Two years ago on Mother’s Day we launched HAPPYBABY as our gift to busy mothers everywhere. HAPPYBABY and HAPPYBELLIES are now available in over 1000 stores and online retailers with more being added every day. On behalf of the entire team, we want to thank you for your support which has made it all possible.      Our partners have also played a key role in our success. They are a great group of people: Stroller Strides, Baby Loves Disco, My Gym, see mommy run, and our newest partner, sittercity.com. As we grow so does our support of our non-profit partner Project Peanut Butter, now feeding malnourished children in Sierra Leone as well as Malawi.      The best is yet to come—lots of new products, health tips and recipes. Stay tuned. —SHAZI & JESSICA Spring training for little healthy eaters Did you know that you can train your baby’s body to crave healthy foods? When you feed your baby whole foods (instead of processed foods) the lining and the nerve supply of your baby’s gut gets used to the feeling of real food. Medically speaking, this concept is known as metabolic programming. Their gut is actually being programmed, at a cellular level, to feel right when baby eats the right foods and to feel yucky when baby eats yucky, junky foods. Over the years the Sears pediatric practice has been a laboratory for observing babies and nutrition. Years ago, there were some moms in our practice who we called “health nuts” (now we call them “pure moms”)—those who never let a morsel of junk food pass into their baby’s lips. We followed these pure babies into early childhood and found that these kids actually craved what was good for them and shunned what was bad for them. When they were thrown into the “real world” of junk food, preschool, birthday parties, and playdates, of course they ate the junk food but with two very important differences: They didn’t overeat or overdo it on the junk foods and They would often tell their moms that they had a yucky tummy feeling afterwards So even by the age of three, these babies had learned the connection: It is that connection that programs a healthy eater for life. And it’s so important because we want our kids to feel good about eating. We want food to be not only healthful, but also pleasurable. That’s why we named our wholesome, organic, all-natural baby meals “HAPPYBABY”! HAPPYBABY food bars will continue to be featured at select Baby Loves Disco events from June through December, thanks to great response from their hosts and guests like you. Check www.babylovesdisco.com for the dates of rockin’ good parties in your city. Starting in August, we will also be serving HAPPYBITES with Secret Sauce, a new line of healthy food for toddlers and older kids.    HAPPYBITES: WITH SECRET SAUCE are organic, handhelds meal for your toddlers and a healthy, balanced snack for older kids. Five meals and four sauces offer the flavors kids love but with a full serving of hidden veggies—which moms love. Each sauce has a clever Special Agent animal promoting its own ‘case’—the environment, health, recycling, and exercise—while providing a fun colorful character to associate with each flavor. Conveniently packaged, fully cooked, and ready to heat and eat, HAPPYBITES are the perfect meal for mom and dad’s night out. Look for them in Whole Foods freezers at the beginning of August. Check our web site for more details, nutrition information, and ingredient listings very soon!   FACT!. . . A recent study looking at the quality of a child’s diet and academic performance found that children with healthy diets performed better. The study, published in the Journal of School Health last month, surveyed 5,000 fifth graders. The researchers assessed the children’s diets using the Diet Quality Index (DQI), a measure of overall diet quality. Then they had the children complete the Elementary Literacy Assessment, a tool used to assess academic performance. They found that the children with better DQI scores—particularly those who ate more fruits and vegetables and less fat—did significantly better on the academic assessment. Source: Florence MD et al., “Diet Quality and Academic Performance.” Journal of School Health, April 2008, Vol. 78, No. 4. Project Peanut Butter was founded by Mark Manari, a pediatrician and professor at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis. He is saving the lives of children with a revolutionary treatment based on peanut butter. His Plumpy Nut treatment is supported by UNICEF and Doctors without Borders, and could become a worldwide standard of care.   APPLE OAT MUFFINS Prepare some healthy and tasty muffins for your toddler using HAPPYBABY Wiser Apple.    1-1/2 cups quick-cook oats 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1/2 cup sugar 12 cubes of HAPPYBABY Wiser Apple, defrosted 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup low-fat milk 3-4 Tbsp. oil 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup raisins (optional) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with muffin cups or lightly spray with cooking oil. Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar; mix well. Add HAPPYBABY Wiser Apples, egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract to flour mixture. Mix just until moist then stir in raisins. (Note: Be sure not to over mix batter.) Pour batter into muffin pan about 2/3 full. Bake 20 minutes or until done. Makes 12 muffins or 24 mini muffins.  —Nicole Koroghlian-Auker Send us your favorite recipes using HAPPYBABY. If they appear in our newsletter or on our website, we will send you a special gift for baby. Email: recipes@happybabyfood.com Also check out our Serving Suggestions and recipes online.   click to print out this coupon, or use the button below to forward to a friend: