New WINTER BEACH CARROT CAKE recipe honors Joel Bray

Paradise Greetings,

Yesterday was the first birthday party that Growing Healthy Kids conducted with Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program. Youth Guidance throws a birthday party every 3 months for the kids they serve who have had a birthday during that quarter. It was also the first (mostly indoor) program I've done since our monthly programs began in September 2009. To make the day special, I created a gluten-free mini-carrot cake recipe using some very special carrots. Here's the carrot story...

The carrots were grown by Joel Bray, a man on a mission to create food security in Indian River County, Florida. Joel farms 2-1/2 acres of land by himself and gives away the food. I first heard about Joel last year from my friend, Angi, who is on the Growing Healthy Kids board of directors. Angi talked with Joel and he donated the dirt used in the very first teaching gardens built at the Boys and Girls Club. About 2 months ago I helped prepare food from Joel's garden for a lunch at his place so we could show a handful of community leaders what one man is doing to grow food and feed people. That day, Joel told us, "Find me land and I will clear it and grow food to give away. I will teach others how to grow food." This week, someone donated 10 acres to Joel and he has already begun clearing it. Last week I had a dinner for more community leaders so we can get more land into food production. On Wednesday I received the news that we have received a small grant for a large teaching garden at the Dasie Hope Center in Wabasso. Joel will be helping us there so we can feed many and teach many. This week we eliminated the barrier for moving forward with a one acre garden at the elementary school (where we launched the Salad Party Revolution) with the county's second highest rate of kids receiving free and reduced lunches (87.73% of all the school's kids) through the generosity of one man who is now part of our vision to grow food security. That is how we will be able to get kids out of the McDonald's cycle of obesity.

Joel is amazing. This one man is growing all this food and giving it away. While so many people are focused on "food insecurities", this man is creating food security. Be the change you want to see. We will grow healthy foods so people can eat healthy foods. Carrots grown by Joel Bray in Winter Beach, a small community between Vero Beach and Sebastian, were the inspiration for the recipe I created to honor children who had a birthday. Joel's carrots - and all the other veggies he grows so well - are Growing Healthy Kids - and families. Thank you, Joel.

A copy of the "WINTER BEACH CARROT CAKE" recipe will be included with each Growing Healthy Kids chef apron (includes superpowers). Go to www.HealthyDiabetesCoach.com/kids before July 31.

Growing Healthy Kids - improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one garden and one child at a time.

To your perfect health,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

Bridal Boot Camp Premier Helps Growing Healthy Kids

Paradise Greetings,

What a great, fun evening! Last night was the debut of the VH1 reality series, Bridal Boot Camp starring Vero Beach's own Steve Pfiester! Party and gala to recognize his great work in the show and to hear some of the inside scoop about the making of the series. Party at Coste d'Este, Gloria Estefan's glorious beach hotel, then off to the beautiful Majestic Theater to watch the premiere on the big screen.

Transforming overweight and obese women who are about to marry to healthier weights. Such an important message, not just for a reality TV show, but for all girls and women because of what we know about obese women developing gestational diabetes and having larger than normal babies at higher risk for birth defects. Educating girls and women about the importance of getting to healthier weights - and staying there - so that if and when they decide to have children, those children will enter this world healthy, not sick.

The best part, for me, was the surprise that the proceeds from the event will benefit Growing Healthy Kids so we can continue to educate children and the adults who surround them about how to eat healthier and moving more with our garden-based education programs. Thank you, Steve (and Bonnie) Pfiester of Longevity Fitness Club (www.longevityclubs.com) for recognizing the work of Growing Healthy Kids to improve the health - and lives - of children, one garden and one child at a time. Let's "give the boot" to childhood obesity!!

To your perfect health,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

First Annual Growing Healthy Kids Recipe Contest

Paradise Greetings,

What is YOUR favorite vegetable?? In honor of vegetables and the #1 favorite kid food, macaroni and cheese, Growing Healthy Kids is having its first annual Recipe Contest. In partnership with Annie's Homegrown Foods, kids in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian River County and all kids in Indian River County have been invited to create a recipe using Annie's mac and cheese and at least one vegetable. Creativity is highly encouraged because to enjoy great food requires creativity. We are showing kids how to find the flavors they enjoy and then get them hooked on health! Two recipe contest winners will be selected - one boy and one girl. Both winners will one of the highly prized Growing Healthy Kids chef aprons (because they contain magical powers) plus movie passes and more.

