Guest Blogs

This guest post by my friend Melanie is about how to get started juicing. I thought this would be a juicy post for Tiny Oranges. Sorry, couldn’t help it.

I have wanted to get into juicing, but didn’t really know how to get started juicing, which is why I am excited to share her easy tips.

Juicing 101:

How to Get Started Juicing

After watching the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead this past Christmas, my husband and I decided that we would start juicing to kick-start a new health regime .

Our family maintains a fairly healthy lifestyle and diet but there is always room for improvement. Our idea for juicing was to incorporate more “micronutrients” (vitamins and minerals, as opposed to macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, etc.)  into our diet.

We discovered that juicing is a fairly simple process and here is how you can get started…

Step 1- Do a little research

There are many websites that discuss the pros and cons of juicing, just do a web search on the word “juicing.” After researching, we decided that we would not juice to replace any meals, but just in addition to what we already eat for the health benefits.  We learned there is a lot of fiber and additional vitamins found in the pulp and skin of whole fruit and veggies.

Step 2- Buy your equipment

A trip to Target to buy a juicer and we were on our way. Any juicer will work, in my humble opinion. We happened to have a gift card from Target, so that’s where I went.  I bought a DASH juicer for $100 and it works well.  The Breville also gets great reviews. Or if you really want to invest you can try the Vitamix (at Costco), which actually pulverizes the whole fruit so the pulp and fiber are included.

Step 3- Find yummy recipes and juice!

This is the super fun and creative part. There are countless recipes online. We also asked a few friends for their favorite recipe and our juicer came with a few suggestions.

Next step was to stop off at a store to buy my ingredients.  I TRY to buy organic fruit but this is not always in the budget, so I just do my best.  I often buy apples and oranges in bulk, which is easier on the wallet.

Throw a bunch of fruit in the juicer and that’s all it takes.  You can be intentional about what type of fruits and veggies you choose and follow recipes or just use what you have left in your fridge; anything goes! 

Juicing is a great way to use up your produce that is about to go bad.  Each time, I try to throw some kind of green veggie in because of the amazing nutritional value in leafy greens.

My favorite juicing ingredients

Cucumber – love the fresh and clean taste, think SPA WATER

Ginger – MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE because it adds a little “spicy”

Pears – sweeten up any recipe

Leafy greens, spinach or Kale - excellent source of vitamins, and you hardly taste them if you mix with fruit (be sure to put your leafy greens or anything that is less “juicy” in first, then the juice of the other fruit will help push the green nutrients through)

Favorite juicing recipes

(Serve 2 adults with a little left over for the kids)

Morning Fuel  -

This is a yummy recipe that came with the juicer called
½ cucumber, 1-2 oranges, 2 apples, 1 tsp ginger, 1 kiwi

Mean Green -

From Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It takes a little while to get used to but very good for you!
1 cucumber, 4 celery stalks, 2 apples, 6-8 leaves kale, 1/2 lemon (peeling optional but I peel!), 1 tbsp ginger

Kitchen Sink - 

Any fruit and veggies we have in the house- 2-3 oranges, 2 apples, ginger, handful of kale or spinach, 1 pear, 2 carrots

Step 4- Enjoy!

Share with your kids!!  Have them create some recipes.  Let us know what you try! Does anyone else have any favorite juicing tips or recipes to share?

Through her experience as a family photographer, Kristin Eldridge has worked with a ton of families throughout the years. She mentioned to be how fascinating it is to watch how birth order plays a role in children, and how from what she has observed, there are definite common “first, middle, baby” personality traits.  This topic has always interested me, so I asked her to write a post on her casual observations. After you read, please share your insights below on your own kiddos!  Here is what she writes…

“My tendency to be type-A goes all the way back to pre-school.  I organized and re-organized the contents of my room and my need to please knew no end.  Growing up, I didn’t attribute these personality traits to anything much, but I guess it was clear I was a pretty stereotypical firstborn child.

Now after becoming a mom and working with hundreds of kids in my job, I’ve noticed that birth order plays a huge role in who we are as people.

Here’s what I have noticed… Oldest children take the lead from their parents and often have perfectionist tendencies.  Middle children can be more rebellious in nature and are good at negotiating.  Youngest children are typically carefree are great at making people laugh.

After doing a little research for this article, some of the reasons that children fall into these categories makes complete sense!

Because of the fact that new parents are sometimes stricter and a little more rigid with the first child, that child tends be an over-achiever.  Middle children see the oldest child mirroring their parents, so they might want to go in the opposite direction (for attention) which can be perceived as rebellious behavior.  The youngest child is raised by parents that have done this a time or two, so are raised in a more easy-going environment.  The youngest child shoulders less responsibility, so they have the ability to be more carefree.

