Kid Appeal

A Persimmon A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

2009-10-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I bought a couple persimmons years ago early in our marriage and had a bad experience. What we got tasted like crunchy banana peel. Now that I know what it's supposed to taste like, I'm guessing we tried it unripe. I've passed them over at the grocery store for years under the assumption that I didn't like them. I am now sad at all the lost years when I could have been eating persimmons. How could you not want to eat that??? It has a star pattern. Hiding in the middle. And little tiny brownish freckles. You must take a knife to one and show your kids. I insist.

Luckily it was persimmons a plenty at Midtown Farmer's Market a few weeks ago. One vendor had more than one variety, so after a quick education on both, I asked for a recommendation of which to try first. Fuyu it was, with the instruction to eat it "out of hand." Another shopper commented that she pureed them and added the puree to muffin/quick bread batter (in place of apple sauce) due to their high sugar content. After eating a couple batches raw and fresh I can see how they'd work well in a muffin. The boys and their dad would slice a half dozen up and eat them at once if I didn't ration portions out over the week. Not likely any will end up baked into a muffin in this house....

Persimmons are an odd little fruit in my opinion. (Apologies, I forgot to photo them whole and separate, they are the bright orange things in the middle of the photo.) Kind of like a yellow orange tomato in appearance with the texture like a crunchy pear, and a distinct sweetness unlike that of any fruit I'm familiar with. Not terribly juicy, but this one fruit must-have omission does not leave the persimmon lacking in flavor appeal. If you keep them out of eyesight of kids, they have a long shelf life, a week or more. They don't get soft when ripe, so I'm not sure how to tell the difference between a ripe and unripe one. The ones I've had have all been purchased ripe, edible and completely delicious.

In search of nutrient content of the persimmon I was happy to find them in Dave Grotto's 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life. According to Dave:

Persimmons are high in Vitamin A and are a good source of Vitamin C
Rats with persimmon supplemented diet had significantly less total LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid peroxides compared to rats without persimmon supplemented diet.
One study showed them to be higher in insoluable and soluable fiber and total pheonols than apples!
They make a good salsa mixed with onion, cilantro, tomatillo and chile serrano

This is the perfect fruit for kids with less than regular bowels. I found them at HEB (pantry) in the smaller displays near the mangoes and kiwi. Not a bad price for an exotic fruit at $1.29 per pound.

Kid Appeal Tip Try cutting raw fruits and veggies in different ways for more kid appeal. Persimmons have a neat star pattern when sliced on the equator (think tomato slices for a sandwich) versus their pattern when sliced pole to pole (think tomato wedge in a salad). Experiment with a knife when cutting. Kiwi, pears, pineapple, oranges, tomatoes and cucumber all take a different look when cut along a different axis. Sometimes a choice about which way to take a food is all it takes to get a willing taster. Do you want your cucumber in slices or wedges?

Freezer Peach Update
I finally got into my stash of freezer peaches, the ones I froze whole. While it's true that the skin comes right off under running hot water, I opted to eat the peel for more nutrition. I was a little concerned it would be hard to get the frozen flesh off the pit, but my cutco knives did fine slicing off chunks. The chunks were unsweetened, perfectly peach colored with no discoloration. Hoorah! I put the frozen slices in my mini chop with some yogurt, 1/2 a banana and a handful of frozen black berries. A couple hunks of peach didn't blend smooth, and if I hadn't known the peach was frozen, I would have thought it fresh! I think the texture will hold up to yogurt parfait! (Doing the happy dance about my lunch tomorrow. Haven't had peach yogurt parfait since August!)

I haven't tried the Hichiya variety yet. I don't see those at the grocery store, so I guess I'll have to wait until I'm back at the market for my chance. I'm all ears if you have tips on eating either variety. I went MIA again, sorry about that. You know. Fundraisers. For kids. At 2 different schools. Culminating during the same week. Have I mentioned how happy I'll be when they're both at the same campus again?

Pomegrantes More than Just Juice

2009-10-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

I wrote this article last year during Pomegranate season. Big boo got so excited a few weeks ago when we started seeing them at the grocery. They are still pretty pricey, so we're only indulging in one a week. Soon they'll be in full season and you can find them on sale for about a dollar a fruit. We save our weekly pomegranate for our TV show night with the kids, Modern Marvels. The boys love the show and special snack and I try not to think about how many red stains are getting on the carpet. If you've never tried a whole pomegranate, I hope you will this season. You should be able to find them at most grocery stores through the end of the year. Enjoy!

Pomegranate juice is front and center in a lot of grocery stores as a super juice. It’s true this juice has healing properties and contains many vitamins and antioxidants. However research shows that foods eaten whole are usually more nutritious when consumed in part (i.e. juice, refined and processed). Drinking the juice doesn’t give you any fiber, nor does it give you the oils found in the seeds in the pomegranate garnets. To maximize its health benefit, go for the whole fruit.

Pomegranates are a great snack to eat with your family. They are in season now, and have a short fresh season so buy now while you can still find the fruit fresh. They are pretty pricey, but look for specials at your grocery store. Sometimes you can get them for around a $1 a piece and given how heavy they are that’s not a bad price for fruit especially since it’s loaded with health benefits.

If you’ve never had one fresh, they can be a bit time consuming, and very messy. Do this snack when you have time to luxuriate over a delicious and special snack. The juice will stain clothes, so it’s not recommended when the tots have on their Sunday best. The amount of effort and mess contribute to their kid appeal, so dig in and liberate some pomegranate garnets for your kids and see whose face is messiest when you finish. See the pomegranate speckled faces my kids ended up with?

To dig in, cut the top “flower” bit off with a knife. Score around the fruit (into quarters), then break the fruit open. Give each kid a section and let them use teeth and hands to free the seeds. They almost crunch when you chew them, and have a distinctive sweet and sour taste. The seeds inside the fruit can be swallowed. If they are chewed at all, it will break open the oils inside and the gut will be able to digest their healing properties. The seed can be bitter, so I wouldn’t recommend chewing them a lot, although the more chewing you do the more nutrients from the oil you’ll get in your body.

We put pomegranates in the kid’s stockings at Christmas. The boys think it’s pretty cool to get a whole one to themselves!

Nutrition: Pomegranates are high in polyphenol antioxidants which are instrumental in combating oxidative stress, a syndrome related to neurodegenerative (conditions causing problems with movement and affecting memory) and cardiovascular diseases. Pomegranates are also known to fight osteoarthritis, keep prostate cancer from returning, help lower bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure, fight breast cancer (the oils in the seeds) and when consumed by pregnant women can protect newborns brains during traumatic births. They also contain vitamin C, A, E, folic acid, potassium and niacin. See this article for more details

Fried Okra - Good for the Gut

2009-09-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

I snagged some locally grown organic okra at Mid-town Farmer's Market this weekend. This is the most adorable babiest okra I've prepared, I almost hated to take a knife to them. I plucked out some of the tiniest specimens to show to the boys exclaiming, "look how adorable these are, have you ever seen such tiny okra?" Little boo snatches one out of my hand and before I could advise against trying it raw, he crunched it up remarking "mmm, pretty good." Big boo inquired "what does it taste like?" Little boo replied "yummy," and down the hatch went one for big boo. Little boo wanted to know if he could "crunch up" the stem too. At times I forget how fond of raw veggies they are, love it!

Okra is in the "super green" veggie category. But it doesn't stop at being full of good for ya stuff like Vitamin A, Thiamin, B6, C, folic acid, riboflavin, calcium and zinc. While researching okra for this article, I was surprised to find there are okra supplements available. Turns out the fiber in okra is pretty amazing stuff. Anyone with issues related to blood sugar, constipation, colon function, high cholesterol and ulcers would be interested in reading the fine print on okra. I like anything that's good for the gut, so I'll be all over eating more okra. Sadly, I didn't find okra on George's World's Healthiest Food List, nor is it in Dave Grotto's 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, but after reading up on Okra it seems to be worthy of inclusion in both.

I liked this ezine article as it lists out several health benefits, but it doesn't cite the nutritionist. I found two other sources citing nutritionist Sylvia Zook, PhD University of Illinois. Like most plant based food, it's nutrients are best retained by consuming it raw, or slightly cooked using low heat. And no, frying does not count as low heat, but darn it, I'm a southern girl and it tastes good fried. We eat minimal chips and other fried convenience foods, so I'm OK with frying up these babies. The boos had the right idea, going for it raw. (As I type, they keep going over to the pan of cornmeal coated slices still raw and munching.) Next time I snag fresh market orka, I'm trying it raw! And I'll cook it whole, especially if I get these baby kinds again.

Okra Health Benefits

• The mucilage and fiber found in okra helps adjust blood sugar by regulating its absorption in the small intestine.

• The fiber of okra has many superior qualities in maintaining the health of the gastro-intestinal tract.

• It helps reabsorb water and traps excess cholesterol, metabolic toxins and surplus bile in its mucilage and slips it out through the stool. Due to greater percentage of water in the bulk it thereby prevents constipation, gas and bloating in the abdomen.

• It is an ideal vegetable for weight loss and is storehouse of health benefits provided it is cooked over low flame to retain its properties. This also to ensure that the invaluable mucilage contained in it is not lost to high heat.

• Okra facilitates the propagation of good bacteria referred to as probiotics. These are similar to the ones proliferate by the yoghurt in the small intestine and helps biosynthesis of Vitamin B complex.

• For adding bounce your hair. Boil horizontally sliced okra till the brew become maximally slimy. Cool it and add a few droops of lemon and use this as the last rinse and see your hair spring back to youthfulness and jump.

• Okra is an excellent laxative treats irritable bowels, heals ulcers and soothes the gastrointestinal track.

• Protein and oil contained in the seeds of okra serves as the source of first-rate vegetable protein. It is enriched with amino acids on the likes of tryptophan, cystine and other sulfur amino acids.

This is my grandma's recipe. I still remember garbing up in hat and long sleeves in the hot summer (sun and mosquito protection) to pick okra as a girl. Then we'd spend all day washing, slicing and blanching to freeze for the winter. I'd get little slices on my finger tips from the constant contact with the edge of the paring knife. Now those were the salad days. I miss Ma.

Ma's Fried Okra

1 lb Okra

1/2 cup whole grain cornmeal

Grapeseed oil (1-2 inches deep in appropriate pan)

Wash the okra, pat dry and slice in 1/4 inch thick slices. Place 1/2 cup of whole grain cornmeal in a pie plate. Spread the okra slices out and sprinkle lightly with salt. Coat in the cornmeal and let stand for 15 minutes.

Heat 1-2 inches of grapeseed oil in a saucepan or dutch oven on medium high heat. Add okra to hot oil in batches (single okra layer). Be careful not to over crowd the pan or the oil loses it's heat and you'll end up with longer fry times and soggy end product. Fry until golden brown (mine took 2-3 minutes). I didn't have to turn mine because the oil just covered the thin slices. Using a slotted spoon remove the okra from the oil and let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Immediately sprinkle with a little salt while the okra are still warm.

In my opinion, this stuff is better than popcorn. Hubby said this was light compared to batter fried okra and enjoyed it.

If you have a fave way to eat okra, please share. I'm looking to fix it more often and need to venture out from fried from time to time. Frying with grapeseed oil gets expensive....

Market Produce-Jerusalem Artichokes, Okra, Persimmons, Greens

2009-09-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

The guys took me on a morning date down to the mid-town farmer's market at t'afia. I have been on the t'afia mailing list for nearly a year, drooling over the local seasonal produce and list of prepared food vendors. It took a year, but we made it out there, and it was a great way to spend a morning. Well, I thought so as I asked the farmers a zillion "what's that" and "how do you eat it" questions. Hubby got the job of chasing the boos around making sure they weren't licking or breathing on food items we weren't going to buy.

T'afia is a Houston Mid-town eatery, run by Monica Pope, that uses local produce to create seasonal and fresh menus. I haven't had a chance to eat there, but one day, one day. On Saturdays the parking lot transforms to a farmer's market with fresh produce, meat, dairy, honey and durable goods outside and prepared food vendors inside. Today we found a coffee booth, cheese table, bakery, Indian baked goods and sauces and a few vendors selling prepared salads, dips, nuts mixes. Plenty of food to taste inside, but my focus was outside with the vendors. Hubby wanted more cheese and found a table of smoked meats. Guess where he was?

At the market I was on a strict produce diet. I knew I had a limited amount of cash, and a limited amount of time to prepare and consume what I bought, so I had to be selective and left many items behind that I wanted to try (like the hybrid butternut zucchini foot long squash that curled around in a spiral and white eggplant). If I'd had a wad of cash and a week to play in the kitchen my bags would have been much fuller. I told myself I could try stuff I didn't get this week next week when we come back, but that's a lie really. We can't spend half of every Saturday at the market, or at least not in this season of our lives.

I learned about Emile Street Community Garden that sounds like an urban gardening co-op. Emile Street, is one of two locations of the Last Organic Outpost. If my family is up for it we can go and offer our labor in trade for produce. The best thing is we get to practice growing from folks who know more about growing than we do. Big boo was distraught when the maroon cored carrots we planted never made it past sprouts. He keeps watering the dirt where they once grew hoping magic carrots will appear. Sounds like a great opportunity to get the boys involved with dirt, seeds, sun, weeding and harvesting. Maybe then (and a house with more dirt that gets sun) we can have a garden.

The biggest surprise is that I like persimmons, we all tried them and concurred. As we left the table little boo chimed "I want some more of that sweet crunchy slice." We bought one years ago at the grocery store, ate it raw and it tasted like mushy banana peel. After reading about them online we froze one. We tried eating that one (after it defrosted), and that was a no-go. In my pre-recovering picky eater days, I would have passed over the buckets of persimmons on the table. Just goes to show that when you buy something from the farmer and ask them the best way to eat it, your experience is so much more pleasant. I shall have to plan an earlier arrival so I can attend the cooking class next time. Here is what Monica did with her persimmons last week in her Plum Cooking class.

There was one table manned by Monica Pope's forager Joe. His job at the market is to help all the small farmers who don't have enough bandwidth to man a table at a market sell their harvest. I could have spent hours with Joe learning about local produce and how to enjoy it, but alas another buyer with two small children were waiting in the wings. I needed to sponge up some tidbits, make a few selections and move along. Big boo was equally impressed with Joe who told us that in Asia parents teach their kids that persimmons will enable them to whistle. Big boo eagerly ate up his persimmon sample at the booth. Upon arriving home, he confessed "I can't wait to gobble those sweet red slices up. Then I'll whistle."

My loot
1 lb of Jerusalem Artichokes (I'm thinking roasted??) From the community farmers
Persimmons (raw, although on turkey sandwiches or pureed in baked goods was suggested)
a bag of sweet potato tops (blanched and sauteed??) From Emile Street
Okra (the tiniest babiest okra you've ever seen, usually i coat in corn meal and fry it, but not sure I can take a knife to these babies) From Emile Street
A dozen farm fresh eggs (poached, soft boiled, in egg toast)
Dried Bay leaves (for soups and weekly pot o beans), from a farmer whose name I don't recall

Hubby's loot
2 packages of Chicken Samosa's and a carton of Cilantro Peanut Chutney from Nisha's Indian Food

I am one happy mama. Happy that my guys take me on dates even when there's something else they'd rather to. Happy to be outside in the morning with my family. Happy to see and buy local food. Happy that I get to figure out how to cook all that new food. Happy to eat it and share it with my family. Happy that Monica Pope, Joe the forager, all the urban farmers and all the great prepared food vendors that make up a place like Midtown Farmer's Market exist in Houston. Happy market day!

For any of readers in Houston, go enjoy a breakfast market morning at Midtown Farmer's Market. It's a great way to enjoy the cooler temps with your family.

Garlicky Black Bean Taco Soup in the Crock Pot

2009-09-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

I don't usually get out my crock pot on the weekend, but half of us are sickies, so I thought I'd get a pot of soup going for dinner shortly before we sat down for lunch. This turned out to be one of those whatever-you-have-in-the-pantry-and-freezer soups. It turned out pretty good considering all the one-offs I tossed in there. I'm posting this because I want readers to know that you don't have to have everything in the recipe to pull something nourishing together. Turns out, that in the routine of feeding the family, some meals are more sustenance and less amazing dinner.

I had 4 cups of veggie stock in the freezer. It was purple because I added the uneaten portion of a purple sweet potato left over from dinner. If you're a regular reader, you know I have a fascination with purple food, and big boo loves sweet potatoes so I though this would be a hit. I probably just need a different preparation. I nuked it which is how I serve sweet potatoes most of the time for a quick side. Big boo called it purple glue. I ate my slice, but I was just setting a good example, I did not serve myself any additional slices. Little boo picked at his slice and didn't taste it (his dining companions weren't very encouraging). Hubby opted out completely, not even putting a slice on his plate. I shuddered at the thought of letting all those anthocyanins (gives food the red or purple color and lab studies shows potential health effects in cancer, aging and neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes, bacterial infections) go to waste. I had a pot of stock on already, so I, gulp, tossed it in there. I don't know about you, but root vegetables aren't usually a part of my stock pots....

The stock has been staring at me from it's perch next to the ice bucket in the freezer for a month. I sigh as I see it thinking, "Why do I do these things? What can I use purple stock for?" When I had bean soup in my head, and realized all I had was a bag of black beans, the purple stock seemed well suited for the job. The bean juice would mask any unsightly purple soup stock! Only one more tub of purple stock to go. Wonder what that will end up in? Thought about using it to make rice see if the rice would end up lavender.

I used 8 cloves of garlic! Garlic is known as a healer, so I wanted to give big boo the most anti-viral, anti-bacterial protection I could, and help little boo beat his sick germs as quick as possible. Hubby really liked the flavors of it and downed two huge bowls. Calling this taco soup because I used chili powder and cumin and ground beef, which is pretty much my taco meat.

Garlicky Black Bean Taco Soup
1 bag rinsed black beans (not pre-soaked)
6 cups stock/water
1 can tomato paste (would have used stewed/diced tomatoes if I had them)
1 diced onion
3 ribs sliced celery (plus the leafy tops, taken out after 45 mins in a boil)
8 cloves chopped garlic
1 lb browned ground beef (meat didn't enhance this meal, I'll leave it out next time)
1 tsp each of Cumin, Chili Powder and Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Add all ingredients (except celery leaves) to the crock pot on high setting. Cook for 6 hours. If using celery leaves add them when the pot boils and remove them in 45 minutes. There are important nutrients in celery leaves, I don't like them raw, so I always throw the tops in stock/soups.

We served with shredded cheddar cheese. The boys are always more enthusiastic about soup night when shredded cheddar is involved.

I want to hear about your what's left-in-the-pantry meals!

Where's the Kid Appeal Forum?

2009-09-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the forum became over run with spam, and I could no longer keep up with removing the spam on a daily basis. In the past few months the only person posting on the forum besides me were bots. While I had lofty ideas about the forum when I launched this blog, it seems that readers just weren't that interested in posing questions, and starting a dialog. I know a lot of the threads got read, but the forum was intended to be an interactive community where concerned parents could ask questions about their experiences getting kiddos to eat better. It ended up be a collection of links to recipes I wanted to try and a repository for spammers. Bye bye forum, sorry things didn't turn out better!

Kids and Ketchup-Healthy Chicken Nuggets

2009-09-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

One of the first posts I wrote for this blog was on home made chicken nuggets. A healthy alternative to packaged or fast food versions. This was before I was in the habit of taking pictures of all the recipes I posted. Since I just posted on frugal whole-grain breadcrumbs and FINALLY added a picture of chicken nuggets, I wanted to share the healthy chicken nugget recipe and post with you again. You can also find out about nutrients in chicken that is good for little ones in that post.

Is Ketchup Healthy?
As I re-read the post it dawned on my that big boo's ketchup consumption habits have changed dramatically in the past year. As a toddler he wouldn't eat any kind of meat unless he dipped it in ketchup. As he got to be an older two year old, I stopped putting the ketchup on the table, and if he asked for it, I told him he could go get it for himself. He always did, and I never refused or really encouraged him to try it without ketchup. I was just happy he was eating what I made, as animal protein was always something he rarely ate with gusto. He still goes to get the ketchup when I make breaded meat or oven fries, and he always uses it when we occasionally eat fast food. But if I make pork chops, grilled chicken breast, fish, etc. he doesn't even ask for it anymore. I'm so glad I never made a big fuss about how much ketchup he ate. His ketchup consumption bothered hubby, but I felt confident he'd grow out of it. It's not like he was drinking 8oz of ketchup at dinner. Sure it's got some sugar and sodium in it, but not enough to fret about in small quantities.

So my take on condiments is as long as the salsa, ranch, cheese, sour cream, ketchup, butter, syrup etc. is going on something healthy like raw veggies, whole grain pancake or a home made taco, let them eat it. Teach them to use sensible condiment portions, and make sure they actually eat the thing they're adding the topping to. I always let big boo have one "squirt" of ketchup. If he wanted more ketchup he had to take more meat. In time he learned to ration out his ketchup dipping with how much food he had to dip in it.

Frugal Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs

2009-09-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Do you toss your bread heels out? Not me. Not anymore. You may have caught my recipe for Frugal Whole Wheat French Toast a few months back. Another thing I like to do with bread heels is make bread crumbs. I'm a lazy cook so I don't like pulsing a slice of bread when I need breadcrumbs for a recipe. And I'm an label reading snob, rarely choosing the packaged version of anything I can make at home (I am guilty of buying store bought bread, haven't ventured out to baking bread yet, but if anyone wants to give me a bread maker for Christmas I suppose I could make room on my counter top for it...) I also like to avoid wasting anything I buy, so using up bread heels for bread crumbs fits right in with my kitchen philosophy.

I save my bread heels in a plastic bag in the freezer until I have a dozen or more pieces, then I make up a batch of french toast or bread crumbs. Mostly I use bread crumbs to dredge meat before baking or pan frying, like in chicken tenders. They also go in to bind meat for meatballs or salmon patties. For stuffing recipes, I can turn a stash of freezer heels into bread cubes using the same method below.

Frugal Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs
12 or more whole wheat bread heels

Directions
Place bread heels on a baking sheet and place in a 200 degree oven. You're trying to dry the bread out, not toast it. Check bread in 10 minutes, and turn over when top side feels dry. Bake for 10 minutes (or more) on second side. Times are approximate, frozen bread will take longer to dry out than room temp bread. Let bread cool off, break into pieces (it will break if it's dry, if it tears there is still too much moisture in it and it won't preserve as long) and pulse in processor until you have crumbs or desired consistency. Store in fridge in air-tight container. I usually use my supply up in a month or two, so not sure how long they'll keep.

For Frugal Whole Wheat Bread Cubes cut the bread into cubes before drying in the oven. Store until ready to use, or mix with herbs, butter and veggies before stuffing and baking. Here is my recipe for Pork Chops with Pomegranate Stuffing.

Got a frugal kitchen tip to share? Read you in the comments!

How to Deal with a Picky Eater-Guest Post

2009-09-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Guest post by Alison Barkman, MS, RD.

Please enjoy this guest post from an RD about preventing picky eating. I remember once a friend said, "I long for the days when I fed my daughter baby food, when I could control what she ate." I asked her if her 3 year old was able to drive to the grocery store and pay for the family groceries. She laughed and said no. You may not realize it, but while you may not be able to control what your toddler, preschooler, gradeschooler, tween or teen puts in their mouth, you do control what's available for them to eat at home. If 80% of their food choices at home are nutritious and they don't have unlimited access to the treats in the house, at least at home, the vast majority of what they do eat is nurturing their growth.

About Alison:

Alison is a registered dietitian (RD), nutrition writer and communications consultant. On her blog Food Chat (www.alisonbarkman.blogspot.com), she reviews the latest foods on the market and dissects nutrition research for health-conscious readers. Her other newly launched blog, RunBuggy (www.runbuggy.blogspot.com), is a candid view of Alison’s deepest thoughts on running while pregnant and pondering what to expect as a soon-to-be running mother. Alison can be contacted at adbarkman@gmail.com.

As a registered dietitian (RD), I have counseled moms and kids for weight management and overall healthy eating. I am amazed at the number of kids, well into their tweens and teens, who gag at the thought of a fruit, vegetable or other healthy food. Equally, I am alarmed by the number of moms who are cooking numerous meals at dinner to please the palate of one or more picky eaters. As if moms aren’t busy enough?

Parents of picky eaters, it is time to take back control of meal time! This post will help answer why your child may be picky and offer steps to breaking this behavior.

Why is my child a picky eater?

The peak time for a child to become a picky eater is in the toddler or preschool years. A 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a strong genetic link in children with aversions to certain foods. However, the researchers stressed that genetics were only part of the cause. Environmental factors, or the child’s surroundings, also play a major part in picky eating.

Environmental contributors to picky eating can have a life-long impact if not corrected. These include giving in to a child’s irrational food requests, and cooking different meals to cater to picky palates. Also, arguing and yelling at meal time will only exacerbate the problem.

What can I do if my child is a picky eater?

There are several steps you can take to help prevent or ease your child out of these behaviors. First and foremost, do not panic or give up too quickly. It may take several trials and taste tests of various foods.

Try some of these steps when working with your picky eater:

Your kid doesn’t like what you made for dinner and refuses to eat. Offer him a plate, let him know this is what is for dinner tonight, no questions asked. Experiment with different types of food. If salmon, broccoli and a baked potato is on the menu tonight, try chicken, green beans and rice pilaf tomorrow.
Associate healthy foods with things kids can relate to. Telling a child to drink their milk “because it’s good for you” will not always work. Try associating milk with an interest. For example, tell your child milk builds strong bones and muscles, and this can help improve her soccer game.
Have patience when introducing new foods. Kids sometimes require 10 to 15 exposures to a food before they will eat it, so keep offering foods your kid may not like initially. Try serving an item different ways. For example, try broccoli with melted low-fat cheese, mix it into a pasta with marinara sauce or a low-fat macaroni and cheese dish.
Get your kids involved with the food buying, planning and preparation. Take your kids to the grocery store. Act excited over all the bright colors in the produce aisle. Make it a game and ask your child to pick out fruits and vegetables from each color group.

Don’t make a picky eating habit worse!

Unknowingly, a parent’s reaction to a picky eater can make the behavior worse. Parents who give in and prepare a dinner for themselves, chicken nuggets for Tommy and a grilled cheese sandwich for Lilly are not improving the situation. This teaches your children that they are in control of mealtime. Parents job is to offer nutritious options. Kids decide what and how much to eat of what is offered.

Do not create a hostile environment with yelling and forcing a child to clear her plate. If she eats a few bites and does not want anymore, remember that tomorrow is another day to try something else. Forcing a child to clear his plate or bribing with dessert teaches eating for reasons other than hunger, which can lead to overweight and obesity issues down the road.

Try not to overly disguise foods. Secretly placing bananas in vanilla pudding or spinach in brownies will not teach your child about good nutrition. True, they may eat the spinach. But if it is hidden in a brownie they will never truly know if they like it or not.

What should a nervous parent do?

Remember that it is always beneficial to give your child a daily multivitamin to ensure their growing bodies receive proper nutrients. If you are concerned your child’s picky eating is out of hand and causing health problems, speak with your pediatrician. Seek help from a registered dietitian, especially one with expertise working with families and children (go to www.eatright.org and search for an RD by zip code).

A quote that sums it up best is by Ellyn Satter, an expert in nutrition and feeding for children, and author of “Child of Mine: Feeding With Love and Good Sense” (Bull Publishing, 2000):

"You can't control or dictate the quantity of food your child eats, and you shouldn't try. You also can't control or dictate the kind of body your child develops, and you shouldn't try. What you can do, and it is a great deal, is set things up for your child so she, herself, can regulate her food intake as well as possible, and so she can develop a healthy body that is constitutionally right for her."

References:

Cooke, LJ, Haworth, C, & Wardle, J (2007). Genetic and environmental influences on children's food neophobia. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86, 428-433.

Drotz, Keeley (2008, April). How to outsmart picky eaters. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from Healthcastle.com Web site: http://www.healthcastle.com/children_picky_eating.shtml

Schmitt, B.D. (2009, June 9). Picky Eaters. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from Pediatric Advisor Web site: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_pickyeat_hhg.htm

Severson, Kim (October 2007). Picky Eaters? They get it from you. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from New York Times Web site: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pick.html?_r=1

Little Lunch boxes

2009-08-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

My apologies for being MIA. I went back to work, big boo started Kindergarten, and little boo returned to preschool. We all needed some time to get ready, get started and get situated. Part of that whole process was letting the boys pick out their new lunch boxes. Sadly, big boo decided he was "too old" for cartoon characters on his lunch box. How is it possible that a 5 year old has already outgrown disney characters? Little boo followed suit and picked out a plain blue.

This is the first time big boo has eaten lunch away from home 5 days in a row, so although he's not new to lunch box lunch, all week is new to him. I used to serve cottage cheese, yogurt parfaits and chicken salad on his home lunch days and send PBJ with raw veggies and/or fruit for school, but I knew his lunch box needed a little variety. Even PBJ lovers tire of the same old same old.

I haven't gotten brave enough to send cottage cheese, yogurt parfaits to school, I'm concerned about it staying cold, and how messy it is. I've tried yogurt before, but then the lid doesn't get closed coming home on the plastic container and the lunch box gets gross.

I was happy to find individually portioned hummus at Costco, made by Tribe! Big boo is a new hummus enthusiast, so I figured this would be a protein rich sandwich substitute. Plus it gives me an opportunity to give him something chip like with a pita chips. I can condone chips on a routine basis if they aren't deep fried and are vehicles for protein. He did like it, but didn't finish quite all of it and since it doesn't have a resealable lid, it got the lunch box gross on the trip home. My less mess idea back fired on me. I think I'll ask him to toss what he doesn't finish to avoid making a mess.

What's in their lunch?

Main item:Last week we did PBJ x 3, ham and cheese one day and hummus with pita chips the other. Big boo is eating a full sandwich now; little boo, still a half.
Veggies go every day, either baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery, sugar snap peas, or green beans.
I let him pick out his "treat." Treats include yogurt covered pretzels, trail mix with dried fruit and chocolate chips, applesauce, fruit leather or Sunsweet Ones (individually wrapped prunes).
I also send an afternoon snack which is a piece of fruit (apple, banana, clementine).
Drink? Water for lunch and snack.

I try to let them pick which item they want from each category (if they're around when I pack their lunch). I think this helps them learn what a healthy and balanced lunch is and it gets their buy in before they open his lunch box.

I'll probably branch out and start making some lunch pasta salads, and tortilla wraps. I may even invest in a thermos and send left overs. I'll just see how big boo does with the current lunch rotation and change it up when he gets bored with it.

I also expect that he'll come home and want to eat pizza and chicken nuggets like his friends get from the lunch line. If he asks, I'll probably let him pick one day a week where he buys his lunch at school. Although school lunch programs are getting better, they still suffer from too much low nutrient food. Did you know that ketchup counts as a "vegetable" serving according to the school lunch program???

I'm actually kind of surprised that he hasn't complained about what his friends have that he doesn't get in his lunch box (like fruit snacks, candy, chips, chocolate milk, etc.). I'm sure that's coming, but in general he actually likes PBJ with veggies for lunch. Ask him what his favorite food is and he still says carrots and tomatoes.

Here's another post I wrote last year about lunch box ideas. Enjoy.

Two questions for ya! How has the back to school transition been for you? What's in your kiddo's lunch box?

America's Favorite Vegetable is.... Cookbook winner announced

2009-08-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Summer Squash!!

Congratulations Jana G you won the Vegetables Get The Royal Treatment Cookbook giveaway!

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-08-18 01:04:16 UTC

This giveaway made me so hungry! I read the 215 comments and wanted to taste many of your favorite veggies fixed your favorite way. I was happy to see the variety of veggies favored. Spring's first asparagus with poached egg, steamed artichokes, fried okra, tomatoes still warm from the sun, sugar snap peas plucked from the vine, spinach wilted with onions, roasted cauliflower, swiss chard with butter, raisins and pine nuts, mashed butternut squash, I could go on and on and on. See the whole list if you're curious what 210 people's fave veggies are.

There were a few surprises.
Like Summer Squash. Zucchini and Yellow or "Crooked Neck" squash was the most favored veggie of this group, 16% of respondents choose zukes! Maybe it's my own bias against the summer squash which led to my surprise. I used to like summer squash, but in the past couple years I've not really enjoyed it, despite preparing it in many ways. I still enjoy it in veggie soup or shredded and cooked with onions in a egg scramble, but that's it. I still eat it, and tell the boys when I eat it, "Hmm, I must be on a summer squash break, because this is not my favorite right now." I do believe the results were skewed because about half the folks that chose summer squash preferred it in sweets like bars, breads and cakes, OR hidden in some kind of casserole or stuffing dish. So it wasn't necessarily favored because the taste was enjoyable, but rather "ignorable" in dishes with a large number of ingredients. The other skew could be that we're smack in the middle of summer squash season, it's on sale, or plentiful in the garden, so it's possible that it's just fresh on the mind. Lastly, I think herd mentality might have something to do with it. Voters may have been swayed by reading other people's votes and having the same voice. Or maybe I'm wrong, and zucchini really is America's favorite vegetable.

Potatoes were only chosen by less than 2%, and lettuce or salad less than 1 %. That surprised me because potatoes and lettuce are the top two selling produce items in our country. No doubt the restaurant industry factors in for the majority of the consumption in french fries, mashed potatoes and salads that come free with meals. But since those veggies are widely eaten in restaurants it would follow that they are the ones preferred by many in our homes. Exposure and opportunity has a lot to do with favorite foods. The more practice or "opportunity" you have with a certain food, the more likely you are to eat it or enjoy it.

Broccoli 13% and Asparagus 10% were the next two highest faves after Zukes. That was good news since both are in the super green category, which means they are nutrient dense, containing lots of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, etc. I was surprised Green Beans didn't have a higher showing, only 4 %. I would have thought they would be sitting in the first or second chair for most loved super green.

Carrots were another mystery. Like the green bean, only 4% chose carrots. I would have thought the widely available baby carrots in various snack sizes, large bags, organic, regular, on veggie trays, etc. would have made this crunchy sweet root vegetable snag more votes.

Hubby was perplexed the tomato, not quite 4% didn't top the list, as in his words "everything that tastes great has tomatoes in it. " I could have said the same thing about onions, which only made it tops for 2% of folks.

Celery only got one vote! Not that it's my favorite, but it's a regular on veggie trays, somebody's gotta be eating it....

The Not Surprising
Corn was is the top 4 with almost 9%.

Beets, swiss chard, kale, cabbage, beet greens and butter beans all failed to make even one half a percent.

Thanks to all of you who voted, and to the Veggie Queen for offering a helpful seasonal cooking resource for vegetables.

What did I do with my veggies tonight? I took the left overs from hubby's birthday meal at benihana and made fried rice. To the onions and rice I added some finely chopped ginger, carrots, green peas, three eggs and some additional rice to bulk it up a bit. Made very tasty "left overs" but then again I'm a sucker for fried rice.

Peaches N Oatmeal & My Oatmeal Pledge

2009-08-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal. It's so versatile. It's a wholesome breakfast that can be fruited and flavored up a zillion ways. It's a quick supper after a busy weekend and too much convenience food. It's love in a bowl when school's out and there's time for a hot meal in the morning. It's often baby's first breakfast, lunch and dinner.

And this week I made it summer's favorite breakfast by serving it with peaches and syrup. Inspired by the peach clafoutis I made (involves butter, sugar and peach saute) and FishMama's Oatmeal and Apples (which I made weekly during apple/pear season last year), I thought I'd top our oatmeal with peaches. I enjoy oatmeal a lot. But I can honestly say this was the first time I wanted three more bowls of oatmeal after I gobbled up my firsts. Sadly, I served all I cooked, so I have to wait until next time I whip this up. Normally I prefer to eat stone fruit fresh, but I make exceptions when I buy a half bushel of fruit. I start putting fruit in everything. Parfaits, smoothies, cereal, cobblers, pies and yes on top of oatmeal.

Anyone who's seen a Cheerios or Quaker Oats box knows that oats can lower cholesterol, but it tops the "functional food" lists for other reasons per Dave Grotto in 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life:

Contains Vitamin E, some B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, iron, and manganese.
Oats are rich in beta-glucans (helps immune system recognize and devour abnormal cells)
Oats have 2 kinds of fiber, soluble (soaks up cholesterol and removes it) and insoluble (aids in digestion).
Oats can help with weight management, studies show that oat breakfasts had the highest satiety value, keeping people satisfied until snack or lunch.

I'm pledging to feed my family oatmeal at least 2 times a week this year. More if I can sneak it in. We used to eat it more than that, but sadly over the last year oatmeal didn't make it to the table more than once a week. Big boo was in school every day, making mornings almost too hectic for hot food, and it seemed in my efforts to use up co-op produce oatmeal wasn't a quick dinner very often. Additionally, Little boo went on an oatmeal strike. As an infant he'd gobble up three bowls for breakfast, but upon turning 2 he'd had quite enough and groaned every time oatmeal was on the table.

One thing that will help me is this short cut: get the oatmeal assembled in the pan and stick it in the fridge at night. That way all I need to do is cook and serve in the morning. I've read that steel cut oats get uber creamy when they soak in milk overnight, and I think once I taste it, I'll be hooked.

Big Boo really balked at peaches n' oatmeal. He has come to have a tight relationship with the house speciality (raisins, applesauce, bananas and flax seed) and immediately pronounced he hated peaches with oatmeal. Of course this was after he asked what smelled so good and before he tasted it. I got through almost my whole bowl with him refusing to try it. Then when he did taste it, he gobbled it all up.

Snag an extra peach (or nectarine) for every serving next time you're at the grocery, so you can try this! Peaches are still in season and on sale, although season's wrapping up quick. Cooking peaches is also a good thing to do with those unfortunate poor textured peaches that turn up at the grocery too often. If they are sweet but mushy or grainy, they'll taste OK cooked. It's better than tossing the mushy ones.

Peaches N' Oatmeal
1 cup of cooking liquid per serving (I use half milk, half water)
1/4 cup steel cut oats per serving (ground fine in coffee mill or whole)
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)
One peach per serving, washed, sliced (I left peel on, there are nutrients in there!)
1/2 tbs butter per serving (or coconut oil)
1 heaping serving spoon of brown sugar per 4 peaches (I don't use much sugar, if you like oatmeal really sweet or want a lot of syrup use more sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon

Boil water. Add steel cut oats, stir, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook whole oats for 45 minutes. Cook ground oats for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, heat skillet on med low and melt butter.

Add peaches and cook until softened (about 5 mins). Don't over cook or they'll lose their shape. Add cinnamon and sugar. Cook one minute longer until a syrup forms. Enjoy the delicious smell of cinnamon fruit and begin salivating for how amazing your breakfast will taste. Portion out oatmeal in bowls. Sprinkle optional flax seed meal on oatmeal. Top with peaches. Add milk (or heavy cream if you really want a treat).

Kid Appeal Tip In case you want to do the oatmeal pledge with me, I've rounded up some other oatmeal recipes. There are as many ways to take oatmeal as there are ways to take an egg. If you don't think you're a fan of oatmeal or your kids don't think they are, go on an oatmeal recipe tasting mission. Let every family member choose an oatmeal recipe and get cooking. I'm sure you'll get a few oatmeal converts out of the journey. I used to hate oatmeal. Whenever I eat it now I make sure the boys hear me say "This is yummy. I can't believe when I was a kid like you I didn't like oatmeal. I missed out on all this yumminess." This technique does a couple things. It lets them know that people's tastes change, and even if they don't like something now, they may like it later. And it encourages them to try things they "think" they don't like. I set the example that I was brave, tried something I didn't like and not only survived, but now enjoy it.

Oatmeal Recipe Roundup
KidAppeal's Oatmeal-No Added Sugar (steel cut with bananas, applesauce and raisins)
LifeAsMom's Apples and Oatmeal (rolled with sauteed apples and cream)
The Veggie Queen's Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats-with apples, walnuts, cinnamon and flax.
Lynn's Kitchen Adventures -Baked Peanutbutter Oatmeal (quick cooking oats)
Mommy Cooks Raisin Pawful Oatmeal (quick cooking)
@wifenkids Oatmeal w/ fresh diced mango No Sugar Added (no link to recipe, but the gist is you cook oatmeal, then add fresh diced mango atop. Needs no sweetener.

Got an oatmeal recipe you'd like to add to the list? Send me the URL via twitter, email or leave it in the comments section. I'd really like to see one for peanut butter or chocolate.

Watermelon Mint Juice-watermelon IS healthy!

2009-08-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Summer means abundant produce. Herbs like mint grow wild and it's hard to consume it all. Seeded watermelons taste superior to the smaller seedless ones, but unless you're feeding a crowd or your family is crowd sized, it's hard to store all that hacked up watermelon in the fridge. So here's what I did with my watermelon and mint excess.

Watermelon Mint Juice
Cut watermelon
Washed fresh mint

Put cut watermelon pieces in a food processor. Add washed mint leaves. Pulse until watermelon is mostly juice and mint leaves are shredded. I used my hand blender. You'll have to figure your own ratios out. If you're not sure you love the taste of fresh mint, use a little. If you know you love it, use a bunch up. Whiz up as much watermelon juice as you think your family will consume.

Pour into ginormous shot glasses for a refreshing treat. I wished I'd made more, or thought to make this in the evening instead of snack time, because I surely think a little vodka would have turned this into a special summer spirit.

If you don't like the watermelon juice with mint plain, freeze it in ice cube trays and use them in lemonade, juice spritzers and other fancy libations. We are big fans of frozen fruit cubes. Sometimes we just bash the cubes up and eat with a spoon. Simple pleasures of summer.

At a recent playdate a friend confessed she wished watermelon was healthier, since it was one of the few fruits her kids really liked. This was not the only time this summer I'd heard someone bemoan the uselessness of this beloved summer treat. I'm surprised to learn how many people think watermelon's aren't healthy! I must nix this myth.

Sure they have a lot of water content (~92% to be exact), but they also have some special health properties you should know about. These juicy tidbits are all from Dave Grotto's 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life.

The lycopene content is comparable to that of a raw tomato! (remember a couple years ago when all the major multi-vitamin brands started touting lycopene as part of the mix?)
Watermelon rind contains an amino acid that improves blood flow through arteries
Watermelons are a good source of beta-carotene
A human study in Korea showed that men who consumed more watermelon and other fruit had a lower risk of colorectal cancer
watermelon tea has been used as a diuretic
all parts of the watermelon, including skins and seeds are edible, some countries consider watermelon seeds a delicacy.

And according to whfoods.org, George Mateljan tells us

watermelon is a good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. High intakes of vitamin C and beta-carotene have been shown in a number of scientific studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the airway spasm that occurs in asthma, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A cup of watermelon provides 24.3% of the daily value for vitamin C, and, through its beta-carotene, 11.1% of the DV for vitamin A.
Because watermelon has a higher water content and lower calorie content than many other fruits (a whole cup of watermelon contains only 48 calories), it delivers more nutrients per calorie-an outstanding health benefit!
Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

Mint is also super-good-for-ya. I won't bore you with those details, but think loads of concentrated antioxidants for cancer prevention, heart health and improved digestion function.

Freezer Peaches, Whole ones

2009-08-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

So my half bushel of peaches is gone! Well not gone, but the ones we haven't eaten yet are spoken for. Four are hiding in the back of my fridge waiting for Saturday morning peaches n' oatmeal (recipe coming soon, you don't want to miss this oatmeal favorite). And they are in hiding. Have been for 2 days. I haven't had a fresh peach in 2 days and I'm really fiending. If I could see the peaches in the fridge I might not be able to resist their fresh juicy peachiness and I might just gobble them right up in a parfait.

The bulk of the peaches are hiding out in the freezer (the TOMATOES label on the box is sneaky). I spent Monday night googling peach freezing options and finally decided on whole, pit in, peel on and sliced sugar pack in ziplock bags. The sweetened ones will be for holiday crisps. I can already see their bubbly peachy syrup sneaking up onto the spiced oatmeal crumb topping. The whole, pit in, peel on ones will be for smoothies and parfaits. I left them whole and unpeeled so I didn't have to deal with potential discoloration or adding sweeteners. I'm hoping their texture will hold up better to uncooked applications like smoothies and parfaits. Although I'm somewhat concerned about the PITA factor of getting the pit out of frozen fruit. I know the peel, should I need to remove it, will come off by running the frozen peach under hot water and wiping. I won't be removing it unless it becomes inedible due to the freeze. And if I were cooking the peaches it would be fine to let them defrost unpeeled before slicing, but that might affect texture?? I may be freezing them halved, pit out, face down on a cookie sheet, the moved to a ziplock next time.

I am giddy when I open the freezer door and I see my stash of peaches. In theory they are supposed to be for the dead of winter when I'm longing for a fresh peach. I suspect I know myself well enough that 95% of them will be gone by October (fine. i won't lie. september), then I'll save the last one FOREVER, delaying my grief over eating all the peaches and find it in the bottom of the freezer when big boo graduates from college.

So you'll have to stay tuned to find out whether or not it's hard to get the pit out of the frozen peach and whether or not their texture will be ok uncooked in a parfait.

Quick Summer Market Meal, Green beans, tomatoes and eggs

2009-08-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is by no means a food network worthy meal (as I like to think some of my concoctions are), but this is how I like to "cook" on market day in the summer. When I have a lot of fresh garden produce. I don't like to muck with it too much. We eat it raw, or slightly cooked so it can retain a lot of it's garden goodness, color and fresh taste. We often have a few veggie side dishes or salads and I'll do something with eggs. The other benefit is it's quick and doesn't require a lot of stove/oven time which keeps the house cool. For other quick fix meals, hop over to lifeasmom's ultimate recipe swap and see what's cooking there.

Giveaway Reminder
For those of you visiting from the LifeAsMom URS, welcome! Don't forget to leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite veggie for a chance to win a veggie cookbook.

Best Green Beans Ever
Get a pot of water boiling. Trim the stem end of young tender fresh green beans off, and leave the "tail." Leave them long, better for finger snacking. Rinse them in a colander and toss them in the water when it comes to a boil. Set timer for 2 minutes. Return beans to colander, and rinse with cold water shaking until they've lost all heat, or submerge in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Admire your crunchy, cold, amazingly green green beans and try not to eat them all before serving to your family!

Serve with a poached egg on top, or drizzle with oil and vinegar (any kind) and a sprinkle of salt. Or with your family's favorite salad dressing, for big boo that's ranch. I have to leave some beans off the table or we'll eat them all gone. Then hubby doesn't get any when he gets home. Green beans prepared this way make an excellent addition to a veggie tray as well. If you really want to impress your guests, serve green beans on your next veggie tray.

To make it fun, I serve the beans standing up in a stemless wine glass. The boys LOVE green beans this way!

If you're feeling Rachel Rayish, you could heat a skillet with a little oil, sliced/diced onions and garlic, then cook on medium-low until soft. Return the green beans to the pan, and toss to reheat. I skip this step in the hot summer, but the garlic/onion add another layer of flavor to fresh tender green beans. They taste just like fancy restaurant green beans. If you're feeling really fancy, add some slivered almonds.

Heirloom Tomato Salad
While I love tomatoes just about any way, a garden fresh locally grown tomato doesn't need much fuss to taste amazing. Just slice or quarter and sprinkle some salt. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil for another layer of flavor. Splash on some balsamic vinegar. Got fresh basil, add that in. Any feta crumbles or fresh mozzarella?
Hard boiled eggs
We go meatless a few times a week at dinner, so at least one night eggs are on the menu. I do them many ways, poached over greens, hard boiled in chef's salad, and hard boiled with salt pepper and butter. I spent my young years in Norway where eggs served in little silver egg cups were the norm for breakfast. My FIL and MIL a.k.a Papaw and Mamaw spent a few years in Stavanger recently and gave us these amazing little egg cups that I break out for Quick Summer Meal night. I serve the hard or soft boiled eggs warm, shell on, in the cup. Then you whack it in half with a knife. Add a pat of butter, salt, pepper and close the lid to melt the butter. Eat the egg with a spoon. Just look at all that oozy butter dripping down the sides. Yums!Little boo a.k.a "butter fiend," enjoying his egg cup.

Bread or Fruit
If I have fresh bakery bread I slice it and serve with dinner. If not, I toast some bread, cut in triangles or serve pita bread. If there's no fresh bread or I have an abundance of fruit, I serve fruit. Hack up a melon, some stone fruit, berries, whatever was available at the market.

This is the perfect kind of meal to follow up with stove-top popcorn. We have family TV night once a week in the summer, and snacks like popcorn are usually on the menu after dinner.

Kid Appeal Tip If your kids are really averse to veggies, try this type of farmer's market meal. Go to the market on a weekend, and let them help you pick out a few items. Then serve a "Market Meal." Offer mostly fruits and vegetables in mini courses like an appetizer meal. Make sure they're hungry, a recent snack might make them opt out of any of the new cuisine. When they can't choose a familiar meat dish, starchy side, etc. they may just venture out and taste some of the harvest from the market.

Peach Yogurt Parfait-Best ever!

2009-08-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

I ran out of frozen blueberries which is our m.o. for yogurt parfaits around here and ended up using a peach instead. As run outs tend to come in waves, I was also out of Kashi puffs and used Grape Nuts Flakes instead. The cereal and fruit substitutions turned out to be better than the original, I was shocked!! Little boo is a convert too, but hubby and big boo still prefer blueberries and puffs. I'm on a Grape-Nuts Flakes kick. They are so airy and crunchy and add a lot of texture to a parfait. Hubby loves them for breakfast. They have a little more sugar than I'd like (the Kashi puffs have no added sugar), but 4g a serving isn't too bad. The Kashi puffs have no added sugar. And thankfully Post uses sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Thank's Post!

It will be a sad day indeed when peaches are out of season, and I have to return to frozen blueberries parfaits.

Peach Yogurt Parfait
Spoon unsweetened whole milk organic yogurt into a bowl.
Top with half or whole fresh diced peach (sure you could sub canned peaches in juice, but that's only acceptable when peaches are out of season).
Top with 1/2 cup of Grape Nuts Flakes
Top with raw honey to taste.

Kid Appeal Tip My kids go crazy for the kid marketed yogurt products in the dairy section, they ask for it every time they see it. While we get them on occasion, they are a sometimes food for us. I routinely buy a large container of plain yogurt and dress it up with fresh/dried fruit, granola/cereal and honey. Just because it's made for kids doesn't mean that it's good for kids routinely. You'd be surprised what they'll eat once they're home and not bombarded with all the cartoon characters. If your kids shop with you let them pick out one "wholesome" snack each shopping trip. This cuts down on the begging and nagging during the shopping trip, gives them some discretion to choose a treat, and should result in less resistance to the plethora of choices you make that they don't prefer.

Defining wholesome snack is up to you, but give your child some ideas of what things they can choose from. Things that make our list are dairy/grain/fruit items that have more added sugar and food coloring than I'm comfortable condoning on a routine basis. Things like sweetened whole grain cereals (more than 6g per serving), flavored yogurts, yogurt covered nuts or fruit, fruit leather, graham crackers, etc.

NasoPure Winners Announced and Peaches Galore!

2009-08-10T06:56:00.001-07:00

I got to do something fun today! Draw winners for the NasoPure giveaway. Big boo helped with the honors and pushed the "Get Numbers" button at random.org for me. Seemed like a good time to introduce the interger concept to him.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to the 4 winners, One Acre Homestead, Greta, ceis8009 and Shannon C!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-08-10 13:36:31 UTC

Thanks again to Dr. Hana for offering such a great product to Kid Appeal readers and a special thank you to Heather at Freebies4Mom who shared this giveaway with her readers. If you didn't win, but you or kiddo need nasal congestion relief I hope you'll give nasal irrigation a shot.

In other news, my Aunt took me to Ham's orchard near Dallas, TX and I couldn't resist buying a half bushel of peaches (or 4 tomatoes, one cantaloupe, 2 bags of purple hulled peas, and a bunch of blueberries). So guess what I'll be doing this week? Eating as many fresh peaches as I can and putting up the rest. Ham's is awesome. They had a constant flow of folks in there on a Saturday afternoon getting soft ice strawberry and peach ice cream as well as stocking up on fresh produce, frozen cobblers and preserves.

I sense peach shortcake, cobbler, and smoothies in my week. And winter. Nothing beats a bowl of cheerios and fresh peaches to start the day. Except maybe a peach yogurt parfait. Or maybe peach clafoutis? Or oatmeal and peaches? It's a peach breakfast, lunch and dessert festival chez moi this week.

What's your favorite way to eat a peach? I've got a half a bushel to use up, any and all ideas are welcome.

Bummed you didn't win this giveaway? No worries, you still have time to enter the giveaway for a great veggie cookbook. All you have to do is comment on this post telling me what your favorite veggie and way to eat it is.

Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment-Cookbook Review and Give away!

2009-08-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

I've seen more food blogs with Meatless Meal posts, and recipe swaps recently than I can shake a stick at. While most carnivores aren't willing to give up meat completely, they are for budget or health reasons willing to give up a little meat, at least for one main meal, once a week. If you're already on that bandwagon or are flirting with the idea, then you may suddenly become out of ideas for meatless meals and need some inspiration. I've got something for ya!

A chance to win Jill Nussinow a.k.a The Veggie Queen's cookbook, Vegetables Get The Royal Treatment.

In a meat eating family, you'll get lots of groans at the dinner table if you just sub tofu to your normal meaty meal. It helps when you offer new things they've never had, and use a recipe with lot of great flavor to help win your carnivores over to meatless meals. Jill's recipes let vegetables shine, they are put front and center in the dish. While many of her recipes do involve a significant list of ingredients, even a busy cook (well, lazy really) like me doesn't mind prepping a longer list of ingredients to end up with a remarkable veggie dish. Think of all that time you didn't spend marinating, trimming, cooking meat, and throw it all into a veggie or three.

There are plenty of veggie/grain recipes and veggie/meat substitute recipes and many other veggie side dish recipes that adapt easily to the addition of meat substitute to turn it into a main meal. This is not just a book for vegetarians! Most carnivores would do their health a favor by increasing the amount of vegetables consumed on a regular basis.

Jill's book will inspire you to bring flavors together with vegetables you may have never thought of. Any gardener, CSA member, or produce sale shopper will know that in summer squash is a plenty, and using up the bounty in a palatable way can be a challenge. Jill's Grilled Asian Squash is a perfect way to use up plenty of abundant squash in a tasty way.

The squash I scored from the one farmer who still brings produce to Sandy's Market in West Houston on Wednesdays.

They grilled up nice with ginger, tamari (soy sauce), sesame seed oil and herb marinade and are kicked up a notch with some of the best tasting onions I've ever had.

I think my favorite part of the book, (outside of the recipes) is Jill's reminder to support local farmers and go to the trouble of finding fresh produce by visiting a farmer's market or stopping at a roadside stand to pick up some fresh produce. Some of the most amazing fruit and vege I've tasted has come from back country road produce stands. I always make sure I have cash in my wallet on the way down to the farm or out to Austin for family visits so I can stop and buy something grown at a Texas farm. Even if your busy life can only get to a Farmer's market once a quarter, or shop at a produce stand on the annual trek to grandmas; make time for it. Not only is it a great family activity, and one of the best ways to introduce various types of produce to your family, but it's also an opportunity to get some really tasty food.

Anyone trying to use up home garden or CSA share produce will surely find something new to delight the family with just as one more greens, or squash or eggplant dish is the last thing they want to see on the table. The recipes are organized by season combining produce that harvests around the same time.

This book would make a great gift to anyone you know who is trying to make vegetables a bigger part of their diet. When steamed veggies on the side (or worse, a can of peas and carrots dumped into tuna mac) is all the veggie you know, it's no wonder veggies don't hold a place of esteem in the weekly menu.

Jill reminds us to revere the fruits and veggies grown nearby and offers a plethora of recipes that make can make vegetables queen of the table.

Last week I blogged about two of Jill's recipes, and I've made a handful of others. All delicious. My favorite was the Mediterranean Bean and Herb salad. Tomatillo and Veggie rice salad was hubby's favorite. I don't know why but he's morally opposed to white beans. Give him a black one, red one, brown one, no problem. Ask him to eat a white bean and it's like I committed a heinous dinner crime. Mystery it is.

How to win a copy of Jill's book:

1) enter a comment on this post telling me what your favorite vegetable is and your favorite way(s) to eat said vegetable.

2)Leave your email address in the following format jenna AT foodwithkidappeal DOT com.

3) The contest will end at midnight CST August 16th. Winner will be selected using random.org and contacted via email.

Peppermint Shortbread Cookies-Christmas in July

2009-07-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

I admit it. This is the only time I've ever done Christmas in July. Whatever that means. Loved it! Thanks FishMama for having a christmas themed URS this week. I got to have all the good and none of the bad of Christmas today! If you need a little holiday spirit in the midst of your summer pop over to the LifeAsMom "it's not christmas without" recipe swap.

I'm fickle when it comes to Christmas.

Christmas lights-love it
Christmas music-love it
christmas shopping-hate it
christmas traffic-hate it
picking out a great gift for a loved one-love it
getting too many gifts we can't use/don't need-hate it
having too many to people to buy for, too little cash and not enough time to shop thoughtfully-hate it
christmas baking-love it
christmas cleaning up after baking-hate it
christmas parties-love it
having too many parties to go to in a 2 week period-hate it
Having too many viruses to attend any of the parties-hate it
Family visits at christmas-love it
so many family visits at christmas that the kids get whacked out on too much sugar, too little sleep, too much consumerism and entirely too much indoor grown-up visiting time-hate it
Eating christmas food-love it
Pants getting too tight before santa even arrives-hate it.

One day. One recipe. The gift of family time together (with sugar included). Perfect Christmas. We even got the audio CD of grinch who stole christmas out and listened to that. Would have been better to watch it, but I'm not complaining.

I posted this peppermint shortbread cookie recipe in December. This cookie defines Christmas for me. And hubby. Big boo's favorite candy is peppermint, I suppose that's linked to his over-consumption of candy canes one year around the holidays. He'd found a stash in the closet and was munching them in secret while watching morning cartoons. Who knows how long he had this habit before I found him out. I suspect that one day in a few years I'll come to learn that this is big boo's favorite holiday cookie too. One day little boo will have had enough Christmas's to declare his favorite Christmas cookie. Kids are fun!

I love it's simplicity. A shortbread base with with only four ingredients. I even made them by hand this time, no getting out the heavy mixer from atop the fridge. The topping is a simple powdered sugar glaze with crushed peppermints. The crumble of the shortbread and the crunch of the set glaze and candy topping is party in your mouth. And they're so pretty. Small. Cute. Pink. Perfect.

The boys loved bashing up the peppermint candies with a rolling pin.

And sifting the powdered sugar

And spreading on the icing and topping with candy.

I am so loving that they are both old enough and able to help me bake. I cherish all the memories I have baking with my parents, and grandma's.

I had an uh-oh moment when I made them. I had my butter and sugar creamed and uh-oh. Where's my new bag of white flour? No where. No time to run to the store for more flour. It was white wheat short bread or no Christmas in July. Short bread is one cookie I had no intention of wholesomeing them up. I probably only had a cup of white flour left, so my short bread was about 2/3 white wheat. They are far better than I thought. I was sure I'd have to toss them after I photographed them for the recipe swap. Not so. They are slightly less amazing than the tender crumbly white flour short-bread, but still mighty tasty. I didn't really notice until I was on cookie number 5. I won't even tell you how many I've eaten since we finished icing them this morning. Cannot. Resist. Peppermint. Cookies.

Peppermint Shortbread Cookies

Dough
1 c. softened butter (salted)
½ c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cup flour

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add flour and mix on low until incorporated. Chill for one hour (or overnight). Roll cookies into 1/2 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten top with palm of your hand. These cookies don't really spread or rise. Bake at 350˚ for 12-15 minutes. Don’t over bake. They shouldn’t be more than light brown when you take them out of the oven. Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes then place on rack, or paper sack to cool.

Icing
1 ½ c powdered sugar, sifted
A few TBS of water.

Crushed peppermint candy in a shallow bowl or plate.

Put powdered sugar in blender and add one TBS of water at a time, mixing thoroughly each time. Keep adding water until glaze is the right consistency. You want it pretty thick or the peppermints will ooze off over the edge of cookies. If it’s too thin, no worries, just add more powdered sugar until desired consistency.

Unwrap candy canes, star brights, or other peppermint hard candies and place in a double zip lock back. You need about one package per recipe. Bash them with heavy kitchen utensil (I use a parmesan cheese grater, a meat tenderizer or rolling pin would be ideal). Make the candy pieces very small, close to a dust, it’s too hard to eat big chunks on top of the cookies. If you live in a humid climate, don’t crush the candy too far in advance, it gets too clumpy to decorate. Spread crushed peppermint in a wide bowl.

Let cookies cool thoroughly before icing. Spread a little icing on top. The icing is just a glue. Turn cookie over and press into the crushed candy. Let cookies dry very well on wax paper or paper bag before storing in airtight container. These cookies preserve pretty well. This is a small recipe, so if you’re gifting any or entertaining with them, you might want to double the recipe.

If you're making them for the first time, please use white flour! I don't want you to miss any of their amazingness. Just wanted to share with other white wheat bakers that it is indeed possible to make white wheat shortbread cookies and not sacrifice taste or crumble completely.

The boys crushed entirely too much peppermint. I debated what to do with the extra. So I went to the baby center Cooking For Your Family board for ideas. Love getting ideas from that group! Mix into brownies? Sprinkle on top of chocolate waffles? Toss some into my cup of coffee? Sprinkle on top of ice cream? Add to milkshake? Make peppermint bark? I had some chocolate I needed to use up, so I made bark.

Don't forget to enter the give away for NasoPure. Only three people have entered and I have four prizes to give away, odds are in your favor at this point!

And you? "It's not Christmas without....."

Chocolate Waffles-whole grain

2009-07-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

It was Friday. I was hungry and trolling around reading blogs, recipes to be specific. And I came across an enterprising lady who to keep her un air-conditioned home cool and still eat brownies, dumped her batter in her waffle iron. That sounded way good to me, then I got busy with dinner and kids and forgot about the waffle brownies until I crawled into bed. Drat. Too late to for chocolate fix.

I woke up Saturday still thinking about chocolate waffles cursing myself for having not made some in secret after the boys went to bed the night before. I really really wanted chocolate waffles. So I started googling chocolate waffle recipes, remembering that Alton Brown made them on a Good Eats episode. Several recipes later and the consensus was to replace 1/2 of the flour in a waffle recipe with cocoa et voila! Chocolate waffles. Yup, I made chocolate waffles for breakfast on Saturday. I couldn't very well be the healthy food queen AND serve brownies for breakfast, but chocolate whole grain waffles met my nutritional requirements. Beta-glucan (oats) and gobs of antioxidants (chocolate) to start the day, I couldn't ask for more.

The surprise was, only little boo and I really liked them. Seriously, who wouldn't love any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast?

Hubby is not a big a dark chocolate fan as I am so they didn't appeal to him. He said they'd be perfect as dessert waffles served with ice cream and chocolate syrup on top. He's also not a lover of breakfast griddle items (see what I have to live with, hehehe). His opinion really doesn't count for me. Not sure what was up with big boo. He usually loves all things chocolate, even dark chocolate. And waffles. His displeasure was a mystery.

