3 Tips for Getting your Kids to Enjoy Healthy Foods

People have often made comments to me like "How do you get your kids to eat that?" And "You're lucky! My kids are picky eaters!" Well, it isn't always easy- even my broccoli loving 4 year old has her moments, where all of a sudden nothing sounds good that day. But in truth, it is rare. Is it because I'm super mom? No! In truth, it's probably a combination of things- one of them being a dash of luck. But if you have trouble getting your kids to eat their veggies, there are a few things you can do.

One: make shopping fun, and not a chore! If your kids know you're stressed, rushed, and hate shopping, chances are that might spill over into the merchandise you select. Also, crabby kids make for hasty rushed decisions, resulting in forgotten items or poor food choices. Ultimately, you set the tone. So if you can, add an extra 15 minutes to your trip, so you have time to drive the cart a little crazy, or use one of those annoying over-sized carts made to look like a car that always seem to have at least one janky wheel. If the kids are enjoying themselves, chances are you will, too.


Tip Number Two: Have fun with your food! Food doesn't always have to be so serious! Like these grapes, for instance. Olivia wanted to eat them off a stick. Well, why not? Let's live a little. No, we don't do fun things every time, and sometimes she just gets PB & J. But once and a while, will I take extra time to make a heart out of the strawberries on her whole grain pancakes? You're darn right I will.


Tip Number Three: Get your kids involved in your shopping. Make a game of it! Let them pick out one thing- anything!- from the produce section they want to try. Maybe we want to know what jicama tastes like, or maybe she thinks an artichoke tastes like- it'll give you an excuse to try something new, and she'll be more likely to eat it when you get home if you make a game of it. Maybe you're looking for a specific color that day- like my daughter says, "you have to eat a rainbow!"



Alright, I'll give you number 4 for free, and you should already know this one anyway: Model it! We were all kids once. "Do as I say and not as I do" doesn't work very well. Chances are, if you want to crinkle your nose up at the scrambled eggs dad made, just because there's a dab of spinach in there, your kids probably will too. So lead by example, get creative, have fun, and try new things! Don't give up if they won't eat it today- just like with the workouts, consistency matters. Try again tomorrow. You'll be glad you did- and so will your kids. If you found this helpful, please, share it with someone else!

As always, I appreciate you. Live healthy, live happy! Love, Amanda

Star Diamond Coach Amanda Noddings
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Using canned foods in your recipes: CAN I or CAN't I?

Have you ever been shopping at the grocery store and needed something simple, like a can of stewed tomatoes? Of course I want to buy fresh, but the reality is making crock pot sauces or stews is easier and faster if you keep some simple ingredients on hand to access. But-- which canned foods are ok and which aren't?


You may have already guessed the mystery ingredient I mentioned before: SUGAR. Did you know that over 80% of foods in the grocery store- the ENTIRE store- has added sugar!? Crazy!


And not just a little bit! We're talking the second or third ingredient, in almost everything on the shelves! What's wrong with just diced up tomatoes? Why the need for sugar? Because we, as a country, have become addicted. We have trained our taste buds to want, crave, need this drug.


Nothing is really wrong with using canned tomatoes in your crockpot chili, soup, salsa chicken, etc., in my opinion. It's cost-effective. It's still flavorful. You just need to make yourself read the labels. And you're not looking at calories or carbs or protein. Train your eye to look at the ingredient list first- that will tell you everything you need to know.

Find this helpful? Please, give it a like and a share! If you'd like to watch the quick in store video I made on this, you can also check that out But no judging! I am not dressed nice for this one! Lol. Have a beautiful day, guys! Live healthy, live happy! Love, Amanda

Star Diamond Coach Amanda Noddings
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Baking With Your Kids & Teaching Healthy Habits: Warm Banana Bread (with Vegan option)

7 ingredients. One bowl. And some love.

One of my most loved activities is spending time in the kitchen. The only thing that makes it better is having my daughter (and I hope someday my son) with me. There are many reasons for this, one of them being that baking calms me. Its a comfort thing: the warmth of the oven, the smell of the spices as they heat, the element of family. The kitchen is comfort, and also love. Thats why so many of us have this love/hate relationship with food! We associate such strong memories with mealtimes, cooking as a family, eating together. I want my daughter and son to have ALL of that- just in a healthier way.

Am I saying that kitchen time is relaxing with kids underfoot? NO! Its not. Its messy, it takes a lot of work, and this banana bread I can throw together in about ten minutes by myself took about 1/2 hour with my Olivia "helping" me. But the key word there was "together." We did it together, and damn it if she didn't have so much fun. And not only that, but she's learning as we go!

She may only be four, but her mind is a little sponge. She learns many things while we cook & bake together, and its the best kind of learning: by example. We all know children follow what they see much more than what they are told. As a matter of fact, this applies to me, even as an adult. I am NOT giving my four year old lectures on not using artificial sweeteners or counting carbohydrates or choosing high fiber options. What I WILL do is bake this easy, delicious banana bread with her, using healthy choices. And she will eat it. Why? Because she calls it a "love cake," because we made it together...with love. (mush mush mush!)

So--here's what you need:

Ingredients

• 3-4 very ripe bananas, peeled (average size)
• 1/2 cup local raw honey (or 1 cup sugar)
• 1 egg, beaten (or egg substitute for vegan, or flaxseed)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour (or substitute 1 1/2 cups coconut flour, as I did)
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, or seasoning of choice
• Mix-ins of choice (we used 1 c. walnuts) 

Preheat your oven to a whopping 350 degrees, and prep your pan (4x8 loaf) as you see fit to keep the bread from sticking. I'll be honest and tell you I've tried almost every method, but the spray olive oil is my favorite. Not exactly paleo, but it works. :) Now, start by taking a deep breath, cause this is where the fun begins. Give your child a wooden spoon and a bowl- thats right- ONE BOWL. This entire recipe is a one-pot-shot (my favorite-- less dishes!). Put 3-4 overly ripe bananas in the bowl, and let them mash away! Its okay if its still a little chunky at the end- you can fine tune it after they have a go, but a few chunks work just fine.

Next, spread the baking soda on the mixture- don't dump! It will clump!

 Add a pinch of salt- I call this mommy's job- too much salt is dangerous to your final product!

 A teaspoon to tablespoon of vanilla gets poured in...

 Followed by that messy, sticky honey.

 Add the egg, which they can help you beat FIRST in a separate bowl. This is a good time to discuss salmonella (or in kid terms, don't ever eat raw egg or taste the batter after this point!), and stop and wash your hands again.

 GENTLY add the flour. I usually let her put the first part in and then I pour the rest while she softly stirs... no over-mixing here, or you will get that rubbery bread.

 Time for add-ins! Really, that's it! Gently fold in what you want! We used walnuts, but you could go with pecans, c/raisins, or if your living dangerously, chocolate chips.

 Fold them in softly, and pour into your pan.

 TA-DAHHH!

 Bake for 60 minutes, testing the doneness in the center with a toothpick (the tried and true method). If it comes out clean, you (and the bread) are golden!

Place it on a rack to cool, and that's it! The most time consuming part is the baking, at about an hour... But the fun is in the time you spend together making it, and sharing it with loved ones, teachers, and friends after its done.

Please, share this recipe with someone you think might enjoy it. Let me know what you think! I love to hear from you! As always, have a beautiful day. Live healthy, live happy. Amanda

Fit Tip #12: Who Do You Love?

Today's fit tip is a little bit deep, so bear with me. One of the biggest ways to motivate yourself to work on your health and fitness is to think about the people you love. Who is it that you love more than anyone or anything else in the whole world? Who would you do absolutely anything for if you were asked?

