Best laid plans… or no plans

Posted on June 3, 2010 by admin

I wanted to go to bed but I also knew my sons want some toast in the morning. All three love a slice of toast or bagel before they have the rest of their breakfast (eggs, oatmeal, cereal). We ran out of bagels and toasting bread and I had picked up fresh eggs, rhubarb and milk from one farm and our shared harvest (CSA) from another but forgot about bread. I just searched online for the bread recipe (wish I’d had more time to do the no-knead one that Mark Bittman featured in the NY Times recently). Since I am not a huge baker, my yeast might be a little old because the dough didn’t rise. Ugh. So, I put the dough in a preheated to 100F convection oven for twenty minutes. That didn’t work. Next I took 2 different yeasts I had and tested them with some water and sugar. Both bubbled and rose. So I added more of it with some more flour. I want it to rise once, punch it then go to bed. Boy do I want to punch it. It’s rising now at least.

So not every dinner works out as planned. Or I mean not every dinner is enjoyed as much as I would wish. Tonight I made a pasta because with chaperoning a field trip, driving over 2 towns for pick-ups and drop-offs, and making it back after 5 pm I just didn’t have dinner planned. So I thought I’d use some of the spinach, parsley and garlic scapes in my CSA bin (the center of the young garlic shoot- great grilled). I sautéed a chopped scape in olive oil, added two chopped plum tomatoes, chopped parsley, sea salt and pepper. Tossed the pasta with them and added steamed spinach and some Trader Joe’s party meatballs. I thought it was great. The kids thought the spinach was too bitter and mostly just ate the pasta and meatballs. Oh well. Not every meal can be a success. At least we ate together, talked about the day and I tried to get them to eat all their veggies. In the end I warmed up some of last night’s peas just so they got some more greens without me having to spend more time in the kitchen…. before bedtime.

Picnic and Barbecue Time

Posted on June 1, 2010 by admin

I find it really challenging to get kids to eat the healthier choices when we’re out. We had several picnics and barbecues over the Memorial Day weekend starting with my kindergartener’s class concert/family picnic. I made a quick lunch with leftover steak, egg salad, mixed greens salad and strawberries. The dessert table was full of blue jello cups, blue punch, cupcakes and very shiny marshmallow treats. I find it so hard to get the kids to eat anything healthy if other children are already on dessert, but they have to have some good things first before they’re allowed. I also try to get the kids to not pick the artificially colored desserts and choose the more “real” stuff like ice cream and cupcakes. Not sure that I’m on the right track but the color thing gets to me. I don’t serve my children dessert at every meal or every dinner for that matter, but I do give them some sometimes. And again, holidays and birthdays my rules get much more relaxed. They’re even allowed soda on those days (I try to get the ones without preservatives and artificial ingredients- like Virgil’s- if I buy any, which is next to never) but I serve them real juice or water if it’s available.

One of the parties we went to I brought my mother’s old standby rice salad with tuna. It’s such an unusual combination but so many people love it. Perfect for summer gatherings. My kids love it too! Maybe it’s the crunchiness and sweetness of the apple together with saltiness of the tuna and pickle.

Julia’s Rice & Tuna Salad

One and a half cups of white or brown rice (or 3/4 of each), cooled
One or two cans of tuna (depending on your taste preference)
1/2 onion chopped (I prefer red)
2 peeled and cubed tart apples, (Granny Smiths, Braeburns) soaked in a little water and lemon juice so they don’t turn brown
2 pickles cubed
2 chopped plum tomatoes –sans seeds if possible
4 hard-boiled eggs cut into large pieces (add last so they don’t break apart too much)
handful of chopped parsley
Tbsp fresh chopped basil or mint (optional)
vinaigrette or Italian style dressing
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix together and serve chilled.

I also have another great rice and fish salad that I adapted from Chef David Raymer’s chopped rice salad. You can make it with white fish or salmon or even canned salmon. Fabulous for left-overs!

Make it same way as above but without the apples, eggs, tuna or pickles.

Use the rice, red onion, tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, and vinaigrette dressing.

Add veggies-(select your favorite or what ever’s left over) like zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli and green beans (prefer haricot verte)—all chopped. Add handful of nicoise olives, several handfuls of chopped mesclun greens and 2-3 Tbsp capers. Really delicious! Not all my children will eat the olives but they love capers …and the salad in general.

