Category Archives: Kids~

A Review Of “Happy Thanks Living” Coloring Zine

November 8, 2011 By in Kids~, Reviews~ Tags: , , , , 4 Comments

I have recently come across a sweet & informative coloring zine called “Happy Thanks Living”, created by children’s author, Nathalie VanBalen.

This 20 page black & white book is filled with adorable illustrations and cute poems for your child to enjoy. Pictures of Turkey friends, apple trees & yummy veggies will not only foster your child’s creativity, but also teach compassion & respect for the inquisitive birds that represent Thanksgiving.

If you would like to purchase a coloring zine for a child you love, visit www.thorathinks.com

Let’s teach our children that turkeys are friends! Not Food!

-zines cost $5 each (this includes shipping within the U.S.)
-20 pages, black and white, printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
-bound with thread rather than staples for the safety of little ones
-coloring fun for people of all ages! :)

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

June 7, 2011 By in Kids~, Recipes~ Tags: , , , 7 Comments

This recipe is my daughter’s favorite & it is very easy to make! If you are making these for your child’s class or a party, I suggest using soy milk instead of almond milk because of nut allergies.

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup soy or almond milk

1 tablespoon molasses

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup non dairy chocolate chips

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl mash bananas & mix with oil, brown rice syrup, soy milk & molasses. Add dry ingredients & chocolate chips. Stir well & scoop into oiled muffin tins. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Vegan Kids & Bullying, Is It A problem?

November 12, 2010 By in Just a thought~, Kids~ Tags: , , , , 4 Comments

Any child who is perceived as “different”, whether it be their appearance, the way they talk, the way they express themselves, what they eat, what they don’t eat.. may be at a higher risk for being bullied. We have been hearing about Gay youth in the media quite a bit lately, and the term “bullying” is being used a lot. I started thinking about Vegan kids, and wondering how common bullying is with them.

I have gathered some feedback from other parents of Vegan children, and what they had to say was a bit surprising!

Most parents feel that their children are perceived as “different”, but most school aged kids don’t seem to have much of a “problem” with their Vegan classmates. They might make comments here & there, or question them a lot, but “put downs” & “intimidating behavior” are not much of an issue.

I was happy to hear that a majority of Vegan children, for the most part, are treated fine by their peers. I know by my own experience, that my son feels completely comfortable with his Veganism at school. Truthfully, he has not had one major issue with another student.

So what is it that I find surprising?? Many Vegan children are being singled out & having their lifestyle criticized. But not by other children…. by adults!

Many parents claim that friends, family members & even teachers, have some major issues with their children consuming a plant based diet. And these grownups are not afraid to let kids know exactly how they feel!

So is it okay, that aunts, uncles, neighbors, coaches & teachers, may single out your Vegan child and tell him that Veganism is dangerous, stupid, crazy or unhealthy? What if they simply make fun of your child a little bit, or embarrass him? Or secretly offer him sausage, and promise not to tell his mom, like a woman did to my son?!?!

The answer is of course, NO. It’s not okay, for these people to interfere, put down, or embarrass our children, because they choose a healthy & compassionate lifestyle. But in this meat loving world, where we are told that kids NEED dairy to survive & be strong, it is bound to happen.

Needless to say, your children will also meet & be surrounded by many adults who will respect & support their decision to be Vegan. My son has such a wonderful group of people in his life, who give him constant praise, and brag about his Veganism. So when he is confronted by a grownup, who simply “doesn’t get it”, he stays strong & stands his ground (and yes, he turned down the sausage offer). :)

5 “Spooktacular” Trick or Treating Ideas For Vegan Families

October 28, 2010 By in Family Time~, Just a thought~, Kids~, Tips~ Tags: , , , , 3 Comments

The spooky, creepy, sugar induced evening is almost upon us, and children everywhere are planning for the family favorite holiday…. HALLOWEEN!

The costumes have been purchased (or sewn by “supermoms”), the flashlights have been loaded with batteries, and the trick or treating routes have been planned. Families all over the country are ready…. but what about Vegan families?

I have gathered up 5 great ideas to share, and hopefully at least 1 of them will work for your little witches & vampires!

Idea # 5- Know your Vegan treats & only except Vegan treats or non-food items.

This was my original idea, seemed easy enough. I looked into Vegan candy options which included many hard candies, Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, Blow Pops & many more. The downside is this can be time consuming at each home & stressful for the kids. So make sure you think this one out, before you make your kids promise to accept only Vegan treats.

Idea #4- Stay home & give out Vegan treats with the kids. This sounds boring, but if you live in a good trick or treating neighborhood, this can be a blast! The kids can dress up & do something fun & spooky for the neighborhood children.

Idea #3- Throw a family friendly Halloween Party instead of going out. This is a safe and FUN way to spend Halloween! Allow your guests to bring food & give them a list of Vegan treats or recipes. Bob for apples, have a costume contest, dance…. actually this sounds better than going door to door all evening!