Now, obviously I hope you your self came to mind, but that's a whole different conversation. Obviously I want you to love yourself and put yourself on your priority list. But sometimes that doesn't seem to be enough to get us off the couch and pushing play. To get us cooking healthier meals and taking time to plan a healthy menu.



So think about who you love. Is it your parents? Is that your children? Is that your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your fiancé? Maybe you work in the medical field like me, and you can think of patients who need you. Maybe you work with people with disabilities or veterans, people who can't do the things that you can do.



Every single day I work with patients who have missing limbs, whose legs have been lost to disease or war. Who have debilitating conditions like MS or neuropathy who can't complete even the simplest of tasks without pain. For them, I push play.



Sometimes we have to think of others to tap into our selfless side because we can't seem to do it for ourselves. When I think of my children and how they need me, when I think of them growing up and having their own children, I want to be there and be a grandmother. I want to bounce their children on my knee, I want to rollaround and tickle them on the floor. I want to be the fun grandma the place in the pool with them and chases them around the yard. I want to take them camping, like my parents did for me and do for my children.


I want my daughter to be in college a strong and healthy young woman. I want her to know her own self worth and value. I don't want her to struggle with body image like so many of us do, although I know that will probably play apart as it seems unavoidable these days. but I want her to have resources to tap into, lessons I've taught her throughout her life by modeling a healthy lifestyle for her. I don't want her to always be thinking she needs to be on a diet, I don't want her to think she needs to lose weight. I want living healthy and staying active and eating well to be an unconscious decision; a part of life that she doesn't even have to think about. For these reasons I push play.



This is why I menu plan, this is why I prep. This is why I take that half hour a day to do something active. This is why I let trainers like Shaun T and Chalene Johnson work me every day for a half an hour.

I think about who I love, and all the many reasons that I do this not only for myself, but for them. And for some reason, everything blurry sharpens into focus. Everything it's simple. So, who do you love?



Star Diamond Coach Amanda Noddings
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What do you do When You're Stressed?

Yesterday was a heck of a day. Luckily, because I'm doing the 3 Day Refresh, there's no working out required for three days. Does that mean I forget about my body for a few? No! That means I take extra time to listen to it.






My husband worked late, and I had a lot going on around the house. I was sore and tired by the time he came home, after a day filled with diaper explosions, messes to clean, and several epic tantrums from an 18 month old who thinks strawberries are the only food group. When I finally got them to bed, I looked around at a house full of laundry piled on the couch to fold and dishes stacked in the sink to wash. What to do first?



Breathe. I made a selfish decision and grabbed my yoga mat. I dimmed the lights. And I took 1/2 an hour for me. Guess what? The dishes were still there (and then my husband washed them). I'm folding the laundry this morning. And the world kept on turning. But I feel better. Sometimes you need to re-evaluate and Quiet the mind. 💗 What do you do when you are stressed out?

Star Diamond Coach Amanda Noddings
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No more Clown Pants

I recently moved into a new house, and you know what that means... Boxes, boxes, boxes. And junk. Old stuff. Lots to go through. So when I came across these pajama pants from before I was even married or had kids (I remember lounging around in them and not even having to tie the drawstring for them to stay up!), I absolutely had to try them on.

My 4 year old daughter Olivia thought it was hilarious that I was wearing "clown pants," and she snapped this picture for me so I could see how funny I looked.

It Is sad I ever let myself get that size. Was I really that big!? I remember these being skin tight in the thighs when I sat down. How sad and unhealthy I was then. And to think it all changed with one small decision- A decision to get myself moving for 30 minutes a day, to fuel my body with the dense nutrition of Shakeology and clean whole foods. Where would I be now if I hadn't made a decision to change, just a year and a half ago? It scares me to think.

I post this picture to hopefully inspire one person to reach out to me for support. To be able to throw out their "clown pants." To make a small decision that has big results.


Star Diamond Coach Amanda Noddings
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