If successful, the healthy ice cream (my brain keeps screaming ‘oxymoron!’) will be considered a “functional food,” one that contains ingredients proven to benefit health above and beyond normal nutrition.

But it’s still ice cream. Sure, you will breathe easier knowing that your kid’s after dinner snack has ingredients that promote health, but can we really call it healthy? Ice cream contains saturated fat, sugar, and is extremely calorie dense. Is calling it a “functional food” and labeling it healthy another example of marketing unhealthy foods as nutritious to boost sales, or is any improvement on a normally nutritionally devoid product a lesser of two evils?

“The intent is that instead of feeling guilty because you are eating this ice cream, which has received a bad rap because it is so high-fat, to really say that ‘Yeah I treated myself to a full-fat ice cream, but I did contribute to my nutritional needs in regard to my gut health, my antioxidant needs and my dietary fiber,’” said ice-cream researcher Ingolf Gruen, a professor of food chemistry at the University of Missouri-Columbia, told MSNBC.com.

Okay, I’ll take that, but will your kids know the difference?  You betcha.  Nutrients add a bitter taste that no amount of fat and sugar can cover, and researchers say texture will also be an issue.

I’m also curious how much this ice cream will cost, and if you are getting the same amount of fat and sugar, shouldn’t just buy the regular stuff and make sure you eat some fruits and veggies in your day?  Ice cream is supposed to be an occasional treat, and a healthy diet should be the norm.  I think teaching your child how to eat their fill of fruits and vegetables and lean proteins, with a nice, rich treat every once in a while, will instill better nutritional habits than trying to mask unhealthy options as healthy by slapping some extra nutrients on it and calling it good.

The product is slated to be available to the public within two years.  Will you be trying to pull one over on your kids?

We recently just got a Sonic restaurant in our town, though I’ve heard that these drive-in fast food chains are all the rage in the South.  Their commercials are funny and the gimmick is cute.  But are there healthy choices on their menu or just fried franchise favorites?

Makes Me Sick:  Frito’s Chili Pie

I’m glad that doesn’t even look good, because it packs a nauseating 940 calories and 64 grams of fat.  So not worth it.

Healthy Pick: Grilled Chicken Salad with Fat Free Italian

There really are some healthier choices on Sonic’s menu.  This salad has only 290 calories and 10 grams of fat.  Even Sonic’s Kids’ Meals, while heavy on fried food and light on veggies, clock in at between 200 and 380 calories.  As an added bonus, since you are eating in your car and not in the restaurant, you have less of a chance of contracting the H1N1 virus, which these days may just make up for that Frito’s Pie.

This is the first such recorded instance of a comatose birth and doctors are unsure if the coma is reversible. However, the patient’s body presumably remains able to nurture her newborn, with the ability to express breast milk. There will likely commence a period of assisted bonding of mother to child, given that the patient is unable to hold her baby on her own. The attachment phenomenon at this stage is extremely important for the baby, who needs a stable environment to help it grow.

Science has made a great many leaps over the decades, but it can’t do everything. The baby’s father has an arduous task ahead of him, and an emotional one. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that the mother revives soon, so she can share in an experience that might not be repeated in her lifetime.

I just love it when celeb moms (that usually have secret personal trainers and chefs)  explain bouncing back to pre-baby weight on “chasing after their kids.”

Well, the numbers are out and according to MSNBC.com, chasing your kids around isn’t the workout many moms think it to be.

Exercise doesn’t mean dropping your kids in order to hit the treadmill for a few hours.  Kids are the best examples of getting fun exercise, so take their lead and play along.  Here are some activities you and your kids can do together to take advantage of the Fall weather, burn some calories and spend quality time together.

Nature Hike

Those changing leaves make for a great scenic backdrop for a nature hike.  Look up trails online with your kids and pick a route everyone can enjoy.  Instead of walking trails, look for real hikes: the higher the elevation and the incline of the trek, the better the cardiovascular benefits, plus muscle toning.  While you are working on your killer calves, your kids can collect leaves, take pictures and spot birds.

