Cream of Carrot Soup

I must be on a carrot jag this month. Earlier this month I offered a recipe for carrot fries. Now we are on to carrot soup. This is one of those recipes that you might be tempted to turn away from. Don't! This soup is so good and so chalked full of nutrients.To make this soup, you will need;

2 onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-lb bag of baby carrots
2 15-oz cans vegetable or chicken broth
3 large potatoes, diced into cubes
1 pint plain nonfat yogurt
8 oz. soft (silken) tofu
Nonfat sour cream and chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large nonstick soup pot, sautee onions, celery and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add carrots and broth and simmer 15 minutes. Add potatoes. Lower heat to medium-low and cook 15 to 30 minutes until soft. Remove from heat and add yogurt and tofu. Puree with a hand-held mixer. Serve with low-fat sour cream sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

This is just one of the 344 kid-friendly recipes designed to boost brain power and eliminate behavior problems in the "ADHD Recipes for Success" cookbook.

We add a new recipe to the blog each week so check back often!

Handling Anger Outbursts - Part Deux

As you can see, our angry boy from last Monday followed us to this post. Last week we talked about things to do and not to do while you are in the midst of a temper explosion. Now let's talk about what to do once the tornado passes.

Once the tantrum subsides and your child calms down, it is time to rebuild. Offer a drink of water. Reaffirm that there is nothing wrong about feeling angry. Discuss what caused the outburst and how to resolve that specific issue. Once the specific issue is resolved, discuss ways express anger more productively in the future.

If your child has a tantrum in public, use the same techniques as you would in private. Do try to move your child to a more secluded spot so that you can focus on remaining calm until the tantrum subsides. If your approach changes when there is an audience, your child might choose public settings to throw future tantrums. Also, remember that you are not seeking approval from those around you on how well you handled the situation.

As important as handling a tantrum when it occurs is finding out how you can try to avoid circumstances in the future that might trigger another outburst. Keeping the child's environment calm and free of hectic changes helps reduce the chances of your child responding in hectic ways. Tantrums often occur when a child is tired or frustrated. Providing extra attention when your child appears tense might head off an outburst.

If your child responds poorly to schedule changes, prepare him in advance and explain why a schedule must be interrupted. The easiest way to prevent tantrums when a child's request is denied is by not giving in to tantrums.

Oatmeal Fruit Smoothie

This is one of my favorite breakfast smoothie recipes. Sometimes my guys complain about eating oatmeal (especially because I don't add sugar) so this way they still get the health benefit of rolled oats. I usually add a scoop of protein powder to the morning smoothies so the brain has plenty of amino acids to get it going.

To make this smoothie, throw everything into a blender and let 'er rip.

1 banana
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Handling Anger Outbursts

An angry, out-of-control child is not a pretty sight - to say the least. Whether you have a younger child throwing a temper tantrum or a teenager throwing an anger outburst, the best way to handle it is without anger and without submission.

Here are a few tips for handling anger outbursts when they occur and how to prevent future tantrums;

First and foremost, do not give in. Giving in reinforces the behavior and teaches the child to YELL REAL LOUD if they want something badly enough.

Remain calm and do not show anger. You lose the opportunity to model how to deal with upsetting feelings if you respond to the outburst with strong emotion, yelling or spanking.

Don't try to reason with your child during the outburst. They are beyond reason during an outburst.

Don't threaten punishment. Your child is not bad. He just needs help learning mature ways of handling frustration.

Ignore the tantrum until it has run its course. How you ignore the tantrum is a personal choice. Some parents can stand by and say nothing. Others want to remove themselves or request that their child go to another room to cool down.

Don't let the child physically harm himself or anyone else, or destroy his or others' property. If your child is small enough, hold him firmly until he settles down. If the child is too large to gently restrain, leave the room until he gains composer.

Check in - same time, same place - next week for more on anger outbursts. Until, aim for a peaceful week!

HomeMade Granola

Granola is generally considered a healthy treat but if you are buying packaged granola bars, the health benefits can go south on the health scale. Way south. Let's return to granola's health roots with this basic granola recipe.

Granola is one of those foods that allow for a great amount of creativity so feel free to mix it up with your favorite healthy, whole-food ingredients.

4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside. Warm oil, honey and vanilla in a saucepan. Pour this mixture over the oat mixture and stir until blended. Spread the granola mix on a 15x10x1 baking pan and bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool and mix in raisins.