Did I tell you that there is so much excitement with this project that kids actually have been storming the door when they see my car pull up into the parking lot? They are having so much fun and are just so excited about our weekly Growing Healthy Kids program. Why can't schools do the same thing instead of saying, "We're meeting the USDA standards". Blah, blah, blah.

Let's take kids' infectious energy and create transformational change so BIG that everyone will be storming down the doors to learn how to make delicious foods that make you strong, smart, and healthy. What a great visual image -- can you see it?? Kids all over America running to be early to their healthy cooking classes! YES, YES! The pictures I am sharing today are from two of my recent programs, one in Vero Beach where the kids were invited to help one of our local farmers sell vegetables to his regular customers and the other in Sebastian at the Boys and Girls Club.

Who do you know who could use magical powers for Growing Healthy Kids? Get them their own hooked-on-healthy Chef Apron (and support our work to halt and reverse childhood obesity). Go to www.HealthyDiabetesCoach.com/kids to put the magic into YOUR kids' kitchen!

To your perfect health,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

The Salad Party Revolution Begins at Vero Beach Elementary School!

Paradise Greetings,

Last Wednesday was a great day. It was the day of the First Giant Salad Party for the hundred 3rd grade students at Vero Beach Elementary School. It was a beautiful thing seeing 100 kids eating their vegetables and begging for seconds!! Featuring locally grown vegetables from Kevin O'Dare (Osceola Organics) and Joel Bray (who farms 2 acres of land and gives away the vegetables to those in need), Dr. Ken, from Jupiter, FL., talked with the kids about making healthy food choices. He selected 3 kids to be the chefs of the day. After donning chefs hats and Growing Healthy Kids chef aprons, the trio learned how to make a sharp vinaigrette dressing for their Salad Party. All the kids took home the recipe!

Salad Party Sharp Vinaigrette:
Mix together in a bowl:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground pepper
2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
Beat in gradually with a whisk or fork:
1/2 cup extra virgin oil oil
You can also whip all the ingredients in a blender at high speed for several minutes.

Here's what you need to know: We need fats -- the GOOD fats (called "unsaturated"), like olive oil. Other good fats are fish (especially wild salmon), avocados, nuts (especially walnuts), olives, and flax seeds. Most of our fat calories should be from these foods. If getting to a healthier weight is on your "to do" list, then cut back on the fat calories you are eating. Use less butter. Use less ranch dressing, use more vinaegrette dressings ("Just Say No to Ranch Dressing" -- can you see it on a bumper sticker??). Switch from 2% milk to 1% milk. Or switch from 1% milk to almond milk. Use less cheese. Eat less meat and eat more fish. You can get frozen wild salmon filets at Walmart now.

Thank you to Andrea Tabor and Erin Mullen from EAT, the Happy, Healthy Lunch Box, for partnering with me for this event. Thank you to Dr. Ken. It was loads of fun! Thank you to our volunteers, Cindy McCall and Barbara Petrillo, the teachers, the principal, Mrs. Swanson, and most of all the KIDS!!! You're all awesome!

What you can do: call your local elementary school and find out how many kids are enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. At Vero Beach Elementary, 87.73% of the kids are on the program (the second highest rate in Indian River County), with a whopping 80% on the FREE LUNCH PROGRAM. Families are hurting with job losses and feeding our children healthy foods is our priority. Call your school and tell them you want Growing Healthy Kids to hold a Giant Salad Party. Call your elected officials and tell them we need better food choices for the school lunch programs for kids on free and reduced meals. For some of these kids, this is all they eat in a day.

Growing Healthy Kids - improving the health - and lives - of children, one garden and one child at a time.

To your perfect health.
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

New Growing Healthy Kids chef apron has superpowers!

