Jenny (@pickypalate) was next one on the list for the #Mommyshare experience. The idea behind this initiative is to get funny tips and anecdotes from talented bloggers as well as dedicated moms on how to live a well-balanced healthy life with kids. If you don’t know her yet, Jenny is a passionate award winning cook who’s expertise is ranging from tasty Italian sausage lasagna stuffed pizza (See the picture above…) to delicious caramel turtle sugar ‘brookies’ ! She spend a lot of in the kitchen “loving every minute of it”, always trying to be creative in order to satisfy her two little boys with picky little palates. Jenny started her own blog in 2007 at Picky-Palate.com.

Following are her tips on how to cook delicious food and stay in shape :

“To cook great meals and stay in shape I make sure I buy fresh and flavorful fruits and vegetables every week to include in my cooking.  Farmers markets and health food grocery stores are great!  Keeping dinners simple with intense flavor is key!  Exercise is a must, I exercise 4-5 times a week and take 20 minutes to do some cardio.  20 minutes is do-able even with a busy schedule.  Prioritize your time wisely, menu plan for the week and keep your cooking fresh and simple.”

ZipList is a new online service that will help you shop efficiently at the grocery store. I first heard about it on Erin’s Coupon Craving blog earlier this week and was excited about introducing it on this blog.

Here is what you can do with ZipList:

- Update or access the shopping list anywhere: the web, text messages, email, IM. There is also a ZipList iPhone app in the works.

- Share your shopping list with family members so others can add their own items or even help you shop if they drop by the store since the list is always up-to-date. That is very smart and your shopping list is also categorized automatically (i.e., dairy, canned, etc).

- Search 100,000s of recipes and add ingredients to your shopping list with just a click or two.

- Save any recipe you find on the web in a single recipe box.

We really do think it will save you a lot of time as you create your shopping list. If you get a chance to try out ZipList, let us know what you think and make sure to add GoGo squeeZ Applesauce to your list ! You can also become a Facebook Fan of ZipList and follow ZipList on Twitter at @ziplist.

Vincent Iannelli, M.D. is a board certified pediatrician and the author of The Everything Father’s First Year Book. Dr. Iannelli is also the About.com Guide to Pediatrics and the medical expert for several parenting books on overweight children, childhood illnesses, autism, getting babies to sleep, and cooking for babies and toddlers. Last week I read some of his writings on unhealthy snacks children are exposed to and wanted to share it as I found a lot of practical ways to deal with this day-to-day modern challenge.

We all know that kids often need (and ask for!) some snacks they eat throughout the day in addition to their three regular meals. But in most cases, that means unhealthy food with a lot of sugar and fat in it. Not to mention that risks include cavities, especially if they are eating sticky treats like candy. In this context, the New York Times reported in January that “according to the Agriculture Department, American children get 40 % of their calories from food of poor nutritional quality“. Scary, isn’t it ?

Following are a few bad habits to get rid off based on Dr. Iannelli’s experience as a pediatrician :

1. not letting your kids eat unhealthy snacks, including high-fat snacks and high-calorie snacks, except as an occasional treat. These can include cookies, chips, candy, doughnuts, fruit drinks, soda, etc.
2. having a regular snack time for your kids — usually late morning and early afternoon for toddlers and preschoolers and just after-school for older kids. Keep in mind that most kids shouldn’t need a bedtime snack though.
3. having nutritious snacks handy and ready for your kids to eat
4. limiting snacks to just 100 to 150 calories so that they don’t turn into an extra meal
5. not allowing snacks to be too close to lunch or dinner

With 60 calories per serving, 100% fruit, no artificial flavors or preservative and a resealable pouch for kids on-the-go, GoGo squeeZ is an healthy snack option for kids you might want to try.

In addition to those guidelines, Ellyn Satter, a dietitian and family therapist, has an interesting approach in terms of what’s your responsibility as a parent. “The parents’ job is to do the what, when and where of feeding,” she said, “and it is up to the children to do the how much and whether of eating. In order to have successful family meals, you have to structure the snacks.”

You can find more info and tips from Vincent Iannelli, M.D. on how to help kids learn to do well with eating at keepkidshealthy.com and from Ellyn Satter at EllynSatter.com.