Gallery

Posted on June 1, 2010 by admin

This gallery contains 6 photos.

Choices…

Posted on May 27, 2010 by admin

The dilemma these days is not the dearth of choices but glut. From organic to all natural, from processed to ready-made, from junk to health foods, kid-friendly to just what your family always bought. The book by Michael Pollan In Defense of Food really resonated with me and I have bought it for family and friends. His latest Food Rules gives a guide of what to eat and how. Part of the beauty of these books is that it brings food back to where it should be in our consciousness… something we need to think about but not obsess over. His motto “Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants” is such a practical guideline. I try to buy organic and local when possible, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. I limit my processed food purchases but I’m not perfect and there are a few things in my cupboard that I know shouldn’t be there. Again, it’s a matter of balancing the “good” over the “bad” or just “better” over “worse”.

One area in which there are way too many choices is breakfast cereal. Some of my friends are more shocked when they see or hear that my kids eat Chocolate Cheerios than that they eat kale. Ok, so I refuse to buy Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms or Fruity Pebbles cereals but I do allow an occasional processed cereal. I base these decisions on sugar content, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives. The Chocolate Cheerios don’t have as much junk in them as other flavored cereals. I would prefer them to eat oatmeal daily, but it’s not always possible in the morning rush.

A friend also noticed the high sugar content of the Brown Cow Whole Milk Cherry Vanilla yogurt I so enjoy. So, I called Brown Cow and was told that the sugar content is derived from three major components- one half from the milk itself, one quarter from the flavorings (whole fruits) and one quarter from sweeteners (sugar cane, maple and honey). They don’t use fillers or thickeners (modified corn starch, etc) or preservatives. They use real whole milk (the cream is on the top), real whole fruits, maple syrup and honey. So the choice isn’t always about how much sugar, but which sugar is better as well as the other ingredients. If you read the ingredient list of some other yogurts you’ll be amazed at the unrecognizable contents. And why on Earth has yogurt been turned into another junk food with toppings like Oreos and M&Ms or the Trix and Shrek colored stuff?

My kids also love the Maple and Vanilla (low-fat) Brown Cow yogurts. Since it’s not always available where I regularly shop, I do buy Stoneyfield or Trader Joe’s yogurts. They also love when I “make” frozen yogurt. I take Stoneyfield Organic “Yokids Squeezers” (in the tubes) and freeze, then peel off the top part of the packaging, wrap in a paper towel and serve as nice cool treat.

Just try to choose wisely for their health and wallet and your sanity! Put as many fresh, whole foods in their diet and limit the processed and overly sugared and salty foods. Don’t beat yourself up over all the choices.

Mahi-Mahi with Mango Salsa

Posted on May 25, 2010 by admin

Today I was at Whole Foods and got so many wonderful fresh foods. I chose the Mahi Mahi for dinner and picked up a mango to make a salsa to go with it. Years ago, before kids, we used to shop regularly at Hay Day (now Balducci’s) and once got their tropical fruit salsa to go with Red Snapper. Since then we’ve been making different combinations of fruit salsas for certain fish. I love the firm sweet-tartness of mangos, but sometimes we add cantaloupe, honeydew and /or pineapple. With a little red onion, cilantro (try mint if you hate cilantro), lime juice, orange juice, hot pepper (habanero goes nicely with fruit, but be careful as they can be extremely hot. Use a surgical glove as I previously suggested so you don’t burn your eyes later if you forget you’ve got hot pepper juice on your fingers!), it makes such a great topping for fish, pork or chicken. We add the hot peppers last, so that we can separate some for the kids, then have ours as hot as we’d like. Prepare salsa before the fish or vegetables as it should sit in juices and pepper — for the flavors to come out. Basmati Rice, green beans and beet greens rounded out the meal.

I try to always buy my beets with the greens attached, but they don’t always sell them that way unless they’re really fresh. I lop the greens off the top the day I purchase them but the roots (beets) can stay another day or two. Chop the greens with stalks attached into one inch strips and steam until wilted. You can do this anytime during the meal preparation, as you will reheat when it’s time to serve. You also probably want to leave the leafless stalk for a juicer if you have one (unfortunately right now I don’t). Once you are ready to serve, just reheat in sauté pan with pat of butter, pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. (You’ll see a pattern here with veggie preparation). Beet greens are similar in texture and color to chard but less minerally and sweeter. My kids really love them.