These guidelines don’t always hold fast and true, but so many of the children I meet fall into the personality type of their birth order.

The older we get, the experience plays more of a role into our personality as experiences can change the way we view the world.  As I raise my kids, I try to build their natural strengths and challenge their weaknesses.

My oldest child is 12 and he falls into the typical firstborn category.  His perfectionism makes homework easy, but it makes any type of failure difficult to handle.  We have been trying to teach him that it’s okay to fail.  We can learn through failure, not through being perfect all the time.

My middle child has watched his older brother navigate life, so he’s a little more savvy.  When he bucks the system, we try to teach him how rules and guidelines are there for a reason.  Walking him through these situations help him to be his unique individual self, while living in a world that has lots of rules!

My youngest is very carefree and she has a messy room to prove it.  I’ve found that the biggest challenge with her is taking the time to teach her responsibility.  Even though it would be easier to let one of her older brothers help unload the dishwasher, it’s beneficial for her to learn everyday tasks.

Do you feel that your kids are affected by their birth order?  I’m curious to know if you parent each of them differently or if you have unique thoughts on how to help them be more well-rounded?”

Thanks Kristin, I will start the conversation below on how I think birth order plays a role with my two girls, would love to hear all of your opinions and observations as well!

To view Kristin’s amazing work, visit www.kristineldridge.com. She takes our family photos every year ~ images I treasure beyond words! Photos above are taken by her of her three beautiful children.

This guest blog on how to grow out your little girl’s bangs is by OC hair stylist and mama of three, Tera Rae Stephens. Tera is currently in the process of growing out her four-year-old daughter, Harper’s bangs.

At each phase of the growing out process, Tera will be sharing with us realtime mom-to-mom styling tips to keep the shaggy dog look at bay.  Here is what she writes about the first phase of the “grow out!”

“It’s no secret that my family gets the least amount of attention when it comes to hair cuts and styling so when my daughter begged for a hair cut  ”at your work” I finally gave in. AND I IMPULSIVELY CUT HER BANGS!!!!!

That is Harper in the image above on the day I cut her bangs, sitting in my chair at the salon feeling very cool and grown up.

We thought they were really cute and totally changed the way she looked.  I also liked how they naturally kept most of her hair out of her face and made her ponytails and braids more interesting.

The first time I had to trim them came way too quickly and she wasn’t happy to sit still for the clean up.  And her reaction after the trim was hilarious! She actually thought the bangs would be gone!  She was as tired of them as I was, so I explained to her that the only way to get rid of bangs was to grow them out and we decided it was time to do just that…

That is how my girl is looking at the first stage of “grow out!” Super Shaggy Dog!

I wanted to share this process with you because I have some great tricks that can make the process so much easier.  And you may find they work for you as well! Here are a few ways we’ve been keeping the shag out of her face and eyes…

Slick It Back

By putting a medium hold gel in the front of her hair when it’s damp (or sprayed with a water bottle) I can slick it back into a bun or ponytail and it holds her bangs back all day.

Make a Braid Headband

My favorite style on her has been to part it in the middle and braid each section into a braid.  I then wrap the braids over the top of her head and bobby pin them in place.  They work as a headband to keep her bangs back!

Train a Middle Part 

The last two pictures below are a little trick that works wonders.  I plan to train her bangs to part in the middle as that seems to be what they want to do naturally. When she’s eating her breakfast in the morning, I bobby pin the hair back and by the time she leaves for school the hair stays parted there!  If you want a side part, push all of the bangs to the side and pin it there!

We have also been using elastic head bands (see me in a tutorial on how to make your own elastic hair ties here) and lots of barrettes!

Stay tuned… In my next post, I will show you how to make a small adjustment to the shape of the bangs by cutting that will make the grow out process smoother than you expect!!”

Thanks Tera! Soooo cute! Do any of you have tips to share on styles to keep the bangs out of their eyes? Comment below!

I love a new park find, so I am excited to share this guest blog about Settlers Park in Irvine from local OC mom, Megan. Here is what she writes…

“I hesitate to even write this because I would like to keep this park as our little secret, but it’s too good not to share. I spend a lot of time at the park with my kids, and I can tell in just a few minutes if we’re at a good park, or one that is going to send my stress level through the roof.

Settlers Park, located at 35 Settlers Way in Irvine, is one that I’m always happy to stop at if we’re in the neighborhood, and it’s one of the first parks I suggest when making plans with friends.

Settlers Park has just about everything. They have two different sized play structures, as well as sand areas and a climbing wall. There is a large open grass area with a soccer goal, as well as basketball courts.