So warning to those who are not in. love. with. dark. chocolate. You either want to top this with copious amounts of whipped topping, ice cream, raspberry jelly OR sub only 1/4 cup of cocoa.

I just used my whole grain waffle recipe with oats, subbed 1/2 cup of the flour for cocoa and topped with butter and a generous amount of powdered sugar and they were so. good. yum. Best part? Since big boo and hubby weren't big fans, there were left overs, which went into the freezer. Oh look. One just popped up from the toaster and I am eating it now. Are you jealous?

Dark Chocolate Waffles (based on recipe from eatingwell.com)
2 cups buttermilk (or milk with a little lemon)
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
5/6 cup white wheat flour (use your 1/2 and 1/3 cup to get 5/6)
1/2 cup cocoa (I used green and black's organic)
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ or cornmeal or flax seed meal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or grapeseed, or canola)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk flour cocoa, wheat germ (or cornmeal or flaxseed meal), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Do not over-stir!

If you haven't already, read a review of NasoPure, a kid friendly nasal washing system and leave a comment for a chance to win one adult and one kid sized bottle.

NasoPure Giveaway-Is your kid’s nose clean?

2009-07-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

I hope you don’t mind if I take a short break from healthy food tips and recipes and blog about nasal health for a while. I guess it's no surprise that I look for natrual healing options in addition to natural food choices. Nasal washing is something my allergy and asthma family has done for many years, and something I wanted to share with my readers. I reached out to Dr. Hana, creator of the NasoPure nasal washing solution to see if I could review her product and offer some to readers. To my surprise she agreed. I gave away a set at the first of the year to the winner of the Recovering Picky Eater Challenge, and I’ve still got four sets left!

Winners will receive:

One small nasal wash bottle- Sample Kit (includes saline solution)

AND

One large nasal wash bottle-Sample Kit (includes saline solution)

I’ve always found that the best way to create habits with the boys is to do the habit along with them, so whether that’s eating nutritious food, brushing teeth, or keeping noses snot free, I join in. Winners will get an adult size and kid size bottle to start keeping noses clean. You can show them how it’s done and keep your nose clean too.

I love a clean nose! I had never regularly cleaned my nose before getting my NasoPure bottles. I never want to experience a virus without it again. Great insurance against swine flu! Won’t keep you from getting it, but can make the symptoms less painful to deal with. I think every mom is coming to terms with the reality that back to school this year is going to mean the threat of swine flu. (In case this helps, big boo had it and the congestion that followed was a bigger deal than the one day of fever/headache).

If you’re wondering what nasal washing is, maybe you caught Oprah’s Dr Oz episode where he had a guest come up and use a neti pot (a teapot looking gizmo) to flush the nasal passages with a saline solution. NasoPure is the same concept, but more kid friendly, as it doesn’t require head tilting. The plastic is flexible so the kids can squeeze the bottle themselves to get the saline solution in and the snot out.

Nasal washing has been a big help to big boo.

In a perfect world (one where I'm technically savvy) I would have embedded a video of big boo cleaning his nose to demonstrate how even young kids can manage nasal washing. But I couldn’t figure out how to embed a video in blogger, so all I have for you is a few pictures.

Even a severe virus will only knock big boo out for a day, but the congestion it causes can linger in his head for weeks, and at it’s worst, causing hearing loss (build-up from fluid in ear canal), secondary infections and a mild wheeze. The more compliant he is with regular nasal washing the faster he recovers from the lingering congestion and the less secondary infections and asthma/allergy medications he needs.

Nasal washing with NasoPure was part of our virus, allergy, asthma treatment since big boo was 2 ½. When he was 3 ½ he could use the nose wash himself with supervision. He’s 5 now and it’s been a part of our morning routine for a good while along with teeth brushing, hair combing, he does it all on his own. Little boo, who’s three, still needs my help. Sure they complain sometimes (who wouldn’t approach nasal washing with less enthusiasm than eating a cookie) but no more so than other daily hygiene routines.

I keep mine in the shower and clean my nose daily. My allergies are mild and I’m able to live comfortably without medications as long as I wash my nose regularly. They also help with severe congestion when I catch a bug from the kids. I can easily get off to sleep after cleaning my nose. The bottles are dishwasher safe! Love that. Anyone cooking for a family every day is always running the dishwasher. No special cleaning methods for this hygeine tool.

Here is more information about the benefits of nose washing, and how NasoPure is superior to the neti pot for kiddos. Dr. Hana, thank you for the generous box of goodies for the Food With Kid Appeal readers! My apologies for the delay in the review of your amazing product.

For any new readers who need a feel for what this blog is about when I'm not giving stuff away, check out some of these kid friendly recipes. Most recipes include a relevant Kid Appeal Tip to help you get your family eating more nutritious foods. I used to be a picky eater, so I know it's possible to turn around even the most finicky eaters. With love. Good food. And lots of practice!

Rice Salad

Ants on a Log

Scrambled Eggs with veggies

Three ways to win

1. Leave a comment and let me know why you want a cleaner nose for you and/or kidlet.

2. For a second chance to win, sign up for the Food with Kid Appeal RSS feed or email updates to blog posts, and mention in your comment that you signed up. If you’re already a subscriber, mention that in your comment and you’ll get two entries.

3. For a third chance to win, tweet about the giveaway and include link to this post. Let me know in your comment that you tweeted.

Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win! If you’re not a blogger and I can’t track you down online, leave your email in this format: jenna AT foodwithkidappeal DOT com. Contest closes at midnight CST on Aug 7th. A winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winners will be contacted via email, prizes will be mailed via USPS.

Poached Egg Rocket Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

2009-07-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

As the third and final recipe for salad week, I hope you enjoy another of my inspirations from a summer spent in France during college (Check out French Rice Salad in case you missed it last month). Hubby adores this dish, he says it’s the best tasting dish he’s had anywhere, including restaurants. What a great compliment considering how few ingredients this dish has, and how simple it is to bring it together. It’s a meatless meal tonight, so I’ll serve cheesy toast as a side item and we’ll finish off with a colossal serving of watermelon.

Not enough salad's for you to pick from here? No worrries, stop on by LifeAsMom to see all the recipes she's rounded up in this week's ultimate recipe swap. In case you missed these posted by yours truly earlier in the week, here they are again.

Tomatillo and Summer Veggie Brown Rice Salad

Herb, Veggie and Bean Mediterranean Salad

It had been an age since I made this, until arugula (also know as rocket) started showing up in my central city co-op veggie share every few weeks. The whole family all about soft cooked egg yolks (like in egg toast), and chef’s salad (greens, veggies and hard boiled eggs), so this salad wasn’t too much of a stretch for the kids. Yes, I admit it. I let my kids eat soft cooked egg yolks. I’m not particularly scared of germs. I don’t ever soft cook an egg that has past its sell-by date and that’s as far as my practical-odds-beating persona goes to avoid bacteria contamination. Phew, I’m glad that cat is out of the bag. Now you all know the truth about my kids and the eggs they eat.

I'm taking some time off from my regular co-op shares so I was happy to find Arugula triple washed at HEB, a Central Market Organics product.

I’ve made this a handful of times for the family and they gobble up the egg, eat a couple leaves and complain vigorously about the vinaigrette. Anything that isn’t ranch pretty much isn’t accepted, although big boo is beginning to branch out. After a recent ranch run out, he accepted a sun dried tomato vinaigrette, and ate it. I know eventually they’ll grow out of their salad dressing tunnel vision, and it’s really not too much trouble for me to leave some of the greens undressed so they can top as they like. Five years old is actually quite a good year for big boo’s taste buds. He recently ate veggie and pork dumplings (including make your own pepper, ginger, soy dipping sauce) with glee and was sad when they were all gone!

Arugula is a peppery green, and if not mixed with other greens can be a little over-powering in a salad. Not so when you plop a poached egg on top and serve with zippy mustard vinaigrette. This salad is so simple, elegant, sophisticated and down right tasty, I won’t say another thing about it.

Mustard Vinaigrette (to dress 4 oz of greens)

2 TBS olive oil

Juice and zest of half a lemon (best to use organic)*

1 tsp of dijon mustard

1 tsp white wine (or other mild) vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix to combine oil, juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Toss rinsed and dried greens with dressing. No Arugula? No worries. Any greens will do.

Poached Eggs

After some research I’ve come to learn there are as many ways to poach an egg as there are to rear a child, so here’s a post from Mr. Breakfast that describes a few egg poaching methods. I personally would avoid the method using saran wrap, as I prefer not to cook in plastic, even if it provides an nice round poached egg. My method involves more than one egg at a time, and vinegar in the water.

Plating

Place a nest of the dressed greens on a plate. Have that ready, table set, and family ready to eat. Drop (gently) the eggs to poach. Let kids watch the eggs cook, it’s a neat to watch the whites turn white and see the little ghosty tails bubble around in the water. Remove eggs from cooking water with slotted spoon and use paper towel to dry gently. Place egg gently on top of greens, top with a little salt and pepper (if desired) and devour immediately, being sure to get a bit of white, yolk, and greens in every blissful bite. When finished hop up and cook another egg to devour. Hubby will often eat three!

If you've never poached eggs before and your first (dozen) attempts come off unsightly, don't fret. They'll still taste good. Apparently there is an art to poached eggs, which I have yet to master. Practice. Practice Practice...

Kid Appeal Tip I imagine most parents have trouble getting kids to adopt new dips, sauces and dressings. Ask most kids who have only eaten brown gravy their whole life to try cream gravy and they’ll probably hide under the table. Once a kid gets attached to a particular dip, or sauce or dressing it may be hard to get them to adopt a variety of flavors, but I do think it’s worth giving it a shot. I’m not saying don’t offer Ranch dressing every time you make a salad, but encourage them to taste new things so they don’t choose to opt out of salad (or chicken) when it’s presented at a guest’s house, or restaurant in way that’s not their own. I ask my kids to taste everything the way I prepare it, and if they choose to top it with ketchup or ranch, so be it. Ranch was my favorite growing up, and still has a warm spot in my heart, but I am so glad I like many other kinds of salad dressings now. Do a taste test between the beloved dip and the new one. Ask your child to taste the cherished one and describe the flavors they taste. Then have him taste the new dip/sauce/dressing and describe the flavors. Ask them which one they prefer. Sure they’ll probably pick their old stand by, but over time they’ll warm to new flavors. The hardest part is often getting them to taste it. Having them focus on describing what they taste, and not the negative self talk running through their head i.e. “that looks gross” or “that smells funny” or “I’m not going to like that” or “I feel sick when I look at that” etc could be just enough distraction to get a new taste on their tongue.

