HealthBarn USA's Just Peachy Muffins make for the perfect start to your family’s morning.  They are so good that kids are giving them a double thumbs up! The flaxseeds in this recipe help make it a good source of fiber and add a boost of omega-3 fatty acids for serious brain power.  The natural sweetness of the peaches and yogurt make this muffin tasty without adding a lot of refined sugar.  Use fresh peaches when in season, but canned peaches make this recipe a great choice year round!  Get baking and post your thumb rating today.

We celebrated Earth Day 2012 with a family picnic at Speyer farm for Speyer Legacy School families — it was so much fun that even the chickens showed up!  HealthBarn USA partnered with Speyer's super farm committee and the Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center to host a day of awareness about how we can reduce the amount of packaged foods we consume to improve our health and the health of the planet.  It is all about eating farm fresh and WOW did that theme come to life in an exciting way on Saturday, April 21.

We had a guest appearance by author Vanessa Valencia who read her book, Mamma's Planet Earth and helped everyone to get their green on!  Our brains were definitely on fire as we brainstormed ways that we can reduce, reuse and recycle as individuals, at home and at school.  Then, we moved inside the barn for some great hands-on activites.

Green art work lead by artist Edith Rojas from Mamma Plant Earth representing what we can do to practice the 3 R's….

Butter Beans, Speyer's school lunch food service, lead some delicious recipes, including bright red salsa and a yummy fruit salad — both loaded with good nutrition for our bodies….

We now have a green wall of fame at the barn with so many great ideas for reducing our waste…

Then, we shared a delicious and nutritious potluck lunch together.  Some families even packed their own "fresh" picnic lunch — they get an E for extra effort!  Robbie, Jade's dad, whipped out yummy gucamole that was gone in a flash.

After lunch, we headed to the garden for a veggie tour by Lu, farm manager at Hilltop Hanover Farm and got our hands super dirty composting our lunch with Margaret from HealthBarn USA — how cool is that?!

What an inspiring day at the farm to be part of a community that cares so much about their health and the health of the planet.  But most importantly, we are READY to take action to protect Mother Nature!

Share your Earth Day stories with us at the barn…. we want to hear from you!
 

It's all about kale at HealthBarn USA this spring, especially during the Seedlings class, ages 3-5, this week.  Moms were shocked that we were growing kale in the garden — they thought it was a fall veggie.  Kale is a cool crop, so it loves the early spring and fall season.  A good tip is to let the fall kale go to "seed" and then, it will re-seed itself over the winter (and it over-winters well) and you will have yummy kale in early spring without any effort. 

The seedlings went food shopping in the HealthBarn USA garden this afternoon for kale to make sure they had enough of the leafy green to go home with to make the kale chips (if the recipe got a thumbs up, of course!).  They loved kale raw… one for the bag and one to nibble on at all times.  Our pickiest seedlings tried it too and gave it a thumbs up!

Kale is a super nutritious green that is loaded with vitamin K which is good for your blood; with calcium that keeps bones and teeth strong; and with vitamins A and C to protect you from getting sick! — WOW!  Back in the barn after hands were washed, the Seedlings helped prepare the super delicious and simple HealthBarn USA Kale Chips recipe.  They were very curious about these chips because they usually chips made from potatoes.

Finally a Seedling asked, "What is a kale chip, is it crunchy?"  While another Seedling refused to try it…. but these chips were too hard to resist because they smelled so good and were super crunchy, too!  They got a thumbs up from all of the Seedlings who left smiling with the recipe and a bag of kale in hand.  There parents followed beaming because they were so happy their little peeps ate the green stuff!

Don't miss out on this super veggie this spring season.  The HealthBarn USA kids love the Kale Chips or like eating it raw, too!  Download the recipe and tell us what you think by emailing info@healthbarnusa.com. 

Thanks for following all the action at the barn.  Wishing you a healthy day!

At HealthBarn USA, we are wild about asparagus right now because its spears are sprouting big-time in the garden!  We eat these super veggies cut fresh or make this yummy seasonal creamy soup.  Sip a serving of this light but filling low-fat soup that it is a good source of fiber, bone building calcium and the antioxidant vitamins A and C.  Make a double batch since this super soup is popular for lunch or as a satisfying after-school snack, too!  Creamy Asparagus Soup — make it now… it's fresh, local and easy to make.  Please tell us what you think!

At HealthBarn USA, we know that kids (and adults, too!) love popcorn and that it's good for them, so we needed to find a way for them to eat in a wholesome way!  One of the most popular recipes at the barn is our Popcorn with Brain Butter.  The kernels are air-popped using a machine that blows hot air (crazy concept!).  These simple, inexpensive machines are a must buy!  When we popped this recipe during the Lake Tahoe assemblies, KMART was sold out in one day — go kids!  Target and Kmart have a good selection, but if you find one that pops in hot air that you really like, please post the brand! 

Get popping today!

