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Made lamb slider burgers the other night. Why have I waited so long to make these? So delicious! My New Zealand born mother said when I told her I left her one to eat while babysitting, “Yuck, that doesn’t sound … Continue reading
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Just for the record… it’s been really difficult with my youngest son lately. He’s my pickiest eater. Getting him to eat a variety of foods has been really challenging in the past couple of weeks. Actually seemingly overnight he’s gone off some of his old favorites (salmon, seaweed, mushrooms, cheese) so I’m not cooking/serving most of them right now. Instead of trying too hard with lots of different foods, I am going with healthful foods I know he will eat.
So for his health and our sanity I am serving mostly the following foods: broccoli, sugar and snap peas, green beans, celery, carrots, apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, pears, yogurts, milk, and fairly plain salads. He’ll eat other things apart from these fruits and vegetables as well, but really limited considering the rest of the family— brown rice, pasta (plain), chicken, baked white fish, couscous, hummus, peanut butter, steak, lamb.
He won’t eat soup, chili, stew, stir fry, and most foods that are a one pot meals. Last week was difficult since that’s mostly what I made. Makes it challenging but I am still making him eat a little of the food if I’ve made it. I figure just like he is “off” certain former favorites and not liking things mixed, he will eventually come back to a greater variety if I don’t push too hard, but remain firm. I remember when I was his age taking a dislike to the cheese on pizza and sauce on spaghetti, but I got adventurous again not long after and my mother didn’t push. Instead of any possibility of a fight, most of this week I am cooking things I know he’ll eat.
As a child I remember going to some friends’ homes where the mom made my brother and I eat the overcooked zucchini and squash. Big-seeded, mushy, thin-cut vegetables are not appealing to many young kids. I held my nose and choked it down. My brother sat at that table all night. We wouldn’t touch them for years. Now, it’s a different story. I think if the vegetables are cooked right they are more appealing, but it’s not a guarantee that they’ll pass muster. Also if you push too hard, if you aren’t flexible, it can backfire. It’s a fine line and not an easy thing to decide. Being firm yet flexible. Not giving in every time, but understanding when you must bend the rules. So making sure the alternatives aren’t full of sugar and that his dietary needs are met. Thankfully he still loves his broccoli.
And now to prepare for another storm. Hopefully we won’t lose power in this one because no power equals no heat or water (hot or cold).
Is there anything you wish to know? A recipe I didn’t share? A story you’d like to share or something you wish I’d share? Let me know!
Our kids’ school year just began the other day and I have decided to try something different to help our elementary school students eat more fruits and vegetables. At the last school year’s PTA meeting I had been given the idea to get some parent volunteers to come in to help the first graders get through the lunch lines on those first few days of school. Although they’d had a run-though of what to do/expect at the end of their Kindergarten year, it could be overwhelming for the wee ones when returning after their long summer break. I decided to use the opportunity to do a little coaxing when it came to the fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately our school lunch provider doesn’t automatically give the kids those, they usually just offer them. And not only are they just offered, they are in small plastic containers (except a couple of whole apples, oranges or bananas) that are set in a bin the kids have to reach to get (which can be tough for the smaller ones).
So, I organized my volunteers to gently persuade all the kids (grades1 through 4) to take as many of the small containers as they’d like by telling them what’s in them and to say, “which one would you like sweet red peppers or coleslaw… or both?” instead of just saying “would you like some vegetables?” And if they refused try to convince them they needed their vegetables and fruits for a well-rounded meal, to be strong, to be smart, to be healthy. Whatever they could think of that would work.
Interestingly I found that the lunch ladies hadn’t planned on the kids taking so many of these containers of vegetables and fruits as we’d run out during service for each grade every time in the first week (they were prepared but in the walk-in inside the kitchen — where I wasn’t allowed to go). Continue reading
My kids are lucky. They have no known food allergies, but of course going to school, they must be considerate of others who aren’t as lucky. All the class snacks and my soon-to-be kindergartner’s lunches must be nut-free. Sometimes they have to be free of dairy, soy, egg, and seafood, depending on the classroom. We get a list of nut-free foods that are safe to serve from the school nurse, but I always find so much junk on it. So I create my own list, which you can find some of below and in full here.
I find that fresh fruits (squeeze a little lemon juice in some cool water to keep the brown away) and vegetables are easy and safe. My middle son loves to dip his peppers, celery and carrots in organic ranch dressing. Whereas my youngest son loves hummus for dipping in carrots and pita chips… or even his fingers.
I often make popcorn at home either on the stove using canola, olive or grapeseed oils or in the microwave using a brown paper bag and oils. I’ll season with real melted butter and salt or my own spice mixture.
Here are more snack ideas for school:
More Nut-Free Snacks*
FRESH FRUITS & VEGGIES
Black Beans, Pinto Beans, etc.
