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Podcast Episode 33 – How to Encourage Kids to Eat More Plants

Child reaching for strawberries

Eating as many plants as possible is a good habit to have. Starting the habit of eating more plants at a young age is truly a great way to a healthy lifestyle. Do you have a child that you would like to encourage this way? Listen in on Patryce and Shonda’s conversation to discover some helpful tips.

We want to come alongside you, as well, as we all continue moving toward a positive direction to support our healthy lifestyles. If there are any specific ways that we can be of assistance, please contact us through our contact form or send a verbal message through Speakpipe.

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SHOW NOTES:

Also available on YouTube:

Episode 33 Encourage Kids to Eat More Plants

[00:00:00] Yeah, good morning. It's morning for us. Hi Patryce. Good morning. Hi Shonda. How are you? Oh, I'm doing well. Excellent. I'm excited about our topic today. Yeah. Yeah. What are we talking about today? We are talking about how to introduce kids to a more plant-based diet, which is exciting. And although our kids are grown, we can still encourage them.

[00:00:28] And wow. I can just like, this is good information, so I'm glad we're talking about it. Yeah, me too. Yeah. I hope everyone finds it helpful, no matter what age or stage their children are, or, you know, influence, uh, a neighbor, uh, even, you know, grandchild, um, just a friend, niece and nephews. Now that you mentioned it.

[00:00:50] You're right there. My cousin. Yeah, she, she's been influenced by... my nine-year-old second cousin. So you're right. We can still continue to encourage people. Okay. So we, we came up with some practical ways to implement these ideas. Yeah, you know we are all about practicality. And, uh, one of them is starting with your shopping for food.

[00:01:18] So often kids go with us to the grocery store. So why not make it an opportunity to introduce them to more plants? Right. Yeah, I know. And sometimes you would want them to be distracted and doing their own thing while you do your own thing, choosing groceries, but it's important that they are there, you know?

[00:01:39] Um, I know I look for opportunities to go alone, grocery shopping, but even then we can do that. And pick specific days that we take our children into the grocery store. Well that's an excellent idea again, about being intentional and planning so we can plan for certain days to take them. Yeah. So the whole grocery shopping idea, taking your kids with you is a great idea. And then if you've taken them with you, that's super, and you can explain things or talk about things that make it a fun experience and educating them about foods. But if they don't go, there's still the opportunity when you get home to allow them to help you unpack the groceries and then talk about what you've purchased and why you've chosen these different things and some exciting recipes that you're thinking of to make with these groceries. And then that just leads us into another idea, incorporating cooking with your kids into your, your daily schedule or whatever it would be.

[00:02:45] Yeah. Uh, that's a good idea. Um, I just thought about, I know, um, you had mentioned earlier about um, picking a new vegetable. So maybe every time you go to the grocery store you could pick one new vegetable to try. And, you know, I think I could do that myself. You know, there's still, there's my staples that I get all the time. And then I could just make sure that I get something that I don't often eat. So. That's a great idea. For all of us right?

[00:03:15] Yes, that's a great idea. And my, my sister in Seattle, they have a farmer markets like every week. And there was one walking distance from her home and her now four year old son, he looks forward to going to the farmer's market and he gets to pick out a new fruit or vegetable, like each week.

[00:03:33] Okay. That sounds good. Um, so back to, uh, cooking in the kitchen .Um, so yeah, if they're old enough, they could pick a recipe that they would like, that would be exciting, right? For, for the child. Yeah. You mentioned field trips to the farmer's markets or the farms. And, you know, I know here in the warmer climate and maybe other places, I don't know, I only know about here. There's a lot... there are many berry picking farms.

[00:04:05] That's a great thing too, because, um, you take them with you. And then when the children... I know we did that once and they're more excited. Kids are more excited to prepare things with those strawberries and the blueberries that you picked together in the... at the farm.

[00:04:21] And then usually some of the, some of the farms actually have people who will share about how they grow their crops and certain things they make at the farm with the strawberries, for example. So you might even get some recipes to take home, but that's a great idea. Yeah.

