TROPICAL CARROT CAKES FOR GROWING HEALTHY KIDS (AND FAMILIES)

Parents, 

I often write about how much sugar we as Americans are eating (156 pounds a year - YIKES) and that too much sugar is the major contributor to our obesity crisis.  

Do most of us eat too much sugar?  Yes.  Is a little bit of sugar OK?  Yes.

A couple of weeks ago I entered the 3rd Annual Jeanne Graves Charity Cupcake Challenge, a benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation and a tribute to a mother who taught her daughters the love of baking in the family kitchen and lost her life to Parkinson's disease.  

Elliott Alley, an 8-year old student at Osceola Magnet School in Vero Beach, FL.

Meet Elliott Alley.  He and his parents stopped by our table for a sample.  Elliott's mom told me, "He is really, really picky and he doesn't eat vegetables."  I told Elliott I really would like his opinion because our cupcakes had carrots in them.  He surprised his parents by having a taste.  His parents were really surprised when he stated, "This is really good!"  

Many people stopped by our table for a sample and exclaimed how delicious, moist, and favorful they were. The cakes, featuring coconut and brown rice flours, got more rave reviews from many testers when they found out they are "gluten-free".  I talked with several people who talked about having family members who have celiac disease and cannot eat foods containing the protein in certain grains, like wheat, that trigger symptoms.  

Tropical Carrot Cakes before the cream cheese frosting.

We used carrot slices cut in the shape of a heart as a simple decoration.

So here is the recipe for Tropical Carrot Cakes for Growing Healthy Kids (and families) as featured in the 3rd Annual Jeanne Graves Charity Cupcake Challenge.  Enjoy!

TROPICAL CARROT CAKES

Cake Ingredients:

�         2 eggs + 2 egg whites

�         1/2 cup vegetable oil

�         � cup apple sauce

�         1 cup brown sugar

�         � cup agave nectar

�         1 8-oz. can of crushed pineapple

�         3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

�         1- � cup brown rice flour

�         4 Tablespoons coconut flour

�         2 teaspoons baking soda

�         2 teaspoons baking powder

�         1/2 teaspoon salt

�         3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

�         1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

�         3 cups grated carrots, grate on larger side of cheese grater

�         1 cup chopped walnuts

      Frosting Ingredients:

�         8 oz. cream cheese, softened

�         3 cups confectioners' sugar

�         4 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

�         Fresh coconut, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, brown sugar, agave nectar, pineapple and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in carrots. Fold in walnuts. Pour into muffin tins lined with beautiful paper or foil liners. Fill each liner 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 min. Let cupcakes cool completely. While cooling, prepare frosting.

Frosting: 
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon juice*. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Spread frosting high on the cooled cupcakes.  Garnish with toasted coconut if desired.

*For demonstration purposes, Natalie�s Orchid Island Orange Juice was used in the preparation of this recipe.  

Epidemiologist Nancy Heinrich is best known as the founder of Growing Healthy Kids, Inc., a nonprofit organization which creates solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic.  Her latest book is NOURISH AND FLOURISH: Kid-Tested and Approved Tips and Recipes to Prevent Diabetes (available at www.amazon.com).

TEACHING KIDS (and parents) HOW TO EAT HEALTHY

True story.  This afternoon I volunteered to teach a class for a former coworker from Florida Department of Health.  She had asked me to do �my magic thing� in the kitchen as part of her grant program.  So I showed up with several bags of vegetables and the desire to empower kids for rest of their lives. 

At the appointed time, seven kids came into the kitchen from their summer program next door.  Then someone said to me, �There�s people here in the lobby for your cooking class, do you have room?�  Five more people.  Another twelve people a few minutes later.

Then I heard one of the adult summer program staff say to a teen boy nearby, �You can�t go in there, there�s not enough room.�  I heard the boy gently say, �But I want to go to the cooking class!�

STOP RIGHT THERE!  Who are we to deny a child a unique, fun opportunity to learn how to take responsibility for their own health?  I immediately stepped out of the kitchen, told the adult staff it was OK and asked the boy I�d love to have him attend.  Enough said.  LET THE MAGIC BEGIN!

Jump ahead 90 minutes to the end of the class when I asked the kids these questions:

�Which vegetable did you like best?�

�Was it easy to make?�

 �Do you think you can make this at home now?�

�Will you teach your parents to eat more vegetables as a result of attending this class?� 

Here is the recipe I made with the kids this afternoon.  It�s a simple, healthy twist on America�s favorite-PIZZA.  We used Thomas English Muffins (�Triple Health�) containing a whooping 6 grams of dietary fiber per muffin.  The kids (and their parents) learned about good carbs (dietary fiber, vegetables, beans, lentils, fruit) and bad carbs (refined sugar, soda).  They learned that dietary fiber is what fills you up.  They learned if you eat pizza from Papa Johns, Dominos, and Little Caesars you�re getting dough made from white flour with no fiber.  

Most of these kids have never been taught how to slice a green pepper or how easy it is to make your own pizza sauce.  They know now.  I also taught their parents that when you engage kids and teach them how to help in the kitchen, they are not afraid to try new foods, like green peppers.   I taught 2 boys how to cut up a green pepper �julienne� style and then everyone wanted to try it and loved it!  All of these kids had never been told that all the sodas and sweet teas they are drinking every day can cause them to not concentrate in school or cause them to get the same �touch of sugar� (diabetes) that some of their parents have.  Now they know, because while their dinner was baking, I taught them a lesson about how much hidden sugar is in what they drink everyday.  You had to be there to see the looks on the faces of the parents when I finished the sugar lesson.  POWERFUL!

It was a magical afternoon.  From the teen who wanted to be in the healthy cooking class to the mother who profusely thanked me 6 times afterwards to the little boy who had never tasted fresh blueberries before.  From the shy little girl who learned how to split whole grain muffins to the kids who took the flavor challenge and added a  dollop of pesto to their pizzas�THANK YOU FOR THE MAGIC!

And in case you are curious, here is the recipe we made this afternoon.  Now go make some magic with your own kids!

 GROWING HEALTHY KIDS:  Healthy Pizza

Ingredients:

• �        6 English muffins, split in half
• �        1 large can tomato paste (plus garlic powder, parsley flakes, and water)
• �        2 cups mozzarella cheese
• �        1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
• �        � small onion, thinly sliced
• �        12 portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• �        1 small can sliced black olives
• �        Pesto (optional)

Directions:

• �        Split muffins in half.
• �        Place muffins on baking tray.
• �        Spread pizza sauce (or tomato sauce).
• �        Add toppings of your choice.
• �        Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until done. 
• �        Serve with a chopped green salad or fresh fruit salad. 
• �        Serves 6.  Enjoy!

Choosing toppings for her healthy pizza

Nancy teaches a boy how to julienne a green pepper (with grandma's approval)

HOW MANY SPOONS OF SUGAR IN THAT SWEET TEA????

Thank you for helping us improve the health - and lives - of America's  children.

Nancy Heinrich