Paradise greetings,

Kids learn from adults, but how are they supposed to learn to eat healthy foods when we're lining up at McDonalds for our empty calories with added fat, sugar, and salt?

Learn how to choose healthy foods, cook healthy foods, and eat healthy foods. We make it simple, as simple as drinking a glass of water. As soon as you put on the new Growing Healthy Kids chef apron, you will be receive superpowers for Growing Healthy Kids. Be amazing, be powerful, be healthy. Be part of our commitment to halt and reverse childhood obesity.

Because our children's health and lives depend on it.

Chef apron now available at www.HealthyDiabetesCoach.com/kids. Includes recipe for Growing Healthy Kids.

Growing Healthy Kids - improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one garden and one child at a time.

To your perfect health.

Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

Peanut Butter: Added Fat Equals Extra Pounds

Paradise Greetings,

Busy week. The White House released its report on Childhood Obesity. Check it out and decide where you can make a difference: http://www.letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html. There will be a pop quiz next blog - with prizes - so pay attention!! We're talking about our children's health and lives here...

How much do YOU love peanut butter? I love peanut butter. Always have, always will. Nut butters in general are great. I love almond butter and cashew butter. The only ingredient in the best ones is the nut. Nuts contain the "good" fat called unsaturated fats. We need fats. Fats, protein, and carbohydrates keep us going. If you eat too much fat, even the good fats, you will gain weight.

Fat contains 9 calories a gram, vs 4 calories a gram for protein and carbs. For the big kids reading this, alcohol contains 7 calories a gram. So, when your goal is to get to a healthier weight (America, are you listening???), cutting back on the fat calories is the first step.

This week one of the Growing Healthy Kids classes I did in conjunction with the Treasure Coast-Vero Beach Kiwanis Club was a lesson on making healthy snacks for teenagers. I brought in the ingredients for making PB&B sandwiches (peanut butter and banana) using whole grain bread.

I brought in 3 kinds of peanut butter and taught the kids how to read the food labels. The one peanut butter that the kids gravitated to first (those advertising and placement dollars at work) is the one that has ADDED TRANS FAT, as identified by those two key words, "partially hydrogenated". The only peanut butter I allowed them to open and use was the one that only had 2 ingredients, compared to the other 2 which had 5 and 6 ingredients each, including added fats and added sugar.

So, your lesson today is to count the ingredients on the peanut butter in YOUR food pantry. Less is more. Less ingredients is more health. By the way, the peanut butter the kids used to make their peanut butter and banana sandwiches was Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter. Not the Jif. Not the Peter Pan.

This week was special for another reason: the launch of the Growing Healthy Kids chef apron. Net proceeds support the garden-based education program and healthy kids cooking classes. Go to www.HealthyDiabetesCoach.com/kids.

Growing Healthy Kids - improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one garden and one child at a time.

To your perfect health,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

Bring on the Veggies! Kid Power!

Paradise greetings,

What a busy week this has been for Growing Healthy Kids. So many veggies to chop. So many salads to make. So many flatbreads to roll. So many kids to get healthy!!!
The pictures you see are from our latest project, in partnership with Kiwanis Club, at Hibiscus Children's Center in Vero Beach. Last week's classes were great and the gardens are growing. The kids were not shy about stepping up to be the master chefs. They learned about reading food labels and how easy it is to make really healthy sandwiches that taste great. We used the "Flatout" breads with 90 calories per flatbread and a whopping 9 grams of dietary fiber! These makes EXCELLENT pizza crusts!!

One girl, watching the other kids chop yellow and red peppers, tomatoes, spinach, and English cucumbers, asked if I'd brought any "lunch meats" for the sandwiches. I told her I didn't, but she could make the rollups with her favorite meats. When she decided to make a rollup with the ingredients provided for the class, she had a bite, smiled and said the best thing ever, "This is GOOD!"

Focus on making one small change a week. Make this week's change to eat one more fruit or veggie each day.

Growing Healthy Kids is about improving the health - and lives - of children, one child and one garden at a time.

To your perfect health!
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids