HealthBarn USA has had a VERY busy winter season preparing for its first book, "Appetite for Life:  The Thumbs Up, No Yucks Guide To Getting Your Kid to be a Great Eater," being published September 2012 by HarperOne, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.  Our mission was to shoot 14 recipes for the color insert in one day (it actually took us two!) beginning on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at Ted's studio — and fabulous home, too!

The barn "kitchen" team lead by the well-organized Molly Fallon included two interns including Chiarra (William Patterson University/Public Health) and Dorothy (UMDNJ/dietetic internship).  Importantly, Coleen O'Shea, our literary agent, was on hand to style and keep everyone on time. We also had Gracie, our expert taste tester on hand, always waiting for the leftovers!

The delicious Coconut Shrimp appetizer never looked so good!  What was surprising to everyone was just how difficult our recipes were to photograph because our food is BROWN since we use whole grains — hilarious.  White stuff is definitely easier to photograph and looks good, but it's not good for you.  The great news is that the food was styled well and Ted worked hard to get all of the recipes to look mouth-watering.  The big test was when everyone agreed that regardless of the "shade" of color — all the food was delish!

The real challenge was on day #2 when all of the "cheese" recipes for shot!  Who knew cheese could be so tough to make look good.  As soon as the warm cheese hit the cold air — it hardened and didn't have the gooey effect we were going for…. so Ted broke at the blow torch and things really heated up.

Stacey was as patient and focused as she could be given her adult-ADHD!  We had a blast and HarperOne is happy with the photos – YIPEE!  We hope you will be too when you get to see the final book in September 2012.

The HealthBarn USA team was in great shape for today'school assembly at Memorial Elementary School in Emerson, NJ.  The PTA sponsored the HealthBarn USA assembly as part of their "Memorial Get Fit" program being launched in February 2012.  Everyone was excited to "Get Fit" including the superintendent Phil who made a guest appearance and "tried for the first time" edamame and soy milk with Erewhon whole grain crispy cereal.  Mrs. Espinoza runs a tight, but fun ship for this amazing pre-k through 2nd grade school — Stacey never had to use the quiet sign for 300 kids — whoa!

The parent volunteers turned up smiling and were ready to start getting the five groups set up — including chopping fresh fruits and vegetables.  We knew right away it was going to be a good assembly by the warm welcome we received from the moms and principal. 

Most importantly, the kids gave the HealthBarn USA school assembly a double thumbs up and were excited to bring all of their new knowledge and new food choices HOME!  HealthBarn USA is making a difference…. one school at a time.

Contact Molly at molly@healthbarnusa.com to schedule a school assembly at your school!

Beauty from the Inside:  Skin is the largest organ in the body and we want to make sure that it stays hydrated naturally!  The girls got busy making the HealthBarn USA Hydration Salad recipe by chopping melons and cucumbers and adding lime juice and sea salt for a super nutritious fruit and vegetable salad.  It was gone in a flash — even the moms liked it.

Beauty on the Outside:  Burt, of Burt’s Bees products, said, “if you can’t eat it, you should not wear it!”  Go Burt…. at the barn, we all about making our own natural products, so we had a blast applying and eating the HealthBarn USA Peach and Honey mask.  The mask really, all the girls were glowing for their evening school concert.

Girl power is so contagious, if you are interested in booking a Natural Beauty Workshop, click here.

If you check out the ingredient lists on your food, then, add cosmetics to the task and you will definitely shop differently.

Stacey and the kids kicked off the day by added “no touching Ted’s camera” to the barn rules — and from that point forward we all had a blast.  Our first food demonstration was making sweet potato pancakes.  The barn mural was too busy of a background, so we had to start all over again!  We pulled it all together with our absolute favorite recipe — The Yum! Yum! Dumplings — which always gets double thumbs up.

A special thank you to Katie Gorman who was behind-the-scenes for hair and food preparation.  The next photo shot is scheduled for Wednesday, January 25 when we photograph 14 of the 100+ recipes for a beautifully designed color insert.  Stay tuned as we come into the home stretch with our exciting book that includes activities and nutritious recipes for the whole family.

Jim Abma, the farmer and owner of Abma’s Farm, still is not happy about a Christmas tree in the middle of his field, but we love it!

Happy holidays to you and your family!

Antioxidant Power Foods:
1) Whole Grains:  Oats and Quinoa
2) Berries:  blueberries (her favorite), strawberries and raspberries
3) Green tea (3 cups a day)
4) Sweet Potatoes (high in beta carotene which convert to vitamin A in the body and is an antioxidant vitamin)
5) Almonds (high in vitamin E, an antioxidant vitamin), a handful of raw almonds a day is the right amount!
6) Kiwi & Oranges (high in vitamin C, an antioxidant vitamin) — and you can eat the skin of the kiwi, high in fiber and other nutrients!
7) Bell Peppers (high in vitmain C) — eat raw or cooked.

Live and Active Cultures (probiotics):
Yogurt (great to keep your gut and intestines squeaky clean)

Super Plant Compounds that fight infection and bacteria:
9) Garlic (2 cloves of raw are best!)
10) Ginger (simmer sliced ginger in a pot of hot water or chop raw and add to stir-fry recipes or other cooked dishes)
11) Mushrooms (increase white blood cells to fight infection) — shiitake are #1.

Bonus:  Stacey recommends an a.m. cleanse to clear out your system first thing in the morning — 1/2 lemon and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (to kick start your metabolism) in a cup of warm water!

The segment originally aired the weekend of Saturday 12/24 and Sunday 12/25.

Check it out and please share what you do to boost your immune system — we want to know!

Bonus:  Molasses is a rich source of iron, a mineral that many kids (and adults!) don’t get enough of — so these Ginger Snaps are good-for-you, too!