One mother's story....

MILA

Its impact on our oldest son

Our son, Anthony is a rising 6^th grader this year. During his second grade year of school he tested into the gifted program at his elementary school. At that young age, everything regarding school work seems to take quite a while, but as he got older in years we really began to struggle with homework and class work being finished and his teachers were sending home similar messages.

Interestingly, he had no behavior issues and was really loved by his teachers. His Language Arts teacher in Florida (4^th grade) wanted me to have him obtain a letter from his pediatrician stating that his fine motor skills were not developed so that he would be allowed unlimited time on any test. As a mother, I have not been willing to have him diagnosed with any label because I believe it sets a standard for life that things can be “excused away”. So – we kept struggling. Last fall – in his 5^th grade year we were at our wits end. We got to the point that homework was taking 3+ hours a night (he is one of 3 boys keep in mind). The other major issue that we were dealing with is that we would help get him prepared for a test – he would know the information – and then bomb the test because he couldn’t stay focused to get it finished.

He was, at that time taking a Multi-vitamin, B Complex, Vitamin C, an immune booster, and drinking protein daily. Obviously I was trying to attack this issue from a nutritional point of view.

In January of this year – 2011 – we all stopped taking all supplements as a family and added Mila to our diet. Within 4 weeks of Anthony consuming Mila, his homework time went from 3 hours to 20-30 minutes and his test scores went from a 55 to a 95 in the same subject and overall, his teachers let me know that they were working with a “different child”.

It has been such a joy to watch his confidence grow and his frustration diminish. Once again he tested into Honors Math and Honors Language Arts so we are off and running – ready for a successful year!

Oatmeal with Mila and Almond Milk

It has been freezing in Florida so this has been a really good breakfast for the cold mornings we are having.

3/4 cup Quaker Oats

1 and 1/2 cup of water

handful of raisins

1/4 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk

1 scoop of Mila

Boil the water, add the oats and raisins, stir and cook for 4-5 minutes. Place in bowl, add Mila and Almond Milk :)

Nutrigrain Cinnamon Eggo Waffles

I know, I know some mornings it is just too hard to make a real breakfast so there are times that I give in and use the pre-made waffles. When I do, this is what I use...

Nutrigrain Cinnamon Eggo Waffles

Mila

Strawberries

Sprinkles 1/4 scoop of Mila on top of the waffles and add some strawberries- Yummy

Mila Yogurt with Granola and Berries

This is a staple in our house for breakfast and it is personally one of my favorites.

1 cup of Stonyfield low fat vanilla yogurt

handful of strawberries or blueberries or both

1/2 scoop of Mila

2 tbsp of granola ( I like Back to Nature Classic Granola)

Taco Soup with Mila

This is one of our favorites and it is so easy to make.

1 lb ground turkey or lean beef

1 large onion chopped

1 (1 oz) pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1 (1 oz) package Taco Seasoning Mix

1 (16 oz) can pinto beans

1 (16 oz) can chili beans (hot or regular)

1 (16 oz) can whole kernel corn

1 (8oz) can Mexican-style tomatoes

1 (8oz0 can diced tomatoes, any flavor

Brown meat & onions and drain

Mix Ranch & Taco seasonings into meat

Add rest of ingredients, undrained to mixture

Simmer 1 hour

Yum- I add 1/2 to 1 scoop of Mila to the bowl with some cheese and/or sour cream, just before I serve it. You are going to love it!!!

Mila Almond Milk Pudding

Yum - this is one of my favorites!!

4 oz of Vanilla Almond Milk

1 scoop of Mila

Handful of raisins

dash of cinnamon

Mix all of the above ingredients together and let the mixture sit for about one hour. It will taste like Cinnamon Life Cereal but it's good for you!!!

Egg Salad Sandwich

This one is kind of a no brainer. Once you realize you can add it to their sandwiches, you will come up with all kinds of ideas. We hide it between peanut butter and jelly a lot as well.

Cage Free Eggs

Mayonaisse

Mila

Bread

Hard boil 4 eggs, peel the eggs and smash them with a spoon or fork. Add 1/8 cup of mayonaisse and 2 scoops of Mila. Spread on bread and serve. You can also choose to add the Mila after you spread the egg on the bread as shown in this picture.