[00:04:38] Another idea was to grow your own garden. And if that's too much, though, if you're not already doing that or visit a friend maybe who has a garden.That's a good idea, but you can always just grow herbs. You know, make a little pot, put some herbs in there because herbs are, they are really nutritious, you know, like cilantro is a detoxifier for metals.

[00:05:09] Wow and delicious. I like cilantro and everything, and I'm doing that myself. I don't have a full blown garden at all, but I bought one of these raised beds and I'm just putting some Rosemary and a couple other herbs and they seem to be a little easier for me. Yeah. But children can definitely get encouraged by growing their own herbs with you.

[00:05:33] Potted gardens are the easiest, right? Yeah. And so this is something that I changed. I, um, normally when I bring my herbs home, I would put them in glass jars with water in the fridge. But, you know, I recently saw someone on YouTube and they just leave theirs out, just like I used to leave my kale out, just put it in water and leave it out.

[00:05:58] And it just looks so pretty. It looks like I have a plant in the kitchen. Right? It adds green color, but I was just thinking if we put those herbs, like on a window sill in the water in the water, it looks pretty. And then it reminds us to eat them because they're out in front of us, you know.

[00:06:16] That's a great idea. And I, I have a sister who lives in a townhome and so she doesn't have a big yard, but she does exactly what you said. She starts so many things in her kitchen and different bowls and it's just from the roots. And I think they call it the butt of vegetables. Uh, from which you can grow a lot of things, you can just Google it. There are people who have a lot of instructions on that, but you're right. And it's an inexpensive way to start your own growing in your own kitchen. And it's beautiful and a good reminder of what you want to eat.

[00:06:52] Okay. Um, yeah, so one last way that we thought was the most practical way is to just be an example, right. Let's allow them to see what we're eating, you know, share our plates with them. Um, and then that just reminds me, like when we're having guests over or, you know, I would cook my own food and cook for them. But, you know, it's like, why am I like, it's like, why am I hiding there my food, you know? I should be sharing my food.

[00:07:30] And the reason was it was just like, I didn't think they would be interested. That that was in the beginning. So in the beginning, even if you're making the transition, go ahead and just be willing to share openly with your new foods, you know, with your new creations, with your new recipes.

[00:07:47] That's a great point. Show your kids. Show our kids, how excited we are about what's on our plate. And especially the small kids. It can be a fun activity. And like you said, also sharing what's actually on your plate. A lot of kids like to eat off mom and dad's plate. So I'm sharing what's on our plate and then making our plates colorful.

[00:08:08] I like to see a lot of color on my plate, myself, like the green and the purple cause you have cabbage, then you have some spinach, different things, even the cauliflower and then some peppers. So that whole rainbow of colors represented on our plates. And we can't forget carrots, um, can be just something that our kids will begin to think is the norm.

[00:08:30] And, um, then they will, when they're older want to have more colorful plates because it's become a habit for them because they saw it when they were young. So I think that's a great idea. So we shouldn't be like, Oh, well, here's mommy's plate over here. And then you guys are eating over there. We can just, uh, be sharing the information at an early age.

[00:08:52] Um, yeah, so yeah, don't limit them to what they, you know, don't allow them to limit themselves, you know, like I only want this, I only want the chicken nuggets and the French fries and that's it, you know, you know? Okay. So if that's where you are at the chicken nuggets and French fries, but put a color on the plate too, and allow them to explore that also.

[00:09:15] I, I think it's important. What you just shared because you hear so many stories like, oh, well my child will only this and they won't eat it. Oh. They won't like that. And I especially hone in when they say they won't like it. That just, just reminds me to say, well, have they tried it? Because oftentimes some will... we'll assume they won't like something, but we don't know that was something with our kids.

[00:09:42] I was like, there might be things they don't prefer, but I want them to try everything and then they can decide that's what they like or don't like. But too often, I think kids are just saying, I don't want that. And then they never try it.

