Written by Suzanne, AKA “Nana”

This post is for all of the conscious grandparents out there – the ones trying to navigate this world of natural living so that a non-toxic lifestyle can be passed down to future generations!

Of course, parenting has changed over the decades and will continue to evolve. What we thought was safe and healthy for our children may be very different from what our own children think is best for their kids.

Perhaps you, like me, are a 1970s hippie who has been making organic smoothies for half a century. Or maybe your child is the one who has introduced you to a more holistic lifestyle. Maybe your daughter freaked out when you gave your granddaughter a plastic toy or your son quietly returned the non-organic crib sheets you sent his new baby.

Either way, we can help you!

Gimme the Good Stuff is a multi-generational company, and as a grandmother myself, I can imagine how sudden demands to be more “conscious” could seem overwhelming.

If you have any inclination to learn more from a fellow grandparent and “wow!” your children by being the hippest grandma on the block, here are some ideas.

Top 10 Natural Grandparenting Tips

1. Create a non-toxic sleep environment in your home.

Children spend so much time in their beds–even when visiting their grandparents–and non-toxic bedding, especially crib or twin-sized mattress, ensures that they won’t be exposed to a range of scary toxins. Learn more in our mattress guide.

2. Wear your grandchild.

Carrying babies is so much better for their developing brains than putting them in chairs and strollers. It provides other health benefits for both the baby and parent (or grandparent!), while also limiting baby’s exposure to outside toxins. I remember singing and reciting poems to my first grandchild when I “wore” him around the neighborhood in this carrier.

3. Invest in a water filter for your home.

There are so many nasty chemicals in most tap water, and a robust water filter protects your grandchildren from chlorine, trace pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals.

4. Opt for natural laundry products.

If you make the switch to natural laundry soap and dryer balls and sheets, your kids will be thrilled to do a load of laundry when they are at your house. (Wait, maybe you don’t want that?!).

5. Buy your grandkids organic clothing.

Skip polyester and other synthetic materials, and instead choose all natural fibers–preferably organic–when buying clothing or swaddles for your grandchildren.

6. Don’t wear perfume around your grandchildren.

Unfortunately, perfume is full of phthalates. I can always tell when a scented caregiver has snuggled a baby because the scent will linger on their little fuzzy heads! Instead, opt for alternative fragrances like all-natural lotions, balms, essential oils, and soaps.

7. Avoid plastic toys.

Most plastic toys contain an assortment of toxins like chlorine and PVC, which can be harmful when babies invariably use all toys as chew toys! (Not to mention the environmental impact of mass-producing all those plastic toys!) Instead, consider gifting your grandkids higher-quality, non-toxic toys. Check out our Non-Toxic Toy Guide for suggestions.

8. Upgrade bathtime.

Treat yourself and your family by investing in conscious bath and body products. Our Safe Product Guides provide tons of product options for bubble baths, shampoos, soaps, and bath toys to provide quality bath and body care, as well as some peace of mind knowing bathtime is chemical free.

9. Make Screen-Time Safer

For your children and grandchildren using tablets, iPads, smartphones, and other screen technology, investing in screen protectors that shield radiation will offer a drastic decrease in the amount of EMFs (electromagnetic radiation fields) they are exposed to.

10. Make Mealtime Healthy.

Your kids will undoubtedly applaud you if you offer their children veggie-heavy snacks and healthy desserts, ideally using organic ingredients. Garner bonus points by sending home leftovers in plastic-free food storage containers.

Are You a Natural Grandparent?

Okay, grandmas, I want to hear from you! What other steps have you taken to be a conscious grandparent?

And parents–what other things do you WISH your parents would do to give you peace of mind about your children’s health when they are with their grandparents?

Please share below!

To your health,

P.S. Let’s not forget that studies show that simply being in each others’ company is healthful for both grandparents and grandchildren.

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The post Toxin-Free Grandparenting: How to Support Your Children & Protect Your Grandchildren’s Health appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

–By Suzanne (“Nana”), Certified Holistic Health Coach

Many of my health coaching clients are moms, and they often ask me about encouraging their kids to eat more healthfully—and in particular about the challenge of getting little ones to eat vegetables!

As a mother and a grandmother, I have lived this challenge myself. Children have different needs and taste preferences just like adults do, so it’s important to respect these while still not allowing them to only eat processed, sugar-laden foods (this is especially tempting these days as there are so many options for organic, “natural” junk food!).