Idea #2- Let your kids Trick or Treat their hearts out, and then trade their non-Vegan treats for Vegan treats (that you buy ahead of time). Donate the un-Vegan treats to co-workers or friends.

Idea #1- Let your kids Trick or Treat as usual & then BUY all of their non-Vegan candy from them (maybe some Vegan stuff too, since no sugar is good sugar), then let your children spend the money on a new toy! Donate the candy.

How much you want to pay per candy is up to you!

A mom posted this fabulous idea on “The Vegan Mom” Facebook Page, and this will be what my family is going to do this Halloween! My kids are excited to Trick or Treat with their pals, and can’t wait to hit Toys R Us the day after. I am just happy to not have a house full of “refined sugary garbage!!” :)

I wish you & your family a safe, fun & healthy Halloween!

Absolutely Adorable Children’s Book “Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice”

September 2, 2010 By in Kids~, Reviews~ Tags: , , , , 1 Comment


I have recently come across a Children’s book, that is not only colorful, comical &  tons of fun to read, but also has a really important message. It’s titled “Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice”. Got all of that? :-) The author is a lovely young lady named Nathalie VanBalen, and I have a feeling that her new book is going to have a lot of children asking the question “how does it feel to be food”?


The book’s characters consist of 2 juice loving Vikings, a compassionate & “thinking” girl named Thora and 2 little tweeters. And they all live together in one squarish house. The Vikings soon learn that the newest & greatest addition to their juice mixture should be ground up yellow spotted snail shells, because of their high protein and vitamin content. So of course they gather up as many snails as they can find.

As soon as Thora hears about this, she firmly reprimands the juice loving Vikings and says “yellow spotted snail shells are NOT for Vilkings”!!

What happens next??? I’m not going to tell you! But I will tell you that this book is a must have for your child! I think it would also make a perfect addition to your child’s classroom. It sends the message of compassion, yet it is not a strong “pro-Vegan” story, that some parents and teachers may not approve of. So basically it is a fabulous way to promote cruelty free living to children, without upsetting the “grownups”! ;-)

In a nutshell, my kids & I really enjoyed this book & I highly recommend it! It’s a little “outside of the box” which makes it all the more interesting! I used lots of funny voices while reading it, and my daughter found that pretty darn hysterical!

Please check out the book’s website www.thorathinks.com , where you can purchase Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice and also enjoy some online activities with you child.

The “Vegan Mom’s” Review of “Great Wolf Lodge” Resort & WaterPark

August 18, 2010 By in Family Time~, Kids~, Reviews~, Travel~ Tags: , , , , 3 Comments

Back in the summer of 2005, my family stumbled upon a brand new resort in Williamsburg Virginia, called “The Great Wolf Lodge”. As we walked through the spacious lobby, mesmerized by the realistic wolves that surrounded us, we had no idea what we would encounter as the 4 of us made our way to the back of the hotel. When we came to a large window, which looked over a humungous indoor water park, I think all of our jaws dropped open. It’s a pretty amazing site for a first timer. The kids went wild, and needless to say, we cancelled our reservation at some “other” hotel, and quickly booked a “Wolf Den” room at The Great Wolf Lodge. We had a blast that week, and immediately began a new family, summer tradition!


Fast forward to the Summer of 2010, and our 5th stay at The Great Wolf Lodge (we skipped 2006 after our daughter was born). We are are still loving our waterpark resort…. but things are a little more tricky now! This is our 2nd year as a “Vegan Family” and Great Wolf Lodge is not exactly known for their “Veganism”.

The resort offers one sit down restaurant, and a couple counter service restaurants. Believe it or not, the food service by the pool was the most “Vegan Friendly”!! The menu offered veggie summer rolls, filled with fresh raw veggies, wrapped in rice paper. VERY YUMMY & highly recommended! They also served a wonderful fruit salad and they “specially” made the kids lettuce & tomato sandwiches. A pretty nice lunch, I must say!


The kids were also able to buy rainbow ice “Dippin Dots” from a machine. I was thankful for this, because there is not any sorbet in the ice-cream counter.

The main restaurant serves a Buffet every night, and lets just say that it is not a Vegan’s dream dinner!!! Lots of meat & egg noodles!! They do however have a salad bar and baked potato station. We informed the chefs about our “dietary restrictions”, I hate referring to our Vegan diet as restrictive, but when talking to people in the food service industry, that is how they view it. Thankfully, the chefs were absolutely wonderful, and they prepared us a delicious family style plate of sauteed veggies. We were very appreciative of their hospitality!


Outside of the waterpark is a small shop which sells ice-cream, fudge, coffee, candy, cereals, fruit and such. They do offer soy milk and Vegan popcorn. And each morning we would enjoy cereal & bananas for breakfast.