Photo coustesy of the healthy everythingtarian

Just a couple of months after making quite an impression at the Emmy Awards, GoGo squeeZ was back on the Red Carpet last month for the 2010 Golden Globe Awards at the glamorous SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills !

Most people know this time of the year is highly entertaining because the Awards season is upon us, and with it comes a celebration of the best in film, television, and music by honoring those who make us laugh, cry and everything in between. We had the privilege to join in as the only healthy snack for kids on-the-go at this very exclusive event organized by Secret Room Events, and we spent the entire day with stars ranging from Glee, The PussyCat Dools, The Blindside, Heroes, 24, Scrubs, Bones, Rescue Me…yay !

A lot of celebs came by at our GoGo spot. We chatted with very awesome boys including Tom Malloy (Love n’ Dancing), Mark Hapka (Near Fall) and Harry Shum JR (@IHarryShum) from Glee — which actually won top TV honors at the Golden Globe Awards ! — as well as cute moms like Jessica Sutta from the PussyCat Dolls, Christina Derosa, Jennia Frederique (Marco Polo), the beautiful Sherri Saum (Heroes) and Marisol Nichols alias Special Agent Nadia Yassir in 24. Everyone was super excited that the products were all natural and more importantly without added sugar.

Young stars also jumped on the occasion to try out Gogo squeez. Nicole Anderson (Jonas), the ten years old talented actress Bailey Madison and Sterling Beaumon (Astroboy) were big fans. Besides, we also know from a trusted source that Tori Spelling’s little kids Liam and Stella find GoGo Squeez super yummy and “ask for them daily”. That’s good because we are huge fans of  Tori and Dean TV show — Home Sweet Hollywood !

Charitable giving is another fundamental focus of the Event and most people donated at the site for the African Millennium Foundation Empowering the Powerless and Venice Arts while Gerard Butler signed a t-shirt to be auctioned off for the Haiti Relief Fund.

We truly enjoyed attending the 67th Golden Globe Awards.

You can check all photos on Flickr now.

Missy Chase Lapine, author of Sneaky Fitness and The Sneaky Chef ( @sneakychef ), was recently interviewed on Momlogic and she gave out some of her magic. Her secret to get your kids moving…”Trick ‘em” !

With children obesity as a major public health issue and new report revealing that kids are spending almost 8 hours a day watching TV, playing video games or surfing the Internet, it’s no wonder we’re all concerned about keeping our kids moving and burning energy outdoor. I think it is important to introduce some fun exercises and fitness into your child’s everyday life and it’s really complementary to feeding your little ones with healthy snacks.

Missy’s method is pretty simple and consist in engaging kids in games and activities that keep them moving. Here are the top sneaky ways to get teens exercising :

1. Walk the talk, talk the walk : If my daughter Emily wants to text with her friends on a portable device, I want her up and moving. I do the same thing. When I talk on the phone, I don’t sit down, I pace around the room. Pretend the chair is on fire and you can’t sit in it.

2. Have an exercise ball : For at least part of the day, I replace the chair in front of the computer with an exercise ball. It help kids strengthen their core muscles.

3. No mindless munching : The rule at my house for the kids and for me is no food in front of the TV. You have no idea how such a simple change can have a positive effect on your health.

4. Turn your living room into a playroom : If you have the room, put a mini trampoline or one of those sit-upon bouncy toys wherever you have the television. Don’t tell your kids they have to use it. But you can bet your kids will be bounding their way through “American Idol.”

Get more information on how to get YOUR kids moving at The Sneaky Chef and buy the book on Amazon.com now !

Image courtesy of Code Poet

This week, I asked Amy alias the Housewife Hacks (@HousewifeHacks) to share with us her morning routine as part of the #mommyshare experience. Amy is a successful blogger,  a harried housewife and stay-at-home mom to three little boys who are all preschoolers. On her blog, she gives tips  on how to live better with less stuff, a more simple life, and a little creative work for making the most out of our resources.