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans- plain or roasted with Moroccan spices
Broccoli
Sugar Snap Peas
Snow Peas
Green Beans
Sweet Potato
Sliced Bell Peppers
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
Cauliflower
Roasted Beets or Trader Joe’s Ready to Eat Beets
Lentils – Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils
Raw/Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas)
Sunflower Seeds
Mandarin segments in juice (not syrup)
DAIRY & EGG SNACKS & MEATS
Cheeses- TJ’s mini brie, mini goat cheese, sliced cheddar, organic cheese sticks, sliced muenster
Kafir milk or Lassi
All natural yogurts without hormones like Stoneyfield or Trader Joe’s, Brown Cow, Whole Foods, Horizon
Trader Joe’s yoyo squeezers Stoneyfield or Horizon tube yogurt (freeze to keep cold or as frozen morning snack)
Hard-Boiled Eggs with sea salt
Devilled Eggs
Applegate Farm salami, ham, chicken or turkey
Applegate Farm sliced cheeses
WHOLE-GRAIN SNACKS
Brown Rice
Couscous
Quinoa
Tabouli
Pasta (whole wheat, brown rice, etc) served cold or in thermos warm
Triscuits or Trader Joe’s Woven Wheat Wafers
Popcorn (can pop on stove or in brown bag in microwave)
Oatmeal (served warm in thermos)
Kashi Shredded Wheat (vanilla, cinnamon)
Finn Crisp Thin Rye Crispbread
Lundberg Brown Rice or Wild Rice Cakes
Wasa Rye Cripsbread Varieties
Ryvita Rye Varieties
Kashi Heart to Heart Whole Grain Crackers (Original & Roast Garlic)
Trader Joe’s Rice & Bean Chips
Trader Joe’s Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips
Happy Herbert’s Sesame Snack Sticks
Canned/Dried Fruits & Sauces
Organic Raisins, curents
Dried Plums
Dates
Mission Figs
Organic Dried Cranberries, Blueberries, Cherries, apple Rings, or Mangoes
Dried Unsulfured Apricots
Vermont Village Applesauce
GoGo Squeez Applesauces
Nature’s Child Grape or Berry Squeezers
Trader Joe’s Crushers
Trader Joe’s Fruit Leathers
Archer Farms Organic Fruit Strips, Bars or Pull Apart Peels
Fruitabü Organic Smooshed Fruitrolls
Trader Joe’s Fruit Flakes
Trader Joe’s Fiberful Fruit Bars
Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit Rope
Trader Joe’s Freeze Dried Mangos, Bananas, Grapes or Strawberries
Roasted Seaweed Snack (TJ’s or Costco)
Also homemade nut-free Leftovers!
*I need to update this list, as many new items that are gluten-free and/or nut-free are available since I wrote this.
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A simple way to make a delicious avocado salsa/chunky guacamole. Use Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde (Tomatillo salsa) to add nice spicy twist. I find sometimes chili peppers aren’t hot enough or are too hot and then sometimes their heat … Continue reading
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Ok, forgot to buy the Fruitabu fruit strips for a flag cake! Well, maybe will have to make a different cake today. Or maybe a pie. For the butter cream frosting it’s easiest to make in the food processor. All … Continue reading
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Sugar Snap Peas Kids love them for their sweetness and crunch. They’re fabulous raw as a snack or lightly steamed with a touch of butter for a side. Slice them for salads. Throw them in a stir fry. These … Continue reading
Snacks, snacks, snacks. Why are there so many snack foods? And why do kids need so many snacks in a day? Also why are most snack foods void of nutrients? Pretzels- not terrible as far as a processed snack food goes, but think… where’s the nutrition in them? I don’t mean where’s the health-food, but where are the nutrients that the body needs to function? So you’ve given your kids some calories to tide them over, but those potato chips, cheese puffs and corn chips are lacking any vitamins or minerals. So guess what? The body says, “great I’ve got something now, but in just 15-30 minutes when I realize I got nothing out of those calories, I will want more food to fuel me.” This cycle is a major reason our population is getting fatter… along with portions being too big plus a reduction in physical activity.
So think— is this snack food going to tide them over just to be hungry again or maybe some carrots, apples and cheese are better alternatives to the empty calorie snacks.
Also, try for the snacks that don’t have my 3 worst types of ingredients: artificial colors, preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.
Here are a few ideas for those in-between times when you really must fill a hole until mealtime.
Fresh Vegetables!
Ola Granola with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote and Yogurt
Dukkah
Fruit salad
Fresh Whole Fruit
Avocado on fresh bread
Roasted Seaweed
Another idea is to serve some hummus or vegetables with the chips, pretzels, etc.
Yes, I like food. I love experimenting with recipes and I actually like to cook… most of the time. Sometimes, I just am too tired, too uninspired or just too busy to get all creative and put out a fabulous meal. But, when we’re at home I do try to put out a healthy meal. Last night my eldest was playing clarinet in his school band concert, so we had limited time. I served a rotisserie chicken I purchased hot at my local supermarket; served it with a big but plain salad and string beans. The kids get enough carbs so I skipped any starch. (I could’ve just heated up a bag of frozen brown rice but I just didn’t feel like it.)
If you aren’t a great cook or not really in the mood to cook, but want to get away from the boxed meals here are some tips.
My kids love bacon. I love bacon. But we don’t eat bacon often.
This was my cross of a BLT and a Margherita pizza. It’s made on the Middle Eastern Flatbread I’ve used for pizza before. Of course it’s got bacon…
I used up some left-over spinach, mixed shredded cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, jack, queso blanco, fontina), sliced tomatoes, fresh basil and a side salad.
I also cooked the bacon on parchment in the oven. Came out so evenly cooked and yummy!
This one came out fuzzy— my camera’s been acting up again. 🙁
Yes, the kids loved it. Well, they all loved the bacon. My youngest one didn’t want to eat the pizza— just the bacon off the top. We compromised (over an hour later) with him eating all the salad and I gave him some left over chicken from the night before.