Family Football

Football can be fun for the whole family and a great way to work up a sweat.  To keep it safe (or if you have teenage boys that don’t quite know their own strength yet) stick to tag football, or flag football by tucking bandannas into your waist bands.  No need for refs, it’s a family game.  Just set up two goals, split into two teams and start running, throwing, catching and diving.  Fall is infamous for rain, but don’t let it cancel your game.  Put on old clothes and get muddy!

Playground Obstacle Course

Playgrounds are like your own personal outside gym.  Take your kids to the park and plan an obstacle course, trying to use every piece of the equipment: run up the slide, cross the monkey bars without touching the ground, do 10 jumping jacks in between each obstacle, etc.  Map out the race with your kids and then whip out the stop watch.  Whoever finishes in the fastest time gets to pick their favorite dinner.  The better the prize, the more times your kids will want a rematch.  Just be sure not to run over anyone else there trying to play, or even ask them to join in, since I guarantee all the other kids are going to be jealous because their mom is sitting on the bench reading a magazine.

Cold weather isn’t a reason to stay indoors and having to hang with your kids isn’t a reason to skip your workouts.  Kids are funny: they actually think spending time with you and being active is fun.  Get in on the action and keep fit this Fall while making new memories and traditions with your children.

According the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Tamiflu capsules can be opened and mixed with a sweet-tasting liquid.  Here is what you will need:

• A capsule of Tamiflu (again, these are much easier to find than the liquid)
• A small bowl
• 1-2 teaspoons of a sweet, flavored liquid (chocolate syrup works well)

Ok, so here is all you do:

1. Pour a small amount of the liquid into the bowl.  It doesn’t really matter the exact amount of the liquid, you will just want to be sure your child can finish all of it to get a full dose of medication.
2. Holding the capsule over your bowl, carefully open it and pour out all the contents.
3. Stir the mixture well, it is okay if all the medication does not fully dissolve.
4. Give the entire dose to your child with a spoon.

Easier than you thought isn’t it?  The Tamiflu capsules are very small, as I know from personal experience.  It should be easy to get all the medication into a few teaspoons of syrup.  It would actually be a lot easier to get your child to take a spoon full of chocolate syrup than most any medicine.  I wonder if this works with other things?  Might be something to look into, some medications are nearly impossible to get my kids to take.  For now though, this is great information to keep on hand, just in case.

Nash now wears a veil to prevent people from seeing her face. She recently appeared on Oprah and removed the veil, allowing the world to witness the results of the surgery performed on her to save what was left of her face. We’ve embedded the clip below.

Parents, be suspicious of any animal that you don’t know — this includes both random dogs on the street and animals in zoos. There is no way to predict animal behavior 100% of the time. Look at what happened to Charla Nash, helping a friend with a pet. I remember a friend of mine whose dog suddenly turned on him one day for no reason, leaving him with a deep scar across his face and scalp. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t have a pet; when you’re in possession of an animal, you have the control and the responsibility to train it properly. But watch your child’s grasping, eager hands when seeing a cute puppy in a park or on the street. Most times, it’s fine. But the other small percentage is too terrible to contemplate.

I got up to the counter, plopped down my loot, and started to punch in my savings number.  The girl ringing me up, who looked about 16 years old and could not be more unhappy to be there, grumpily asked for my ID.  I obliged without really thinking about it, handed her my expired ID with a hole punched in it and the temporary paper copy the DMV gave me until my new hard copy comes in the mail.

“I can’t take this.  It’s expired.”

“I know, that’s why I’m giving you my paper one- they are valid together.”

“Really?”

“Really.  Why are you carding me anyway?”

“The Theraflu.  It’s ‘day-time.’  Kids use it to get high.  Well, you can get high off the night-time, too, but it’s a different kind of high.”

Damn, I felt old.  I just turned 23 and already I’m not down with the current household methods of getting wasted.

