Hello! I'm still here!

     We've just returned from our time at Pleasant Bay Camp, where I was once again the camp cook! 

      It was a good experience again, and my stress levels were waaaaaaay down from last year. One reason for that was that it wasn't an unknown (even though there are many variables in planning, prepping, and serving food to large numbers) because I'd already done the cooking at this camp last year, and also this year was a lot easier ("easier"-it's still a lot of hard work with long, long hours!) because I had adult help! I loved my kitchen staff from last summer, but it wasn't until this year where I had consistent grown-up help that I went "ooohhhhh....last summer was extra stressful, and extra work because I had (wonderful, sweet) teens helping me who knew nothing. Nothing!".

        Anywho, one struggle I had last year planning the menu, and this year with updating and simplifying it, was nutrition. These kids at camp are outdoors basically all day, are in the sun, are swimming, boating, waterskiing, tubing, rock-wall climbing, walking and running, playing on the playground, the list goes on and on, and these kids need food that is fuel! Summer camp cooking can be hard because of budgets, and the number of staff available to do fruit & veggie prep work. But I was blessed both last summer and this to be able to buy good food for the kids, and the staff to get fresh fruits and vegetables out to the kids and staff every day, and at every meal. 

​       Back in the spring, Katie Cruz from Consider Digital asked if she could write a guest post for me at Bushel & A peck, and after looking over some of her writing, and considering the topics she wanted to write about, I thought that an article about nutrition for child athletes would be perfect! I have Abigail & Keziah in soccer in the spring, and so I am feeling first hand the need for fitness nutrition, and I’m also with a lot of other Moms and Dads who, in the rush to make it to practices and games, often let the nutrition of their kids suffer.
 
      And with trying to plan meals that would be nutritionally sound for the active campers I was charged with feeding, I thought this article was perfect for me, and worthy of sharing! Also, I am a "soccer mom", and I watched kids come to games and practices who hadn't had anything to eat in hours, or (even worse) they'd shovelled back a McDonald's Happy Meal on the car ride over. I'd overhead conversations like "what do you want for supper after practice? Pizza? Happy meal?". As though those were the only options. I'm not here to pass judgement, because I know how hard it can be to feed kids that are on the go, and my kids have eaten their fair share of happy meals, but when it comes to kids expelling extra energy, feeding them well is so important. If you had a race car, would you just siphon fuel out of any old vehicle to give to your car? Not likely. Kids need good food as fuel, so enjoy this article from Katie, and let me know what you think, or if you have any helpful tips you want to share! 
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Nutrition Advice For Child Athletes
 
      This article is for the soccer parents out there who give their unwavering support to their children from the sidelines. Shouting the loudest, jumping the highest and giving their children everything they need in order to succeed in the sporting arena. Back in the day, sports nutrition was relatively new to everyone with most being unaware of the physical benefits it could provide in performance.
 
       Parents strive to give their little sports stars all the tools they need to be the best they can be. This should also include giving them the right food for pre-game energy and post-game recovery. To understand what type of meals you should be fuelling your child’s engine with for sport competitions, read the recommended tips in this article.
 
    Through it all, remember to take care of yourself too. More on real food here!

Nutritional Needs of Child Athletes
 
      Little sports stars have a higher energy and fluid requirement because they are involved in all-day competitions and strenuous endurance sports like competitive swimming. Besides getting the right amount of calories, it takes a variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals to keep young athletes performing at their best: 
 

• Calcium helps build strong bones to resist breaking and stress fractures. Low-fat dairy products like yogurt and cheese as well as leafy green vegetables such a broccoli are calcium rich foods.
• Iron aids in carrying oxygen to all the different parts of the body that require it. Iron rich foods include lean meat, chicken, tuna, salmon, eggs, dried fruits, leafy greens and fortified whole grains.
• Protein helps to build and repair muscles. Fish, lean meat, poultry, beans, nuts and soy products are protein rich. Take note that an excessive amount of protein can lead to dehydration and calcium loss. Protein aids muscle recovery when consumed after exercise and should account for 10% to 15% of the caloric intake.

• Fat should account for 25% to 30% of total calories. High-fat foods may cause discomfort if eaten too close to the start of physical activity, but some fat is needed on a regular basis for growth. Add healthy fat that’s found in avocados, tuna, canola oil, soy, and nuts to your child’s meal.
• Carbohydrates provide energy for your child athlete and it is the most important source of fuel. Note that there is no need for “carbo loading” prior to a big game, but without any carbohydrates in their system, kids will be running on empty. When you're choosing carbs, look for whole-grain foods like whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, whole-grain bread and cereal, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. You can even find carbohydrates in nutritional supplements like PediaSure that provide complete and balanced nutrition suitable for children between the ages of one to 10. It has an advanced blend of 3 carbohydrate sources to promote maximum digestion and absorption for balanced energy release.

