John Morell Introduces Allergen-Free Line

My year of  label reading and obsessing over what to feed MaM when she was two years old has forever changed me, for the better, I think. I have become an avid label-reader in general, and much more conscious and accommodating when planning events for guests with food allergies/sensitivities.

When Mom Central sent out call to promote John Morell’s new line of allergen-free meats, I signed up, because I feel it’s important to support food manufacturers who make a true effort to understand food allergies  and a good product that is safe for all to eat.

John Morell has done just that. Their new line of allergen-free products is are made in an allergen-free facility, which is so important for families dealing with severe allergies. Their products are milk, fish, soy, egg, nut and wheat free. It might seem like those allergens shouldn’t be around processed meat anyway, but as I learned when Mam was so sensitive, milk and wheat do sometimes find their way into processed products when you least expect it.

The new allergen-free line is easy to identify with a blue ribbon on the package. You can learn more about their products on their new Facebook Fan page, where you can also print coupons to try these great tasting products!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of John Morell and received a John Morell coupon to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.” www.momcentral.com

Trying New Foods with Toddlers & Beyond

A few posts back, my pal Stork suggested a post on trading ideas on how to get kids to try new healthy foods. I told her to stay tuned….because today’s the day!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted on behalf of  Sunsweet Growers and was given the opportunity to try a Sunsweet product.

I have to admit, I was skeptical. When I think of prunes, I think of my grandparents kitchen. I can picture the box sitting on top of their refrigerator, and I associate them with my Pop-Pop. Past that, I’ve never thought much about them. I didn’t feed them to my kids as infants, for I’d heard tales of their magical digestive powers and chose to steer clear.

So yesterday, with some hesitation, I opened a 60 calorie pack of cherry-essence prunes. Guess what? They aren’t dry and sticky like I thought they were. They are sweet and juicy. They are actually kind of delicious. I actually kind of have to pace myself to make sure I don’t eat too many!

Today we packed a picnic to take to the park, and MaM immediately noticed the foil package in her lunch bag. I told her they were healthy fruit snacks. She ate one and ran to the playground. She said she didn’t really care for it. Later, when Jr. was interested in his lunch, she showed him the new fruit snacks, and encouraged him to try it. He did, and then she tried it again. This time, they both ate two and were laughing hysterically the entire time. Success!

SunSweet has consulted with dietician Carolyn O’Neil and together they are offering 10 Tips for Tiny Tummies. It’s a good list for starting to introduce new foods to children who may be resistant.There are also resources on digestive health, an issue I know many moms take seriously. In a house where goldfish crackers and string cheese rule, trust me, I’m familiar with those struggles!

In our house, I was surprised about the first thing I had to get across to my children:

1) Be polite about the food on your plate. This means, not using words like “disgusting” in relation to foods I’ve chosen to serve.

After about 18 months of enforcing this rule, MaM is fairly polite most days about foods with which she’s not familiar. I am still working on getting Jr. not to throw food he’s not interested in, he still has a way to go in that department!

2) I’m sure each child is different, but for MaM, I’ve learned not to draw attention to any new foods. I’ve learned to serve just about anything with a dab of ketchup, and probably she’ll dip it and try it. Tonight she tried a samosa (she told me she didn’t care for it, and nicely put it aside on her plate) and she tried tilapia and she ate every bite I had given her. I was kind of amazed, and thought it was good timing, considering this post.

So tell me…what do you do to introduce new foods to your little ones?? Do you have tried and true methods for keeping your kids regular?? Please share!

Disclosure: Thanks to SunSweet for the free product coupon and reusable shopping bag in exchange for this review. The opinions in this review are expressly my own.

One EskimO–Give Them a Listen

A long, long time ago (in the last millennium, to be exact), I used to go with my college roomie down to the Patio in Broad Ripple Village on Thursday nights. We’d leave our dorm after ER was over (that’s 11pm EST) and go see shows for a few dollars a piece. We’d sing along and dance and dance, stay til 1 or 2 am and then catch a few hours sleep before going to class Friday morning.

Now that it’s 2010, I don’t get to see live music all that very often, so when the One2One Network put the word out that a few bloggers were welcome at the One EskimO show at Radio Radio last night, I jumped at the chance. BgK literally walked in the door at 7:30pm after being gone all week. I was glad he made it home in time for me to pick up my friend Becky and make it to Fountain Square for the opening act.

Before the show, I had only heard the song, “Kandi”, which is currently getting mainstream radio airplay. It didn’t matter….once they started playing, the music was inviting and comforting. I was surprised by some of the instruments played…the percussionist had a full variety of ways to turn out a beat, and the bassist also played a horn   (my friend Becky is musical, and she’s thinking it was a flugelhorn), which had a fantastic sound.  We found ourselves swaying along and singing along to choruses we’d never heard.

Summation without much detail? Awesome. I went directly to iTunes this morning and downloaded the entire album.

Summation with detail? Go to their website, under the band tab. That describes their sound far better than I can. And, if you get the chance, see them live. You’ll love them.

Remaining 2010 tour dates:

Jun 12 – Minglewood Hall – Memphis TN USA
Jun 13 – Crossroads – Kansas City MO USA
Jun 15 – Blueberry Hill (solo date) – St. Louis MO USA
Jun 17 – 3rd & Lindsley (solo date) – Nashville TN USA
Jun 18 – Southgate House (solo date) – Newport KY USA
Jun 19 – Taste of Randolph Street (solo date) – Chicago IL USA
Jun 20 – People’s Court (solo date) – Des Moines IA USA
Jun 21 – Waiting Room (solo date) – Omaha NE USA
Jun 28 – Largo (solo date) – Los Angeles CA USA
Jul 01 – Anthology – San Diego CA USA
Aug 14 – The Fields at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Mile High Festival – Denver, CO USA
Nov 13 – Fox Theater – Boulder CO USA

Disclosure: I was given a pair of tickets to attend One EskimO’s show at Radio Radio in exchange for this review. The opinions on the show and music are mine. Thanks, One2OneNetwork for turning me on to this great band!