“I did not know that.”

She perked up immediately, seemingly excited to talk about something she probably knew all too much about, as she continued to check me out.

“Oh, yeah! Just like cough syrup.  We totally have to card for duct tape, too, cause you can scrape off the silver coating and snort it to get high- or smoke it.  Same with cinnamon.  And then of course, spray paint, nail polish remover, paint thinner- that kind of stuff- cause you can huff it.”

Cinnamon? You learn something new everyday.

So, apparently, if you have these things on your grocery list, the checkers at the grocery store think you are a broke drug addict, or buying it for some kid in the alley out back.

Gone are the days of worrying about your child smoking a little pot, or stealing some of your prescription meds out of the bathroom cupboard to get high.  We now have to lock the kitchen and the garage up tight, to keep our kids from ingesting anything they can get their hands on in search of a buzz.

But, boy, was she right- I drank the Theraflu and felt like I could fly.  As I laid there on my living room floor, spinning, I thought of what adventurous hoodlum was the first one to say to his friends, “Hey, lets scrape and smoke this duct tape, just to see what happens!”

There are generally only two entry points for bacteria to invade your body–the mouth and the nose.  Most bacteria takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat or nasal cavity to proliferate.  If you eliminate the bacteria in that time frame then you can usually avoid being infected with that illness.  Here are some steps you can take to stay flu free.

1. Frequent hand-washing
2. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, or bathe).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water or Listerine.  Simple gargling prevents germ proliferation.  In a way, gargling has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one.  Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.  Alternatively you can use nasal spray or a netti pot.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C .  *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can.  Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction.  They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Call me stupid, but I’ve voluntarily taken on the task of finding something I would eat that would be a healthy choice at an establishment that in my house is known as “Taco Hell.”  As far as fast food Mexican goes, there are definitely healthier options. I envision only two scenarios in which I might ever eat at Taco Bell: one involves heavy drinking and late night desperation and the other involves a firearm and my temple.  Still, if you or your kids want to “make a run for the border,” there are definitely some menu pitfalls and lesser evils.

Makes Me Sick: Nachos Bell Grande

“Grande” is right: that’s what your cholesterol count and your bootay are going to be after indulging in these calorie bombs.  760 calories and 42 grams of fat make this “Fifth Meal” a terrible choice.

Healthy Pick:  Bean Burrito

Short of just sucking “mild sauce” straight out of the packets, this is what I would eat at Taco Bell.  With only 350 calories and 9 grams of fat, you definitely could do worse.  For example, a taco named after a casino game:  Black Jack Taco, anyone?

The sleep deprivation was really getting to me. I mean, seriously, I was at the point where I would have welcomed a coma just to get some shut-eye.

All my baby books and mean friends who were parents had warned me about this, the fact I apparently wouldn’t sleep for the first three months of my new son’s life. I was ready for it. But what I didn’t anticipate was developing a dirty little habit I could tell no one about until now: During this time, I became a Lifetime Movie Network junkie. For those keeping track at home, that’s only slightly less embarrassing than still watching that “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ farce or beauty pageants.

It started innocently enough. It was in the wee hours of the morning and my son had just closed his eyes for his two-hour sleep session. I flipped on the television and realized there wasn’t much on that wasn’t an infomercial.  Then I hit the Lifetime Movie Network – LMN to those in the know.  I remember thinking, “Oh, hey, wow. It’s ‘Casualties of Love: the Long Island Lolita Story,’ that movie where Alyssa ‘I look nothing like Amy Fisher’ Milano was cast as Amy Fisher.” It took me back to high school, when Amy and her beau Joey Buttafuoco-Over-Here became tabloid royalty after the jealous teen girl attempted to kill his wife, Mary Jo. The whole scandal gave Zubaz-pants-and-sleeveless-shirts-wearing men everywhere hope they could land their own young thing.

I was hooked.

I swore it would just happen the one time. But then I found my butt glued to the couch, soaking in “Gospel of Deceit” starring that dark-haired chick from “Baywatch.” The basic plot line follows a preacher who tries to get his wife to cheat on him, then he tries to kill her. I won’t ruin the rest for you, but the end of the movie features a hil-ARIOUS showdown in the church.

My low point came when I found myself mesmerized by the acting talents of one Tori Spelling in “Mind Over Murder.” Yes, Tori as a D.A. with ESP. Apparently, getting smacked upside the head by a car gives you the ability to read people’s minds (that was only slightly less believable than Tori as a prosecutor). But oh, wouldn’t you know it, her “gift” almost gets her killed!

I tried to rationalize my addiction. A good portion of LMN movies are about women who, for some reason or another, want to harm their husbands. What new mom recovering from childbirth couldn’t relate to that? The movies are also mindless fluff – perfect viewing for the sleep-deprived brain.

Somehow, I managed to break the addiction. I think the defining moment came when I hit the info button on my remote and saw something called “Stranger With My Face” playing next on LMN. I couldn’t do it anymore – for the sake of my husband, for the sake of my son. I’m sorry, Tracey Gold, Yasmine Bleeth, Shannen Doherty, Scott Bakula. You’re just going to have to find someone else to watch your engrossing drivel.

Daniel has had his final treatment on the 5th, and doctors say he is now cancer-free. Once this has been confirmed, the court will rescind the child-protection order that enforced compliance from the Hausers.

A great many have cited this case with highlighting the battle between science and faith. Myself, I believe faith can be a powerful benefit in navigating life, helping with feelings of fear and trust. However, faith should never get in the way of science — it should bolster science. There is no convincing argument that the two cannot co-exist. Alternative healing has its place, but much of it avoids scientific rigor in testing. Ultimately, if it works, it works … but there is a margin of time during which events progress past the wait-and-see stage, and cancer takes advantage of this margin in the deadliest way possible.

We have the ability to take care of many of society’s ills, but as we’ve seen, what trumps all progress is the will of uninformed people who truly believe they’re doing right. In the end, we should all have the faith to listen to those more knowledgeable than ourselves when making decisions about our family’s health.

For years now there has been a rumor circulating that the beloved Cookie Monster from Sesame Street was being transformed into Veggie Monster. With his 40th Birthday here and Google making him their Google Doodle, the rumor has sprung up again. Is it true? Not that I can find.

Over the past couple of years, Cookie Monster has started to eat better and make healthier decisions, but he is still Cookie Monster. PBS has made Cookie Monster begin to eat more fruits and vegetables instead of only cookies during the shows’ 36th season.  Is this going to make a difference to our children? Probably not. My kids love Cookie Monster and think it’s hilarious to see him eat cookies, but that doesn’t make them go and eat like that. Seeing him eat carrots or apples the same way will affect them the same way. They do, of course, mimic him, eating whatever snack like a monster, but they don’t automatically want to eat cookies because Cookie Monster does.

So in my research online, I have found that many people have said Cookie Monster is being transformed, but I can not see anything official. As far as I’m concerned, Cookie Monster needs to stay Cookie Monster. He is a puppet. Seriously, the advocates for healthy eating need to realize that. PBS should not be forced to change Cookie Monster just because they think it affects our children. Most kids know the difference between real and make-believe. My son knows he can’t have a pet jaguar like Diego and he’s three years old.

Above is a video clip of Whoopi Goldberg discussing her thoughts on the transformation of Cookie Monster while co-hosting “The View”. She feels as I do, Cookie Monster is harmless and basically people need to relax and just take him for the entertainment value he has.

My oldest child didn’t have sugar until he was a year old. I didn’t want him to have my sweet tooth. That, and the hyper-vigilant-crazy-first-time-parent thing. I was more lax with my younger two children but I still limit sugar considerably compared to most moms. The upside is that I don’t spend a ton on sweets. The downside? My middle child was a candy-sneaker and has three cavities. That begs the question: does forbidding sweets make children want it more? What if I convince them to send it to the Treat Fairy? What if I set a “sweet schedule?” What if I let them control their intake? Would my children really go nuts if I let them have free access to sweets? I’m too scared to experiment, but thankfully, someone else wasn’t.