[00:09:58] Yeah, so that reminds us, um, with how to start maybe making the transition then. So I just thought maybe first, yeah, we can start with more fruits. You know, if they eat a limited amount of fruits, like maybe they just like strawberries and bananas. But you know, expand that out because you know, there's more fiber opportunities. There's more antioxidant opportunities. There's more, you know, so just maybe try a new fruit each week also. You know, I know we talked about trying a new vegetable, but maybe trying a new fruit too, because fruits are just as important.

[00:10:35] And usually they're sweeter, so children will, you know, enjoy those more and, and, you know, start with the fruits. It's like, Oh, this new fruit, Oh, this is tasting so good. So then, you know, you slip in, Oh, this new vegetable, you know.

[00:10:49] That's a great idea. Yeah. And, um, also I was thinking that, um, When you are introducing vegetables, introduce it, you know, maybe two ways, because I even have an adult child that prefers vegetables to be raw versus cooked.

[00:11:09] So, you know, with children, people with younger palates or whatever, they it's really all about the texture of the food. They may not like a mushy cooked vegetable. You know what? I may think it's too mushy or something, but they may enjoy that crunch. So that's this apart that, um, that's a good thought Shonda, because now that I think about it, a lot of kids are impacted by texture and, and even, um, have occupational therapy, um, classes they go to, or they have they're working on that, their families so that they can eat better.

[00:11:48] But perhaps we could maybe avoid some of that if we were introducing, not just our vegetables steamed or, or soggy, but we have some raw introduced them and maybe not always introducing the most pungent vegetable first, starting with the squash or, or even the piece first, because I, I made the mistake when I, my kids were still that not even a year or two, but.

[00:12:16] When you first introduced him to sell it feeds one of the first vegetables I introduced my daughter to work was kale. And thankfully she likes kale to this day, but I will say that very first introduction, um, I didn't think it out. Let's just put it that, that was kind of tough. That's a tough one. True.

[00:12:40] So just being a little, just being intentional and playing. Okay. What, what are we introducing this week? And, uh, that's why I liked how you said the fruits. We, we want to introduce this. Maybe don't just stick to the fruit zone. You do want to incorporate some vegetable upfront too, because then that child might acquire more of the sweet.

[00:13:01] Wanting the more sweet taste of the fruit, but, and maybe some of the less, um, Uh, sweet fruits because the banana is probably one of the sweeter ones. They'll make sure we are including some of the, not as sweet because, uh, tomatoes is not a free, it is a fruit, a lot of the vegetables are fruits. I think the ones with the many seeds are fruit, but yeah, tomatoes, I know that they're sweet.

[00:13:26] Uh, you know, if, if the tall has not been eating a lot of sugar, um, tomatoes are sweet and different things, so yeah, that's good. And, you know, And along with, I was thinking with a raw foods with raw foods, you could put a dip on the side for that vegetable such as hummus or whackamole and you know, other different dips and being other being dips, you know, which reminds me, let's not forget about the many varieties of beans.

[00:14:01] Hmm. Let's think about it. Beans are a little small, you know, they're small, um, you know, little bites, you know, and so, you know, we want to make sure that I guess the child's over two or so when they're eating a bean, but, you know, make sure it's Chu is being chewed well, but, um, beans have. Just a nice texture, I think when they're cooked properly and seasoned well, and I think that many children, you know, would like being, so I'm not just talking about baked beans with, you know, Uh, that's, that's normally the first introduction, but you know, black beans, lentils, chickpeas, you know, just a variety.

[00:14:45] That is, that is an area that we can put a lot of variety on the plate with is a variety of beans. Well, that's a great point. That reminds me about some practical ideas for menu. I mean you ideas and we don't have to go all into it, but for example, you could start your child with a more plant-based breakfast with like, uh, some fruit and some oatmeal, perhaps in a nut milk, if they can not milk, if you feel comfortable with depending on their age, but then for that lunch, you just.

[00:15:18] Brought a beans making when they're older, a pita sandwich or something with hummus, like you said, you could get those chickpeas and that's basically what hummus is. Yeah. So that way, and then, uh, a bean case, a deer, you know, those are really good Pinto beans, that's it. Okay. Um, So, um, I think we talked about one last way.

