Thursday, February 23, 2012

I *Heart* Annie Chun's Seaweed Snacks!

I am so sick of all the candy, salt, and dessert-laden parties that are going on at my kids school! Just this week he brought home information for the cleverly named, "Chips and Donuts" party they are having (or as I call it, the Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Party). I was randomly assigned to bring juice boxes. Of course, I will be buying organic apple juice but does it really matter when I will be competing with the likes of capri sun, gatorade, and other artificially sweetened, chemically-laden products?! Not to mention the rest of the signup list included the likes of cheetohs, donuts, potato chips, etc.

Ugh. Just last week was that darned Valentine's Day party where he came home with a bag of candy! Don't people give Valentine's anymore? We want to give each other tasty food, it's part of our culture to enjoy food with friends. I get that! But the food we traditionally eat is killing us. Currently, your chances of getting cancer in this country is you eat the typical Standard American Diet (SAD) are 1 out of 2!!

We don't have to stop enjoying food together. There are a million healthy foods we could share at a party. For example: fruit salad, hummus and veggie sticks, veggie pizza, whole grain blueberry muffins...

So, what is a parent to do? I for one am not giving in. I am determined to keep all the crap out of my house. If he gets some at school or at a party, fine. But he is here 85% of the time so hopefully what he eats here and the example and teachings I give him at home will be enough. For now I am determined to find and stock up on snacks that are cheap, quick, and nutritious (not necessarily in that order). Here is what we do as far as snacks for the kids:

  • lots of fruit, bowls of it! Apples, pears, bananas at eye level on the kitchen table...
  • dried fruit: raisins, prunes, cranberries, banana chips, dates..
  • seaweed snacks! Annie Chun's are on sale at my local grocery for .99/package. My 10 year old LOVES these with a passion. And they couldn't be more healthier! I happily give him these whenever he asks. Seaweeds are one of the most beneficial vegetables on the planet! These are actually really yummy and satisfy that crunchy, salty, fat craving of chips.
  • organic wheat crackers or pretzels (try to use sparingly)
  • granola bars (check ingredient list. I like Barbara's fruit bars and Zkids by Cliff)
So, back to my dilemma regarding the Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes party...I think I am going to go ahead and bring the juice boxes I planned and a little something extra: a few packages of Annie Chun's Seaweed Snacks! I would bet anything that all the kids will love them as much as my picky 10 year old. In fact, I am going to use reverse psychology to make sure they do. Here is my plan: I will bring a few packages of the seaweed. Not enough for everyone. With chips and donuts being ubiquitous, the seaweed will be a novelty...and hopefully the center of attention. Peer pressure can be a good thing: watch!

2 comments:

  1. LOL! I love your sneaky plan with the seaweed chips!

    Make sure you brush and floss teeth very well after consuming dried fruits. They stick to teeth!

    I vote also for this kale chip recipe
    http://prideandvegudice.com/2011/06/12/cheesy-kale-chips/

    Instead of fried and over salted chips! I have yet to try a recipe like that as we do not have kale in Greece (looks like I need to add gardening to my long list of things I diy!).

    ReplyDelete
  2. YES to the kale chips! Actually I can't believe I haven't mentioned it here yet but we have been doing lots of kale chips lately...just ripping the leaves off and baking with a light dusting of nutritional yeast...Kendall and Kaylee LOVE them! I think the seaweed chips are a better start for non-vegan kids though...being that they are fried and salted, albeit lightly.

    and yes, brushing and flossing are happning. I finally got Kendall to stop eating the floss! : /

    ReplyDelete