Annie Sasseville at The Tranquil Parent decided to test just what I’ve been wondering. She began in July 2009 with her own 2.5 year-old daughter. Annie filled a drawer at her daughter’s level with jelly beans, chocolate peanut butter maltballs, generic M&Ms, plain chocolate chips, lollipops and gum drops, then let her daughter Jo have unlimited access to it – even at mealtimes. By September, she had some very enlightening observations to make about make sweets readily available to children – at least to hers, anyway. Here are some interesting things she found:

The novelty wore off in about a week. Jo visited the drawer several times a day at the beginning of the experiment, but by the end, would often go several days without going to it at all. As the experiment concluded, Jo would grab a few chocolate chips and be done for the day.

Requests for “real food” became more frequent. Before the experiment, Jo would really only request snacks and sweets. Since the experiment, things like soup, fish sticks, and grilled cheese have become the requested items.

Milk and water intake stayed the same. Calcium intake was a concern for Annie, but Jo continued to drink just as much milk and water as she had before the experiment began.

Sweets and “real food” became plate-mates. Jo would frequently eat her sweets with her dinner, even though she could have them any time of the day. Annie was fascinated to watch her eat in a sweet – dinner – sweet – dinner pattern.

Annie also discovered that her own sweets intake went down when they became less verboten to the family. Considering her daughter’s response, she decided to keep the sweets drawer.  With the holidays upon us and the abundance of candy available, now’s a great time to try this experiment for yourself and your family. Do your kids integrate the goodies, or gobble them up?

The Swine Flu is discussed on every news cast and has caused panic across the nation.  I have personally dealt with this horrible illness and have a new perspective.  Although many people are only having a mild case, my family had to deal with a moderate case.  I couldn’t imagine the hardship a severe case would cause.

Early last week my husband told us he was starting to not feel so well, thinking he was getting a cold or something like that.  The next day he was feeling a little worse, but was not running a fever or cough.  He was still able to rearrange our son’s room and was up and around until that afternoon.  I left to run errands around 9:00am. When I returned before noon, his temperature was about 102 and he felt horrible.  I bought over the counter flu medications and they didn’t help. Nothing would bring down his fever and he started to have a dry cough.  The following morning I took him to the urgent care.  They made him wear a mask upon entering the building and made us sit in a special waiting room designed only for patients with flu-like symptoms.  After talking with the doctor, he concluded my husband had the Swine Flu without swabbing or anything.  He was prescribed Tamiflu and sent home.  As we were leaving the doctor told us “Good luck finding the Tamiflu, it’s sold out in most pharmacies.“  I took my husband home, quarantined him to the bedroom and started calling around to find the medication, luckily the strength he needed was available.  He took the pills that day and continued for the next five days.  When he called his work and told them he had the flu, they told him regardless of how he feels he can not return for at least seven days.  He wasn’t feeling better for about seven days total and was out of work for nine days total. The only other person in my household that has shown any signs of illness is our youngest, who is three years old.

So you are wondering what this Tamiflu is and how it helps?  Tamiflu is a antiviral medication.  What this means is it helps to get rid of the virus and shorten the length of the illness.  It is NOT antibiotics, so even if you are taking this medicine, you are still contagious.  A person with the Swine Flu is contagious a day before the symptoms start and then five to seven days after.