[00:15:50] It's not really introducing, but it does allow their pallet to get used to more advanced tastes would be to hide vegetables in some foods. I, you know what I don't like, it's not really about hiding. It's still about the texture. For children. So they may not want to chew the zucchini and the spaghetti sauce or something.

[00:16:16] But I know that at times, even now, when I, when I go ahead and I make a spaghetti sauce, but I pure Ray, all those ingredients together. The flavor is just up to now. Yes, it's so good. I'm so glad you brought that up. That's a great idea. Even for adults, some adults, they don't even know what all in that spaghetti sauce, but it's delicious and yeah, it adds different flavor levels.

[00:16:45] So. Yeah, I think so. That's a good way to just go ahead and make that sauce and pure Ray, all the vegetables in there. So that's one way. And when we're talking about pureeing, you know, my favorite is a smoothie. Okay. Yeah, that's right. I like them too. Yeah. Yeah, because you can mix the sweetness of the fruits plus the greens.

[00:17:07] I I'm all for adding greens to the diet. Cause they're the best detoxer (detoxifier) and energizing food there is. And so just add something green and you can start with spinach because spinach is... you know, and maybe, you know, for... if, if they're, if they don't want green drinks, I'm just thinking, um, on what's that day? Um, what's that day in March, that Irish day what's the Patrick. Okay. So make it fun. Like, I think, I mean, make a green smoothie for St. Patrick's day, you know. (I like the creativity.) And you know what else? Yeah. Let's see. Um, so like a scrambled tofu. Hmm. You could add some pureed green juice or something in there and make it, and you know, like, like a version of green eggs and like... (Oh, green eggs and ham.)

[00:18:04] Yeah. But it would be like bacon or another tempeh tofu bacon or something like that. So there's just, you know, just get creative and fun and, you know, you can make, uh, images on your plates with, you know, carrots and peas and things like that. Or like you say, make the rainbow on the, you know, so they're just really fun ways to do that.

[00:18:28] Super fun. And now that you mentioned it, especially spinach, because often you can't even taste the spinach in a smoothie or, or, and I think we used to make muffins with, uh, Spinach or other great (vegetables). Other vegetables, zucchini muffins. Yeah. Zucchini muffins are really good. Yeah. And, um, you could, instead of putting so much sugar in there, you could use raisins instead. And Apple sauce to make it moist. Apple sauce... banana zucchini muffins.

[00:18:59] Yeah. We got to find a recipe and post that with this show. I'm getting hungry. So yeah, that was, um, If there's not anything else that was just one reference you found that, uh, you wanted to share and I'll make sure that the link is with the show notes. Is there anything you wanted to say about that?

[00:19:19] Yes. There was an excellent resource I found online. Plant plate.com. And not only did they talk about how to introduce your children to a more plant-based diet, but they actually had some recipes and they, within their, uh, article, they referenced some other great resources. One I think you're very familiar with.

[00:19:42] PCRM that's yeah. The physicians committee for responsible medicine, right. Yeah. I do frequent their website. Oh, very often. We'll put the link below.

[00:19:55] Okay. That's great. Well, I hope everyone's encouraged to try some ideas to encourage your kids or, or any young person that you're influencing to try more plants and fruits and vegetables basically.

[00:20:12] And, um, and make it fun. Like Shonda, you had some great ideas about how to be creative and make it fun. So I hope people are encouraged to do so.

[00:20:20] Yeah. And, um, we can even share this with our adult friends. And family.

[00:20:27] Yes. True. And that resource that we mentioned earlier had some great recipes for the whole family.

[00:20:33] And that's a very good point. Everything we've talked about can apply to everyone, including us as adults.

[00:20:40] Yeah, for sure. For sure. A great thing.

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Podcast Episode 14 – Immunity – The Second ‘B’ and the ‘S’ in G-BOMBS

Onions and Mushrooms

‘B’ is for berries and ‘S’ is for seeds/nuts in the acronym G-BOMBS. Today we wrap up the G-BOMBS Series. We talk about our favorite seeds, nuts, and berries and share ideas about how you can incorporate these foods into your diet. Stay tuned for our challenge at the very end.