For the Mahi-Mahi preparation: cut into approximately 5-6 oz size portions, discarding any bloodline (the dark colored section in the middle of the filet), then season with sea salt and pepper. On high in a sauté pan get canola oil (or other mild vegetable oil) hot then add the Mahi-Mahi and reduce heat to med-high. Turn over when fish is nice and golden brown. Reduce heat further to med-low so it’s not getting blackened, but cooking through. It is a bit messy with the splatters, but it only takes a few minutes to cook this way. If you are cooking rice, time the rice and when you see there’s 8 minutes left, it’s a perfect time to cook the fish.

Balance

Posted on May 22, 2010 by admin

A friend said how she tries to make sure her kids have balance in their meals. I completely agree with her. My children are not deprived of junk food (especially at birthday parties) and we all love chocolate and ice cream. But, it’s making sure that they get the healthful foods and limit the junk to special occasions. I want my children to have a healthy relationship with food. I don’t agree with Jessica Seinfeld’s method of hiding the good stuff, I bring it front and center. They start from the time they first eat solids. If you get them to try it and keep introducing it, they will eventually get a taste for it. In days long ago there were no junk foods, kids ate what they were given, no fuss. We are lucky to live in a time and age that gives us the flexibility to give our kids food (and as Michael Pollan coined “edible foodlike substances”) they like and that are convenient.

Ice Cream!

But we must maintain balance with the good food having more weight.

When we pack our sons’ lunches we make sure the food groups are represented with a sandwich, veggies, fruit and a snack type carb. Most popular lunch: turkey with mayo on whole grain bread, carrots and cucumbers, strawberries or apples (soak apple slices in lemon juice and water so they don’t turn brown), and goldfish.

And again, eat with them. Dinner time is usually the best in this country as it’s usually our biggest meal. Let them see the foods you eat, even if you aren’t going to feed them the same thing. Tell them how delicious it is and maybe they’ll want to taste it without being prompted. If you think they’ll only eat chicken nuggets in dinosaur shapes, get a cookie cutter and cut a whole cooked real chicken breast into a shape. If the chicken nuggets came in chicken shapes would the kids want to eat them?

You don’t need to completely avoid fats… fats don’t make people fat. If they did all those eating fat free cookies and fat free cream cheese (how is that even possible!?!) wouldn’t be fat! It’s the balance being out of balance. Fats based on only animal products aren’t good in over consumption, but there are good fats that should be in the diet (olives, avocados, nuts, etc). We need them to live.

Wow!

Enjoy food, just remember the balance—limit the treats to special occasions and get all the fresh fruits and veggies regularly every day. Your kids will really eat them too!

Even at parties with pizza, my kids chose…

Posted on May 22, 2010 by admin

Pizza! Not really a surprise. Butmy eldest had a piece of broccoli white pie and my youngest had me add some of the shiitakes that I’d sautéed for the appetizer I prepared. Funny thing was that other kids were saying “yuck”, “eeww” and such at my eldest eating his broccoli pizza, but he didn’t care. He just told them how ”yummy” it was.

My middle son was just into the plain pizza and all three had huge ice cream sundaes with Swedish fish, sprinkles (jimmies) and chocolate sauce. They are very much like other kids with sweet tooths and love of junk food.

I went to Trader Joe’s today and knew I had some upcoming gatherings to which I’d have to bring something. The nan is so easy and delicious. I came up with the idea myself for my book club when I didn’t think I had much to serve. I sautéed the shiitakes and garlic with olive oil and butter, sea salt and pepper. I wilted the spinach and added a pinch of sea salt, pepper and pat of butter. When I arrived at the party, I used the oven there to heat the nan at 425F for 3 minutes, spread the goat cheese on it and then add the shiitakes or spinach or both. Put in oven for another 2 minutes, remove and cut into 2 bite pieces. Less than 10 minutes total. A sprinkle of nutmeg might be nice on the spinach too.

