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Meals made easy

by Tamara McKee

Parents make their own choices for their kids when it comes to nutrition but here are some new options, exclusive to Sobey's, IGA and Pricechopper stores, which are sure to put a smile on their faces.
These days many kids' foods are laced with high glucose fructose (corn syrup). High sugar and high sodium are linked to many childhood diseases.

These are three favourites:

1. Breekie Bites - Whole wheat, cinnamon mini waffles
2. Alpha Bites - Alphabet mashed potato letters
3. Fruit Pic Mix - Dried fruit mix in raisin, berry, apple

It's nice to read the ingredient list and not see any artificial flavours, chemicals or preservatives.

Disney and Sobey's have combined forces to make meals easier and healthier for kids. The new Compliments Junior line includes more than 100 new products, of which 75 per cent bear the Health Check symbol. As with anything, check the ingredients.

posted 12.10.07

INSTILLING MINDFULNESS IN YOUR CHILDREN

MOMS CREATE MORE CONSCIOUS WAYS OF GIVING

BY DANIELLE HARDER

echo

Alison Smith walked to the car after her son's last birthday party, arms loaded with gifts he had barely opened before heading off to play with friends.

"My son was not even aware of all of the gifts," she says. "There were so many of them they were stuck in green garbage bags. He wasn't even concerned with them."

Smith thought there had to be a better way to celebrate a child's special day, than with the greed and excess she was seeing at parties all around her. Her friend, Debbie Zinman, shared her feelings.

Together they have founded ECHOage, an internet birthday party planning service that's aimed at putting meaning back into birthdays, while treading more softly on the planet - and wallets.

"ECHOage is convenience and conscience wrapped up in a big green ribbon," says Smith. The birthday child registers with ECHOage and chooses from one of the screened charities on its website. The child also picks an e-mail invitation to send all guests. They're asked to make a secure online donation from $10 to $30, instead of bringing a wrapped gift.

The gift cap is meant to demonstrate "this isn't about excess. It's about these children," according to Smith.

After deducting a 15 per cent administration fee, the donations are divided in half. One portion goes to the chosen charity; the other is given to the birthday child to buy a single meaningful gift.

"We've heard of children buying guitars, iPods, easels, hockey skates - things they can't necessarily buy but that are meaningful and larger," says Zinman. "So instead of getting 20 gifts that the child can't remember, they might remember "Hey, I got that iPod from my friends."

In just under three months of business, ECHOage has donated more than $5,000 to charities. Zinman says this sends an important message to the birthday boys and girls. "For many it's their first interaction with giving," she says. "This shows them that it's easy to do something for someone else. We want to teach them that gift-giving can be something special and memorable."

For the parents of the birthday child, Smith says ECHOage eliminates a lot of the stress associated with parties. The birthday child can send invites, track RSVPs and send thank you notes and reminders. The tracking system also gathers information about things such as allergies.

Smith and Zinman say their service is also easier for the guests' parents. It eliminates a lot of the one-upmanship around birthday gifts and makes it easier for the guests' parents - financially and time-wise.

So far, Smith says no guests have complained they felt "obligated" to donate to a charity or that the gift issue was approached this way.

"Parents have said thank you for the recaptured time," says Smith. "When you're invited 20 times for each child, those hours (and gifts) add up."

Most importantly, say the women, ECHOage is about teaching children that they have the power to give, that "they have a voice and they can do something," according to Zinman. "This is about the child thinking about the planet, other kids and the environment. It empowers them and tells them they're making a difference."

Danielle Harder is a freelance writer in Whitby, who also teaches healthy eating cooking classes. You can reach her at danielleharder@rogers.com

07.04.08