G-BOMBS defined: G = Greens, B = Beans, O = Onions, M = Mushrooms, B = Berries, and S = Seeds.

OTHER WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN:
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We invite you to listen and share your perspectives with us too. Send us a recorded message through Speakpipe. We may use your message in an upcoming episode, therefore, please leave your name if you would like it to be noted during the podcast. Leave an email address if you would like a personal response or feel free to use the contact form.

If you haven’t done so already, download the Delicious “No-Fail” Salads Guide – another great way to eat those GREENS!

Show References & Additional Notes:

Flaxseeds are one of the richest sources of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids which means is it anti-inflammatory.

Recipes:

Oatmeal Bars with Berries and Seeds

Oatmeal Options

Chocolate Chia Mousse

Raspberry Chia Jam (A double-dose of seeds.)

Other online resources:

EWG’s (Environmental Working Group’s) Dirty Dozen Shopping Guide

G-BOMBS Nutrition Bars – Chocolate Peanut Butter

Dr. Fuhrman’s G-BOMBS Downloadable Guide

Patryce (00:00): Hi, Shonda how are you?

Shonda (00:02): Good. So, Hey, what, what are you talking about today? Oh, we're finishing up G-BOMBS today.

Patryce (00:09): Yes. Yes. B the other B. And we're going to do B and S so we're doing berries and seeds, right?

Shonda (00:18): Berries and seeds. That's right.

Shonda (00:31): Hi and hello. Welcome to the real food and drinks lifestyle podcast. We're building a community to talk about nutrition, lifestyle choices, and just feeling better. This is Shonda and this is Patryce. Let's just be real. [inaudible] Here's our disclaimer. We do not officially practice in any of the various subjects that we discuss. We are only sharing our personal experiences with you to a healthier lifestyle. Please do your own research before taking part in any of these practices.

Shonda (01:21): G-BOMBS is an acronym that you can use to remember the best anti-cancer, health-promoting foods on the planet. So check out the show notes. Learn more information. Learn more information. There will be recipes and a few videos to support what we're discussing today. Let's see berries and seeds. So berries and seeds. Seeds also includes nuts. So we'll be talking about all these things today. And I guess just like we've been doing, I mean, let's just talk about what our favorites are and you know, maybe some things we want to try out or something like that. And, um, how to incorporate berries and seeds and nuts.

Patryce (01:54): I'm a big fan of berries, but I do know my favorite. And one of them would be blueberries because they're, well, first of all, what are berries? There's small, soft round fruit. And they come in various colors like blue, red, or purple. And, um, so one of my favorites are blueberries. And as far as I know, they're just, they're blue, dark blue, purple, whatever you want to call it. But these are not only delicious and nutritious, but they're very convenient (I find them to be) to pop in your yogurt or just to eat by the handful. And some people freeze them and just have berry treats. So frozen little berries, [Right, Yeah] that'd be good. Good to... And they're a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and uh, all these I think are low in calories. Another favorite for me are raspberries. Sometimes I eat blueberries and raspberries together. Uh, generally, I get red raspberries for the family. And again, the one thing about raspberries though... I did not realize they come in black. Black, black, raspberries.

Shonda (03:02): Hm, black raspberries?

Patryce (03:05): Apparently, the only reason I bring it up, is apparently they're all good for you, but the black rasberries maybe even a more nutritious. So I'd love to try those out. So I'll be on the look out for the black raspberries and then also another favorite strawberries. And I think that is a popular one in the U. S. Period, then also cranberries And I love, I like cranberries. I like that tartness. Unlike the rest, they have more tart a tart taste and they're very, they're well-known to be beneficial to females for the urinary tract health. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, oh, acai berries. And I know people pronounce it different ways, but that's the way I'm going to pronounce it today.

Shonda (03:53): Now, those are usually...you usually get those dried already, right?

Patryce (03:56): Yes. Dried or nowadays we get a lot of them... Frozen packs of them to throw into the smoothie.

Shonda (04:03): Okay. And they're bitter, right? Like cranberries.