Tomorrow I am going out so I got Bool Kogi, a marinated Korean beef dish traditionally served in lettuce leaves, at Trader Joe’s for my babysitter to make for the kids. It takes just a couple of minutes in a really hot pan or on a grill. They’ll have string beans and broccoli with it. I know those are the babysitter’s favorite vegetables. I’ve known her since I was born and I’ve learned a lot of cooking techniques from her— besides many other wonderful things, including how to feed your kids the right way.

Chicken & Mushrooms

Posted on May 21, 2010 by admin

My youngest, 3, loves mushrooms and even asked me to sauté him some the other day for lunch. Just mushrooms, nothing else. But my middle child would often say, “I don’t like mushrooms unless they’re in your cream sauce.“ The last few times I’ve served mushrooms in anything besides the cream sauce, he exclaims that he “does like them!“

Actually most dinners are accompanied by a whine (from him) of “I don’t want this” and/or “I don’t like …” but every dinner he sits down with the rest of us and eats. And tonight was no exception, “But I don’t want mushrooms, I don’t want chicken, I just want plain pasta.” He ate everything on his plate. He did try to sneak a piece of broccoli onto his brother’s plate so he could have dessert faster, but I caught him before it could happen.

So my tip here is don’t pay any attention to those whines. I’m not saying don’t ever feed your kids what they want, just that it has to fit in with what is good for them as well. I am not going to stop what I’m making and cook them something they’d rather eat instead. And I am not going to cook 2 separate meals, one for me and my husband and one for them. (Exception is when we’re having something extremely spicy and it is just too hot for their palates.) My children get to make recommendations for what they’d like, just not after the meal is made. My eldest is craving sushi lately and it even got into a story he wrote today about a raccoon trying to steal his picnic dinner. After the sword fight he tossed some sushi to the raccoon who had a great meal. So, I’ll be making or buying some sushi soon. Oh, and some seaweed salad too because he loves it and likes to bring the leftovers to school as a snack.

A friend asked me recently what chicken nuggets I’d suggest because she wasn’t sure the brand she was buying was “real” chicken or at least good cuts. I didn’t know one because as I stated before I don’t really buy them. I have bought some from Trader Joe’s and I have purchased some from the supermarket, but it’s so rarely and not at all in the past 6 months so I just can’t tell anyone what/who to buy. Instead I told her about my homemade ones and how delicious they are and how she and her husband would enjoy them as well. Then she went on to tell me she doesn’t have time to do that. After I told her how quick they were, and pointed out that she’d save time by not making 2 different meals (which is what she does daily), she agreed but said she won’t change. Oh well.

I digress. Often. So, chicken with mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce.

I got d’Artagnan organic chicken thighs with the bones and skins. You can buy boneless and skinless or remove either, but I didn’t. You’ll need one container of mushrooms, sliced. (I prefer baby criminis and/or shiitakes for this dish.) Fresh thyme, 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 cup chicken stock or base, 2 cloves garlic, shallots (optional), salt and pepper. Sauté garlic and shallots in tsp olive oil, then add chicken (if it’s skin is on) until browned, add white wine and chicken stock, reduce heat to med-low and cover (stirring occasionally). (If it’s boneless/skinless you can add the chicken after the liquids.) In a separate pan sauté the mushrooms with tsp olive oil and butter. Add some fresh thyme leaves (strip at least 2 stalks and crush in fingers or chop to release aromatic), salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat when cooked through. Cook chicken for 25-30 minutes in liquids, add mushrooms, black pepper to taste and heavy cream, stirring well. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Check for doneness especially with thigh bones. Taste it before adding more salt as stock or base can be salty.

I served mine tonight over fusilli pasta, but you can use rice, other pastas, noodles, or grains. And my kids loved it! I served a side of fresh broccoli, which I steam and shock (run cold water over it to stop it from cooking) then reheat with pat of butter and tiny bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper (Trader Joe’s organic butter is my favorite— and there is NO margarine in this house, ever).

I do recommend everyone watch Food Inc and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and sign the petition for healthful school lunchesI want to get people to pay attention to what they’re feeding their kids and see that it’s doable to feed them well.