I have four adorable grandsons: Felix (age 7), Theo (6), Wolf (4) and Lincoln (2) (my granddaughter, Charlotte, is just a week old so she’s not eating yet!). The boys are very different eaters. Felix has broadened his tastes, Theo is very picky, Wolfie is the most picky, and Lincoln eats everything!

The list below features some of the ways I get all of these boys to enjoy veggies.

Here are ten easy ways to get your kids to eat more of the Good Stuff from the Vegetable Kingdom.

1. Kale Chips. If not for this crunchy, flavorful snack, I doubt Felix would have ever tried kale. I make mine in a dehydrator,  but an oven works fine, too. Here are our recipes for both kinds. You can add nutritional yeast—which is full of B vitamins—for a cheesy flavor.
2. Salads. Yes, even my picky grandsons will try salads if I make them the right way! You can experiment with mincing the veggies really small or even grating them to make them easier to chew. I love grating raw beets (skin removed) turnips, and carrots into salads to add an extra veggie boost. Try adding sweets like berries, apples, or any dried fruit to the salads. I also make a simple salad dressing with olive oil, lemon, sea salt and a little maple syrup, and kids seem to love it. Felix loves romaine spears with olive oil (we only use Olea Blue for an extra nutritional boost), grated parmesan cheese, and lemon juice.
3. Sweet Potato “Fries.” What child doesn’t love French fries? Sweet potatoes, full of fiber and beta carotene, are more nutritious than their white cousins, but even regular potatoes, if sliced and baked instead of fried, make a great snack or side dish and are certainly better than the greasy alternative you’ll get in a diner. Theo loves to dip his in ketchup, but be careful of the sugar content in ketchup, and always opt for a natural brand that doesn’t contain corn syrup. (I have recently made my own ketchup with this recipe to avoid eating sugar.) Here’s our recipe for sweet potato “fries.”
   
4. Crunchy Shiitake Sticks. Shiitake mushrooms are known for their immune-boosting and cancer-preventing properties, and they are also a great source of iron. Slice the tops off of the mushrooms, and then cut the tops into matchsticks pieces. Coat with olive oil and sea salt and roast in the oven at 350 degrees. The result is a delicious crunchy snack or side dish that will be a huge hit with both adults and kids. Here are just some of the health benefits of shiitake mushrooms.
5. 

   Got Greens? Illustration by Graham Goss

   “Green” Smoothies. All of my grandsons love smoothies, if your child resists a smoothie if it has a green color you can experiment with different ingredients to change the color.  I make sure to include plenty of antioxidant-rich berries so the finished smoothie is purple or blue. What the children don’t see is that I add spinach and baby romaine for added greens, neither of which changes the taste of the smoothie (kale will, by the way). You can add banana, dates, and frozen mixed berries to the blender with a little water, and for added protein I add hemp seeds, flax seeds, or chia seeds. I love giving the boys veggies for breakfast or dessert! I keep a bag of mixed berries, a bag of wild blueberries, and frozen bananas in my freezer at all times. (I let the bananas get really ripe because they are then more antioxidant-rich, peel and chop them, and put them in a freezer bag). Here are some of my smoothie recipes that will please even super picky eaters!

6. Buttery Winter Squash. There are so many varieties of squash, all of them rich in cancer-inhibiting carotenoids, and many of them quite delicious. Delicata is my favorite for kids because it is especially sweet. You can slice it into sticks and bake it as is, and it’s a great finger food. A little butter and maple syrup make it especially decadent, but some children will eat it even without. Other kid-pleasing squashes are butternut, buttercup, and acorn.
7. Romaine Lettuce Wraps. Maia’s created this for Felix because he loves goat cheese and would eat it by the log if she let him. Instead, she wraps romaine lettuce leaves around the soft cheese and rolls it up for a tasty finger food. Despite its mild flavor and relatively light color, romaine is actually a super healthy green—full of folate and vitamin K. If you cook with meat and want to add protein you can add chicken or ground beef. I often dice cucumbers and grate carrots to put in the wrap as well.
8. Shell Peas. These can be challenging to find, but if you can find them fresh and in season, kids love to shell them, discover the tiny peas, and eat them raw. And did you know that peas are high in protein? If you want to cook the peas, just have the kids shell them and steam them and add a little ghee or butter. I also sometimes add fresh pea to a pot of brown rice at the very end of it’s cooking time (this is especially delicious with a little tamari added).
9. Mini Peppers. Most grocery stores sell bags of mini organic red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers. They are so sweet that the kids love them–Wolfie was reluctant to try them, but we encouraged him by doing a blind taste-test game where he guessed which color he was eating. You can make a dip, although my grandchildren just eat them plain. (Here is a dip that I love.)
10. Roasted Seaweed. When Maia and Graham were little, I would buy Nori sheets and roast them on the gas range or wood stove for a snack. Things have changed and become so much more convenient for busy conscious moms like us! Roasted seaweed is great when the kids want a salty snack, and here is one that I like because it is made with extra virgin olive oil rather than sunflower oil like other brands.

