played "egg picking," "egg ball," "toss and catch," and "egg croquet." Soon the event evolved into a more elaborate affair, with bands, entertainers and food. John Phillip Souza and "The President's Own" Marine Band performed for the assembled crowd, while vendors of all kinds sold their goods in 1889. Forty years later, Lou Hoover, wife of President Herbert Hoover, briefly instituted folk dances and maypole dances.

At her first egg roll in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt greeted White House visitors as well as listeners on the radio. She also introduced more organized games, but it was not until 1974 when the most famous event of modern Easter egg rolls, the egg-rolling race, was introduced. Subsequent celebrations included a circus and petting zoo in 1977 and exhibits of antique cars, Broadway shows, and giant balloons as well as egg hunt pits were introduced in 1981. Children would search straw pits for autographed wooden eggs

GAMES
Guess The Eggs
http://www.videojug.com/article/how-to-plan-easter-games-for-a-childrens-easter-party
1.This is fun filled number game. All you need is a glass jar, few chocolate eggs, paper pieces, pencil and an Easter Basket.

2.Hand out a piece of paper and a pencil to each of the participants.

3.Then ask them to write down their name and their guess as to how many chocolates the jar holds.

4.The one who comes closest or gives the exact count wins the jar!


Egg-Spoon Race:
1.You are lucky enough to have a yard and nice weather, so why not take your guests outdoors?

2.You will need one egg (raw or hard boiled) and one spoon for each person participating in the race.

3.Line the contestants up next to each other on a starting line.

4.Have your finish line visible and clear. It's no fun dropping your egg, thinking you've won, only to realize that the finish line is in fact several inches away.

5.Have your signal that the race should start. Everyone then begins to race towards the finish line.

6.The contestants have to keep their egg balanced in their spoon, without using their other hand for support. If the egg drops, but is not broken, the contestant can pick up the egg and resume the race.

7.The first contestant to make it to the finish line wins. Have second and third prizes, too.

Egg Haul
http://www.infobarrel.com/Easter_Games_for_Children

Create fun Easter games for kids that allow players to race across the yard or park while cradling plastic or hard-boiled eggs. Divide the group into teams and give the first player from each team six to eight eggs to carry. If a player drops an egg while running across the yard and back, he must start over from the beginning. Players hand the eggs off to the next teammate after crossing the finish line. Award prizes to the first team to complete the race. Make the game more challenging for adults or older children by giving them more eggs to carry.

Easter Egg Bowling
Color some boiled eggs and leave one white. Roll the white one into the center of a room. Take turns to see who can roll their egg closest to the white egg.

Easter Candy Toss
http://www.365kidsgames.com/documents/easter-games-for-young-children.html
Make a target with three circles, one inside the other.
The inner circle, the bull's eye, is 5 points.
The middle circle is 3 points.
The outer circle is 1 point.
Players take turns tossing wrapped candy. (Each player uses a different color candy.)
Add up points to see who wins.

Bunny Hop (younger children)
http://www.365kidsgames.com/documents/easter-games-for-young-children.html
Have kids bunny hop from one spot to another.
For young children, have a jellybean trail leading to an Easter basket.

Dr Suess's Birthday

 http://www.lucylearns.com/dr-seuss-picture.html
     After visiting Springfield Ma. (Dr. Suess Monuments) this past weekend, I figured I'd share some activities, and recipes to help remember this great children's author!
One way to celebrate Dr. Suess's Birthday is to take a trip to Suessville with your kids via online (link below)!
http://www.seussville.com/
Theodor Geisel, Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904. 

I've also listed a variety of activities to have fun with your children.  Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!

Activities


THE FOOT BOOK

Trace the children's feet and put them aside so the kids can try to find their own feet each day. Use different colored paper to mix it up a bit...
A Paper Wall can be constructed by having the kids step into different colored paints and have them walk across a piece of  paper to display on a classroom bulletin board.

ARE YOU MY MOTHER?
Have the children search through magazines to find pictures of mothers and their children. 
Cut the pictures out and form a collage or use this activity for children to make cards for their own mothers or caregivers.

http://www.brighthub.com/education/early-childhood/articles/44133.aspx
THE CAT IN THE HAT – A Balancing Act
Dr. Seuss created some incredible characters, but none is as famous as the Cat in the Hat. The Cat in the Hat always seems to be balancing things. Give your preschoolers a chance to learn all about balancing items on top of each other. Give each child a small paper bag full of an identical group of items, such as a block, a spoon, a crayon, a marble, a plastic straw, and a bowl. Have each child try to make a tower with all of the items, balancing them in the easiest way possible. After this activity, discuss with children how the process went. Which items balanced most easily on top? Which items did they decide to put on the bottom? Why?

SNACKS
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/dr_seuss_recipes.htm
Cat in The Hat Snack

Make the Cat’s Hat for a fun snack. All you need is a few Ritz crackers, gummy lifesavers (preferably in white/clear and red) and a little vanilla frosting. Put the Ritz cracker on a plate. Use a little bit of vanilla frosting to glue the first lifesaver on the cracker. “Glue” more lifesavers on top of the first one alternating between red and white.

Wiggly Fish

This snack was inspired by “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”. Prepare several different colors of Jello according to package directions and pour each flavor into a shallow pan. Use a fish shaped cookie cutter to cut the Jello into fish shapes. (If you don’t have a fish shaped cookie cutter you could also just cut fish shapes with a knife.) You can also add small pieces of fruit to the Jello mixture before it cools.

Below is a article Paula Deen wrote about the Great Dr. Suess.  So well written...
http://www.pauladeen.com/Feature_Articles/view/happy_birthday_dr._seuss
Everyone grows up with Dr. Seuss. His timeless books rest on bookshelves in millions of homes around the world. They are inscribed by loved ones, collected and passed on through the generations. Every reader has a favorite. Maybe it’s his breakthrough work, The Cat in the Hat, or One Fish, Two Fish. But can you guess the best-selling Seuss book of all time? Would you, could you?
That’s right, Green Eggs and Ham.
And to think it all started as a $50 bet.
Dr. Seuss, born Theodor “Ted” Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Mass., accepted a challenge from a friend in publishing to write a children’s book using 50 words or less. Seuss later joked that he never got the payment, but after receiving seven honorary doctorates, two Academy Awards, two Emmys, three Caldecott Honor Awards, a Peabody, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a little thing called the Pulitzer Prize, we doubt he held a grudge.
Dr. Seuss credits his mother for the rhythmic absurdities found in all his children’s books. When working in her father’s bakery, she would memorize the names of the pies on special that day and repeat them in a singsong voice to her customers. His mother even sang the specials to herself at night if she had trouble sleeping.
If you’ve ever found yourself lying in bed trying to push the Sam-I-ams from your head, you aren’t alone. The musical quality of Dr. Seuss’s writing wriggles its way into our thoughts and eventually into our hearts.
But when your arguments with a child over what to eat start to sound as nonsensical and repetitious as Green Eggs and Ham, it’s time for a new approach. Kids ask for the book over and over again (and again, and again) because it’s playful and fun. Sure, they are learning through the process, but telling them would steal away the joy. The same goes for food. Creative meals can go a long way in getting picky eaters to dig in rather than wrinkle up their tiny noses. Paula’s always looking for new ways to get her grandson, Jack, excited about mealtime, so she brewed up a Dr. Seuss-inspired recipe she calls Green Eggs and Ham Cups.
Sadly, the beloved Dr. Seuss passed away in 1991 at the age of 87. But the 44 children’s books he wrote and illustrated leave a lasting legacy for all readers, young and old. This month, celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday by seeing how a little imagination can light up a child’s world.
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!” –Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham Cups

Ingredients:

8 slices deli ham, thinly sliced

1 slice sandwich bread, divided into 4 pieces

4 eggs

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup White Cheddar cheese

4 slices toast

4 slices bacon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF

Lightly coat 4 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray. Fit two of the ham slices into each cup (ham ends will be above cup edges). Divide bread among cups. In a blender, combine eggs, spinach, salt and pepper and blend. Divide mixture among cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake on middle oven rack until egg is cooked. Approximately 15-20 minutes. When warm enough to handle, remove the cups from the muffin tins and serve with a slice of toast and crispy bacon.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 15-20 min

Difficulty: Easy

Another great link:
http://www.usd267.k12.ks.us/TL%20Student%20Pages/readacrossamerica.html