There is a  partially Vegetarian/Vegan restaurant in Williamsburg called “Food For Thought” and I would highly recommend dining there. They make a Vegan version of Pad Thai that is amazing!!

Over all, The Great Wolf Lodge is an amazing family vacation destination!! My children love it, and over the years we have made countless wonderful memories there! This is not a true “Vegan Friendly” resort, and you will have to think outside of the box when staying there. Thankfully, the rooms include a fridge, so stock it up if possible!

I won’t lie, I LOVE GWL, and we will continue to visit each summer, but I REALLY WISH that they would offer more options to their Vegan guests. They are considered a “Green” resort, which is very impressive! But what is more “Green” than “Veganism”??



Top 15 Vegan Family Road Trip “Cooler Essentials”

July 14, 2010 By in Family Time~, Kids~, Tips~, Travel~ Tags: , , , , , 9 Comments

Well, we are officially into summer, and that means family road trip time for many of us! Summer Road Trips are a memorable part of childhood, and even with all of the dirty restroom stops, fighting in the backseat and hearing “are we there yet” 567 times…. I would not miss our annual automobile voyage for the world!

Most families stop at fast food restaurants a few times a day, while on long car trips. But unless your kids LOVE a McDonald’s ice-burg garden salad, there is not much for Vegan kids to eat. I recommend packing a large cooler, filled with tasty & healthy food that your family will enjoy.

Keep in mind that kids get hungry when they are bored….. or at least they think they are hungry! So pack a lot, you don’t want to run out of food when kids are involved & you are in an enclosed space! ;-)

Here are my TOP 15 Cooler Essentials~

1. Some type of non-dairy milk. Rice, Soy, Almond, Hemp, whatever you like. It will come in handy for cereal, coffee, tea… etc.

2. A few “healthy” Vegan cereals. Kids & grown-ups enjoy a nice bowl of cereal at any time of day.

3. At least 1 loaf of Wheat/Whole Grain bread. You can eat it plain or create a sandwich.

4. Nut Butter (unless allergies)

5. Fruit spread

6. Mock deli meat (my kids love Tofurky)

7. Lots of fruit!! Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, strawberries, etc…. make sure it’s washed & ready to eat!

8. Veggie Sticks. Take the extra time and prepare lots of variety. Slice carrots, celery, sweet peppers, broccoli & cauliflower! They can dunk them in the nut butter, or bring some vegan dip.

9. Healthy crackers!

10. Soy yogurt (or applesauce, if they are not yogurt fans)

11. Whole Grain Taco Shells. Seriously! Kids love them, and they can fill them with beans, veggies, or eat them plain.

12. Container filled with black beans or garbanzo beans. Sooo healthy!!

13. Nuts! Peanuts, almonds, cashews….. (unless allergies)

14. Drinks!! No soda for this family, so I recommend lots of water!! Juice boxes are good too!

15. Last but not least, something SWEET! Vegan cookies, a little candy, popcorn…. you get the idea. Your kids deserve a little reward for sitting in the car for so long!

Don’t forget to stock up on paper goods, forks, knives, spoons, paper towels, etc….. eco friendly ones, of course!

A Month of Popsicle Recipes – KitchenDaily

July 11, 2010 By in Health & Nutrition~, Kids~, Recipes~ Tags: , , , Leave a comment

A Month of Popsicle Recipes – KitchenDaily.

Okay moms, this is a list of popsicle recipes that you will want to print out and stick on the fridge!!! I bought my silicone popsicle molds on amazon.com.

Just be sure to use non-dairy milk & yogurt as a substitute!!

ENJOY!!

“Crazy, Unbelievably YUMMY”, Vegan Rice Krispy Treats!!!

July 11, 2010 By in Kids~, Recipes~ Tags: , , , Leave a comment

My kids were at a fun summer party at a friends house yesterday, and they were serving Rice Krispy treats. I was not there, but my niece, son, & daughter, all turned down this delicious dessert. I was so proud of them for staying strong, while on their own! So I decided to run out and buy the ingredients for Vegan Rice Krispy Treats. Unfortunately, our local grocery store did not have Vegan marshmallows, so I had to  find another way to create our treats. This recipe makes the yummiest Rice Krispy Treats EVER, and they only took minutes to prepare!!!!! I’m not going to lie and say these treats are healthy or low in sugar! But they are a “treat”, so as long as you are not making these for your kids every day, this “Vegan Mom” says….. ENJOY!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon soy margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 cups Rice Krispys

Heat syrup in saucepan over medium heat & add sugar. Stir continuously for a few minutes, when it boils, add margarine, then add vanilla, still stirring.  Pour Rice Krispys into a large bowl, and then slowly pour liquid over them.  Stir until all ingredients are completely mixed.

Form a rectangle on wax paper about an inch thick.

Allow Rice Krispys to cool and harden for about an hour, then cut into squares.

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