Earthbound Farm Organic Promotion-Win $500 Savings Bond for College

2009-07-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Kids say the cutest things right? Earthbound Farms is promoting their switch to post consumer recycled plastic (PCR) in their packaging by offering to quote your kiddo on their new labels. The winners also get a $500 savings bond to use for education and a $500 donation in their name to a choice of environmental nonprofit. 4 winners will be chosen in July and another winner will be chosen each month for the remainder of 2009.

Here's a link with all the details for the Earthbound Farm's giveaway including entry rules, prizes and entry form. What you need to do is get you kiddo to complete this sentence "Thank you for choosing Organic, it matters to me because......"

And because it's still salad week on Food With Kid Appeal, here's a shout out to @TwinToddlersDad and his Turkish Bulgar Salad recipe. This recipe is similar to one of my faves, tabuleh. He reminds me that it's easy to prepare and I shouldn't always hold off until we eat out to get my tabuleh fix.

Bloggers, contact me via twitter - @kidappeal - if you want to help Earthbound Farm Organic spread the word about this promotion.

Good Luck!

Mediterranean Bean, Herb and Tomato Salad

2009-07-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Salad week continues with this vegetarian main meal salad, also from Jill Nussinow’s cookbook, Vegetables Get The Royal Treatment. Beans are full of protein and make a great meat substitute without resorting to something more commonly associated with “fake meat” like tofu. I don’t know about your house, but hubby gets suspicious when I replace meat with something else. If I just leave meat out of a bean meal, he doesn’t complain. Click here in case you missed Jill’s other main meal Tomatillo rice salad I posted earlier this week. It was divine, there were no leftovers!

In case you’re wondering, I got flighty when pondering LifeAsMom’s URS “salad” theme this week. I couldn’t decide which recipe to enter, so I decided to have a salad week, and enter more than one…..Stay tuned to Thursday for the ultimate salad recipe and the third installment of salad week here on Kid Appeal.

I love herbs in a green salad, and Mediterranean is in my top two ethnic food styles. Like rice, I made double batches of beans and freeze leftovers, or use them in another dish a couple nights later. This salad is a great way to use up that other half of a pot o beans, and when done that way, will be a meatless, cookless meal! Any salad that is a vehicle for olives gets an A in my book. Serve with crusty bread if you like.

I loved this salad. I'm sure a lot of the love was the heirloom tomatoes, so if you're tempted to try it, use the absolute best tomatoes you can get your hands on. The bean, marinade, veggie, herb mixture would make a good dipper for bread.

What’s all the fuss about fresh herbs?

One: they taste great. This salad call for three fresh herbs, use all or some, or others, whatever you have. If you don’t have an herb garden, buying 3 herbs at the store in small bunches can get pricey, so pick one or two to cut costs. Fresh herbs have some amazing nutrients in them, so if they are in the budget start adding them to everything you make. Once you get started with fresh herbs you’ll come to love how they can brighten up any dish both in flavor and color. They have an intense flavor which allows you to use less salt and still produce a great tasting dish. I’ve never had an herb-gone-wrong application, so don’t be afraid to substitute one herb for another in a recipe.

Two: They’re good for ya! Dave Grotto states in 101 Foods that Could Save Your Life that “parsley has potent phytoestrogenic activity suggesting possible cancer-preventative properties…..contains many volatile oils and flavonoid phytochemicals in parsley, all having cancer protective properties. A Turkish study (on rats) showed subjects who were given parsley experienced lowered blood glucose while GHS (cell protector) increased.” And on basil Dave says “it contains strong antioxidant properties, flavonoids that protect cells from damage, and volatile oils that have antibacterial properties. “One tablespoon of oregano,” he says, “contains the same antioxidant strength as an apple, banana, a cup of string beans, or half a cup of steamed carrots!”

Three: Fresh herbs are veggies too! As little as 1 TBS can be a serving of veggies when it comes to fresh herbs. I wish I’d looked at fresh herbs this way when I was making baby food for both the boys! What a great way to introduce the flavor of fresh herbs, and pack in tons of nutrients on the spoon.

Kid Appeal Tip Do you have trouble getting kids to eat fresh herbs? Me too. My kiddos eat fresh herbs in cooked food all the time, but they pick over them when I sprinkle them on top of a dish, or add them to a salad. They’ll eat pesto (add cheese, nuts and salt to anything and they’ll eat it…), but I’m still working on fresh herbs. I encourage them by going gaga over the smell of fresh herbs when I buying them, or prepping them for a dish. I also talk them up a lot when I’m eating it remarking on how amazing the dish tastes with the fresh herb in it. I ask them to give me their herb bits so I can get all the antioxidants and antibacterial goodness in my body. Sometimes this encourages them to taste them, but they aren’t universally accepted yet. Yet. I stress yet. I know that over time, they’ll come to eat them just as they have mushrooms, onions, most green veggies and many other typical toddler refusals. I know that with repeated exposure, enthusiasm and making it relevant (what it does for their body), they will eventually eat it. An herb garden would go a long way as well. Getting kids to help grow something (and herbs can be grown in small pots indoors in most places) can make the food more easily adopted when it shows up in dinner.

Mediterranean Bean, Herb and Tomato Salad (from Jill Nussinow’s Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment)

6 cups young greens (I don’t have any co-op greens this week, so I’m using commercial organic baby greens)

2 cups cooked white beans-rinsed (cannellini, great northern, etc. cans are fine, drain off half the liquid.)

1.5 lbs fresh tomatoes (I’m using the heirlooms I bought at central city co-op)

1 cup sliced cucumber sliced in half moon shapes

12 pitted kalamata olives

2 TBS chopped fresh basil

1 TBS chopped fresh oregano (I’m leaving this out, don’t have any)

2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

½ tsp lemon zest (I’m using lime, still got a few rouge limes to use up)

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp salt, freshly ground pepper to taste.

Combine lemon juice and zest, oil, salt and pepper and pour over the drained beans. Let this mixture marinate for at least 25 minutes. Then add the olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, chopped basil, oregano and parsley to the beans. Arrange the greens on four plates and top them with ¼ of the bean, veggie, herb mixture. Note: Jill cooks her beans with 3-4 springs of fresh savory herbs like thyme.

QOTD (question of the day) What is your favorite dish at a mediterranean restaurant? I can't pick just one. Hummus, Tabuleh, fried cauli.

Tomatillo and Summer Veggie Rice Salad

2009-07-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

When I rewind back to March 09 it’s hard to believe how many balls I dropped. I can’t recall a time in my life when I’ve ever been so over-extended (and that includes the months before I married hubby, still green to a new and high stakes job, buying our first house, planning a wedding and seeing hubby through the last year of a demanding fine arts education.) Even the first year of little boo’s life didn’t create as many loose ends that for many many many months went untied. As an experienced mom I guess I knew that chasing a 2 year old, nurturing an infant and keeping my business afloat was all I could do in that year, and I just said no to anything else. But back in January I got stupid and for some reason the over-achiever in me thought I could parent, run my business (which involved taking on a new demanding role), maintain a high level of nutrition in our daily meals, continue teaching nutrition classes, grow this blog, and volunteer at the preschool. Hahahahaha. Big joke. Balls. Crashing. Down. All. Around. Me. Everywhere.

The not funny part of that were the commitments I’d made to other bloggers for guest posts, and to a couple products reviews and giveaways. Sheepishly, I am back on the blogging wagon and trying to make good (albeit very very late) on those commitments.

One of those product reviews is Jill Nussinow’s (MS, RD) a.k.a "The Veggie Queen" cook book, Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment. Jill, my sincere apologies for the delay in the review! I’ve been reading her cookbook and found some good salad recipes. This recipe was a big hit with hubby, who normally snubs his nose at any rice dish, especially cold rice! The boys and I are already fond of rice salads, and I’ve wanted to find another rice salad recipe to use up left-over rice (I always make double batch to economize on rice cooking time/energy). Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for a review of Jill’s book and a chance to win a free copy. If her other recipes are anything like this one, a rave review it could be. I am all about any recipe that gets hubby to eat rice (for some reason he is morally opposed to starchy food).

I’d never prepared tomatillos before, so that was fun. I was pleasantly surprised how tart and crunchy they are. I was also surprised at how good the salad tasted without oil in the dressing. I nearly added some, thinking salad dressing couldn’t be complete without oil, but I’m glad I resisted. For anyone avoiding oil on a quest to lose or maintain weight, this salad packs a lot of flavor and has no added fat! Not that I condone low fat diets, moderate amounts of healthy fat is just fine for weight maintenance and weight loss.

The boos weren’t too fond of the cilantro, but as they were already fans of green beans and the corn, rice combo they were brave enough to give this new recipe a try. When big boo picked out a tomatillo and popped it in his mouth, his eyes opened wide. He chewed, swallowed then paused. He declared “this is my twelfth favorite food.” His seriatim of favorite foods was news to me, but I’m glad it made the favorite list and not the dislike list.

I love the green and white of the salad, and the crunch of all the veggies. I opted out of the red pepper (no recovering picky eater badge for me today-although I did add roasted pureed red peppers to my chicken cheese enchilada mixture last week, that counts right?) and used a second ear of corn instead. The corn I got was white instead of yellow; I subbed brown rice for wild rice, so my salad ended up being green and white. I already know the red, white, green, yellow rice salad looks great too, since that’s how French rice salad turns out. Either way you make this dish, the colors will be eye candy. I think it would be good with an avocado in there too. I love any vehicle for an avocado.

And this recipe used up six more of little boo’s key limes!

Tomatillo, Summer Vegetable and Brown Rice Salad (adapted from Jill Nussinow in Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment)

2 cups cooked brown rice (or wild brown rice mix)

¼ pound string beans, chopped in ¼ inch pieces.

2 ears of corn, kernels removed (or one ear of corn and one red bell pepper diced), or one cup corn kernels

¾ pound (about six) tomatillos

2 green onions (or one spring onion, or a bit of diced any-kind-of-onion)

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, crushed or minced

2 TBS lime juice or mild vinegar.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Steam the corn kernels and green beans for 5 minutes* Chop half the tomatillos in bite size pieces and add them to the salad bowl. Put the other half with the lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor and whiz up until nearly smooth. Add the rice, steamed veggies, onion, and chopped cilantro to the salad bowl. Pour the dressing over top, stir and serve room temperature (or warm if you made fresh rice).

*Note that Jill cooks her rice, removes from heat, places corn and green beans on top of rice, closes lid and steams them there for 5 minutes-I like that method, saves a dish, takes advantage of the heat already produced from cooking the rice, and leaves all the nutrients from veggies with the rice to be consumed!

Sub other veggies for this dish like tomatoes or squash.

QOTD (question of the day) What do you like best about trying a new recipe? How must I entice you to come and comment on the blog? I so enjoy reading your comments....