People have been asking me a lot lately how I juggle it all–two kids, a husband, a best selling book, the second book coming out soon, all of the recent media attention around the whole "other book thing"("OBT" ; )  etc.

My answer is always the same: I only have two kids. Lots of moms juggle 3 or more, or they have one or two and a full time job!  I mean it. Writing books and doing interviews pales in comparison to what so many moms are dealing with on a daily basis, 24/7. So the question should really posed to them, "How do you do it all?!" 

My mom had four of us, and let me tell you she had her hands full. I didn't appreciate just how full until I had my own kids, of course. It's as rewarding as it is demanding, that's for sure. But there can be no mistake–raising children is the most demanding job of all. I don't know any parent who would disagree with me.

In comparison, writing a book and talking with interviewers can all be neatly scheduled, in time slots that work for me. I can write late at night or early in the morning when it's quiet and I can concentrate. I can schedule interviews for times when I know the children are in school or with Rick.

There's some flexibility in my daily schedule and the energy is always there for the things I love: my family, and creating healthy recipes in my kitchen that people, young and old, will really love. These things have their own rewards. Talking with moms whose lives are really better now, or seeing kids gobble up healthy stuff that they wouldn't otherwise touch with a 10 foot pole... I get energy from positive experiences like that in my life.  It's essentially the giving that empowers me. When my focus is on others, everything flows.

Have a happy, and grateful, Thanksgiving Holiday!

Missy

Hi Everyone,

This week's question is right up my alley:

AhearnMichelle wrote:

"Help!!! How do I get my 19 month old boy to eat any sort of veggies?"

What better question to ask The Queen of Sneak?

Here's the quick answer: get yourself a copy of The Sneaky Chef: Simply Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kid's Favorite Meals." I wrote an entire book on this very topic. I'm not just hawking it here. This is a How-To manual for parents. It's the product of 5 years of research and experimentation that started with  one of the pickiest eaters on the face of the earth, my daughter, Samantha. It's now been tested on thousands of kids worldwide and to put it simply, it works.

It contains all kinds of ways to get your kids to eat veggies, including "methods of disguise," "pureeing," "flavor decoys," and many more. There are also over 85 recipes loaded with veggies, whole grains, beans and fresh fruits that will be completely undetectible by kids.

When it comes to something as important as the foods that our children are building their bodies from, get the book. Someone wrote to me and said, "For less then what our family pays for lunch at a fast food restaurant, we now have a lifetime of good eating in our hands."

People write to me that they are living out of this book. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. They're making every recipe as healthy as it can be. And when I think about it, why not?

You can get your 19 month old, or any kid, to eat every healthy vegetable on earth by using this How-To manual. It hasn't failed yet, and it will transform your mealtimes into peaceful experiences again. No more begging and bribing, or even threatening your kids to eat their vegetables. And you can still offer them the whole veggies straight up, explaining how healthy they are. But now, it's without the pressure of feeling that if they they refuse to eat them day after day, they're going to be malnourished. It makes the teaching experience so much easier for both parents and kids. What child can, or should, learn under pressure like that?

You can also visit my website at www.TheSneakyChef.com for free recipes, tips and information. It's a great place to start. There's also blogs from parents of picky eaters, news articles about nutrition, links to other resources like books, products, etc.

Enjoy your family!  : )

Missy

 

Hi Everyone,

This week's question involves making milk more flavorful, while making it tastier as well.

WilMom wrote:

"Plain milk... bleh!

"My 18 Mth Old recently decided she doesn't like milk anymore (warm or cold) and just dribbles it out and plays with it. I tried adding flavors and this will get her to drink it. What is the best way to flavor milk without too much sugar?"

This is a popular issue, and I included a section on it in my book, The Sneaky Chef:

"The popularity of flavored milk has soared recently, since fast-food chains replaced plain milk in paper cartons with plastic bottles of sweet flavored milks. As of 2006, fast-food chains have sold an average of more than 5 million units per week, compared to the 690,000 units per week that were sold when the milk was offered in paper cartons.

"This is both a blessing and a curse. Flavored milk does give children the calcium they need, in a form they’ll actually drink, and may crowd out less healthy beverages such as soda and fruit drinks. One study reported by the American Dietetic Association certainly found that children who consume flavored milk have higher calcium intakes than those who don’t. However, this beverage comes with a price, since in general, flavored milks contain loads of artificial flavors and colors, along with sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup.
The following recipes offer all of the benefits with none of the disadvantages. Kids are drinking more milk, but these are sweetened with nutrient-dense real fruit juices and contain no artificial ingredients."

Strawberry, blueberry, and chocolate-cherry are definite favorites.

Add 6-8 tablespoons of blueberry, strawberry or cherry juice to 2 cups of milk. The best juices come from recipes in The Sneaky Chef, but you can also buy them ready-made in the store if you don't have a book. Depending on whether they already contain a sweetener, you may want to add a little of your own, like sugar, agave, stevia, honey, etc.

Enjoy in good health!

Missy