Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish… Parts II & III

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Friday we came home in a rush to eat dinner after spending the day at the lake.  I had put some Wild Caught Pacific Cod (I usually choose it over the Atlantic variety due to over-fishing) out to defrost earlier.  Cod is a delicious flaky white fish with mild fishiness.  Most children will eat it. 

I made a pan-fried fish similar to that you’d see in fish ‘n chips, except I didn’t have the time to make the chips, so I relied on a standby— Trader Joe’s frozen Organic Jasmine Rice- ready in 3 minutes!  The fish was ready in 10 from start to finish. 

 I dipped the filets, as is, into seasoned flour (salt and pepper in it) then into a pan with hot 1/4 inch deep canola oil.  Turned after a few minutes to each side.  I served a simple homemade tartar sauce with it.  

Beforehand I had made a salad and prepped the CSA chard and beet greens (chopped then steamed then shocked).  We never seem to get enough of the chard, kale and beets to serve alone at a meal, so I often mix two or three together.  As I’ve mentioed, I include the chard stems but not the kale or beet greens because they’re too tough.  You could include them in juicing.  Once fish is ready, reheat with butter, salt and pepper (a real pattern with us).   

My Kids Eat Really Eat This’s Mom’s Simple Tartar Sauce 

  • 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 sm-med dill pickle chopped
  • 1 Tbsp capers
  • ground pepper to taste

Mix together. 

We don’t often have the same fish or “main” within days of each other, but we came awfully close to it this week.  My youngest had his tonsils out this morning so my husband and I agreed to get a fish for dinner (it’s soft and tasty). 

I bought catfish because it is one farm raised fish I will buy.   It’s also easy to cook and most children like its mild flavor and its firm texture AND it’s not as pricey as most other wild caught fish.  I also bought broccoli, since it can be slightly overcooked to get rid of its hard texture but retain its integrity.  My husband had made a lemon risotto a couple of days ago so that was our grain and we also had CSA baby NZ spinach. 

He prepared the catfish with a cornmeal crust.  Put cornmeal on plate with salt and pepper.  Dip the moist (from fish monger, nothing added to moisten) filets into seasoned cornmeal; flip to cover both sides.  Then place fish into pan with hot vegetable or canola oil.  Turn after a couple of minutes.  Total cooking time about 7 minutes. 

My husband made a tartar sauce (different and better than mine) and I also had some Boar’s Head Savory Remoulade Cajun Style Mayonnaise.  It’s a bit spicy for most kids.

 

 My Kids Eat Really Eat This’s Dad’s Tartar Sauce

  •  3 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp capers
  • 1 small pickle
  • 1 tsp fresh1dill (1/2 tsp dried)
  • 1 tsp tarragon (1/2 tsp dried)
  • 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
  • squeeze 1/4-1/2 lemon

Blend in small chopper (mini cuisinart) until smooth.

If you’d like the Lemon Risotto recipe, let me know! 

All three loved the dinner.  My little one mostly concentrated on the fish (without the harder edges).  He only had a spoonful of rice, one bite of broccoli and one tiny forkful of spinach, but he still got a popsicle for dessert.

© 2010 mykidsreallyeatthis.com

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Love, love, love your site!! What is the best way to print recipes. Katie

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

If you’d like something specific, I can email it.  Otherwise you can print it by selecting the recipe/instructions and “print selection” with your printer settings.  The font is light so if you are having trouble, please let me know. 

I need to have better links to each recipe because my recipe page isn’t easy to navigate.  If I have time (ha-ha) I will create a new page for recipes. 

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Fake Organic Labeled Foods

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Fake Organic Labeled Foods

From the article: A Chinese grocery chain owner who spoke with Global Post estimated that “maybe 30 percent of farms that put the organic label on their food produce the real thing.”

Michael Pollan told The World about one of his journalism students who uncovered fraudulently labeled organic foods in China. The student spoke with one ostensibly organic farmer who “essentially thought it was a word that was very popular with Americans, as indeed it is.”

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Taco Night

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My sons love tacos!  But they prefer the way I do them.  When my eldest got tacos at school one day he told me how they weren’t very good because they didn’t have all the “things” we have on tacos at home- “No vegetables! Not even lettuce! It was just meat and cheese.”  Ugh, school lunches…another topic for another time. 

I set up a taco bar on our island in the kitchen.  The offerings at the bar can change according to what’s in the fridge or cabinet.  Mostly on the bar are bowls with shredded lettuce, black beans, rice, shredded cheese, chopped avocado and/or avocado salsa, tomato salsa, tomatoes, chopped cilantro, cabbage if we’re having fish tacos,  most often I serve beef but sometimes other meats or fish.  I give them hard and soft tacos- corn shells and flour tortillas.

Last night’s was organic beef (no hormones, antibiotics, etc) made with shallots, garlic and tomatoes and a pre-packaged spice mix from Trader Joe’s (careful— I used only 1/2 the packet and it was very spicy for the kids), but you can mix chili powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, paprika and black pepper to get a good taco seasoning.  I also put out the left over swordfish and my eldest jumped at the chance to have in a hard corn tortilla.  I used up the black rice too.  If the kids don’t want all the stuff in the tacos I serve some things on the side.

It really doesn’t take long to prepare, mostly time spent chopping, and they get a well-rounded meal that they absolutely love!

FYI- you can get organic corn tortillas.  I don’t like to buy conventional corn as most corn in the US is genetically modified. 

© 2010 mykidsreallyeatthis.com

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Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish

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Choosing fish these days creates all sorts of decision making stress.  The dilemma surrounds what not to buy—some fish might have mercury or PCB contamination and others are over-fished.  So what to buy? There are lists online to help.   Here are two:  one here and the other here. 

 

The other day my husband bought swordfish, a fish I never buy myself; I tend to stay away from large fish because of mercury.  Tuna we eat more often than swordfish but still not as much as we used to now that we have children.  I like tunafish salad sandwiches and adore sushi, but don’t have either more than once monthly. (Canned tuna has higher levels of mercury, so beware.)  We probably eat swordfish once or twice a year.  We figure since it’s so seldom that we might as well enjoy it when we do- and will only buy it when it looks so very good.

 

We grilled the swordfish and we served it with a choice of sauces: puttanesca and a lemon caper sauce; Forbidden Black rice; CSA rainbow chard; micro bok choy (really small bok choy); and CSA garlic scapes. 

Start rice first.  Forbidden Black Rice name comes from long ago when it was forbidden for anyone but the Emperor to eat.  It becomes a deep dark purple when cooked and is a whole grain rice that is supposedly high in iron.  We love the taste, and the boys love the color too. 

 Steam chard and bok choy and shock to stop cooking.  Leave to side to finish later.  Steam or blanch garlic scapes and finish on the grill.   

My two eldest kids love capers and will pick them out of sauces to eat first. For the lemon caper sauce just a squeeze half a lemon over 3 Tbsp of capers and two pats of butter.  I put it in the microwave for 40 seconds, stirred and served!  So easy and quick.  You can also do it on the stove.  Just want to melt butter and warm capers. 

 

Puttanesca sauce is really quick to make too.  Just a little more chopping.

  •  1 shallot or 1/4 white onion finely diced
  •  1 large garlic clove chopped
  • 1 plum tomato, seeded
  • 3 anchovies or 1 Tbsp anchovy paste
  • Handful of green or black olives, pitted and chopped.
  • 2-3 Tbsp capers
  • Black pepper to tasteHeat over stove until tomatoes have disintegrated.

Not every child will like puttanesca, but seeing that most kids like salty foods, some might surprise you!  We serve the sauces on the side so our kids can control how much they would like of them and where they want it placed!

To prepare the swordfish put olive oil, salt and pepper on a plate, place one side in oil then turn until both sides are nicely coated.  Place on hot grill and cook about 3 minutes on each side. (The cooking times vary depending on your grill and the thickness of the swordfish.)

Reheat the chard with touch of butter, salt and pepper.  Reheat the bok choy with butter or canola oil, sesame oil and soy sauce as I’ve noted before.

 

 

 © 2010 mykidsreallyeatthis.com

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I love your blog and I was prompted to comment because of all the great questions I see people asking. I love to see so much interest in healthy eating, I too have a passion for whole foods and pure ingredients. I don’t yet have kids, but I’m actually using this time in my life to learn as much as I can and create great habits for myself, so when the day comes to feed my own, It’s not such a daunting task.

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Thank you so much!  I think it’s great that you’re interested before you have kids so that you can learn how to start them off right.  It’s also important to know for yourself now— one to stay healthy and two so that you can be healthy if you get pregnant.  Then your kids will definitely have a good start! 

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Great blog…Your husband told me about your blog, last night at work. My son is only 13 months and eats what every we put in front of him, whether it is for comsumption or not. I sure this will change… However your methods and choices are intriguing. I am especially interested in your organic veggie choices as I recently read an article regarding a link between pesticides and ADD. With my wife preganant again, my challenge is her appetite, not our child’s. I am sure to use some of your ideas and recipes at home and possibly school, thanks for the help. Ted

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Thank you Ted.   Hopefully he’s not eating non-food items because he’s craving them, just putting things in his mouth.  Hopefully he stays this easy with foods, he might change.  

I found the challenging part is making sure I fed the children what they needed first while also juggling everything else.  When they are young, their bodies tell them what they need before we mess it all up.   

I  read those reports linking ADD/ADHD (and have a son with ADHD and Asperger’s) and have decided to forgo any conventionally grown berries.  There are other vegetables and fruits that don’t seem to harbor as many chemicals when treated, so some fruits and veggies I buy organic and others I don’t mind buying conventionally grown.  I also try to buy local because I can actually ask the farmer what they use as far as pesticides, fertilizers and hormones (meat/dairy). I do belong to a CSA near us and though they aren’t “certified organic” they use organic methods.  There are lists of fruits and veggies online that tell you which ones to always buy organic.   http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods

Your wife might have a strange appetite during the pregnancy.   I had aversions to certain foods especially their smells, but mostly craved plain Romaine salads with one type of Italian dressing and hamburgers.  As long as you and/or your wife eats with your son it instills a great pattern for the future and it will be much easier to introduce foods. 

Good luck with your little one… and one on the way.

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