Blog POP! YumEarth Organic And Natural Treats For Kids Giveaway 4/14

YumEarth provided seasonal packaging for the purpose of this feature, no further compensation was provided. All photos contained below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015. In keeping with the Organic theme these photos have not been retouched or edited.

Momma Told Me: Somethings are best left untouched.


I hear a lot how gorgeous my photos are. I get asked what kind of camera I use, what my lighting rig is, what editing program I use. While I do, typically, do some sort of crude editing its usually with preloaded Windows programs, or free online software. I take all my photos in natural light- never with any artificial lights or rigs, and many of my photos are still shot on a smartphone or 14 MP point-and-shoot. For today's post I wanted to go even more organic. You see, sometimes I spend so much time staging, framing, and taking photos, I don't get to actually live in the moment of the story. So, thanks to YumEarth Organics, today's photos are a little less sparkly, but extra adorable.

I have been bowling in a league (sometimes as many as 3 leagues at a time) for 4 years now. I am telling you this because I greatly dislike bowling; I bowl for the social interaction. Bowling gets me out of the house for at least those designated hours a week and interacting with real people face to face (not that my online community isn't amazing.) The range of people in our core league is amazing. Last week one of our members turned 21, while we have some of our eldest nearing 80. There are single individuals, professional bowlers, first timers, girlfriends, couples, grandparents, families, and everything in between. My league is like my family, and that is precisely what I call Miss Edna.

Miss Edna is a delightful older woman with kids of her own long grown and several grandchildren. She is a former educator turned home childcare provider and has truly had a remarkable, and at times very tough, life. I knew from the moment I met her she was truly a special soul full of support, compassion, faith, and love. She always has a smile to offer and a hug to give whether you are a friend of 40 years or a complete stranger. Every afternoon Miss Edna walks from her house to the local Elementary where she picks up 5-8 children aged 4-10 and walks them to her home for after-school childcare.  Many of the children come from broken homes with single, hard working parents, or have special educational needs that make them otherwise difficult to place in traditional after school care.

Miss Edna relies on retirement income to get by and spends much of what she takes in from her children's parents on activities and events she plans to help make their year just a little more special. She rents bounce houses, drives them to the park, and holds seasonal parties out of her own pocket. She is an amazing human being, and so are the children she watches. So, when YumEarth informed me of their new Easter packaging and offered to send us some samples I new immediately I wanted to do something special for Miss Edna and her after-school kids. I headed into the local dollar store and spent about $35 to create some Easter baskets.

As a childcare provider, Edna is constantly reminded just how glorious sweets can be in a child's eyes. She has a very impressive rewards system involving raffle tickets and only hands out 'candy' as a reward for exceptional behavior or homework finished without delays. Even at that she tends to feel guilty. Most mainstream candy is littered with artificial colors and high fructose corn syrup. Modern kids seem keenly ware of the 'adults' movement for more natural foods that are labeled negatively (in their eyes) as better for them. I know I certainly believed, as a kid, if something was healthy/healthier, it wasn't going to be as tasty as it's less healthy counterpart. That being said, it's crucial these healthy alternatives keep fun and colorful packaging that mirrors their larger commercial competitors. YumEath Organics fruit snacks and candy are the perfect reward for Miss Edna's children.

Their products are all natural, dyed with ingredients such as organic pumpkin and carrots, gluten free, and possesses no chemical or artificial colors. YumEarth treats are also brilliantly individually packaged, with small items like gummies in kid sized pouches, great for school and on-the-go treats without the mess. Even more impressive, my favorite YumEarth treat, the Original and Sour Beans are also delightfully Vegan, adding an extra level of Eco-consciousness. Miss Edna is very careful what she gives her tiny charges before sending them home to their parents and was especially appreciative that all of the sweets in their Easter baskets were all-natural and gluten free.

On top of being my personal favorite organic candy pick, YumEarth is known for their seasonal packaging which makes for perfect party favors or classroom handouts. Many schools have strict 'no junk food' policies when it comes to classroom events and YumEarth offers several indulgent, single serve, treats for kids to maintain portion control and quality control when spoiling other people's kids. Grab one of 4 specially designed Easter packages of YumEarth Organics treats (Organic Pops, Sour Beans, Gummy Bears, or Gummy Fruits) at a Walgreens near you just in time for the holiday this upcoming weekend.

What Daughter Says: Not everything in life that's great is sold by a cartoon mouse. Kids are naturally sweet, shouldn't their treats be as well?

One Momma Told Me reader will win a YumEarth Organics + Naturals Prize Package. Then hop along and enter the other amazing Blog POP! giveaways on the complete LINKY.

Bananguins and Penanas, Oh, My! A Simple Snack Solution

Momma Told Me: All you need is a little imagination.

As a kid I wasn't a particularly difficult eater. Getting child to try something new is really the majority of the battle, and my father had the "try a bite and I'll give you a piece of chocolate," bribe down well. With palettes that are still developing, childhood is widely regarded as an individual's most open time for flavor exploration. And, so long as you don't 'classify' what is being put in a child's mouth, you can typically convince them to sample foods they would otherwise have mental roadblocks to as an adult. One is much more likely to enjoy calamari when told it's chicken, than being handed a sushi menu 20 years later and presented with the information it is, in fact squid.

In any case, one of the toughest roadblocks to childhood nutrition is the identification of a food as a fruit or vegetable. Most children will prefer one food group heavily over the other. For me, I always loved the flavor of bananas, but was a highly texturally aware child. I did not like the feel of the actual raw banana mushing in my mouth; it always reminded me of Momma's hospital tapioca pudding. Momma's answer, with nearly any fruit, was to freeze it. Freezing things not only prolong the time it takes to consume them (when frozen,) but also seem to make foods instantly magical. Like a living fruit Popcicle, without all the added processing an flavors!

As an adult I still prefer to freeze my fruit today- only know I also have the added incentive of fruit being plain expensive to buy fresh, and the knowledge that fresh fruit spoils quickly if uneaten. One of my favorite ways to enjoy bananas are, naturally, dipped in chocolate and frozen. Of course I always have that twinge of guilt in the pit of my stomach as I munch through an entire banana encased in semi-sweet chocolate. So, when I saw these Chocolate Dipped Banana Penguins on Pinterest I knew I had to make them. Finally, the perfect compromise of sweet and healthy, whilst being perfectly adorable.

I could give you a recipe, but you really don't need one on these, do you? It's as easy as taking just ripened bananas (I prefer to freeze mine just as the peels begin to form brown spots,) cutting them in half, and freezing them. Leave the peels on, they will help preserve the color of your bananas; and be sure to seal them in a freezer safe bag. When you are ready to make your Pengnanas simply pull out a half cup of semi-sweet melting morsels, some candy eyes (from the local grocer's baking aisle), and some orange chocolate candy pieces. With the banana halves frozen, peel them and gently dunk the to half in the melted chocolate, rolling softly side by side to create the 'tuxedo' effect. Place your eyes and 'beak' on the soft melted chocolate, then drizzle a little dollop at the base and place your 'feet.' Make sure to keep your Penguins frozen until you're ready to serve them, and keep in mind that the moisture from thawing will eventually make the candy eyes ink 'bleed,' so eat them as fresh as possible from the freezer!

How do you re-imagine foods to make them more fun?

What Daughter Says: A little imagination goes a long way to make the daily fruits and veggies more appealing.

Moments of Everyday Wonder: Sushi Krispies Idea

Momma Told Me: It's your job to be a child.

I have a confession; when I was a child I was (still am) bossy. I had no brothers or sisters and only 2 younger cousins I would see 3-4 times a year. My social skills were dramatically lacking, and I had but 2 best, and only, friends up through to Jr.High. I could attribute this to being an only child, or skipping 2 grades (which left me wildly out of place among my peers), or the fact Momma constantly filled my free time with academic projects and extracurricular goals. I was not, at all, a team player as a child; which is ironic, as I proceeded to graduate high school and go straight into retail, then food service, management.

