Green Ninja Cooks

Our Everyday Superheroes.
Mother’s Of May Countdown.
Supermom # 9 Lana Ato.
Former Financial Associate, now a blogger and a stay at home mom to 2 toddler girls, Milania and Karolina.
TIPS for keeping your tots healthy and happy:

1. We make sure that each day, no matter the weather, we spend some time outdoors. Usually, its the park, playground, different festivals, or other family events. On the days when its raining, we get out an umbrella and raincoats, and take a walk to the mailbox or jump in the puddles next to the house. My kids are so used to this that now every morning when they wake up, the first thing they ask is ‘where we go, mommy?’.
2. Every time we leave home, I make sure we have enough snacks to last a whole day (or two haha..). My kids are still very young so its challenging to eat at a regular restaurant with them, so if they get hungry in the city - our only remaining option would be pretty much be fast food. That’s why I always have many healthy snacks ready to go - nuts, raisins, granola bars, fruits, and veggies. If I know that we’ll be gone a while I’ll take lunch from home.
3. How do I manage to have kids stick to a plant-based diet and limit their sugar intake when there are so many temptations? Like when an ice-cream truck pulls up to the playground and starts playing that inviting music.. I simply tell my girls ‘We don’t eat that’ and explain why - that this ice-cream has cow’s milk and its only meant for baby cows. My girls are only 2 and 3 y.o. but surprisingly they understand everything and I don’t have to do a lot of convincing. Plus, since they are always exposed to non-vegan cakes, cookies, and other sweets, I keep having to repeat myself all that time! And as they say in Ukraine (where I'm from) - Repetition is the Mother of Learning. At this point, most times when my girls want a snack they ask me its ok for them to have it.
@ Austin, Texas

Our Everyday Superheroes.
Mother’s Of May Countdown.
Supermom #6 Stephanie Sachs- Company / job title: CEO and Founder of Sachs Media LLC .

TIP: As a family, eating well is at the forefront of everything we do. My husband is from Italy, so cooking daily meals (and drinking good vino), is just a part of normal life and sourcing the best ingredients is always a priority and something we look forward to. On the weekends we go as a family to the local farmers market and get fresh seasonal fruits and veggies that we use to purée for our baby. Even though Isabella is only 8 months old, we try and include her in the kitchen while my husband prepares meals so she can watch and hopefully have healthy eating/cooking instilled into her lifestyle from the start.
@ New York, New York