The Nest Collective, home of leading baby, toddler and kids food brands, Plum Organics and Revolution Foods, has announced its partnership with Kia Motors Presents Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!: There’s a Party in My City! as the official tour snack sponsor providing healthy and organic snacks for parents and kids alike. All Yo Gabba Gabba! fans attending the live show will have the opportunity to sample a variety of the great tasting products including Revolution Foods organic fruit Mashups™ and Plum Organics popular fruit and vegetable baby food purees. Both brands will set up a “Party in My Lunchbox” station in each permitting venue where families can sample product, learn about the importance of healthy eating and have their photo taken with Mr. Mashup (the life size version of the popular organic snack Mashups).

Additionally, everyone who purchases a Gabba Party Package will have access to a private meet and greet with the Yo Gabba Gabba! characters and enjoy food and beverages provided by Plum Organics and Revolution Foods while they hang out with the cast. Each Gabba Party Package kid will go home with a lunchbox filled with snacks, coupons, stickers and other fun items that will keep the after-party going all day long.

For complete tour, ticket and VIP Gabba Party Package information, visit www.yogabbagabbalive.com.

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Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa is voluntarily recalling specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by their farms because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis or arthritis.

Eggs affected by this recall were distributed to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. These companies distribute nationwide.

Eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps. Eggs are packed in varying sizes of cartons (6-egg cartons, dozen egg cartons, 18-egg cartons) with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 225 and plant numbers 1026, 1413 and 1946. Dates and codes can be found stamped on the end of the egg carton. The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number. The Julian date follows the plant number, for example: P-1946 223.

There have been confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses relating to the shell eggs and traceback investigations are ongoing.

Consumers who believe they may have purchased these shell eggs should not eat them but should return them to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. This recall is of shell eggs only. Other egg products produced by Wright County Eggs are not affected. Consumers with questions should visit www.eggsafety.org.

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Don’t look now, but back to school is here! Are you ready for one of the biggest challenges for Moms  – preparing school lunches day after day?

Whether you have older children who attend school, or your toddler attends daycare or a preschool program, here are 7 back-to-school lunch tips:

1. Make dinner do double-duty

You’re already in the kitchen preparing your family’s dinner, why not use that time to get a head-start on the next day’s brown bag lunches?

Make a double batch of meals that taste just as good “the morning after”, or cook dishes that can be transformed into something “new”, such as pasta sauce that’s just as yummy as pizza topping (on ready-made crust of course).

To make meal planning easier, take a look at Dine Without Whine. It’s a monthly service for planning your family’s meals and grocery shopping.

2. Include lunches when meal planning

To do tip #1, you need to be more organized. This means including your kids’ lunches when planning your family dinners.

3. Let the kids participate

Lighten your load and teach your children some important life skills at the same time. Even small children can help prepare their lunches.

If morning is too stressful, then make this an after-dinner activity – which brings us to…

4. Make advance preparations

Do whatever you can do ahead of time. For example, cook in batches on the weekend, or put leftovers in packable containers the night before.

5. DIY fast food

Commercial packed lunches are attractive but unhealthy. But who says you can’t make your own? Buy your own colorful and attractive lunch boxes, such as a bento-style lunchbox.

Fill it up with a variety of healthy food. Think of mixing up foods with different textures and colors. And cut them up into small pieces so they’re easy and fast to eat.

6. Soup it Up

Soup makes a quick and healthy lunch. You can cook a large pot in the weekend and pack it in a thermos for a warm and satisfying lunch. Serve with whole wheat bread and some fresh fruit and you’ve got a complete meal!

7. Sprinkle in some fun

Sneak a little surprise into your child’s lunchbox once in a while. It could be a little chocolate treat, stickers, or a sweet note from you. Getting something unexpected makes lunch fun.

With planning and creativity, your children can have healthy, delicious lunches without too much work for you.

For meal planning help, go to Dine Without Whine. It makes meal planning a breeze, while helping you save time and money.

Then you’ll have time and energy for those school lunches.

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If your a busy mom (like most most moms) feeding your toddler the best foods is high on your priority list, but not always the most time efficient.

You can still feed your toddler wholesome, organic meals without any of the stress,
even if you are a mom on the go.

There are a few organic food companies that come to mind when I think of convenience meals for toddlers.

Happy Baby – Premium Organic Baby & Toddler Meals

Peas of Mind – Healthy frozen food for growing kids

Mom Made Meals

Also check out these organic convenience foods for baby and younger toddlers-

Tastybaby

Petite Palate

Bella Baby Foods

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Get into the spirit of 4th of July this weekend with some patriotic toddler treats.

From Family Fun:

Independence Day Pops

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
3 cups vanilla yogurt
Red food coloring
Blue food coloring
Waxed paper
Sugar cones
Popsicle sticks

1. To make a half dozen pops, tint 1/2 cup of the yogurt with red food coloring and 1 1/2 cups with blue food coloring. Leave the rest plain.

2. Make waxed paper cone liners by folding six 12-inch square sheets into triangles, wrapping each around a sugar cone, and using tape to hold the shape. Then place the paper cones inside the sugar cones.

Step 4 – Independence Day Pops 3. Fill each cone with 1 tablespoon red yogurt, followed by 2 tablespoons white yogurt, then 3 tablespoons blue yogurt. Insert a Popsicle stick and freeze the pops until firm, about 4 hours, using the cone box to keep them upright (as shown).

Fruit Flag

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
29 large strawberries
30 large blackberries
7 or so large bananas
Lemon juice

1. Hull and halve 29 large strawberries and set them aside.

2. Arrange 30 large blackberries, as shown, in the upper left corner of a serving tray or cutting board (it should be at least 8 by 13 inches).

3. Cut 58 banana slices, 3/4-inch-thick, into a bowl. Sprinkle on lemon juice and toss the slices gently with a rubber spatula to keep them from browning.

4. Assemble the banana slices in rows as shown and top each slice with a strawberry half.

Check out Family Fun for more 4th of July crafts and recipes!

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Parenting a toddler with a food allergy can be a real struggle, especially at snack time when cookies and other treats are usually off limits.

Now there is a solution: HomeFree has launched a new brand of organic, ready-to-eat, whole grain cookies and coffee cakes free of common food allergens including peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and eggs.

HomeFree products are:

-Free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and dairy
-Certified whole grain – each cookie serving contains at least ½ serving of whole grains
-Certified organic
-Fine for most people allergic to wheat (not gluten-free; contain oats)
-Fine for most people allergic to soy (most contain soy lecithin)
-Baked and packaged in a dedicated bakery
-Allergen tested
-Without trans fat or cholesterol
-Without corn sweeteners, artificial colors, artificial flavors, MSG, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Certified vegan (oatmeal cookies, and coffee cakes)
Certified kosher pareve

Even for a child (or adult) without allergies, HomeFree baked goods are a nutritious alternative to traditional cookies and cakes.

You can purchase HomeFree products at select Whole Foods, and online at www.homefreetreats.com.

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When was the last time your family had a meal together?

I don’t mean sitting in the car munching on burgers from the
drive-through. I mean sitting down at the table and sharing
a home-cooked meal.

If you can’t remember when you last enjoyed a family dinner,
make plans to have them more often. Experts have found – and
continue to discover – plenty of benefits for both children
and adults when families have dinner together at least three
times a week.

I know…I know, it’s not always easy, so click here if you need help with meal planning and
grocery shopping.

Here are 10 reasons why you should have family meals more often:

Good For The Body

1. When families eat together, everyone tends to eat
healthier. People who have frequent family meals consume
more calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E. It
could be because home-cooked meals are healthier than fast
food and restaurant meals. (Source: Archives of Family
Medicine)

2. Children tend to eat more fruits and vegetables when they
frequently have dinner with their families. They also tend
to eat fewer snack foods. (Source: American Dietetic
Association)

3. Children in families who eat dinner together are less
likely to be overweight (Source: Archives of Pediatrics &
Adolescent Medicine). This makes sense, given the findings
in #1 and #2 above.

Good For The Brain

4. Children from families who eat meals together get better
grades than their peers who don’t have lots of family meal
times (Source: Lou Harris-Reader’s Digest National Poll).
So family dinners are not only good for the body; they’re
also good for the brain.

5. When families eat together frequently, children have
better language skills compared to kids from families who
don’t have family mealtimes often. (Source: Harvard
University)

Good For Emotional Health

6. Children of families who eat together report feeling
happier and are more optimistic about the future, than their
peers who have infrequent family meals. (Source: Lou Harris-
Reader’s Digest National Poll)

7. Teenagers are less likely to use drugs, smoke, and drink
alcoholic drinks, when their families eat together
regularly. (Source: Columbia University)

8. It may come as a surprise, but among Moms who work
outside the home, those who have family mealtimes reported
feeling less stress than those who had family dinners less
often. (Source: Family and Consumer Sciences Research
Journal)

9. The more often teen girls had meals with their families,
the less likely they were to have symptoms of depression and
suicidal behaviors. (Source: University of Minnesota)

Good For Family Bonding

10. Eating together gives family members the chance to
communicate and build relationships, something that both
adults and children appreciate very much. (Source: Nutrition
Education Network of Washington & Oprah Winfrey’s “Family
Dinner Experiment”)

I hope these reasons motivate you and your family to try and
eat together more often.

We’re all busy – But as the list above shows, family meals are worth every effort we put into them.
It helps to plan ahead so that we’re not scrambling to get dinner ready or panicking because we don’t have all the ingredients we need.

To make it easier to get the family around the table with a home-cooked meal, check out Dine Without Whine’s Menu Planning Service. It cost just a penny to try it out!

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The Kellogg company has issues a precautionary recall on both Keebler, and Austin brand peanut butter crackers. The peanut butter that is purchased from an outside company, Peanut Corporation of America, is under investigation for salmonella contamination.

Stores have already started to remove the crackers from the shelves, but you will need to look in your pantries and throw out any crackers you have on hand to be safe.

Types of crackers include- Toasted Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Crackers, Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate Sandwich Crackers.

If you have any questions about the recall you can contact Kellogg Consumer Response Center at 1-888-314-2060

http://kelloggs.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=230

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Print out this coupon and take it to your local Super Target for a Free Box of HappyBites, healthy organic toddler meals.

Click here to open coupon in a new window and print

This coupon expires 12/21/08 and is limited to one box per family.

7 Delicious flavors to choose from:

- Yes Peas & Thank You Carrots
- Smarter Squash & Wiser Apple
- Grrreat Greens & Easy-Being-Green Beans
- Chick Chick
- Baby Dhal & Mama Grain
- Super Salmon & Regular Prunes
- Gobble Gobble & Paradise Puree

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