These are some of my favorite ideas for kid-pleasing healthful snacks. If you have any questions about preparation or would like other ideas, email me at suzanne@gimmethegoodstuff.org and we can schedule a 30-minute Healthy Eating Strategy Session.

Be well,

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The post 10 Ways to Get Your Kids Off Junk Food and Demanding Vegetables appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Written by Suzanne, Chief Health Officer and Resident Grandmother

Every New Year, I write a post about resolutions for a healthier New Year. But this year, my friend and favorite yoga teacher, Amber, has inspired a different approach. Amber wrote this article for Yoga International. Amber says, “To me, a resolution feels like another “should” in a life full of shoulds — a demand for more effort in a world already requiring so much fortitude.”

Does that sound familiar? With all of the stress that parents face today, I am sure that none of you need the added pressure of resolutions. In the spirit of our Gimme the Good Stuff motto, “Stay Sane,” let’s consider forgetting about traditional resolutions. Instead of doing more, we can set a focus on what already is, and see what happens. Those of you who practice yoga will recognize this as choosing a drishti, or focus point.

My wise friend, Amber Burke.

The Power of Setting a Focus Point

Amber reminds us that one of the definitions of resolve is “to turn into a different form when seen more clearly.” She suggests that we can resolve or bring into focus an aspect of our lives. When you choose a focus, you decide what you want to pay attention to, and you see what resolves. For example, instead of making a resolution to lose that last 10 pounds, you could focus on what you love about your body and weight now. With sustained interest and curiosity, you can see what might resolve around your weight.

Or instead of making a resolution to stop eating sweets, you can slow down and focus on the pleasure that comes from every bite and how you feel before, during, and after. Perhaps you will enjoy sweets more and therefore eat less. Or perhaps you will notice that you eat sweets when you’re upset, and you’ll see clearly that you can make another choice.

Maybe you have a desire to be kinder or more loving. You could set your focus on what you appreciate about each person or situation, and allow your attention to inspire genuine acts of kindness.

My Focus Point for This Year

My drishti for this year was inspired by a Caldwell Banker flyer I received in the mail. The flyer said, “Study shows: happy people hang out at home.” Having just returned from a busy family vacation, I was intrigued. You know that feeling of coming home and being so happy to be back? That’s what I was feeling.

A study conducted by Karen Melton of Baylor University and Ramon Zabriskie of Brigham Young University concluded that “families who hang out at home together seem to be happier than those who spend their free time bonding over activities or vacations.” Apparently, while traveling or on vacation, the brain is distracted by new information and experiences, so there is less attention available to focus on family relationships.

On the other hand, everyday experiences at home offer lots of bonding opportunities. Melton and Zabriskie say that there is something very special about good old routines. Building memories through actions that are repetitive, yet meaningful, brings families together.

So I decided to put my focus for this year on the pleasure that we find by spending time together at home. This is particularly meaningful to me during the winter, which I otherwise tend to wish away in favor of the warmer seasons. (I blame this tendency on having spent too many brutal winters in Vermont!) Focusing on enjoying family time at home helps me to savor and take full advantage of these slower-paced months.

Eight Great Ways to Enjoy Family Time at Home

If this idea of building family bonds by spending together at home resonates with you, consider these simple but powerful ideas:

1. Take on a DIY project. Kids love to help with these. I bought my grandsons measuring tapes and they love to help take measurements for projects. We also involved them in safe tasks when we were doing the renovations for Project 111.

2. Cook together. Planning and preparing meals is another thing that kids also love to do, and cooking is the kind of daily routine that Dr. Melton suggests really brings families together. I get lots of kid-friendly ideas and inspiration from books like this one. Maia loves this one by Alice Waters.

3. Plant something and tend to it together. You don’t have to do a whole garden, though that’s great. We just planted narcissus bulbs, a nice indoor option for the cold months. You can also add house plants (bonus: some of them help improve the quality of your indoor air). You can even do an indoor garden.

4. Make a list of classic movies and watch them together on rainy or snowy days. Our family favorite is The Sound of Music.

5. Have a game night. We love Pictionary, and there is a kids’ version available now. Dominoes is another family favorite. Slightly older kids can also play games that are fun for grownups–Felix, age 7, loves Hearts!

6. Make homemade gifts for upcoming birthdays and holidays. Kids love to make things, and people love to receive homemade gifts from kids. I recently got a framed drawing from my grandson, and I love looking at it on the wall of my office every day! Simple frames make it easy to frame your own stuff at home.

7. Write letters to people who live far away. My grandsons love writing me letters and they love getting a return letter. Cute stationery adds to the fun.

8. Read to each other. Classics are fun to read aloud. I find that good writing is even better when someone reads it to you. My favorite guide to read-aloud books is Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook.

What might you focus on in 2017? We love when our readers share their thoughts and ideas. Please share your ideas or your experiences with resolutions!

To your health,

 
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Written by Suzanne, Chief Health Officer and Resident Grandmother

You know that I’m all about nature, especially when it comes to kids. The outdoors offers both a stimulating environment that kids love and it never squashes their imagination. This is a magical combination, and one that is increasingly under-utilized.

Spring is the perfect time to get back in the habit of outdoor play. With spring come the many sights, smells, and sounds of nature. Plus, warmer weather means it’s easier and more pleasant to be outside. And the rain? Unless thunderstorms or flooding are in the forecast, don’t let wet conditions keep you indoors. Most kids love the rain and puddles and mud. There are few puddle-jumping messes that a bath and washing machine won’t take care of!

Non-toxic Rain Gear
Be sure to choose only the Good Stuff when it comes to rain boots and jackets (which basically means avoiding PVC). We like PuddleGear, Hatley, Hunter, and Tretorn.

Having four young grandsons means I get to observe and experiment with a lot of outdoor play. Below are some of my favorite outdoor activities for toddlers and older kids.

Outdoor Play for Toddlers

For younger children, simply spending time outside and allowing them to explore is best. If you live in a city, find a park with some wild places. If you can, get in deep enough to avoid some of the transportation noise.

My two-year-old grandson goes to a “Forest School” in his local park. The children have sticks and rocks and play in the dirt under the trees. It’s so simple, and they love it!

This goes without saying, but you do have to supervise toddlers so that no one gets hurt or wanders off. Also, think of playing in nature as a good opportunity to teach kids to be gentle with trees, plants, and small creatures. Toddlers are naturally curious and can sometimes be a little destructive, but you can model gentle play. Teach kids to follow their curiosity without leaving a path of torn plants and squashed beetles in their wake.

Outdoor Play for School-Aged Kids

Joseph Cornell’s Sharing Nature with Children is a classic book that I used when my children were young. These days, it continues to inspire me as a grandmother. It’s full of activities to increase children’s awareness of nature and develop their minds and senses.

Just exploring outside can be enough, but for school-age children, Cornell’s Blind Walk is a great activity. It is best for children who are seven years old or older. According to Cornell,

Blindfolded activities dislodge our thoughts from self-preoccupation, and free our awareness to embrace more of the world around us. Vision is the sense we depend on the most. Deprived of it, we must fall back on our less-used senses of hearing, touch and smell. Our attention is powerfully focused on these senses, and our perceptions through them are intensified. The babbling of our mind slows down, overwhelmed by the information that our fully awake senses are giving us.

A Blind Walk is simple to organize and lead. For supplies, all you need is one blindfold per pair of people. Here’s how to do a Blind Walk:

• Form pairs, with mixed adults and children, or children together if they’re mature enough.
• Each pair decides who will be the leader first and who will be blindfolded. The leader guides his partner along any route that looks interesting. Be very careful to watch for logs, low branches, and so on.
• The leader also guides his blind partner’s hands to interesting objects and brings him within range of interesting sounds and smells.
• Remember to demonstrate how to guide a partner safely. Remind the leaders that they are the eyes of their blindfolded partners.
• Have partners switch roles, transfer the blindfolds, and repeat the process.