Patryce (04:06): Yes. I'm glad you brought that up because they are naturally more bitter or not as sweet, but so many things sold with acai berries have sugar added. So you have to be careful about that because acai berries are originally from the Amazon. And so we look out for the ones you purchase so that you're not getting more sugar than you expect. Um, so that's why we usually get the packs. And there's a brand that doesn't have sugar added and all of these that I've mentioned have seeds in them, uh, I don't think there's any need to not eat the seeds, but actually the seeds are healthy.

Shonda (04:45): Right. You know, I think one thing we should mention is if, if it's possible to buy, um, organic berries, because berries are sprayed with a lot of pesticides normally, because they're just a tender fruit, you know, and, and insects are attracted to them. Yeah. I mean, maybe not even every time, but sometimes treat yourself to organic berries. Fruit that 's soft that we eat the whole fruit try to go organic. And the other fruits that maybe have a peel on them, not that necessary to go organic, if you have to choose which to buy organic and which not. Hey, I just thought of one that I don't think you mentioned. Well, there are two. What about cherries? And they're naturally sweet. They can be tart and sweet at the same time. Those are some that I know that we really enjoy here along with, um, my daughter likes blackberries.

Patryce (05:49): Oh, that's right. I forgot those. Yeah. Those are yummy too.

Shonda (05:52): Other ways that we can use berries are, you know, did you mention already putting them on top of oatmeal?

Patryce (05:58): No, I didn't mention any uses. Just my favorite.

Shonda (06:01): Just drop them on oatmeal and you know, along with what we're going to talk about next, that would, that just makes a great combination for seeds and nuts and berries all on top of your oatmeal. And then, you know, um, I bought, since we just came out of, uh, Thanksgiving season, I did buy some organic cranberries and I rinsed them and I put them on a single layer and I froze them, you know, put them in a bag. And then now it doesn't take many to get the benefits from them. I can throw five in a smoothie, you know, that's kind of sweet with bananas and things and it doesn't, and it's not like I'm just trying to eat a cranberry smoothie, just throwing like four or five in there. You know, if I put that in there every day, over time, that adds up. So that's one option. That's something new that I just started knowing that I need more of the, the red antioxidant type berry in my diet.

Patryce (06:58): That's a great tip because I have a pack of cranberries in the refrigerator that we didn't use. And I'm like, what am I going to do with all these? But I can freeze them. You're saying. And I think we've mentioned already that the, I mean, of course they're healthy foods, they're high in vitamin C, they're antioxidants... They have fiber. And because of that, fiber will help make you feel more cool and they're low in calories. So those of us who are looking at our waist, trying to stay our fit selves, it's another good way to do so by having various for a treat or even for dessert fruit can be a great dessert option. And yeah, we can make our parfait with, well, I'm not as creative as you are, but with the fruit, with the yogurt. And then we're going to talk about seeds and nuts. Maybe we should move into that now because berries and seeds and nuts that they go well.. They compliment one another,.

Shonda (07:49): Right? Yeah, they do. Okay. Yeah. Let's talk about that.

Patryce (07:52): So what are your favorite seeds or nuts?

Shonda (07:55): Well, On a regular basis in the pantry, we have walnuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Those are the top five that I keep and I do throw all of them in oatmeal on a regular basis. If I'm having oatmeal, I'm having a nut with it. At least a nut. I may not have a fruit, may not have a fruit, but I always have a nut or, you know, nut milk. I do sometimes make my own nut milk by just adding water and nuts and blending it up and squeezing it out in a nut bag. That's a little extra step, but it's really creamy. It's really creamy when you make it on your own, because you can make it as thick or thin as you want. Just makes for a delicious breakfast. I throw raisins in there and this morning I threw fresh cranberries in there. Those are our top five. I usually keep the pantry well-stocked with that. Uh, Leslie and I are the only two that really eat the nuts and we both put it in our oatmeal.

Patryce (09:05): We have some of the same nuts. Um, one thing, um, did you mention, yeah, you did mention pumpkin seeds. And did you mentioned flaxseed?

Shonda (09:14): Not yet. Do you use a lot of flaxseeds?

