Last Day to Enter June Book Giveaway

June definitely flew by in a blur, and it's hard to believe it's the end of the month already. I'm also having trouble believing that Growing Healthy Sprouts is already six months old and we're giving away the last book in our six-months of giveaways, Eat to Live. This is the book that swayed me to a nutrient-dense, plant-based diet and it's still one of my favorites!

Thanks to all of you who entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month. If you haven't entered yet - or want more chances to win - here's how. Deadline for entries is midnight tonight!

1. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

2. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

3. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

4. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

5. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

6. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Pro Ironman Triathlete (and Plant-Based Diet Advocate) Brendan Brazier in Orlando in July

Brendan Brazier - professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author on performance nutrition and creator of the whole food nutritional line VEGA - will be in Orlando on Thursday, July 14th from 8:00PM - 9:00PM for a lecture at Hoover's Market in Altamonte Springs. 

As a fan of his book, The Thrive Diet, and a former (highly recreational) Ironman myself, I am definitely looking forward to this event. His lecture will be geared towards the following topic:


Stress & Nutrition 
The untold connection that could be affecting your health & energy.

• Fight Stress
• Battle Fatigue
• Increase Energy
• Balance Hormone Levels
• Support Adrenals
• Improve Sleep 

If you're unable to make it - are want to get a head start on learning about his program - you can sign up for Brendan’s FREE 30-day online program called THRIVE in 30. Made up of concise written and video segments created by Brendan to help busy people transition to a high performance, plant-based diet, THRIVE in 30 is also ideal for those looking to improve athletic performance. TI 30 is based on his bestselling books, The Thrive Diet and Thrive Fitness. You may sign up at for the complete program for free at: http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/.

Contact Hoover's for details, or sign up to attend on their Facebook page.

Last Days to Enter our LAST Book Giveaway

It's hard to believe that our six months of book giveaways is coming to an end. Tara, our winner for May, chose Disease Proof Your Child, meaning that our giveaway book for June will be Eat to Live.

This is the book that swayed me to a nutrient-dense, plant-based diet and it's still one of my favorites!



Thanks to all of you who entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month. If you haven't entered yet - or want more chances to win - here's how:

1. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

2. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

3. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

4. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

5. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

6. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Deadline for entries is tomorrow, June 30th!!!

What's for Dinner Wednesday - The Return of the Cashew Cream Sauce

I've been craving cashew cream sauce for the past few weeks, but for some reason, I just haven't gotten around to making it. I'm still feeling totally lazy in the kitchen, so tonight I made a modified version of my pasta primavera using the cashew cream sauce and whatever veggies happened to be around. Very easy, and it really hit the spot!

Stay Active Saturday - MiniManiacs Youth Triathlon

Last summer, we were thrilled that Big Sprout was finally old enough to compete in one of the few kids triathlons in the area - the MiniManiacs Youth Triathlon put on by the Winter Park YMCA Trimaniacs.

On paper, this is a wonderful race - a pool swim followed by a bike and run on the trail - so I was excited for him to do it. The fact that most kids races have open water swims and bike/run portions that aren't closed to traffic just blows my mind as a parent. In reality, it was even better than we expected - well organized with a great course and plenty of extremely helpful volunteers.

This year's race will be held on August 14th at 7:30AM at the Cady Way Pool in Winter Park. Registration is limited to 200 kids, so register soon at any Central Florida YMCA (Lakemont, Crosby, Dr Phillips, Downtown, Lake Mary, Oviedo and the Cady Way Pool) or online. Registration fee is $25 for YMCA members and $25 for non-members with a $10 late fee added after August 1st. Race day registration, if available, is $50.

The race is open to kids ages 7-14, and race distances vary according to age group:

Ages 7-9: swim 50 meters, bike 2 miles and run 1/2 mile
Ages 10-12: swim 100 meters, bike 4 miles and run 1 mile
Ages 13-14: swim 100 meters, bike 4 miles and run 2 miles

Packet pick up is Saturday before the race at the Cady Way Pool from 9AM to 5PM only.
Since most parents seem to be most concerned about the swim portions of a kids tri, it's worth mentioning that Cady Way is a long-course pool and that the swim has a mass start. On the up side, they had the pool open on race morning so the kids could practice swimming the longer length.

Overall, this is a fantastic race and a wonderful way to introduce kids to the sport of triathlon. With volunteers to help in transition and cheer them on along the way, kids are bound to have a great time even if it's their very first multi-sport race.

Finally - Our May Giveaway Winner!!!

So sorry it's taken me so long to get around to this. Maybe it's just added to the suspense! In any case, congratulations to the winner of our May book giveaway . . . Tara Fisher!!! Tara, you can choose between the following two books. I'm so excited and can't wait to see which one you choose!

Disease-Proof Your Child

Eat to LiveEat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

Thanks to all of you who entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month. If you haven't entered yet for June - or want more chances to win - here's how:

1. Sign up to follow Growing Healthy Sprouts . . . must be a blog follower to win.

2. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

3. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

4. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

5. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

6. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

7. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Meal Plan Monday - Week of June 20

So it's not totally random that I haven't posted a meal plan for the past several weeks. The truth is, I haven't had a meal plan for the past several weeks.