When I make granola, I always make a double batch because it doesn't last very long. We eat it as cereal for breakfast and mix granola, yogurt and fruit for a midday snack. Yum!

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Squeaky Clean Fruits and Veggies

If your budget does not support buying organic fruits and vegetables, make sure you give your produce a good scrub-a-dub before serving. Your fruits and vegetables carry residual fertilizer and pesticides and can also carry bacteria or fungi.

Don't waste your money on commercial sprays and washes sold for cleaning vegetables. Numerous studies show that the expensive commercial washes do not remove pesticides any better than plain tap water. Here are three ways to effectively clean your produce;

Food scientist Susan Sumner developed a white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide recipe to clean fruits and vegetables. For this recipe you will need; two dark-colored spray bottles, white vinegar and 3% hydrogen peroxide. Fill one spray bottle with white vinegar and the other with peroxide. Spray your produce first with vinegar and second with hydrogen peroxide. Rinse the produce under running water. This wash is non-toxic and inexpensive. In addition to effectively washing your produce, it can also be used to sanitize counters, cutting boards and other food prep surfaces.

You can also mix 1 part vinegar to 1 part water in a large bowl. Place your produce in the bowl and soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse after soaking to wash off the vinegar.

You can also soak fruits or vegetables in warm salt water (two or three teaspoons of salt per gallon) for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water after soaking to wash off the salt.

Pesticides can cause a lot of trouble, especially in infants, young children and the elderly. A growing body of research also points to a causal effect that pesticides and chemicals and food addititives have on ADHD symptoms. To reduce the risks, always wash your produce before serving.

Remove the Word "Don't" from Your Vocabulary

Have you noticed how children's brains gloss right over the word "don't."

You say, "Don't touch the hot stove."

Your toddler hears "Touch the hot stove."

You say, "Don't cross the road."

Your preschooler hears "Cross the road."

You say, "Don't hit your brother."

Guess what your child does? He whacks his brother across the head.

Typical "parent talk" is loaded with negative words; don't, stop, quit that, knock it off, cut it out ...

Yet, the more the negative words are used, the weaker in meaning they become. Our children tend to just tune us out the negative words.

Children often learn limits better if parents tell a child what to do, rather than what not to do.

Instead of.... "Don't touch the hot stove"
Try.... "The stove is hot. It could hurt if you touch it."

Instead of.... "Don't cross the road"
Try.... "Play in the yard, not in the street."

Instead of.... "Don't hit your brother"
Try.... "Talk to your brother and tell him what you want."

Changing communications will take some practice but the effort will pay off. Try it and see.

Baked Carrot Fries

I'll let you in on a little secret; If you don't make a big deal about these healthy fries being carrots, your kids will chow down and not think twice about eating them.

Here's what you need to make these antioxidant-rich fries;
Carrots, washed and trimmed
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt

Cut each carrot in half. In a bowl, lightly coat carrots with olive oil. Arrange cut side down in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until carrots are golden brown.

This super easy and healthy recipe is sure to be a hit at the dinner table. Who knows? You're kids might actually start begging for carrots.

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The Compliment Sandwich

As much as we try to focus on the positive aspects of our children, there are times when we need to offer a critique. If you have an ADHD child, you likely also have a long "laundry list" of actions and behaviors that could be improved upon. Yet, pointing out only what they do wrong can be a huge mistake. Often, the child will shut down and tune out and none of your helpful hints will penetrate the wall they put up to avoid the sting from your criticism.

The Compliment Sandwich is an effective method of delivering critiques. The Compliment Sandwich is best used with the smaller, day to day issues.

Here are the basics of a Compliment Sandwich;
- Clearly identify the issue that needs improvement.
- Think of something they do very well related to the situation.
- Choose another positive point to remark on. This should be very loosely related to the above point.
- Deliver the first compliment.
- Clearly address the improvement you would like to see.
- Finish with the last compliment.

Criticism wrapped in compliments takes out the sting and opens the door for sincere communication.

Did You Get Your Daily Dose of Pesticides?

Dr. Alan Greene, chairman of The Organic Center, estimates that the average American is exposed to between 10 and 13 pesticide residues every day.

Though the levels and risks are very low in most instances, some of these exposures pose clear risks, particularly when they occur during pregnancy and early childhood.

There is a growing recognition in the scientific and medical communities that pesticide exposure is a major risk factor in the development of neurological conditions from ADHD to Alzheimer's disease.