One of my very favorite things about this park is the bike trail that surrounds the playground, complete with mini street signs along the way. There are also several picnic tables, some in a covered pavilion.

The very best thing about this park is its size. Settlers Park isn’t very large, which means that when I’m there with my two children I can see them both, even if they’re not doing the same thing – which they never are of course.

One thing to keep in mind about this park, there isn’t a ton of shade on the playground, so in the middle of summer, it can get a bit warm, but that’s nothing we can’t solve with lots of water and some spray toys.”

Settlers Park
35 Settlers Way
Irvine

Megan is an OC mom to two little ones. You can read more from Megan on her personal blog,www.mamabubblog.com.

This is a guest blog by local OC mom Melanie, who shares with us 8 nutrients to boost your family’s immune system along with easy mom-t0-mom tips on how to get these nutrients into our kiddos!

“By now we all know this cold and flu season has been a doozy. We also know how scary and inconvenient it is when you or your children get sick.  If you are like me you are always trying to find helpful and simple ways to keep your kids healthy.  Besides getting the flu shot and washing your hands, to avoid getting sick, there are a number of foods you can eat to boost your immune system.

Did you know you can increase the number of white blood cells by eating certain foods? Yep, natural immune boosters can be found in everyday foods we eat.

 8 Nutrients to Boost your Immune System

Vitamin C

Boosts infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies.  Can be found in guava, papaya, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, orange & grapefruit

Kid-friendly Smoothie Recipe:  One handful of spinach or kale, 1 cup OJ (the OJ cancels out any of the leafy green taste), any frozen fruit your kids like – berries, papaya and guava are best for boosting immunity.  If you add Greek yogurt or protein powder this makes a great complete breakfast for everyone.

Vitamin E

Helps produce cells that kill germ cells and boosts immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria.  Found in seeds, vegetable oils and grains.

Carotenoids

Increases infection-fighting cells and is an antioxidant.  These foods are carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, tomatoes (notice the theme of deep colorful foods)

Sweet potato fries are a yummy alternative to regular fries. Find them in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s or cut your own sweet potatoes and roast with olive oil and salt and pepper.  A great side dish to any meal!

Bioflavonoids

Protects the body against environmental pollutants.  Including berries, cherries, grapes, fruit skins, and true fruit juices, teas (not herbal), grains, celery, parsley, grapefruit, oranges, apple skin, onion, endive, radishes, tomatoes, leeks, broccoli and red wine

 Pink Lady Apples – my kids LOVE these sweet apples, great for lunches or snacks

“Dirty” Broccoli

(Recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger – one of my favorites!)

1 bunch broccoli

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, preferably whole-wheat (store-bought or 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs made from whole-wheat bread processed into fine crumbs)

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Cut the broccoli into spears and put in a large microwave-safe bowl with water. Cover tightly ad micro-wave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cover, drain the broccoli well, and set aside (or you can lightly steam or blanch the broccoli if you don’t want to use microwave).

While broccoli is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the bread crumbs, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, cook until the crumbs are toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the broccoli, toss to coat with bread crumbs, and serve.

Zinc

Increases the number of infection fighting white blood cells.  Foods include oysters, crab, beef, turkey (dark meat) and beans.

Garlic

Another food that increases infection-fighting white cells.  Garlic is a food that is easily incorporated into daily recipes.

Selenium

Increases natural killer cells and mobilizes cancer-fighting cells.  Including tuna, red snapper, lobster, shrimp, whole grains, brown rice, egg yolks, cottage cheese, chicken (white meat), sunflower seeds, garlic, Brazil nuts and lamb chops

Omega-3 Fatty acids

Increase the activity of the cells that eat up bacteria and protects the body against damage from over-reactions to infection.  Found in flax oil or ground flax seed and fatty fish (salmon, tuna and mackerel)

In addition, our pediatrician recommends that the entire family take a Vitamin D supplement to combat the flu.  Although we get vitamin D in milk and from the sun, we don’t quite get enough of it to fight off the flu so a supplement is helpful.

My family has been juicing lately.  We got a juicer from Target for Christmas.  This is such an easy way to get extra vitamins and minerals into your diet.  The kids really enjoy picking their own fruits and veggies to create their own juice recipes.

Remember- if you have any health issues it is always important to consult with your doctor before making any major changes to your diet.

Stay healthy!”

Melanie Meixner is a certified Dr. Sears LEAN Coach.  She also teaches Health and Nutrition to Middle School students at Capo Beach Christian School.  She also has 2 fairly picky eaters at home who inspire her to learn about healthy eating habits. All nutritional facts in this article were found at www.drsearswellnessinstitute.org.

Photo credit: Wylio