As I entered my tweens it became clear to Momma that this poor etiquette, and lack of social tact, was flooding into my personality as a whole. When I'd help Pop make pancakes on the weekends I'd 'school' him as to how it was 'supposed to be done,' and refuse any help at all, leaving him sidelined. One day, after a particularly messy episode involving my opinions on Momma's cleaning methods (don't ever question a woman's cleaning methods), she sat me down with a frustrated sigh and summed it up in one sentence, "It's not your job to scrub the floors, cook the meals, or worry about the finances- It's your job to be a child."

I'll admit, I didn't quite understand what she meant at the time. In fact, I took it quite harshly. In my narrow mindset she didn't want me help anymore, I wasn't good enough. Today, as an adult, I long for the days when my only concern was if I'd get to finish the Saturday night Disney film before bedtime, or not. Childhood, like so much of our lives, flys by in the blink of an eye. Most of the time we are moving forward to quickly to even take inventory of those precious memories and moments. Yes, it's a time of development for character and discipline, but it's also a wonderfully magical time of exploration and discovery. That's precisely why I love my job as an Aunt. I get to borrow other people's children and spoil them rotten, proper, before turning them back over to the parental units who have to deal with discussions on hygiene and homework.

So, with 3 kids afoot this month I made it my personal mission to pack as much fun and wonder into each and every afternoon as possible. I wish I'd had more than a days notice to mentally prepare a game plan, but you know what they say about wishes and wants! It wasn't in my 'contract' to entertain these children. I could have just as easily sat them in front of the TV from 7-4PM each day and let them entertain each other. That is what the parents said, after all. But spending one's Summer in front of a glowing screen just seems like a let down. It may not to the children I'm prying away from it, at first, but I've heard nothing but praise since. And 'entertaining' these kiddos with fun snacks, crafts, and field trips is just as much an escape from the everyday grind for me, as it is for them. I don't get to declare a field trip day and head out to the Science Center- but maybe I should!

Last week we wrapped Friday with a Very Merry Unbirthday Party (more on that to come in the full post), based on a beloved tradition my father started with me. As it turns out, I had originally been searching for Penguin party ideas, but came across a concept that fit the theme, and tickled my lips even more- Sushi Krispies. These simple to make party snacks are an easy Bento lunch box treat and can be made by any enthusiastic young baker. I was certain, when planning them, they'd be eaten separately (picked apart by each element), but the kiddos actually enjoyed the soft Swedish Fish against the crunchy mallow 'rice'. I also happened to find some generic whole grain rice puffs that were less sweet than Rice Krispies, and balanced out the sugar components nicely. There's no denying, these Sushi Krispies are adorable- do you have a simple party snack go-to?

What Daughter Says: Add a little smile to your day. Take a moment to be a kid again.

Sushi Krispies

***click here for printable Sushi Krispies recipe

Ingredients:

* 6 C Rice Krispies, or Generic Rice Puff Cereal

* 4 C Miniature OR 10z Regular Marshmallows

* 3 TBS Butter or Margarine

* Fruit Roll Ups with 'Green' Flavor/Color

* Swedish Style Fish

* Raspberry Parell Gumdrops

Directions:

1.) In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2.) Stir in krispies/rice puffs until evenly coated and press into pre-greased 9x9" pan.

3.) Cool 20-30 minutes in the fridge, until just chilled.

4.) Remove from fridge and slice into 1"x2" 'rolls.' Soften the edges into rounded corners with your hands and arrange evenly on a baking sheet.

5.) Slice green fruit roll ups into then 1/4" strips about 4" long. Place fish/raspberry 'roe' on top of krispie rolls and drape fruit roll up (seaweed) across.