 

Water and lots of it
 
    It’s essential for child athletes to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Lack of fluids can decrease your child’s strength, energy, and coordination and potentially lead to heat-related illnesses. Even mild dehydration can affect athletic performance.  Experts recommend that kids drink water or other fluids before and every 15 to 20 minutes during physical activity. It's important to drink afterward to restore fluid lost through sweat. Plain water is typically enough to keep kids hydrated. If your child is participating in a strenuous physical activity lasting longer than an hour, then you can consider a sports drink that is designed to provide energy and replace electrolytes like protein, sodium and potassium that your child will lose in sweat. After exercising for 60 to 90 minutes, the body has used up its readily available sources of energy. Sports drinks are also a good alternative for kids who participate in sports but won't drink enough water.
 
    In 2011, the American Academy of Paediatrics published a statement on the use of sports drinks and energy drinks for children and adolescents, stating that they can benefit from using sports drinks containing carbohydrates, proteins and electrolytes but are of little benefit for the average child engaged in routine physical activity. For them, water is sufficient. During intense physical activities, whatever beverage a child will drink the most of is the best choice to prevent dehydration. However, the bottom line is that for most young athletes, water is the best choice for hydration. After the activity, carbohydrates and electrolytes can be replenished through nutritious food.

       So, that's it for now! 

     I'm heading out for the week with the kids, but hopefully I'll put something up again here soon! I've got some nice recipes lined up, and look forward to sharing them!

      I hope your summer is going well, wherever you are & whatever you're doing!
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    I'm giving something away!!!

    I'm pretty excited! 

    Back in January I received a completely random, and at first confusing e-mail. It was an e-mail through the blog contact form, and the name and e-mail address made me go, "huuuuh?" It was from an Aimee Berg, with a bushel & a peck variation e-mail address.....

    But I'M Amy! And I'M  Bushel & A Peck! Right?
 
    Turns out, great names think alike! 

    Aimee Burg is a beautiful woman who had a problem, and made a solution for herself! On her website, www.bushelandapeck.co, her About page tells the tale of woe and dry, cracked lips, and how she started to make her own lip balms to remedy the situation! 

    Well, this wonderful woman found me and generously offered to send me a bundle of her amazing lip balms as an encouragement in my own personal journey into health, art, and living a well lived life!

     The gesture made my day! Someone randomly reaching out to bless someone else with their gifts? What an amazing thing!

     So, when my lip balms arrived, and I opened my first one to use it, I thought, "Oh my gosh, I loooove this!" Then I thought, if Aimee is willing to share, I should be too! : )  

     And here we are! I will send 2 of my lovely new lip balms to a randomly selected winner, and all you need to do to enter is to tell me about a time someone shared their gift with you! 
 
     I'm not really a popular blog, so if you're reading this right now and enter, you have a pretty good chance of winning!!! It would be nice if you shared the contest with your friends and family though, because sharing is caring (as my kids often remind me!).  
    

     My beauty needs are pretty basic. I'm not into flashy, multi-levelled self care processes! I never have been (read: lazy!)! My motto is: simple is good! So, these lovely lip balms fit into my motto nicely! There aren't 10000 ingredients you can't pronounce, and they don't smell whacky (you know you've been talking to someone and thinking "what is that strange smell", only to see them putting on Cranberry LipSmacker and going, "oh....". I'm not the only one that's happened to, I'm sure of it!)!

    And let's talk about the care Aimee took to send me my gift? See that picture below? She wrote my name beautifully on the envelope, included a sweet hand written card, and just made it so special!  

   So, to enter, just tell me about a time someone shared their gifts with you, then fill in the info in the ballot below, and that's it! You're entered!!! 

    And don't forget to check out Aimee's website at www.bushelandapeck.co, or her shop on Etsy at BushelandaPeckLLC

​    The contest closes on February 26th, and if you win you'll be contacted on the 27th!

​    Best of luck!!! 
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      Hello!

     Over on my Health & Fitness space I talk about helping to keep kids active! Go and check it out!  Aww, go on, just go. : )  

     For a little Monday laugh, I wanted to share one of my all time favourite YouTube videos of a dear wee lass trying her darndest to get into first position in her ballet class. She's a freakin' hoot! 
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     I hope everyone had a great Monday!
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    Hello there!

   Today on my Health & Fitness page I share about "Gym Me, Myself, and I"! What is this crazy sounding gym, you may ask (or more likely, you didn't ask!), well, it's me at home, with the space I have, with my few bits of equipment (weights and a jump rope-which aren't even really needed to start out), my own body, and the desire to feel better!

   I don't want for anyone to feel discouraged about a lack of a gym membership, or a proper "home gym" with expensive (and usually really big!) equipment! You don't need it! 

   To see the poor quality video I made of a tour of my "gym", please do read my post today over at my Health & Fitness page!

   As for here, enjoy these bits of inspiration I've chosen for this motivational Monday!  

    So, grab ahold of today, and do your best! 


​xoxoxo

   Good Monday morning to ya!  

   Yes, musical theatre is one of my favourite things (and where my title reference comes from), but today, on my Health & Fitness page, I share about some of the things that I have found helpful in my journey of being healthy & getting back into shape! 

​   To read that post, click here! Seriously, just check it out. Do it. : )    
    

   So, so another favourite thing of mine (besides the health related things) is being a complete idiot with my beautiful, wonderful sister. 