It still amazes me that I was able to keep the germs from getting everyone in our house sick.  Here are some things I did:

• Keep the sick person in a room to themselves, do not allow them to interact with healthy people except at an extreme distance. Our kids stayed outside the door and could talk to him from there.
• Keep everything cleaned, either using antibacterial wipes or good old-fashioned soap and water.
• If the sick wants to come out of quarantine, ensure they have washed their hands well and make them wear a mask.  The sick can get cabin fever after being stuck in a room for days on end, so make them wear a mask!
• Do not share towels!  Germs live in towels and it’s better to switch to paper towels for the kitchen and drying hands in the bathroom while there are sick people in the house.
• I stayed away.  It was hard not going into my own room and having to sleep on the couch, but I’m not sick, so I think it was worth it!

So, now comes the question of the H1N1 vaccine.  I have three children that were exposed.  Do I bother with the vaccine?  There are hundreds of thousands of people that are sick with flu-like symptoms every day and doctors are now saying this is the Swine Flu.  If they are showing signs today, they were contagious yesterday.  This means they could have exposed many people without even knowing it.  Being that we had Swine Flu hit our home and my kids still didn’t get sick, I’m thinking I will hold off on the vaccine.  Even keeping the house germ-free helped, but my husband had spread his germs prior to us realizing he had the flu.  You would think we all would have gotten it. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says 99% of people that get it have mild cases, so I think we’ll take our chances.  I’m not alone in my opinion, according to this poll by the ABC News/Washington Post.  This poll shows that almost half of the parents questioned are not going to have their children vaccinated.

Mama’s Recipe Box is a weekly column in which KidGlue authors give hints on recipes that either your kids will love to eat or kids can help cook. This week Sarah Matheny makes “Anytime” Cookies.

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Cookie Monster is cutting back on cookies.  I happened to catch a little diddy that C-Mo was singing about cookies being a “sometimes” food.  Good call, Sesame Street.  But it got the little hamster in my head a spinning.  What if I could come up with a cookie that could be an “anytime” food?  What if I could create a cookie that my kids could eat for breakfast?  This cookie is vegan, free of refined sugars and packed full of fiber and nutrients.  I give you the “Anytime” Cookie!

“Anytime” Cookies

• 1/4 c. ground flax seed, divided
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 1/4 c. unrefined organic sugar
• 1/4 c. unrefined organic brown sugar
• 1/4 c. chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 c. unbleached organic flour
• 1/2 c. organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 c. chopped almonds (or any other nut desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine 2 T. of ground flax with 1/2 c. of water.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flours, wheat germ, baking soda, remaining 2 T. of ground flax and spices.

To flax/water mixture, add sugar, oil, vanilla and chopped dried fruits.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.  Fold in nuts.

Drop 12 spoonfuls of cookie dough onto cookie sheet sprayed lightly with non-stick spray.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Cool for one minute on pans and then transfer to cooling rack.  Let cookies cool completely before moving to an airtight container.

The Goji Gourmet cookie giveaway

Goji Orange MintChip

Goji Almond Oat

Goji Ginger Walnut

Goji Cherry Cocoa

And the winner is….

theskinnyplate!

Congrats! Check your email for further instructions, and everyone else, check out the new giveaway we have running this week!

This recall affects about 16,500 units and is being issued because the nipple piece can easily become detached and swallowed.  The pacifiers were sold at grocery stores, delis, and discount stores from August 2007 through July 2009 for about $1.

The “My Baby Soother” pacifier has a ring-shaped handle and a blue, pink, red, white or yellow heart-shaped mouth guard with two ventilation holes. The nipple is made of either silicon or latex. The pacifier package has the words “My Baby Soother” printed on the top and a picture of a baby on the background.

