Maryann Jacobsen's Blog, page 18

Summer Dinner Rotation

I made it through my end-of-the-year busy time and now summer is here. After a quickie vacation, we are ready to go. I always find the kids whine a lot the first few days without a schedule. I found myself getting agitated when I realized this always happens the beginning of summer. Sure enough, things have settled down. And now it’s time to add some routine, starting with meals.

Above is my base summer rotation for dinners. I’m keeping it open, as we plan to grill a lot and work on some new...

7 Ways I Maintain Health When Life Gets Crazy

Over the past month or so it’s been a bit hectic here. First, is the realization my kids are going to be out of school in early June and my next book is not even close to done yet. So I’ve been working extra hard, waking up before 5 and going all day. Then there’s the end-of-the-year activities and planning summer. When you add it all up, it equals much more stress than usual. Instead of throwing my usual healthy habits out the window, I make some adjustments. Here are 7 of the most effectiv...

5 Changes You Can Expect to See on the Nutrition Facts Label

Have you heard? On May 20th, the FDA announced new changes coming to the nutrition label of food products. Why? Well, the current label is over 20 years old. On their website the FDA states that “The changes announced today are based on updated scientific information, new nutrition and public health research, more recent dietary recommendations from expert groups, and input from the public.”

So here are the key changes you can except to see phase in (or out) over the next couple of years.

1....

What Harping on a Child’s Weight Looks Like 20 Years Later

She was in the 4th grade when she realized her body was wrong. “It’s probably from eating all that pizza and ice cream. It tastes good, doesn’t it? But it makes your body big and fat,” said her pediatrician during a check-up, detailed in this post by My Fat Friend on Medium.com. “Just imagine that your body is made out of clay. If you can just stay the same weight, as you grow, you’ll stretch out. And once you grow up, you’ll be thin and beautiful. Won’t that be great?”

Was the girl’s reacti...

Dinner Rotation: April-May

I hope you all are well. Sorry I missed posting my last meal rotation. I don’t know about you but here in San Diego it’s become warm (although not today) and summer buzz is in the air. So Thursdays will be grill nights as we gear up for summer grilling.

Since my husband is in charge of grilling, he has some say in the matter. We both agree we need more grilled fish recipes. We also have been using a basket to grill veggies. Last time I cut the pieces too small so some fell through into the g...

Want to Strengthen Your Child’s Self-Control Muscle? Avoid This Common Feeding Mistake

This is part of an ongoing series on moderation. It’s in preparation for my next book and includes expert interviews, the latest research and expert tips. Sign up for my updates to get these posts and subscriber discounts including FREE e-book offers.

Since I started blogging I’ve consistently received the same question from parents. It typically centers around a child that eats a lot and is always hungry. Here’s an example from a recent email I received:

My daughter is 5 years old and every...

The Power of Paying Attention at Meals

As a young child, I remember sitting down to family dinners but this gradually stopped as I got older. I mean, why sit at the table when you have those cool TV tray tables that allow you to eat while watching TV? For those of you who grew up in the 70s you can probably relate. At the time, traditional sit down meals were going out of style in favor of eating while doing other things. And eating “on the go” became a cultural phenomenon.

As I grew into an adult, and continued my distracted eat...

3 Things Carb-Loving Children Wish Their Parents Knew

This is part of an ongoing series on moderation. It’s in preparation for my next book and includes expert interviews, the latest research and expert tips. Sign up for my updates to get these posts and subscriber discounts including FREE e-book offers.

You serve dinner with all the food groups and your kids first reach for the pasta, bread, rice, tortillas or whatever carb source you have on the table. After a while, you remind them of the other food on their table or plate. Maybe you get so...

Transform Your Family’s Food Culture with this 4-Step Mindful Strategy

This is part of an ongoing series on moderation. It’s in preparation for my next book and includes expert interviews, the latest research and expert tips. Sign up for my updates to get these posts and subscriber discounts including FREE e-book offers.

Have you ever thought about your family’s unique food culture? Does everyone enjoy eating a variety of foods? Are meals peaceful or a point of contention? Does everyone feel like they are getting enough to eat or is there lots of complaining an...

Dinner Rotation: February-March

We are moving right into Spring! One change to my dinner rotation is “No Meat Fridays” because we are Catholic and observe Lent. This thrills me as I love vegetarian meals and my husband has to be supportive.

Last Friday, we tried something I’ve been wanting to do for a while: salad bar night. Little D had been home sick and I wanted to clean out the fridge and not cook. So I just put out various salad items like lettuce and spinach, carrots, cranberries, nuts, croutons, pasta, apple slice,...