When people try something new, they’re often nervous and cover it up by joking and laughing. Since covering one’s eyes is a novel experience for many children, it’s helpful to play the following game to warm up for a Blind Walk:

• Ask everyone to sit in a circle and close their eyes.
• Tell them that you are going to pass an object around the circle and each person is to use their sense of smell, touch, and possibly hearing to discover something new about the object. (A stick, stone, pinecone or leaf will do the job.)
• Have each player share his or her discovery before passing the object to the next player.

Note: You can also use this warm-up activity on its own. It’s great for exploring natural objects if you’re otherwise cooped up inside.

Get Out and Play!

My Brooklyn grandsons don’t get nearly enough time in the grass.

Try some of these activities and let us know how it goes, or tell us about your favorite ways to help your kids enjoy and learn from nature. And of course, be sure to be equipped for spring with puddle boots (see above for safe brands). Readers also love our Baby’s Day Out 3-Pack, which includes Baby Fix It, Baby Sun, and Baby Bug. Also, we have various safe sunscreens, bug dopes, and first aid creams available in our store–all free of Bad Stuff!

Be well,

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The post It’s (Finally) Spring–Time to Get Outside! appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Written by Suzanne, Chief Health Officer and Resident Grandmother

If your children are able to see asparagus growing, you can tell them that the stalks are like little spring soldiers.

I love seeing the fresh green asparagus this time of year sprouting out of the ground. To me, the spears look like little soldiers popping up to fight off winter, as if to say, “Come enjoy, spring is finally here!” Especially after this winter on the east coast! I can eat asparagus every day this time of year.

Asparagus is Kid Friendly!

My favorite way to get kids to eat vegetables is to really engage them in getting to know the food. If you can, take them to a field where asparagus grows in early spring  and see what they notice or what connections they make. I thought of soldiers this early spring when I saw them in the field. Or, as in the picture below, they look like they are friendly with each other. You can become like a child yourself and then engage your children in the preparation of the asparagus.

I have one grandson who balks at anything green on his plate. (Some of this is for good reason–greens are bitter and children naturally don’t like them.) However, after getting to know asparagus, he was eager to try it, and everyone who loves him was delighted to see him truly enjoy eating spear after spear. I don’t like to see children bribed to eat their vegetables, or to watch them choke veggies down. I couldn’t stand to be forced to eat something that gagged me!

Here is my prepped asparagus, looking friendly, which I pointed out to my grandson.

Paul Pitchford, in his book Healing with Whole Foods, states that asparagus is warming and contains the diuretic asparagine (makes you pee), which everyone who has eaten asparagus certainly knows! Therefore, it is good for the kidneys and can help cleanse the arteries of cholesterol. So after a long winter of heavy foods, asparagus is a great cleanser for the spring.

My Simple Recipe for Kid-Friendly Asparagus

One of my favorite ways to cook asparagus, especially for kids, is to lightly roast it and then drizzle with fresh lemon juice and sea salt.

To prepare the asparagus, I break off the bottom inch (which is tough). Next, sprinkle the spears with a small amount of olive oil and lay them out on a stainless steel baking sheet.

You probably know that aluminum baking sheets should be avoided, as aluminum in your diet has been implicated in several different health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease (and the nonstick variety is even worse!).

Next, I roast the asparagus at a high heat (400ish), watching it closely. The key is not to overcook! I can’t emphasize this enough–if you do (and I have), it will be mush and it won’t be tasty to children or adults! I found that 7 minutes at 400 degrees was just right for my oven. You can experiment and see what works for your oven and taste. After the asparagus is just slightly tender, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and a little sea salt. I then let the kids just pick up the spears and munch!

Be well,

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The post Kids Eating Greens and the Soldiers of Spring appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Written by Suzanne, AKA “Nana,” Gimme the Good Stuff’s Chief Health Officer

One of my favorite parts of being a grandmother is baking with my grandsons. Children love to cook, and I love to see their faces when they can share the food that they have made with others—and especially when that food is cookies! Even better is when the cookies are nutritious. (I can never cook anything without making sure that it is healthful in some way.)

My grandson, Theo, loves to bake cookies and then pass them around on an attractive plate or serving tray and watch people’s expressions as they chew, smile, and complement him on his baking skills! And while all cookies should be enjoyed in moderation, I find that if I use sprouted whole grain flour, quality organic ingredients, and just a small amount of a natural sweetener, I can share them with my loved ones without feeling like I am compromising their health!

Summer is soon upon us (hallelujah!), and I don’t bake much in that season. So enjoy these yummy cookies with your children while there is still a chill in the air!