Patryce (09:20): I have begun to explore use of flaxseeds. And as I had told you over the Thanksgiving holiday I actually made that yummy, sweet potato pie, but I learned that you need to..., I had not bought the flaxseeds.

Shonda (09:34): Ground flax seed,.

Patryce (09:36): So I learned that that you can still eat them, not ground, but I''ve made since another pie with a texture that was definitely improve upon. They have a bit of a nutty smell to me...[inaudible] and then flaxseeds have a lot of health benefits. Yeah. So I'm trying to incorporate those more.

Shonda (09:56): Yeah, they do. They are, I will definitely put a link to that, but I know they have high amounts of good fatty acids. So yeah, I use a lot of flax seeds because I make like, when I make any kind of breads or pancakes or anything, I use it in place of an egg... Ground and mixed with water and it becomes a good egg replacement. So that was really how I started using flax seeds. And I also, every now and then I do remember just because I don't remember when it's already ground, I keep it in the freezer to keep it from going rancid. And I remember to put it in my smoothie, but it's in another freezer. It's not with my fruit, so maybe I should move it over to the fruit where the fruit is. And then I will remember, what do you think about chia seeds?

Patryce (10:45): It's a huge fan, but I, a friend that introduced me years ago to we just put... She just puts it every morning in some water or juice, just add a small amount and let them become a little gelatin like and drink it.

Shonda (10:58): Yeah, they do. Chia pudding is popular for those who like chia seeds. So I'll make sure and find a good recipe for that. If anyone wants to try that recipe. Um, but just like flax seeds, they both have the good fatty acids. They're both some that I had to get, get an acquired taste for.

Patryce (11:20): I can see that. I can see that.

Shonda (11:23): They're really different. So when you start, you just may want to sprinkle a little in here and there, or use it as an egg replacement and you will not really taste the flaxseed flavor that way.

Patryce (11:37): But what about the chia seeds. Do do those come grounded too or no?

Shonda (11:42): You know, I don't think I've ever seen she chia seeds grounded. Yeah. I think most chia pudding, just like an addition or whatever into a treat or smoothie or on top of oatmeal and things like that.

Patryce (11:58): And did you mention hemp seeds?

Shonda (11:59): I didn't.

Patryce (12:00): Oh, okay. Those... That's one other seed that we have in the past to throw into our smoothie. That's the only way I used them. And they're great that way. Um, maybe I should look into other ways to incorporate them into our diet, but they're actually, you know, they're, they're good for you as well. They seem to have a lot of my magnesium.

Shonda (12:19): And they do have a good flavor. You know, I don't have any, but you know, now I may want to get some to add to oatmeal because I'm always telling people they're like, I'm busy. I don't have time. You know, oatmeal is like a staple breakfast for me. I'm busy in the morning. You know, I can get more creative later or more adventurous in my food, but in the morning, I'm just ready to get to work on my projects. I mean, think about all the berries we've talked about, all the nuts and seeds. There's such a variety that we can do with oatmeal by adding different nuts or different seeds or different fresh berries or dried berries and things to have a different oatmeal everyday.

Patryce (13:04): Yeah. That's good. Especially with this weather this time of year, it's a warm, hot cereal and we overlook that. And now that I think about, I used to eat it a lot and I've just forgotten about it. But now that we're talking about seeds and berries and nuts, it's time for me to bring out the oatmeal again. And I like the steel cut

Shonda (13:24): And steel cut is very easy in the InstantPot, just a plug for InstantPot, because I love my InstantPot.

Patryce (13:32): I hear you. It's a great way to make sure you get your berries in and oatmeal itself is good too, because it's, uh, high in fiber too.

Shonda (13:42): High in fiber. Yes.

New Speaker (13:44): Because also when I've had it in the past, now that you've mentioned, I'm still full. So you tend to not overeat the rest of the day. That's just been my experience. So anyway, I think it's a great idea, especially with the holidays coming up to get creative, or just start doing the oatmeal and see how that goes.

