Mailbu Kitchen Makeover

I have spent the last couple of days in Malibu, California doing a family makeover. The father hired me after being diagnosed with cancer. He said If possible, to try to enlist his kids in the healthy eating makeover plan. He didn’t however think it would be possible to change their junk food ways and he didn’t want to force them to do anything they didn’t want to do.

After our initial shopping trip, one of the teenage boys was there with his friends and when we unpacked the groceries they were bummed that there was no junk food. They were originally disappointed. But on the main table in the living room, I layed out hummus, Muir's organic salsa, blue corn chips and made some cheese tortillas with sprouted tortila shells and organic mozzerela cheese. Within moments, there were about 20 kids around the table demolishing all the food. I proceeded to pour them smoothies made form organic strawberries and peaches.

When they saw i was making dinner, all the boys asked if they could stay. Not only did they stay, I got them to help in preparing the dessert which consisted of bananas covered with chocolate on a stick. We had an nice assembly line going. One boy was putting the bananas on the stick, another was melting the chocolate, and another was dipping the bananas in coconut. For the final touch we sprinkled on raw coco nibs.

For dinner we had grass fed burgers with minced onion and red and yellow peppers and homemade sweet potato fries. During dinner all the kids started asking questions about why processed food was bad, the difference between organic and conventional, and if i can write down everything they ate. One boy said “I am so glad, this is the best food I have ever eaten.”

Day two, the boys made their own Popsicles from apple juice they made in the juicer and were experimenting with making carrot juice, celery juice, and even asked if there was any broccoli to throw in. Pictures coming soon. What started out as one dad trying to learn how to eat healthy by himself has turned into a neighborhood project. Our breakfast which was a huge success was french toast made from spouted bread dipped in a mixture of eggs, rice milk, cinnamon and chia seeds, with a topping of fresh strawberry sauce, prepared by melting frozen strawberries with a little bit of water. Two more days left with this family. On the menu tonight: pepper steak made from tempeh and brown rice stir fry.



Dawn Lerman, MA, CHHC, LCAT
magnificentmommies .com
646-283-7051