Chicken “Nuggets” with Homemade Bread Crumbs

Posted on May 20, 2010 by admin

Necessity is the mother of invention… I was watching a girl friend’s children and it was near dinner time. I’ve had unfortunate experiences trying to feed one of them (and that child was probably traumatized as well) so I thought, how can I compromise— good food I know they will actually eat without gagging? Chicken nuggets!! Well, I don’t often have prepared ones on hand (it’s just not our thing) but I did have some gorgeous fresh Bell & Evans chicken breasts and thought, this should be easy enough. Well, sometimes we have bread crumbs in the pantry, but they were used. Boy am I glad. I made the most delicious bread crumbs to coat the chicken, that not only did my kids and her kids gobble it up… I had enough to feed both parents and their friend when they came to pick up. And everyone loved it- kids included!

In a Cuisinart I took yesterday’s baguette, a few end pieces of whole grain sandwich bread, olive oil, salt, pepper, and Penzy’s “Mural of Flavor” spice mix. Mural of Flavor is a combo of Western Mediterranean spices and herbs, which is perfect for chicken. (I often coat drum sticks in it and roast them for an easy meal), it can be purchased online http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html if you don’t have a store near you. We have one in Norwalk near Stew’s. If you can’t do either— a blend of dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, garlic salt, dried onion, lemon pepper and chives would produce a similar product.

I pounded the chicken breasts so they were about 1/4-1/2 inch thick, soaked them in milk and coated them with the rough breadcrumbs. I cooked them in the oven, turning once, at 350 F until done but still moist, only 10-15 minutes (it depends on the thickness, you can always take one and slice it, if it’s no longer pink and solid its done). I cut them into nugget size and served them with buttered noodles, spinach and broccoli. You can cut them smaller before you coat them for a more traditional nugget.

Tips for spinach: Baby Spinach only takes a few minutes to prepare— one of the easiest fresh veggies to serve! In sauté pan add 2 teaspoons water and organic baby spinach. Heat covered on high until wilted. (Steaming is fine too!) Drain any excess water. Keep off heat until ready to eat, then add pat of butter, pinch of sea salt and a couple of twists of black pepper. Reheat, stirring in the added ingredients until coated and serve. You can also sauté garlic in a little olive oil and/or butter then add spinch(Garlic powder for those really quick meals).

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PEI Mussels

Posted on May 20, 2010 by admin

I love all seafood and my children like most kinds. I’ve told most people that my “go to” meal for them (one I know they will finish happily) is salmon with rice and veggies. But mussels became a regular dish two years ago when we were in New Hampshire with a girl friend and her two girls. All five kids loved the mussels we moms ordered, that now we get them/prepare them often when we’re together. My three year old is the biggest fan. He orders them out at restaurants too. He was the one who pleaded with me to buy some the other day.

One pound, cleaned and de-bearded PEI mussels
1/2 TBSP olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
1 shallot chopped
handful of chopped fresh chives, parsley and/or basil
1/2 cup white wine
1 plum tomato chopped

Lightly sauté shallots for two minutes over high heat in olive oil. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two until just done but not brown. My husband’s trick: add the white wine and take it off heat it stops it from cooking further – esp. if you’re not ready to eat quite yet. I always just added the mussels and everything else but the garlic and oil got too brown (it changes the flavor). I usually use the NZ Sauvignon Blanc we’ve got around (hint: Black Box wines have great value and taste and keep wine fresher than an open bottle. It’s 4 bottles in one box, so easy for backyard bbq’s!) but any drinkable white will do. About 1/2 cup for 1 pound of mussels. Add mussels, fresh herbs and tomato. Cook covered on med-high, stirring once or twice, until open and cooked through- about 8-10 minutes. Serve in large bowl with crusty bread on side for dipping. Amazingly you won’t need salt! The mussels are usually salty enough.

My kids eat them and several of my friends’ children do as well! If you like seafood, but think they won’t just introduce it to them… have them try yours and see if they’ll bite!

My Kids Really Eat This

getting kids to eat well in the real world

Tag Archives: kids meals

Best laid plans… or no plans

Picnic and Barbecue Time

Gallery

Choices…

Mahi-Mahi with Mango Salsa

Balance

Even at parties with pizza, my kids chose…

Chicken & Mushrooms

Chicken “Nuggets” with Homemade Bread Crumbs

PEI Mussels