Sprouted flour digests like a vegetable rather than a grain.

Theo’s Classic Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is adapted from The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar and Urmila Desai. If you are familiar with Ayurveda, these cookies are good for calming Vata and Pitta.

Ingredients:

• Natural sweetener (maple sugar or syrup, coconut sugar, or whatever sweetener you are comfortable with). The recipe calls for 1 cup of sweetener, but I found that to be too sweet, and used about 1/2 cup. Experiment and find what works for you and your family.
• ½ cup unsalted butter or ghee, coconut oil, or whatever fat you are comfortable with.
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. powdered ginger (for young children I might skip the spices or just use a little cinnamon; it depends on how adventurous your children are!)
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used sprouted spelt flour for extra nutrition.)
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• ½ cups raisins
• ¼ cup walnuts (Use raw sunflower seeds if you are making them for nut allergic kids.)
• ¼ dates, chopped (These are optional, but if you cut the sugar, dates add a natural sweetness.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter or ghee with sweetener, until smooth.
2. Stir in ginger, cloves, and cinnamon if you are using spices. Next, mix in beaten egg and vanilla.
3. In separate bowl, mix flour, oats, and remaining ingredients. Then stir this dry mixture into the creamy, butter/ghee and beaten egg.
4. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until done (golden brown around the edges).
5. Cool and remove from cookie sheet.
6. It is fun to let the children serve the cookies to family and friends!

Be well,

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The post Spring Baking with Children & Theo’s Classic Oatmeal Cookie Recipe appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Each family has their own unique (and quirky!) traditions when it comes to the holidays. In our family, the kitchen is where we join together and indulge in some fun (and healthy) activities, with all generations present.

Maia and I have always loved baking together. So, when she and her boys were visiting for the lead-up to Thanksgiving, we made 4 pies: apple, pumpkin, banana cream, and pecan. We also whipped some raw cream with maple syrup! The 5-month-old baby had a terrible cold and Maia and her husband were just getting over the same cold. I don’t concern myself with germs because my immune system is pretty robust, and even though I am sometimes around the boys when they have colds, I don’t often catch them.

Well, this time I wasn’t so lucky! We all know that sugar really wreaks havoc on your immune system (see: How to Get Off of the Sugar Seesaw). Professor of evolutionary biology at Harvard University, Dr. Daniel Leiberman, author of The Story of the Human Body,  says, “We don’t have the bodies that are able to cope with those kinds of levels of sugar, and the result is that we get sick.”  Even the natural sugars are too much if you overdo it…which I clearly did! Soon after the kids left, I found myself on the couch, sniffling, sneezing, and aching. (For tips on how to cope, check out 7 Ways to Enjoy a Cold or Flu.)

Since the 1970’s when I gave up eating white sugar and had a miraculous shift in my health, I have never used the bad stuff in my cooking. I use maple syrup or maple sugar for baking and raw honey when I am adding sweetener to something that isn’t baked. The best and healthiest option is to use no concentrated sweeteners and to instead, use fruit to sweeten. Dates and bananas are great options for this. Of course, since I grew up eating desserts on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I still like the tradition of baking beautiful pies, cakes, and cookies. I try to limit it to special occasions and then I have to be very careful not to overindulge!

Well, I indulged a bit too much in all those pies and the whipped cream! I wanted to try them because we had taken some recipes from the New York Times and altered them, using natural sweeteners. Would I have succumbed to the bad cold had I not indulged? Who knows, but it couldn’t have helped!

So even though I am planning to bake cookies for Christmas with my grandsons, I need to watch myself and not get carried away. Lesson learned…again! My grandsons Theo and Felix will help me make these delicious, healthier sand tarts–and I will try to eat just one (or two)!

Nana’s Sand Tarts

Ingredients: 

• ¼ lb butter
• ¾ cup of maple sugar (this is my favorite sweetener, perhaps because I am a Vermonter. You can certainly use other natural sweeteners like Rapadura or Sucanet.)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups of flour (you can use part unbleached white and whole wheat pastry or sprouted wheat to make them healthier)
• ½ tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbls water/milk/cream

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar, then add egg, water/milk/cream and vanilla.
In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients.
Mix thoroughly.
Roll the dough into 1/8 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters.
Decorate with cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple sugar if you like. I also sometimes decorate with raisins and carob chips depending on my grandsons’ tastes.
Bake for 7-10 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

 

Be well,

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