Here is her morning routine :

” Here’s how our day goes from wake-up to dropping off at preschool. My three little boys are up bright and early, and always hungry. We make a healthy breakfast and some days we play at home. But often we’re out and about on errands, playdates, or to fun morning activities like a playground or the library. My preschooler goes to school 5 days a week in the afternoons so we eat lunch in the car on the way to school. It saves time but it can get a little messy, so I pack snacks and lunches that are easy to use on the go. GoGo squeeZ would be so helpful there !”

The Housewifehacks

What about you ? What is your morning routine ?

Photo courtesy of eyelia (Flickr)

This is a time in the US when recession has affected many people : Feed The Children’s blog reported that 49 million Americans are hungry or at risk of hunger, including nearly 17 million children. And there are 239 counties in the United States where at least a quarter of the population receives food stamps, according to The New York Times.

When families and communities are in need, the generosity of those who are able to give is all the more valuable. It is precisely the reason why we decided to prepare this holiday season by offering 7 000 pouches to Feed The Children for underprivileged people. Feed The Children is a wonderful organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, dedicated to helping hungry and hurting people for over 30 years. The heart of Feed The Children’s U.S. program is distributing food to families in need.

Materne North America was so pound to be able to help a program as Feed the Children. We share a same philosophy: providing high quality and healthy products to children in needs.

Image credit : Feed The Children

Our contribution went to the Westchester Family Church through Green Meadow Group in Hoosick Falls, NY for their annual Harvest Party. There were over 350 community members in attendance, the majority of who are underprivileged Hispanic families.

GoGo SqueeZ Applesauce was a “big hit” at the party for the children : They loved the taste and their parents loved that they were enjoying something so healthy !

Find out how you can take a stand against hunger in the U.S. at Feedthechildren.org and connect with the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace !

Special thank to Christina Cooper, Member of Westchester Family Church.

Here is what they say about us : “Ingenious: applesauce that kids can squirt right into their mouth! Plus, it’s just fruit and cinnamon, that’s it“.

Parenting.com is a great online community and educational portal providing parents with healthy recipes, mom-tested gear, photo galleries and ideas on the raising of children they can use daily. All the more reasons why GoGo squeeZ is flattered to be featured as a one of the top “Fall-Inspired Treats” (Read the entire article at Parenting.com and join their community on Twitter or Facebook).

David and Wendy@ GoGo squeeZ sampling station at Expo East, Boston, September 23/24/25th 2009

A couple of weeks ago we were in Boston for the Natural Products Expo East (NPEE), which is the largest natural food show on the East Coast. If you’ve never been there, think about 21,000 food enthusiasts, health and wellness advocates, entrepreneurs, pioneers and journalists exploring the new trends of natural food altogether in a 300,000 square feet room!

For the GoGo squeeZ team, it was a wonderful chance to showcase our concept and to let people discover our news flavors (apple banana, apple peach, apple cinnamon). In 3 days, we gave away 10,000 pouches (!) and everyone was super positive about GoGo squeeZ.

From day one, we were happy to find out that many moms were already familiar with GoGo squeeZ. They admitted that their kids were addicted to it and then ‘begged’ for free samples… A couple of campers told us that GoGo squeeZ was the “best camping food that they’ve brought out there so far!!”. A lot of kids stopped by, enjoying GoGo squeeZ and sitting down on our cool blow up chairs to the point that moms asked if we would sell them. Stay tuned for GoGo squeeZ blow-up chair giveaway coming soon…

Also packaging experts from BrandPackaging.com came over to our booth and were quite intrigued by our pouches (Check out their article “Applesauce on the go, Packaging that sells”, Brandpackaging.com).

Our trial shipper with single apple pouches was a big hit at the show, too.

It was a fantastic experience for us: great products, networking with our peers and industry experts, educational forums, and off course the chance to get feedbacks on GoGo squeeZ…all great reasons that will lead us to head west for the Natural Products Expo West in California. Naturally.

Watch photos of the Natural Products Expo East on Flickr !

GoGo squeeZ spent one day at the fabulous SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills in the “Hollywood Moms and Kids” suite with Emmy nominees, presenters and stylists from shows ranging from ER, 24, General Hospital, Rescue Me, Project Runway, The Young and The Restless and The Office…so cool !

You want to find out who’s who ? All behind-the-scene details of the GoGo Emmy’s are on Facebook !