Between the end of baseball/soccer season, Jim's change of jobs, a week stay down at Disney and Little Sprout's birthday festivities/dance recital, I literally haven't had time to put one together . . . or so I managed to convince myself.

The real truth is that - as I'm sure you know - figuring out how to feed my family without a meal plan is much more time consuming that it would have been had I actually had a plan. And, of course, the nutritional content of our meals suffers as well. So this week, I'm easing back in with a "dinner only" meal plan.

Dinners 
Monday: Creamy Zucchini and Basil Soup; salad
Tuesday: Butternut Coconut Rice; asparagus; salad
Wednesday: Creamy Pasta Primavera; salad
Thursday: Sweet & Savory Spinach Salad
Friday: Date night!
Saturday: Pistachio Crusted Tofu; asparagus; corn
Sunday: Little Sprout's Pizza Rolls; salad

Check out the new look for GHS!!!

I'm still tweaking the layout and pondering a switch to Wordpress, but in the meantime, check out the fabulous new header for Growing Healthy Sprouts!!!

As always, my good friend Kareen managed to capture exactly what I wanted to convey without me being able to put into words what it was that I really wanted.

I'm so thrilled with it and happy to finally have time to share it. If you need any design work done, be sure to give her a call.

I'm Back!!!

Anyone wondering where I've been?

Yes, I know it's been quiet around here lately - mostly because at my house, it's been anything but quiet. Our low-key month of May was turned upside down when we found out that Jim's company was closing its operations in Florida - meaning that by month's end, he'd have no job. Fortunately, he had several calls by the time he woke up the next morning and was promptly hired on by one of his clients.

In the middle of all this was my spring dance recital, Big Sprout's year-end homeschool evaluation, a dramatic end to baseball season, the launch of our new business and a week's vacation at Disney. And then things really got busy.

Last week, the Sprouts and I had a photo shoot for PLAYGROUND Magazine, celebrated my dad's birthday (he passed away almost 11 years ago), attended Big Sprout's end-of-season party for baseball, celebrated Little Sprout's birthday, threw a fun-filled birthday bash and attended her dress rehearsal and tap recital. Plus new work projects for two separate clients. And, of course, Father's Day!

Was it an amazing few weeks? Yes! Am I glad it's over? Just a little. Turns out, there is such a thing as too much fun! I loved it all but couldn't maintain that pace for any length of time - at least not with my sanity and good lifestyle habits intact.

I'm sure it will take me a few weeks to catch up around here - I know I have many comments to respond to so I'll start there first. I've also promised to share recipes for some of the dishes I made for Little Sprout's birthday party, and I have new stories to share about our adventures in organized sports. And of course, I will be picking the winner for the May book giveaway in the next few days!!!

Fun Food Friday - Natural "Twizzlers"

To be honest, I don't even know if Twizzlers are vegan or not. Jim and I stopped eating them them years ago for other reasons - mainly, that they're junk. So today, when I discovered a version made by Newman's Own, I had to give them a try. I realize, of course, that they're still junk . . . but at least they're junk-y in a more natural kind of way.

I'm not a candy person (chocolate - yes, baked goods - yes, candy - not so much) so normally these wouldn't have called to me. But, with Little Sprout's birthday next week, I'm challenged with creating a themed cake without food dye or fondant. So you can see how any type of vegan candy made with natural food dyes might come in handy.

Of course, the Sprouts had to taste them and thought they were great. I wasn't a huge fan, but again, I'm not a candy person. Tune in next week to see if I give them rave reviews as cake decorations - and if you're a licorice fan, you may want to give them a try!

Supper Standby S.O.S

Well in case you couldn't tell, I'm a little burned out on cooking these days. Not so much burned out, perhaps, as overwhelmed with other things - cooking three meals a day would probably still sound fun if that's all I had to do. However, since these days cooking is at the bottom of a very long priority list, I just had a mini-meltdown in the kitchen. Not only did my cooking time get overridden by an urgent work project, but I didn't even have the ingredients to make us all a PB&J to eat on the way to the baseball game.

I'm lucky that my family doesn't mind leftovers or repetition, but even they have been getting tired of the easy staples I've been rotating through the past few weeks - veggie pitas, salad with Muir Glen soup and plain spaghetti. Fortunately, when I recovered from my temper tantrum, I noticed that I had everything I needed to whip up some Green Goddess Pasta - a super easy dish we all love.

So here's my S.O.S today . . . I'm searching for some new (to us) supper standbys that can be whipped up using ingredients I'd typically have on hand. Must be plant based, nutrient dense recipes (and for this, I'm flexible on the nutrient dense!) I'm starting the list with Green Goddess Pasta and hoping that you'll all chime in with recipes and links below so we can make a great list we all can use!!!

Little Sprout Interviewed on Vegansaurus

Today was Little Sprout's turn to be featured on the Vegansaurus blog for their Happy Veggie Kids feature - and like her brother, she got a big kick out of seeing her picture and answers on screen.

Check out her interview here.