Earth Day for Kids

So it's Earth Day today.  What exactly does that mean?  Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. 

As a mother, I think it's a great opportunity to teach our children about the importance of taking care of and respecting the environment.  Whether it be a discussion about how and where our food comes from, what we can do to keep our cities clean or simple ways to conserve in our own homes, I think this holiday is one with a very valid potential lesson and an extremely worthy celebrity.

The Lemond Dot Tree by DA Schwartz is a book that can help bring that lesson home in a sweet and simple way that even our little ones will understand.

The book is available through the Lemon Dots website, on Amazon and on Kindle (with an Earth Day special) and at Whole Foods in Lincoln Park in Chicago and in Town and Country in St. Louis.

The author also produces adorable art available on the website (it's hard to tell but the "play" and "sail" are printed in gold...nice touch)!

You can find more inspiration from The Lemon Dot's on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Happy Earth Day!

Carrot Almond Flour Muffins: gluten & grain free and naturally low sugar

Muffins can be one of the least healthy foods we eat.  Many of us are tricked by the words "blueberry", "pumpkin" or "7 grain" but in reality, muffins generally have a LOT of sugar and aren't so nourishing.  The Bountiful Blueberry Muffin from Starbucks, for example, has 55g of refined carbohydrates including 29 grams of sugar (that's over 7 tsp).  I've talked about sugar and carbohydrates in posts here and here and if you've read those posts, you know that Americans (and especially most children) are getting way too much sugar and that sugar is now thought to be a major (if not THE major) contributor to diseases from heart disease to diabetes and the inflammatory process behind those and many other issues.

These simple and delicious Carrot Almond Flour Muffins (adapted from The Sweet Beet) that my 4 year old and I made this morning are a great family-friendly healthy muffin.  Sam has had 3 today and said they are "super yummy" and he's a tough critic these days!

Carrot Almond Flour Muffins:

2 cups almond flour (I get this from the bulk section at Whole Foods for about $1.50/cup)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1 cup grated carrot

1/2 ripe banana

1/3 cup melted grass-fed butter or coconut oil

2-3 Tbsp real maple syrup or honey (we used honey)

2 Tbsp water

Mix the dry ingredients and wet separately, then pour the wet into the dry and stir to combine.  Grease the muffin tins and cook at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe makes about 9 muffins, each with less than 4 grams of sugar per serving and zero refined anything!  They would make a great breakfast or snack on-the-go.

Enjoy!