If you or someone you know has purchased one of these products you should take it and stop use immediately.  No refund can be issued since the company has not cooperated with the recall.  Consumers should contact the CPSC at (800) 638-2772 or visit their website CPSC.gov

For more information on other recalls that may affect you, please visit these links:

• RECALL – Daiso Issues Two Recalls On More Than 10 Different Children’s Toys
• RECALL – Targets Issues Recall and Pays $600,000 For Knowingly Violating Lead Paint Ban
• RECALL – ‘Wooden Bunk Beds’ Sold At Big Lots Stores May Collapse
• RECALL – O’Neill Hoodies Could Cause Strangulation
• RECALL – MAXI-COSI Child Safety Seats
• RECALL – 6 Types of Window Shades Can Cause Strangulation

We’re crazy about Chipotle in our house.  Any restaurant that lets you custom make your meal is a godsend in a house full of non-meat eating, some dairy-eating, very independent minded females who want to do everything for themselves.  So what if two of those females are under five?  There is something for everyone at Chipotle, and their “Food With Integrity” approach of using sustainable, fresh, chemical and hormone free food is refreshing.  Still, you can build your meal as healthfully (or non-healthfully) as you wish.

Makes Me Sick: Steak Burrito with the Works

A steak burrito with beans, rice, veggies, cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole and a side of chips will set you back a staggering 1,965 calories and 87 grams of fat!  Even it your burrito has “integrity,” this is by no means a healthy choice.

Healthy Pick: Vegetarian Burrito Bol

A much healthier choice that stills allows a bit of indulgence is a Burrito Bol with beans, veggies, lettuce, salsa and guacamole.  At only 315 calories, even with that glop of guac, you won’t have to roll yourself home after a night out.

Consumers from Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maryland and North Carolina are advised to check their refrigerators closely for beef products sold under brand names ranging from Acme Markets’ Lancaster Brand Ground Beef and Extra Lean Ground Beef to Giant Food Stores Meatloaf and Meatball Mix to Trader Joe’s Butcher Shop Fine Quality Meats Ground Beef.

Suspected packages will be marked with establishment number EST 492 inside the USDA mark of inspection. It was produced September 15 and 16 and has sell-by dates ranging from September 19 to 28.

The known list of retail outlets include  ACME, BJ’s, Ford Brothers, Giant Food Stores, Price Chopper, Shaw’s, and Trader Joe’s. Fairbanks Farms says that customers who have identified recalled ground beef products, should remove the product from their freezers and return it to their stores for full reimbursement.

Symptoms of E. coli food poisoning include severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, mild fever and vomiting. If you see these symptoms developing in yourself or your children, increase intake of purified water and see your doctor immediately.

Mama’s Recipe Box is a weekly column in which KidGlue authors give hints on recipes that either your kids will love to eat or kids can help cook. This week, Crystal Arcand makes a two-ingredient cake perfect for fall.

With the craziness of the season, everybody needs some chocolate therapy. I’m a cake girl, myself, and I love pumpkin pie. Imagine my delight when I discovered an easy-peasy chocolate pumpkin cake recipe that requires only two ingredients! Grab an ingredient in each hand and you’ll be on the couch having therapy in less than an hour.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (serves about 15 – much fewer if you need some serious chocolate therapy)

non-stick cooking spray

1 box (18.25 oz.) devil’s food cake mix

1 can (15 oz. ) pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350° F while you spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with the non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the cake mix and pumpkin until well combined. It will be very thick.

Spread batter into the dish and level the top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick insert in the middle comes out clean.

Cool completely on a wire rack – yeah, right!

Variations:

Mini-muffins – Bake for 15-20 minutes

Muffins – Bake for 15-20 minutes

* Frosting Optional

This is a great fall recipe for potlucks, holiday dinners, or – most importantly – sweets therapy. My advice? Don’t wait for it to cool – you won’t be able to stand smelling it that long. And make sure you have a big glass of milk!

Honestly, I hold with Dr. Mark Dworkin of the University of Illinois at Chicago who says that not only would it be distracting for the President if his daughters were to get sick, but there would also be the possibility of Barack himself getting sick, which would be bad for the country in general. And if anyone should receive preferential treatment, it might as well be the President. Running the country is not a privilege; it’s a duty. I’m willing to afford President Obama as many breaks as he can get if it helps him concentrate on his job.

Having the President’s children inoculated also sends a clear message to the rest of the country that getting the vaccine is the smart thing to do, something that remains in doubt for some percentage of Americans. If you are still on the fence, consider the Obamas — if they did it, couldn’t you?