   My sister and I (who are brilliant, and not the least bit geeky) have a knack, if you will, for creating amazing ideas! For instance, we created "Realface", where when you're texting someone, if you can't find the right emoji to express yourself, you simply take a "Realface" (your actual face doing what you'd want an emoji to do) and send it. "Isn't that just a selfie?" you're asking yourself. Gosh, no! Selfies are meant to be taken at just the right angle to make you look your very best, but "Realface" is meant to make you look like a big dummie!  Try it sometime, you'll be the coolest person ever.

   
   More recently we've started sending "Footsies". Now this, this is the most brilliant thing ever! It's like a selfie....but of your foot in different places. I know, I know....it's just brilliant. 

   We haven't trademarked these ideas yet, so don't steal them! You can use them, of course, but don't claim they are yours because my sister and I know better! Also....please know how much I am joking about all of this!!! Do we do "Realface" and "Footsie"? Yes, of course!!! Hahaha! But, I am being a goon about the seriousness of our brilliance and coolness!  ​

   I'm finally doing it! I'm starting my 'health & fitness' page and posts that I've been talking about forever!!! 

   It seemed fitting to start this today because today is my 2 year blogiversary (ok, well, technically, it was yesterday....)! Woot woot! I can't believe I've been writing here (mostly to myself....) for this long! My first post ever was about my son's Larry The Cucumber Cake, and last year for my first Blogiversary I posted about My Favourite Things from that first year of blogging.

    Today I'm excited about starting this new phase in my life (and the blog's life!) and sharing about another part of me-my love of health & fitness! I am using a lot of exclamation marks!!!! Haha

   So, for my first ever health & fitness post, I wanted to share (a short version of) my story of how I went from my heaviest (not including my pregnant weights! Those were dooozies! I got to 200 lbs for my third pregnancy!), to my leanest and fittest.  ​

   The plan for this here Health & Fitness thingy is that I'll post the full article over on my "Health & Fitness" page (look, it's now in the tabs up top!), and will just give a sample here for those who aren't interested! I'll be posting for Health & Fitness every (motivational!) Monday!  

   So, to read the full story, click right here!  

   Happy Monday! 

   ....It's really not that bad. 

   I know you loved that opening, didn't you? How the title played right into that first sentence....O.k, it sucked, get over it.  : )  

    I literally am writing a post for today about lemons! I just honestly love them!

   They are so fantastically good for you, and good at a lot of different things people may not realize. So, here it is, a list of things that should make you happy when life gives you lemons (or when you buy them at the grocery store...)! 

1. Health: The bright and beautiful fruit has anti-baterial properties that clean up the kidneys and liver, has a tonne of vitamin C (approximately 1/3 of your daily value!), and that vitamin C, coupled with it's anti-oxidants, and it's ability to fight free radicals (particles that damage our bodies cells and DNA) help keep you looking younger. For ana amzingly detailed article about the benefits of lemons (and vitamin C) for your skin, check out this link by Always Healthy Living.  There are sooooo many more health benefits, but let's move on!
2. Kitchen: This acidic fruit can prevent the oxidation that makes things like cut up apples, avocados and bananas, even potatoes, from browning. I keep a sealed container of lemon juice mixed with some water in the fridge (and replace it every 2 weeks or so) for cut up apples for the kids' school lunches. I simply dunk the cut-up pieces into the lemon mix, and pack them into the lunches. If they don't want them at school, they are still looking fresh afterward, and they will happily eat the slices as an after school snack. And if you're making a fruit tray, dipping the pieces, or having a lemon/water spray bottle to squirt your prepared tray can keep it looking fresh.   
3. More in the kitchen: The peel can keep brown sugar soft! Add a slice of the skin with all the pulp completely removed to your brown sugar to keep it from clumping and hardening. Neato.
4. Um....still in the kitchen: This hard worker can tenderize meat with it's acidity. To use it, make a simple marinade of lemon juice, some salt and spices. It also (obviously) is crazy-full of flavour! It is a great salt-substitute, can lighten up heavy dishes, and can balance the flavours in seafood.
5. Around the house: Sorry, we'll be in the kitchen again here, but it can deodorize, clean stains, remove grease and disinfect. Simply use a half lemon dipped in salt or baking soda for some tricky spots, and give a little scrub. An idea I got from my sister is to throw a already squeezed lemon into the sink after using it, and when you fill up the sink to do dishes, you get whatever juice was left from the fruit in your cleaning water. I like to keep it in the sink to use as a sponge to get grease off of kids plastic plates (those Ikea plates are cute, but can sometimes hold onto grease).

   This is by no means an exhaustive list of the benefits of lemons, but I just wanted to give you a glimpse of how wonderful this little gem is! I have lemon juice every day, either by squeezing some juice into a smoothie, or onto a salad. I have squeezed out halves in my sink for scrubbing greasy dishes, and then for giving the sink a rub-down after I'm done doing the dishes (it leaves a brilliant, bright citrus-y smell behind!). 
   So, anywho, I hope you enjoyed this little romp through the wonderful world of lemons! Now go out and buy yourself some! :)  
    And don't forget, if life does gives you lemons, do make lemonade.