HealthBarn USA had a great time with grown-ups at the barn on Saturday, March 17 for the Organic Veggie Workshop from 8:30 – 1:00 p.m.  The weather was perfect for gardening and we were able to spend a good part of the workshop getting our hands dirty.  Stacey, founder and CEO, lead the workshop and stressed the importance of learning how-to plant edible fruits, vegetables and herbs from people who farm, and not lecture about it!  She lives in Manhattan and never grew a veggie until she started HealthBarn USA at Abma's Farm in 2005.  Her first veggie was zucchini and now we can't get her out of the garden. 

There was quite a range of talent with us for the workshop from the Hoffman's who are real pro's to first-timers with no experience.  We started out right away planting a pea seed in a recycleable pot so we could take it home to make sure it grows into a seedling before transplanting it outside.  And, started right away with a list of the fruits and veggies we like to eat!  From there we decided what we could grow now and how (seeds, seedlings, etc).  Here are the highlights:

- Soil is key and get your soil tested to determine the nutrient composition right away; or use organic matter in raised beds;
- Plant in a sunny place (at least 6-8 hours) of direct sunlight and near a water source;
- There are three major plantings — early spring (now), late spring (late May) and late summer (end of August);
- Start now from seed — kale, peas, beans, lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots and beets;
- Plant the following seedlings by end of April or early May:  tomato, zucchini, bell peppers (or hot ones too), broccoli, Brussel sprouts;
- Plant potato eyes in the April/May and make sure to "mound" them as they grow;
- Plant garlic in the October for Spring 2013;
- Monitor insect situation carefully as no one can predict what it's going to be like given that the ground never froze this winter season in NJ — so nothing died!

We had a hardy lunch with lots of vegetables that included spinach pesto pasta, a mixed green salad with flaxseed oil dressing and chocolate chip chippers for dessert before heading down to the garden to compost and make some raised beds.  Everyone had a great time and we are gearing up for our next organic veggie workshop on Saturday, May 12 from 8:30 – 1:00 p.m.  Please contact Molly Fallon at 201-891-2066 to sign up today.

From our garden to your table, start a veggie garden this year because it's cool to grow your own food and it's fun!  Please share your garden tips and successes with us at the barn!  Thank you.
 

Check out the latest letters from teachers and students about how one assembly makes a big difference in their lives.

1) The Brownstone School "The students are still talking about the smoothie!  I've even had many staff approach me with comments like, 'I never knew edamame tasted so good.  And, I'm going to start buying soy milk.'" Susan Silvestri, FFVP coordinator.  This assembly was sponsored by Life n' Sync.

2) Washington Irving School #4 Garfield, NJ.  We received so many wonderful letters from the students at School #4.  Their enthusiasm about being healthy makes us want to eat even more fruits and veggies!  We selected some of our favorites for you to read, such as, "I learned that food could taste great and still be healthy.  I'm going to eat healthier and get enough sleep.  I'm changing my life to try to be healthier!"  Their artwork is inspiring, too!

Have you had a HealthBarn USA assembly at your school, yet?  What are you waiting for… call Molly today at 201-891-2066 to book the experience that just keeps giving!
 

Yesterday's snow storm did not stop the Speyer Legacy School scholars, grades 2, 3 and 4, from an exciting day of learning during the HealthBarn USA optimal health experience at Speyer Farm in Yorktown Heights, NY.  The day started a 10:00 a.m. sharp when the scholars arrived by bus and went straight to the garden to observe what's been happening during the winter season.  This discovery activity was led by Wilson, a new member of the team, who will be working closely with the scholars on the ecosystem of the farm, its conservation and how-to grow and enjoy the edible fruits of their labor.  They all sampled the yummy baby spinach (cool crop) that is thriving in the soil since the winter weather has been so mild.  

The grades were split into two groups at 10:30 a.m.  Grade 2 braved the weather and went outside for the ultimate winter scavenger hunt in the snow and found all the items (and made some new discoveries, too) on their worksheets.  While grade 3/4 got hands-on with one of the favorite HealthBarn USA recipes, the Yum! Yum! Dumplings!  Everyone (teachers, too!) was smiling while making this fun, hands-on recipe stuffed with tofu (high in protein and calcium).  Eric and Scott, parent volunteers and chefs in training, were busy cooking up the dumplings while the scholars transitioned to their healthy-lifestyle lesson. 

They worked in teams of 3-4 students to create skits that told a story about how to reduce stress as part of a healthy-lifestyle (we all need this lesson!).  The major topics to act out were sleep, social connections and exercise.  The scholars learned the importance of compromise and everyone performed their skits well with highlights including:  resolving a bullying situation, helping with homework and doing push-ups to get their heart rates pumping and heads cleared with all of that fresh oxygen.  

The grades switched at 11:15 a.m. instead of having a break for lunch because we wanted to make sure that everyone was able to participate in the learning experience in light of the snow falling harder!  Lunch happened promptly at 12:00 p.m. and at 12:30 p.m. the bus departed post-bathroom breaks!  WOW are the Speyer teachers organized and flexible.

From our table to yours, we hope that you will download the Yum! Yum! Dumpling recipe and make them at home because this recipes received double thumbs up.  Enjoy!

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.