There are unsubstantiated fears that vaccines cause autism in children, and these fears are groundless. They’re based on nothing more than coincidence, stemming from the fact that many times recognizable autism signs arrive at the same time that vaccines are given to children. It’s important to remember that correlation is not causation; there have been numerous studies to show that there is no link between vaccination and autism.

Having said that, there is concern over the H1N1 vaccine due to its relatively widespread untested nature, but as the vaccine is based upon the same principles that govern all vaccines, there is little cause for concern on that score. The Center for Disease Control’s website has the information you need to make your informed decision on whether or not to give the vaccine to your child, or even yourself. In general, it must be said that while there may be side effects in some cases, the benefit of getting the vaccine far outweighs the detriment.

To this day, the couple continue to find notes hidden all around the house, with messages of love for them and Elena’s younger sister Gracie. Keith and Brooke Desserich have written a book about Elena’s story, with all sales to go to The Cure Starts Now, a foundation created to find a “home run” cure for cancer. The book is available in stores and online.

Outliving one’s own child is a parent’s worst nightmare. Brain cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in children under age 15. While there are various tumor types, each with their own differentiating signs and symptoms, some general things to watch for are uncoordinated movements along with headache and vomiting. As always, please see a physician if you have any concerns for your child’s health. Do not rush to judgment and attempt to diagnose your child on your own, and don’t assume the worst if you observe symptoms like those described above; they are not automatically indicative of a brain tumor.

Trick or Treat?  This smoothie recipe is both.  It is a frosty sweet treat that rivals anything you’d find at Jamba Juice, but is also a tricky way to get some extra fruits AND veggies.  Its green slimy appearance is perfect for a Halloween party or even just a special breakfast on the Day of the Dead.  With no added sugar, your little ghouls and goblins won’t even know that it’s good for them.  Don’t worry, I won’t tell if you won’t.

Slimy Green Smoothies (serves 1 or 2)

1 banana, sliced and frozen

1/2 c. frozen pineapple

1/2 c. apple, pineapple or orange juice

1/2 c. milk (almond, soy or regular)

1 large handful of spinach

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into glass, and serve with a smile and a witch-like cackle.

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED***

Delicious and Nutritious- doesn’t get much better than that!

Goji Gourmet are real healthy cookies that actually taste like real cookies.  These little guys are delicious, packed with superfoods (walnuts, ginger, almonds, oats, cocoa, etc.) antioxidants, and organic goji berries.

They come in 4 fantastic flavors, with even more fantastic ingredient lists.  Usually, cookies ingredient lists are a combination of refined flour and sugars.  Check some of the ingredients out in these bad boys:

Goji Orange MintChip- Organic white whole wheat flour, organic goji berries, natural buckwheat honey, organic butter, raw turbinado sugar

Goji Almond Oat- Organic white whole wheat flour, organic goji berries, organic oats, natural buckwheat honey, natural almonds

Goji Ginger Walnut- Organic white whole wheat flour, organic goji berries, organic crystallized ginger, natural buckwheat honey, natural walnuts

Goji Cherry Cocoa- Organic white whole wheat flour, organic goji berries, natural buckwheat honey, organic cacao powder, dried cherries

They are low calorie (100 calories per 4 cookies), low carb, and delicious.  They are also low sugar, as Goji Gourmet prefers to use buckwheat honey instead of refined sugar and are preservative-free, so they are just like fresh baked, with the taste and texture to match.

Goji Gourmet and Kidglue.com are giving 1 lucky winner 1 large bag of each flavor of cookies- 4 bags total.

Here’s how to enter:

You get one entry for each of the above, so the more you enter, the more chances you have to win!

Note: Please use a valid e-mail address.

The lucky winner will be chosen randomly. Giveaway ends Wednesday November 4, 2009. Winner will be reached by email, and announced on the blog 11/04/09.

Good luck!!