Where to begin...

Welcome to Dr. Mom in the Kitchen. 

As a passionate advocate for childhood obesity prevention in the community I've had the opportunity to speak with many groups, write articles, and appear on local media to share ways for families to help their children lead healthier lives.  Each time I find that parents are craving ideas, recipes, activities, and resources to help make healthy decisions for their families.  After much thought, I've decided to use this blog to help share my experiences and hopefully engage you in thinking about the choices your family makes.  Each post will have recipes or ideas that I've found helpful in raising my own kids.

I have a few basic principles that you will see over and over again-none of them are rocket science, but together they work well for our family:

COOK ONCE EAT TWICE: We are all busy right?  The only way I can consistently get real, healthy, home cooked food on the table is to use my time wisely and get two meals out of almost everything I prepare.  Rarely is this simply reheating and serving leftovers later that week as my brood usually revolts at that.  Sometimes it's prepping extra of ingredients to use in other ways later in the week.  Often it's preparing a double batch of something that freezes well to pull out on a busy day for a quick meal. 

KEEP THE KIDS IN THE KITCHEN:  I often have parents who tell me they need to put their kids in front of the  TV in the evenings so they can get dinner on the table.  If this is you I think you are missing one of the best opportunities to teach your children about healthy foods.  Studies show that children are more likely to try new foods that they have helped prepare.  Plus, some of the best conversations I've had with my kids about why we eat the way we do occur as we are creating meals together.  Actually, some of the best conversations we have about many topics occur in the kitchen. Sometimes it makes clean up a little longer, but you'll be amazed at the things your kids can help with even at young ages.

KISS (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID):  Many people struggle with knowing what foods are "good" or "healthy".  There are thousands of books out there with as many schools of thought about what diet is best-vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, nut free, low fat, low carb.  The list goes on and on.  Some people may choose a particular diet for specific health reasons such as allergies or moral reasons. Everyone needs to do what is best for them and their family.  For my family we try to focus on keeping things simple-with prepared foods if I don't know what an ingredient is I don't buy it.  I make as many things from scratch as I can so I know what goes into them.  We want to eat real food, not manufactured chemicals which means we get a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and dairy.  When in doubt go back to the basics.

I AM NOT A CHEF OR A SHORT ORDER COOK:  I rarely develop a recipe from scratch.  Almost all of the recipes you'll find here were adapted from another source.  Usually this means I've upped the vegetables, eliminated the sugar, or switched whole grains for enriched flours to reduce the processed ingredients and improve the nutritional content of dishes.  I'll always try to provide the original source of the recipe so that those who inspire me receive credit and you can look at the original recipe if you want.  In addition, while my kids do help plan the weekly menu, once it's done, that's what we eat.  I don't cook differently for each child because I want them to try a variety of foods.  Children will not starve if they occasionally do not eat a meal and are more likely to try new things if they know that they are not going to be offered a "stand-by" meal if they don't eat what the family is eating.

So this post was a lot longer than I intended, but hopefully it will provide the foundation for many more posts full of delicious food and activities that your family will enjoy.  Please share what has worked for you.  I'm always looking for new ideas!