Shonda (14:04): Yeah. That's a good idea. So I guess we just like to invite you to try to incorporate more berries and seeds in your diet. If you know that there's room for improvement in that area. There will definitely be show notes full of ideas. So there we have it, we've completed the G-BOMBS series. We just want to remind you that this is just a great acronym to incorporate healthy foods into your diet and ways that you can remember. Did I have all my G-BOMBS today? [Yes.] We hope you're entering a great holiday season...

Patryce (14:40): We hope that you found something interesting or something that you'd like to try out yourself and again, share it with others so we can all begin the journey of just incorporating healthy foods into our diet. And one way is using the G-BOMBS.

Shonda (14:51): Yeah. Remember the G-BOMBS. Let's all... I invite you all to join me on my morning oatmeal.

New Speaker (15:01): I'm going to. Count me in.

Shonda (15:03): Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy today's podcast. Remember you can catch show notes and additional details@realfoodanddrinks.com under the podcast menu. Also subscribe to our podcast. If you aren't already a member of our community. And if listening through anchor, please send us a message of topics you would like to hear us have conversations about until next time. Let's just be real.

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Oatmeal Bars with Berries and Seeds

oatmeal bars with blueberries and pumpkin seeds

I usually just have a bowl of oatmeal in the mornings to keep things quick and easy. There are many options when it comes to adding flavor to oatmeal.  Similarly, the same is true for these oatmeal bars. You can easily switch out the types of berries and seeds.

Berry options include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or cherries. Also, I suggest using your favorite nut or seed in this recipe. The recipe shown in the photo uses blueberries and pumpkin seeds.

Oh, and as always, you can use whatever sweetener is your favorite. Even a banana or pureed dates would be excellent options. 

With these oatmeal bars, you can be just as creative as you can with a bowl of oatmeal. 

And, guess what else? This recipe allows you to begin your day with G-BOMBS! G-BOMBS is an acronym that you can use to remember the best anti-cancer, health-promoting foods on the planet. These are the foods that you should eat every day, making up a significant proportion of your diet. 

Here are links to our podcasts regarding G-BOMBS. Each episode includes some ideas on how to incorporate them into your diet.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1+ 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1+ ½ cups oat flour
  • 1+ ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 TBS ground flaxseeds
  • 2/3 cup applesauce
  • 1  to  2 cups of berries
  • 1/2 cup nuts or seeds
  • 1/3 cup liquid sweetener  (or pureed bananas/dates)

Directions:

  1. Mix the ground flaxseeds and applesauce. Put to the side.
  2. Add all the remaining dry ingredients and the nuts/seeds to your mixing bowl.
  3. Add the liquid sweetener and applesauce mix and mix well. The mixture will be thick. You can add water or nutmilk if you need to make it thinner, but it should not be runny and much thicker than pancake mix.
  4. Gently stir in the berries.
  5. Place some parchment paper on the bottom of a square (8×8 or 9×9) baking pan for easy removal once baked. Press mixture into a square cooking pan.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on the top and edges.

Looking for other ways to enjoy oatmeal? Check out Oatmeal Options.

3 Ingredient Date Balls

Date Ball Snacks

Date ball snacks are quick and easy to make using only 3 ingredients and a food processor. Loaded with real food for energy, vitamins, and minerals. This makes 12 – 15  1-inch size date balls.

Ingredients:

  • 6 dates, pittedDate Ball Ingredients
  • 3/4 to 1 cup dehydrated apples
  • 1 cup of walnuts (or any of your favorite nut)
  • pinch of salt (optional)

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients into the food processor and process until well mixed.
  2. Form into balls. You can use a tablespoon to measure out the mixture.

Date Ball After Mixing

Notes:

  1. I usually make my own dehydrated apples. This way I can avoid added sugars and sulphur-treated apples. So be sure to look for “unsulphured” apples.
  2. I also soak the nuts for 4 – 6 hours and dehydrate them with the apples. Soaking nuts/seeds helps them to be more digestible.
  3. I’m sure you can substitute seeds (such as sunflower or pumpkin) if you have an allergy to nuts. Start by adding only 1/2 cup of seeds.

Another similar recipe that uses only 2 ingredients: Homemade Larabars